Chapter four

WARNING: This chapter contains implied sex and/or slight citrus content. If you are underage, or simply don't want to read it, please skip the next few parts until you reach this symbol: ☺☺☺. You have been warned.

"We need to talk."

Hayami wasn't listening. Well, he was, but he wasn't really paying attention. He was having trouble with himself. He had almost kissed her. And that was just like Kino, to try and talk it off. But the thing that really surprised him was the fact that she had actually responded in a way other than attempting to shoot his head off.

He looked up at her. She was still flushed slightly, and her breath was still a bit rigid. Her lips were parted ever so slightly, and he found his eyes staring a bead of sweat slipped down the side of her face. She was beautiful. He really hadn't thought of her in those terms before. Attractive, sure. Pretty, of course. But she was much more than those, not only in her looks. Beautiful didn't even begin to describe her.

And she hadn't fought it. She hadn't fought him.

In that moment, he realized something changed. He had changed. His desires had changed. He didn't want her anymore. He needed her.

He walked up to her, this time more in control, knowing what he was doing, and yet still helpless to stop it. He gently, but still firmly, cupped her face with both hands, tilting it up towards him. She looked up at him, and her breath caught in her throat. Were they really going to do this?

He paused when he was just centimeters from her lips, breathing softly onto them, and spoke to her, "No more talking".

With that, he pressed his lips to hers. She surprised him by matching him in every aspect; his passion, wanting, hunger. Maybe he wasn't the only one who needed this.

When he kissed her, Kino felt everything just disappear. She wanted this. She knew she wanted this. And now, she was getting it. She responded to his kiss, allowing him the initiative, but still showing her own desires in the same aspect. He deepened it after a few seconds, and she felt the feeling in her body begin to come back.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers entangling with his already messy hair. She leaned in to him a bit more, knowing that for his size, it would be hell to stay hunched over kissing her like that.

The single kiss soon branched into many. Hayami found his way to her neck, and gently placed several small kisses upon it. She moaned a bit in pleasure, before turning her head and catching his lips with her own again. She felt his hands fall from her shoulders, where they had been resting, to her waist, and then slowly begin to work they're way up.

She felt her towel-her last form of protection- fall to the floor. His hand slipped down to grasped the back of her knee, using it as leverage to lift her up. She quickly locked her legs at the small of his back, her lips never once leaving his. Still tangled together, they somehow managed to find their way to the bed.

Everything else for her happened in a blur. She remembered them kissing; their hands exploring each other. She remembered him. He hadn't forced her into it. In fact, he had, without the use of words, demanded that she play an equal part in it. He hadn't pushed her to it, instead inducing her, using his kisses and wandering hands to plant the idea in her mind. Not that she minded.

It had been odd. She had never met a guy who had been so gentle with her, and yet still managed to be so forward. She had expected him to just take what he wanted. That seemed like the Hayami thing to do. But he didn't. He had done more than that. He had managed to express his wanting and desire to her, and while she had the feeling that there would have been no stopping him. She hadn't wanted him to stop.

When they finally pulled away from each other, he had collapsed at her side, breathing heavily. They were both exhausted, but somehow managed to find the strength to get into a comfortable position. She slept with her back to him, not because she was ashamed, or afraid to look at him, but because she preferred to sleep on her side. He didn't seem to mind. He simply rolled over and wrapped his arm around her, burying his face in her hair.

They both fell asleep that night, completely content with what they had done.

☺☺☺

When Kino woke up, bright sunlight streamed through her window. It confused her for a minute, until she remembered that Blue Six was docking that afternoon, and they had probably surfaced. She also remembered the events of the night before.

His arm was still around her waist, but his other hand was busy. Mainly drawing little spiral patterns alone the curve of her spine. He must have realized that she was awake, because he stopped and rested his head in his hand, propping himself on his elbow.

She wondered briefly whether he was just going to leave and insist that it never happened. While he wasn't the type to run away, it wouldn't surprise her.

He spoke finally, "Things are different, now."

Different? Of course they were different! They were never going to be able to work together in the same way again. But then again, she really didn't regret anything. But did he?

"Are you okay with that?" she was surprised with how confident her voice sounded. It was smooth, and didn't crack at all. She was suddenly glad she slept on her side. She didn't have to see his face this way.

"I don't regret it, if that's what you mean."

She felt her breath catch in her throat. She wanted more than anything to believe him. If he was speaking truthfully, then maybe they really could make it work. She knew what she wanted: she wanted him with her. That was what she wished for. But, she couldn't believe it. She didn't believe in fairytale endings. And she wasn't going to start.

"Are you sure about that?"

He sat up then, and she turned a bit, looking at him. He didn't leave, however. Instead, he grabbed her arm and yanked her up to sit beside him. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he looked into her eyes.

"Kino, I've wanted this for so long. Do you realize just how many times I've woken up in a cold sweat, dreaming about this?" He shook her, just a bit, to get his point across.

She stubbornly held her head up. She wasn't going to back down. Until she was sure of it, she wasn't going to give. She knew she could only push him so far, but at this point, she needed to forget limits.

"About what, Hayami? Me, or the sex?"

That surprised him. He dropped his hands and looked away. After a minute, he spoke, "Do you want an honest answer?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

He sighed. This was obviously hard for him. After all, how do you tell a girl that you've been fantasizing about them for a while, but just recently began to think of it as more than just a lust for sex?

He took in a breath, but still didn't look at her. "At first, yes, it was about the sex." Kino's fist tightened, and she flex it, not speaking. He turned to her, and his eyes almost looked pleading. "But then, it changed, Kino. It changed. It stopped being about the sex a while ago. I want you. All of you."

He moved so he was sitting on the edge of the bed.

Kino felt suddenly a mixture of guilt and happiness. Guilt because she had pushed him so far, and had made him feel like she didn't want it. And happiness because he seemed willing to stay with it, with her. Slowly, she crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back.

"I'm glad." She said softly. "I want you too."

Kino and Hayami crept into the briefing room, where Iga was currently explaining the current situation Blue Six was in and what was going to happen. It was dark, as Iga had a few slides on the screen as he explained. It was easy to slip in undetected, and they took a seat on the floor against the wall, side by side. No one noticed.

They were both in their blue jumpsuits. After a few minutes of simply sitting together in Kino's bed, relaxing and enjoying their time together, Kino had suddenly remembered the morning debriefing Iga had insisted she and Hayami attend. They had managed to throw on their clothes in record time, and had gotten to the room, a ten-minute walk, in less than two minutes.

"So, basically, we're on stand-by until further notice." Iga explained.

"You mean until they figure out what to do with the nukes." Someone, sounding suspiciously like Freeda, shouted out. A few voices rose up.

Iga paused, before sighing. "In not so many words, yes."

The voice rose up and Iga had to struggle to be heard over the uproar. Finally, Shidora stood and gave a high-pitched whistle, causing everyone to look up simultaneously. Iga sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We're docking in the remains of Osaka in a few hours. You all should have at least a month, possibly more, to relax and try to get a bit of a social life."

Several people chuckled.

He cleared his throat. "Dismissed." The people in the room began to file out slowly, talking amongst themselves. Several shouts could be heard, as people grew more and more excited at having a break. Just as Hayami and Kino began to stand, Iga called over, "Ah, Kino, Hayami? I need to see you two."

They shared a look, before walking over towards Iga. He sighed as the last few people left the room, before turning towards the pair. Kino gave a salute in respect, and he nodded at her.

"You two were pretty late," he stated, and both Kino and Hayami had to struggle not to blush. "Anything I should know about?"

Kino immediately began to think up a few excuses. But none really seemed like they would work. What could they say to him? That they had been up late last night going at it? Definatly not the thing you tell your commanding officer…

Lucky for her, Hayami was much more skilled at lying and making up stories. "Ah, Kino decided that I was being too active and decided to lecture me on my bad habits." He gave a shrug, as though it weren't important. "You know how stubborn she can be,"

Kino bit her lower lip to keep from yelling at him. She wasn't that bad! But the way he was making it seem, she was the worst nag in the world! She told herself he was only trying to keep the heat off her, and he didn't mean it, but that didn't stop her from glaring.

Iga laughed. "Well, I suppose I should fill you in on what you missed." He cleared his throat. "It seems a party's going to be held her in Osaka for the Blue Fleet. You two are considered the guests of honor. It is high class, so where something nice," he eyed Hayami, "the party's at the end of the month."

Kino smiled and nodded.

Iga smirked. "You two have about two hours before we dock. Enjoy yourself and take a break. You deserve it." He paused a minute, before turning to Kino, "Oh, Yamada asked me if you wouldn't mind baby-sitting tonight. Seems he has a bit of date…"

Kino laughed and nodded. "No problem."

Iga grinned, and then waved them away, signaling they could leave.

As they walked towards the door, Kino leaned towards Hayami and whispered to him, "I am not stubborn!"

He chuckled, and responded, in a quiet voice, "Of course you're not. Not you."

"I am not!"

He only responded by laughing and walking a few paces ahead. She paused to think it over, and realized what had happened. He had cornered her, in a sense, into proving his point for him. She glared, and hurried after him.

Hayami sat, once again, on Kino's bed. He was quite comfortable at the moment. They had just come back from the cafeteria, after enjoying a nice dinner. The boat had docked, and most of the crew was out enjoying themselves at New Osaka, which, while it was still in construction, was doing fairly well.

Kino and Hayami had decided in the last few hours that they would keep their new found relationship to themselves, both preferring to not to draw too much attention.

Hayami was waiting for Kino, who had decided that a shower would be nice. Hayami found himself going through her photos. She had several, each different. The one he currently held in his hand was of Kino, and Howan, who was wearing a large costume making her look almost identical to her bear. This picture raised some questions in his mind.

He heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, and Kino stepped out, wearing one of his shirts. He glanced up at her and chuckled. The shirt was a bit too big for her, and came down to a few inches above her knees. The sleeves were long, and came down so far that only her fingertips were visible.

She smiled and walked over, climbing onto the bed and crawling over to him, resting her head on his shoulder from behind as she glanced at what he held.

Her smile only grew. "That was taken about a year and a half ago…"

He turned his head slightly to look at her, "And she's wearing a bear costume because…?"

She giggled and took the photo into her hands, stroking its surface. "It was Howan's first week at Blue Six, and it was the week of Halloween," she explained. "Howan's family had always taken her Trick-or-Treating. She was a bit depressed, and lonely.

"So, the night before Halloween, Shiro, Freeda, and I stayed up all night making that costume for her. I set everything up with Tsuji. Everyone was given a handful of candy. So, on Halloween, I took Howan Trick-or-Treating around Blue Six. "

She smiled happily at the memory, before looking up at Hayami. He was looking at her, his gaze gentle, and as close to loving as Hayami would get.

He spoke very softly to her, "You did that?"

Kino smiled. "Yeah." She shrugged, before reaching up and giving him a little tug at the collar. "I'm sleepy."

She didn't wait for a response as she climbed under the covers of her bed. Hayami chuckled, and placed the photo back on her table, before taking his spot beside her. She slid into his arms, resting her head on his chest, and relaxed.

Hayami spent a few minutes thinking. In a few short hours, they had become so comfortable with each other, almost as though they'd been in a relationship for years. Neither minded physical contact, and they enjoyed their moments together.

It had been a while since either of them had been this close to a person. And for both of them, it seemed like they were a perfect match. Hayami was actually happy. Being with Kino, and knowing it was okay, seemed perfect. He really hoped it would stay that way.

Author's notes: Holy mother of all chapters! Did I actually write that? Wow… but it seemed to just flow so easily… Ah, well, I do hope this was enjoyable.

You know, a funny thing, but when I was writing the beginning the scene, The ending song, Mina Soko Ni Nemure, was playing over and over in my mind. It seems to fit the scene so well… what do you think? (By the way, I've been searching for a copy of that damn song, but can't find it anywhere, any ideas?)

Yay! I'm so happy with this chapter! Oh, and I Wont Tell, was this better than a simple kiss? Wasn't it worth the wait?

Okay! Please review! It makes me happy!

Graywords-girl♥