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NOTES
Finally, some warnings. Lemon: Het, Nii/Ririn, slightly NC. Squick, probably.
Aesthetics won out over my desire for pr0n. Sigh. I guess I just wasn't made to write lemon. At least I can post this on FFnet, yes?
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That night, the nightmares didn't even give her a chance. They set in almost immediately, surrounding her like the darkness of her bedroom. Wind whipped around her, tossing leaves and debris into a whirlpool of shadows. Trees swayed like monks praying to the Bodhisattva for deliverance.
It was a forest in a storm.
There were glimpses of faces - she spotted the dark-haired figure among them - but they were lost as she drowned in guilt and fear. And at the very bottom of the river, somewhere, hidden but growing, encased by metal and magic, a giant monster broke free of his bonds and reached up to grab her.
She woke herself up with a startled yelp.
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Why am I doing this?
Bare feet, bare walls, bare floor. Ririn took each step one at a time, unsure of whether she was really awake. Her cheeks felt hotter than the lamps that lit the corridor. Her arms hung limply at her sides.
I don't want to just dream any more.
When she reached the laboratory, she opened the door and went in.
Inside it was the usual general disarray. The lights were dim, and the rays looked silver and blue as the bounced across the metal structures. There was a new noise, thumping at regular intervals, the low sound pounding on the inside of her head. Like drums.
In the center on the room, on the table, sat the doctor. His face was hidden in shadow. At his side was the stuffed bunny, face down on the flat surface, forgotten.
"I thought you wouldn't show up," he said.
"You thought wrong," she answered quietly.
Ririn closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. Then she walked slowly to the man and stood in front of him, peering at the soft glow that reflected oddly from his glasses and hid his eyes. His smile gave nothing else away. She stared at him.
The doctor chuckled. "Scared?" He was trying to build up the suspense.
"Only a little." It wouldn't work this time.
"You might get hurt." He fumbled in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a small packaged condom - a strange, awkward gesture, for him, she thought. Then he reached out and took her arm, gently, questioningly.
"It doesn't matter," she said.
"Then lay down. You can close your eyes."
"I don't need to." Pulling herself up onto the table, Ririn was acutely aware of the pajamas she was wearing, and the flush on her face. The metal was cold against her back, and she stared at the ceiling.
"You're learning." He was facing the other way - preparing, or something. His voice was mellow and comforting. Is this really what adults do? "To get what you want, you have to make sacrifices. There's something you want, and you'll do what it takes to get it."
Whatever it takes.
His hands moved to touch her softly, pushing aside folds of fabric and flesh. He added, "Just like your mother."
She turned and looked at him with a wide-eyed stare. He paused and said nothing, and the moment hung in the air as if time had stopped. Her words tasted like ice. "I'm ready."
Beside her, the bunny doll slipped and fell off the table, landing on its back and staring at the ceiling.
"Good girl."
He slipped himself in. She held her breath.