Gosh, it's been a while! Well, I'm soooo sorry I haven't updated in a while... last week mainly. I'm used to update weekly, so been in the hospital 'til yesterday didn't help me! Darn kidney disease, that is!!! Anyways, I'm back for good, people!!! With another piece of my twisted experiment. At least, this chapie WAS an experiment. Just let me know what do you think!!!
Anime Goddess6: Hey, I'm happy with my reviews, I never thought I will get so many. But haven't you seen this people keeping stories with hundres of reviews? I've seen a couple... but then again, those are REALLY LONG STORIES... And of course you're worth it, I keep writting for all of you guys! And my big bro, of course...
Anime Goddess6 (again): Faithful updater... oh, mygosh, that darn kidney!!! You know, this story was almost finished when I started posting, so I made minor arrangements before every upload, according to your opinions, but basically the story is the same. And I have lots of stories, but I'll wait 'til I finish this one before I post a new one... or maybe not, but that's my plan. Once in a while I get the "site experiencing overflow" message, but no kicking out. But then again, my pen name is really odd, and when they unified, I didn't had to rename myself and stuff.
Liadel: Thanks, thanks a lot!!! You really cheer me up! That's why I'll keep on writting this!!
clouds darkyasha: Yeah, is sad, but I'm already planning a happy ending... or maybe not. Sorry, I hate spoilers. I'll just keep it going!!
Sakura Naoko: Thanks for loving it... oh, gosh, you people are going to make me cry... I love you guys too!!
Miemu Akari: I hope you're not mad at me... CHAPIE 8 UP! And I loved every part of it! Just hope you don't hate it...
Graysky: Wow, you really know how to make a wanna-be-writer feel quite flattered. I'll be more than happy to read your stuff! I'm not particularly fond of RKenshin, but I'll still read it and tell you what I think, ok? I'm still flattered... *^^* I think randomness is GREAT... but I like to call it spontaneity... whatever... I have a brother too ^_^
Momentum: Intense... awww, do you really think so? Maybe my hard work is finally giving some results. Thanks a lot, here is more! No frustration here though... well, not much in this chapie anyway.
Umi-chan: Thanks again *^^* Yeah, I'm actually blushing. And I really appreciate your help, but actually is Cefiro with an 'f', that was the car model in Japan. I understand the way they tried to make it more "anglo", by using a "ph". Maybe I should change it, since I'm writting in English. But then again, I don't speak English! Thanks anyway, Umi-chan, if you find something else, just tell me!!
9 reviews!!! I'm proud of myself!!! Arigato, people, I'm so happy. My kidney can go to hell!! Now, before you get into the story, I must warn you again... this chapie was only an experiment of how far can I take a situation. Well, you'll see what I mean.
Just read and enjoy!
********** Battling emotions **********
Chapter VIII
Mokona - Obscurity
Mokona dozed in Hikaru's arms as she walked with Eagle towards her room. When they finally got there, he bid her farewell politely.
- Sleep well and sweet dreams.
- The same for you, thank you for walking me to my room.
For an instant, it seemed that he was about to say something else, but then he just turned around and left. But first he gave her a soft hug, and then the redhead saw him go away with melancholic expression.
- Where will Lantis be, Mokona? - she whispered, more to herself than to the sleepy little bunny thingy - I wonder if he's sleeping... He has been acting a little strange... I hardly had a couple of chances to see him, but for a short time. Too short for me, that is. He didn't even go down for dinner... poor me, I had dreamt about this return just to be with him, to tell him...
A soft sigh escaped from her lips, as she remembered the dark and handsome figure of her beloved swordsman. She could still feel chills running down her spine when she remembered the gelid look he had placed on her. And then again, what had happened to him in the corridor? He had also looked at her oddly. But even so, his deep blue eyes had seemed to her more beautiful and mysterious than ever...
- Pu pu pu!
Unexpectedly, the fluff ball started jumping on top and all around Hikaru.
- What? - the girl was startled by Mokona's sudden movement, snapping out of her sweet reverie - What's going on, Mokona? Hey! Where are you going? Wait!
The little animal ran, or rather jumped down the hall, and Hikaru followed suit, running after him not knowing what to make out of the small pet's strange behavior.
It was already late in the night, so the endless corridors were all covered in thick dimness. No matter how much she ran and ran, Mokona was out of Hikaru's sight in a matter of seconds. In spite of which she kept running and running, until she had to stop, panting heavily. While she recovered she looked around, and much to her anxiety, she was not able to glimpse any known detail in her surroundings.
- I don't think I know this place... - she mumbled surveying in the darkness.
It didn't worry her a lot to be lost, since in such a big castle it was easy to lose the direction and the truth was that there was not danger, except for the several days you could spend in solitude wandering all over the huge and maze-like halls. In any case, she could try to reach Guru Clef mentally, so that he showed her the way to some place from where she could find the rest of her friends. She jumped happily when this idea came to her mind, but she rejected it soon. It was shameful to have to ask for help for been neglected!
She shook her head. She herself would find the right way, or Mokona to help her. She continued her stroll, still observing her surroundings carefully, trying to find something she could identify, and soon enough her efforts were rewarded, when she discovered the little animal a couple of meters ahead, slipping away through a narrow gap in a door.
- There you are! - she said in a whisper, smiling roguishly.
Trying not to make a noise, she came closer to the door behind which her prey had disappeared, and opening it slowly, she shot a searching look to the insides. Wherever it leaded to, it was dark as a moonless night.
Hikaru had proven lots of times that cowardice was not a part of her personality, so she went into what she supposed to be an unused room, still as silent as she possibly could, trying to surprise Mokona that way. She locked the door when she entered, so that the fluff ball couldn't escape, and she stood in her spot for some seconds, waiting for her eyes to get used to the darkness. But after several minutes, and not seconds, everything seemed even darker, so the girl decided to walk further into the room, believing that white fluff could not be very hard to find.
However, it wouldn't be so easy, since the room was furnished, so that Hikaru began to stumble clumsily among the invisible obstacles. When her eyes should already be adapted to the poor light, everything seemed to grow more and more gloomy. That place was beginning to give her the goosebumps.
Finally, she lost her temper and she rushed into the darkness. Of course, her reflexes and balance failed when she tripped on a hard object standing on her way. And she would have certainly hit the floor, if somebody wouldn't stop her in her fall. The girl was momentarily impressed to find company in a room she had supposed to be deserted, and she tried to sharpen her sight again, with no luck.
Whoever it was the person standing in front of her, it was still holding her shoulders, keeping her up with stability, as foreseeing she might take another step in false. On the other hand, Hikaru stood still, queerly comforted to know she was not alone. One of those hands abandoned her left shoulder and brushed her red hair softly. Such action shot the girl's bewilderment again.
She was sure it was a man. The palm now sliding through her cheek was too rough on its surface to belong to a woman, and however this wasn't bothering her at all, for she was being caressed with unspeakable tenderness. But beyond knowing that her companion was a male, Hikaru couldn't make out anything else, due to the darkness.
- Thank you... - she thought she should say - for helping me... for not letting me fall...
Blush was burning on her face, while those fingertips moved further, drawing softly her features, her brows, her thin nose, her parted lips... A restrained sigh was the answer to the girl's intermittent words of gratitude, and the invader hands retired, as if its possessor had just abandoned the room. Fear retook its place in Hikaru's heart again, irrationally, when facing the possibility of being left alone one more time in the shadows. Not giving it a second thought, she rushed forward in a hurry, hoping to find her savior that way. Again the mysterious character helped her, holding her in her heedless tripping.
- Don't leave me... - the girl panted with suppliant voice. She was little less than terrified.
A dense silence took over the place for a while. A silence so deep that the beating of two hearts grew in violence 'til becoming a deafening resounding. Then, another stifled sigh was heard, and in the darkness, two thin and muscular arms locked around the feminine waist. Hikaru felt as her companion dragged her to him, pressing her against his body. Not even realizing what she was doing, she laid her hands on an evidently masculine, firm and very well defined chest. Then, anxiety took over her. Who was this man? This smell? Could it be... HIM? Having all her good sense busy with this thought, and perhaps due to her seemingly indestructible naivete, the magic knight didn't guess what was about to happen.
Neither she had time enough to think about anything else. Before she could say a word, two warm lips covered hers, in an action that took her aback and made her open her eyes in utter disbelief. In one second, every and each one of those boys she had rejected in the past appeared on her mind in a flashing parade. And there she was, Hikaru Shidou, the hardest-to-get-on-a-date girl in the whole institute, the renowned " slippery ", all alone in a somber room with a stranger who kissed her as if he was absolutely entitled to do so!
In fact, the embrace she was trapped in was loving and protective, as if its only objective was to keep the gap between their bodies as small as possible, and not to keep her prisoner. It wouldn't be difficult for her to escape from those arms that surrounded her smoothly, if she would only wanted to. And however, she didn't try to break away. On her mind, a thought was beginning to prevail over the rest, making them disappear. Nobody, any of those boys she knew would have ever been able to kiss her this way, with so much passion and so much tenderness at the same time. She couldn't explain all the feelings waking up inside of her by those lips that didn't seem to get enough of hers.
No matter how innocent she was, Hikaru was already a woman, and she didn't lack that "sixth sense" present in almost every female. The intensity of this kiss was talking to her clearly about a really deep love, a really desperate love, or maybe both. This man was putting his whole heart at her feet! Or at her lips, for that matter. She understood it this way, and still not knowing who he was, she felt privileged and even flattered.
This way, ideas abandoned her in her bliss, as her useless eyes closed slowly and her lips gave away to the caress, altogether with the rest of her body. Time stopped and the world around them disappeared. There were only she and the burning kiss. The rest didn't care. It just didn't exist.
ºººººººººº
If he had been able to laugh, right then the small Mokona would be filling with laughter the whole corridor where he was jumping at full speed. His ability and his minuscule size had allowed him to slip away though the door seconds before Hikaru locked it, leaving her "alone" in the dark room. The little animal was so impelled in his joy he didn't realize another person was walking towards him. The collision was unavoidable.
- Mokona? - Umi surprised rubbing one of her sides, right on the spot where the bunny thingy had impacted her - What are you doing here at these hours? YOU HURTED ME!!
- Puu? - Mokona watched her with his invariable content expression and he curled up in her arms without a waist of time.
- Hey! Do you really think I'll carry you for free? - suddenly, Umi had a brilliant idea - Hey, little Mokona... - she patted the animal with a smile - Do you know where can I find Ascot?
- Puuuu!
The fluff ball abandoned Umi's arms, jumping at full length towards certain dark corridor. The girl assumed the last " pu " to be an affirmation, so she ran after the giant marshmallow.
This way, they ascended inside the castle, 'til they arrived to the highest hall in one of the towers. Finally, Mokona stopped to jump up and down in front of an enormous wooden door, of aged aspect and rusty lock. At least, that was what one could see, since there was not much light in this particular spot.
- Here? - Umi asked doubtful.
- Puuuu!
The girl still thought it for an instant, but then she made up her mind and pushed the door, which gave away with a metallic hiss. Inside was even darker, and however, the scarce light allowed her to see two well defined figures, a human one and another belonging to a hardly identifiable sort of creature. By that moment, Mokona had already disappeared in the corridor.
The person inside the room turned around when hearing the noise of the rusty hinges. Thanks to the dimness, the girl could not see the vivid blush spreading all over the features of the one whom now looked at her, mesmerized by her single presence.
- Umi? - the voice sounded trembling - How did you know...? What... what are you doing here?
- I wanted... I want to talk to you. - she answered, steadily. She could hardly believe it, but Mokona had really shown her the way.
Ascot looked away for a moment, to make sure that the creature was still asleep. Then he turned around to face the girl again.
- Don't make any noise, so that it doesn't wake up. - he said, overcoming his edginess with great difficulty - Let's go, I'll walk you to your room and we can talk on the way there.
- Only if you promise not to slip away from me. - Umi smiled.
The summoner blushed even more, as impossible as it could seem, but he didn't answer to this last comment. In silence, both abandoned the room trying not to perturb the sleep of the slumbering animal. They went silently through the halls, each one apparently sunk in their own thoughts, in such a way that they had almost arrived to their destination when the girl finally decided to try and break the ice.
- Ascot... I...
- I know what you're going to tell me. - he cut her off in a sudden impulse - You'll say you only want me as a friend and that you have never thought of me as something else. But I don't want to hear it, because I love you, do you understand? I love you!
The poor boy held on his mouth with both hands, not being able to believe what he had just said, and blushing madly. He had just spoiled everything!
Umi shot him a look in which there were mixed incredulity and a deep astonishment. She could not deny such thing had passed her mind several times since he kissed her, but she had made fierce resistance to the very idea of Ascot being in love with her. It was completely inconceivable for her, it simply didn't fit within her head. She tried to babble some words, anything, but the shock was still too strong for her to handle.
- I knew it... - Ascot said, taking her silence the wrong way - You don't have to say a thing... it's not necessary...
He only said this and then he turned around, trying unfruitfully to hold the tears brimming on his eyes, and he left the girl amid the corridor, still trying to assimilate the must overturning love confession of her entire life. When Umi finally was able to react, the summoner's figure had already disappeared in the darkness.
ºººººººººº
Hikaru couldn't tell if the kiss had lasted for hours or just for a couple of seconds. For a moment she wished for it to never end, so she could stay forever in the arms of this man. She couldn't explain why, but she felt so loved there, loved to an extent beyond words, even if she only had a confuse yearning about who this guy was. However, as every other thing, the moment also passed by; and the girl trembled in cold when she was finally set free of the embrace that had welcomed her so far and from the lips that had covered hers until then.
So there she was, all alone again in the darkness and nevertheless, she could hear a heavy breathe somewhere near her. She was panting herself. She was also very nervous and her heart was beating too fast, almost flying away from her chest. She wanted to know who he was, and in turn, she was afraid that he wasn't whom she wanted.
- Who...? - she babbled finally, still surveying the shades and inhaling eagerly - Who...?
She had to close her eyes as quickly as she could, for a light began to shine right in front of her face leaving her completely dazzled. But this time her sight did improve with time, and when she took the chance to shot a shy look around her, she saw a small sphere that emitted violet flashes from time to time, shining at the height of her head. The source of light rested on a finger that Hikaru supposed belonging to her mysterious companion. And further on, in front of her, the girl finally spotted a serious and sad face, with a couple of twinkling pupils that observed her with restrained fire. The redhead took a step back when she identified him, covering her mouth with one of her hands to suffocate the exclamation that struggled to leave her throat.
She couldn't believe it was he! Precisely HE! She didn't understand how such a thing could be, that the two of them had met in a deserted room. It was too much for a coincidence, but she didn't care. After all, who cared about the place, or the date, or the time? The only thing important was that HE had kissed her, that she had been in HIS arms! She held her chest with her hands, because if she didn't do so, her heart would really fly away. Her feelings razed as overflowed rivers all over her body and her eyes were like glued onto the masculine figure.
Meanwhile, and without her noticing, the small energy sphere had ascended to the ceiling, and then it had begun twirling around the room, lighting thousands of other small lights every time it touched a wall. As a result, the whole room was completely illuminated in a short while, with them in the middle, watching each other steadily. Hikaru wasn't so short anymore but her body was still tiny and insufficient to contain so many emotions. So she tried to break the tension asking the first thing that crossed her mind:
- You... you... what are you doing here?
He frowned and looked at her as if the question she had just asked was the most absurd and the least expected. He was like that, just looking at her, for some seconds that lengthened until seeming hours.
- This is MY room. - he finally hissed through his tight lips - What are YOU doing here?
When hearing this, Hikaru finally looked around her. They were standing in the middle of a room obviously arranged to fit somebody's taste. An enormous bed, a closet of similar proportions, a desk and a couple of chairs completed the furniture that was not abundant, but indeed magnificent and elegant, as most of the things in the Cefiro's castle. The last piece of furniture was a small bench placed to a side of them. A piece the girl recognized as the object that made her trip previously. An instantaneous blush rose on her cheeks when she remembered the consequences.
All this furniture was quite common, but then again there was a personal note in all of it. All the tapestries were black or in very dark colors, the same as the bed sheets and the curtains covering the windows, completely closed, main reason why not even a ray of light coming from outside was able to penetrate there. Definitively, the place looked like its owner's continuation. Hikaru shook her head, more and more astonished, as she finally understood what had just happened. Whether it had been intentionally or not, she didn't know... but Mokona had taken her to Lantis' room!
To be continued...
Next chapter: Duality
Anime Goddess6: Hey, I'm happy with my reviews, I never thought I will get so many. But haven't you seen this people keeping stories with hundres of reviews? I've seen a couple... but then again, those are REALLY LONG STORIES... And of course you're worth it, I keep writting for all of you guys! And my big bro, of course...
Anime Goddess6 (again): Faithful updater... oh, mygosh, that darn kidney!!! You know, this story was almost finished when I started posting, so I made minor arrangements before every upload, according to your opinions, but basically the story is the same. And I have lots of stories, but I'll wait 'til I finish this one before I post a new one... or maybe not, but that's my plan. Once in a while I get the "site experiencing overflow" message, but no kicking out. But then again, my pen name is really odd, and when they unified, I didn't had to rename myself and stuff.
Liadel: Thanks, thanks a lot!!! You really cheer me up! That's why I'll keep on writting this!!
clouds darkyasha: Yeah, is sad, but I'm already planning a happy ending... or maybe not. Sorry, I hate spoilers. I'll just keep it going!!
Sakura Naoko: Thanks for loving it... oh, gosh, you people are going to make me cry... I love you guys too!!
Miemu Akari: I hope you're not mad at me... CHAPIE 8 UP! And I loved every part of it! Just hope you don't hate it...
Graysky: Wow, you really know how to make a wanna-be-writer feel quite flattered. I'll be more than happy to read your stuff! I'm not particularly fond of RKenshin, but I'll still read it and tell you what I think, ok? I'm still flattered... *^^* I think randomness is GREAT... but I like to call it spontaneity... whatever... I have a brother too ^_^
Momentum: Intense... awww, do you really think so? Maybe my hard work is finally giving some results. Thanks a lot, here is more! No frustration here though... well, not much in this chapie anyway.
Umi-chan: Thanks again *^^* Yeah, I'm actually blushing. And I really appreciate your help, but actually is Cefiro with an 'f', that was the car model in Japan. I understand the way they tried to make it more "anglo", by using a "ph". Maybe I should change it, since I'm writting in English. But then again, I don't speak English! Thanks anyway, Umi-chan, if you find something else, just tell me!!
9 reviews!!! I'm proud of myself!!! Arigato, people, I'm so happy. My kidney can go to hell!! Now, before you get into the story, I must warn you again... this chapie was only an experiment of how far can I take a situation. Well, you'll see what I mean.
Just read and enjoy!
********** Battling emotions **********
Chapter VIII
Mokona - Obscurity
Mokona dozed in Hikaru's arms as she walked with Eagle towards her room. When they finally got there, he bid her farewell politely.
- Sleep well and sweet dreams.
- The same for you, thank you for walking me to my room.
For an instant, it seemed that he was about to say something else, but then he just turned around and left. But first he gave her a soft hug, and then the redhead saw him go away with melancholic expression.
- Where will Lantis be, Mokona? - she whispered, more to herself than to the sleepy little bunny thingy - I wonder if he's sleeping... He has been acting a little strange... I hardly had a couple of chances to see him, but for a short time. Too short for me, that is. He didn't even go down for dinner... poor me, I had dreamt about this return just to be with him, to tell him...
A soft sigh escaped from her lips, as she remembered the dark and handsome figure of her beloved swordsman. She could still feel chills running down her spine when she remembered the gelid look he had placed on her. And then again, what had happened to him in the corridor? He had also looked at her oddly. But even so, his deep blue eyes had seemed to her more beautiful and mysterious than ever...
- Pu pu pu!
Unexpectedly, the fluff ball started jumping on top and all around Hikaru.
- What? - the girl was startled by Mokona's sudden movement, snapping out of her sweet reverie - What's going on, Mokona? Hey! Where are you going? Wait!
The little animal ran, or rather jumped down the hall, and Hikaru followed suit, running after him not knowing what to make out of the small pet's strange behavior.
It was already late in the night, so the endless corridors were all covered in thick dimness. No matter how much she ran and ran, Mokona was out of Hikaru's sight in a matter of seconds. In spite of which she kept running and running, until she had to stop, panting heavily. While she recovered she looked around, and much to her anxiety, she was not able to glimpse any known detail in her surroundings.
- I don't think I know this place... - she mumbled surveying in the darkness.
It didn't worry her a lot to be lost, since in such a big castle it was easy to lose the direction and the truth was that there was not danger, except for the several days you could spend in solitude wandering all over the huge and maze-like halls. In any case, she could try to reach Guru Clef mentally, so that he showed her the way to some place from where she could find the rest of her friends. She jumped happily when this idea came to her mind, but she rejected it soon. It was shameful to have to ask for help for been neglected!
She shook her head. She herself would find the right way, or Mokona to help her. She continued her stroll, still observing her surroundings carefully, trying to find something she could identify, and soon enough her efforts were rewarded, when she discovered the little animal a couple of meters ahead, slipping away through a narrow gap in a door.
- There you are! - she said in a whisper, smiling roguishly.
Trying not to make a noise, she came closer to the door behind which her prey had disappeared, and opening it slowly, she shot a searching look to the insides. Wherever it leaded to, it was dark as a moonless night.
Hikaru had proven lots of times that cowardice was not a part of her personality, so she went into what she supposed to be an unused room, still as silent as she possibly could, trying to surprise Mokona that way. She locked the door when she entered, so that the fluff ball couldn't escape, and she stood in her spot for some seconds, waiting for her eyes to get used to the darkness. But after several minutes, and not seconds, everything seemed even darker, so the girl decided to walk further into the room, believing that white fluff could not be very hard to find.
However, it wouldn't be so easy, since the room was furnished, so that Hikaru began to stumble clumsily among the invisible obstacles. When her eyes should already be adapted to the poor light, everything seemed to grow more and more gloomy. That place was beginning to give her the goosebumps.
Finally, she lost her temper and she rushed into the darkness. Of course, her reflexes and balance failed when she tripped on a hard object standing on her way. And she would have certainly hit the floor, if somebody wouldn't stop her in her fall. The girl was momentarily impressed to find company in a room she had supposed to be deserted, and she tried to sharpen her sight again, with no luck.
Whoever it was the person standing in front of her, it was still holding her shoulders, keeping her up with stability, as foreseeing she might take another step in false. On the other hand, Hikaru stood still, queerly comforted to know she was not alone. One of those hands abandoned her left shoulder and brushed her red hair softly. Such action shot the girl's bewilderment again.
She was sure it was a man. The palm now sliding through her cheek was too rough on its surface to belong to a woman, and however this wasn't bothering her at all, for she was being caressed with unspeakable tenderness. But beyond knowing that her companion was a male, Hikaru couldn't make out anything else, due to the darkness.
- Thank you... - she thought she should say - for helping me... for not letting me fall...
Blush was burning on her face, while those fingertips moved further, drawing softly her features, her brows, her thin nose, her parted lips... A restrained sigh was the answer to the girl's intermittent words of gratitude, and the invader hands retired, as if its possessor had just abandoned the room. Fear retook its place in Hikaru's heart again, irrationally, when facing the possibility of being left alone one more time in the shadows. Not giving it a second thought, she rushed forward in a hurry, hoping to find her savior that way. Again the mysterious character helped her, holding her in her heedless tripping.
- Don't leave me... - the girl panted with suppliant voice. She was little less than terrified.
A dense silence took over the place for a while. A silence so deep that the beating of two hearts grew in violence 'til becoming a deafening resounding. Then, another stifled sigh was heard, and in the darkness, two thin and muscular arms locked around the feminine waist. Hikaru felt as her companion dragged her to him, pressing her against his body. Not even realizing what she was doing, she laid her hands on an evidently masculine, firm and very well defined chest. Then, anxiety took over her. Who was this man? This smell? Could it be... HIM? Having all her good sense busy with this thought, and perhaps due to her seemingly indestructible naivete, the magic knight didn't guess what was about to happen.
Neither she had time enough to think about anything else. Before she could say a word, two warm lips covered hers, in an action that took her aback and made her open her eyes in utter disbelief. In one second, every and each one of those boys she had rejected in the past appeared on her mind in a flashing parade. And there she was, Hikaru Shidou, the hardest-to-get-on-a-date girl in the whole institute, the renowned " slippery ", all alone in a somber room with a stranger who kissed her as if he was absolutely entitled to do so!
In fact, the embrace she was trapped in was loving and protective, as if its only objective was to keep the gap between their bodies as small as possible, and not to keep her prisoner. It wouldn't be difficult for her to escape from those arms that surrounded her smoothly, if she would only wanted to. And however, she didn't try to break away. On her mind, a thought was beginning to prevail over the rest, making them disappear. Nobody, any of those boys she knew would have ever been able to kiss her this way, with so much passion and so much tenderness at the same time. She couldn't explain all the feelings waking up inside of her by those lips that didn't seem to get enough of hers.
No matter how innocent she was, Hikaru was already a woman, and she didn't lack that "sixth sense" present in almost every female. The intensity of this kiss was talking to her clearly about a really deep love, a really desperate love, or maybe both. This man was putting his whole heart at her feet! Or at her lips, for that matter. She understood it this way, and still not knowing who he was, she felt privileged and even flattered.
This way, ideas abandoned her in her bliss, as her useless eyes closed slowly and her lips gave away to the caress, altogether with the rest of her body. Time stopped and the world around them disappeared. There were only she and the burning kiss. The rest didn't care. It just didn't exist.
ºººººººººº
If he had been able to laugh, right then the small Mokona would be filling with laughter the whole corridor where he was jumping at full speed. His ability and his minuscule size had allowed him to slip away though the door seconds before Hikaru locked it, leaving her "alone" in the dark room. The little animal was so impelled in his joy he didn't realize another person was walking towards him. The collision was unavoidable.
- Mokona? - Umi surprised rubbing one of her sides, right on the spot where the bunny thingy had impacted her - What are you doing here at these hours? YOU HURTED ME!!
- Puu? - Mokona watched her with his invariable content expression and he curled up in her arms without a waist of time.
- Hey! Do you really think I'll carry you for free? - suddenly, Umi had a brilliant idea - Hey, little Mokona... - she patted the animal with a smile - Do you know where can I find Ascot?
- Puuuu!
The fluff ball abandoned Umi's arms, jumping at full length towards certain dark corridor. The girl assumed the last " pu " to be an affirmation, so she ran after the giant marshmallow.
This way, they ascended inside the castle, 'til they arrived to the highest hall in one of the towers. Finally, Mokona stopped to jump up and down in front of an enormous wooden door, of aged aspect and rusty lock. At least, that was what one could see, since there was not much light in this particular spot.
- Here? - Umi asked doubtful.
- Puuuu!
The girl still thought it for an instant, but then she made up her mind and pushed the door, which gave away with a metallic hiss. Inside was even darker, and however, the scarce light allowed her to see two well defined figures, a human one and another belonging to a hardly identifiable sort of creature. By that moment, Mokona had already disappeared in the corridor.
The person inside the room turned around when hearing the noise of the rusty hinges. Thanks to the dimness, the girl could not see the vivid blush spreading all over the features of the one whom now looked at her, mesmerized by her single presence.
- Umi? - the voice sounded trembling - How did you know...? What... what are you doing here?
- I wanted... I want to talk to you. - she answered, steadily. She could hardly believe it, but Mokona had really shown her the way.
Ascot looked away for a moment, to make sure that the creature was still asleep. Then he turned around to face the girl again.
- Don't make any noise, so that it doesn't wake up. - he said, overcoming his edginess with great difficulty - Let's go, I'll walk you to your room and we can talk on the way there.
- Only if you promise not to slip away from me. - Umi smiled.
The summoner blushed even more, as impossible as it could seem, but he didn't answer to this last comment. In silence, both abandoned the room trying not to perturb the sleep of the slumbering animal. They went silently through the halls, each one apparently sunk in their own thoughts, in such a way that they had almost arrived to their destination when the girl finally decided to try and break the ice.
- Ascot... I...
- I know what you're going to tell me. - he cut her off in a sudden impulse - You'll say you only want me as a friend and that you have never thought of me as something else. But I don't want to hear it, because I love you, do you understand? I love you!
The poor boy held on his mouth with both hands, not being able to believe what he had just said, and blushing madly. He had just spoiled everything!
Umi shot him a look in which there were mixed incredulity and a deep astonishment. She could not deny such thing had passed her mind several times since he kissed her, but she had made fierce resistance to the very idea of Ascot being in love with her. It was completely inconceivable for her, it simply didn't fit within her head. She tried to babble some words, anything, but the shock was still too strong for her to handle.
- I knew it... - Ascot said, taking her silence the wrong way - You don't have to say a thing... it's not necessary...
He only said this and then he turned around, trying unfruitfully to hold the tears brimming on his eyes, and he left the girl amid the corridor, still trying to assimilate the must overturning love confession of her entire life. When Umi finally was able to react, the summoner's figure had already disappeared in the darkness.
ºººººººººº
Hikaru couldn't tell if the kiss had lasted for hours or just for a couple of seconds. For a moment she wished for it to never end, so she could stay forever in the arms of this man. She couldn't explain why, but she felt so loved there, loved to an extent beyond words, even if she only had a confuse yearning about who this guy was. However, as every other thing, the moment also passed by; and the girl trembled in cold when she was finally set free of the embrace that had welcomed her so far and from the lips that had covered hers until then.
So there she was, all alone again in the darkness and nevertheless, she could hear a heavy breathe somewhere near her. She was panting herself. She was also very nervous and her heart was beating too fast, almost flying away from her chest. She wanted to know who he was, and in turn, she was afraid that he wasn't whom she wanted.
- Who...? - she babbled finally, still surveying the shades and inhaling eagerly - Who...?
She had to close her eyes as quickly as she could, for a light began to shine right in front of her face leaving her completely dazzled. But this time her sight did improve with time, and when she took the chance to shot a shy look around her, she saw a small sphere that emitted violet flashes from time to time, shining at the height of her head. The source of light rested on a finger that Hikaru supposed belonging to her mysterious companion. And further on, in front of her, the girl finally spotted a serious and sad face, with a couple of twinkling pupils that observed her with restrained fire. The redhead took a step back when she identified him, covering her mouth with one of her hands to suffocate the exclamation that struggled to leave her throat.
She couldn't believe it was he! Precisely HE! She didn't understand how such a thing could be, that the two of them had met in a deserted room. It was too much for a coincidence, but she didn't care. After all, who cared about the place, or the date, or the time? The only thing important was that HE had kissed her, that she had been in HIS arms! She held her chest with her hands, because if she didn't do so, her heart would really fly away. Her feelings razed as overflowed rivers all over her body and her eyes were like glued onto the masculine figure.
Meanwhile, and without her noticing, the small energy sphere had ascended to the ceiling, and then it had begun twirling around the room, lighting thousands of other small lights every time it touched a wall. As a result, the whole room was completely illuminated in a short while, with them in the middle, watching each other steadily. Hikaru wasn't so short anymore but her body was still tiny and insufficient to contain so many emotions. So she tried to break the tension asking the first thing that crossed her mind:
- You... you... what are you doing here?
He frowned and looked at her as if the question she had just asked was the most absurd and the least expected. He was like that, just looking at her, for some seconds that lengthened until seeming hours.
- This is MY room. - he finally hissed through his tight lips - What are YOU doing here?
When hearing this, Hikaru finally looked around her. They were standing in the middle of a room obviously arranged to fit somebody's taste. An enormous bed, a closet of similar proportions, a desk and a couple of chairs completed the furniture that was not abundant, but indeed magnificent and elegant, as most of the things in the Cefiro's castle. The last piece of furniture was a small bench placed to a side of them. A piece the girl recognized as the object that made her trip previously. An instantaneous blush rose on her cheeks when she remembered the consequences.
All this furniture was quite common, but then again there was a personal note in all of it. All the tapestries were black or in very dark colors, the same as the bed sheets and the curtains covering the windows, completely closed, main reason why not even a ray of light coming from outside was able to penetrate there. Definitively, the place looked like its owner's continuation. Hikaru shook her head, more and more astonished, as she finally understood what had just happened. Whether it had been intentionally or not, she didn't know... but Mokona had taken her to Lantis' room!
To be continued...
Next chapter: Duality