Changing the refraction of light was easy.

Suzuki couldn't exactly explain how he did it…and that wasn't what Shiori wanted from him anyway. Sure he could have told her about how, back when he had been about fifteen, he had learned that light traveled as both wave and particle, it had a physical presence, and if something had a physical prescience then he could manipulate it. It had taken some trial and error but he had learned how to make himself completely disappear…for a short amount of time. He hadn't gotten good at it until he was about sixteen or seventeen, long past the point at which being able to disappear was useful.

It really wasn't a useful skill.

Sure he could keep normal people from seeing him but he still had an aural prescience…and also he didn't sneak up on people. No, he fought people head on like a man. Being able to turn invisible gave him no combat advantage, not that he needed it, and he was well past his adolescence so no more need to try and turn invisible to steal things that he was too young to legally purchase. This was one of his skills, like astral projection and cryokinesis, that he seldom had the need for.

Seldom, not never.

"Touichirou, have I ever told you that you're amazing?" asked Shiori as he rolled off of her. The feel of grass against his skin was…unpleasant…but for her he would put up with it. She didn't seem to mind, anyway. She was on her back breathing heavily, in and out, like she had just run a marathon. He was faring better despite the fact that he was the one who did most of the work. Maybe it was because she was the only one who had enjoyed themselves.

Outdoor sex was not for him.

"You have, many times." Said Suzuki as he pulled his pants back up. He knew that he was invisible, he could see the distortions at the corners of his vision, but…being undressed out in public was disturbing. Shiori's garden did count as public. There was a wall, yes, but she didn't exactly live deep in the countryside hours away from the nearest neighbor. There were houses at either side of them and in those houses were people. He couldn't sense them but he knew that they must have been home. The sun was disappearing behind the imaginary line that was the horizon. This was the hour at which people went home, to their houses, where they lived…

And had windows that they could have looked out of.

"Well you are." Said Shiori. She patted him on the arm and then reached over and pulled her dress over her head. He straightened out his undershirt. Sweaty. Clingy. He pulled it up over his nose…he needed to change clothes. That was the only reason that he went back to his most recent home…not that he wanted to go home now…

Even though that whole thing had just been…something.

He wasn't a stranger to having sex outside. This was how the first time had gone. He had been sixteen and still living with his parents, since they had still been living at the time, and he had spent his last yen on…well he couldn't remember what he had spent it on but it must have been the usual sort of nonsense he wasted his money on when he'd been that age. He'd been completely broke and out of options…not that he'd planned it anyway. He'd taken his girlfriend, a girl in his class by the name of Kyo, to that fort he and Fukuda had built in the woods where the Seventh Division stood. Not for the express purposes of having sex, no, she had just been curious as to where he and Fukuda went every day after school. He'd shown her, he hadn't told her what it was there for of course, but he'd shown her what they'd built…and then one thing led to another and the next thing he knew he'd lost his virginity in Fukuda's chair.

His reclined and had actual padding.

That had been important. Suzuki sat up and felt his entire body protest. How had early man DONE this? Well with the woman on her hands and knees, he'd read, and the man behind her…his joints ached at the thought. People had evolved to do this in soft places…without grass. He hadn't touched grass, felt it against his skin, in…almost thirty years. Back when he'd been young enough that he spent time outside. This was…not the best…but…well he would do this. For her.

He was prepared to do anything for the woman he loved.

"You alright?" asked Shiori as she pulled her underwear up over her hips. He nodded and tried not to stare. That was going to be in his mind for a while…in a good way. There was just something about…all of what she had done. She was outside and she just…he would examine this later. Right now he just had to sit very still so as not to agitate the grass. He could feel it through his clothes…and it was all around him….even under his feet. He wasn't wearing socks….he was barefoot….and he couldn't remember the last time someone had seen him barefoot….and it made no sense to even notice something like that.

He had just been inside of her and he was feeling self-conscious about his feet?

"Fine. I'm just...I'm fine. Can we go inside now?" asked Suzuki

"You don't want to cuddle?" asked Shiori

"I do…more than anything else in the world….but can we do that inside?" asked Suzuki. Shiori nodded and stood up.

"Sure, come on. Let's go to my room and have a nice music cuddle." Said Shiori. That was one of the best types of cuddles. Him holding her, her as the small spoon and him as the large spoon, while soft music played in the background. Elevator music. Soft jazz. The sounds of a temple. She had excellent taste in ambient noise.

Or maybe anything was better than the ambient noise of the outside.

Birds. Traffic. The wind. The wind chimes in the garden. Noise. So much of it. So many reminders that he was outside. He kept on changing the refraction of light. He made sure to stay close to her. Changing the refraction of life was easy when it was just himself. For another person…well that was difficult. He watched the ground underneath their feet. They were making indents in the grass…indents that people could notice.

He smoothed them over.

She noticed. She raised an eyebrow as she motioned for him to enter her home. He had no idea what that had been for…but she could be confusing like that. He didn't the mental space to even try and pick that apart, not until he stepped into her home. The air conditioning hit him right in the face…it was perfect. He let go of the light, let it refract normally, and her cat seemed to find this action disturbing. Good. It ran away. It jumped down from the counter and ran away. He was not a fan, not at all, of pets…but for some reason the women he loved, the women he wanted to spend his life with, loved and wanted to share their lives with pets.

Women were very confusing sometimes…but he didn't have to understand Shiori. He just had to love her.

And he did love her. He loved everything single thing about her. He loved the way her hair formed this black halo…thing…around her head right now…and he loved it when it was down and hung like a waterfall…and he liked it, too, when she tied it up with…whatever those hair ties were called, the ones with satin around them. He even loved her hair when she put curls in it…even though he didn't much see the point. It took a very long time and didn't add to her beauty, there was no way to add to perfection, but she liked it and he liked whatever he liked.

Even having sex outdoors in the grass.

He didn't understand why she had wanted to do that. She had told him, once, that it had always been a sexual fantasy of hers. She had always wanted to lay down in a garden and make love…well she had said 'get fucked' but he…well he wasn't a fan of thinking about it in such…crass…terms. He loved her and when they were together they made love. That was the only word for it…and it was amazing. Even if he felt like his back was literally killing him. Even if it felt like his knees were worn down to the bone. Even if he could still feel the grass against his skin even though he was indoors and the grass was still outdoors where it belonged.

He didn't understand himself sometimes….

But he didn't have to understand himself, no, not when he had to devote so much of his mind to understanding her. She took him by the hand and was leading him to her room. That was normal. She was laughing as she walked, though, which…was something that he could not see the purpose of. She hadn't said or done anything funny…and neither had he…but every so often she looked down and laughed a little. He didn't laugh, he was incapable of it, so he didn't try. He just let her walk him to her room. He let her open the door, this was not his room or his home and he wasn't going to just let himself in. She opened the door and let him go through first. He walked over to her bed and took his spot, on the right. She was on the left.

Masami had been the one on the right, before.

But that didn't matter. He watched Shiori as she turned on her television and went to find that music station, no, channel that they had been watching. YouTube wasn't just for videos. He knew this now. He watched Shiori as she worked. Much less deliberation than when Shigeko picked something for them to watch. Shigeko…well she could be very indecisive. Shiori wasn't. She knew what she wanted and she went for it, he loved that about her.

He loved everything about her…he loved her.

Love. That was an emotion which he was not going to exorcise. He loved her. He loved her like he loved….well like he loved…like he HAD loved Masami. Had. Past tensed. He had loved her and now he didn't. They were divorced. She was gone. He had no reason to think of her…especially not when Shiori was there…and even if she hadn't been. Physically there, he meant. He had a new woman in his life and she was perfect.

Even if she did have grass in her hair.

"Koto music alright?" asked Shiori

"I'm amenable to that…I'm amenable to anything you want." Said Suzuki. It was nice of her to ask. Masami had never been a fan of asking…though he had been amenable to whatever she wanted. Maybe she had just known that about him, that he liked whatever she wanted, even when he didn't really. That was one good thing about her being gone, he was never going to have to sit through another one of her costume dramas again.

Shiori's dramas were just as…dramatic…but at least they were easier to follow.

"Alright…so how about some extra loud heavy metal?" asked Shiori

"…whatever you want…" said Suzuki. Nope. He was not amenable…but if Shiori wanted to listen to heavy metal then that was what they were going to listen to. He could deal with that. He had been putting up with Fukuda's music choices for the past thirty years after all and if he could sit through 'awesome world domination mix number eight' he could sit through anything.

Though mixtapes, he assumed, did not have the same song four times back to back.

"I was kidding. Koto music it is. Now come on, let's be spoons." Said Shiori. She practically jumped into bed after putting some, thankfully not heavy metal, music on. She scooted back until she was pressed against him like a couple of spoons in a cutlery drawer. Her legs were trying to tangle themselves in his. He let them. He kissed the back of her head…and got a mouth full of grass. He picked it out with his powers.

She began to laugh.

"Oh my God…" said Shiori. She laughed and shook her head…and he stopped. Maybe she wanted grass in her hair. Maybe she wanted to carry around the reminder of the fact that they had just had the strangest sexual experience of his life.

"What is it? Do you want me to put the grass back into your hair? I don't know why you would want that…but it's yours hair and your grass….I mean the hair is growing from your head and the grass is growing in your garden…so…do you want me to put it back?" asked Suzuki

"No, no, please get the grass out of my hair. Just…oh my God. I can't believe….oh God." Laughed Shiori

"Are you…alright?" asked Suzuki

"I'm fine I just….Ican't believe we did that." Said Shiori with a laugh.

"But...it was your idea. You're the one who wanted to have sex outside…" said Suzuki

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant it like…wow. I'm just…amazed, I guess, that we actually did that. I mean that's been number one on my list of sexual fantasies since I was…I don't even know. I can't believe that actually happened." Said Shiori

"This is…good disbelief? Yes?" asked Suzuki. He had tried his best, he really had. He had made sure to ask her every so often if she was enjoying herself. He had made sure to kiss her where she wanted to be kissed, touch her where she wanted to be touched, and do the rhythm that she liked. Three, two, two, three and then two, two, one, one, two when she got close…and then when she finished all rhythm went out the door.

"Oh God yes. That was amazing…you're amazing. Have I ever told you that?" asked Shiori

"Yes. Both inside and outside of sex…thank you for that…and thank you for making me a part of that. I'm glad that I could fulfill one of your sexual fantasies and make you happy." Said Suzuki. There was nothing better than making the woman you loved happy. It was like…like being under the sun…but in a good way. He could feel her smiling, her aura, and he could feel…she was bouncing against him. Again? He…was tired…and his back was killing him…but if she wanted to go again then he…could try his best…and if worse came to worse he could borrow some of her seemingly boundless energy.

"What about you?" asked Shiori

"What do you mean?" asked Suzuki

"Was it good for you? God…I'm terrible. I can't believe it took me this long to ask." Said Shiori

"It was…pleasurable…for me. It was an experience." Said Suzuki. He spoke truthfully. He'd reached the point of orgasm, eventually, though it paled in comparison to the joy and satisfaction that came from taking her there. That was what mattered, her pleasure. The better she felt, the happier he made her, the less likely she was to leave him in the middle of the night.

"Wow. It sounds like you're about to start jumping for joy." Said Shiori in a tone that he couldn't read.

"I can't jump anymore. Not without my powers, anyway." Said Suzuki

"You're adorable…but that's not what I meant. I meant that you didn't sound too…enthused. You know if it wasn't good for you then you can just say it." Said Shiori

"It was…pleasurable. I wouldn't lie to you. I'm happy that you're happy and if there's anything else on your list then I'd be happy to be a part of it." Said Suzuki. He liked lists. It was nice to keep things in order and it was one of the most satisfactory feelings in the world when you checked something off. He had several lists to of things to do…and also several top five and top ten lists. Those were to enjoyable too, ordering things, he liked order. Order made sense. If only everything in the world was ordered in top fives or top tens….

"What about you?" asked Shiori

"What do you mean?" asked Suzuki. She turned around. He wished that he hadn't asked her what she meant. Whenever he did that, whenever he asked Masami that, and she turned around…well that meant that she was about to say something like 'nothing at all' and then she was going to sleep on the couch…or something. Shiori…well she turned around….and she was looking at him.

And she kissed him.

That was new…well no, they'd kissed more times than he could count at this point. The fact that she was smiling after she had turned around…that she would have wanted to kiss him when he had messed up. He didn't know if he had messed up for sure…but he got the feeling that he had. He was bad at this. Things to do with speech…things to do women. They were….complex beings…well all beings were complex…but women were especially complex….

Or maybe he was just exceptionally dense.

"What's on your list? Anything that you've always wanted to do but never found anyone who wanted to…you know, make fantasy reality?" asked Shiori

"I…." said Suzuki. That was…a question which he had never been asked before. He…had no idea how he was supposed to answer that. He didn't have many sexual fantasies, clear ones with a beginning, middle, and end. It was more like…concepts. The concept of being taken…the concept of a woman holding him down and enjoying him….the concept of a watching a woman….he couldn't even finish it. He knew that she couldn't read minds…but she was staying at him….

He had to say something.

"I would enjoy whatever you enjoy." Said Suzuki finally. She shook her head.

"Come on, be serious. What's your number one sexual…whatever…that you've never done before…no guarantees! Just…I have my limits." Said Shiori. Suzuki…had no idea what he was supposed to say. She had limits and if he said what he wanted…well that would be too much and she would leave him and then he would never see or hear from her again…he didn't know how he wsa supposed to deal with that again…

He didn't know if he could.

"Well I…have never been asked that question before…and I don't want to…to say the wrong thing…so…do you want to go back to how we were laying together before." Said Suzuki

"Come on, whatever you're into just say it. It took me until this point in my life to figure myself out and, honestly, my life is much better for it." Said Shiori

"I…have thought of several things over the years…" said Suzuki

"Things?" asked Shiori

"Things…of a sexual nature." Said Suzuki

"Such as….?" Asked Shiori

"You….don't want to know." Said Suzuki

"Well now I have to know…and I'm slightly worried. What, are you into something weird…or something?" asked Shiori

"I…have had a recurring sexual fantasy in which…something which I know to be impossible…and also very strange…is done to me." Said Suzuki. There. That should have been it…but she didn't turn around, she didn't get back to the way they had been, she just…kept on staring at him. Her eyes and her aura both rested on him….and he had no idea why.

"Ok…either you're exceptionally kinky or exceptionally shy…I'll believe either. Come on, you can tell me anything. What's the worst that could happen?" asked Shiori

"You could decide that you never want to see or hear from me again and then, once again, I'll have to deal with being left by the woman I lo-" said Suzuki

"I'm not going to leave you, Touichirou, not over sex. Ok? Sex is the one thing that's not….overwhelming…about this….thing that we're in. Ok? There's a lot here, a lot about you and me, we both have a lot of baggage but sex…well sex is alright. I trust you and you….you can do the same. You can trust me." said Shiori. He nodded even though he had no idea what could possibly have been overwhelming about this…relationship? That they were in. He loved her, she loved him, and now they were together and in love. What else could there be that could overwhelm her?

Women were so complicated sometimes….all of the times.

"I…do trust you. I trust you more than I have ever trusted anyone else. Alright. For most of my life I've had this recurring…idea…of a person…well if I were a woman, in this I am a woman…and I am being taken…but not taken…more like…being pinned down? That makes more sense since that's how it came to me. Pinned down." Said Suzuki. He couldn't look at her. This was…not something that he had spoken to anyone about. Not even his closest friends…companions…people he spent all of his time with. He told Hatori everything, most everything, and he didn't even know. Fukuda…well of course Fukuda didn't know.

He would not have taken it well if he knew.

No, he had never taken it well. The times when Suzuki…well when a feeling passed over him. When he was very close to Fukuda, when he was very…happy…being near Tadashi, when being near him felt like being in the middle of a sun…but in a good way. Not in the die instantly way. More like being…warm? All over. Warm and sort of like…like he had drank vinegar and baking soda….but in a good way. When he'd had no choice but to instigate a fight just to be near him…and the best way to instigate a fight was to kiss him.

That was how all of this had started.

They had been about thirteen or fourteen and they had been having one of their staring contests, the ones that randomly sprang up for no reason at all. Tadashi's stupid mixtape had been playing, even knew that disc was the superior format or even vinyl, and it had…well been less stupid in that moment. He had been warm and…well it had been spring…so he had been fourteen then….and he had been…strange. The strangest feeling had overcame him…and he acted on it…

And then the next thing he knew he was being punched in the face.

A lot. Over and over again. Tadashi had shoved him backwards and pinned him down and hit him…and then when the hitting was over…well Tadashi still pinned him. He didn't let up. He just…kept him pinned there. Of course he was yelling, something along the lines of 'what the fuck is wrong with you' and Suzuki could have shoved him away with his powers…done much worse than that even…but he hadn't been able to do anything. Not with one thought…one singular and strange thought running through his mind.

If I were a girl then I would have been able to ask you to take me right now.

Of course he never shared that with anyone. He…well he knew that it made no sense. He didn't want to be taken, he knew how it was done and he knew that it looked painful, but also…the idea of Tadashi being there….being on top of him…all around him…and he was so much BIGGER than Suzuki….and he smelled good too….

This was not the sort of thing that he could have shared with anyone…anyone but…well the woman he loved.

"Oh. That's all. I can do that." Said Shiori. That was…not the reaction that he had been expecting. He had been expecting…well he had no idea what he had been expecting. Her to tell him that he was being ridiculous. Her to tell him that she never wanted to see him again. Her to tell him that meeting him was the biggest regret of her life. Something along those lines.

Not her sitting up and opening her beside drawer to reveal….things that he had only seen…well not in life and he was going to leave it at that.

"Shiori…what do you plan on….doing….with all of that?" asked Suzuki. He had other fantasies, too, things that he thought about. Other things he wanted to see. Shiori…well any woman really…enjoying herself in…ways. That was certainly something that he…well he had entertained thoughts of asking Masami but that would have been too much. He knew what she liked and…well he wasn't good in these sorts of situations…any sort of social situations…so it was best, he found, to just do what the woman wanted.

Like now.

"Whatever you want me to." Said Shiori. That…was a lot…but in a good way. He…well there were a lot of emotions there, ones which he was not about to try and exorcise, but ones which would have destroyed the room if she hadn't had everything in it locked up and bolted down. They were both telekinetic after all….she understood him….that part of him….a lot of parts of him, it seemed.

He loved this woman with every fiber of his being.