Author's Note:
Man, I update fast, don't I?
:)
Since I'd rather not be Winry-wrenched by my best friend, I'm forced to update quickly. XD I'm her slave.
Also, don't forget that this is a T story.
I'm already giving you nasty little ideas, aren't I? xD
LOSGAP =D
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"Get back here, you little bastard!" Kaori shrieked, racing down the sidewalk of what she hoped was downtown Central.
Ah, first missions. To some, they're the beginning of a glorious trip to the top of the military, yet here Kaori was, chasing down a purse snatcher. Her purse snatcher to be exact; little bastard stole her handbag while she was trying to arrest him.
"Your ass is mine!" She snarled as she gained on him, but then stumbled as with a sharp snap one of her heels broke.
Growling, she clapped her hands and swathed the area in darkness; the pale yellow that was the purse snatcher came to a screeching halt and fell, shocked at the sudden loss of light.
"Give… me…. that!" Kaori panted, snatching her purse back from him. "Do… you…have…any…idea…what…hold on." She doubled over, her hands on her knees as she gasped.
"Ok," She panted. "Do you have any idea what you just put me through?! I just broke a heel!" She snarled, holding up the offended foot in question. "Just look at it! I can barely walk now!"
"I can't see!" The boy wailed, ignoring her. "Oh suck it up!" Kaori snapped. "I've got bigger problems then a whiny little brat who steals purses for his kicks!"
She leaned down and picked him up by his collar, shaking him. "And you broke my heel! I loved that shoe! Now because of you I have to limp back to the police station!"
"You shouldn't have been chasing people in heels anyway." The boy pointed out.. Kaori scowled at him. "Shut up."
OOO
"It was awful." Kaori moaned. "I mean, look at it!" She held up her foot, removed her shoe, and then held it out towards Havoc, trying hard to keep her balance as they walked.
"Ow." He said sympathetically. "Want me to rub it?" He asked and she shook her head, wrinkling her nose as she slipped it back into her shoe.
"Ick. I don't want your gross man-hands all over my feet." She grumbled. "What's wrong with my hands?" Jean demanded. "They're gross!" Kaori retorted. "They smell like your disgusting cigarettes."
"Hey, I can't quit now." Jean snorted, and, just to annoy her probably, lit one up. Kaori sighed, sensing they had come to her door at the military headquarters and turned to him, scowling fiercely. She wished she could glare at him.
She reached up and snatched the cigarette from between his startled lips and threw it to the ground, grinding it with her not-sore heel.
"What'd you do that for?!" Jean wailed, sounding truly broken-up over the loss of his cigarette.
"So I could do this." Kaori retorted, stretching up to kiss him.
He grunted in surprise, but didn't break the kiss, instead curling his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.
It was her first kiss, and she couldn't help but wish she had made him brush his teeth first; he tasted like cigarettes.
Other then that though, she quickly found she liked kissing, the way his lips molded themselves around hers, moving together in a intricate dance that sent shivers up her spine.
She decided she had kissed him long enough for him to start to get the wrong impression and with a small sigh pulled back, wishing she could see the look on his face.
"Goodnight." She whispered, opening her door and slipping inside.
OOO
After that night, they dated a bit more seriously, never seeming to be seen without the other.
They had the same superior officers, and often went on missions together; about a month after they had started dating, they went on a mission to a little town to collect their taxes. A routine mission, not Kaori's first tax-collecting one; she was still a new recruit, though she showed promise for more advanced missions eventually.
"I already hate this town." Jean grumbled when they pulled into the station. "Why?" Kaori asked, slipping her hand into his as they walked. She loved holding his hand, it made her feel safe and secure; and, though she wouldn't admit it, she had no idea where she was walking, and needed his guidance.
"You can't smell our ride?" He muttered and Kaori raised her head and inhaled. Her noise wrinkled at the scent of horse sweat and manure; apparently their ride was a horse-drawn cart. Romantic on any other occasion, completely not when they were forced to sit in the back with a load of vegetables.
They squeezed into the very back; Kaori guessed this was just the beginning of a long mission.
Still, she had to admit it was a plus that she had to curl up close to Jean.
OOO
"Well, it's official. Everyone hates us." Kaori hissed as she walked close to Jean, his arm wrapped around her waist to keep her close to his side. It was freezing in the chilly night air, and she was grateful for his warmth.
"You get used to it after a while." He sighed. Kaori sighed with him, leaning her head into his shoulder as he came to a halt, fumbling with his keys.
There weren't any hotels in this little town, but there was an empty cottage; they had been charged a ridiculous amount for the night, but it was better then sleeping on the ground for free.
As soon as they were inside Kaori stepped away from Jean and reached out around her, testing the area.
They were in what appeared to be a very small kitchen; she detected two wooden chairs, a table, and what felt like a stove and some cabinets.
"You hungry?" Jean asked, walking ahead of her to check the kitchen out. "Nah." Kaori shrugged. "Good, because the only thing to eat around here is- mouse! MOUSE! HOLY SHIT!"
Kaori couldn't help but laugh as she watched Havoc's bright light leap onto the warm brown light of a chair. "Where is it? I'll get it." She said in amusement, walking forward to peer into the cabinets. Sure enough, there was a small red light in the back of the cupboard; she could hear its heart, a rhythm so fast all she could hear was a steady humming.
"Poor thing, you scared it." She clucked, clapping her hands and blinding the little creature. She picked it up by the tail and carried it outside, setting it free and giving it it's sight back.
"All better now." She said, dusting her hands off as she came back into the kitchen. "I wasn't scared of it." Jean said as she explored the bathroom.
"Sure you weren't." Kaori snorted as she came to the last room, the bedroom.
As soon as she came in and tested what was in it, she began looking for another room, but there wasn't even a closet.
She wondered if Jean could hear her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. She swallowed hard, clenching her fists so he wouldn't see her hands shake.
There was just one bed.
She didn't do a very good job at hiding her nervousness because Jean came up behind her.
"Want me to sleep on the floor?" He offered quietly and she shook her head. "No, it's fine." Her voice shook and she cleared her throat. "We're two mature adults; we can handle sharing a bed. Right?"
To her surprise Jean hesitated a moment before he finally replied, "…right."
She turned to him, hoping he could read the question on her face. If he did, he ignored it, and calmly went to the bed.
After a moment she followed, feeling her brow break out in a sweat. No, no, this wasn't right. This went against everything she had ever been taught.
A sudden flashback raced through her mind.
Flashback.
"What's this?" Kaori asked, holding up the large silver band her father had given her for her seventh birthday.
"This is a promise ring." He said, helping her slip it on; it was far too big for her little finger. "It's too big." She complained. Her father just smiled, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a long chain, and he threaded the ring on it and put it around her neck.
"You can wear it when you're bigger." He said. Kaori raised her eyes from the pretty ring to her father's warm chocolate eyes. "What's the promise?" She asked.
"That you will only love one man in your entire life. This is very important, Kaori; to our people, this means a lot. I'll tell you what I mean when you're older." He added, seeing her confused look.
End flashback.
He didn't live long enough to explain the real meaning to her.
She felt a sudden urge to cry as she fingered the silver band around her finger; her father's last gift to her.
That would be her last gift to him, then; she would keep this promise to him, no matter what Jean thought of her. If he couldn't respect her decision, then he was not the right man for her.
Slowly, she lay down on the bed beside Jean, and leant her back into his warm embrace.
"Good night." He murmured into her ear, burying his face in her hair. She felt a little smile pull at her lips; he would not press her. Not tonight at least.
"Good night." She whispered back, pulling his arm closer around her and allowing herself to drift off.
It was always so hard to sleep; since her eyes were always closed, her body no longer had a cue to be told to sleep. Her brain did not shut down like a normal person when her eyes closed; all she could do was lie still, evening her breathing and allowing herself to fade into sleep.
She hadn't slept for days when she first had her eyes sewn shut; it had taken so long for her body to gradually understand that she couldn't close her eyes anymore. It still took her hours to fall asleep; tonight though, she fell asleep within minutes.
OOO
When they got back, they both had a few drinks to celebrate; she was well aware of the fact she was more then a little drunk, but she allowed Jean to walk her to her apartment, aware of the temptation she was giving him.
As usual, when they got to the door he kissed her good night; maybe it was the alcohol, or something else, but tonight he kissed her with a fierce passion unlike any other time; he backed into the door, holding her tight against him with one arm and opening the door with the other.
Her foggy brain didn't comprehend what was happening until they were in her apartment and his hands were at her shirt, his drunken fingers fumbling with the buttons.
She shoved him away roughly, an alarm bell ringing in her head. This was wrong, but why? It would be so easy to give in, to let him continue, so why was she stopping him?
"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice unusually husky. The alcohol was making him twice as attractive to her as usual; she nearly said "nothing" and kissed him again, but she took another step back, her limbs shaking with the want of him.
"I can't." She said quietly. She lifted her hand, and pointed to her promise ring. "Do you know what this is?" She asked him, swallowing against the urge to go to him. She was drunk, and she knew it; his bright light was fuzzy, the closest thing she would ever get to blurry vision.
"'Course I do." For a moment clarity hit her, and she could hear how drunk he was too; his voice slurred, stumbling over his words as he came closer to her. His hand found hers and he slipped the ring off of her finger, dropping it to the floor.
The pure silver had a light like most pure substances; it was silver, but a brighter color then the actual ring; she watched it fall, her reflexes too slow to catch it.
After a moment she reached down and picked it up, and as she straightened Jean's arms wrapped around her; for a moment she thought it was just a hug, an apology for throwing away one of her most prized possessions, but instead his lips found hers. He tasted of brandy and cigarettes.
"No! I don't want this!" Kaori cried, wriggling out of his grasp. She could feel his surprise as he looked at her. His voice was hurt. "You don't want me?"
She took a step back, her hands finding the doorknob. The room was spinning around her; she needed some air.
Jean called her name as she took off down the corridors, stumbling along the empty hallways.
Her brain was shrouded in fog; her thoughts were slow and sluggish, she couldn't think clearly. Her body seemed content to think for her; it cried run away, run away, but from what?
She remembered the feel of his hands on her, his lips warm against hers, and she shuddered all over. She had enjoyed that; she wasn't supposed to, but she had.
Wrong, wrong, wrong wrong! Her body screamed at her. "Only love one man" That was what her father had said. And she had already fallen for Jean, and fallen hard. She had to get away, leave him behind. At this rate, she would give them what they both wanted; how would she live with herself if she did?
She had a mission for next week, but who would care if she left early? She continued to run until she felt cold air on her face and took in a shuddering breath, trying to clear her muddled mind.
Get away. Escape. That was the plan. Without a glance back, she turned and ran into the night.
OOO
Author's Note:
Pshaw. You guys didn't REALLY think they'd do it, did you?
*shakes head* You have so little faith in me. I've already said I won't write any of that- besides, this isn't an M story, so you shouldn't be looking for that kind of stuff here.
If you have a problem with Kaori's promise ring, and her standards, keep it to yourself, ok? I don't want to hear it.
On that happy note, please review, but no flames (any bashing about promise rings counts as a flame)
I'm not here to start a flame war about that kind of thing, so abide to the old rule, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
LOSGAP =D
