A/N: Welcome back as we near the conclusion to "Business or Pleasure!" Thanks for sticking around as things begin to heat up around here.

Rating: This chapter is hardcore, so please be warned. Explicit depictions of sexual intimacy to follow. As I said in the A/N to chapter 1, I think these are essential to plot and character development, but if you disagree after reading, please do let me know how you would've handled these passages yourself. I'd love to hear your take on how to write sex in the service of character!

Chapter 6: Sei

"You're real pretty, you know?"

Sei acknowledged the compliment with a casual smile before handing the woman her cocktail and striding down the bar to serve the other customers. Since starting at the Roxy Music some months ago, she'd gotten used to this kind of attention from semi-inebriated women in their mid- to late thirties, dressed in smart business suits, climbing up the career ladder, spending on an expense account, single or locked in marriages of convenience, and desperately unhappy.

At first, she'd enjoyed the flirting. Having spent her entire adolescence surrounded by the yearning looks of girls who would never follow through on their childish fantasies, who would spend years pining for her but run away in an instant if she were to ever approach them, she'd appreciated the blunt directness with which the women across the counter propositioned her. They'd been her teachers in lust, if not in love. They'd showered her in compliments and tips, waited patiently for her shift to end, and whisked her off to expensive hotel suites. She'd had fun with them, never forgetting that their lust was no more real than schoolgirls' love, and that they probably wouldn't want to look her in the face the morning after. To avoid such awkwardness, she'd made a habit of leaving—on good terms—after the deed, taking a cab home, and waking up in her own, well-ordered apartment, away from stilted conversations and ready to start the new day with a clean slate.

Sometimes, the women came again, and a few of them were regulars at the bar, but Sei's interest in them usually waned after two or three encounters. When that happened, many of them revealed another, uglier side of themselves. With nothing to offer but a comfy hotel bed and unwilling to make the slightest room in their lives for Sei, they nevertheless started taking for granted what she had only extended to them as a kindness. One woman had offered her money when she refused to continue their liaison. Another had threatened to accuse her of taking money. And so, Sei had realized she needed to stop. Now she just smiled at the women who chatted her up, flirted with them sometimes, but always kept the red line of the counter between them and herself.

Of course, none of these people knew who Sei was, that she didn't need the money or the job, that she was friends with the Roxy Music's owners, and that she was only here to… to do what? Immerse in the gay community? Get laid? Make some money that didn't belong to her parents? Plant the seeds of a future scandal? There was no easy answer to that question. Sei had never been one to plan her moves in advance, playing life like a game of chess with the enemy king always in sight. No, she trusted her gut, letting her instinct tell her whether to turn left or right, go to school today or not, risk her future and reputation on the off chance that a prospective nun might want to elope with her. She smiled at the memory. Well, no one's instincts were perfect. At least hers were never boring. One day, hindsight would tell her what her experiences had been for. Right now, the most important thing was not to think but to live.

There was only one thing that Sei didn't mess around with: her writing. She didn't care for the burden of expectation, so no one knew just how serious she was about it, but she wrote without fail every day. She took her time in the mornings, sleeping in late to recover from last night's work and starting the day with some good tea and a hearty breakfast. Then she packed her laptop, pen and paper, her music, and some other essentials and hopped on the subway. She never knew where she'd get off. Some days it was Lillian U. Other days it was some town in the suburbs she'd never heard of before. She'd stroll around the neighborhood, let her surroundings saturate her senses, and then find a place to sit—a café, a park, an unused rooftop—where she could get out her computer and work in peace. When she had money, she got something to eat late in the afternoon. When she was broke, she packed a sandwich. On a good day, she got up to four hours of writing done this way. Then she went back home, dolled herself up for the night, and headed out to the bar again.

She had no idea how long she'd keep up this routine—she knew she wouldn't work at the bar forever. But for now, she liked the structure this life provided, and she liked the luxury of meeting new people from a safe distance, of being the one to decide how close they could get. She was well aware that one day, this illusion of control would be shattered, this never-ending now would vanish, and something—or someone—would drag her out of the spectator seat and onto the stage of her own life again. For all she knew, it could happen this very night, the night of Sachiko's wedding, which Sei had refused to attend, going so far as to turn off her phone to prevent Yoko or some other meddler from testing her resolve. But events like this—weddings, funerals—were seismic in nature, and you never knew when or where an aftershock would trip you up.

As it happened, Sei's aftershock arrived a mere few hours later. When it entered the bar in the form of a wide-eyed, scared young woman, the crowd was already thinning out and Sei was in power save mode, her thoughts slow and her movements sluggish, ready to head back home and plop into bed. The woman, Sei felt quite certain, was a gay bar virgin. Her make-up was over the top, her clothes just a little too pretty, and the late hour at which she'd arrived probably meant it had taken her long to gather her resolve. Sei could just picture her sitting at home for hours, debating whether to take the plunge or not. Or maybe Sei was wrong and she'd been out and about all night, searching for the right bar, the one where she'd find Sei—Sei had mentioned her job to the woman, but hadn't told her the details. In any case, she was here now, and Sei could immediately feel that this was a version of Fukuzawa Yumi she'd never encountered before.

She had to have noticed Sei—she always noticed Sei—but for some reason, most likely embarrassment, she seemed to pretend otherwise. After taking a look around the bar, she made a beeline for the back wall and sat down at an empty table. At this point, the only people left in the place were the desperate few who still hadn't managed to pick up or get picked up by someone they fancied. Sei knew they would be all over Yumi in an instant. It was only a question of who'd be the first to work up the nerve to approach her. And there she came already, the hopeful suitor—it was the same woman who'd tried to chat up Sei a few minutes ago. Two drinks in hand, she sauntered over to Yumi's table and sat down without so much as asking for permission.

To Sei's surprise, Yumi didn't send her away. The two started chatting, with Sei keeping an eye on them as she served the remaining customers and cleaned up behind the counter. The woman kept ordering drinks which Yumi proceeded to put away with considerable speed. Sei started getting that sinking feeling in her stomach. She'd never seen Yumi drink before and couldn't imagine the girl had much experience with alcohol. Clearly, she was trying to get herself drunk enough to do something stupid, but at the rate at which she was going, she'd drink herself into a stupor first. Soon enough, the alcohol started working its magic, and Yumi turned gaily flirtatious. She laughed out loud at the woman's jokes, and Sei watched one of the woman's hands disappear beneath the table. After less than half an hour, with the bar nearly deserted now, the two got up to leave. Yumi staggered forward, unable to keep her balance, and the woman put an arm around her waist to steady her.

As the two haltingly made their way to the exit, Sei let her instincts take over. Emerging from behind the counter, she quickly circled around the room so she'd reach the door at the same time as them, but from a different direction. With just a few steps left between them, she called out Yumi's name in mock surprise. The younger girl stopped in her tracks, almost throwing her companion off balance, and gaped at Sei. Her face turned beet red. Before anyone could gather their wits, Sei closed the remaining distance and pulled Yumi into a tight embrace.

"Yumi-chan!" She held Yumi slightly away from herself without letting go of the girl's shoulders. "Fancy seeing you here!"

"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken," said the woman, standing a little off to Yumi's side. "Her name is actually Mariko."

"Mariko?" Sei laughed. "Does she seem like a Mariko to you? Those wide eyes? That sheepish look? No, she's a Yumi-chan alright—my Yumi-chan!" She emitted a feline growl, pulling the nonplussed Yumi back into her arms.

"Is that true?" the woman asked Yumi, a sour look on her face. "You didn't give me your real name?"

"I… I…" Yumi, still in Sei's embrace, turned her head to look at the woman, but was clearly too embarrassed to produce a coherent answer.

"Well, that's disappointing," the woman went on. "I thought you were a nice person."

"Not fair!" Sei objected lightheartedly, taking Yumi by the hand. "Did you tell her how many women you tried to pick up here tonight—including me, if memory serves?"

"This is stupid. I'm going home." The woman gave Yumi a questioning look. "Still want to come?"

"I'm… I…"

"I get it," The woman said. "Well, enjoy each other's company." She flicked them a wave goodbye and turned to the door.

"Thank you for your custom!" Sei called after her. "And get home safe!"

They stood silently, hand in hand, until the door closed behind the woman.

"S… Sei-sama," Yumi stammered, "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't call me that." Sei turned to Yumi with a grin. "And why are you sorry? I'm the one who cockblocked you."

Yumi turned an even brighter shade of red.

"Tell you what," Sei went on, "I'll be out of here in another ten minutes. Why don't you sit at the bar—where I can keep an eye on you—and wait until I'm done? I'll accompany you home."

"Uh… okay."

Sei could tell that Yumi wasn't thrilled by the prospect, but the younger girl didn't object as Sei led her to a barstool. Quickly finishing up behind the counter, Sei went to get her coat and bag before grabbing Yumi by the hand again. Together, they stepped out of the bar and into the fresh night air. Neither of them said anything as Sei walked Yumi through empty streets to a station from which the girl could catch a train home. They made their way down to the platform, found a bench, and sat down—it was the middle of the night, and the next train wouldn't arrive for almost half an hour. A few minutes passed quietly, in agonizing slow motion, as Sei listened to the sound of the slightest nocturnal breeze, trying not to think too much, neither of the girl whom she'd awaited at just such a station years ago, nor of the girl sitting next to her right now. In the end, it was Yumi who broke the silence.

"Sei…"

"M-hm?"

"Please don't take me home."

And here we go, Sei thought.

"Why not?"

"I… I don't want my parents to see me in this state."

"What's wrong with your state?"

Yumi didn't reply, keeping her eyes on the platform.

"You're an adult, you know that, right? You can be in whatever state you like."

"It's not that simple. I live with them. In their home."

"They told you that?"

"No, they'd never say something like that. It's me. I guess I don't want to shatter the image they have of me."

"So what's the plan?"

Again, Yumi didn't reply. She just looked up at Sei with those huge, doe-like eyes. They sat like that for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes, neither of them saying a word. At long last, Sei let out a sigh.

"Fine. Crash at my place tonight. But you're no more safe with me than with those people at the bar, you know?"

"You're the best!" Yumi gave Sei's arm a violent hug.

Despite herself, Sei laughed as she got up again, pulling Yumi with her. She ruffled the girl's hair.

"You could've said something earlier, you know? Saved us the trip to the station?"

"But I liked sitting here with you."

Caught between the too-catty "maybe I'm the one who's not safe with you" and the too-sappy "I liked sitting with you too," Sei ended up saying nothing at all. But as they retraced their steps, heading to Sei's station this time, she kept hold of Yumi's hand. A moment later, Yumi shifted her hand in Sei's grip as if to let go, and Sei felt a stinging emotion halfway between resentment and guilt. But instead of pulling away, Yumi just spread her fingers, entwining them with Sei's. The older girl's heart skipped the tiniest beat. She could sense what was starting to happen here, and there appeared an abstract, ever-so-distant thought in her head that maybe she should pull away, but even as she thought it, she knew she wouldn't do it. Not because this was meant to be—Shiori had cured her of such notions. Nor because it was a particularly good idea—probably, it was a terrible one. But Sei had never been one to reject the magic that life sent her way for fear it might turn into disaster, and she wouldn't start tonight.

"Thank you," Yumi said quietly.

"For what?"

"For not letting me go with that woman."

"I don't know." Sei shrugged. "You were making a choice. And I took that choice away from you."

"You were protecting me," Yumi objected.

"From what? Yourself? Your own decisions? That's not what I'm about."

"Why did you stop me, then?"

Sei shrugged again. "Maybe I was just being selfish."

This time, it was Yumi who laughed. "Where does it come from, I wonder?" she mused, absently gazing up at the night sky.

"Where does what come from?"

"This annoying habit of yours. Whenever you do something nice, you second-guess your own motives. Isn't it possible you just wanted to be… nice?"

"I guess I just don't think of myself as a very nice person."

"And I guess I think you're wrong." Yumi squeezed Sei's hand a little tighter.

"You're not really drunk anymore, are you?" Sei smiled at Yumi. "I should send you home."

"You could try."

"So that's how it is, eh? I don't get a say in the matter anymore?"

"No, you don't." Yumi giggled.

"So what happens now?"

"You finally return my kiss."

Yumi stopped in the middle of the road, right under a street lamp, and looked up at Sei with those magnificent eyes of hers. They held a promise Sei might have resisted, but a hope she couldn't bear to destroy. The younger girl tiptoed up while Sei leaned down to meet her halfway. She wanted to kiss Yumi tenderly, but as soon as their lips met, she felt Yumi's hands on her cheeks, pulling her into a fiery, clumsy, passionate, painful, seemingly endless kiss. Yumi was kissing her for dear life, now parting her lips, now closing them, now biting Sei's lips, now caressing them with her tongue, as if she wanted to squeeze all the kisses she'd never had into this single one. Is this kiss really mine? Sei wondered. Or is it Sachiko's? Would Yumi have dared to kiss Sachiko this way? Or was this red-hot revenge for all the shy, girly kisses she'd never been allowed to plant on her onee-sama's lips?

"Sei?" Yumi whispered.

"M-hm?"

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just…" Fuck it, Sei thought. Who knew why any of us did the things we did? Whose motives were ever pure? In the end, the only thing that mattered was the doing itself. So let's do this properly, she told herself as she leaned back in. She took Yumi's face between her hands and started placing little kisses on her lips, one after the other, pulling away again and again. Yumi looked up at her with pleading eyes, trying to suck Sei back in, but Sei retreated each time, shushing the younger girl into submission. Finally, when Yumi's eyes started to moisten with frustration, Sei pressed her lips against Yumi's in a forceful kiss, breathing through her nose as she massaged Yumi's lips with her own. Yumi responded with a deep sigh of relief. Sei inched forward with her tongue, first parting Yumi's lips and then, slowly, thrust by thrust, her teeth. By this point, Yumi had fully abandoned herself to Sei. Closing her eyes and digging her fingernails into the sleeves of Sei's coat, she let the older girl enter her. Slowly, she seemed to melt away in Sei's arms. When her grip on Sei's coat started to slacken, Sei broke their embrace. Let's see if this takes your mind off her, she thought as Yumi, bright red, struggled to catch her breath.

Yumi looked up at Sei with a smile that betrayed a mixture of awe, release, and expectation. She seemed unsure of what to do next. Then, she took Sei's hand back in hers, snuck her other arm around Sei's waist, and snuggled up to her.

"Can we go home now?" she whispered.

They had nearly reached the station, and Sei's train, completely empty, arrived just a few minutes later. They got on and sat down side by side, but as soon as the train left the platform, Yumi turned to Sei with an impish look, lifting her leg and sliding her body around until she came to rest on the older girl's lap, her face mere inches from Sei's. She put her arms around Sei's neck and started gently kissing her.

"Someone could get on, you know?" Sei said.

"Then it's their lucky night," Yumi replied as she nibbled at Sei's lips.

"And what if it's your parents?"

"Shut up."

And so Sei shut up. She embraced Yumi, trying her best to relax while the girl explored her features as if unwrapping a brand-new toy. Yumi slid her fingers through Sei's hair, sometimes stroking it, sometimes playfully tugging at it. Her lips wandered over Sei's neck, chin, cheeks, nose, forehead, finding ever new places to kiss, bite, and tickle. Her hands dove in under Sei's coat, carressing the older girl's sides and back without quite daring to stray into more adventurous territory. Sei could sense that Yumi was slowly starting to enjoy herself, easing into this new, unfamiliar game she was playing.

But Sei still couldn't give in. She felt self-conscious letting Yumi do this to her. Until now, she'd always been the one to intrude on Yumi's body, pestering her in the most outrageous ways to elicit her delightful squeals or the consternated looks of Sachiko, Yoko, and the others. But she'd only been able to act like that because it hadn't occurred to her that something might actually happen between them. The first time she'd ever thought of Yumi that way had been mere weeks before her graduation, when the younger girl had kissed her in that empty classroom, taking the initiative, just like now, taking Sei by surprise. And now Sei felt paralyzed, just like then, not knowing what she could let herself do, how far she could let herself go.

The Lillian playbook was out of the window—Yumi was no longer a pet to be teased and manhandled at will. But she couldn't just be a one-night stand either. She was a friend, a protégé, practically a sister, and Sei couldn't think of her in disposable terms. Least of all now: judging from the whole Sachiko debacle and Yumi's apparently newfound fondness for random hookups, the girl seemed on the verge of some kind of breakdown. Sei had barged into this situation in true Sato Sei fashion, rushing in where angels feared to tread, and now she'd have to take responsibility. Of course, this didn't mean that Yumi wanted anything more than a fling, a little distraction, and if things turned out that way, Sei would be a good sport about it. But even though she wouldn't let Yumi see it, deep down inside, she was aware it would hurt to be treated that way. And because the only way Sei knew how to treat others was how she wanted to be treated herself, she needed to make sure that Yumi didn't end up getting hurt.

She smiled. Hadn't she been appalled when Sa-chan had accused her of being a responsible person? And wasn't it she herself who lamented, on an almost daily basis, all the guilt-ridden, Catholic introspection Lillian had drilled into her? Shouldn't she just focus on this little bundle of joy squirming in her lap, showering her body with affection and care, doing her damnedest to coax some physical reaction out of her? It was nice to have someone be so loving with her, someone who she knew actually cared about her, someone whom she'd known and trusted for years.

"We're here." Lost in thought and Yumi's kisses, Sei had nearly missed their stop. She grabbed Yumi by the butt and got up with the girl still in her lap. Yumi gave out a surprised little yelp and stiffened her grip around Sei's neck. Once they were on the platform, Sei let the girl down, took her by the hand, and led her onto the deserted streets of the high-rise neighborhood in which Sei's parents had rented her a furnished apartment after she'd turned eighteen—an apartment none of her Lillian friends had ever seen. The gray, nondescript building was ten minutes from the station. When they arrived in front of it, Sei came to an abrupt stop.

"This is me," she said. "Last chance. Sure you want to come up?"

"That's a stupid question."

Here goes nothing, Sei thought as she held her cellphone to the sensor next to the intercom. The door unlocked with a quiet click. They walked through the sterile, hotel-like lobby, past the rows of symmetrically arranged mailboxes, and stopped in front of the polished metal elevator doors. Sei could hardly bear to look at Yumi. In a few minutes, the cute little monster would be in her apartment. And then, all bets were off.

The elevator arrived with a delicate ring. They stepped in the mirrored cabin, and for the first time, under the harsh LED light, Sei caught a glimpse of them together. It had been a long night of work and an even longer one of fussing over Yumi, and Sei looked as tired as she felt: her posture was slumped, her bag drooped lazily off her shoulder, and her hair was disheveled from Yumi's tender attentions. Yumi herself didn't fare that much better: she looked livelier than Sei, but the rookie make-up she'd applied a little too generously had turned quite flaky after all the night's action. They definitely didn't look like two Lillian girls coming home late after an evening of Yamayurikai business. They looked like two women with lives, hopes, and worries; two young women who'd had a long, harrowing day and, despite their exhaustion, were happy to have someone to come home with, someone special in whose arms they could close the book on yesterday and dream of a better tomorrow.

They arrived on the twenty-third floor, and Sei led the way down the narrow, maze-like hallways. When they reached her apartment, she whipped out her smartphone again. The door clicked open. But even now, Sei hesitated. She cast a cautious glance at Yumi. The younger girl met her gaze with a kind but determined expression.

"I know you're worried, Sei," Yumi said softly. "But please don't be. I'm here because I want to be, not because you tricked me somehow. I'm not here to hurt you or cause you any trouble. And I'm not here because I want you to replace someone else. I like you, Sei. I like you a lot. And I admire-"

Before Yumi could finish her sentence, Sei had drawn her into a passionate kiss, hoisted her onto her lap again, and carried her over the threshold. She kicked the door shut behind them and leaned Yumi against the wall. The girl was panting now, frantically grinding her crotch against Sei's abdomen, and Sei could feel herself getting wet. She let Yumi down for a moment and brushed the girl's coat off her shoulders while removing her own shoes with her feet. She knelt down, untying Yumi's shoes while the girl took off Sei's bag and coat. Then she lifted Yumi up again and, kissing her furiously, carried her straight through into the bedroom without so much as switching on a light. All concern was a thing of the past now, replaced by an exhilaration Sei couldn't have expressed in words. How many nights had she woken up in this empty, soulless apartment, woken up alone with no one by her side, paced in and out of the rooms, looked behind curtains and doors, half asleep, half dreaming, half certain there had to be someone hiding in there somewhere, someone with whom she could share the sense of absurd, indescribable grief that overcame her on nights like these? She didn't know if it was Yumi whom she'd looked for all those nights, but tonight, at least for one night, she would look no more.

She knelt on the bed and lowered Yumi down onto it, sinking with her, covering the girl's body with her own. Yumi gleamed at her in the dim light that filtered in through the bedroom windows. She grabbed Sei by the wrists and forced her sideways, onto the mattress, making her lie down and straddling her lap. Grinding Sei with her hips, she fumbled out of her blazer and blouse to reveal a lace, pastel pink bra that covered her small breasts in tiny flowers. She looked at Sei like a hungry child as she grabbed the older girl's denim shirt and started unbuttoning it.

"You're going to tear it apart," Sei whispered.

"You should've thought of that before you let me in."

Seconds later, Sei's shirt was open. But as she lay under Yumi with nothing but her black bra to conceal her chest, it was Yumi's turn to hesitate. She looked down at Sei as if asking for permission. Smiling, Sei eased herself up by the elbows, took off her shirt, and unhooked her bra with one hand, never once taking her eyes off Yumi's. She tossed the bra aside and let herself fall backwards again. For an instant, Yumi seemed stunned, looking at Sei, her face, her tummy, her shoulders, her breasts, as if she couldn't believe this was really happening. But then, the hungry child was back. Entwining her hands with Sei's, she lowered her head to the older girl's breasts. She began by kissing them, then gently licking them, and when she finally started sucking on them, Sei felt a powerful current jolt through her body. She wanted to grab Yumi's hair, but the younger girl held her down by the hands as she sucked on her breasts more fiercely. She was hurting Sei now, but Sei let it happen—she cared more about the force of the feeling than if it was pleasure or pain.

When Yumi let up a little, Sei raised her hips underneath the girl, lifting Yumi until she was up on her knees, still sucking Sei's breasts but with her cute little butt in the air. Sei placed a knee between Yumi's legs and pressed it against her groin. Catching on right away, Yumi started grinding against Sei's leg, sucking more softly now. After a while, she let go of Sei's hands, finding purchase on the bed to press herself more fully against Sei. She took her mouth off Sei's breasts, burying her forehead in the older girl's chest.

"Sei… ah…"

"Yes, baby… you're doing so well…"

Yumi started moaning loudly—she was close now, her movements were growing erratic, and Sei sensed she was about to lose her rhythm. She put one hand on Yumi's butt and, with the other, started stroking the girl's crotch through her pants. Yumi's head collapsed on the bed next to Sei's shoulder, her hips still in the air, almost motionless now as Sei rubbed her even harder.

"Aaaaaaaa… Sei!"

"Just let it happen, baby… just give it up to me..."

Yumi was screaming into the mattress now. A tremor engulfed her whole body. Sei kept stroking her as hard as she could, ignoring the pain in her fingers to keep Yumi in climax as long as possible. At last, her hand couldn't take any more. Yumi fell onto her, panting and dazed.

But Sei wasn't done just yet. As soon as Yumi had caught her breath, she slid out from under the girl, flipped her onto her back, and climbed on top of her. Still limp from exhaustion, Yumi's body offered little resistance as Sei went on to unbutton the girl's pants and pull them off. Yumi's scent hit the older girl's nostrils now, intoxicating her as she pulled off Yumi's panties as well, wet with the girl's thick, white juice. Sei tucked in her hair behind her ears, parted Yumi's legs, and brought her lips to the girl's vagina. Startled by the contact, Yumi opened her eyes.

"Sei, wait! I can't…"

"You should've thought of that before coming in here."

She locked eyes with Yumi and started moving her tongue up and down the girl's outer lips, licking up Yumi's juice, losing herself in the taste. Then she entered Yumi with her tongue, opening up that slit just a little bit further with each caress. Soon, Yumi had started panting and averted her eyes to the ceiling above.

"Look at me," Sei said.

"I can't," Yumi whispered. "I'm embarrassed."

"No. You're hot. Yumi, I swear you look so hot right now. Will you please look at me?"

Yumi smiled. "Okay," she said, pulling a pillow underneath her head so she could keep her eyes on Sei.

Sei placed her tongue on Yumi's clit and eased a finger inside of her. Yumi let out a soft cry; her eyes widened but she didn't look away. Moving her free hand under the girl's butt, Sei started squeezing it as she rubbed her finger up and down the front wall of Yumi's vagina. Then, keeping up the same, steady rhythm with both hands, she sped up her tongue on Yumi's clit. Yumi started moaning more loudly, pushing her vagina into Sei with such force that the older girl had to watch out not to hurt Yumi with her nails. When Sei inserted a second finger, Yumi couldn't take it anymore. She threw back her head, emitted a barely muffled scream, and moments later, she was gushing into Sei's mouth, with Sei lapping up all the girl had to offer.

Sei kept her lips wrapped around Yumi's clit, sucking it ever so tenderly as the younger girl calmed down. Then she slid up to Yumi, laid down next to her, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Yumi asked, her face still flushed from the exertion.

"A girl can't kiss and tell."

"I want to do it to you too."

"You will." Sei smiled, stroking Yumi's hair. "Just take a minute. Chill. Enjoy."

"You know that was my first time, right?"

"I guessed as much." Sei grinned.

"Oh no!" Yumi blushed, jerking her body away from Sei. "Did I mess up? Did I do something weird?"

Sei laughed out loud. So the goofy, excitable Yumi she knew from Lillian was still in there somewhere.

"No, silly," she said, pulling Yumi back into her embrace. "You were perfect."

"No," Yumi murmured, circling Sei's nipple with her pinkie, "you were perfect."

She nestled into Sei's arms, resting her head on the older girl's chest. A few mumbled sentences later, she was fast asleep. Sei listened to Yumi's breathing, letting the tranquil sound work its soothing magic on her. She was getting quite drowsy herself. She knew her position was awkward, and she'd probably wake up stiff all over, but she didn't dare move an inch. Sei hadn't told Yumi this, but in a sense, it was her first time as well. Her first time bringing someone to her own home. Her first time falling asleep in someone's arms. She glanced at the window, where the white light of the moon mixed with the yellow light of the city to cast a faint glow into the room, an odd glow that tonight, for the first time, didn't feel like a harsh spotlight trained on her loneliness. The glow seemed to ebb and flow, beckoning Sei down some enchanted path, receding and advancing in a slow, beguiling rhythm. Just as she fell asleep, Sei almost remembered this was the rhythm of Yumi's breath.

"Tell me what to do."

"Hm?" It took Sei a moment to grasp where she was or who was talking to her.

"Se-ei, wake up."

She looked around. It was still night. Yumi was lying next to her but had propped herself up on one elbow, and the light from the window shone around her in a vague halo, giving her a distant, unearthly look.

"It's my turn," Yumi whispered. "Tell me what to do."

Sei closed her eyes again, deciding not to fully wake up. If this was a dream, it was a pleasant one, and if it was real, she'd be much more relaxed pretending otherwise. She brought her mind back to the glow pulsing in and out of the window.

"Kiss me," she said.

Yumi's lips pressed down on hers.

"Lie down next to me."

Yumi snuggled up to Sei, continuing to kiss her softly.

"Give me your hand."

She felt Yumi's hand alight on her stomach, took it in her own, and brought it up to her mouth. She sucked on Yumi's fingers one by one. Then, slowly, she slid Yumi's wet hand down her breasts and belly before finally guiding it inside her panties. Using Yumi's hand, she started caressing herself. Once she felt wet enough, she parted her own outer lips with the girl's fingers. As soon as Yumi entered Sei's wet slit, she moaned into Sei's open mouth, pushing her tongue in through Sei's lips just as the older girl opened her legs to her. Yumi started moving her finger in and out of Sei. But she was going too quickly for Sei to be able to capture her rhythm.

"Slow down," Sei whispered. "Not yet. Not so fast."

Yumi moved even closer to Sei, wrapping her legs around one of Sei's own legs while her breasts squeezed up against the older girl's side. Sei took Yumi's finger out of her vagina and circled her clit with it. Then, she added another finger and started rubbing them up and down her clit slowly but forcefully.

"Just keep doing that," she said as she took her hand off Yumi's.

As Yumi kept on stroking Sei's clit, Sei stretched both of her arms above her head, grabbing the upper edge of the mattress. She caught Yumi's rhythm, pushing herself against the girl's fingers in sync with her strokes. She opened her mouth wide to receive Yumi's tongue. Yumi was breathing heavily, and Sei felt the girl shift her other hand, the one that wasn't busy pleasuring Sei, until it disappeared between Yumi's own legs. As Yumi started touching herself, her rhythm on Sei's clit grew more insistent, and Sei felt herself rising towards an orgasm. She held out a little longer, distracting herself so Yumi could catch up with her. When she felt Yumi getting close—her breath was growing erratic—Sei let herself go. A rapid succession of unsolicited fantasy images fired off in her mind—Sei spreading her legs for a customer on the counter of the Roxy Music—Yumi entering Sei from behind in the greenhouse at Lillian Academy—Yumi straddling Sachiko on Sachiko's bed at the Ogasawara Mansion. At last, she opened her eyes, shooting Yumi a pleading look.

"Yumi, please… please don't stop. I'm going to come… Yumi, you're going to make me come…"

Yumi's eyes glazed over at these words, and she caught Sei's mouth in a hungry kiss, rubbing Sei's clit so firmly it hurt. Sei's brain exploded in a million shades of white as she surrendered completely, grabbing Yumi's hand and pressing herself against it as hard as she could. From a great distance, as if from the other end of a long tunnel, she could hear Yumi's own cries of pleasure as the younger girl came at the same time as her.

"Sei… Sei!"

"Yumi… kiss me…"

Their lips met again, warmly this time as they eased down from the peak to which Sei had led them. They were so close to each other now, their bodies welded together in heat and sweat, with nothing that could possibly pass between them, not even air. Yumi the petite soeur, Yumi the school mascot, Yumi the younger friend had become Yumi the lover. Sei remained in the tight embrace as long as she felt comfortable, covering Yumi's face with small kisses. Then, she gently extracted herself and got out of bed.

"Where're you going?" Yumi murmured, half asleep.

"Back in a minute."

She stepped through the sparsely decorated living room, her bare feet acutely aware of the cold, laminated floors, and entered the equally impersonal bathroom. Sitting down to pee, she imagined herself alone in the apartment, as she usually was when she woke up around this hour—it helped drive home just how nice it felt to have Yumi here with her. She flushed, walked out into the open kitchen, and got a glass of cold water from the fridge. She was about to return to the bedroom when she changed her mind, heading over to the window façade overlooking the city. She wanted to dwell a while longer in this liminal state, this nowhere time and place where she was alone but not lonely, with Yumi but without her, free but safe in the knowledge that her lover was just a whisper away.

She slid open the glass door and stepped out onto the balcony, the cool night air perking up her nipples and sending a tingle down her spine. She looked out over the city, so still, each of its little lights a flickering, far-away diamond. She hated this view in daylight—it revealed the city's grayest, most industrial side—but the night had a way of making everything pretty that looked ugly during the day. She drank her whole glass of water in slow, steady gulps, went back inside, and gingerly pushed the door shut. When she reached the bedroom door, she saw that Yumi had buried herself in the pillows and pulled the covers over her, with just one little foot peeking out from under the duvet. She looked absolutely adorable. Sei couldn't deny that the whole adventure had begun in a less than auspicious way, but now, leaning in this doorframe, watching Yumi asleep in her bed, she felt like something good might come of it after all. Resisting the urge to pinch Yumi's wayward foot, she slid back into bed and spooned the girl from behind. Yumi mumbled faintly as she grasped for Sei's hand and pulled it over her body, placing it on her breast. Sei breathed in through her nose, filling herself with Yumi's warmth and entrancing scent as she slowly drifted off. Perhaps for the first time since moving to this apartment, she looked forward to the morning.