To Love An Angel
Disclaimer: I dont own Burst Angel. Yeah, yeah, dont rub it in...
A/N: Well, seeing as this is the fourth chapter of this story, I suppose I had better give props to the people who have reviewed so far. After all, its you guys who keep me going.
EvySilverFox: Good to know that you love the story. Its that knowledge that keeps me writing.
chibi fire angel: I love video game runs! In fact, I did one last week. And yeah, most sane people wouldnt like to face Jo in a game of laser tag. I also agree that Meg was more into Jo than the other way around in the anime, and im trying to convey that here. As for Sei and Amy, I wanted to build up a mother/daughter relationship with them. Glad you like everything so far, now please tell Billy James to stop pointing that gun at my head!
conan10: Good to know the start was ok. I hope you're still reading this and that the rest of the story isnt boring.
MinnieMay119: You think I captured Jo and Meg perfectly? Squeal! Yay! I dont totally suck at this! I made Amy tease Meg so much because, seeing as they have a sisterly relationship, I just felt that this is what she would do. I like the car scene too. Its cheesy, but it works. Thanks for the compliments!
ThrottaKaze: You liked the monologues? Oh good, I thought I was being a bit over the top with them. Yeah, Meg's sleeping habbit is cute. I wanted to portray her that way. And if you liked the shower scene, it gets better here (actually, it plays a small role in helping Meg to discover her true feelings for Jo).
Thanks you guys!
Ok, now on with the story!
All time in that tiny bathroom seemed to freeze. Both women stood stock still, unable to move. Jo continued to watch her blue eyed intruder, slightly confused as to why the other woman was even standing there in the first place. Meg just stood, hand on the door knob, mouth slightly agape, staring in total shock at the sight in front of her. She had expected her friend to be watering pot plants or something, not standing naked in the bathroom. After what seemed like hours, sense started to return to the girl. To Jo, it was like watching her brain tick over in slow motion. A slight blush appeared across Meg's cheeks, her mouth set itself into a grimace of panic, her eyes glazed with fear. Then, she found her voice.
"OhmygodJoImsosorryIdidntmeanitIdidntknow!"
And then she was gone, slamming the door shut and leaving Jo to wonder what the hell had just happened.
Meg, her mind filled with panic, ran blindly back to her room. When she had reached her destination, she slammed the door behind her and leapt onto her bed, burying her face in a pillow. Tears stained her cheeks as she sobbed uncontrollably.
What had she done?
Sure, over the many years of their friendship, Meg had seen Jo naked hundreds of times. It wasnt anything new to her, but this time, it just seemed...wrong. But why? She closed her eyes, trying to block the last few minutes from her mind.
But it only made it worse.
She could see Jo standing there, completely devoid of her clothing. She could see the silvery sheen of her damp hair, her beautifully hypnotic crimson eyes, the water droplets moving down her wet, toned body...
She cried harder.
This wasnt how friends thought about friends. It was wrong of her to picture Jo that way. She continued to sob, but stopped when she heard the bedroom door open. Meg listened intently, forcing her ragged breathing to slow to a normal pace. She heard someone moving across the room, then felt the bed shift as someone lay down.
She feigned sleep.
Jo shifted her weight a little to try and get comfortable, then stopped moving. After a few minutes, Meg heard her friend's breathing fall into a slow, rythmic pattern, indicating to her that she was sleeping.
The red head looked up.
There was Jo, lying on her back, arms crossed under her head, fast asleep. Meg wondered at this. Had she over-reacted? Jo obviously didnt think that the events moments before had mattered, or else she would have said something. Maybe she didnt care?
Meg lay her head back down on the pillow, facing away from her friend. Regardless of whether Jo cared or not, she still felt bad. She shouldnt have barged into the bathroom like that. And she certainly shouldnt have been staring at Jo for so long. She let these thoughts play through her mind as she closed her eyes and started to drift off to sleep. Deep down, she knew why she felt bad. She knew why she had stared dumbfounded at her naked companion. She knew what this feeling was that coiled in her stomach and made her think inappropriate thoughts about Jo. She knew what it was called.
Desire.
The drive to Osaka took longer than anticipated, due to heavy traffic on the freeway, so it was late afternoon by the time the camper truck pulled into an abandoned parking lot somewhere in the city. Meg sat at the dining table, staring lazily out the window, while Jo reclined on the living room couch. Neither spoke to the other. Silence reigned in the living room until it was broken by Sei as she entered from the cockpit, talking on her mobile phone.
"Yes, I understand...Alright then, I'll send them soon...ok, bye".
"Who was that?" asked Jo, turning her head to look at the older woman.
"Takane," answered Sei, closing her phone, "she says that we cant proceed in our mission until later tonight. The police are trying to get as much information on the security of the target warehouse as possible so that we can be best equipped to successfully complete what we have to do. Until then, Takane says that you can meet her down town to kill time".
Jo rolled her eyes. What a waste of time. She had been looking forward to finally getting some action, and now she had to be waylaid by a meeting with an over-enthusiastic cop. Sighing, she rose to her feet and headed out the door, Meg not far behind her.
Neither girl spoke to the other as they walked through the bustling streets of the city. Jo couldnt put her finger on it, but the silence felt...awkward. She had glanced across as her companion a few times during the walk, but whenever she did Meg would look away. She was just about to ask her companion if anything was the matter when she heard a loud shouting coming from just up ahead in the crowd.
"Hey! Tokyo! Meg!"
Jo looked up and saw a woman pushing her way through the mass of people. She had brown, slightly messy hair and wore a white, calf length jacket. A sword was slung between her shoulder blades, and she wore a stupid grin as she approached the two women. Meg seemed to perk up upon finding their friend, smiling as the police woman approached.
"How ya both doin?" asked Takane happily.
Meg answered cheerfully that they were both fine, while Jo remained silent.
"So, y'all ready for tonight," asked the police woman, "I reckon its gonna be fun!"
"Should we be talking about this out in the middle of the street?" asked Jo, glancing pointedly at the crowds.
"You're right, we should talk in private" replied Takane. She began scanning the stores that lined the streets and, finding a small cafe across the street, led them inside. The interior of the cafe was dimly lit, with very few customers anywhere to be seen. Finding a small table, the company sat down and, when a waitress had brought them coffee, Takane continued where she had left off.
"I hear its gonna be tough to get in. There's supposed to be a hell of a lot of security around".
"There is," replied Meg, adding sugar to her beverage, "armed guards are swarming all over the place".
Takane nodded and sipped her coffee. "I heard that there might be some cybots walking around too. Whatever's going on, its gonna be tough to find out".
Jo swore silently to herself. Hired goons were one thing, but cybots were something else. Without Jango, it was going to be tough to deal with them if they got caught. On top of that, most cybot units had thermal imaging scanners, meaning that they would be harder to hide from. Takane continued.
"From what our sources can tell us, the bodyguard around the warehouse changes once every four hours. That'll probably be the best way to sneak in".
Jo nodded in agreement. "So, when do we do this?"
"We'll have to be in position around ten thirty," replied the police woman, "that'll give us time to get ready for the guard change".
Jo nodded again. "Ok, I'll contact Sei and tell her what's happening".
The silver haired woman stood up and walked away from the table, standing in a quiet corner of the cafe so that she could speak into her communicator without getting any background interference. When she had gone, Takane looked over at Meg.
"So, how's it all going between you two?"
"What do you mean?" asked Meg, slightly taken aback by this sudden question.
"You know," prompted Takane, raising her eyebrows suggestively, "between you and Tokyo".
Meg blushed slightly. "I...dont know what you're talking about".
"Oh come on," continued the police woman, "you know what I mean. Have you asked her out yet?"
Meg's face went a deeper shade of crimson. "Why...why would I...do that?"
Takane rolled her eyes. "Please, who do ya think you're talking to? Last time I saw you two together, you were always looking at Tokyo with those puppy-dog eyes, you always had your arm linked in hers. I know what's going on. You like her".
"N-no I dont," stammered Meg, "w-were just...really good friends".
Takane wriggled her eyebrows. "Yeah, really good friends".
Meg blushed harder and looked down at the floor. Before Takane could continue her line of questioning, Jo wandered back to the table and sat down.
"Sei's given us the all clear".
Takane nodded and continued to drink her coffee. The women continued to chat about the upcoming mission for the next few hours, discussing possible tactics, escape routes and guard patterns until they were told by a waitress that it was closing time. Leaving a tip, the three women exited the cafe and stood outside on the sidewalk. The sun was setting behind the skyscrapers in the west, casting an orange haze across the city. The crowds on the street were thinning as people started to make their way home, and the stores around them began to close up for the night.
"Well, I reckon I better get back to the station," said Takane, glancing over at the two girls beside her, "I gotta get ready for tonight. I'll meet you two outside warehouse eight at ten thirty. You know where that is?".
"Yeah," replied Jo, "we've got a map".
Takane said her farewells and headed off down the street. Meg waved after her, Jo just stood watching her leave, her hands buried in the pockets of her bomber jacket. When the police woman dissappeared from sight, both girls turned and headed off in the opposite direction, back towards the truck.
As the two girls made their way home through the streets of Osaka, Meg couldnt help but replay in her head what Takane had said to her.
Did she like Jo?
No, not as anything more than a friend, anyway.
Right?
If that was true, why did Takane's questions make her so uncomfortable? Why did she get so upset over the whole shower incident? And why, oh why, couldnt she get the image of Jo's wet, naked body out of her head?
Meg tried to push these thoughts from her mind. No, she couldnt deal with them now. In a few hours, she would be risking her life to find out what was going on in Osaka's industrial district. She would need to obtain information and photographs for Bailan. She would have to sneak, she would have to fight, she would have to run.
She would have to do it all with Jo...
...and her hot, wet, naked body...
No! She couldnt think like that! Jo was her friend. You didnt think like that about friends. What would Jo think about her if she ever found out about these thoughts?
She continued to walk beside her friend in silence, too embarrassed about what was going on in her head to even look at Jo. As they rounded a corner and the camper truck came into view, Meg made a promise to herself.
Whatever she felt for Jo, she wouldnt let it affect their friendship.
A/N: Ok, I lied. Not a whole lot happened here either. Please dont kill me! I promise, next chapter. Thats where the action is. Thanks to all of you who gave reviews. They really inspired me to keep going, even when I felt like giving up. I hope everyone felt that Takane was in character in this chapter. I tried to portray her as she appears in the anime. Oh, and just to clarify things, Meg got upset over the whole shower thing because she's starting to realise that she isnt thinking about Jo in a platonic way anymore. Thanks to everyone who read this.
Until next time!
