Dude, I think I'm gonna cry! lmao!! Oh wait, I am... damn. 100 reviews!! I made it with one chapter to go!! You guys rock!

OK, so this is the LAST chapter! -cries even more- I again wanted to thank you guys for all your words of encouragement over the last year for this story, and as mentioned previously this story is dedicated to everyone who read and reviewed this or even took a tiny gander at it. I can't believe it's come to an end, but I think you guys will enjoy this chapter as much as I loved writing it. :)

Few notes for you. Firstly, thank Takuma for the addition of the last scene as she offered an idea of a "book reading" scene that I originally wasn't planning to use since this chapter has been written for a few months and I had the end already in my head. Thanks to her though I wrote a little beyond what I had intended and I think it ends it a LOT better than I originally planned! So THANK YOU TAKUMA!! If you love her for this idea then you could check her fanfiction as a thank you. ;)

Secondly the book Vergil reads from is a real book. "Phantom" by Susan Kay is hands down my favorite book ever. Copies are (or were when I was 18, almost 25 now) hard to come by, but if you can find it I highly recommend it. It takes the original Phantom of the Opera story and expands it from Erik's birth to his death told by the people who knew him and ultimately told by Christine and Erik during the opera section. It's beautiful! Sooo in love with it. Anywho, so the passage he reads is not mine, but from Phantom, owned by Susan Kay. Seemed an appropriate passage for the two of them.

So enjoy this final chapter, and as always take care!

Nothing But Trouble

Chapter 10

He had been gone for three days, and every day he was gone Lady became more on edge and worried. He hadn't left a note or anything saying where it was he was going. Being alone in his house was driving her crazy, hating to admit she missed his quiet company.

She had made a habit of leaving the house early to avoid having to be alone there as well as hoping when she returned in the evening she would see a light coming from within. Every time she saw the cold darkness in the windows upon her return it only made her feel even more hollow than the day before.

Two more days passed and still no signs of Vergil. She had gone to Dante's only for him to say he hadn't heard from Vergil either, which he brushed off.

"He does this sometimes. He's just always disappears when he feels like it but he's always come back."

"For how long?" She had asked nonchalantly. She didn't want Dante to know she missed him.

"His current record is about four months," he replied absentmindedly scratching at his chin.

"F-four months?! And you've never worried?" She asked surprised.

"He's been gone a lot longer in the past." Dante grinned at her, no doubt referring to their childhood and separation prior to Mallet.

So if Dante wasn't worried then why should she be? Because you hurt him, that's why. Well, hurt wasn't exactly the word...or was it? Vergil was just too complicated to deal with! He had been toying with her right?!

Lady walked the same steps she had since Vergil disappeared, turning the corner and closing her eyes with a deep breath. When she opened them she would know if he was back or not. She felt anxiety in the moment before her eyes flew open and saw... darkness in the front bay window. She felt that coldness, followed by a sudden jolt as light ABOVE caught her eye. There was a small flicker coming from Vergil's room.

Lady ran at full speed across the street, narrowly missing being hit by a car she hadn't seen. She jumped onto the hood and jumped off again without a second glance back at the driver shouting profanity at her. She ran up the front steps, flung open the door, and took the stairs two at a time until she pushed Vergil's bedroom door open at the end of the hall.

She threw herself into the center of the room breathing heavily as she looked around to find only a lit candle on his night stand with no signs of Vergil. Lady looked again and stomped her foot impatiently at seeing no one. She went over and dropped sulkily onto his bed feeling angry and disappointed. She could still feel the butterflies flickering in her stomach at the hope she'd find him in this room.

When she looked up from her sitting position though she was greeted by the sight of Vergil giving her an odd stare. He had been standing behind her, well, behind where the door opened. He was digging in his armoire when she had come bursting in. He had probably seen her temper tantrum too, but she didn't care.

"Where the HELL have you been?" She snarled at him hopping from her sitting position to stalk over to him. He raised a calm eyebrow at her.

"Away. I only came to get a few things," he replied as he turned and began pulling some things out of the armoire.

"Wait, wait, wait. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? You couldn't have even left me a note?" She asked incredulously as she pulled on Vergil's shoulder to turn him to face her again.

"Worried?" He chuckled dangerously. "Why my dear, you don't even care. Why would you worry?"

"That is taken out of context!"

"Is it? So you admit you have feelings for me then?" He asked pointedly, glaring down his nose at her. Lady switched weight on her legs uncomfortably.

"I didn't say that...," she began until Vergil pushed her out of the way to go for the door. "Vergil WAIT! Where are you going? This is your house!"

"It is, but I promised you hospitality as long as I could. I fear for me to remain here with you won't guarantee your safety at my hands." His voice grew darker near the end of the comment and Lady's breath caught in her voice.

"W-what do you mean?" She asked, unsure if she wanted an answer.

"To put it bluntly my dear, I wouldn't have any qualms in taking you right here and now," he growled deeply at her. Her eyes hardened at this.

"So you're leaving then?"

"Get out of my way Lady." He said pointedly when she blocked the door with her hands on her hips.

"No, I'm not letting you leave until you tell me why." She growled determined to keep him there. After all she had just reconciled with Dante so the last thing she wanted was the roles reversed where Dante was talking to her but Vergil was not.

He moved forward and she put her hands to his shoulders to hold him back.

"DON'T touch me!" He said as he cringed back from her touch as if he feared it.

"Talk to me Vergil!"

"Are you deliberately trying to pick a fight with me?"

"If that's what it takes, then yeah, maybe I am." She said as she came to stand toe to toe with him. He glared down at her before she got up in his face. "We're gonna talk this out if I have to push you to the floor and keep you there. What are you going to do about it?"

"You do NOT want my answer to that." He said dangerously as his eyes narrowed. She took another step, now nose to nose with him.

"Try me," she said in a low voice.

His mouth twitched in a bit of a sneer as he glared down at her, but Lady wasn't letting him leave even if she had to fight to keep him there. Not until they finally talked this out. She was tired of second guessing his actions.

"Stop messing with me Vergil! I'm getting sick and tired of you toying with me. This may be fun and easy for you, but..."

"Fun? EASY??" He snarled suddenly, causing her to take a step back. It was too late though as he grabbed her hand and whipped her onto the bed. She had been so caught off by his sudden burst of anger she hadn't even seen it coming. She sat up on her elbows and stared wide eyed at him as he strode close and placed a knee down into the mattress directly between her thighs. He leaned forward to look her square in the eye.

"Easy? You think this is easy?! I showed you days ago of my intent towards you and don't you DARE deny what almost occurred a year ago!" He growled down at her, a malevolent smirk spreading across his face as her widened eyes gave away that she knew to what he was referring. "I have given you time, patience, and understanding. I have comforted you, and watched you from a distance without asking anything in return. All the while tormented by my own want to be a part of your world. I have degraded myself in front of my brother and in front of you all in some hope that you would actually notice me..."

"I'm sorry..." Lady interrupted.

"You're sorry? After all this time NOW you feel it's convenient to apologize for ignoring my feelings and for what? All in favor of some misguided need to block the world out so you'll never have to feel pain again. I have news for you Lady, life is pain." He grabbed her hand and pulled it forward to rest just over his heart. She could feel the rapid beating there like an angry drum. "I have backed off, looked away, and allowed you to slip through my fingers. I was even willing to remove myself from my home for the safety of your comfort and peace of mind because THIS is what you do to me. I don't feel so merciful anymore."

Vergil began to lean over her, pressing her into the mattress. Lady reached down and pulled the gun concealed a small ways under her skirt. In a split second it was pressing flat against Vergil's forehead as she tried hard to calm her own breathing.

"If this is going to happen it's not going to be like this," she said angrily. "Calm yourself down now or I pull the trigger."

Vergil stared at her, then to the hand holding the gun and a grin spread over his face.

"Pull it then...," he crooned, his eyes simply drinking in the fire in hers. Lady pulled the hammer back and applied only enough pressure to the trigger to insure he wouldn't have a second to react. She had misjudged him though, fully expecting him to lunge for her hands with his. Instead he pressed his knee forward which caught her off guard as it brushed against the tight shorts beneath her skirt. In the split second her guard was down he pulled the gun from her hand and dropped the clip to the floor.

Lady took the moment to lift her legs up and do a roll backwards to move further towards the headboard. She stood straight up on the bed and watched Vergil closely as she silently tried to find an escape. Vergil ripped his shirt clean off and tossed it to the floor, more than ready for a good fight should she be willing. He blocked her exit.

She felt her face flush at the sight of him like that. Eyes partially narrowed as his chest and stomach heaved with whatever was raging within. He was like a bull ready to charge and she felt a twinge of anticipation at the potential fight that would result from this... and it was a turn on. She felt her skin break into goose bumps as he eyed her from head to toe, licking his lips in concentration, looking for an opening.

All the times he was close to her, or touching her she knew full well she was anticipating something happening. She cared for him enough to worry when he did not return, and had enough fevered dreams since a year ago to last her a lifetime. The trouble was that while fierce on the outside, inside she was scared. Not to love the fool, but of what he wanted from her. She had always been afraid of intimacy, both physically and emotionally. It was giving over control and that was something she had never lost. She was ALWAYS in control of everything in her life. If he wanted her, he would have to fight good and hard. Submission wasn't in her vocabulary.

Lady moved forward with her fists raised ready to punch, kick and bite if need be. She swung at him and he ducked down, grabbing her legs under her knees with his forearms. He pulled forward and it pulled her legs out from under her dropping her to the mattress. As he moved up on her she lifted her legs and clamped her thighs around his throat, pulling him up and over her, this time allowing her to flip on him. She grinned down at him triumphantly as he glared up at her from between her knees.

"Surrender?" She panted.

Rather than speak his eyes looked deviously up at her almost mocking her for making such a foolish move. He opened his mouth but not in reply. Instead he licked her inner thigh and Lady felt a shiver run up her spine. Vergil 1, Lady 0.

She untangled herself from him and hopped off the bed, making for the door. Before she reached it though her arm was up behind her back and she was against the wall.

"Surrender?" He said in a mock tone breathing in her ear as he pressed her between himself and the wall. Lady grinned.

"Not in your lifetime," she whispered back turning her head to see him out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at her, his eyes hard as they bore into her own. She felt his free hand crawl up to the exposed side of her neck and touch her jaw lightly.

"You do realize my lifetime is a lot longer than yours?" He purred as his heavily lidded eyes closed slowly. He leaned in and rubbed his top lip against her bottom and they both shivered. He pressed his body into hers with a low growl and yet did not kiss her. Lady sighed against his mouth.

"Yeah, which means you'll live to regret this long after I'm gone."

He pulled back slightly to look her in the face, both of them breathing heavily from their fighting and also from the excitement of being so close. His hardness pressed against her made Lady ache all over to feel more of his touch. He was teasing her now and she knew it, but if anything happened it would be on her terms not his.

She bucked against him, trying to create some room between herself and the wall but he had her so hard pressed it was impossible. He ran his thumb down the curves of her neck and she couldn't help but sigh a little, her eyes fluttering closed before opening to see his blue ones watching her fascinated. He was enjoying her reactions.

"Does it feel good?" He asked as he nuzzled his face into her shoulder. Lady said nothing, only turned her face to the wall so he couldn't see that obviously it did. He pushed the hair away from the nape of her neck, his fingers scraping upwards before he did to the back of her neck that which he had not done to her lips. Lady groaned as he kissed hungrily at the back of her neck, causing her to press her free palm flat to the wall to steady herself. She found her body curving out to meet his in the process, her forehead touching the beautiful dark blue wallpaper of his bedroom wall.

He suddenly let go of her arm and instead pulled her to stand against him as his fingers fiddled with the buttons of her shirt. She forgot how to protest as every time he made to undo a button she got a taste of his fingertips on the skin of her stomach and ribcage. Instead she let out a frustrated groan as she reached her arm backwards to the back of his neck, pulling him closer and causing him to devour the skin of her neck on his lips. The kiss was becoming more heated and his breathing was so shallow and warm.

"Vergil," she sighed as he slid a hand into her shirt, finding the under wire of her bra.

"Tell me what you want," he purred seductively as his other hand made it to the top of her skirt, his fingers dipping just beneath the waistband but holding still just there. Her breath caught as she took in where his hands were and the meaning of what he had just said.

She turned in his arms to lean against the wall, finally creating some distance between them. He never took his eyes off her as he slowly undid the remaining buttons one by one. She watched him through heavy eyes as he parted the shirt and gazed down at her partially exposed torso. He lifted a hand to smooth his knuckles against her abdomen and Lady's breathing hitched as her body trembled from head to toe.

His eyes were examining her with all the demonic origin within him, so raw and real that she was hypnotized. Yet he stood his ground, angering her further. Then she realized... he was waiting for her to make the next step.

She lifted a hand and slapped him across the face with everything she could muster as a final fleeting protest, and he took it. She was breathing hard as he turned his face back towards her, barely flinching as red stained his cheek in flush from her blow. That was all it took as those piercing eyes returned to hers. She lost control.

Lady grabbed him and pressed a heated kiss on his lips, condemning them both as she finally gave in and took what he offered. Exactly what she wanted all along.

--

She lay curled up beside him just staring in child-like wonder. He was asleep, but for the life of her she could not seem to. It was her first time after all. Lady blushed maroon and tried to stem the giggles she felt at imagining what she had just done... with Vergil.

She slowly lifted his side of the covers and greedily looked at his sleeping form, still undressed from... She suppressed another giggle and covered her eyes with her hand. Oh... my...God.

It was both exactly and nothing at all what she thought it would be, and she was wondering why she had feared it so much. Possibly because sex was unknown to her in most every form. She always had more important things to think about. Now though, with him laying so close to her she felt it was the only thing she could think about. She had somehow warmed to him after the tender care he had given to her. Tenderness she did not know a man of demonic origin could possess.

Once they had both calmed down and accepted what was going to happen they had become completely different people. To think of it made her want to bury her head in the sand. Surely that hadn't been her voice calling his name? Another blush, to the point she felt her cheeks sour and water come to her eyes.

Vergil stirred slightly and she held her breath, praying he would not wake yet. She had no clue what the atmosphere would be like once he was conscious again. Besides, she had a bit of perverted revenge on her mind. Lady moved closer to Vergil and latched her mouth onto his neck, determined to leave several large hickies there as payment for the first night she came here.

She liked the way he tasted, and even more the scent of his skin. It was softest on his neck in comparison to his rough hands or slightly scarred body. She'd never left a hickie on anyone before, so she wasn't sure if she was doing it right. To keep the rest of her occupied she let her flat palm idly wandering over the muscles of his chest and stomach. It was so much easier to do when he wasn't awake, because he seemed determined to keep all the attention on her despite the fact she really wanted to touch him. She wouldn't say as much of course, but it had frustrated her to no end during. Now she was like a greedy child doing something she wasn't supposed to when no one was looking. Well, at least she thought no one was.

"What are you doing?" His voice rumbled, and Lady jumped back and almost fell off the bed to escape him.

She said nothing, just watched as he blinked at the ceiling before turning heavy eyes on her, his hand going to the wet patch on his neck.

"You should be sleeping," he said as he tried to curl an arm around her to pull her close but Lady slapped at it.

"WAIT!"

"What?"

"You're touching me," she blushed as she pulled the covers tighter to herself.

"That would be the idea," he replied with a sigh as he propped himself up on his elbow to watch her from a laying position.

"But you're naked!"

"Thanks for noticing, how astute. So are you, by the way."

Lady huffed at him and made to tuck the blanket around her so she could get up and leave.

"I don't think so..." He growled as he yanked on the blanket causing her to fall back directly on him. "Finish what you started..."

"I started?! You're the one who seduced me!" She yelled down at him as she tried to push down on his chest.

"Did I now? I seem to recall you shoving your tongue down MY throat." He whispered up at her as his hands gripped her hips to keep her on him. She swallowed dryly and avoided his eyes.

"I only did it because of all the things you did," she sighed, not yet willing to admit defeat.

"Which means you like me, correct?" He breathed against her lips when he sat up to hold her on his lap.

"K-kinda..."

"You usually sleep with guys you like...kinda?"

"Jerk!" She suddenly yelled as she smacked at his chest, arms and neck in some weak show of domination. He just simply flipped her over to lay against her, pinning her arms between them which she was thankful for. The blanket had slipped down to only cover both their waists and not much else.

"If you don't go to sleep, we'll do it again." He warned her as he eyed her bare neck just a little too anxiously. "You wouldn't want that would you?"

"Yes please," she blurted out without really thinking about it. She didn't take it back or correct herself though. Vergil stared at her for a moment before dropping his forehead to her shoulder with a heavy sigh.

"You'll be the death of me woman." He growled as he felt her begin pulling the covers off of him, and a deviously perverse giggle leave her throat just next to his cheek.

--

"Vergil..." Lady mumbled as she turned towards his side of the bed to snuggle closer to him. Now she was exhausted and yet despite the fact they'd been in bed all day she still needed to wake to see him close to her.

She reached her hand out and grasped nothing but sheet. Lady opened one of her eyes and saw the space beside her was empty. Turning around she looked for signs of him, and yet he was nowhere to be found.

Pulling on one of Vergil's shirts Lady made her way out into the hall. First place she checked was the partially closed bathroom. As she entered though she found he was not there either. What she found instead made her blood boil.

She stared at her reflection to find hickies... EVERYWHERE. She peaked into her shirt, and sure enough her chest and stomach was covered in them as well! She recalled falling asleep in his arms as he kissed her neck. She wondered if maybe he realized what it was she had been trying to do to him and...

"Vergil!" She yelled out as she slammed the door open and made her way down the hall to the stairs. "When I find you I swear I'm going to kill you!"

Lady took the stairs quickly and practically jumped down the remainder. She flew into the living room to find no one, and so she went to the only other place he would be. She pushed the kitchen door in and tossed herself within to find him leaning against the counter drinking from a cup.

His eyes raised to hers very slowly, then back down to what she was wearing. She felt her face grow hot at his intense stare, but she wasn't going to let him seduce her into submission!

"Heh..."

Lady froze as she heard a chuckle come from her right. She slowly turned to see Dante sitting at the table ALSO intrigued by what she was wearing. No doubt seeing the numerous hickies left behind as well.

"DUDE!! It's about time!" Dante said enthusiastically as he stood and hugged Lady without warning. "I knew you two would finally get together!"

"JERK!" Lady yelled as she kneed Dante in the groin and turned on her heel to run back upstairs.

"You don't have any sense of tact, do you brother?" Vergil asked with a sigh as Dante knelt down on the floor groaning. He said something unintelligible and Vergil only set his cup down and walked around him. "Please see yourself out while I attempt to fix this..."

He slowly made his way upstairs to his bedroom that was still recovering from not only his attack days ago, but from last nights "fight" between them. He found Lady sitting on the bed buttoning her shirt, having already pulled on her skirt and one of her boots.

"Good afternoon," he said coolly as she looked up at him to glare.

"My ass! You just couldn't wait to brag could you?" She snapped at him as she stood to locate her other boot.

"I did not call Dante here Lady. He came over. I'm surprised you didn't wake at how loudly he was banging on the front door." He said as he gently took hold of her hand to stop her erratic searching. She turned to look at him hard in the face.

"You're not messing with me are you?"

"I have not now, nor have I ever messed with you."

They stood looking at one another as he raised a hand to tuck her uncombed locks behind her ear.

"He came to tell me that you are welcome to come back to Devil May Cry if it suits you. I told him it was not necessary." He continued with a scrutinizing gaze to see how she would react to this.

"Good."

"Good? You seemed so anxious to move back in with him." Vergil said giving her a strange look. He hadn't expected that.

"When was I ever anxious?"

"The other day when you made up with him. You told him you'd like to talk to him about moving back in."

Lady reached up and hit his shoulder with an exasperated sigh.

"I was beginning to think you were the smarter of you two," she said rolling her eyes. He only raised an eyebrow at her. "I wanted to talk to him about moving back in. About not needing to anymore and to see if that was OK since... Well..."

"Say it," he said in slight awe as his fingers found her waist. She blushed and leaned towards him.

"I like you V-"

He didn't let her finish as he lifted her chin with one hand and pulled her to him with his other.

"Ha… w-wait..." Lady laughed as she pushed him back a bit. She had to arc her back because he refused to relinquish his hold on her. "If you do that we'll never leave this room!"

"I'm failing to see the issue here. It has been rather comfortable since last night, wouldn't you agree?" He said in a low voice as he nuzzled his bottom lip against her upper. His hand dropped to touch the top of her thigh languidly and she let out a loud sigh.

"N-not fair." She whispered as she closed her eyes and he began pushing her towards the bed.

"You should know that I never play fair, and always play for keeps."

--

It was amazing how much time could fly by when you were blissfully unaware of the world outside. Vergil could not help but stand in his front room waiting...anticipating when Lady would return from Dante's.

He hadn't known happiness in a long time, and did not immediately recognize it until the first time he came home to be practically attacked by an overly enthusiastic Lady as she flung her arms and legs around him before he'd even finished opening the door. It was new ground for him, but he found that slowly he anticipated it. In all the years he watched her from a distance he knew he wanted something from her, but his inexperience with relationships never allowed him to give thought to what that was.

At first it had been an uncontrollable lust to touch her, which never seemed to fully quell even after they spent three days alone in his room. Then it was a need to see her near him. Watching her sleep in the nude beside him, the way her fingers would curl at the back of his neck as she snuggled as close as she possibly could. Especially when he'd be woken to find her watching him and slowly trying to rouse him for another go. He especially loved that.

Then it had moved onto wanting to know more about her, and their bed time was spent with her laying with her head on his chest while she talked on and on about different subjects. He found out she'd broken her leg when she was 7 because she'd tried to rescue a cat from a tree and fallen from it. How her very first crush at 14 ended when he flatly told her he wasn't interested in her and she instinctively kneed him in the groin.

He had finally told her all he had kept locked away, including how upon seeing her at Temen-Ni-Gru he had been quite taken with her show of bravery when faced with him and Dante's battle. She had looked at him as if he were lying to her which only made him smirk. He was very good at not showing his internal thoughts when he needed to.

To his dismay though there was some rule that said she had to leave the house every so often to help out Dante. He didn't rightly understand WHY since he felt they should never have to leave the house, but apparently people's lives needed to be saved…bla bla bla...

Vergil decided that if he waited in the living room he would drive himself crazy so he opted to go upstairs and start a bath instead to work on his stress. He brought a book with him and just settled in to try and keep his mind off of Lady. Which was very hard to do, since being naked typically brought his mind back to her instantly.

While he read his ears were alert for any noise that might indicate her return. When he heard the front door open he felt his heart begin immediately thumping in his chest, yet he told himself he would make her come to him. He was the man after all, and supposed to show a sense of control. Even if he didn't feel he had any when it came to her.

He heard her footsteps come up the stairs and tried his best to keep his eyes focused on the book, which was proving difficult when the partially opened door slowly opened to display Lady smirking at him from the doorway.

"It's an amazing coincidence that every time I come home I manage to find you naked." She smirked as she stepped in to lean against the sink with her arms crossed.

"I assure you my dear. Coincidences have nothing to do with it," he replied as he looked at her over his book.

"What are you reading?" She inquired as she came to kneel next to the tub.

"Phantom. Quite good."

She pulled the book from his hand to inspect the inside.

"Ohhh, so this is the guy who kidnaps the girl and confines her to his home because he's obsessed with her right?" She asked cheekily as she tried to suppress her smile. He took the book back from her.

"No, it's a story that span's a single lifetime of a man who lived in forced solitude. Unable to see joy in living he walked it without seeing the true beauty until a nightingale flew into his drab cage and taught him not only to love, but how to let go of all that kept him caged in the first place." He whispered as he let a wet hand stroke her hair from her face. She blushed.

"How does it end?" She asked.

"Why don't you crawl in here with me and we'll find out together? I'm almost finished with it." He crooned as he popped the top button on her shirt open. Her face suddenly shone bright with a devious smile as she, rather than taking her clothes off, moved in to lay against him fully clothed. "Your clothes..."

"This way you'll keep your attention on the story rather than...other things," she grinned as she lay between his thighs with her head and hands pressed against his chest, her head just under his chin. He kissed the top of her forehead with a deep sigh.

"So this wasn't just a ploy to get naked with me?" He asked slightly disappointed.

"Read the book Romeo or I'm heading back to Dante's." She warned as she moved up and kissed the side of his neck. He groaned as he leaned his head back, but she didn't do anything beyond it as she laid her head back down.

Vergil sighed and picked the book back up, now slightly speckled with water from when Lady had crawled in to lay with him. Somehow despite not going in the direction he hoped he found himself happy at the simple fact she was willing to share his love of reading. He opened to the page he was on and began reading.

Stunned, incredulous, scarcely able to believe in what I heard and saw I lifted her face with trembling hands and kissed her bruised and bleeding forehead with all the uncertain timidity of a terrified boy.

And then suddenly I was no longer the teacher, but the pupil... for her arms were around my neck, her caressing hands an insistent pressure against my skull, drawing me forward with unbelievable strength into her embrace.

When her lips closed over mine I tasted the salt of tears, but it was impossible to say whether they were mine or hers.

Deeper and deeper she swam down into that embrace, pulling me like a lost pearl from the sucking mud of the ocean bed, dragging me relentlessly back up with her into the searing light of day. She kicked away the crutches of hate that had sustained me so long and made me stand with helpless wonder while her hands once more sought my face and drew it down to hers.

A long long time she held me, as though she could not bear to let me go, and when at last we drew apart, we stared at each other with silent awe, dazed by the intensity of what we had shared.

It was finished then, of course... that kiss ended everything.

-The End-