Thanks For the reviews! I've been writing like a mad woman ever since this story popped into my head. Here's the soundtrack for chapter 2 (and please let me know if the soundtrack thing is working or not if anyone has tried it)…..
"Fear" by Sarah McLaughlin
"Playground Love" by Air
"Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" by Cake
and "Now Or Never" by Dope.
Momiji squinted at the light peering through her window. "Ugh" she managed to get out. She looked over at her clock which read 12:30. "At least I got some sleep" she thought. She wondered briefly how long Kusanagi had been waiting outside...he usually came over around 10 am. "I hope he's not angry" She began to think "Maybe I should give him a key...he waits outside for me an awful lot".
She stopped dead in her tracks. "Aw...crap" she smacked herself in the head as the events of last night came rushing back to her. "I'd better go find him..."
She took a quick shower, dressed and headed out to find her wayward boyfriend. "I wonder just why he was so upset". He had been drinking, true, but what drove him to do that? She began to ponder "It's so rare that he drinks heavily...was it me? was it Murakumo?" She wondered if he would've reacted that way had she been dancing with some random stranger at the club. "Probably not" she decided "Kusanagi I guess will always think of Murakumo as the enemy...and the only guy who can give him a run for his money."
She set out to find him. She decided that she could forgive his spying on her if he could forgive her momentary lapse in judgment. Hell, she even got a heated argument out of it. She knew she wanted more than she'd been getting out of her relationship with Kusanagi, but last night had shown her that he had it in there somewhere. He had the passion she was looking for, he just needed to express it in a...healthier way.
Murakumo stretched. He hadn't slept a wink. He'd sat awake all night smelling his hair and shirt from the night's previous events. They smelled like her. Had he the power to bottle the scent, he wouldn't have, he loved the anticipation it filled him with for the next time he saw her. Well...maybe just a small bottle...to tide him over.
Since he obviously wouldn't see her here in his apartment, he decided to take a walk...even if he didn't run into her, a walk might calm his nerves. He set out into the summer sun in his normal attire, only his sleeves were short today..though still all black...of course. His walk was indeed calming until....
Kusanagi woke, his head throbbing, his body aching, his heart broken. Why had he been such an ass? he asked himself. He stood up slowly and cursed himself for being so melodramatic with Momiji last night.
She'd only danced with him, right? She said that she'd pushed him away when he'd tried to kiss her. And now...he'd possibly lost her forever.
"No" his mind reeled. That simply could not be it. They'd been through a lot...and they could handle this. But she needed to know...she needed to know how much he loved her, and that it wasn't just placid, convenient love. He wanted her...needed her...and couldn't live without her. He knew this before but the fact had been driven home to him last night. He just couldn't bare another man's hands on her...let alone Murakumo's. He paused briefly and wondered if it was Momiji's being with another man so closely....or Momiji's being with Murakumo so closely that turned him into a raving lunatic. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered except that he find Momiji and apologize. He'd cover her in flowers and kisses and sweep her off her feet if he had to. Granted...it wasn't really his style, but he knew what Momiji meant when she said she'd wanted more. She deserved more. He'd been foolish to think that she could be satisfied with a relationship that was only luke warm. Now..he's got to go find her.
He darted to leave.
"Owwwwwww" "Okay...first aspirin...then I have to find her."
There she was....walking past him. She hadn't seen him. This was his opening. He raced up behind her and took her side as she walked. "Damn she's walking fast!" he thought "where is she going in such a hurry?" "Well hello...."
Momiji walked at a furious speed to get to Kusanagi's place...hopefully he'd made it home okay.
"Damn" she cursed "its Murakumo..." she looked up at the sky "Things were supposed to be
s-i-m-p-l-e today!!!".
"Its okay" she reassured herself. "If I just walk by reeaallly fast....maybe he won't notice me."
No such luck...he noticed her like she'd been naked and neon pink in the middle of the street. He slid up beside her with that walk of his that made it look like he floated on air.
"Well hello" his words were smooth and flowed out of his mouth like liquid.
"Prin....err....Momiji...heh...sorry...I'm trying I promise...just what do you think you're doing walking down my street without saying hello?" His tone was sincere, yet it underlined something she couldn't put her finger on.
"Maybe if I'm short with him he'll think I'm busy...or bitchy...or something....anything...just don't look up Momiji....keep charging ahead and everything will be back to normal" although normal was boring...this was too much excitement...her head was cloudy and it made her whole world hazy...she felt dizzy.
"I'm kind of...um...busy Murakumo" she said as she kept charging forward. From just a step behind her she felt her hand being grabbed....the world was spinning and the next thing she knew....
Kusanagi had been running all night...and now...all morning. He hoped his aspirin would kick in soon. On his way to Momiji's house he'd stopped at the local grocery store and bought a bouquet of summer flowers. They weren't roses...but they'd have to do. Besides, they reminded him of Momiji. They were bright, colorful, unique...and they smelled so good.
His pace lessened a little, he'd become confident that he could repair the damage done last night. "It might even make our relationship stronger" he mused "a little more serious". He rounded the corner..he was close now, he could almost see her....in fact he did see her....kissing Murakumo.
Momiji felt her legs give out from under her again. "He has got to stop doing that to me" she thought. She'd fought the kiss initially, then found herself in a game of tug of war...Momiji vs. Momiji.
"No...wow....I can't....I can't....help...no help needed"
Murakumo felt her fighting with herself and it excited him. Part of her wanted him...and he knew it. He deepened the kiss and felt her melt like butter.
She'd never been kissed this way. "Could someone please locate my brain? I think I left it down the street..." she thought as her cerebrum turned to jell-o.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a bouquet of flowers that landed at her feet. She turned to look and rounding the corner she saw the tail of a long...red....jacket.
"Kus" she got out before her mouth was overtaken again.
Ripping herself away from the kiss she ran to the corner. No sign of Kusanagi. She took off running down the street. When she hit the intersection she had no idea where to go next. Suddenly there was a strong hand on her shoulder.
"Wherever he went, you won't find him...unless he wants you to."
Momiji whipped around to face who she already knew was there.
Murakumo looked at her "he has access to countless places you couldn't possibly get to...with his mitamas I mean".
She knew it to be true. She hated this. She hated that she'd hurt Kusanagi...he apparently had come to apologize to her. She hated that she was so fascinated with Murakumo and how he made her feel.
Murakumo bent down to face her. "Look Princess...I didn't mean to cause you any pain. I don't want to complicate your life" he stood and placed a small piece of paper in her palm "you can find me if you want". He took his leave...floating as he went.
What he'd said to her was only half-true. Though he truly did not wish to bring her discomfort or confusion, he much preferred to have her to himself, that it was at Kusanagi's expense was just an added bonus.
And here he'd come to apologize. He should have known better. How could he have pushed her so far? There was no doubt in his mind now, she wasn't his…and there was nothing he could do about it. He wanted to die.
The sharp blades ripped their way out of Kusanagi's arms; he looked down at them and began to wonder. He'd always figured that if Momiji did try to leave him it would be because he wasn't…normal. Now she was in an ally, as close as she could be with Murakumo. Murakumo was like him….different. He didn't understand.
He decided right there that he would always protect Momiji, but she would never see him again. He needed to give it a few days. If this was what she wanted...he simply couldn't bear being around to see it.
The hours passed…and soon the waning evening light faded completely. Kusanagi felt empty…but still…he did not want to be alone. He turned and jumped down from the roof where he'd been perched for hours and started his journey….destination, unknown.
Murakumo couldn't help but smile. He knew Momiji was confused right now, but he'd also felt her body beneath his when he'd kissed her. He knew she wanted him and that she couldn't help it. He knew that if he could only get her to surrender to him there would be no turning back. He could covet her young body as long as he pleased. He had only to wait. His seed had been planted in her brain…there was only a short time before the roots began to spread.
Momiji sat on the edge of her bed feeling like a truck had hit her…twice. She stared at the slip of paper gripped in her hand. She already knew what it was, though she had yet to inspect it. Murakumo's number and address most likely. She raised a hand to her lips and touched them softly.
"No…" she trailed off and shook the thought away.
No matter how hard she tried, her mind kept creeping back to the thought like a child when mommy isn't looking. She stopped the absent-minded dusting she was doing and stared at the scrap of paper.
"What am I thinking?" she mused. "What if Kusanagi shows up again? I'll never get out of this then..' She decided she needed a few days to cool off and not see either man. Momiji went about her business. That is, the business of keeping herself distracted. But by the end of the night her eyes were locked on the paper again.
"Maybe if I burn it?" she wondered if that would squelch her curiosity. She'd determined this was the only solution. She located her lighter that she used to light her candles, picked up the paper, lit the corner on fire and tossed it into the trashcan. She turned her back on it…resolved on reducing it to ashes. Her limbs twitched.
"Awwww" she yelped and plunged her hands into the wastebasket, rooting around until she found what she was looking for. The paper was slowly burning away when she grabbed it. "Ow…ow….ow….hot…damn…ow!" she rushed the paper to the counter and proceeded to beat it on the counter top to extinguish the embers. With her task a success, she opened it to see what had been salvaged. The phone number remained…the address was gone.
Momiji sat back down on her bed, staring at the phone like it had leprosy, chewing on her bottom lip.
Murakumo was growing impatient with his Kushinada. If she waited much longer to contact him, he'd have to hunt her down.
His phone rang. It was sudden and caught him off guard. Murakumo lunged for the phone, halfway ripping it out of the wall as he answered. "He.." he began with a squeak.
"Damn" he thought, clearing his throat. "Hello?" he purred into the receiver. There was silence. He did not repeat himself, no, he had a good idea who was on the other line, and he wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers by means of shyness. "Well, Princess, aren't you going to say anything?"
Momiji cursed when she heard her name…or analog thereof. "How did he know it's me!?"
"Um…M….Murakumo?" she asked, still unsure of herself. "Are you…doing…anything tonight?"
Murakumo grinned his usual evil grin…his charms were working. "Of course I am" he responded.
"Oh…" Momiji trailed off…part of her relieved.
"What time do you want me to come and get you?" he asked her.
"But…I thought…" Momiji was confused.
"I do have plans Momiji….with you." "Well?" Murakumo persisted. "9:30?"
What was she doing?!…this was a date.
"Good…we'll have dinner. I'll see you at 9:30 where I left you last night?" "Mmnnn" Murakumo mused to himself…things were about to get very interesting for him.
He had to make his place a little more…comfortable…seeing as how he'd have a woman here soon. Murakumo had a few things in his place he kept solely for impressing the fairer sex.
Momiji leapt up from her spot on the bed… "It's 8:45?!" she ran scrambling into her closet to figure out what she'd like to wear…and what she should wear, and then decide between the two.
Kusanagi stepped inside. The room was dimly lit, and smoke hung in the air. It looked like most bars he'd seen, small groups of eclectic people, a hard rock band playing, and people playing pool. He took a seat near the back of the room, satisfied just to have others around him…maybe this could keep him from going insane…for now.
He glanced around the room. There was a woman…maybe 21 or 22 years old playing pool. He watched her absently for a moment…with nothing better to do. She was very good. She managed to score quite a bit of money off of the men she was playing against. He wondered why he'd never learned to play. He watched the men leave, their pockets empty. The woman waltzed up to the bar to get herself a beer. During her absence from the table, Kusanagi took this opportunity to inspect the game. He looked at the balls and table, finding it interesting and wondered how much fun this game was supposed to be.
"Care to lose some cash?" He heard a voice behind him.
Kusanagi whipped around to see her facing him. She was quite attractive. Her dark hair was long and shiny, she was tall with quite a nice figure. He noticed that she seemed to have legs for days. Her gams extended well beyond the boundaries of her black dress. She by no means looked weak however. Her feet clad in huge black boots that just kind of said "go ahead…just make me kick you". She had two spiked bracelets on. And her eyes were a cold steel blue. They were very different from Momiji's warm emerald eyes he'd been so accustomed to staring into.
"Well…do you wanna play or not?" she prodded him.
"I…uh…don't know how." Kusanagi seemed kind of embarrassed by this fact.
"Well you're in luck…I just happen to have a special going on right now. Buy me a drink and I'll teach you." She seemed eager.
Kusanagi began his first game of pool. He found himself actually having fun although he still hadn't quite gotten the hang of the game. He hadn't even noticed that between the two of them they'd managed to put away 12 beers.
He did notice some things however… like her breasts pushed against his back as she leaned behind him to help him guide his cue…her hand on his hips to put them in the right place.
He did not know this woman. He'd had a fairly good time with her in spite of himself. He liked her attitude and humor. Kusanagi needed to laugh tonight.
"All right you two…closing time" The bartender seemed like he meant business and was ready to lock up.
"Listen," the woman began "I live above the bar, I can play here after closing…it's kind of how I got so good at it. If you want to stay a while you can".
Kusanagi thought for a while. He had nowhere else to go. If he left, all that faced him outside was an ugly and dark world. In here he was having some fun...at least…for now. "Sure…why not?" he shot her a smile and it occurred to him he didn't even know her name. "What…heh…what's your name?" he asked her tentatively.
She realized she didn't know his name either. "Miyun"… "what's yours?"
He much preferred his last name to his first, but it had…meaning. Momiji had always called him Kusanagi…never Mamoru. He wanted to be away from those feelings right now…and opted for his first name.
"Mamoru".
"Hmmm….well Mamoru…better grab your cue. You've been practicing enough, it's time you play against me. Don't worry…I'll go easy on you". Her eyes danced as she spoke.
She was simple. The simplicity made Kusanagi smile. He had no worries with Miyun. Except the beating he was sure he was about to take. "I'll go easy on you" her words repeated in his mind. Somehow…he didn't think so…
Momiji had been walking with Murakumo for a few minutes now. "Where are we going?" she asked him.
"My house." He smiled down at her…he knew she wouldn't protest.
"His…house…?" Momiji wondered to herself just what it was she was getting herself into.
Once at Murakumo's she peered around inside. His place was actually quite nice. It was kind of empty, but then…he was a man. The things he did have were suave and modern…they reflected his personality.
Murakumo emerged from the kitchen with two plates of food. He told her he'd ordered out for them. He took the time to put it out on plates though. Most men didn't think of things like that. He handed her a wine glass and she watched as her glass filled with the dark red liquid. He poured it smoothly, Murakumo always looked like he knew exactly what he was doing. He never seemed to struggle at anything. She found this to be quite alluring. She wondered briefly just how he could be so good at everything.
Momiji took a sip of wine. She didn't really like wine all that much, but this really seemed like a wine setting, so she sipped it dutifully.
She felt Murakumo's eyes on her. She wondered what he was staring at as she went to lick some sauce off of her lips.
"Princess?" he spoke in a tone that was low, controlling, and awfully sexy. She just looked at him, her head tilted slightly. "You missed some…right….here….."
There you have it….chapter 2. Let me know how you think it turned out. I still have much to write. There will be more soon.
Reika