DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the Vocaloid characters appearing in this story. They're the intellectual property of the various software companies. This story constitutes "fair use" of these characters as provided for under applicable U.S. and international copyright laws.
Chapter 3: Passacaglia
Lily and I walked through the Imperial Minato Hotel's revolving front door at a couple minutes past 21:00. Neither Yukari nor Gumi were anywhere to be seen, so we stationed ourselves in the same waiting area where Yukari and I had parted that afternoon, trying not to look as impatient as we felt.
As I stared holes into my phone's touchscreen, willing the time display to move past 21:02, I found myself unable to stop fidgeting. My restlessness wasn't due to nerves – thanks to Lily's encouragement, those had long since settled – but to anticipation, which was rising steadily with each passing minute.
An hour or so earlier, I'd gotten a surprisingly affectionate email from Yukari saying the Board dinner had ended, and that she couldn't wait to see me again. To get such a message from her was a rush in itself, but it was the final line that had sent my hormones into a spiral:
You will never, ever forget tonight! I'll make sure of it!
The promise in those words had my imagination in overdrive. I was tempted to read them yet again, but I fought off the urge to open the email, knowing that it would only make me even more anxious to be reunited with her. As things already stood, I felt like a child who'd been promised a bagful of her favorite candy, only to be tortured by having it held maddeningly out of reach for hours on end.
Meanwhile, Lily paced back and forth nearby, threatening to wear a hole into the waiting area carpet. She looked as jumpy as I felt.
"Is my hair okay?" She paused her forced march long enough to inspect herself in the reflection of the lobby's glass wall. "I mean, nothing's out of place, is it?"
With a weary sigh, I stuffed my cell back into my purse. Like many women, Lily was her own worst critic, but she had no reason to be, especially with that almost-dress clinging to her model-like figure. Even so, for a fleeting moment, I thought about saying, Oh, my God, one of your braids is loose, and it looks hideous! It would serve her right after all the teasing I'd endured at her hands, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. We were both taking this evening far too seriously to play those kinds of games.
"Your halo is still as angelic it was the last time you asked, oh, two minutes ago," I said, smiling to soften the sarcasm a bit. "Look, would you stop worrying? It's not like you."
"Can't help it. This is new territory for me."
As much as I sympathized with Lily's anxiety, deep down I wanted to strangle her with her viola strings. On the Metro ride to Roppongi, I'd finally found out why she just happened to be meeting Gumi at the exact time and place I was meeting Yukari: she wanted the four of us to go out as a group. Her excuse was that she didn't want to take Gumi to any of her regular night spots for fear of running into one or more of her sizable group of male admirers. Knowing that I intended to invite Yukari to my usual hang-out in Shinjuku Ni-choume, she begged me to allow Gumi and her to tag along.
My first instinct was to refuse. After all, who wants the hottest date of their life to play out in front of an audience? Still, I could tell that my normally carefree best friend was completely off her game, and no matter how she tried to spin it, deep down she needed me to be there for her, at least until she was sure of herself with Gumi. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dreamed of intruding on Yukari and me. So in the end, I wound up giving in, but that didn't mean I was completely happy about the situation.
"You owe me for this, Lily. And you'd better not embarrass me in front of Yuzuki-san, either. I know how you get when you've been drinking. No 'wardrobe malfunctions' tonight, got it?"
Lily opened her mouth to reply, but immediately snapped it shut again when an electronic chime echoed across the lobby. Our conversation instantly forgotten, we both whipped around to face the bank of elevators along the far wall.
When I took one look at the two women who stepped out of the arriving elevator, a huge lump formed in my throat. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. It didn't matter, though, because Lily's hoarse whisper captured my reaction perfectly.
"Holy shit."
It was Yukari and Gumi, all right, but what an unbelievable contrast from the last time I'd seen either of them.
Lily was reacting to Gumi, and I could see why. The suit-clad professional of earlier in the day had transformed into something akin to a siren. She was wearing a form-fitting, sleeveless vest that showed off plenty of skin. It barely contained her ample chest, which appeared to be one bounce away from tearing the garment open in the front. Rounding out the ensemble was a pair of black, low-rise cargo pants that were stuffed into black leather high-heeled boots. Her wavy, jaw-length emerald shag hung loose, partially obscuring her eyes and giving her a wild, untamed aura.
Lily's hand clutched at my upper arm, her nails biting so deeply into my bicep that they threatened to draw blood.
"Oh. My. God." Her whisper morphed into a low groan. "Fuck. I think I just came, and all I did was look."
Ignoring Lily's sudden burst of inelegant hyperbole, I shook free of her death-grip. Gumi was hot – there was no debating the point – but she didn't make anywhere near the impression on me that her companion did.
The woman with Gumi was obviously Yukari, but I didn't recognize her at first because she had on a black knit skullcap and matching horn-rimmed hipster glasses. After a puzzled moment, I realized why she was wearing them. Even though classical musicians aren't typically recognized on the streets of Japan the way j-pop stars are, you never know who you'll meet. The last thing Yukari needed was to be spotted on the streets of Tokyo in the middle of a date with another woman. Without some sort of disguise, her distinctive violet ponytails would be a dead giveaway. But now, the tails were safely stuffed up under the skullcap with the rest of her hair, and she looked totally different from usual, at least from the neck up.
As for the rest of her…let's just say I was Pavlov's dog, and that the elevator chime was my signal to drool.
Yukari's jeans, bleached almost white and distressed to the point of showing skin through the tears on the thighs, were so deliciously tight that they appeared airbrushed across her slender hips, and so tantalizingly low-rise that they barely covered her mound. The black cotton a-shirt she'd chosen as a top clung to her as closely as the jeans did, and was cropped high enough to show a wide swath of her lower abs. I gazed with longing at the exposed skin, wondering how it would taste, and what sounds she'd make when I dragged my lips over it.
A cute little soft butch – that's how I'd always remember my impression of Yukari in that moment. From the tip of that skullcap to the soles of her bright purple sneakers, she was just my type. And I wanted her more than ever.
After a brief search of the lobby, Yukari's and Gumi's faces lit up in recognition when they caught sight of us, and they began walking across the polished granite toward the waiting area in a manner I could only describe as sultry. I heard Lily muttering something, but it didn't register. For me, just one other person existed: the girl with the glasses, whose every step toward me ratcheted the heat in my groin another degree upward.
One heartbeat, then a second, and a third, and they were standing in front of us. There was a long moment of silence while Yukari's gaze caressed me like fingers on my naked skin. My abs began to clench, and I breathed a prayer to any god who'd listen to let that metaphor become reality before the night was over.
"H-hi." I finally stammered out a greeting as the flush crept up the back of my neck again. Despite how freely we'd conversed over lunch, I now seemed unable to find two words to say this woman I desired so fiercely without blushing like crazy. At 22, I was certainly no maiden, but something in Yukari made me feel like I was fifteen again, trembling in the presence of my first love, the girl who'd taught me the true meaning of desire.
"Hey, there. You, um, look so…pretty tonight." The supreme confidence Yukari had displayed when I'd last seen her was strangely absent, replaced by eager uncertainty, as if she was the gender-bent version of a junior high school boy on his first date. "Your skirt…I, uh, like how it fits you." With a mournful glance downward, she motioned toward her shirt and jeans. "I knew I should've worn a dress. Look at me – I'm like a homeless person."
"No!" The word came out more forcefully than I'd intended, so in a much gentler voice, I added, "Don't say that. You're totally cute in that outfit."
At the word "cute," Yukari blushed as deeply as me, and waved a dismissive hand. It appeared as if she wanted to say something, but for whatever reason, no words came. I smiled, not because I'd struck her speechless, but because she looked so adorable when she was flustered.
The moment we shared didn't last long, thanks to Gumi, whose personal assistant's instincts kicked in.
"Okay, we need to get moving. No offense to present company, but I'm with the hottest girl in Japan…" – here she nodded toward Lily – "…and I've been waiting all day to dance with her."
For a change, Lily had no comeback. She was too busy reacting to the flattery by nibbling her bottom lip, thrusting out her chest, and otherwise sending off every nonverbal signal in the book that she considered herself Gumi the Huntress' very willing quarry.
"Dancing, a few drinks…that all sounds excellent," Yukari said, fixing me with another one of those devastating smiles. "But Gumi-chan and I aren't all that familiar with Tokyo nightlife, so it's up to you guys."
"No worries – my bestie knows just the place," Lily said, finally finding her voice, and throwing an arm around my shoulder for good measure. "Ain't that right?"
"Club Naiad is where I usually go. It's, uh, in Nichou." I glanced uneasily back and forth between Yukari and Gumi. "That's not a problem, is it?"
"Not for me," Gumi said with a grin. "It definitely won't be the first time I've been to a le-…" She caught herself in mid-word, glancing around to make sure she wasn't overheard. "…I mean, a women-only club. I don't know about the boss lady, though." She raised an eyebrow at Yukari. "You okay with this?"
"I'm not sure why you'd even ask." Yukari frowned at Gumi, as if to suggest it was a silly question, but her assistant merely shrugged in response.
"Just making sure, that's all."
"Geez, Gumi-chan, you already know I went underground clubbing when I was in college, at least when I wasn't playing out of town gigs." Yukari turned to speak to me again, and the frown was gone. "I don't mind going to Nichou, if that's what you want. With the hat and glasses, no one can tell who I am, so as long as we're discreet, I should be fine."
"Sounds like four 'yes' votes to me," Lily said, preempting further discussion. "Now that that's settled, let's not waste any more time. The night isn't getting any younger while we stand around shooting the shit. Let's go, gorgeous." She grabbed Gumi by the hand, and the two of them began walking toward the hotel entrance, bantering back and forth as they went.
After they disappeared outside, I said, "That Lily…she doesn't even know where Club Naiad is. We'd better follow them before the big blonde idiot drags Masami-san onto the wrong Metro line."
I took a step toward the door, only to feel Yukari's hand wrap around my wrist, pulling me back.
"Why so fast? There's no rush. They can't go very far on those heels." I turned back to find Yukari grinning at me. "Besides, we finally have a moment alone. I've been waiting for that all evening."
Yukari had clearly gotten over her initial bout of nerves, and was now as warm and cheerful as she'd been at lunch. But I still couldn't relax. The butterflies that had invaded my body when I first saw her that morning had returned with reinforcements, and when her eyes met mine, the entire swarm suddenly decided to stage a mass dogfight in the pit of my stomach. Their perpetual motion made it damned near impossible for me to think clearly, let alone hold up one end of a conversation.
"Me, too," I said, fidgeting nervously. "Hey, uh, sorry about that, um…yeah. It's just that…well, I thought we'd be by ourselves tonight, and then Lily…"
My words trailed off when Yukari abruptly let go of my arm and held a finger up in front of my lips.
"Don't. We can't change the situation, so let's just roll with it. It's not as bad as it seems, you know? I mean, at least we'll get a few laughs out of those two." With a smirk, she wrapped her arm around mine, much like she'd done in her dressing room earlier, but this time she clung to me much more tightly. The firmness of her small breasts against my arm turned my mouth desert-dry. "And anyway, they won't be with us the whole night, not if I can help it. When they start dancing, I give them maybe fifteen minutes before they find some excuse to leave. So the sooner they're out on the floor, the sooner I have you all to myself again. Which is sort of the point to this whole evening, if you get my drift."
I did, and so did the butterflies, which promptly began a mass migration from my stomach to my uterus.
"I…uh, I…I think…" I almost gave in to the surge of estrogen, which was urging me to say, I think we should forget the club and go right upstairs to your room. Fortunately, my brain fought off the attempt to jam its signals. Despite my body's clear and insistent demands, this wasn't just about sex. I wanted Yukari to woo me, to pursue me. To make me feel wanted. To sense how much I wanted her in return. I much preferred that our mating dance be a long, sensuous tango rather than ten minutes in the mosh pit. Still, it took near-superhuman effort to spit the words out.
"I think we'd better go, before Lily has Masami-san on a train for god-knows-where." As if on cue, I heard Lily's alert tone jangling from inside my purse. "Speak of the devil…"
Which Metro line, Hibiya or Nanboku? And where the hell are you two? You're holding everything up!
Yukari giggled when I showed her Lily's email.
"She's sounds impatient, doesn't she? I can understand why. To be honest, she's not the only one who wants to rub up against a certain pretty girl on the dance floor." She squeezed my arm even tighter as we walked toward the door. "You owe me at least one dance."
The thought of our bodies molded together made me gulp audibly.
"Only one?"
"One is all we'll need," Yukari answered with a low, throaty chuckle.
Deep inside, the butterflies began to dance for joy.
It took us about a half hour to get to Club Naiad, which was buried in the maze of side streets surrounding Shinjuku station, about four kilometers from the Imperial Minato. Like many smaller establishments in Ni-choume, you had to know where to look for it. For a regular like me, that wasn't a problem. I'd spent so much time at the club that I could probably find my way there blindfolded.
The unmarked front entrance was located on the first floor of an otherwise nondescript office building. When I knocked twice, the door opened to reveal the bouncer, a tall, intimidating biker butch in black leather and chains who stared down at the four of us, sizing us up.
"Welcome to Club Naiad. May I help you?" When she took a closer look at me, the light of recognition dawned, and a wintry smile flickered across her lips for an instant. "Oh, hey, Akasaka-san, welcome back. It's been a while." After I returned her greeting, she gestured toward the others. "Friends of yours?"
"Yeah." I introduced my companions, ending with, "…and Yuzuki-san." The woman nodded curtly at Lily and Gumi, but when she caught sight of my hand clasped in Yukari's, her smile grew a bit broader.
"Okay, since they're here with you, everyone gets the regular-customer discount," she told me, holding out her hand expectantly. "That'll be ¥1,000 apiece. Oh, and Mama-san's added a two-drink minimum since you were here last, so there's that." After Lily and I had produced the required bills, the bouncer waved the cash toward the interior of the facility. "The front's dead tonight, so you have your pick of seats. There's more action in the back. Have fun."
Although large by Ni-choume standards, Club Naiad wasn't nearly the size of the big nightspots near Shinjuku Station. Not counting a two-stall lavatory and a tiny kitchen, it amounted to just two large rooms. The one we'd entered, the lounge, contained a well-stocked bar with half a dozen stools, along with booths and tables that seated a further two dozen or so. To the right of the bar was the doorway to the back room, which housed the dance floor, the DJ booth, and several more tables. Judging from the bass line thumping through the floorboards, the DJ was mixing techno tracks that night.
As the bouncer had said, the lounge was nearly deserted. Four of the bar stools were occupied, but the booths and tables were all empty. We claimed the booth furthest from the bar, knowing that the dim lighting and relative isolation would guarantee us a measure of privacy, at least until the place started filling up later on. It was a good move, because Lily promptly draped herself over Gumi's shoulder like a black-and-blonde human cape, and her companion responded with an arm around Lily's waist, pulling her close.
Geez, they aren't wasting any time, I thought. I was tempted to scold them for being too forward, but when Yukari followed Lily's lead by molding her hip and thigh to mine, I suddenly cared a lot less about appearances.
"Attention shoppers." Lily sounded as if she was making an announcement over a department store public address system. "Masuda needs a Cosmo. That is all."
With a chuckle, Gumi suggested that we order bar food, as well.
"To absorb the booze. You know, so Lily-chan doesn't end up under the table."
"Wouldn't be the first time I wound up on my knees during a date," Lily shot back. I winced at rudeness of her remark, but before I could say anything, both Gumi and Yukari burst into laughter. Relieved that they'd taken Lily's crude joke in stride, I nevertheless figured I'd better steer the conversation back on topic before she said something even less appropriate.
"They've got decent grilled skewers and fried tofu here. Those would definitely hit the spot. I think Yuzuki-san's the only one of us who's eaten."
"Actually, I haven't," Yukari grumbled. "Salty miso and rubbery mackerel…ugh. Barely edible. You'd think they'd have better food at those dinners. I didn't have any appetite, anyway. Too busy smiling at the old, rich people and wishing I was someplace where the company was a lot, um…prettier." Her hand found mine under the table and squeezed it gently.
"We'll get enough for everybody," I decided, squeezing back and hoping my voice didn't sound too shaky.
Forty-five minutes and two quick rounds of drinks later, the four of us were well on our way to losing that typically Japanese wall of reserve.
Lily appeared to have long since gotten over her uncertainty, and was now flirting as shamelessly with Gumi as she did with the men she dated. The two seemed totally relaxed with each other, and their easy rapport had in turn driven away the initial awkwardness between Yukari and me. In retrospect, the fact that they'd come to the club with us had worked for everyone. I made a mental note to thank Lily later for her unintentional services as wingman.
As for Yukari and me, our boundaries had grown quite soft indeed. By her second rum and coke, not only had she insisted that we move to a first-name basis, she'd also gotten quite generous with body contact, sliding her arm around my shoulders and waist during those moments when we shared a laugh or a quiet word, or seeking out my hand with her own under the table. She'd even fed me the occasional pork skewer, something I didn't usually agree to in public, even with serious girlfriends. It was Yukari, so how could I refuse?
Sober me would no doubt have been a bit embarrassed by all this, but after inhaling two plum wine coolers in quick succession, I no longer gave a damn about what anyone else thought. I was too wrapped up in Yukari, reveling in the attention she lavished on me. Nothing else mattered but her. She had me besotted, powerless to resist anything she said or did.
Fueled by the alcohol, and egged on by Lily – who didn't show a lot of restraint even when sober – the group conversation grew quite animated. Actually, "raucous" was a better word for it. To be fair, Lily and Gumi did most of the talking. Yukari and I were too busy laughing at their combined outrageousness to add much to the discussion.
Eventually, the topic got around to dancing.
"I don't get why they have a minimum at a place like this," the blonde said, her voice soft around the edges from the pair of Cosmos she'd knocked back. "I mean, come on. Why would I go to a goddamned bar and not drink? I can't get loose on a dance floor without alcohol."
"Same for me, but I don't need that much to get going." Despite matching Lily beer-for-Cosmo, Gumi appeared to be as sober as a judge. She surveyed her newly-empty bottle of Asahi approvingly. "Two of these and a good beat…that's more than enough for me to find my groove."
"Oh, did you lose it?" Lily's voice dripped with false innocence. "I'd love to help search your groove. I mean, search for it. Your groove, that is." The mischievous glint in her eye left no doubt in my mind that the verbal slip had been fully intentional. Gumi appeared to realize this quite well, because she matched Lily's smirk with one of her own.
"And how exactly do you propose to do conduct this search, as if I didn't hope?"
When Lily whispered her reply in Gumi's ear, the buxom woman's eyes widened.
"You are such a goddamned tease, Lily-chan." A wolfish smile crept over Gumi's lips. "I need to get you out on the dance floor and see if that fine ass of yours can walk the talk."
The reply was vintage Lily sass.
"Is this a hands-on inspection? Because if it isn't, I'll be totally fucking disappointed." She began to nudge Gumi out of the booth. "Come on, stud, it's time to dance, and by 'dance' I mean grope each other's asses in front of everyone else. And maybe boobs, too, if we can do it without getting thrown out." She raised a questioning eyebrow at Yukari and me. "You guys coming along?"
When I turned to Yukari, I discovered her gaze on me again. To my surprise, there was such ardor in it that I could barely maintain eye contact. I wasn't sure why she was looking at me that way all of a sudden, but I definitely didn't dislike it.
"I've been ready since we got here," Yukari replied, directing her words toward Lily, but keeping her focus on me.
"It's go-time. Try to keep up with Gumi-chan and me…if you can. Which I doubt." With a sly wink and a flip of her hair, Lily followed Gumi toward the dance floor entrance before I could come up with the crushing retort her taunt deserved.
After sliding out of the booth, Yukari flashed another of her sunny smiles – did she have any idea how powerless I was to resist them? – and held out her hand. "Your pal Masuda-san's got a bit of an edge to her. But we're not going to let her and Gumi-chan show us up, are we?"
"Don't worry. Lily's good, but I've got a few moves up my sleeve."
"Oh, trust me, so do I," Yukari said as she led me across the lounge toward the dance floor. "And I think you're going to like them."
As we pushed through the door to the back room, a sonic wave of techno hit me like a body blow. Bursts of red, blue, and green light radiated from a glitter ball overhead, reflecting off of the lenses of Yukari's fake glasses. The air was thick with the mingled scents of perfume, sweat, cigarette smoke, stale beer, and a tiny hint of feminine arousal.
I looked around for Lily and Gumi, but they'd already disappeared onto the postage-stamp-sized dance floor, and were now somewhere among the dozen or so couples moving to the relentless four-on-the-floor beat. Their collective body heat made the atmosphere almost unbearably stuffy, to the point where beads of sweat began to form on my forehead.
Without breaking stride, Yukari led me straight into the crowd. When she finally found enough space for the two of us, she spun around to face me and began to sway in time with the music, which had just segued to a down-tempo jam. Her eyes locked onto mine, issuing an unspoken challenge.
Impress me.
I responded by moving closer, syncing the movements of my hips and shoulders to hers. That earned me a speculative smile, so I decided to take things a step further by lacing my fingers into the hair at the back of my head and arching my back, thrusting out my breasts until they almost touched Yukari's. Her eyes broke contact and flicked downward to my cleavage, lingering there for a long moment before drifting upward. The desire on her face was almost feral.
I had to wonder: was it possible for a woman to climax from a single, smoldering glance? It had never happened to me, but then I'd never had anyone look at me with such need before. Yukari's psychic energy flowed across the narrow space between us like a heat ray, burning into my deepest parts, melting those butterflies that had plagued me all day into a white-hot lava flow of arousal.
I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted – no, needed – her to touch me.
Twisting around so that I faced away from Yukari, I bent slightly downward, sweeping my hair out of the way to give her an unobstructed view of my backside. It had the exact effect I'd hoped for: her hands found their way to my hips, and she ground against my rear end from behind. At the contact, I let out a low moan that – thankfully – no one but me could hear amid the cacophony that surrounded us. Still gyrating my butt against her, I leaned backward until her breasts met my shoulder blades. Her hands slid around to my stomach, stroking the bare skin above the waistband of my skirt as her hips slid up and down over my clenching glutes. The back of my hand made it to my mouth just in time to stifle a second, much louder moan, as hot moisture began pooling between my thighs.
Quick as thought, Yukari spun me around to face her again, and her hands found their way back to my hips. I responded by resting my forearms on either side of her neck. We danced like this for who knew how long, our bodies millimeters from touching, our hands occasionally wandering. The entire time, Yukari's eyes never left mine. Not that I could look away – even through the black hipster frames, those violet depths had me firmly by the soul. Everything else – the other dancers, the music, the club itself – faded to black, leaving Yukari and me alone in our own private universe.
Then, in a single, galvanizing moment, that universe tilted on its axis when Yukari leaned in to kiss me.
It was only a gentle, lingering touch of the lips, but it sent my head spinning. Suddenly, it didn't matter where we were; I had to taste Yukari again. Still moving with the music, I reached out to stroke her cheeks and jawline, then cupped her face in my hands and pulled her to me, capturing her upper lip between my own, massaging it ever so gently for a moment before doing the same with her lower lip. Then my tongue sought out hers, twirling around it sensuously. Then I did it all again, this time in a different order, and yet again, over and over. I didn't want to stop – Yukari's soft, sweet mouth was a drug, and my addiction was instantaneous – but we eventually pulled apart, gasping for breath. With a jolt, I realized that we'd stopped dancing, and were standing there each other's arms, lost in the sensations. Several of the women around us grinned knowingly, and one or two flashed us the victory sign, but before I could even think of being embarrassed, Yukari grabbed me by the hand and practically dragged me off the dance floor.
When we made it back to the relative quiet of the lounge, I could finally ask, "Hey, where are we going? Was that our one dance?" I devoutly hoped so, because as far as I was concerned, all that remained was for Yukari and me to get each other alone so we could bring things to their much-anticipated conclusion.
"Yeah, we're leaving," Yukari replied. Her voice sounded as shaky as my legs felt. "But I've got to go, um…freshen up first."
"I'll keep you company," I said, catching her hint.
Without bothering to check if the restroom was deserted – which it was, fortunately – Yukari immediately hauled me into one of the stalls. After slamming the door shut and latching it, she pushed me against the wall, winding herself around me like a vine on a trellis.
"Wow…just, wow," she breathed, her eyelids hooded with undisguised lust. "I never thought it could be like this. Nobody ever kissed me the way you do."
Somehow, I managed to stutter out a response, even though her warmth was turning my brain to mush.
"S-…s-…seriously? N-nobody?"
"No," she replied. "Nobody. Oh, God, Ia-san, kiss me again!"
Before I could answer, she crushed her lips against mine, and the unbearable sexual tension that had been building between us the entire day finally burst forth like a jets of water through a failing dam.
Overcome by the flood of raw feelings, Yukari and I clung to each other, shamelessly molding our bodies together, playing our primal duet tongue to tongue, breast to breast, and hip to hip. My mind buckled under the weight of the sensory bombardment: the taste of the rum on Yukari's lips, the floral fragrance of her shampoo, the tingle of her nipples against mine through two layers of clothing, and the firmness of that boyish ass under my hands. Every other kiss I'd ever shared with a lover paled in comparison to what Yukari was doing to me, even my very first.
Suddenly, the restroom door slammed open, obliterating our shared moment of passion and yanking us both back to reality. Yukari clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle my exclamation of surprise, and we froze in mid-embrace, hoping that whoever it was didn't discover us. Seconds crawled by like eons as the unwanted intruder took much longer than I thought was necessary to finish her business. When she finally left, Yukari pulled her hand away from my face, and we both heaved a sigh of relief.
"Geez, that was close," she muttered. "You almost made me lose it with those amazing trumpet-player lips. Seriously, my brain totally switched off." She squirmed out of my arms and took a step backward. "No more, Ia-san. If we keep it up, I won't be able to stop. I want you – God, you have no idea how badly – but not here, and not now."
She had a point. Even though the alcohol had played havoc with my inhibitions, I still had my self-respect underneath it all. As much as I wanted Yukari to make love to me right then, I wasn't about to cheapen the experience by giving it up to her in a shabby bathroom stall in Ni-choume.
"Come home with me, Yukari-san." I decided I could definitely get used to saying that name, particularly in the heat of the moment. "My apartment's only a five-minute walk from here."
"But…but there's a love hotel a block away," she said, throwing me a pout worthy of Lily at her manipulative best. "I don't want to wait. I want you. Now."
The way she said those words nearly made me climax on the spot, but I held firm.
"It doesn't cost anything to stay at my place. Besides…" My voice sank to a low growl. "…you get to do me in my own bed. All night."
With a shuddering sigh, Yukari capitulated.
"Damn your logic, woman." She yanked open the stall door and began to haul me through it. "Hurry. We can shave off a couple minutes if we run."
As eager as Yukari and I both were, we didn't wind up running to my apartment after all. Not only would it have been undignified, but dangerous, because even though it was approaching 23:00 on a weeknight, Shinjuku's streets were still teeming with both vehicles and pedestrians. Any attempt to move faster than a moderately-paced walk would have quickly turned into a hazard-filled steeplechase. Under the circumstances, Yukari and I had little choice but to navigate our way through the crowds as fast as we could, a task made all the more difficult by the fact that we were arm in arm, practically joined at the hip.
Even so, it didn't take us all that long to reach my building. Once we were safely in the stairwell, out of public view, I pulled Yukari into a short but steamy kiss before leading her in the final sprint up one flight of stairs to my second-floor apartment. Somehow, I got the door unlocked in spite of Yukari's roving hands. Within moments, our shoes lay in a heap in my entryway, and we were standing just inside my living room, finally alone.
We faced each other, enveloped in a silence so dead that I swore I could hear my heart thudding in my chest. Slowly, deliberately, Yukari pulled the black frames from the bridge of her nose. The skullcap followed, allowing the twin side-tails to fall free. After another two heartbeats of silence, the hat and glasses suddenly sailed over her shoulder, and she pounced on me like a tigress seizing her prey, pressing her body so tightly to mine that it seemed as though she was trying to fuse the two of us into a single entity. Her fingers found their way under my blouse, tracing up and down the skin of my back and shoulders, and leaving trails of fire in their wake. Powerless to do anything else, I clung to her as if I was drowning, and in a sense, I was – drowning under a tidal wave of Yukari.
I'm not sure how long we stayed that way – seconds, minutes, hours – but it seemed like forever, and yet not long enough. Just as my knees were about to give out, Yukari broke off the kiss, pulled out of my arms, and walked across the living room to the sofa. With a thump, she flopped down into a sitting position and patted her thighs with her palms.
"Come here."
The hunger in her command turned my legs so rubbery that I wasn't sure I was capable of taking a single step, but my arms felt so empty without her in them that I knew I had to try. Somehow, I made it over to the sofa without falling on my face, and climbed onto Yukari's lap, straddling her knees. My half-braids dangled down onto her chest, their light gray mingling with the violet of her ponytails.
The entire front of my body, from my aching breasts to the bubbling cauldron of lust between my legs, was at Yukari's mercy. If she raised her hands a short distance, every part of me would be hers. And oh, how I craved the touch of those gifted fingers. I stared down at her, silently willing her to explore the glorious treasures that lay waiting under my top and skirt, but she merely smirked back at me, as if daring me to beg her for it. The staring contest lasted only a few seconds before I gave in out of sheer desperation.
"Touch me," I whined, then reclaimed her lips with a ferocity that matched the need consuming me from the inside. Yukari kissed me back just as ravenously, and as our tongues wrestled, she responded to my plea by sliding her hands under my blouse. Her fingertips fluttered over the bare skin of my stomach, causing my abs to spasm with delight, working their way upward with maddening slowness. The anticipation was almost unbearable. Finally, her palms grazed the underside of my mounds, and when she squeezed them gently, I pulled out of our kiss with a gasp.
"You're so sensitive. Hey, Ia-san…" My name again…why was it that every time she purred it in my ear, I shuddered, and got a little closer to coming? "…what happens when I do…this?"
Without warning, her thumbs and index fingers closed around the pebbled tips of my breasts, sending white-hot shards of pleasure tearing through my consciousness. I arched my back, biting my lip in an unsuccessful effort to muffle a groan of satisfaction.
"Oh, my God, that sounded so hot. You're so hot." Yukari's eyes bored into the front of my blouse. "And they feel awesome. So round and firm. I want to taste them."
So frantic was I to get her mouth on me that I practically tore the expensive silk material to shreds as I stripped it from my body. Its ragged remains hit the floor, leaving me naked from the waist up, fully exposed for Yukari see.
"They're perfect." She gazed reverently at my breasts, as if they were precious treasures. Then, abruptly, her expression changed, and she looked up at me with a mischievous twinkle and drawled, "Itadakimasu," before burying her face in my cleavage.
My breath hitched as Yukari launched her glorious assault. She seemed bent on exploring every square millimeter of my swollen, sensitive flesh, driving me perilously close to madness with constant licking and sucking, nibbling and teasing. Threading my fingers into her hair, I gave in to the wonderful impulses that were rippling outward from my breasts to my fingers and toes and back again.
Yukari's caresses quickly pushed me to the brink of release, but before I could implore her to touch me down below, she anticipated my need, almost as if she'd read my mind. As her tongue teased my beleaguered nipples – which were so hard by now that they almost hurt – her hands slid up my thighs and under my skirt, seeking out the clenching muscles of my rear end. After giving them a firm squeeze – which forced yet another hiss of pleasure out of me – her fingers moved still further upwards to my waistband. About the time that I realized what she was searching for, she pulled her face from my chest and grinned up at me.
"No panties? Really, Ia-san, you're such a bad girl."
The words very nearly sent me over the edge.
"Oh hell, yes, I'm a bad girl," I whimpered. "Punish me. Punish your bad girl."
"I should tease you," Yukari said, her voice thick with passion, "but I don't want to. I want to make you come. Does my bad girl want to come?"
My reply was closer to a sob than to actual speech.
"Yes! Please make me come…please…"
With that, one of Yukari's hands pulled from my backside, and a moment later, I felt it snake underneath the front of my skirt. I barely had time to prepare myself before it dove straight into the lake of fire between my thighs.
A loud moan burst from my lips as Yukari's fingers glided through my sopping core and began to work their wizardry. The skilled digits, trained to conquer the most difficult piano pieces ever written, played an excruciating sonata on the diamond-hard nub at the top of my cleft, diving back into the slick between my lips after each glorious phrase to gather more nectar for the next. I leaned forward and braced my hands against the wall behind the sofa, rocking my hips back and forth in time with the motion of Yukari's hand, grunting with each forward thrust: "unh…unh…unh…"
With Yukari hitting all the right spots, there was no way I could last for long. After only a few strokes, my insides suddenly collapsed into a tiny, dense, neutron star of pure pleasure, which burned through me for a long agonizing moment before finally exploding to smithereens.
"Yukari-san…!"
The cry of release thundered through the living room as my body jerked and writhed, twisted and shook, riding out the shockwaves that blasted their way from Yukari's still-moving hand straight to my brain. After what seemed like an eternity, I slumped forward, spent, burying my face in Yukari's shoulder. She responded by pulling her hand from between my thighs and wrapping her arms around me, holding me close. An overwhelming sense of well-being settled over me like a thick, comfortable mantle.
As I lay in Yukari's embrace, drifting downward from the mind-bending climax, I'd never felt so deeply bound to another human being. This was no celebrity crush turned club hook-up, but a lasting emotional connection, I was sure of it. Yuzuki Yukari had claimed me, body and soul, and I now belonged to her. Adoration welled up inside me, overflowing into spoken words.
"I love you, Yukari-san. I love you so much."
There was no immediate response other than a sharp intake of breath near my ear. Then, after several seconds of silence, a pair of hands pushed gently against my stomach.
"Please…get up…"
With a groan, I crawled off of Yukari's lap and leaned back against the sofa cushions, holding my arms out to her, silently beckoning her to me. But to my surprise, she stood up and strode across the room, retrieving her glasses and cap as she went.
"What's going on? What's wrong, Yukari-san?"
Not only did she not answer, she wouldn't even look at me. Instead, she sat down in the entryway to the apartment and began pulling her sneakers on, as if she was preparing to leave. At that point, I realized that something had gone wrong, but I was still a bit disoriented from our lovemaking, so I had a hard time getting my mind around what was happening.
"Yukari-san, talk to me."
She remained silent for several more seconds. Only when her sneakers were neatly tied did she finally stand up and turn to face me. When her eyes met mine, I was stunned to find them brimming with tears.
"Why'd you have to go and say that?"
"What? What did I say?"
"Why'd you have to bring love into this? Telling me you love me…why'd you have to complicate things? How am I supposed to respond?"
Her words were like cold water to the face. Even though I'd meant every word, if I'd been thinking rationally, I would never have confessed out loud. After all, Yukari was leaving Tokyo in three short days. A relationship wasn't possible, even if she felt the same way, which I was pretty sure she didn't. Under the circumstances, why even bother to tell her my feelings? It was far better not to trouble her with them, and to content myself with whatever she was willing to give me. But the orgasm had driven all this from my mind, and by blurting out my thoughts, I'd wound up troubling her anyway.
"I'm so sorry," I said, my voice breaking. "I didn't mean to force myself on you. I'll never say that again. You don't even have to accept. Just being with you is enough for me, even if it's for one night."
Those beautiful eyes, the ones that had such power over me, began to overflow, a tiny droplet running down first one cheek, and then the other.
"You don't get it, do you? Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, I want to respond to your feelings? But I can't." She tried to wipe away the dampness, but only succeeded in smearing it all over her cheeks. "I wasn't looking for this – I don't do one-nighters – but when I saw you this morning, I couldn't help myself. I thought, 'It's the girl from Nagoya. She's so hot, and she's totally into me, and I'm so goddamned lonely.' I figured that after a year and a half of going without, one round of casual sex wouldn't kill me. Besides, it'd be over when I left town. No problem, right? But every minute I spent with you today I got in a little deeper. And now I can't lie to myself anymore about this being just a fling, not now that you've forced the issue. As for me…dammit, I don't know how to react, or even if I should. I'm so confused right now."
I didn't know what to say, but it didn't matter, because Yukari's tears had struck me dumb. Each glistening track was like a razor slashing at my heart. All I could think to do was to touch her, to feel her against me one more time. But when I stood up from the couch and took a step toward her, she held up a hand to stop me.
"Don't. I want to hold you so badly right now, but…don't. It'll only make things worse." She paused to stuff her hair up under the skullcap. Then, after pushing the costume frames back into place, she turned toward the apartment door. "I'm really sorry for doing this, but I need some space. I've got to get my head on straight. I don't want to be on that plane to the States on Sunday, all by myself – again – without knowing if it's worth the pain."
The remnants of my composure finally shredded, and my own tears finally spilled over. Desperate to keep her from leaving, I tossed my dignity aside, begging like a small child for her to stay.
"Please don't go, Yukari-san. I'll say anything, do anything, be anything you want. We don't even need to have sex. Just be with me for one night. Please."
Without turning to face me, she replied, "I'm sorry. Good night, Ia-san. I'll…" I heard her bite back a sob. "…call you."
Through swimming eyes, I watched as the door slammed behind her. I stared at where she'd been standing, telling myself that this was all a bad joke, and that she'd come back inside, take me in her arms, and apologize by making sweet love to me. But as the seconds ticked by, I had to accept that it wasn't going to happen.
The combined weight of embarrassment, regret, and shame became too much to bear, and I sank to my knees, sobbing. I hadn't the faintest idea what to do or think. All I knew is that I belonged in Yukari's arms, and because I'd said the wrong thing at the wrong time, I'd driven those arms from me.
"Yukari-san!" My voice was barely above a whisper. I'm not sure why I called her name, because it wouldn't be enough to bring her back to me, but I couldn't stop myself. "Yukari-san!"
We had a dress rehearsal and a concert the next day. How was I going to face her, much less play music on the same stage as her, without falling to pieces?
She said I'd never forget tonight, and she sure as hell was right, I thought. Oh, God, this can't be happening…
A/N:
− As usual, my humble gratitude goes to my beta-reading team, Musician74 and Gray Voice, for their valuable assistance during the writing of this chapter.
− "Nichou" is a colloquial name for Shinkjuku's Area 2 (Ni-choume), the hub of LGBT culture in Tokyo.
− Roppongi is an upscale neighborhood in western Minato Ward. In this story, it's the location of the fictional Asahi Pavilion and Imperial Minato Hotel.
− The clothes Gumi wears on her date with Lily are based on her costume in a particular MMD clip for the song Masked BitcH. You can see it by viewing YouTube clip -DTdJ3OP4CQ. In this story, she's missing the hoodie, the goggles, and whatever that green thing is that's covering her cleavage, and her boots have higher heels.
− "Mama-san" is the customary title in Japanese for a female bar manager.
− Did you catch the references to Sex in the City and From Here to Eternity? The first reader to point either one out via PM or review gets a virtual cookie.
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