All of the excitement from the King's Game had long since died down, and all of the girls had managed to get to sleep, some entwined in one another's arms; some alone. The silence of the room was uninterrupted, aside from their breathing and the occasional word mumbled in their sleep. It was probably the quietest any room shared between any members of the Amusement Club had ever been, and yet all the same; Chinatsu wasn't any closer to falling asleep.
"Please...don't leave…" Chinatsu jerked upright at the sound of her best friend's voice, glancing over at her sleeping form. Earlier, Akari had been overflowing with confidence, and she'd seemed so bright; but now that she was asleep she looked so small, and she was tossing and turning as if she were in the middle of a nightmare.
"Akari-chan…" The pinkette considered it for a moment before moving closer to Akari, carefully moving so she was cradling Akari's head on her lap as she started to stroke her hair in an attempt to calm her down. To at least a certain degree, it seemed to work. Akari seemed to stop tossing and turning as frequently, and the tension within her body seemed to relax ever so slightly. For a minute, she couldn't help but smile as she looked down at the redhead's peaceful face, but all too soon she felt that same sickening feeling from earlier and the smile faded.
"I really am sorry…." Back when Chinatsu had turned down Akari's confession, she didn't find it necessary to correct Akari's assumption that she was still in love with Yui. Chinatsu had already come to terms with the fact that what she felt for Yui wasn't love during her second year of middle school, and had moved on by the beginning of her third year.
She had been in several relationships since then, but none of them were ever serious. She just didn't have anyone that she loved, so whatever relationships she found herself in were either to satisfy her curiosity or her desire. As much as she wish that she could return Akari's feelings, she didn't see her as anything more than just a friend.
Gradually, the silence of the room overtook everything else once again. Akari didn't cry out again, and Chinatsu was content to just remain like that, maybe even forever. Comforting Akari like she used to, back before everything had changed. Akari had said that Chinatsu could pretend it never happened, and they just could go back to the way things were before, but both girls had known better.
Akari's smiles became strained after that day. At first, Chinatsu was the only one who noticed. None of the others suspected anything was off, and any time Akari would start to zone out, she'd drive away any suspicions with the same smile as always; but Chinatsu had been able to tell that it wasn't the same instantly. She could tell that beneath it, Akari was in pain; but whenever she tried to bring it up, Akari would always insist that there was nothing wrong, and that Chinatsu had nothing to worry about.
That was easily the worst part. Knowing that despite the pain Akari was experiencing, she was still putting Chinatsu's feelings first. I guess that's what it means to really be in love.
It feels like hours passed as Chinatsu continued to stroke the sleeping redhead's hair, but truthfully, it had probably only been about fifteen minutes before her hand finally came to a stop; memories that she would rather not think about overwhelming her thoughts. "You've always gone along with whatever stupid thing I wanted to do...even when you didn't want to."
Back when they were in middle school, Chinatsu didn't give much thought to the fact that when it came down to it, Akari couldn't really refuse Chinatsu anything. If the pinkette wanted something from her best friend, she could easily overwhelm her and force her into it. Just like she did when she stole Akari's first kiss with the excuse of practicing. She didn't give it much thought back then, but now it bothered her. It made her feel vile to think about the fact that she could force Akari into doing pretty much whatever she wanted, regardless of the fact that she had no intention of doing anything like that ever again.
"Chinatsu-chan...I love you…" The pinkette's thoughts were interrupted by soft mumbling from Akari as she shifted uncomfortably in her sleep, and Chinatsu froze as she glanced down to realize that Akari was crying. She hadn't even realized it was possible to cry while sleeping until just then.
"It really isn't fair Akari ended up falling in love with me." Chinatsu wiped away Akari's tears as she resumed stroking her hair, hoping to help the redhead relax, even as a bitter smile touched Chinatsu's lips. "She deserves so much better." At the very least, Akari deserved to have fallen in love with someone who could return her feelings. After all, she was always so kind and caring; and she was always doing everything she could to support everyone else. When it came down to it, Chinatsu wasn't sure if she could ever recall a time when Akari had put her own feelings first.
"But I suppose it can't really be helped. That's just the type of person she is." Chinatsu found her thoughts wandering back to the conclusion of the King's Game as the tension in Akari's body slowly seemed to relax.
The room seemed to fall silent as all nine of the girls watched the bottle slowly come to a stop, landing on the girl sat directly to the right of the King, Chinatsu. As if predicting what Chinatsu was about to say, Kyoko's eyes were shining as she spoke up first, not the least bit embarrassed to have her bunny print bra on display. "The King's orders…"
"...are absolute." Akari finished as she closed the distance between them, no sign of the usual embarrassment or hesitation she'd have in a situation like this if she were sober, pressing her chest against Chinatsu's as one of her hands came to rest on the small of the pinkette's back; as if to ensure she couldn't run away.
"Akari-chan?! W-wait!" Normally, even if Akari used every ounce of her strength, Chinatsu would've easily been able to slip out of her grasp; but something was different tonight. Physically, everything was the same as usual, but with that unfamiliar expression of Akari's inches away from her own face; she felt like a deer in headlights.
"Naughty little kittens who disobey the King…" Chinatsu shuddered as Akari pressed against her, Akari's breath brushing against Chinatsu's neck as she spoke in barely more than a whisper, directly into her ear. "...need to be punished." Chinatsu was all too aware of the fact that Akari still wasn't wearing a shirt, the black and red lace of her bra doing little to hide her breasts when they were pressed against one another like this.
The other seven girls were all uncharacteristically quiet, with even the always at maximum volume Kyoko shocked into silence by the normally passive Akari's display of aggression.
"Now stay still…" Akari pulled back ever so slightly, her gaze locked with Chinatsu's as she spoke again, the unfamiliar demanding tone to her voice keeping Chinatsu frozen in place. "...my lovely little kitten…" She wanted to turn away, but that unfamiliar predatory gaze in those all-to-familiar violet eyes kept her rooted firmly in place; and before she had a chance, she felt something warm against her lips.
Chinatsu felt her body tremble with desire as Akari forced their lips apart, Akari's tongue eagerly slipping into Chinatsu's mouth and twining itself around her partner's tongue. Just as Chinatsu was starting to wonder how she was still standing upright, Akari seemed to answer her by putting more strength into the hand on her back, reminding the pinkette that she was supporting her.
Ah. I'm returning the kiss. At some point, she'd crossed the line from passive recipient to submissive participant, despite trying so desperately not to. She was fairly certain Akari wouldn't remember this in the morning, but on the off chance she did; she didn't want to give her the wrong idea. Even if she couldn't resist her physical desire, it still didn't change her feelings.
"Haa...haa..." After what felt like an opportunity, Akari finally pulled back, and a breathless Chinatsu slumped forward into Akari's arms; the redhead cradling the pinkette against her chest with surprising composure, that uncharacteristically confident smile now matched with a look of satisfaction as she gazed down at Chinatsu.
"Whoa…" Kyoko's eyes were sparkling, with an expression that made it clear she wanted to watch more.
"I feel like we just watched something we weren't supposed to…" Yui muttered as she averted her eyes from the pair, her face flushed bright red.
Ayano didn't comment on it one way or another, too busy trying to deal with Chitose and Chizuru; Chitose had started fantasizing halfway through the kiss, and after Ayano just barely caught her when she collapsed, Chizuru had been set off too.
"I don't know what's more surprising. That Akari's the dominant one…" Himawari started, a look of awe clear on her face.
"...or that Chinatsu's the submissive one." Sakurako finished, her eyes sparkling in a way similar to Kyoko's. "Wait, are they even…?"
"N-no!" Chinatsu finally seemed to realize that not only had all of their friends been watching that kiss; but that Akari still wasn't wearing a shirt, which meant she was cradling Chinatsu against her bra, while all of their friends looked on. "I just got caught up in the game!" It was hard to tell whose face was a brighter shade of red at this point; Chinatsu's from the embarrassment, or Akari's from the alcohol.
Chinatsu had spent the next hour trying to make sure everyone understand that they weren't together, and by the time she finally got the point across, Akari had already fallen asleep. She was always the first to bed whenever they had one of these gatherings, so it was no surprise that she'd be the first when she was the only one of them who had really gotten drunk.
"But…" Chinatsu glanced back down at the peaceful face of her best friend as the thoughts of the King's Game surfaced in her mind, unsure of something. She had always been the dominant one in all of the relationships she'd been in so far. It fit her personality better, and out of all of the partners she had in the past, she had always desired to be the one in charge.
Yet she had so naturally entrusted herself to Akari during the finale of the game, and it had felt so much better than anything she had ever done before. In the past, realizing she desired someone that badly would be enough for her to start a relationship with them, but it was different with Akari. Akari was important to her, and it was precisely because Akari was so important to her that she couldn't take advantage of her feelings to satisfy her own desires.
"Akari would probably be okay with it...but I would always feel like I was taking advantage of her...so I'll just have to deal with it." Even after returning to her own futon, Chinatsu still couldn't get to sleep. Whenever it felt like she was finally drifting off to sleep, she'd see that image flash in her mind again; that predatory gaze Akari had worn during the game's finale, and suddenly she would be wide awake.
She didn't get much sleep that night.
Akari leaned back against the door of her house with an exasperated sigh. The house was so quiet in comparison to the club room, even when everyone was there; but Akari had practically been living alone for the past six months now.
Her sister had started studying abroad, and both of her parents had gotten new jobs. On the days they did come home, it wasn't until so late that Akari was already asleep; and it wasn't uncommon for three or four days to pass without them returning home at all.
"Why did I lie...?" She spoke out loud, as if the house could provide her with an answer, but just as expected; she didn't get an answer. When she woke up, she was surprised she didn't have a hangover, because she could remember just how quickly she had gotten drunk; and she could also vividly remember every embarrassing thing she had done during the King's Game, but when Chinatsu had asked her if she remembered it, Akari claimed that she didn't.
She felt her face flush bright red as she slid down the door, burying her face in her knees as she thought back to the night before. "I can't believe I said that."
It was bad enough she had to take off her top when she had been wearing the black and red lace underwear she bought out of curiosity, but knowing that she had done something so embarrassing as to actually call everyone a lovely kitten…!
"I've never even told Onee-chan about that dream because of how embarrassing it is but I actually went and said it in real life…!" Akari was pretty sure that if she were anymore embarrassed, steam would start shooting out of her ears.
"And that's not even touching up on the finale…" She raised her head from her knees to lean against the door, staring up at the roof in silence. "...what was that?" She hadn't ever acted like that before, and she could never have imagined being so demanding would feel so satisfying. That helpless look on Chinatsu's face...just thinking about it made an unfamiliar feeling stir somewhere inside of Akari.
But it wasn't an unpleasant feeling.
"And the kiss…" She didn't want to think about that. It had made things all too clear to Akari. There hadn't been a hint of emotion to the kiss; just empty desire. Oddly enough, the realization that Chinatsu really didn't see her as anything more than a friend didn't hurt nearly as bad as she thought it would. After all, she already knew that much.
"Ah..." I see. "The reason these past four months hurt so badly was because I believed at least some small part of her had feelings for me. I was afraid to learn exactly this...but having actually learnt it..." It actually helped her relax. She felt a lot better than she had in a long while.
"Still though...I wonder what that feeling was…" Akari thought back to that helpless look on Chinatsu's face and felt her body quiver as she reached a certain conclusion. She pulled her cellphone out of her bag as she stood up and walked into the living room, scrolling through her contacts before making the call.
"Hey, Chinatsu-chan, are you free right now? If you are, can you come over?" Akari's voice was brighter than it had been in a long time, and Chinatsu was quick to agree, the same confident smile from the night before spreading across the redhead's face. "There's something I wanna talk about."
"Here you are." Akari placed the tea on the table as she stepped back into her room where Chinatsu was waiting, taking a seat opposite of the pinkette.
"Thank you." Chinatsu took a drink from the glass provided, letting out a relaxed sigh. "It's delicious as always."
"But still nothing special compared to yours. You are the one who taught me how to make tea in the first place, after all." Considering how much time they spent in the tea club's room, it was a wonder that Yui and Kyoko had never displayed an interest in making tea.
"You're being too hard on yourself, Akari-chan. You've worked hard, so you should let your results speak for themselves." Chinatsu took another, longer drink, before placing the glass back on the table to look up at Akari. "But you said you had something you wanted to talk about, right?"
"Right." Akari suddenly seemed a bit nervous as she returned her own glass to the table. "This morning I...kinda lied when I said I didn't remember the events of the King's Game."
"Ah…" Chinatsu stiffened as she turned away from Akari, suddenly find it hard to meet her gaze. "Umm...exactly how much do you remember?"
"I remember everything." Chinatsu flinched as she turned back to see Akari leaning over her with a familiar look in her eyes; shrinking back from the suddenly imposing figure of her best friend.
"A-Akari-chan, w-wait." She barely managed to get the words out in time, Akari's uncharacteristically overwhelming presence nearly sweeping Chinatsu along at her pace. "I still ca-mmph?!" The tension in Chinatsu's body relaxed as what little will to resist she could muster started to falter, that overwhelming sense of weakness completely overtaking her as Akari silenced her with a kiss.
"Haa…" As Akari pulled back, some of the haze clouding Chinatsu cleared, but Akari spoke before she had a chance to. "I know. You don't love me, and because of that you can't return my feelings. But that's fine." Akari quickly retook the distance she'd only just provided, her voice little more than a whisper as she spoke directly into the pinkette's ear. "I just really want to see that helpless look on your face again." Chinatsu shuddered as she felt Akari's breath wash over her ear and down to her neck.
"I…" Chinatsu's voice was weak, her head spinning as she desperately tried to keep a hold of her senses. She so desperately wanted to go along with this. She wanted Akari to have her way with her more than anything else in the world, but...surely this was wrong. "...we can't. It wouldn't be fair to you."
"Chinatsu-chan…" Akari did stop, but she didn't pull back completely; and as long as that predatory gaze was so clearly present in Akari's eyes, Chinatsu couldn't possibly muster the strength to push her off. Or more accurately, she couldn't possibly defy her. "If you really don't want this, I won't force you; but I told you, I remember everything."
"I could feel your desire in our kiss. You want me to have my way with you, to dominate you…" As she spoke, Akari accented each word with a kiss against Chinatsu's neck, each kiss lasting longer than the last. "...and I want nothing more than to do just that. We don't need to go on dates, we don't need to act all lovey dovey, and we don't need to tell anyone else. We can have a different type of relationship. A purely physical relationship."
"I…" It was so hard to think straight. She couldn't focus at all. "A-Akari-chan…I..."
"Ah, I'd nearly forgotten." Akari pulled back and Chinatsu felt her body quiver with desire under the weight of that gaze so filled with lust. "Since we're going to be in such a special relationship, you will address me as Akari-sama when we're alone."
Chinatsu's last doubts and will to resist shattered with Akari's commanding tone, and she replied in a lust-laden tone, voicing her submission with her agreement. "Y-yes, Akari-sama..." She voiced her true desires, an overwhelming heat consuming her body. "Please have your way with me...dominate me..."
"With pleasure." Chinatsu was pretty sure that they'd crossed a line as Akari drew in for another kiss, but that concern only lasted for a second before Akari's tongue invaded her mouth for the second time in as many days; and this time she eagerly met it with her own.
A/N - The first two chapters focused pretty much solely on Chinatsu and Akari, but starting from the third chapter onwards, the story will start to spend just as much time focusing on the supporting characters, too.