Adrena-Lynn opened her eyes and looked at the clock. It was a little before 8 AM on Saturday, so she closed her eyes and enjoyed the most incredible feeling of peace and contentment that she had felt in... well... forever.
She rolled over, and was disappointed to find herself alone. It was no surprise Yori had managed to slip out without waking her; the girl was a ninja, after all. Then she noticed her bedroom door was closed. For some reason she found this disturbing, and felt her good mood disappear, replaced by a vague feeling of fear.
She got up and, still naked, padded to the door and opened it. Across the hall, Yori's door was closed. It was an unspoken rule between them that when either had the door closed, they didn't want to be disturbed. Adrena felt the fear tighten around her heart.
She went into the bathroom, performing her morning rituals and taking a long, hot shower.
Returning to her room, she saw Yori's door was still closed. She dressed casually in jeans
and a white "Team Possible" golf shirt.
In the kitchen, Adrena started the coffee pot. Yori didn't drink coffee, and Adrena rarely drank hot tea, so the machine was used to make hot water.
As she watched the pot fill, she wondered if something was wrong. Had she offended Yori somehow? As she mused, she heard Yori's door open, and the soft sound of bare feet. Then the bathroom door closed, and the shower started.
The coffee pot finished perking, and as Adrena fixed her coffee, the shower stopped. She decided to try and make Yori's favorite tea. It was her first attempt, but she had watched the Japanese girl do it so often, she was pretty sure she could handle it.
As she measured out tea, she heard the bathroom door open, then a few seconds later Yori's door close. Although she tried to ignore it, the sick feeling intensified.
She carried the hot drinks into the living room, and put them on the coffee table. Then she sat down in the same spot she had been in when Yori caught her last night.
After a minute of sitting in silence, Adrena picked up Yori's discarded t-shirt, held it to her face, and inhaled deeply. It smelled of Yori, and it sickened her to think this might be the closest she would ever be to her again.
The sound of feet approaching caught her attention, and she quickly put down the shirt.
Yori appeared in the door, wearing a short skirt and, in an odd coincidence, her own Team Possible golf shirt.
"Morning..." ventured Adrena, uncertainly.
"Konnichiwa, A-chan," Yori replied, and turned toward the kitchen.
"Oh, uh, I already made you some tea," said Adrena, gesturing at the table.
"Arigato," said Yori, ducking her head. She sat down and picked up the cup. Adrena watched as her roommate inhaled the fragrance, then took a sip. A small smile appeared on Yori's face, and Adrena released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She had gotten it right.
The two drank their respective beverages in silence. Adrena kept stealing glances at Yori,
trying to gauge her mood, but the other seemed to be paying attention only to her tea,
and never looked at her. It also seemed to Adrena that Yori was sitting an uncomfortable
distance from her.
The silence and tension grew, and at some point the fear Adrena had been feeling was replaced by sadness, and the certainty of loss. Tears came unbidden to her eyes, and she gave an involuntary sob.
Yori put down her cup, and looked at her. "A-chan?"
Adrena's tears poured down her cheeks. "I- I'm so sorry!" she sobbed. She stood up to leave the room, stumbling against the coffee table as she did, causing the unfinished coffee and tea to slosh onto the table. She ran from the room, and a moment later Yori heard Adrena's door slam.
Yori sat and wondered what was wrong. Adrena had apologized, so must feel she had done something offensive. Yori thought about it, but could not imagine what it could have been.
She cleaned up the mess on the table as she thought. "Perhaps A-chan finds me inadequate in the bed, and does not wish to keep a relation." that thought made her sad. She had done her best to please A-chan, and had thought herself to be successful. A-chan had certainly pleased her. The sexual tension she had been feeling for some time was sated.
She went to Adrena's door and paused. She could clearly hear the sounds of crying. She
wanted to go in and comfort the other, but a closed door had always meant "do not disturb,
and neither had ever violated that rule.
That was about to change. A-chan crying, possibly over something she had done, was more than the ninja girl could bear. She quietly opened the door and went in. Adrena was lying on the bed, legs pulled up, her arms around a pillow, and crying into it.
Yori sat down behind her, and gently stroked her hair. "A-chan, what is wrong?"
Adrena flinched, but didn't answer.
"The cloth of our lives was just sewn together, and now it is unravelling. I cannot help if I do not know what is wrong," Yori said, now stroking Adrena's arm.
"You hate me," said Adrena, voice muffled by the pillow.
Yori was shocked by this very unexpected answer. She gasped and removed her hand. "What have I done to make you think so?"
"How can you not hate me? I seduced you last night, and..." said Adrena.
"What is 'seduced'?" interrupted Yori.
"I- I- I tricked you into having sex with me, and a made such a big deal over your being Japanese. That must have insulted you," said Adrena, fresh tears making an appearence.
Yori sat stunned.
"And then this morning you were gone, and your door closed, and you wouldn't look at me in the living room..." continued Adrena.
Yori firmly pulled the pillow away from Adrena and tossed it aside. She rolled the blonde girl onto her back and leaned forward so she was lying almost on top of her, She took Adrena's face in her hands, and looked her square in the eye.
"I do not hate you. Nothing happened last night that I did not want to happen. I have wanted to be with you for some time, and last night I took the chance," she said, then smiled. "And if my race gives you more pleasure in my body, how can I be insulted?"
Adrena was silent, listening. Her tears had lessened, but not stopped.
"You know I wake very early, and I went to my room to do my morning exercises so I wouldn't disturb you. The tea was very well made, and I was thinking of how that could be an omen of our lives together," she said.
Adrena's expression softened, but she made no reply.
"Our time together as friends and teammates and roommates has shown we are compatable in many ways. Do you wish to pursue this course with me?" she asked.
"Yes," replied Adrena without hesitation. She wrapped her arms around the smaller woman's body, and smiled.
"Is this misunderstanding cleared away?" asked Yori.
"Yes," answered Adrena, "I'm sorry I upset you."
"It is, as Kim-chan would say, no big," replied Yori with a grin.
Adrena-Lynn grinned back, and they sealed the deal with a kiss.
The End
Author's Note:
I've always thought Adrena-Lynn was an interesting character, and underused in fanfiction. The idea of her being a lesbian came from an as-yet-unfinished story called "Veils of Secrecy" which I still recommend reading. Yori had to be bi, since she was interested in Ron at one point.
The idea of a person's race being a sexual fetish is not politically correct, but:
(1) I don't care about political correctness, and
(2) it is real, as I can attest from personal knowledge. And a real human condition is fair game in a story.
I know a lesbian couple who were friends first and both were afraid to tell the other how she really felt for fear of losing them. That was an influence here, as well.