Lovers and Fighters
Rain and clouds blocked out the last colours of the sunset as the four women trudged along the dirt path, huddled in cloaks in a vain attempt keep warm. A flash of lightning spread across the sky, pursued by a loud crack of thunder that heralded the coming of an even greater downpour.
Noel shivered and wrapped her cloak tighter around her body. When she'd agreed to track down Teresa of the Faint Smile, she hadn't expected to be trekking through storms in cold weather, and it seemed her companion Sophia agreed with her. The scowl on her face told Noel that she clearly was not happy about being made to walk through heavy rain. Noel watched silently as Sophia brushed a wet strand of blonde hair out of her face, trying to pin it back to one side.
"Let me," Noel murmured, leaning across to tuck it behind her friend's ear. Her fingers brushed against Sophia's cheek for a moment, and she was surprised at just how soft the woman's skin was. It was certainly softer than she'd ever imagined it to be in her dreams.
"Noel?"
The short-haired Claymore blinked and turned to face whoever had spoken, realising that the three women she was travelling with had continued along the road while she had been distracted. Ilena had stopped the group and now stood watching Noel, her expression beginning to turn to one of irritation. Noel mumbled a hasty apology and scampered after them, making up the distance quickly. Falling into line behind the new Number Two, she ignored Priscilla's curious glance and tried to push all thoughts of Sophia out of her head. Another crack of thunder helped her along the way.
"Ilena!" Sophia shouted as yet more rain began to fall. "We can't go on in this weather, we have to find somewhere to stop."
The tall woman who led the group stopped mid-stride and turned to face her followers. She glanced down at Priscilla's tiny form, watching the young girl shiver in her cloak before making a decision.
"We'll stop at the next town and resume our search for Teresa tomorrow. There should be a guest house that would be prepared to put us up for the night."
Noel and Sophia nodded in unison, watching Ilena turn her back on them and stride off ahead of them. Pulling the hoods of their cloaks over their heads, they scurried after her, trying to outrun the rain, which was beginning to fall faster on their already-drenched bodies.
The guest house was one of the few buildings left standing in the town. Noel remembered it well – she and Ilena had worked there together once before they had become single digits. The place had been on the brink of becoming a nest of youma until the pair had arrived to sort out the problem. The landlord and his family had been the only surviving humans, and that had only been because the youma had decided to keep them as toys until they became bored with them. As a result, they had been incredibly grateful for the work of the two Claymores, and unlike most humans, went out of their way to provide for any passing warrior.
As Ilena and Priscilla made their way across the hall to speak to the owner, the other two women huddled around the open fire, trying to dry out their cloaks. Sophia had taken to shaking her cloak, sending water droplets flying straight into the face of her comrade.
"Hey!" Noel made a grab for the cloak, attempting to tug it out of the other woman's hands.
"Trying to take my clothes away?" Sophia smirked. "I suppose I'd better be careful if we end up sharing a room."
"Don't flatter yourself." Noel left her seat and moved away. She had no intention of getting caught in a bickering match, which would inevitably result in her saying something that would later cause her embarrassment.
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Flatter myself? As if I would."
"Well, it's what you're doing right now."
"Oh really?" Sophia had followed the other woman and now slipped her arms around Noel's body. "You mean you weren't watching me instead of focusing on fighting the youma the other day?"
Noel felt a blush creep up into her cheeks. It was true, she had been paying more attention to her comrade's figure than the youma. Sophia had proved to be quite the distraction, and Noel's shoulder still had the fresh scar from a youma wound to prove it.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, wriggling out of Sophia's embrace.
The wavy-haired Claymore chuckled and let her friend go, watching her scurry across to Ilena.
"That's why you only got six youma the other day!" She called after Noel, smiling as a scowl crossed the woman's face. She remained in her place as Noel took a step backwards, turning to face her.
"No, you only got six youma," she replied, jabbing a finger into Sophia's chest. "You just can't count."
"See, even while we're arguing, you can't keep your hands off me." The smirk reappeared on Sophia's face.
Noel blinked, then realised exactly whereabouts on Sophia's chest she had jabbed. The redness in her cheeks deepened to a bright crimson. She opened her mouth to make a witty retort, but the words seemed to have abandoned her. Instead, she turned away again to claim their room key from Ilena, who seemed somewhat amused by the exchange.
"I take it there will be no issue over you two sharing?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Noel as she handed the key over.
Noel stammered a "no" in response, aware of Sophia's laughter ringing out behind her. As she began following the wavy-haired woman to their room, she felt a hand rest gently on her shoulder. Expecting it to belong to Ilena, she froze.
"What is it?" Noel asked, the hint of a frown crossing her lips. It vanished as soon as she saw who had detained her.
Priscilla was stood behind her, a quizzical look on her face. She let go of Noel's wrist and leaned in a little closer to her.
"Is there something going on –"
"No," Noel said flatly. "Just no. Nothing is going on."
"Really? It's just that you and Sophia bicker like an old married couple."
"We do not!" Noel protested, the comment sounding extremely defensive as it reached her ears. "Nothing is happening between us," she added sulkily, neglecting to add that the fact that she wished there was.
Priscilla blinked before smiling and turning away. Noel knew from the look on the younger girl's face that her story had failed to convince her. She gritted her teeth in irritation and made her way up the staircase to their room, where Sophia was waiting. Nothing would happen tonight, she promised herself as she unlocked the door. She wouldn't give in to those fleeting feelings – she was a Claymore, a fighter. She wasn't supposed to feel attraction or affection. She was simply supposed to do her job. It was her only reason for being.
The room was warm and comfortable, much to the delight of the two Claymores. After so many nights sleeping under the stars, it was something of a novelty to have a roof over their head and a warm fire to sleep by. The beds would probably remain untouched, but placing a pillow against the wall before resting against it was far more comfortable than trying to sleep against a tree trunk outside.
Noel pulled off her cloak and hung it above the fire, hoping it would be dry by the morning. As she unclasped her shoulder plates, she caught a glimpse of Sophia out of the corner of her eye. The wavy-haired Claymore was leaning out of the open window, observing the empty street below. Noel turned away, fiddling with the black fabric that covered her neck in an attempt to remove it. The emblem was always the part of Noel's uniform that caused her the most problems.
"Nice view," murmured Sophia's voice.
Noel turned to face her companion, only to find she was no longer stood by the window. Instead, Sophia was curled in a nearby chair, watching her with an interested expression on her face. Noel finished removing her emblem, dropping the black fabric on the floor. Her hands drifted to her hips as she stood before her companion.
"Well?"
"You didn't have to stop because of me," Sophia said, her silver eyes roving across Noel's figure before looking up at her.
Noel crossed her arms tight across her body to try and block her view. Even with her uniform on, Sophia's gaze made her feel naked
Sophia noticed the shift in Noel's body language and continued, "there's no point doing that. I've seen your body several times before. Remember when that youma slashed the front of your uniform open?"
The blush returned to Noel's cheeks. "You were looking?"
Sophia nodded and grinned at her friend. "Of course. Aside from the scar, it was a rather good view."
Noel felt her jaw drop. How could Sophia have been looking at her and still have been able to do her job properly? On the few occasions when Noel had found herself admiring the other woman's figure, it had almost cost her an arm. She found herself confessing as much to her companion, who had risen to her feet and was walking towards her.
Sophia's laugh rang out again. "You've yet to master the art of subtlety, Noel," she said, her hands wandering up to the clasp of Noel's metal skirt. It fell to the floor with a soft clatter as Sophia removed her own armour. "No wonder you can't hit as many youma when you're paying so much attention to me," she continued with a smirk. She kicked her fallen armour out of the way and looked into Noel's eyes. "This is why you're stuck as Number Five."
"No, you're Number Five. We've been though this."
"Excuse me? Noel, I'm Number Four, and you know it." The smirk vanished from Sophia's face for a fleeting moment, only to reappear a moment later. "Unless, of course, you want to fight me for it?"
Noel raised an eyebrow. "Bring it on, Sophia," she said, reaching instinctively for her sword. She was surprised to find Sophia had grabbed her hand and was pulling it away from the weapon.
"Nuh-uh. No swords this time," Sophia said, letting go of Noel's hand and turning to prop her own claymore against the wall.
Noel stared at her companion. She wasn't sure what Sophia had in mind, but she decided it was probably best to humour the other woman, just for once. She reached up to remove her claymore from its place and leaned it against the wall beside the other. Moving back to the centre of the room, she awaited her companion's first move.
Before Noel had time to react, Sophia had launched herself at the short-haired Claymore and pinned her to one of the beds, capturing Noel's lips in hers. Noel's eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment. She tried to wriggle away, but Sophia held her in a tight embrace, holding her down with the strength that had earned her the nickname she went by. Noel felt the soft waves of her friend's hair tickling her cheek as Sophia deepened the kiss, ignoring Noel's muffled squeaks of protest.
"Don't fight it," Sophia whispered, breaking the kiss. She ran one slender hand down Noel's chest, following the curve of her breasts.
"You don't get to win that easily. Besides, I thought you wanted a fight?" Noel grinned as she took advantage of Sophia's weakened grip on her shoulder and rolled over, trapping the other woman beneath her and pinning her wrists down on the pillows. She grinned down at Sophia, who let out an involuntary squeal of surprise at Noel's sudden movement. She mock-pouted, then responded by nibbling on Noel's exposed neck, her teeth nipping at the soft flesh.
"Hey, no biting!" Noel pulled away, shifting until she was kneeling over Sophia on the bed. She let go of the other woman's wrists, resting her own hands at either side of Sophia's body. This quickly proved to be a mistake, as Sophia's only reaction was to smirk and begin tickling her friend. This time Noel retaliated, slipping her arms around Sophia's body and pulling her so close that she could no longer reach the ticklish spot on her waist.
"Aww, that's not fair," Sophia whined. "I was having fun just now."
"Fight back then!"
"Well, if you insist." Sophia crushed her lips against Noel's once more, shifting on the bed in an attempt to pin her down again and regain her earlier advantage. Noel, however, had other plans, grabbing hold of her friend's leg and tugging at her until the pair of them toppled off the mattress. There came a faint squeak from Sophia as she landed beside her friend, her head coming to rest on Noel's chest.
"Mmm…" Sophia slipped her arms around Noel's waist and shuffled closer, her body pressing against Noel's slender form. She tightened her grip and allowed her lips to brush against the other woman's neck, leaving a trail of kisses.
"Oi, I thought we agreed no biting," Noel protested as she felt Sophia's teeth nip at her flesh again.
"No, you decided no biting. I never agreed to anything of the sort." Sophia's silver eyes twinkled with mischief as her hands roamed over Noel's body. "Although, if you won't let me bite you, you can at least let me have my fun another way…"
Noel's lips twisted into a sly smile as she wriggled out of the other woman's grip.
"You'll have to fight me for it first!"
***
By the time the clock in the hall of the guesthouse struck four in the morning, the fight was over. The first rays of dawn streamed in through the window, reflecting off the two swords that still lay propped against the wall. Noel and Sophia lay curled in each other's arms, tangled in the blankets and sheets that had been dragged halfway across the floor during their playfight. Sophia had slipped into a light doze, but Noel remained awake, listening to the chimes that drifted up from the hallway below. As the final bell sounded, Noel's gaze turned to her sleeping companion. Sophia looked so peaceful, with her head resting on Noel's chest and her eyes flickering in a dream every so often. A small smile graced Noel's lips.
A breeze drifted in from the open window, hitting Sophia's exposed shoulders and making her shiver. Noel shifted slightly, reaching across to pull the covers over Sophia's body. The other woman mumbled something in her sleep and snuggled closer to Noel, wrapping her arms tighter around her figure. Noel's smile widened as she leant down to plant a kiss on Sophia's forehead.
"Mmmm…" Sophia stirred momentarily before blinking, her silver eyes opening to look up at Noel.
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
Sophia nodded sleepily. "It's just as well you did though. I wouldn't have missed one of your kisses for the world."
"You've decided I'm that good, huh?"
Sophia gave another noncommittal 'hmm' before kissing Noel's cheek. "You kiss even better than you fight."
"So is that going to be our way of solving arguments from now on then?" Noel pushed herself into a sitting position, letting Sophia fall into her lap. She ran one hand through the other woman's blonde waves, brushing aside a stray lock that had fallen into her silver eyes.
"I don't see any reason why not," Sophia replied. She pouted briefly before continuing, "just so long as you let me win from time to time."
"You win most of the time. If anything, I reckon you should let me have my way more often." Noel said with a smirk.
"Given what you were doing earlier, I completely agree. Where did you learn to do that?" A mischievous grin spread across Sophia's face as she sat up and wrapped her arms around Noel's upper body.
"What do you mean, where did I learn?" A frown tugged at the corners of Noel's mouth.
"Oh come on, you can't be that good without some practise."
Sophia's comment drew a blank look from Noel. An uneasy silence crept up between the two women as Noel shifted awkwardly, turning her head away from her companion. The hint of a blush blossomed on her cheeks, burning her pale face. The only option for her now was to be honest, and that meant admitting to the feelings she'd tried to ignore.
"I've never..." The words died on Noel's lips. She took a breath to calm herself and turned back to Sophia, trying not to stammer as she looked her in the eye. Upon meeting Sophia's expectant gaze, she confessed, "I've never done that before. Never wanted to with anyone else." Her voice dropped to little more than a whisper as she continued, "it's only ever been you I've wanted. I don't know why, I just… " She trailed off, looking down at her knees. "I never planned to tell you."
Sophia's expression remained unchanged for a moment. She blinked at her friend, unsure of how to react. Eventually she settled for kissing Noel on the cheek again before hugging her tightly, cradling the short-haired woman in her arms.
"How long have you felt like this?" Sophia whispered, planting another kiss on the top of Noel's head.
"A while," came the reply. Noel huddled closer to her friend, resting her head on Sophia's chest.
"You never said anything." Sophia glanced down at Noel, who simply shrugged in reply, her body brushing against Sophia again.
"What could I have said? You know what we're like, you would never have taken me seriously."
This time it was Sophia's turn to frown. "Do you really believe that?" She asked. Her voice wavered slightly, betraying the hurt tone she had tried to disguise.
Noel paused and chewed her lip. She had heard the break in her friend's voice, and shifted uncomfortably. Part of her wanted to change the subject and drop the issue of feelings altogether. Another part of her wanted to find out exactly what Sophia was thinking.
"I..." She faltered, stumbling over her words. She took another deep breath and tried again. "We're not..."
"We're not what? Not supposed to feel like this? Not allowed to feel affection because of what we are?"
"That's not what I meant." Noel fell into silence again. Bickering she could handle, but emotional discussions with Sophia were something completely different.
As Noel turned her head away, Sophia caught her with one hand and kissed her softly again. Looking into Noel's silver eyes, she murmured, "just because we're told we shouldn't feel the way we do, it can't stop us from feeling it altogether." Sophia paused to kiss Noel again, whispering, "even if we are half youma, we can be lovers as well as fighters."
A slight smile crept onto Noel's face. "We?" She asked, looking at Sophia expectantly. "Are you trying to tell me something?"
The wavy-haired blonde grinned back at her friend. "You mean you hadn't already guessed? How many hints do I have to drop for you to get it?"
"Are you calling me slow?"
"Well, you're the one who can't count."
"What do you mean, I can't count?" Noel pushed herself onto her feet. "You're the one who can't count!"
Sophia smirked and rose from her place on the floor. "Are you planning to fight me over this?"
"Well, given what you said earlier, maybe I should just kiss you again," Noel replied as the hallway clock struck five. She took a step closer to Sophia and embraced her tightly, as if she'd never get another chance to feel the other woman's body against hers.
"Maybe you should," Sophia murmured. Her lips brushed against Noel's as they shared another kiss, their bodies bathed in the pale light of morning.