/N: Warning:
-Both Su AND Shinobu probably seem really OOC in this fic, but that's because it was originally a multi-chapter reverse timeline thingy that just didn't work out the way I wanted it to so I turned it into this... It's also really fluffy XD
Also, (I have no idea if this is true), I looked on wiki and it says that Japan is more tolerant of homosexuals than America. However, I'd like to point out that this doesn't mean there isn't discrimination. Most people try to "stay in the closet" to avoid any prejudice, especially since Japan is apparently adopting some parts of our culture. I don't know if that's right though, my guess would have been it was the other way around...
Wewt for Wikipedia!
Oh yeah, and sorry about the ending- I was working on this fic for WAY longer than I should've been so I'm kind of sick of it at the moment... that's why the end is kind of rushed.
I apologize in advance.
Summary: ...is that once it gets a hold of you, there's no letting go.
The Thing About Love
The night sky was clear and cloudless, the half moon illuminating the dew on the ground, making the wet grass shine. The stars were showing in a great abundance, their sparkling figures dancing across the background of endless space. The damp air was completely still in the silence of the night, the leaves of trees not making even the slightest rustle. Amidst this peaceful scene is where this story starts, in an old inn with old walls and old, creaking wooden floorboards. It's paint was chipped and peeled away in certain places, it's walls and roof ridden with patched up holes, as if something had flown threw the wood and roof tiles. However, despite the old look of this old inn, it was by no means abandoned. The kitchen was a prime example of that. The stove was still warm, as if someone had been boiling water not too long ago. The fridge was slightly warmer than it should have been from hungry residents searching for a midnight snack to tie them over until breakfast was served the next morning. A turtle, smiling in an almost human way, flew across this homey scene and out the kitchen window, making its way to what looked like an unused building in the distance. It was old and gray, the inside of it just as dreary looking as the outside. Moth-eaten furniture was strewn about the building, and the creaks and bumps the floors and walls created made the old place seem alive, in a haunted sort of way.
Atop this old annex was a creepy, antique clock, that somehow still turned and chimed and did all the things clocks did, despite its lack of maintenance. Its smaller hand, which was by no means small, was pointed towards a darkly painted number two, while the longer hand pointed its finger at the twisted number six. Away from the annex and back towards the large dorm like building, two people sat awake even at a time this late. They talked in whispered voices, careful not to disturb the peace of the surrounding night, lest they wake up the rest of their make-shift family. Unfortunately, the conversation was destined to be far less peaceful than the atmosphere surrounding it.
Inside a small, dimly lit room sat the only two people of the building who dared to disturb the calm of twilight. The first one sat on her knees, her head bent down in shame. Her short blue hair framed her face, but in her current pose of self-reproach, it seemed more like it was trying to hide her face instead of accentuate it. The other girl had an equally somber expression, her face contorted into a frown that looked extremely out of place. Her dark skin seemed even darker in the muted light of the first girl's bedroom, as did her blonde hair. She looked up at the girl who maintained her pose of derision, her frown deepening. Finally she spoke, though it sounded more like a sigh, reflecting her current bad mood.
"Shinobu, when you agreed to this, you knew what you committed to and what the consequences would be. Are you going to sit there and tell me you want to take it back?" The blue haired girl looked up, her hair spilling back and away from her anguished face.
"Of course not! You know I wouldn't!" The girl said desperately, her eyes pleading for her companion to understand. "I just... I need some time, Su. Please?" The blonde girl sighed again and reached up to rub her temples, hoping to relieve herself of the headache pounding away behind her eyes. After a few moments she spoke.
"You know we can't keep this hidden forever. Eventually people are going to find out, and it'll only be worse when they realize that we were trying to hide it. You know the people here, Shinobu. They don't like secrets being kept from them."
"I know... I know you're right, Su. But what do you think will happen? What if they kick us out... what if they kick us out and I won't ever be able to talk to my parents because they don't...?"
"That won't happen." Su said firmly, her voice leaving no room for discussion.
"I don't know..." Shinobu said with slight paranoia, her dark blue eyes- only a shade lighter than her hair- reflected her deep confusion. Su struggled to keep her temper in check. It was hard for her to understand her girlfriend's need to be accepted by society. Shinobu had grown up in Japan, was raised in Japan, and the beliefs of Japan were ingrained into her. Everything Shinobu had been told was taboo was being violated just by being with Su, something that the foreign girl couldn't quite comprehend. She had grown up on an island as princess- anything she did was right, simply because no one could or would object.
"Shinobu, I want this to be real, and I want you to believe that this is real. The longer we keep this hidden, the more it's going to hurt when everyone else finds out. It's been five months and people are starting to get suspicious."
"I know that, Su, but-"
"No!" Su snapped, her voice a harsh whisper. "No more buts! I'm tired of running away from our own relationship!" She looked down at her girlfriend's tearful face for only a split second. If she stared any longer, her resolve would crack.
"I'm sorry, Shinobu. I love you, I really do, but this is killing me. Until you can figure out what you want from me and from yourself, I can't handle this."
"But I love you too!" Came a timid, tear-filled reply. The pale girl's hand stretched out to Su's retreating back, as if to catch her before she could leave, and for a second it seemed to work. Su stopped on her path towards the door for a second, seemingly contemplating her next move. She was tempted to go back, to apologize to her girlfriend and hug her, tell her that she could have as much time as she needed. She wanted to turn around, wanted to look back, but five months of keeping a secret put a strain on the girl's heart that she just couldn't take anymore. Taking a deep breath and fighting to keep her voice steady, she responded with a cold apathy.
"I know."
And then she was gone.
The residents of Hinata House were, unfortunately for them, caught in the middle of this feud between the fighting couple, though they did not know it. However, that ignorance wouldn't last long with the large amount of tension at the breakfast table. Su had walked down the stairs quietly, lacking the exuberance she would normally have and had casually taken a seat on the opposite end of the table, far from the kitchen. This did not go unnoticed by Shinobu, who usually occupied the seat next to Su. As if this strange, tranquil behavior wasn't weird enough, the girl was also eating quite calmly, making little ruckus and not asking for seconds and thirds and fourths as she usually did. Shinobu's attitude was also a little bit off. She was always quiet, but she hadn't spoken a word since she woke up almost two hours ago and everyone was starting to get a little bit worried. However, any wandering thoughts were quickly gathered up when the first bit of drama for the day began to unfold before them.
"Um... Su?" Shinobu spoke her first words of the morning, causing everyone to halt their conversations. "Could I um... talk to you?"
A pause.
"Whatever you want to say to me I don't want to hear unless everyone can hear it." Shinobu quickly got the message.
"Su... um... I... nevermind." There was a moment of silence before Su stood up, scraping her chair noisily against the wooden flooring of the dining room. She left her plate- half-eaten, the residents noted with wonder- and stomped up the stairs in a very Un-Su-like action. Shinobu winced with every step the slightly older girl took, and everyone turned to look at her in curiosity.
"Shinobu, is there... something wrong?" Naru asked cautiously. Instead of answering, the girl in question stood up and walked away, going the opposite direction. She exited the building and started down the large stair case, one stair at a time. The breeze was gentle in the morning, playing with the young woman's hair and tossing it about in a similar fashion to the leaves in the trees. Her light steps seemed to echo in her own head as she got further and further away from her home, away from her friends, away from Su...
Shinobu paused for only a split-second before continuing, finally reaching the bottom. The winds stilled, the leaves calmed, and she was left in peace- at least on the outside. Inside, the girl was in turmoil. She wanted nothing more than to be happy, and for Su to be happy, and what made them both happy was being together. However, even though present days were more tolerant than past ones- what would people say? What about her parents and her friends? What about everything she had ever been taught and told and lectured about up until now? Could she really just throw that all away for one person, even if it was the person she loved? Growling in frustration, Shinobu picked up her pace and walked in an angry stride towards the center of town. Already she was in a populated area, the surrounding people and noises neither helping her solve her problems or getting her distracted, as she had hoped they would. She sat down on the bench of a bus stop, taking a moment to rest.
She had walked farther than she thought- the area wasn't especially familiar to her. Shrugging off any nervousness from being slightly lost, Shinobu took a moment to more carefully observe her surroundings. The stores were lit up; their neon "Open" signs dull in the bright afternoon light. A large body of water- a river, perhaps- flowed gently behind her, and a bit down the road a large wooden bridge stretched across it. There was something extremely nostalgic about this place, but she simply couldn't put her finger on it. Walking about her were large crowds of people, an unusual amount in fact, but they payed her no mind. Among the crowds she saw several couples, all walking hand-in-hand. All boys with girls, men with women, children often accompanying these happy looking partners. Shinobu tried to imagine Su and herself in that crowd of people, walking along hand in hand. The image itself was calm and peaceful, but the surrounding picture was not. In her own mind, that happy image of two girls walking together like that could only be accompanied by teases, laughter, pointing, whispering, attention that the shy girl neither wanted nor needed. She didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb with Su in a crowd full of heterosexual couples.
'It's not fair...' Shinobu thought forlornly, leaning back and staring up in the hope of some inspiration. The clouds were shapeless white blobs in the bright midday sky, and blue eyes watched them make their way across the endless expanse of space in a slow, steady pace. 'And now all the others will think something's up because I just left like that. Su was right- it's only a matter of time before they find out. I suppose when you live that close to other people you can only keep secrets for so long...' Of course, the young woman had known all along that it would come down to this- she had just been buying time, stalling for the right moment. Unfortunately, that moment had never come. Standing slowly, the dark haired girl walked back towards her home, her thoughts no clearer than when she had left.
Su sat in her room, computer in her lap, typing furiously. Or, she would have been, if she had any inspiration. She looked around at shelves full of unfinished inventions and half-heartedly picked one up. She stared it. 'Mecha-Tama v 6.0... what the heck was I thinking? She asked herself, tossing the incomplete turtle behind her. Lacking the will to invent anything, Su found herself bored out of her mind. Her jungle of a room suddenly didn't seem as filled with fun opportunities as it used to. 'Is everything really this dull without Shinobu around?'
"Well, duh," she said out loud. The last time she had spent a day without her girlfriend next to her, or at the very least nearby, was before they had gotten together. That was five months ago. Five of the happiest months of her life.
"This is pathetic." Su said to herself, her own voice slightly startling in its contrast the birds singing around her. Growling with frustration, she stood and jumped up to the nearest tree, grabbing the vine attached to it and swinging to the next one. However, even this provided little distraction. In fact, all it did was bring back memories of all the games she'd had with Shinobu as kids and even later as teenagers.
Grabbing another vine and swinging, Su took in a deep breath and exhaled again. The nostalgic smile had left her face and was replaced by a sad frown.
After all, Tarzan is nothing without Jane.
The hot springs were perhaps the most popular place to rest and relax in Hinata " Inn." The floor was tiled and smooth, washed clean and maintained by the manager, who was somehow able to make the old white tiles shine even after all their exposure to water and steam. The hot springs themselves were large enough to accommodate over fifteen people and still have extra room. The bottoms of the warm pools of water were decorated similarly to the floor- white tiles, clean and smooth. Every few yards of water there were large rocks, big enough to poke out above the surface. These rocks were worn smooth from people having sat on them, and from people, namely Su, climbing up as high as they could go and then jumping down into the water. About ten yards away from this relaxing scene, wrapped in a thick blanket of steam was the entrance- a sliding screen door, a towel rack laden with fluffy white burden placed only a few feet away.
The water of the outdoor springs stirred and sloshed at a sudden gust of wind, spilling out of the pool and onto the now slippery floors. There was the quiet scraping of the sliding door, an undeniable proof that someone had decided to visit this almost magical place, no doubt to sort out some amount of confusion or get rid of a burden weighing down their mind.
A young woman stepped through the doors, a soft white towel wrapped around her body. The door scraped once again as she shut it behind her, stepping away from the entrance and towards the inviting relief of hot water. She shivered as her body entered the liquid, its heat warming her bear skin and soothing her tired muscles. After standing for a moment, she finally sat down, easing back so she was sitting against the edge of the spring. Her long blue hair fanned out around her head in the water, and from a bird's eye view it might have looked kind of like a halo. However, the young woman certainly didn't feel like an angel at the moment. In fact, she felt the exact opposite. She was a demon- an indecisive, selfish, paranoid demon. The weight of having to make a decision that might change the outcome of her life was a heavy burden to bear, and here she was trying to forget about the responsibility by taking a bath. Had she been a different person, she might have chosen instead to take her frustration out on a punching bag, but she couldn't find it in herself to just hit things like that. She sunk further down into the water and sighed, causing a large amount of bubbles to come rushing to the surface.
This would have been so much easier had she been a few years younger...
When she was little, she always used to dream about finding her Prince Charming, and for a while, the dream was enough to keep her satisfied. But as she grew older, she began wishing for something more than a hopeless dream, more than fantasies and fairy tales. She wanted something real, something tangible. And when she met Keitaro, she thought that maybe she had found someone able to satisfy her dreams of being carried away by a knight in shining armor on a majestic, white horse. That plan had failed utterly, and he had done nothing but make her childish wonderland crumble before her eyes- something she didn't entirely blame him for. It was her fault too. After all, how long had she been waiting for that perfect man to come and carry her off into the sunset? How long had she been waiting, simply waiting for someone to come find her? Too long, was the answer that made itself clear.
For a while the loss of her first love was enough to make her forget all about romance and boys, and that seemed alright. Until one day, she found someone that somehow rebuilt her fantasies and made them even better than before, though they were no doubt different. Instead of carrying her off into the sunset, her "Prince Charming" had taken her to the jungle instead, on a giant robot. They didn't live in a castle, but instead in a girl's dormitory. And the biggest and most dramatic change of all was that this Prince Charming was not a Prince, but a Princess. But did that make it wrong, or just different? Was it wrong to think of this as choosing between society and love, or was that exactly what it was? When she was younger, the choice had been so obvious, but now she wasn't so sure...
SLAM
The resounding echo of the door being shut harshly was enough to bring Shinobu out of her bout of self-loathing and deep thinking. It was hard to see through the steam, and the blue haired girl was about to ask who it was but suddenly found it unnecessary. The distinct sound of someone doing a cannon-ball into three feet of water quickly told her who it was.
"Su?"
For a tense moment the entire spring was silent.
"Shinobu?"
"Um... yeah, it's me. Just checking who it was." Shinobu grimaced at her stupidity. Of course Su would be able to see through her blatant lie, since it was quite easy to tell when she entered the springs- who else would try to dive into water shallower than the length of their body? She never had been a good liar. Luckily (mercifully?), Su didn't call her on it.
The tanned girl had entered the hot springs hoping to find some company, but this wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Not that it was a completely unpleasant surprise, seeing as she got to look at Shinobu in nothing but a towel (though admittedly, they had seen each other in less than that before). Still, this was a bit... awkward. Su approached the other girl who sat quietly at the other end of the hot springs and plopped down right next to her, though she knew that wouldn't exactly make things better. In fact, it only made the environment even tenser. However, she paid it no mind and leaned back against the same edge of the springs as Shinobu, resisting the urge to take a seat in her usual spot... in her girlfriend's lap. Su almost laughed at that, trying to imagine what her partner's face would be like if she actually did comply with her urges after she had effectively- if only temporarily- separated them. She found the idea so funny, in fact, that she couldn't help but giggle. Shinobu, afraid she had done something stupid to make the older girl laugh, asked quietly.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, nothing..." Su said, surprised at her own playfulness. They were in a middle of an argument after all... but old habits die hard.
"Are you sure?" Shinobu asked before she could stop herself. Su looked over at her girlfriend, whose face looked absolutely adorable while flushed with the heat from the water. Her hair was damp and stuck to her face and skin, covering up one of her eyes. Gritting her teeth, the girl had to pinch herself to keep the temptation in check. It would be so easy...
Shinobu shifted in her seat, getting uncomfortable sitting in the same position for so long. Unknowingly, the knot keeping her towel on slipped a bit, exposing more of her body than the girl would have been comfortable with, had she known. Su gulped and debated it in her mind only a second more before jumping the other girl.
"Ahh!" Shinobu shrieked with surprise as Su began to tickle her mercilessly. Like I said, old habits die hard... "Stop it Su; that tickles!" The blue haired girl pleaded desperately from beneath her tanned alter ego. Finally, when she felt the other girl could hardly breathe, Su removed her hands from the other girl's sides, an ear to ear grin on both their faces. The laughter finally died down and the smiles slowly faded as both women realized their current position. Su was seated in Shinobu's lap, her legs wrapped around the girl's waist in what was an attempt to keep her still while she was being tickled. Their faces were only inches apart, their chests pressed together, separated only by their towels. They were close enough to hear each other's stilted breaths and frantic heartbeats. Su, before she could stop the intimacy of the situation from getting to her and remember the events of recent days, leaned forward and pressed her hand to the back of Shinobu's head and pushed her forward. For one anxious, breathless moment their lips touched lightly, just barely connecting. It must have been their millionth kiss, but just like the hundredth and the tenth and their very first, it didn't fail to send a warm shock through their bodies. For one stretched, elongated moment, neither said anything. Finally, the silence became too much.
"Su, I-"
SLAM
Whatever Shinobu had been about to say was cut off by the slamming of the sliding door. The young woman jumped away from Su as if she had been struck by lightning, ending up on the opposite side of the pool.
"Hey guys." Naru greeted as she unwittingly intruded upon the two girls' private moment.
"Hello, Naru." Shinobu mumbled timidly, embarrassed at almost being caught. Su said nothing, glaring at the water and frowning disappointedly at the blue haired opposite her. Standing up almost noiselessly, she nodded to Naru and exited the bath, upset with Shinobu for jumping away from her, and upset with herself for not being able to procure enough self-control.
Naru looked at Shinobu and then turned to where Su had been sitting, and then finally settled her gaze upon the door. "What do you think's eating her?"
Shinobu didn't respond.
The door to her room was thrown shut, practically breaking it in half. Su stomped through her jungle angrily, blindly rushing past trees and ponds and various animals in her haste to get as far away from the hot springs as possible. Finally, when she felt she could go no further, she sat down on the nearest tree stump and propped her chin up in her hands. It wasn't fair! How could Shinobu not see how happy they could be together? How could the possibility of a few teases and some finger pointing possibly make her girlfriend reconsider their entire relationship? Didn't they love each other?
Of course I love her! And she loves me too, right? Su thought hastily, not letting that train of thought progress any further than it already had. But then why? Why was she so hesitant to reveal their relationship with each other? It doesn't make sense! Su shouted in her head, slamming her fists down on her knees and immediately regretting it. She felt tears gather in the corner of her eyes and angrily pushed them back, clenching her fists. She hadn't cried in... in... hell, she didn't even remember the last time she'd cried, and she sure as hell wasn't about to start again just because of... because of...
"Shinobu..." She murmured pathetically, her fists unclenching and her eyes squeezing shut, tears slipping down her cheeks for the first time in years.
'Stupid, Stupid, STUPID!' Shinobu screamed at herself in her head, rubbing her temples. 'What the hell is your problem?' She wondered silently, ignoring the fact that she had just cursed for the first time in a long time. 'Why can't you just forget about everyone else? Isn't Su worth it?' She scoffed at herself for doubting it for even a second, 'Of course she is... So why can't I just... argh!' Sighing profoundly, the girl let her whole body slump and her pace slow. After a few more seconds she came to a complete stop, just standing in the hallway thinking. For a second her hesitation was practically visible, and then the moment was gone and she looked up and straightened her shoulders, apparently having come to a decision. Picking up her pace, she walked past her room and continued on, making her way to Su's room. She just had to apologize. Even if she wasn't strong enough or prepared enough to say anything in front of everyone else at the moment, the least she could do was say she was sorry for not being ready.
At last she reached the door and knocked loudly. After a few seconds of receiving nothing but silence, she knocked again. No answer. Still determined to redeem herself at least partially, Shinobu took a deep breath and prepared herself. She knew where Su would have gone after their little scene in the hot springs, and it was a far ways from the door. After one more indecisive second, she opened the door and stepped inside, carefully avoiding the strategically placed booby trap. She knew from personal experience how dangerous Su's room could be if you didn't know what you were doing, so her steps were slow and careful. Distantly, she thought she could hear Su's voice, and hurried in that direction. Surprisingly, she hadn't retreated to the tree house in the back corner of her room, but had instead run blindly in the opposite direction. A little confused at this, Shinobu picked up her pace and continued her journey through the jungle. 'Why does it always seem like Su's room takes up the entire building?' She thought to herself.
The voice was louder now, only several yards away. Shinobu slowed down once again, walking as quietly as she could in the mud along the edge of the undergrowth. Disconcerted by the sounds she was hearing, the young woman stepped forward so she was standing directly behind a large plant, hidden but able to see through the leaves.
In front of her was a part of Su's room she had yet to see. There was a narrow clearing in which all trees, bushes, and ponds were conspicuously absent, and only the presence of extremely green grass made this small portion of emptiness blend in with the rest of the area. However, Shinobu wasn't particularly paying attention to the field itself, but who sat in the middle of it. In the center of the defoliated area, sitting on a tree stump, was Su. Her head was bowed and her shoulders were hunched, her tanned arms propping up her chin. She seemed perfectly still, motionless enough to make the watcher think she might have been asleep, had the girl not raised her hands and slammed them back down on her knees. 'Ouch...' Shinobu thought to herself, and watched as Su clenched her fists and continued her internal battle. She was about to step out of the bushes and try to comfort her distraught girlfriend, but something stopped her before she could step past her hiding place.
"Shinobu..." She heard Su whisper pathetically, in a voice so bitter and cheerless that it made Shinobu question whether this was really Su or not. Motion in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she looked on as the blond relaxed her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. Then Shinobu saw something she wished she hadn't.
'Su is... she's crying?' Tears slipped down the usually energetic girl's face, sliding down her cheeks and to her chin, then dripping down to the floor. She shook as quiet sobs overtook her body, making her whimper miserably. Shinobu watched all of this in fascination, her heart was aching, begging her to go and comfort the crying girl, but her feet would not move. Never in all her life had Shinobu seen Su cry. Not once. And as she watched the scene her anger rose, her self-loathing going to all new levels. Anyone that could reduce cheerful, good natured Su to crying didn't deserve to live. Finally unable to watch the scene any longer, Shinobu stepped away from her hiding spot. Someone as cruel as her didn't deserve an angel like Su, she decided, and so she did the only thing she could think to do.
She ran.
Shinobu's legs were aching and her lungs burned with exhaustion, but still the girl did not stop. Sprinting out of Su's room, down the hallway, and past everyone seated in the living room, she finally found herself at the bottom of Hinata House's steps. She turned and followed the rocky pathway that lead their "backyard," to where the old playground was. It was a long walk and her legs were already been tired, so she plopped down on the old swing, ignoring the threatening creak of weathered wood. Tiredly she gripped the ropes and pushed herself so she was barely swaying above the sandy ground. A few yards in front of her was the sandbox, and she smiled nostalgically at it. 'That was the place where Naru, Senpai, and Mutsumi made their promise... I'm happy that their dreams got fulfilled... or at least part of them.' She shuffled her feet in the sand and dirt distractedly, causing it to whip around her legs and stick to her socks and shoes. She watched it uninterestedly before leaning down to dust it off. How could she do that to her own girlfriend? All Su had ever done to her was make her happy, and then she went and just threw it back in her face. She stood up and walked towards the sand box, kicking at its contents for a second before finally sitting down.
'It's been too long since I last came here...' She thought absent-mindedly, and slowly the sand began to take shape.
Su whirled around in her 'seat', frantically wiping her tears away.
"Anyone there?" She asked, flinching as her voice cracked. 'I could have sworn I heard someone' she thought, walking over to where she had heard a few twigs snap. The leaves of the bush were parted and Su's head poked through, searching the area for signs of someone's presence. Sure enough two trails of muddy footprints were visible on the ground, one coming in towards the room and one going out. If Su had been the type of person to curse, she would have done so. There was only one person who knew her room well enough to get in without being blasted by her security system, and that was the one person she didn't want to see her crying. Ignoring the almost primal urge to swear and blow something up, she instead followed the tracks to the door and into the hallway, then finally to the front entrance. Knowing Shinobu, she had probably come in, seen her crying, blamed it all on herself and then ran off and done... who knows what. Swallowing nervously, she let instinct lead her to the back of the Inn and to the park.
It was getting dark now, the sun nearly disappearing behind the horizon. The bright colors in the sky were slowly fading into the darkness of night once again, making shadows stretch unpleasantly. Su slowed to a walking pace once she reached the park entrance, marked only by a few wooden benches on the side of a concrete jogging path. Not knowing what to expect, she continued onwards silently, walking past the slide, monkey bars, and swing set before finally reaching...
...One of the most peculiar sights she had ever witnessed. There, in the square, slightly rotting wood of the children's sandbox, was a giant sand turtle. Even stranger was that on the very top of it, sleeping soundly, was Shinobu. Su decided she must be hallucinating and approached the faux beast and ran her hands along it. Waterfalls of sand fell away and the girl atop the turtle stirred slightly, rolling over and rubbing away even more of the sand animal- it was real.
'She's going to catch a cold like that,' Was, strangely, the first thing that came to mind. The Sun's disappearing act made the weather cold and the wind colder, causing Shinobu to stir and shiver in her sleep- her body's natural response to try and keep her warm. Coming to a decision, Su reached up and pulled the girl out of the sand, holding her as if she didn't weigh anything at all. She turned her back on the sand statue and began the walk towards home, resisting the childish urge to jump kick the animal to collapse. Shinobu stirred in her sleep again and Su shifted her to a more comfortable position in her arms.
"Su?" The girl murmured sleepily, cracking an eye open to make sure she had heard her.
"Hmm?"
"Are you still mad at me?" Shinobu asked timidly, fearful of the answer. She couldn't stand the mere thought of things not being able to go back to the way they were just because of her stupidity.
"No, you dummy. But that doesn't mean I forgive you either." The blue haired girl smiled comfortably- she could live with that answer, for now. She closed her eyes again, not questioning Su's ability to carry her home. She knew her better than that.
"Hey, Su?"
"What is it now?" She responded, rolling her eyes playfully to let Shinobu know she was kidding.
"Can we take a bath when we get home?" Su blinked. Now there was a question she wasn't expecting-
"Sounds good to me." -Not that she had any objections, of course.
The hot springs on the outer edge of the Hinata Apartments were still in the evening. The sun had just disappeared behind the rooftops and over the horizon, leaving the water to shine in only the brightness of the stars. The surface reflected the beauty of the moon and the illumination from the twinkling lights, making it seem as if the heavens themselves had gathered in the water. It was a cool night, but one could hardly tell because of the warm water and protective cover of steam. There was the splashing noise of the small waterfall towards the back and the distant rush of wind driving through the tree tops. The water shifted and sloshed onto the slippery white tiles surrounding the widened pool, making the place seem as if it had only been recently used. As soon as it had come the wind was gone, letting the ripples on the water settle and the place return to its rhythmic, hypnotizing beauty.
The peace of undisturbed nature didn't last long, however, because all too soon two people stepped inside the calm. The steam stirred and moved to make way for whoever had decided to come and intrude upon this relaxing scene. The water rippled as they stepped in, shaking and distorting the moon's image and sending any leaves on the liquid's surface sliding gently away. Su sat down first, leaning against the edge of the pool and opening her arms, inviting Shinobu to sit down. The girl wasn't about to refuse the offer and sat down in her lap, letting Su wrap one arm around her stomach to hold her in place and use the other to play with the soft blue strands that flowed out in the water around her. The soothing sound of falling water in the distance and the beat of Su's heart was almost enough to lull the girl to sleep.
"Hey," The tanned girl shifted the young woman in her arms, "You're not falling asleep are you?"
"...Maybe. Why?"
"Because I wanted to spend some time together before we went to sleep."
"Su, we are spending- oh. Ohhhh."
Any hopes Mother Nature had of returning to its pattern undisturbed were quickly reduced to ashes.
"I apologize for my behavior, Naru-senpai, Kitsune," Motoko bowed her head, referring to the older women's muddy and stained shirts.
"It's alright Motoko, I'm sure it'll all come out in the hot springs," Naru said, though she didn't sound convinced.
"Just be careful you don't try and kill Keitaro on muddy days again," Kitsune added, a little less shy about showing her irritation. It wasn't the mud she was worried wouldn't come out; it was the wine from the bottle that had exploded on it.
"I assure you it won't... happen..." Motoko stopped abruptly just outside the sliding door, both her feet and her speech coming to a complete halt.
"Motoko? Is something- holy crap!"
"Well, that's new." Part of the tiles around the pool and just outside the door were covered with pink towels, making the area extremely easy to see despite the thick layer of steam. Shinobu lay on her back, the cloth keeping her bare back and head from hitting the hard tiles. Her hair was messy and splayed out behind her, giving the impression that someone had been playing with it. Su leaned over her in a rather obvious position, one hand on either side of her head and her legs straddling the waist of the woman below her. Slowly, they both turned their heads to face what they knew was there but wished wasn't there. The three who had accidentally caught them stared back with equally baffled expressions. Su hesitated and turned back to Shinobu, who had gone stiff as a board and pale as the walls of the building behind her. Su jumped back and pulled a towel off the floor faster than she knew she could move, wrapping it around herself. Shinobu followed her example and coverd herself with the comfort of the pink cloth.
"Um- this isn't- we weren't," Su stuttered, "I mean we were just-"
"We were just," Shinobu interrupted a calm smile on her face, "About to finish this in my room. Sorry about that," Su turned to her so fast it might have given her whip-lash. She blinked, obviously surprised.
"Shinobu, you..."
"Come on!" She urged, grabbing Su's hand and pulling her along playfully, "I'm freezing here." There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other, something making itself clear between the two of them. Finally Su smiled and turned to follow the other girl.
"Well, I know how to fix that..."
The three spectators watched, fascinated as both girls turned and ran inside, first Shinobu dragging Su along and then vice versa. The screen door closed with a slam behind their retreating footsteps, effectively snapping the three out of their daze. Finally Kitsune spoke, breaking the air of wonder and piercing the silence.
"Hey Naru,"
"...Yeah?"
"You owe me fifty bucks."