Theft of Innocence

Mimi slipped out of the thin silk dress and sat naked beside the steaming pool of blueish water. It had taken awhile to get used to the soft, weightless fabric, all of which seemed to be in various shades of green, but over the days spent in the strange place, began to think she'd never wear anything else though she knew poor Sora always fretted about feeling as if she were wearing nothing. Gingerly, she slid into the hot spring, forcing herself to relax and enjoy the scalding water as it worked wonders on the tension in her neck and shoulders. Sighing with contentment, she leaned back until she was submerged to the chin, letting her arms float lifelessly at her sides.

A sudden exhaustion settled over her and she released another sigh that quickly turned to a full-mouthed yawn. She felt herself dosing off when a gasp of surprise startled her into opening her eyes. Matt was standing on the edge of the bubbling spring, mouth open, chest and legs bare. Thin, blue small clothes the only material covering his nudeness.

Instinctively, Mimi raised her arms to conceal her own bare chest, which seemed to be on a mysterious growth spurt in the three days, having swollen considerably since coming to the castle, and brought her knees up aswell.

"I-I'm sorry…er I guess I'll just uh… come back later then." He dropped his hands from the underclothes and bent to retrieve his discarded pants. Mimi, hugging herself tightly, quickly moved to the edge by him, her face burning with embarrassment at what she was about to do.

"You don't…uh… really have to go." She said hastily, turning a dark shade of red. But realizing that she couldn't call the words back, she continued. "It wouldn't bother me if we er… you stayed here with me… I'd… like someone to talk to." Mimi tried not to cringe while resisting the urge to sink down into the water as his eyes roamed what was visible of her with a clouded look, an unknown emotion turning his sapphire depths a deep, bottomless midnight.

"I don't know…" He finally mumbled, defensively holding his pants to his chest. Mimi groped quickly for something to say.

"I just want to talk, please Matt, with all of us training I hardly see anyone but Daenerys and the Sora anymore." She smiled playfully, showing her teeth in a mock snarl when she saw him hesitate, trying to radiate more confidence than she felt. "I promise I wont bite…to hard." Matt rolled his eyes and dropped the pants he'd picked up.

"You're real funny." He said sarcastically, stepping out of his small clothes and sinking up to his waist in the water as quickly as possible.

"So… How has training been?" Mimi asked, trying desperately to think of something to say that wouldn't sound so… Distant.

"It's okay, Lyanna's a cool person."

"Really?" She replied, struggling to keep the resentment out of her voice. "Why don't you tell me about her? You two spend so much time together, but I only know her from what Dany tells me." Matt was silent for a moment or two and Mimi worried that he had picked up the envy in her voice. Finally, he spoke.

"Lyanna. Well, she's a lot like me. She has the same sarcastic humor that Jyou has, and… well, she's just cool. I don't know how to describe her.

"But to tell you the truth, I miss the time when we were just walking, following the river and joking around, you know?" He said wistfully, looking past her at the plant life that was designed to look wild yet disciplined. "Sometimes I lie awake at night, even though I'm so tired I feel like I should have passed out cold as soon as I hit the pillow; and think about that night at the lake, when the water was first pink then purple as the sun went down. I think how it felt like years ago instead of days. It feels like we'll never have that back, you know?" Mimi nodded, her heart rising from its somewhat sunken position.

"I sometimes feel the same way too." She said honestly. But though this heart to heart was lifting her spirits, she wanted to get away from the reflective mood and talk about something more cheery. Matt solved that for her as the bubbling hot water was suddenly in her face, burning her eyes and making her sputter indignantly.

"What was that for!" She shrieked, rubbing at her eyes and spitting the foul tasting water out of her mouth. Matt laughed.

"For putting me in such a melancholy mood!" He said, and splashed her again. "That was just for making me think about it." Splashing him back in defense with more desperation than aim, Mimi tried to reply through her giggles.

"You put yourself in that mood, not me! You should splash yourself!"

"Only idiots do that."

"Are you saying your not?"

"Are you saying I am?"

"Maybe." Matt stopped splashing her and looked at her, seeming to study her, his eyes growing almost black even as she watched.

"You're so beautiful, Mimi." He whispered, almost moaned, while he swam closer. Mimi, suddenly very much aware of where he was, backed against the side of the pool. Her mind blank of anything she could say in response to his words. He swam closer.

"You're so beautiful." He repeated, the naked longing in his voice scaring her. "I wish I could just…" He lifted a hand and ran in slowly through her wet hair, twisting the brown locks around his fingers and then smoothing them back down. A tingling sensation started from where his hand was stroking her hair and shook her to her toes.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." He said absently. His hand moving down the side of her face and caressing her neck. His other hand joined the first, making it look like he was trying to choke her as he lowered his face to rest his forehead against hers. Mimi found herself hoping he wouldn't stop.

"Matt…" She tried to tell him that it didn't matter if he didn't know, but before she could get the words out he took advantage of the opening and claimed her mouth with his, pushing her hard against the side of the pond with his urgency. Mimi responded with her own. Wrapping her arms around his neck and crushing him harder against her, feeling the length of him against her. No more words were spoken, but when they broke apart, Matt looked down at her in confused desire, her own eyes mirroring the same; and seemed frozen. Not sure what to do next. Mimi answered that by forcing his head back down to meet hers.

His hands slipped from her neck and found their way to her hips where he lifted her from the pool and sat her on the edge, his neck strained upward to keep their lips locked. He pushed her onto her back as he climbed out, his hands planted on either side, pinning her where she lay; and deepened the kiss.

*****

Mimi stirred on the bed, feeling the silk-like blankets against her skin and wondering why she wasn't wearing a nightgown. She never slept nude! She'd always been to worried that someone would walk in and see her. So why am I- her thought was interrupted as the hand on her leg which she hadn't noticed slid upward to cup her hip. She froze, immediately becoming aware of the muscled body pressed against her back. Little bits of the night before stole into her mind, but only in pieces. She didn't remember how she'd gotten from the hot springs to Matt's bedroom (which she knew was his from the blue sheets), but she remembered lying there snuggled against him, talking about nonsense, before falling asleep. Looking up at the skylight, she saw that it was still dark outside and guessed that it was early morning. Probably three or four.

Hearing the rhythmic steadiness of his breathing, she assumed rightly that he was asleep and slipped gently from the bed. Careful not to disturb him, she crept from his room into her and threw herself onto the bed where she cried she fell asleep again. She woke when Sora came for her and Mimi hurried as quietly as possible to dress and be out the door before Matt woke up. Sora voiced her curiosity at her peculiar behavior, and although Mimi knew that she'd been taking serious training in her Empathy gift, she hoped she could fool her. Doing everything from skipping breakfast and dinner, to sleeping outside of the guest house. Mimi managed to avoid Matt for a week.

*** Chapters to Come ***

Words of the Soul

Spark of Life

Journey into Darkness

Abduction of Beauty

Face off with Flowers

The Clash of Power

A Feast of Evil

Dance of the Fearless

A Time for Friendship

Good-byes Can Last Forever