Just For One Night
Usagi already knew she would lose; Minako was almost a lap ahead and after two more laps the race would be over. Still, she kept on trying, staring intensively at the screen, clutching the steering wheel with white knuckles. She had no idea how Minako could drive so fast without crashing, without missing a turn. Twenty seconds later a big bright text flashed over the screen: GAME OVER. Usagi sighed.
"Yo. You girls up to a race?" came a voice.
Both girls turned to look at the source of that voice. A sinfully handsome blonde. He seemed strong enough, but yet slim, petite for a man. Most often Usagi found herself noticing the muscular, dark-haired men with broad shoulders, but though this stranger possessed none of those traits, his face was enough to spark her interest. The young man's beauty was close to divine, and a solid proof of this was that Minako, who normally didn't care for boys whatsoever, was drooling just as much as Usagi was. Though the senshi of love might have been a bit more in this world than Usagi, since Minako was still able to speak.
"You want to race against the winner?" she answered the stranger's challenge with one of her own. "OK, I will show you what racing is all about!"
The man chuckled, and within seconds Usagi was removed from the driver's seat she had been occupying. Minako had eyes only for the screen in front of herself. One foot already on the gas pedal, Minako stared at the text on the screen. 3...2...1...GO!
-S-
"I'm home!" exclaimed a cheerful Usagi as she entered the house. A taller figure followed her in, but in a lot more warily. Usagi's brother, Shingo, was on his way upstairs, but stopped in the middle of the stairs to greet his sister.
"Hiya, baka Usagi," he grinned. "What, you brought a boyfriend with you? Just wait 'til Daddy finds out!"
The boy stormed into his room, leaving Usagi more or less dumbfounded. She heard a low chuckle from behind her.
"So that's your brother, I assume."
"Y-yeah..." Usagi stammered. "Don't mind him, he's always like that."
Usagi's mother had apparently heard Shingo's words, since she came to see what was going on.
"Welcome home, Usagi-chan," she said with a smile, and then went on with even brighter smile, "...and may I ask who is this handsome young man you brought with you?"
Usagi blushed fiercely, and seemed unable to answer. The 'handsome young man' behind her stepped forward, extending a hand.
"Tenou Haruka, pleased to meet you."
Usagi's mother smiled warmly and took Haruka's hand.
"The pleasure's all mine. I'm Tsukino Ikuko, Usagi's mother," she said, shaking hands with Haruka.
"Mom," Usagi said in a bored tone. "We're going up into my room now."
"Yeah... sure," Ikuko replied, somewhat absentmindedly, staring Haruka into the eyes, not realizing she was still holding the taller girl's hand in hers. Haruka gave an amused smile at the transfixed woman.
"I'd better go, Tsukino-san," she said in that deep resonant voice of hers, "or otherwise our little Usagi-chan here will get bored out of her mind."
Ikuko sighed, finally letting go of Haruka's hand.
"The dinner will be at four!" she called out at the two girls going up the stairs.
-S-
Usagi took a seat on her bed, while Haruka remained on her feet to take in her surroundings. Quite many objects in the room were shaped like bunnies, she noticed, and there was also an excessive amount of the colour light blue.
"A nice room," Haruka commented. "Very girly."
Usagi smiled. "Thank you. Please, have a seat."
Haruka glanced around, looking for a chair, but there seemed to be none. But there was a large windowsill, so she decided to make that her seat.
"Er, so, what would you like to do?" Usagi asked. "Watch TV, maybe? Or play video games?"
"You don't think you got enough of playing at the arcade?" Haruka chuckled.
"No!" Usagi exclaimed. "Not in a million years! I bet I can beat you in my own games, no problem there whatsoever!"
Haruka looked amused.
"So then, what game were you thinking exactly?"
"Let's see..." Usagi eyed the shelf containing her PlayStation games. A brand new PS3 was beside them, and a small TV on the shelf above.
Usagi did not want to try her luck with games involving driving anymore, she knew Haruka would beat her. But one particular game on the shelf picked her interest, and her face lit up with a sly smile.
"Tell me, Haruka-san... Have you ever played SingStar?"
-S-
Usagi and Haruka descended the stairs together, the taller blonde's steps falling heavier than Usagi's. When they reached the door, they heard footsteps from behind them.
"Usagi-chan...? Is he leaving already?" Ikuko asked.
Haruka lifted her head to meet Ikuko's eyes with a hint of a smile.
"Yes, Tsukino-san, it's kind of late already."
Ikuko looked thoughtful for a moment.
"That motorcycle on our driveway is yours, I presume?" she then said.
Haruka chuckled. "Yes."
Usagi looked at her mom, not really understanding.
"Um, listen, as you said it's kind of late already and I really need to get this one thing from the nearest shop before it's closed, so I was just wondering that, well, could you give me a ride?"
"Mom!" Usagi exclaimed, scandalized.
Haruka's smile grew wider as she threw her leather coat over her shoulders.
"Sure."
Usagi just stared as her mom broke records while getting dressed, and after that, the young girl's newfound friend exited the house with her mom. This almost made her forget that she had just gotten owned in yet another game - her favourite game ever, SingStar - by Haruka, but made her wonder how the tall blonde seemed to win in anything she ever played and even the games she didn't play, like Usagi's mother. I wonder if there is anything in the world she's NOT good at...
-S-
Ikuko was leaning against Haruka's back, squeezing the girl tightly and enjoying herself immensely as the motorcycle made its way like a flash of light through the darkening city. All too soon Haruka pulled over to a parking lot, and the engine stopped purring. Ikuko stepped off and took off the helmet, shaking her head to make her hair fall free again after being imprisoned under it. She didn't notice the faint blush that appeared on Haruka's face, though; the sandy blonde did have a weakness for particular gestures women did with their hair. Flipping the hair over a shoulder like Minako often did was one of them, and had made Haruka a bit uncomfortable earlier that day, when she had been hanging out in the arcade with Usagi and Minako.
"Thank you so much, Tenou-san," Ikuko sighed.
"There's no need to thank me," Haruka replied lightly but with seriousness in her voice. "Besides, my job's not done yet."
"Oh?"
Ikuko looked at the taller girl questioningly.
"It's far too late to let a a beautiful woman like you walk back home alone," Haruka explained. "You mind if I accompany you shopping? I can wait here, too, if you like."
Ikuko gave a hearty smile.
"Of course I don't mind, you silly little boy," she said, sounding very much like a mother.
Since Haruka had just "accidentally" called her a beautiful woman, this could be considered as a counter-attack. And a successful one too, for it made Haruka blush for the second time.
The shop was quiet, there were no customers besides Ikuko and Haruka. The clerk eyed the duo idly as they wandered between the shelves. Ikuko found the packet of sugar she was looking for and proceeded to the counter. Haruka followed, smiling at the clerk who happened to be a cute girl and about 17 years old. The girl was a living and breathing stereotype of a shallow convenience store clerk, she was even eating a bubble gum and wearing a bored expression and tons of make-up. After Ikuko had paid for the sugar, the clerk turned her attention to Haruka.
"Isn't she a bit old for you?" she asked bluntly.
Ikuko seemed surprised and taken aback, while Haruka just blinked. Then, a wide smile spread across the blonde's face.
"No, she's not. I prefer women to little girls. But hey, don't fret over it babe, perhaps in a couple of years you'll stand a chance as well," she replied, winking.
The clerk was left lost for words. As the pair walked out of the shop, Ikuko was surfing on cloud nine and smiling like a lunatic. This didn't go unnoticed for Haruka, and although Ikuko's real motives had been pretty clear to her right from the start, this was what made her make the decision. On the other hand the situation amused her greatly, but then again she was flattered as always when this happened. It was amazing, in fact, how she managed to be flattered every time a girl went crazy for her, even though it happened many times a day. But then again, Ikuko wasn't your ordinary teenage girl, drooling at every handsome man who happened to be close enough to be seen; she was a married woman and a mother of two, and seemed like everything a good housewife is supposed to be. No, she didn't seem like a person that would make a move on a total stranger half her age, a total stranger that was a friend of her daughter's.
But Haruka didn't have much time to consider this, since they reached the motorcycle again. Haruka took the two helmets from the bag she was carrying.
"Um... Are you in a hurry? How fast you need to get back home?" she asked.
The way that Ikuko's eyes lightened up was a reward and an answer enough.
"Eh, there's no hurry now... that I got this..." she chirped, with a bright smile, holding the packet of sugar that had been so important.
Haruka matched the smile with her own.
"Good."
-S-
This time, Ikuko's journey behind Haruka's back on the motorcycle was longer than the first one had been. It was dark already, and bursting past neon light signs in this urban environment was, to Ikuko's opinion, a perfect way to spend a night. In fact, there was only one thing that she could imagine being even better... The mere thought made her shiver with anticipation. This was all new to her, and if she would have stopped to think about it she would have been forced to come to a conclusion that she was out of her mind. She knew this 'young man' wasn't really a man, and she had never liked women that way. She had never even thought about it. On top of that, this handsome blonde girl was a friend of her daughter's, and Ikuko could tell Usagi wasn't too pleased of the affection her mother felt towards Haruka. Strangely enough, Haruka herself seemed willing to play along, a thing that Ikuko could not understand. Then again, she had no will to analyze. Right now, all that mattered was that she was holding Haruka tightly and on her way to somewhere she didn't know and didn't have to care about. Ikuko had no idea where they were, for she wasn't familiar with this part of the city, and besides they were going so fast it was hard to keep track of their surroundings.
After a long but – to Ikuko's opinion – yet too short a ride Haruka parked the vehicle in front of a tall skyscraper. Ikuko removed the helmet again and looked up to the giant building. It was at least thirty storeys high, complete with shining steel and glass. Haruka smiled at the older woman's amazement, and by surprise took her by the hand.
"Let's hope the elevator works," she said softly, taking a step towards glass doors that led inside.
Ikuko's face shined bright red as she walked into the building, hand in hand with Haruka. Inside, the night porter greeted Haruka politely, watching the duo as they walked to the elevator. Suddenly, Ikuko was alone with Haruka in a very small, closed place. Haruka let go of her hand to press the button, and the elevator began its journey up to the top level. The electricity was almost visible in the air, and although the two were not even touching each other, Ikuko was burning with desire. Haruka seemed a lot cooler outside, but in reality she could feel the tension as well, and was not immune to it. Her heart was beating faster than usual, and she was trying to decide whether or not to touch the woman she was with. Even though the elevator was fast, the journey up to the 50th floor was taking long enough. Despite the fact that she didn't fully trust her voice, Ikuko asked,
"What is this place?"
Haruka gave a smile.
"My home."
"Wow," Ikuko stated, and Haruka was seemingly pleased that she had managed to impress the woman. She reached out with her hand to close the space between them, touching Ikuko's hair. She brushed a strand of violet hair behind Ikuko's ear with her fingers, smiling faintly as the woman closed her eyes and took a sharp breath. She could practically read the desire on Ikuko's face and all over her body, every single thing was screaming it out aloud. Haruka had never known she could be such a teaser, but now she withdrew her hand with a vicious grin. Ikuko opened her eyes with a sigh, and looked at the tall blonde into the eyes. She was begging the girl with her eyes to release the tension, to finally make the move. But Haruka just stood there, knowing that if Ikuko herself would decide to act, she wouldn't have it in her to resist. She doubted, though, that Ikuko would dare to do a thing. Haruka would eventually have to take the lead, and she could delay it as long as she wanted.
Ikuko glanced at the small screen that told her they were between the levels thirty-one and thirty-two now. Almost twenty levels to go still.
The tension was clearly audible in Haruka's voice as she said,
"I know you're Usagi's mother, but you seem too young to be that."
Ikuko blushed and giggled like a teenager.
"Aww, thank you," she replied. "No, I wasn't a teenager when Usagi was born. I'm 37 now."
Haruka looked at her, studying her features earnestly, which caused Ikuko to bow her head and look at the elevator floor. They were standing on a nice, blue carpet, she noticed.
"Don't be ashamed," Haruka said softly. "I wouldn't like it if my looking at you makes you feel uneasy. You're a very beautiful woman, and that's why I like looking at you."
Ikuko turned her face up to meet Haruka's light blue eyes.
"It's not that," she said with a husky voice.
In reality, right now just looking at the blonde made her doubt her self control. She feared that at some point, she just wouldn't be able to take it any more, and would just take the step towards the girl who was so near but yet too far, just cross the line and not care about the consequences. She decided to try and downplay the tension by talking.
"So... Do you have other hobbies besides driving a motorcycle?"
"Well, it depends on what counts. The others call racing my job, but I think it's more like they pay me for practicing my hobbies. You know, I drive a race car, and I also occasionally race with that motorcycle. Other than that, I also play piano."
Ikuko couldn't resist the urge to take a look at Haruka's hands. She took a deep breath, in her imagination seeing those long, slender fingers flying on the piano keys. Now, she could imagine those fingers doing something else, too, and blushed at the thought. Seemingly talking wasn't helping in decreasing the tension, quite the contrary.
"How about you?" Haruka asked. "What do you do in your free time?"
"I hardly have any," Ikuko replied. "But I try to find time for reading a book every once in a while. I also used to sing in a choir a couple of years back, but I had to quit because I had no time for it."
"I see. It's a shame, really," Haruka said. "If I was to quit playing the piano I would go out of my mind. I just need to play on a regular basis, it helps me to keep my head together."
"Yes, I bet with a life like yours it's sometimes hard to keep your mind in one piece, when so much is happening around you all the time," Ikuko said.
Haruka replied with an affirmative sound, and Ikuko noticed the blonde was letting her eyes wander on her body again. Ikuko held her breath as Haruka's gaze touched places she wished the girl's fingers and lips would. But instead, Haruka took in every inch with her eyes, seemingly pleased with the view. Ikuko smiled as she asked,
"See something you like?", followed by a nervous giggle.
Haruka seemed amused, replying with a simple but thoughtful "Yes." Ikuko's face turned softly pink, and she suddenly turned coyly away, looking at the floor. To Haruka, this shy gesture made the woman all the more irresistible.
"Oh God," the girl sighed, "on top of everything, now you're shy and innocent as well?"
Ikuko turned back to look at Haruka, and took a step closer. Now they were both holding their breath, as Ikuko extended her hand to touch Haruka's cheek with her fingertips, and arched an eyebrow with a hint of seductiveness. Still, the blush indicating shyness remained on the older woman's face, causing her to look cute and sexy at the same time. Unable to resist any more, Haruka slowly leaned in, seeing the longing grow in Ikuko's eyes just before the woman closed them to receive the kiss she had been craving for such a long time. Ikuko could feel Haruka's breath on her lips, and a small whimper escaped them because of the anticipation. Just an inch before their lips would have touched, a loud "bling!" sound interrupted their moment. Both jumped a step away from each other, startled but also more than a bit frustrated because of the distraction. The elevator doors opened, revealing a young man standing on the other side of them. He glanced at the two women standing in the elevator and looking like they just got caught doing something illegal. A few seconds passed as they just stared, then Haruka took a look at the big blue digital numbers on the elevator wall, telling which level they were on, and gained the information concerning their whereabouts. 50th floor. She cleaned her throat.
"Um, sweetie, I guess this elevator won't be taking us any higher," she said.
Ikuko turned to look at her, and Haruka extended a hand, taking Ikuko's hand in hers. They exited the elevator and Haruka flashed a small, polite smile to the young man who was still standing in the doorway. Just a few steps along the very nicely lit and decorated corridor, past stylish black doors and green houseplants, and before she knew Ikuko was standing in front of an apartment door. Haruka produced a key from her pocket and opened the door, gesturing for Ikuko to get in first. The woman took a cautious step through the door frame, and was soon followed by Haruka. As soon as the taller girl pressed the door shut behind her, they were standing alone again, in the dark. Ikuko's eyes soon adjusted to the darkness, and she saw Haruka's hand on the light switch. She extended her own hand to grab Haruka's wrist, and spoke softly with her voice thick with passion.
"Please don't. I'm sure this place is amazing and I sure want to see it, but right now..."
At the end of the sentence, as she trailed off, her voice was barely more than a whisper. ...right now I can't take another second of this excitement, she finished the thought in her head, but said nothing of it aloud. Haruka smirked, letting her hand fall from the light switch, and reaching at Ikuko with the other hand. Ikuko let go of her wrist, and Haruka took a firm grip of the smaller woman by her shoulders. Ikuko held her breath as Haruka leaned in for a kiss, but again the taller girl proved to be able to tease; she stopped just an inch away, keeping Ikuko on the edge for several seconds – just enough to make the woman whimper in frustration. Haruka gave a small smile, a smile that Ikuko could feel due to the close proximity, and finally gave the woman what she so desperately needed. Just a soft touch, a second went by, and then Haruka could feel Ikuko's tongue at her lips, like coyly begging for a permission to enter. The permission granted, Ikuko entangled Haruka into a soft, almost lazy battle, massaging the girl's tongue gently with her own. And as they kissed, Ikuko let her whole body rub against Haruka's, making it very difficult for Haruka not to moan aloud.
After what seemed like hours, Haruka pulled away, panting heavily. Her hands were moving all over Ikuko's body, and Ikuko was, to put it lightly, very responsive. Suddenly, Haruka got an idea, and decided to put it in practice – she lifted Ikuko on her arms, sliding one arm under the woman's legs and the other one behind her back. Ikuko recovered quickly from her amazement, wrapping her arms around Haruka's neck. Ikuko reached up to kiss Haruka again, rejoicing in the strength that the other girl was oozing with. Haruka carried her into the bedroom and laid her down on a huge bed. It was a night that Ikuko would never, ever forget - a good wife and mother gave in for excitement, adventure, just for one night. And that one night, Haruka was the perfect lover; deliberate, strong, compassionate, talented, gentle. That one night, she gave Ikuko all that the woman needed.
-S-
Usagi could have sworn she had just dozed off when she heard the door open downstairs. A glance at her clock told her it was already six AM, so she had been sleeping a good five hours. She quietly got out of the bed and looked out of her window just in time to see Haruka's stylish sports car speed away. She then crept out of her room and to the stairs that led downstairs. She saw her mother go to the kitchen, and heard her take something from the fridge. Then a clink of a glass, and a moment after that a glass was quietly placed on the kitchen counter. Usagi quickly got back to her own room, hearing her mother's footsteps as the woman walked up the stairs to her bedroom. Usagi still had an hour left to sleep, but for some reason she couldn't get any more sleep that night.
The End.
