I love you people out there! You're so supportive and everything! I've hit a hundred reviews! Wheee! Teeheehee. Well, here's the 7th chapter. Hopefully, it's better than the last. There wasn't much action there because it's all in here! And I wrote that chapter so that you can get a feel of Rina and her thoughts, what she might do and stuff. Yeah... Get ready to be surprised! =P
Oh, and because of the delay, I made this one longer than my other chapters. =)
Disclaimer: Saint Tail does not belong to me... Though I wished so badly that it did. Heheh
Signed, Anonymous
Chapter Seven: Surprise
By Enchanted Pink Jade
*~*~*~*~*
"Meimi! What a pleasant surprise!" Rina said, as she came to their booth where they were sitting.
Asuka looked at Rina in clear astonishment. She had called Meimi by her first name, not her last name. And it wasn't the 'Hey you!' type of tone of voice either. What is going on here?
Meimi looked up at the mention of her name only to see Rina, with Asuka; furthermore, she was clinging onto his arm and looking pretty darned happy about it.
What is Asuka doing here with Rina? she asked herself. She so badly wanted to ask him herself, but instead, different words came out. "Oh. Hello, what are you guys doing here?"
"Oh, we just came here to relax and talk, the way you two are looking like right now," Rina said. Meimi looked at Asuka, wanting to see something that would give away what he was thinking, but his faced remained as passive as ever as his gaze moved from Meimi to Sawatari.
Then Meimi realized what the situation might have looked like from another person's point of view. A guy and a girl, sitting by themselves at a café with one milkshake and two straws. So what else could it look like? But this isn't a date! It isn't! Sawatari just asked to meet me here and... Please Asuka, don't jump to a conclusion! Meimi shut her eyes tight, hoping for all the world that this was all a dream, or that she would just disappear, the way Saint Tail can. But when she opened her eyes, she was still in the same place.
"May we join you people?" Rina then asked.
"Sure," Sawatari said. He got up from his position and sat right next to Meimi, so Rina and Asuka took the vacant spots across from them. Asuka eyed Sawatari with barely concealed contempt. What the hell is he doing here with Meimi?
Sawatari, who wasn't a complete dimwit, caught Asuka's glare. In response, he grinned right back, infuriating Asuka all the more. It was as if Sawatari was flaunting the fact that Meimi was off limits to him... Kuso! What the heck am I thinking? I'm not even worthy enough for her. Asuka thought about it some more, and concluded that Sawatari deserved Meimi more then he did...
Rina watched him carefully; he seemed to deflate right in front of her eyes. Oh God, what is he thinking now? The idiot. He isn't saying anything. "Well, I'll order something, okay?" Rina said, as she smiled sweetly towards him.
"Whatever," he muttered. Rina's smile almost slipped and her tolerance went down a notch, but she managed to contain her anger. Instead of strangling him then and there, she called for the nearest waitress and ordered two smaller milkshakes.
"Ne, Sawatari, you're paying, okay?" Rina asked, when the waitress left to get her order.
But to Sawatari, it was more of a demand, and he suddenly sat up from his comfortable spot. "Nani?! Why do I have to--"
"Good, I'm glad we've got that settled. You're so kind to agree." Rina giggled as Sawatari's mouth closed and re-opened a couple of times, but no words came out. Why do I have to pay for HIM also? I don't mind for Takamiya, or Haneoka, he thought angrily, and sighed. Meimi... He then glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Are you going to choose him?
"I can pay for my own self," Asuka said, but Rina chose to ignore him. She turned to Meimi instead.
"Why so quiet Meimi?"
"What? Oh, nothing. I just have nothing to say."
I'll bet, Rina thought, and then sighed. I was hoping for something more than THIS... But these two aren't saying anything. Argh! This is so far from how a planned it! Okay, calm down Rina, she told herself. I've got them both to come here... And I've got to get Plan B into motion.
"Something wrong, Haneoka? You seem really down right now," Sawatari asked.
"No. No, daijobou." Meimi looked up only to see a pair of disconcerting eyes piercing straight into hers, until it was too unbearable that she had too look away. Gomen, Asuka Jr.
"Are you sure? Maybe you should go home..." He made a gesture to place his hand on her shoulder, but she cringed at his touch. Sawatari frowned at this. What is up with her? Everything was fine before he came. But now... What exactly happened between these two?
"No, I'm fine. Daijobou."
"Oh, alright then," he said, and pulled away. Rina made eye contact with him, while sending him a silent message: Be patient, and wait. Don't do anything stupid.
"Hey, Sawatari. Was there something that you wanted to talk about?" Meimi asked.
"Well, yeah. There is, actually. But that could wait until later."
"No, please. Indulge us. Is there something you have to say to her?" Asuka said, and none too nicely either.
"Why you. If I had my way, I'd--"
"Darn it! Where's my order! It's taking them awhile!" Rina suddenly said, breaking off what almost formed into a fight. Rina shot warning glares towards Sawatari, but he just rolled his eyes, sat back down and sighed in exasperation. A waitress who was passing by apologized and said that the order was coming.
An eerie silence washed over the four, as if everything and everyone around them were moving, but no sounds were being emitted. Much like the way Sawatari's mouth had opened and closed in surprised annoyance, for he was stuck with paying the bill.
Meimi sat there lamely, not knowing what to do, and wishing with all her might that Asuka would stop staring at her the way he did at the moment. It seemed as if she was on trial for something that she didn't do, and he was the accuser.
Asuka was just about to say something when Rina stood up. "It's still not coming!" she huffed angrily. She grabbed Sawatari off of his seat and pulled him out.
"What? Hey!"
"You're coming with me to see what's taking them so long. And since we're going there, you might as well pay for it."
"Fine, fine," he said, as he let himself get dragged off by the ever-exuberant future policewoman. "I'll be right back, Haneoka."
"H-hai."
Both Meimi and Asuka watched them go to the desk. As soon as they were far enough, Asuka unhesitatingly launched his questions right at Meimi. But to her, it seemed like bullets aimed right between the eyes.
"What are you doing here? And with him of all people?"
Who does he think he is, demanding me to answer like that? What am I? A dog on a leash? Ready to obey at the sound of its master's voice? Meimi thought indignantly. She straightened her back and raised up her chin in clear defiance, but nonetheless, she answered him with just as much fire.
"He asked me to meet him here. I can meet up with friends, can't I?"
"Is Sawatari really a friend?"
"He's been more of a friend to me than you have in the past," Meimi said scathingly, and both mentally winced at this. Meimi hadn't meant to say that. He had been there when she needed him the most...
And Asuka saw her words to be true. He never really did treat her the way she deserved to be treated. He wasn't counting the recent events either.
In a more softer and subtle tone, he asked, "Why are you avoiding me?"
"I...... I'm not avoiding you."
"Could've fooled me." He sat up straighter and got as close as he possibly could from his place across the table. "What's wrong? Was there something that I did?"
"Iie, Asuka. It's not that."
"Then what is it?" he asked, his patience was now running thin.
"I don't think that--"
"You don't think that what? That's just it, Meimi. You're not thinking at all."
"Asuka no baka! What I was going to say was that--"
In the middle of her sentence, a hand slammed down onto the table, right between them, creating an invisible barrier.
"What is going on here? I leave you two alone for a couple of minutes, and already you two are fighting! Why can't you two get along?"
Sawatari came up behind her with the small milk shakes in either hand while he was drinking on of them. "What's the problem?"
"........." Asuka and Meimi both looked away from each other.
"What's wrong with you two?" she tried once again.
"........." Still nothing.
Rina's whole being shook with her rage. Neither Asuka nor Meimi was being any cooperative. "Okay. Both of you listen and listen good, for never will either of you hear these words that I will say to you again."
Meimi and Asuka were looking towards her, wanting to hear what she won't ever repeat again. Even Sawatari seemed to be entranced by the furious blonde.
"You two had better kiss and make up. You heard me. I don't know what has been going on lately, haven't a clue, but something has happened, or you wouldn't be acting this way. I don't care what either of you thinks, but the both of you had better do something about this so that everyone else could get on with the rest of their lives! I brought you two here with the help of Sawatari so that you guys can reconcile with each other, and not to be at each other's throat!"
Meimi then looked towards Sawatari. "Then...?"
He smiled faintly and nodded. "What she said, Haneoka. It seemed like something else, but it was supposed to look that way."
"That's right. You two are going to apologize, never minding who started what. Afterwards, you are going to confess your love to each other," she said. She had said it so bluntly that the two didn't even know what to say at first.
To both Meimi and Asuka, the girl who was standing before them seemed to be an alien. Something they've never seen before. And what she had just suggested was too ludicrous.
"What are you talking about?" they asked simultaneously.
Rina clenched her fists in annoyance. "I mean the feelings that you two have for each other! Just about every one in the school knows how you two feel, but you yourselves have remained so clueless about it all! And I'm sick of having to watch you guys suffer something that would have all been avoided if you two got together," she said. And with those last words, she pivoted on her heels and stalked away.
"That one milk shake is for you two. We're taking the smaller ones," Sawatari said. He leaned towards Asuka and whispered, "Don't let her get away this time. Consider yourself one of the luckiest guys in the world. Just try not to get on Rina's bad side."
Both teens who were left sitting at the booth watched his form make its way through the tables and other people to the outside, where Rina probably was waiting.
Suddenly, it seemed as if the ceiling and the table surface were the two most interesting things there were at the time, and for once, Asuka didn't have anything to say. Meimi cleared her throat as if to say something, but she didn't utter a word.
Impossible! How can he have any feelings for me? He hates me! Right....? And what was that about everyone in school knowing? This just can't be... It was one of my deepest wishes that we would... I never knew...
"Did you get anything that she said?" Asuka said quietly, to break off the silence. It was too uncomfortable sitting there. She was the one girl he would give everything to; she only needed to ask. But right now, he wanted to be as far from her as possible. He couldn't really face her, not after what Rina said before she left. Does she really have- feelings for me? Or was all that just an act? Is there a camera somewhere around here? And someone's going to come out and shout "Surprise"...? If this is supposed to be a joke, it's not a very funny one.
"I understood what she said, but that the same time, I don't understand. I mean, she said- She spoke to us in clear language that we both could understand. She wasn't speaking in German or anything like that..."
"Yeah. I know what you mean, but..." Asuka trailed off right there, not knowing what to say. ARGH!!! This is stupid. Why don't you do SOMETHING! Asuka screamed at himself. Okay then, I might as well get this over with... It's no use beating around the bush... Asuka then took a deep breath. "Meimi."
"H-Hai?" She looked up from the table to meet his gaze. There was something in his eyes, a something that told her to brace herself before he went on... What is he trying to say? she asked herself. Oh God, I hope he doesn't reject me here and now... Is he going to say that everything Rina said was a lie? Meimi clutched her hands together in her lap in anticipation. She lowered her head and closed her eyes shut, waiting for him to continue, while her heart was working overtime.
*B-bump*
*B-bump*
*B-bump*
Unknown to her, though, Asuka's heart was racing just as fast. Maybe even more. It's now or never. "Can I trust you not to explode when I tell you something?"
"Ano... What is it- What is it that you want to tell me?"
Asuka takes a deep breath before continuing. "Well, you know, we've known each other for a long time now..."
"... Go on," she said, as she wrung her hands nervously in her lap, under the table, hidden from his view.
"And I consider you one of my really good friends." Argh! What am I saying? Now she probably thinks that I'm an idiot.
Meimi's butterfly hands came to an abrupt stop. He thinks that I'm one of his really good friends? And is that all we'll ever be? Meimi thought sadly. Meimi opened her mouth to say something, but he silenced her with a look.
"No. Let me finish what I have to say first. When I'm around you, I get this really weird feeling inside. One that I can't quite explain. One that I've tried to, but couldn't understand. And I've thought about all the times that we've been through, even the senseless fights and arguments." At this point, Asuka lowered his head. He couldn't tell her what he wanted to with her looking at him the way she did. "I've tried to come up with an explanation for all this, for a long time now. It came to be that I was always thinking about you non-stop. Everywhere I go, and whatever it is that I was doing, an image of you would always follow me around."
Meimi couldn't believe what her ears were telling her. More over, what Asuka was telling her. Asuka Jr....
After a short pause, he went on again. His voice had lowered to a whisper, but still loud enough for Meimi to hear. "Only recently did I find out what it all truly is. Love. Thinking about all the things that I've done and said around, they were all because of love. Love that I have for you, even back then.... Aishiteru." He said the last word with all the feelings that he had enclosed inside himself. He didn't dare look up to see what her reaction was, but he wanted to know oh so badly. Well, she hasn't run away- yet. That's a good thing, right? Maybe...
Asuka finally gathered enough courage to look up, and was alarmed to see tears in her eyes. She was looking straight at him, and her hand was tightly pressed against her mouth to stifle the sobs that threatened to escape. Was my confession that bad? Maybe I should I leave.
Oh my God. He just confessed... that he loved me. And I haven't said anything back. Wasn't this what I was always waiting for? Why can't I move?
Asuka now stood up and sighed. "I'll take you silence as an answer. I was hoping... There was still that teeny tiny possibility that you felt the same way that I do, and by my own will, I took that chance. But... I guess you don't feel the same way." Meimi started to shake her head, trying to tell him that he was wrong. Asuka thought that she was trying to tell him that she was sorry about his mistake, so he walked away then, unable to bear it any longer.
Meimi numbness that had washed over her disappeared and dashed after him. "Matte! Asuka Jr.!" Hearing her call out his name, he stopped and turned around, but was caught off guard when she all of a sudden flung her arms around his neck and held on tight. She had long ago lost hope of trying to keep the tears from falling, which were now streaming freely down her cheeks. "I... I love you too," she uttered in his ears ever so softly. Meimi buried her face in her shirt and inhaled his unique and comforting scent.
Asuka pushed her back a little and handed her a handkerchief, which she accepted. "But your tears..."
"Are tears of happiness," she finished for him, as she wiped the salty substance from her face. She smiled up at him with misty eyes.
"My God, you don't know how long I've waited for this day to come. Years almost."
"Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're impatient then," she said softly.
Suddenly they heard an applause break out, and looked around them. They were still in the café, and they also had everyone's attention, even the cashiers', who was busy wiping away her own tears at the display of love. Asuka heard some whistles and shouts of encouragement.
Their faces turned pink when they realized that they had been watched the whole time, and they both looked down.
"Looks like we'd had an audience," Asuka whispered, as he glanced around. Meimi nodded her head softly.
"Hey you! Kiss the girl now will you and get it over with!" someone shouted out. The person next to him clonked on the head and told him to shut up and mind his own business. Meimi could feel her face grow a little warmer, and she knew that her face must have been a bright shade of red.
"Let's get out of here," Asuka whispered.
"Okay," she agreed. As they left, they could here people murmur their congratulations.
*~*~*~*~*
From behind the corner, Rina watched the new couple walk away in sheer bliss. She pulled back and sighed in content. "Mission complete," she whispered to herself.
"Very clever of you... Your plan went smoothly," Sawatari said, standing next to her. He too, had watched the whole thing that had happened inside the café, just as Rina did. Of course, he couldn't hear anything, but he knew what was going on just by watching. He now turned back to Rina, who was leaning against a wall with her arms crossed at her front. "You did all this, for them.... Why? I thought that you hated Haneoka's guts, and loved Asuka... I don't get it."
"Of course you don't get it. You're not supposed to." After a short pause, she continued softly, "I don't even understand this all myself. So how can I possibly explain it to you if I don't know?" With this said, it only served to confuse him more than he already was. He looked so serious that Rina could picture Sawatari trying to put a jigsaw puzzle together in his head, struggling to make sense out of everything.
Rina sighed. "Let's just put it like this. One day, it was as if someone poured cold water on me, waking me from a daze. This helped me realize that whatever I did wouldn't do any good because Asuka had already chosen Meimi, long before I came."
"I see..."
"I sort of stumbled across something that confirmed that he really liked her. Loved her. And that she felt the same way. So I decided, instead of trying to take him for myself, why not just put him together with Meimi to place an end to this misery?" There was now water trickling down her cheeks. This water had not come from the sky, but from the pain and remorse that she felt in her heart. It came out as tears, gathering in her eyes, and blurring her vision.
"You know, I do love him. And I wanted him to be happy. That's what you would naturally want for someone whom you care about, right?"
Sawatari just stood there, listening. He didn't dare say anything, lest it shatter the moment. He was now, for the first time, getting a glimpse of a different side of Rina. One that he never met, and he didn't know how to respond. If she was going on a rampage, he knew exactly what to do: Run for dear life. But she wasn't. The girl in front of him was calm and quiet.
"I've thought about it for a long time, and maybe, just maybe, the love I thought that I had for him was that of a sibling. I'm starting to think that it is. So, I wanted to put them together, knowing that it would be better this way," Rina confessed. God, I can't believe this. I'm just pouring myself out to HIM of all people. The dimwit. I guess I do owe it to him though. After all, he did help.... she thought.
Without warning, Rina felt his arms encircle her, and his affectionate gesture somehow made her feel a little better. "You're a very kind person, Rina, with a very beautiful heart. Not many people would have done what you did. I admire that kind of courage and strength in a person," he then said.
Rina didn't fail to hear that he'd used her first name, and not her last. Sawatari isn't such a bad guy after all. He can be a goofball at times, but he does know what to say at the right times... "Arigatou."
*~*~*~*~*
"This is amazing. No, I take that back. This is amazingly stupid! It's already been a whole week! And nothing is happening!" Rina cried out in frustration, as she and Seira walked to their next class.
Seira, who was walking along her side, just smiled. "Don't worry about those two. Things are different now."
"No duh! I helped make it happen!"
"And they're still adjusting to. They're not used to displaying loving emotions towards each other. It's basically been shouting, and screaming, and arguing."
"But ONE WEEK?"
"Like I said, don't worry. It's not like they're going to call it quits anytime soon," Seira said calmly, contrary to the future policewoman. Seira knew everything that had come to pass. Sawatari went to the church one day, when she was there. So she asked if she could do anything for him, and he said he only wanted to pray for Rina, hoping that she would be okay. The way he'd said it made it sound as if she had gotten into some sort of accident. So he explained it all, telling her of things that transpired in the café.
Being Meimi's best friend, she already knew that the ever-cunning thief was together with Asuka, but she didn't know about Rina's side of the story. When Sawatari was finished explaining what he knew, she took it upon herself to get to know the other girl a little better, for it seemed that Rina wasn't as inconsiderate and thoughtless as she first thought. Thus, they became friends.
"Quiet down some, Rina. They're both in our next class, or rather, in study hall, so put on a smile and look happy," Seira said, but there was still a frown on the blonde girl's face, so she gave up. When they entered, the two girls went straight to where Meimi was sitting with Asuka and Sawatari. They all said their greetings and settled down for class. Today, all they had to do was review for an upcoming test, so they could basically do anything.
"Are you guys ready for tomorrow? We covered a lot of things in this chapter. I don't think that I'll be passing this one," Sawatari said doubtfully.
"That's why they give us time like this to study, you know," Asuka said as a matter of fact. He pulled out his book and notes. "It'd be smart to take advantage of the chance, you know." Asuka then reached out to open his book, and as soon as he flipped the lid open, a puff of pink smoke encompassed him. "Huh?"
"It's a calling card from Saint Tail!" someone exclaimed. Rina snatched the paper that was slowly falling to the table and read it out loud.
"I'm going to take back the Renaissance painting from the Shimikage residence, tomorrow night at 8 o'clock. See ya there. Saint Tail." She threw down the paper at him and sat back down. "Why are you still going after her? It's really useless, you know. She's escaped your grasp like about a million times now."
"A million and one, including the theft incident three nights ago!" another classmate said aloud.
"Well, it's really only because he has Meimi now," Kyoko said. Ryoko and some other girls giggled.
"He's lost interest in the thief, that's why. Asuka, how far have you gone?" a friend of his asked.
"Shut up you moron! It's really none of your business so butt out!" Asuka shouted back. His face was scarlet red with embarrassment and frustration. They just wouldn't stop the teasing, and it was getting pretty old by now.
Asuka turned to Meimi then. "Hey, you wanna come along?"
"To where?"
"At the Shimikage residence."
"That's not my idea of a date, Asuka! Go to the movies instead," one of his friends said, but Asuka decided to ignore the remark and waited patiently for her answer.
"Um... no, it's okay. It's your job, and I might get in the way," she said nervously, and shot a helpless look in Seira's direction. But all the nun-in-training could do was shrug, for she was at a loss, and didn't know how to tell Meimi to respond to the offer.
"And all you'd really be doing is seeing your guy failing miserably." Asuka, who was getting annoyed with his friend, through a book at his direction and sat back down.
"Asuka... Just ignore him," Meimi said. She didn't like all the attention that they were getting either, but she wasn't about to resort to throwing textbooks at people's heads to keep them quiet.
"That should get him to shut up." He then turns back to Meimi. "It's okay if you don't want to come, I'll understand."
"Okay," she said, and inwardly sighed in relief.
"Just promise to meet me at lunch and everything will be fine." Asuka elated to see that she was blushing by now.
"Hai. Of course. I made us lunch, and you're going to tell me what you think of it, okay?"
"Deal," he said, trying to ignore the kissing sounds that his friend was now making.
*~*~*~*~*
Asuka walked home tiredly. One of his teacher's had called hum to help with tutoring some people. What he really wanted to do was spend some time with Meimi, but she said that he should go on, because they needed his help. This one person just couldn't grasp the concept of a theorem and postulate, so Asuka had to keep repeating himself over and over until the guy got it straight in his head. By the time he left, he was about an inch away from collapsing. He still had his school things on, and he was exhausted, but all that was forgotten when he remembered the lunch with Meimi that afternoon in school.
To avoid being crushed and surrounded by their throng friends, they had gone a little ways farther from the school buildings and sat somewhere that was surrounded by tall bushes, hiding them from everyone else's view. This gave them absolute privacy, for which Asuka was thankful. He was on the brink of beating his friend to a bloody pulp if he didn't shut up.
*Flashback*
"If he doesn't stop it, I'm gonna--"
"You are going to calm down so that we can eat our lunch in peace," Meimi said, interrupting him.
"You're own friends aren't being really helpful either! They're always screeching out that we should spend some time alone with each other, but how can we when they're always there, flocking around like ducks and quacking away!" Asuka exclaimed, and she giggled.
"I swear-" Asuka said, but was interrupted by Meimi, who gave him a soft peck on the cheek. He lifted his hand and touched the spot where her lips had made contact, as if still feeling the sensation.
"We're alone now, Asuka," Meimi whispered. Asuka sat back and leaned against the trunk of the tree for support, and finally realizing that they were alone. "So, now you can taste my cooking!"
"Alright. Just let me pray first."
"Okay. What for?" she queried.
"So that I may still be alive afterwards," he replied.
Meimi, angered at this, threw whatever she could find in his way, which happened to be the lunchbox that she had prepared for him. "Jeez Asuka! You're ruining the mood!"
Asuka, who had caught the flying lunch, chuckled.
"Ano... Asuka...?" Meimi said, and he looked up from the lunch box that he was just about to open.
"Hai?" he asked slowly. He knew that the playing and teasing time was over by her tone of voice.
"You don't find me disgusting? Do you think any lower of me because... With what happened..." Asuka raised a hand to silence her, because he knew what she was talking about. Is this what she has been worried about? That I might not like her because of that one night?
"Meimi, you've got it wrong. If I did think any lower of you, I wouldn't be here with you now, would I? I was glad that I got there in time, and like I said before, I won't let anything like that to ever happen again, not while I'm alive."
"Demo- Demo-"
"It's okay. I'm not telling you to forget about it, because I know that that's something you wouldn't be able to set aside. But the fact that it happened isn't going to change what I've always thought of you, and... felt for you. So you can stop worrying about it."
"...Arigatou."
"Okay, so if there aren't any more doubts, let's eat! I'm hungry."
Meimi smiled. "Hai." You're too nice, Asuka.
For the next few minutes, there was only silence as they ate their lunches, save for the occasional rustle of branches and leaves.
"Hey, this lunch was really good," Asuka said, as he finished swallowing the last morsel. He made some room next to him and motioned for her to move closer to him.
"Did you really like it?" she asked.
"Hai. But I like the person who prepared it even better," Asuka said, and grinned playfully.
Meimi graced him with a coy smirk. "Only like?"
Asuka chuckled, and then smiled seductively as he pulled her closer for an embrace. "Love..." he corrected and kissed her brow.
Her eyes closed in bliss at how gentle he was with her.
"Crazy about..." he continued, lifting and placing a soft kiss in the palm of her hand.
To the Thief of Hearts, the touch of his hands were like magic that she has never felt before.
"Find irresistible..." he whispered into her ear, to which she responded with a faint gasp. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest that she was sure that he could feel it.
"Worship..." he kissed her closed eye.
"Asuka..." Meimi softly moaned out in pleasured torture.
He only smiled. "Adore..." and kissed her other eye.
She now could feel tingling sensations coursing through her, her skin burning where he had touched, leaving his mark.
"Devoted to..." he murmured, and lightly grazed her upper lip with his finger.
*B-bump*
*B-bump*
"Please Asuka..." she said in a breathy sigh. How she was able to string two words together, she did not know, and it was a wonder that she could think at all. She couldn't concentrate on anything else, for her mind was completely focused on Asuka. The feel of him and his touch, how it made her feel.
*B-bump*
"Fond of..." he whispered, before claiming her lips and ending the torment that they had both felt. He drew her closer to him possessively, and yet still ever so tender at the same time. The experience was all too much. Meimi had long surrendered her last conscious thoughts by now and trusted herself only to sensual instinct. Her blood was pumping like molten lava through her veins.
Under his unspoken demand, her lips parted slowly, offering him more. His tongue came swirling down into the sweetest depths of her mouth. His hand came up to tangle in her fire-red hair, while she brought her arms up and around his neck.
Several seconds later, Asuka heard his name being called again, calling to him from afar. Vaguely, he wondered just how she was able to speak when their mouths were fused together in the most passionate of kisses.
He heard his name called again, and this time, he realized that it wasn't Meimi's voice.
"Asuka Jr.! Where are you?"
His head snapped up. Meimi blinked her eyes back into focus. He hastily withdrew back from her all the while muttering a string of curses that would have made the Sisters faint.
"Why did you guys come all the way this far?" the voice asked again, as he stepped out of the bushes and into the small clearing. About five others soon followed him, including Rina, Seira, and Sawatari.
"Because we wanted to get away from you people," Asuka said sourly.
"Weeeeeeell, I just hope that we weren't interrupting anything. Were we Meimi?"
"Um... Iie. We were just eating our lunch," she replied, but the dazed look in her eyes and the kiss-swollen lips proved otherwise. Not to mention, Asuka was a little grumpier than usual. So, something did happen. Rina gave a triumphant grin towards Seira, and they all settled down, much to Asuka's annoyance.
*End of Flashback*
Just when it was getting good, they had to show up, Asuka thought bitterly. He walked on home in a defeated manner, but stopped when he got to the closest bench and sat down. "God, I'm beat," he said to himself. He closed his eyes and leaned his back on the bench, but sat bolt upright when he recognized where he was sitting at. God. It's been a long time now, I wonder if that other girl has written something back to me.... he thought and reached down under him for the journal. He pulled it out and flipped open to the last entry and read it.
I don't know where you were. I know that I was there. Maybe we could try and meet again some other time. I ended up being with the someone I liked too. I was so happy, but an incident afterwards made all those happy moments shatter and break like fragile glass. I don't really want to go into detail, but it is something I know will haunt me forever. I'm okay... physically. I just don't know about my mental state. I don't feel like talking about it much, so...
How'd it go with your friend? I hope things went well, and that you get together with that special someone real soon. I don't know about myself... I'm just so tired right now. Really exhausted. I feel like I just want to stay in bed and sleep in for once. I just dread getting up and preparing for the day that's to come. I look at things negatively now, instead of from a positive point of view. How I see the world , and my outlook on life has changed. None of this probably makes sense to you, sorry. My brain feels like it was cooked in the frying pan, scrambled.
Where should we try and meet again? I was thinking that it should be somewhere where there are less people, so that we can see each other more easily. So, yeah...
~Hime
Sounds like the princess is in distress. Asuka sighed. He really had no other place in mind, and then there's Meimi. Maybe I should go tell her about this person, and I could bring her with me to meet this other person. I don't think there'll be that big of a problem, he thought. Asuka decided to write back in it when he got home, for he was too weary right now to even pull out a pen.
*~*~*~*~*
Asuka walked away from the bench, where he had placed the journal, and made sure that it was safely hidden. It's still a little early, he thought, as he glanced at his watch.
He looked around, and this time, he saw Meimi turning to the street from the corner. She was looking almost straight at him, but it seemed as if her gaze was far away. So Asuka decided to hide and try to catch her off her guard. He swiftly stepped behind a tree where he knew she wouldn't be able to spot him. Asuka waited for her to come, but she stopped right at the bench where he was. To his surprise, she kneeled down and reached under it, pulling out the all too familiar pink book. As she got up, she glanced around again before sitting down, and reading the contents of the book.
Don't tell me that she's the one that I've been writing to all this time. And she couldn't have found it by accident because she went straight to it, without hesitation, Asuka thought in confusion, a frown developing on his features. He turned away slowly and walked on ahead with a million questions rushing through his mind.
*~*~*~*~*
Author's Note: Hehehe. Surprised? I wanna know how many people thought that Rina was going try and get Meimi with Sawatari so that she could have Asuka to herself. I wanna know! I wanna know! Hehehe. I really hope that you guys like this one. And I also realize that I'm drifting veeeeeeeeeerry far from the journal now, but you guys don't mind, right?
Wheeeeeee! I've read the 6th book of Saint Tail, and I loved it! But I can't believe that the story is OVER. I was feeling really crappy when I bought the book, but after reading it... Let's just say that it made my day. =) Again, I apologize for the delay. Well, gtg.
Until next time! Hehehe, this story isn't over yet. And thanks a million for the wonderful reviews! ^_^
~Enchanted Pink Jade
E-mail: lyricalaznangel@aol.com
