After surviving her lunch with Ino, Akina had spent the rest of the afternoon in the cool archives until Isao texted her that it was time to leave for the day–a habit they had picked up on doing whenever someone was doing work down in the archives. It was easy to forget the time in the catacombs. She put an alarm for another half hour to give herself time to finish up.

On her way out, she dropped off the tablet in the office and picked up her things. The sun was setting by the time she stepped outside. She slipped on her jacket to ward off the dropping temperatures. Despite the warmth of the days, the drop always seemed to make the evenings feel colder.

A quick glance at the clock told her she had missed the last bus back to the dorm. She sighed and stuffed her hands into the pockets and headed towards downtown. Cutting through the main street would shorten her walk by twenty minutes, and it meant she would be able to take a stroll through Naka Park for the last bit. She had paid extra to stay at the dorm by the park simply because she liked the area, and she often took walks amongst the trees to clear her head during heavy study sessions.

The main street was calm, much like she expected of an early Wednesday evening. Thinking of the empty fridge back in her room, she stopped by a café and got herself a sandwich and a large cup of coffee. She cradled it as she walked, leaving the sandwich for when she got back.

She turned down a side street, leaving the main area of the city behind. Just over the roofs of the nearby buildings, she could see the tall trees of Naka Park move lightly in the breeze.

'Mraow.'

Akina stopped at the loud call. Looking around, she easily spotted the large black cat headed down the street towards her. She crouched down and held out her hand to it–smiling when it rubbed its head against her.

'Hello there, little one,' she said softly and scratched it behind the ear. 'You look too well-cared-for to be an alley cat.'

'Mraow,' it purred again and allowed her to grasp the collar around its neck without resistance.

'Well, you definitely have an owner,' she mused. She picked up the cat gently, petting it as the purring increased. 'You're probably a little Houdini, aren't you?'

'Excuse me,' someone called as they approached. Akina looked up and watched as a tall man dressed in jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt approached her. She was unable to keep from staring as the street lamp highlighted his handsome features. When he spoke, his voice slid over her eardrums like velvet, wrapping around her senses like a warm embrace and she had to force herself to snap out of it before she started drooling right there and then. She might have been spending too much time with Ino lately, she thought absently. 'You managed to catch him. Thank you.'

Akina blinked and cleared her throat lowly. 'This one is yours?'

'Yeah, he managed to run out the moment I opened the door,' the man chuckled slightly. 'Glad he didn't get very far.'

'What's his name?' she asked and handed him over, doing her best to ignore the tingle that spread up her arm as their hands brushed against each other.

'Poe,' he said and the cat meowed again, rubbing his head against the man's chin–Akina couldn't help but smile at the sight. 'I'm a bit surprised. I've never seen him let a stranger pet him before.'

Akina shrugged slightly. 'Probably just looking for help to get home. I should get going.'

'Ah, sorry. I shouldn't keep you. Thank you again,' he said and stepped aside politely.

'Not at all, just glad he's back where he belongs. Have a nice evening,' she said with a polite nod before heading down the street.

The entrance to Naka Park was a large metallic arch, with the name spelled out inside it. A tall iron fence surrounded the rest of the area, with entrances at the end of various crisscrossing paths. The sound of the city faded to the back as she stepped onto the gravel path, the trees blocking out more of the cars and other background sounds the further she got.

She turned her gaze to the darkening sky, taking a deep breath. Bright stars appeared in the sky as a warm wind moved around her, ruffling her hair. They twinkled like jewels in the dark and she stared at them for several minutes. The ghost of a touch on her back had her swirling on her heel–only to be greeted by nothing but air. She looked around, her heart in her throat, but saw no one.

The warm breeze was gone and she pulled at the collar of the jacket as she hurried on towards the dorm. She swallowed harshly. A glance upwards confirmed her suspicion–the stars were nowhere to be seen. The light pollution made sure that the stars were never seen inside the city, she reminded herself as took the last corner. At the end of the path was the dorm. The street lamps already turning on, illuminating the front of the building almost like a beacon calling her home.

Before she knew it, she was jogging the remaining distance. She didn't stop until she was back inside her room, the door locked behind her. What the hell was wrong with this day. Perhaps all those hours of skipped sleep were really starting to get to her. She shook her head with resolution–changing into a large t-shirt and shorts the first thing she did.

She ate the sandwich as she checked her emails, ignoring the many reminders from teachers about their assignments, before crawling into bed. She had already finished her essays for the week, so she might as well try and get some extra hours of sleep. For once.

Akina woke with a gasp. Her heart pounded at the memory of the vivid dreams–of palaces and battles, and faces she could swear she was a heartbeat away from recognizing. She reached over and turned off her alarm, but didn't leave the bed. She stared at the ceiling in silence.

By the time her second alarm rang, her heart and mind had calmed down enough for her to get up. She went through her morning routine in a haze. She leaned against the sink in the bathroom as she brushed her teeth, doing her best to keep from thinking about her dreams. Her reflection caught her attention and she froze.

Looking back at her was her own face, with the glaring difference that she had the eyes of a cat and a golden necklace around her neck. Slowly, she reached up to it–her fingers touching nothing but her own skin. She screwed her eyes shut and shook her head. Opening her eyes hesitantly, she was met with her usual reflection and she breathed a sigh of relief.

'Alright, Akina,' she mumbled as she picked up her bag. 'Focus on the job. You are exhausted and have been reading a lot of stuff lately. You just have an overactive imagination.'

The rest of the day passed in a similar fashion. She did her best to focus on her job, but every now and again, those images and whispers–and touches–would make a reappearance. By the end of the day, she found she had gotten used to them to a certain degree. Her mind was really playing a lot of tricks on her and she had made sure to inform Isao that she wouldn't be able to come in this weekend, and would instead catch up on some much-needed sleep. His comment about how she finally was taking their suggestions to heart had earned him a particularly hard eye-roll.

Akina had been texting Ino on and off all day, letting the blonde bounce ideas regarding how to capture her latest target off her. The ideas grew more and more sexual as the day continued, but Akina didn't mind as long as it kept her mind off her own troubles for the time being. It wasn't until her afternoon break that she let the information about the images slip, which had prompted a lengthy call about her need to relax.

'I'm already going with you tomorrow,' Akina sighed towards the end. 'No need to convince me further.'

'Good. Make sure to eat properly today and get more rest, and I'll come to your place in the afternoon tomorrow so we can get ready together.'

'Isn't your place closer to campus?'

'The party is held at a place downtown, should be less than twenty minutes from you. I want to drink, so I don't want to take the car.'

'Alright. I'll try and get out early.'

'You better. I'm giving you a ride and leaving the car at your place. And yes, before you say anything, I'll make sure to pay for the parking this time so it doesn't get towed again. But, I'm paying for the rest of the weekend just in case.'

'Good to know your plans,' Akina chuckled. 'I'll make sure to not get in the way.'

'That would be appreciated,' Ino drawled. 'You're way too proficient in stopping me.'

'Years of practice, my love, years of practice.'

'Funny. Anyway, I got to get back to class. Seriously though, make sure to get some proper sleep and I'll see you tomorrow.'

'I'll do my best.'

She slipped the phone into her back pocket. She stretched her arms over her head, earning herself some satisfying pops, before ducking her head back into the cataloguing–disappearing into her work for the next few hours.

That evening, Akina ignored her habit of reading her journal entries of the day and stepped into the bathroom. She lit two candles and turned off the light. While the bathroom was too small for a bathtub, it was still possible to make it somewhat cozy. Akina had learned how over the past two years she had lived there, and two well-placed candles could cast the room in soft, golden light, and if one of them was scented it would take about half an hour before she would get a headache from it. The light coupled with some calm music playing on the speaker, even Akina could relax properly.

She tossed her clothes in the laundry basket and stepped into the shower. She sighed as the warm water cascaded over her, soothing her stiff muscles. The music and the light scent of cinnamon lulled her into a state of relaxation. She ran her hands over her body, rubbing the soap into her skin gently before rinsing it off with a deep sigh.

The heat of the water dulled her senses enough to not find the ghost of a touch running down her arms and back alarming. It followed the path of her own hands, or her hands followed it–she wasn't sure which anymore. A gentle brush over her skin made her breath deepen.

Over her shoulders, down her back, over hips. She tilted her head upwards, focusing on the feeling of water falling on her face as she tried to ignore the way something brushed down her legs, sensual and without hesitation. Whatever her mind was doing to her, none of her previous partners had been able to do. Maybe Ino's joke about being sexually frustrated had been accurate, she thought as the touch moved back up.

Her gut clenched as it ghosted over her abdomen. She closed her eyes and let her hands trail after it, brushing over her ribs before settling on her breasts. She began to massage them slowly, running her fingers over the soft flesh gently. She leaned back against the cool wall with laboured breathing as her fingers moved, rubbing and pinching the skin and nipples.

She sunk to the floor and she slipped one of her hands down in-between her legs, gasping as her fingers brushed over her clit. She bit her lip as the feeling overtook her. Her hand rubbed over her wet core, the pressure building the more she did. The hand on her chest rolled a nipple between its fingers and her lips parted as her head fell back against the wall with a gasp.

As her thighs trembled, she slid fingers into her core. She bit her lip harder to stop her voice from coming out too loud, but she was unable to stop a low mewl from leaving her. She moved the fingers in and out, her breathing growing quicker with each move. Her hips bucked into her hand. She flicked a finger over a taut nipple, timing it with the movement of her fingers inside of her.

She moaned and increased the speed of her fingers. Before long, her other hand left her breasts and moved down to rub her clit intensely. Her breaths became gasps and her legs trembled. Her back arched and she flicked her bundle of nerves as she curled her fingers, and she came with a whine.

She leaned back against the wall as her breathing calmed down. The warm water moved over her, washing away the sweat she had worked up before she could even feel it. There was a light pressure against her lips and she blinked. She stared up at the high ceiling as she soaked up the feeling of afterglow, the warm air moving over her, and the soft and supple touch of linen on her person. A whisper to her right made her turn her head, and she was back in the shower.

Akina sighed and shook her head. A feeling of longing echoed through her, settling in the pit of her stomach and clenching around her heart. With another sigh, she stood and finished her shower quickly, rinsing out the shampoo and giving herself another quick go with the soap. Ino would have a field day if she knew how active her imagination had become. Ignoring her own thoughts and lingering feelings, she dried off and headed straight for bed, screwing her eyes shut in her best attempt to block everything out.

TBC.