Seventh chapter released for public reading! Hope y'all like this!
Jo-sen7: I didn't mean it to be a cliffhanger – honest! Why do I keep making cliffhangers without even knowing it?? It just seemed appropriate to end it there! *begs for her life* plz spare me!
Jeano: Now that you feel guilty about not uploading – GO AND UPLOAD! Ha ha! Sorry, just having fun there. Yay! You're the only one who thinks it was good to end the last chapter where it ended! The rest are wanting to choke me for the cliffhanger (which I still insist, WASN'T a cliffhanger)
Alexia: I've fixed chapter 5. Sorry about that!
Joy: Thanks, Joy! I get ecstatic too when those two start getting mushy! Ha ha!
Tensaispira: *is reminded of Holly Valance's 'Kiss Kiss'* Next chapter already up!
Doujin: Am writing more! Thanks a lot, doujin!
SLL: Yep, Mitsui is one sexy dude here. : P *wiggles eyebrows* Anyway, ehem, thanks for reviewing! (PS: Me? Tensai? *starts imagining being in Sakuragi's shoes* Ore wa tensai! Ha ha!)
Patty g: More interaction? *looks down at her newly written chapter* I don't think you can get any more 'interaction' than what this chapter offers! *hentai grin*
Tiran: Next chappie … HERE! And if this is a cliffhanger to you too, then I dunno what to say!
Fiery-Ice: Fly down to M'sia and duct tape me to the computer!! I'd like to see THAT!! Ha ha! (PS: Oh, yes, Shouji is HOT *drools* I fly to the moon every time he comes on screen) I happen to have a lot of free time now, so I write a lot. : ) And me, best writer in FF.net? *falls off chair laughing* I wish!
Kka: I see that I have somehow corrupted you, *wicked laugh echoing over the walls*
Rei-142: Thanks for reading every fic of mine – you're amazing. I didn't know anyone willing enough to do that! And thanks for not joining the let's-threaten-the-pants-of-nothingtodo club!
Ashes of angels: Will he kiss her? That is the question. *picks at a flower and plucks out petals* Will he, will he not? Will he, or will he not?…
Electric muffin: Thanks, electric muffin! You sound… um, electrified. Ha ha!
Kiara was on better ties with the officer, Mitsui. After the talk they had with each other the night before, things had settled between them and the awkwardness and annoyance gradually disappeared.
He seemed to have a certain affection for her, for reasons she couldn't even begin to think of. And she, in turn, was starting to depend on him, which at times made her stare at the empty air in front of her in horror.
They were growing closer and closer with nothing to stop it.
Several times Kiara almost teetered towards the edge of panic. It was wrong. She was doing something wrong, something that might get her into deep, inescapable trouble. What if she fell in love with him? Kiara wasn't stupid to pretend that wouldn't happen. But what then?
"Corn?" Mitsui asked her as they stood with heads bent together over the ice cream box.
Kiara blinked and quickly brought herself back to earth. "Corn?" she said in a tone that spoke volumes of how she felt about corn flavour.
He shrugged. "Okay, mint then."
"MINT??"
"There, that green coloured one with bits of leaves in it."
Kiara turned almost as green. "Suddenly I have a liking for corn." She muttered.
Mitsui wisely refrained himself from saying something and barely even smiled as the girl at the counter fumbled as she scooped up generous balls of corn flavoured ice cream. He saw Kiara dipping her hand into her own pockets and quickly turned to the counter, dropping several big notes and startling the counter girl at his sudden haste.
Beside him, Kiara frowned. "I swear that I'm going to pay for SOMETHING before this day ends." She promised grumpily at him as he passed the huge cone ice cream at her.
He chuckled, gently leading her away. "Relax. This is really your lucky day. I rarely take the trouble to pamper other people."
Kiara smiled wryly. "I'm so flattered."
Mitsui laughed out loud and unashamedly slipped an arm around her waist. Kiara stiffened for a while, but then relaxed in a moment and slowly leaned against him. She found she'd welcomed his touch willingly and without contempt. That was something to think about.
"Look," Mitsui pointed at an art gallery. "Let's go there."
The gallery was huge and posh; with costumed attendants serving them wine as they entered. The canvases draped over the walls were mostly of sceneries. Mitsui admired a few openly, giving outrageous comments as they passed one by one. They came upon a nude. "Now," Mitsui grinned. "This is what I call an artwork."
Kiara snorted. "Too much brown paint."
"Oh?"
"I'm an Art Student," she replied. "Was an Art Student," she corrected. She took a deep breath and stared around the room. "I used to imagine having my own gallery once."
Mitsui smiled. "Why don't you get one?"
She didn't answer him.
They walked out after some time and walked around lazily, merely enjoying the coming evening.
"Shouldn't you be working?" she asked suddenly.
Mitsui didn't answer for a while. It was obvious that the fact that he was an officer rarely left her mind. He wondered exactly what it'll take to make her look at him without fearing and being so cautious of her future. "Already did. Morning shift," he told her. "From five a.m. to nine this morning."
Kiara nodded. "I'd wondered where you were," she confessed. "You were gone when I woke up. Weren't you afraid I'd grab the chance and run away?" The question was delivered playfully, but it was clear that a serious response was expected.
"No. I knew you wouldn't."
She raised an eyebrow at the confident statement. "And how did you know that?"
He shrugged. "Instinct."
"Instincts are usually 79% wrong."
"Mine isn't." He smiled down at her. Then, in a blink of an eye, he shifted his stance and trapped her against an unoffending street lamp. "Why are we talking about this?" he asked pointedly. "Why can't you ask me something about the weather or the currency or something other than my duties?"
"I keep waiting for you to spring on me and ask me something about Luna Kimiwa and Pit Osagi," Kiara admitted, a little puzzled. "Why aren't you asking me something about Luna and Pit?"
"Because at the very moment, I don't give a damn." It was delivered in a half-shout, loud enough to cause a ripple of excitement in the passer-by's as they eagerly anticipated a drama to burst out. "I have other concerns than Luna and Pit when it comes to you, understand? If I want something about those two, I'll get it the proper way – investigating and questioning. I will hardly coax you with an ice cream, corn or not. Stop thinking that everything I do is meant to make you open your mouth and talk."
Kiara frowned up at him. "Then why are you wasting your time with me??" she demanded curiously. "Why bring me to places like these instead of strapping me into an electric chair with a clipboard of questions at hand??"
Mitsui stared steadily at her. "I would think the answer is obvious enough."
Despite herself, Kiara began to blush. Damn those eyes. "This is unthinkable," she began quietly and seriously, the impact doubling at the look on her face. "I tell you now and here that I am somewhat acquainted to Luna and Pit, though you already know that and are still finding ways to prove it. Not to say I'm guilty, but if we keep on seeing each other like this, there's bound to be some complications."
"Life's full of complications," he shrugged, a small smile on his face. "I learnt early on that complications should be faced head on."
"Well, my education taught me that avoiding complications in the first place is more effective rather than face the consequences later."
Mitsui snorted. "You can try and avoid me all you want, I suppose. I don't know if it'll be any good, but you can try."
Kiara narrowed her eyes dangerously. "It must be nice to be so confident." She muttered bitingly. "Step off and let go of me."
He didn't budge. "I love you, Aikawa." It was said softly and quietly, almost in a whisper.
Kiara froze in the act of shoving him away, eyes blinking. Dozens of emotions attacked her. First it was a certain warmth and happiness, something anybody would feel should they be in her shoes. And yet, soon after came anger, hard and vicious as suspicion dawned on her. "Don't you dare play around with my feelings as though–"
"And I know you love me too," he continued, cutting her furious remark off, knowing fully well what she was going to say. "Even though you're too arrogant to admit it."
Her expression was now pained, reflecting her internal struggles. "I don't, okay? Get that in your arrogant head. I don't have the slightest feelings for you – at all. And I am not –"
He didn't even touch her. Bending down with his hands firmly by his side, he leaned over her shoulder and nuzzled her neck, his head making a perfect fit with the curve of her shoulder blades. Kiara turned speechless, her sentence dying away at the intimate gesture.
Why do I even bother? She asked herself helplessly. He could penetrate through my lies anyway. Her eyes flashed once. No, this is almost begging for trouble. It has to stop. I have to get away – soon, one way or another.
"Mitsui –" she started, fully intending to push him away and stop any contact between them in any way possible.
He shifted, a slight movement that changed their stance and gave him more access to her unprotected neck. He planted a soft, barely-there kiss at her throat. "Yes?"
Wordlessly, she responded and her arms snaked around him. Before she even realised it, she was pulling him closer to her. "Nothing."
They were in his car, speeding along the surprisingly empty road. It was already night, Mitsui observed. People were already inside their houses having dinner and preparing to go to bed.
Beside him, Kiara sat (seatbelt firmly latched), moodily staring out at the passing block of houses. Her face was troubled and he could practically hear the machine in her brain working itself to death.
He could clearly see uncertainty and even a slight fear in her eyes. She was in a vulnerable state, a weak position, and she knew it as well as he did. She was uneasy with the strong hold he had on her and in a way that infuriated him, she kept expecting him to use it to his advantage.
When they reached a junction, he swerved to the side and stopped the car.
Kiara looked around in surprise. "What? Is something wrong?"
He shook his head. Then pointing to the junction in front of them, he said: "The left one takes us back to the construction site," he murmured.
She looked at him in puzzlement. "Yeah. So?"
"The right one takes us to my apartment."
Kiara didn't say anything as she leaned back against the seat.
"I know you said you wouldn't sleep with me at our second meeting with each other," he reminded her, smiling. "But I'm hoping you've changed your mind." He watched her intently. "Your choice." He murmured. "I'm not going to force you."
No, she knew he wouldn't. Grateful that the power was now back in her hands, she turned the idea over and over again in her mind. Maybe it'll work, she thought. That was what guys usually wanted and expected from a girl anyway. And once they've got it, they'll be more than eager to throw the girl away. (Author's note: This rather shows Kiara's 'huge' experience with lurve, eh?)
The thought of Mitsui 'throwing' her away pained and angered her a bit, but she concluded it was reality after all, and realities weren't quite how you want it to be.
Maybe, just maybe, he'd leave her be after he got what he wanted.
"Okay," she told him. "Let's go to your apartment."
He didn't move and continued looking at her. "This is not going to be a one-night stand or a short fling," he told her bluntly. "If you think we're just going to get the business done with and say 'goodbye, see you next time' to each other, you're wrong." He seemed insulted at the very idea. "I don't want to sleep with your body, Aikawa. I want to sleep with you."
She looked at him gravely, realising he wasn't quite what she thought he was. "You ask for too much."
"Do I?" he countered. "Or is it you who's giving too little?" When she didn't answer him, he reached out for her hand. "I'm serious about you, Aikawa. This is not for the fun of it. It goes beyond that. If we do it, then it'll bind us even closer to each other." He paused. "Are you ready for that?"
She realised with a start that she was, and that she was actually anticipating it. "We're in a tight situation. Others wouldn't approve of this."
"The situation and others can go to Hell," he muttered. "We'll worry about it later. Right now, it's just you and me. What's your choice, Aikawa? Yes, or no?"
"It's dangerous," she warned him, even as she tightened her grip on his hand.
He nodded. "I know. Yes, or no?"
The answer was obvious to her, and to him as well. His insistence that she carefully thought about it touched her for some reason. She realised he didn't want either of them to regret anything when they wake up the next day.
"Yes, Mitsui. The answer was yes then, and it still is now."
For some reason, this is my favourite chapter so far. Any guesses why? Ha ha! Anyway, hope you all liked it!