Part II

Chapter 51

"...m-me...?"

"That's right. You're an athlete, I take it?"

"...yeah, I am. I'm a swimmer..."

"I figured. You have an incredible physique. I'm sure you must be very good."

It happened again, Kagura taken aback by that joyful sensation that had coursed through her a few moments ago, one that had been set off by simply being acknowledged and spoken to by this particular person in front of her.

...she's freakin' amazing!

Kagura had seen incredible looking women before, but this woman named Eiko was in a category all her own. The very second that she had laid eyes upon her sensei's friend, Kagura had become completely enamored with her. Her looks were absolutely astonishing to her, and this sophisticated, yet chic, aura that she exuded had taken her breath away. She had never seen such a perfect mix of elegance and style, and Kagura was beginning to feel as if she were now in the presence of some contemporary queen. "...uhh, thank you, m'am..."

"Well, aren't you polite." Eiko walked past her then, and began to remove her shoes. Her footwear was of a type that Kagura didn't know of, something between black, leather sandals and traditional high heels.

...well, whatever they are, they look really cool. And really expensive...like everything else she's got on.

After setting her shoes aside, Eiko then made her way into the living room. She dropped her bag down on the table and then marched straight into the kitchen, opening the fridge to take out some chilled lemonade. "Do you want any, Kagura?"

"...uh...yes, please?"

Eiko fetched a pair of drinking glasses from a cupboard and immediately began to fill them. "Your sensei always keeps everything in the same place, if you were wondering."

"...umm..."

"Come sit down." She handed over one of the drinks, and then sat herself at the dining table.

Kagura stood there with the glass in hand for a few moments, a bit awestruck at how casually the woman walked about in her friend's home. She was essentially just doing what she wanted, and it made Kagura feel as if she were actually standing in Eiko's apartment rather than Minamo's, or better yet, Eiko's building.

Eventually though, her feet obeyed Eiko's command, and now, she was seated across from the spectacle, her eyes still locked onto her with entrancement. It was funny to her, but Kagura found that she was becoming excited by simply just being around this woman, experiencing a brand of thrill that was totally new to her.

Eiko took a long gulp from her drink, appearing quite satisfied with it afterward. "It's so miserably hot outside. You know, I really don't like summer at all, but it must be your favorite season, right?"

The question registered so slowly in her head, Kagura mesmerized by the sharp eyes that pierced her, the dazzling sparkles of Eiko's jewelry "...oh. Oh! Yeah...I really love it, m'am! It's great weather to be swimming in, m'am."

"Don't be so formal, Kagura." The woman waved her hand dismissively. "It's a terrible habit. So, I take it you're getting ready for the high school meets?"

Kagura didn't notice the wide smile that lit her face then, as possessing the attention of this person was exhilarating. "Oh, no...I just graduated, so I'm going to college soon..."

"Well, congratulations! You're going to continue being a swimmer as well, I bet."

Her smile morphed into a larger grin, and the urge to brag took over. "Yeah, totally! I really want to compete at a high level...you know, it might sound silly, but like the Olympics or something..."

"That's not silly at all. There's not much point in living if you don't have some sort of dream." Eiko took another sip. "And when you do make it, the stupid look on the faces of everyone who doubted you is wonderful." She laughed.

Kagura found herself laughing as well, and, despite only knowing this person for a handful of minutes so far, was already well at ease with her, as if she could safely speak to her about anything now.

"Anyway, I'm sure you'll go far with your ambitions. It looks like you train very hard. I've rarely seen a woman in such amazing shape as you are." A razor smile cut across her face. "It makes you quite interesting."

Kagura melted, fumbling over with any sort of response.

Eiko chuckled. "Well, allow me to change the subject. I came here because I'm concerned about Minamo. She sounded really shaken up over the phone. So, can you tell me what's going on with her, Kagura?"

"...oh!" The drama that she was caught in abruptly returned to the forefront of her mind, and her captivation with the individual before took a back seat to her sensei's plight. "Ah...well...you see. " She looked down to her lap. "...I think it's better if Minamo tells you the whole story. It's something really personal..."

"...and you're the first one that she called to talk to about it?"

Kagura winced, the words sounding harsh in her ears. "Oh, she didn't call me. Actually, it was the other way around..." She let go a sigh. "So basically, Minamo didn't show up at school yesterday. I'm helping her coach the swim team, so I was expecting her to be there like every other morning, ya' know? But she didn't show up, and no one else had heard from her either. So, later in the day I gave her a call and...well, she sounded really crazy when she picked up..."

"What do you mean by 'crazy'?"

"Like...she was just shouting into the phone."

"Shouting what?"

...she doesn't seem surprised? "Umm...she was expecting it to be Yukari...err, Tanizaki-sensei. Um, you know her too, right?"

Eiko smirked. "Yes, of course. She's my friend as well. But, what did Minamo want with Yukari?"

"Well...at the time, I had no clue, right? She was all just like 'Yukari, is that you?', and then she just hung up. She just sounded really desperate and crazy. I've never heard her like that before, so I thought something was really wrong."

"And then you decided to come here?"

Kagura frowned. "Yeah. I sort of knew where she lived, so I drove over and found her here. Umm...she was...man, she was just sitting there on the floor and actin' really weird."

"How did you get in, then?"

"Oh! Sorry...the door was unlocked."

Eiko tilted her head with some suspicion. "What?"

"Yeah, it was unlocked. Ok, so...so, she and Yukari apparently had a fight about something in the apartment, and it really left her in a mess. I think Yukari left it unlocked when she took off, and Minamo didn't bother to lock it. Seriously, I think she was just sittin' in that same spot all night. And when I tried to talk to her, man...that was a trip. She was acting totally nuts! And she was really down, like, super dow-"

Kagura immediately ceased speaking, as Eiko had put one finger over her lips, her other hand pointing towards the bathroom door. She began to whisper. "The shower stopped, so keep your voice down. She gets paranoid when she hears others talking about her."

She lowered her voice to match the woman's tone. "Oh, sure, sure..."

"Do you know what they fought over, Kagura?"

"...well, she did tell me. She didn't want to at first, like, she really didn't want to, but eventually she did. Umm, but, I think it's something that Minamo needs to tell you herself."

"And why is that?"

"...it's just something really personal. I don't think it's right for me to tell you before she does."

Eiko scrutinized her, her eyes slightly narrowing. "Well, I've seen those two fight plenty of times before, but I don't recall a single occasion where Minamo had let it get to her. Not enough to stay home from work, in any case. They're very close friends, Kagura, even if they don't look like it."

Kagura put on a dry smile. "Yeah...well, this time was really different..."

"And this is where Minamo has to inform me of what's going on, correct?"

"Yeah. Sorry..."

"...out of curiosity, Kagura, was she acting neurotic when you found her?"

"...what's that mean?"

"Really depressed and anxious. Really tired, really emotional."

Kagura's eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah! Holy crap, she had all of that!"

Eiko mulled something over. "Was there anything else she did that was strange?"

"Umm...well, it was kinda' hard to keep track of everything. It was all a blur at the time, ya' know?"

"I'm sure it must have been a tough situation to deal with."

Kagura's shoulders slumped then, fatigue hitting her as the reality of what she had gone though yesterday suddenly caught up to her. Nice to finally talk to someone else about this. "Man, tell me about it! I'm not really good at dealing with crazy people...but I was super shocked that it was Minamo that was the crazy one for a change, right? Seriously, I didn't even recognize her when I started talkin' to her."

"...I understand. On that note: can you tell me if she did anything else that you found strange? Outside of acting overly emotional."

"...well..." Kagura furrowed her brow as she attempted to remember more details. "Let me think for a sec'. There was a lot of stuff she di-"

"Did she appear as if she were seeing things?"

She gawked at the woman in disbelief. "Whoa! Yeah! Yeah, that's what I was gonna' tell you! Man, how did you guess that?"

"Do you recall what she 'saw'?"

"Huh? Hmm...not really. Well...she did act like she was 'in' something. Then when I got near her she said I was getting 'it' everywhere, or something like that. Was totally freakin' bizarre..."

"Was it blood?"

A chill struck her. "Err...what?"

"Did she imagine she was bleeding?"

Bleeding? The heck? "Um...no, not really...? I don't know what she was seeing...but she was freakin' out real bad. And...actually...wait. There was one thing she said, that really, really got me worried..."

Eiko tilted her head. "And that is?"

"...well...I migh-"

The soft click of the bathroom door unlocking sounded like thunder in Kagura's ear, and she quickly shut herself up. She then watched Eiko take one last gulp from her drink, before the woman got up from her chair and walked past her.

Minamo hadn't immediately stepped out of the bathroom, peeking through a slight opening in the door.

"Minamo."

The teacher shivered, and then looked at her visitor with great hesitance. "...hey, Eiko. Thanks for coming. Sorry to make you wait..."

Eiko put her hands on the woman's shoulders, and then gradually walked her over to the couch. Minamo's appearance had greatly improved after a shower, but an ample amount of nervousness was still an evident part of her demeanor. "It's no problem. Come on, sit down. You look exhausted."

Kagura watched her sensei comply, Minamo now seated upon the couch.

Eiko looked down at her old friend. "Are you feeling sick?"

Minamo shook her head. "I'm fine. Just...tired..."

"You haven't been getting any sleep, have you?"

A slow nod of the head.

Eiko leaned down, her face nearing her friend's. "Tell me what's bothering you, the-"

"I've been in love with Yukari since high school. I tried to kiss her when she was sleeping the other day. She caught me doing it. Now she hates me, and she's going to go tell everyone everything about me."

Kagura was furious.

...this is bullshit. Seriously, just flat out, stinkin' bullshit...

For the last ten or so minutes, she had been quietly observing the two old friends converse with each other, the lot of them now sitting around the dining table. Minamo had relayed the truth about herself to Eiko, in addition to all of the events that had taken place over the last few days. Her friend was now fully up to date on what had gone down, of her decision to avoid Yukari, of how long she had been hiding her true sexual preferences. The whole story had come out so fluidly and effortlessly from her as well, and it was that fact which had ignited Kagura's rage.

Why the hell didn't you just call her off the bat? Why the hell did I have to go through all that shit yesterday and with Yukari? Seriously...what the frick?

She slouched in her chair, trying her absolute best to keep her bristling anger in check. The very moment that Minamo had confessed that she had been in love with Yukari all this time, Kagura's jaw had hit the floor. It had all come out so smoothly, with none of the histrionics that the woman had poured out in bucketloads yesterday, and it infuriated Kagura. All of the headaches and heartaches that she herself had experienced during the whole ordeal just seemed so pointless now, as her mentor didn't seem at all troubled to relay the truth about herself to her other guest here.

Ok, maybe she feels more comfortable telling this stuff to Eiko. Or maybe she just got it all out yesterday...but still, man, I'm freakin' pissed. You made this big stinkin' deal about not telling anyone else, and now look at what the hell you're doin'...

Kagura had never felt any sort of animosity towards her sensei before, but that streak of good will had just ended. Now, she had a gigantic problem with Minamo, and wanted to shout out her frustrations to her right away, but knew that it was better to do so when she was alone with her, on an occasion where she would be much calmer as well. For now, Kagura just kept quiet as she continued to listen to the conversation that was going on in front of her.

"...well, all of this is hitting me at once, Minamo. It's hard to believe everything that you've told me so far. I had no idea of any of it."

Minamo's eyes fell to the floor, distress peppering her face. "I'm sorry. I just...I should have talked to you guys a long time ago about all of this. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry..."

Yeah, you sure as hell should've!

Eiko shook her head with some sympathy. "Don't worry about it. I know it's a difficult issue to discuss. But, Minamo, haven't I always told you to come to me with your problems? You remember all those times when I've had to explain this to you before, don't you?"

Minamo frowned. "Yes, Eiko..."

"Then why didn't you? It's a little disheartening to find out that you didn't feel comfortable with coming to me about all this."

"...I'm really sorry."

Eiko sighed. "It's fine. Relax. I just want to make sure you know that I'm always on your side. You know I would never care about your sexual orientation or what not. That doesn't matter. However, I'm not exactly proud of you for toying around with Yukari like that. You know how she is, Minamo."

"I know. I'm sorry, Eiko."

Kagura glanced back and forth between the two women, her anger settling as a curiosity came to mind. For supposedly being close friends, Eiko and Minamo certainly didn't act like it, at least in her view. The relationship between them wasn't like any sort of friendship she had seen before: Minamo both looked and acted like a toddler being scolded, easily agreeing with or nodding to whatever Eiko said to her, who was without a doubt the parent in this setup.

...she still does look a little scared of her. Like a little mouse. Damn, this is like when my mom gets pissed at me. And I don't ever think I've seen Minamo being the one lectured to before...well, I guess I can't really blame her, with what I'm seeing here...

Eiko was about the same height as Minamo, slightly taller, but in presence, she absolutely dwarfed her friend. She had been completely controlling all of the dialogue so far, and Kagura could easily understand how someone like her could rise to the top of a large corporation. There was never any sort of hesitance in her speech, nor the slightest lack of confidence. Her words were always direct and to the point, her thoughts ridiculously precise, and it gave Kagura the impression that this woman happily and routinely gutted anyone who said something wrong or off to her.

Anyone would be nervous talkin' to this lady...

The woman in question shook her head with some annoyance then. "It's fine. In any case, don't worry about Yukari for now." She looked towards Kagura. "You said she was angry at school today?"

Kagura's attention instantly shifted towards her, not daring to waste a second of this person's time. "Oh! Yeah! Yeah...she was super pissed off at Minamo, and then me!"

Eiko glanced over at her friend. "It's probably a good thing that you didn't go to work this week, Minamo. Have you called the school yet to inform them of your absence?"

Her sensei grimaced. "...no."

"Call them now, then. Tell them you'll be out for the rest of the week. You've got a really bad fever. If it comes down to it, I can get a doctor to write something for you."

"...ok, Eiko."

Minamo quickly obeyed her friend's directions, retrieving her phone and then dialing the school.

Kagura frowned at her mentor as she began to speak into the phone. "...hey...Eiko? M'am? Umm...shouldn't we be getting her back to school as soon as possible?"

"Are you worried about your swim team?"

"...well, yeah. That's part of it...but, it doesn't feel right to have her just avoid work like that..."

"She's not avoiding work. She's avoiding Yukari."

"Yeah...that's what I was getting to. Shouldn't she be talking to her...?"

Eiko shook her head.

"...why not...?"

Minamo set the phone down on the table then, her call finished. "Ok. I told them, Eiko. They're ok with it..."

"Good." Eiko returned her attention to Kagura. "You said that you've never seen anyone get as mad as Yukari did this morning. Isn't that right?"

Kagura tilted her head, confused by the comment. She had explained her side of the story to Eiko earlier, but didn't understand why it was being brought back up now. "You mean Yukari? Yeah..."

"That's why we're going to leave her alone for the time being. She's incredibly unpredictable when her emotions begin to flare, and we don't need to cause any more scenes at the school or have her do something stupid. For all we know, she might actually be waiting for Minamo to come back, so that she can have it out with her in front of everyone."

"...come on. Yukari wouldn't do that..." Kagura stole a look at her sensei. "She wouldn't just go and spill the beans about Minamo. Not even Yukari would do somethin' like that..."

"It's nice that you would think that of her, but Minamo and I know her far better than you do. If she's as mad as you claim, then there's really no telling where her mind is at right now. So, it's best to let her cool off before confronting her. Actually..." Eiko's eyes went to her friend. "...she's probably not angry."

"Eh...wha'?" Kagura looked to Minamo, who had suddenly shrunk in her seat, and then back towards the other woman. "Uh...I told you she was goin' nuts, right? I mean, she literally was gonna' kill me in front of all those teachers!"

"People don't just get angry for anger's sake, Kagura. They get angry to hide some other feeling, and Yukari does that more than anyone. Have you known her for long?

"Oh, yeah. She was my homeroom teacher for the last two years."

Eiko nodded. "Alright. Then, I'm sure you've witnessed plenty of occasions where you've expected her to act in a predictable manner, but instead, she went ballistic."

She took a moment to digest what she had just heard. Eiko was right of course, but Kagura had never thought of Yukari's hundreds of tantrums in the way that had just been described: as some sort of cover up. "...yeah. Lots of times."

"Right. Basically, Kagura, she's not comfortable with certain emotions, so she uses anger to push them aside. She's very talented at that." Eiko rapped her fingers upon the table. "Anyway, my guess is that she's been pretty hurt by the whole ordeal. Minamo and I have seen her get furious before as well, and that was always the case."

"...ok, see, that's what I don't get here." Kagura folded her arms as she paused to consider things, laying out what she wanted to say. "...I've been wondering why Yukari is so pissed off...or hurt or whatever. Ok, yeah, she might be all freaked out or whatever from havin' some moves put on her, and, ok, from not knowing that Minamo liked her all this time. But I'm telling you...she was really, really mad. I mean, yeah, it's an awkward situation for her to be in or whatever, but, still..."

"You don't feel her reaction fits the situation at hand."

Kagura nodded, happy to have been understood. "Yeah! Exactly! What is her deal? Like, if you're right about her, then what's she all bummed about?"

Eiko set her eyes back to her friend. "I don't know. What do you think it might be, Minamo?"

The words were of a casual tone, but something else about the way Eiko had just spoken set Kagura on edge, as if the woman had issued some sort of death threat.

Man, no wonder she's some freakin' executive. She can scare the crap out of anyone without really even doin' anything...

She looked to Minamo as well, who appeared extremely distressed from the question, her skin growing pale.

...now what's up with her?

"...I don't know either."

Eiko's expression hadn't changed, but Kagura just felt that Minamo's reply had incensed her for some reason. There was a battle now silently erupting between the two old friends, the atmosphere becoming tense and thick around them, and Kagura started to become more than uncomfortable with it all.

...ugh, I wanna' get out of here. What the hell is their problem now?

"Minamo...you know, you still look pretty tired. You aren't able to think too clearly at the moment, so it's best for you to try and get some sleep again. We'll figure out how you can mend things with Yukari after that, alright?" The woman got up before her friend responded, heading into the kitchen.

"...ok, Eiko."

Kagura remained silent, having no clue as to what was going on anymore, her mentor's voice extremely bleak.

Within a few minutes, Eiko returned to the dining table. In her hand was a glass that contained a clear liquid, Kagura initially thinking it was water. When the woman handed it over to Minamo however, she caught the fragrance of something sweet emanating from it.

"Don't sip it. Just drink it."

Minamo didn't appear terribly content with what her friend wanted of her, but she didn't put up any sort of resistance either. It didn't take long for her to finish the drink, and after she had set the empty glass down on the table, Eiko helped her onto her feet. She then led her friend over to the bed, unfolded the covers, and then set her down on it.

"Just take it easy for awhile." Eiko patted her friend's head. "Everything will get worked out, so don't worry about it. Just leave it all to me."

"...ok, Eiko. Thanks a lot. I'm sorry about all of this..."

"Forget it. Just get some rest." Eiko turned around, walking over to where Kagura still sat. She took a phone from out of her bag and then whispered to her. "Step outside with me for a moment."

Despite all the anxiousness presently inside of her, caused by the heavy tension that had just filled the air, Kagura was still able to revel in this surge of elation that suddenly jolted through her. Eiko's request for her company made her giddy, and she couldn't help but obey her. "Uh...uh, sure! Sure...!" She got out of her seat, glancing at her sensei. "...but, what about Minamo...?"

There was a muffled, slurred voice that came from the bed.

Kagura paused in the middle of putting on her sandals. "...uh...is she ok?"

"No. But she'll be better in a few hours." Eiko opened the front door, and the two were soon outside in the stinging heat, the shade provided by a catwalk above them not diluting it at all. "She'll be sleeping like a rock for awhile. She can't tolerate alcohol at all."

"...err, wait..." Concern lit Kagura's face. "Are you telling me...did you just get her tanked?"

Eiko flashed a grin at her.

"...uh...that's..."

"She'll be fine. Don't worry. I didn't mix together anything that bad."

"But...she seemed to go out pretty fast...whoa, was she falling asleep already?"

Eiko nodded. "It can get to lightweights like her within a few minutes. Alcohol usually makes her act a little crazy, but since she hasn't slept in a while, it's just going to knock her out."

Kagura frowned, not enjoying the particular phrasing that Eiko had just used, and was quite perturbed by the fact that Minamo had just meekly gone along with the whole plan.

She must have known what she was drinking. Come on... is she that afraid of this lady that she'll just listen to whatever the hell she says? And, man, who the heck just does something like that to her friend...?

"You look upset."

Kagura bit her lip. "...I'm just not sure that was the right thing to do to her."

"It is. And it's not the first time I've made her do that." Eiko looked down at her phone, thumbing the screen as she began to type something on it. "She has terrible sleep problems. Getting her a little tipsy is the only way to overcome that with her. She's fine, so don't worry."

"Sleep problems? What do you mean?"

"She's the type of person who can't relax if something is bothering her. She can't stop thinking about how to fix it."

"But...she was sleeping fine all night. And this morning..."

Eiko shook her head. "She might have slept a bit, but she was probably awake the rest of the time while worrying about everything that's happened. I can tell her by her eyes that she's missed a lot of sleep, so I'm sure that's the case. She's going to need her head on straight if she's going to get through this, so this is a must."

"...it sounds like you know Minamo pretty well."

"I know her better than anyone else in the world, Kagura. Even better than she knows herself."

She was equally impressed and troubled by the claim. "...r-really?"

Eiko smiled while keeping her eyes to her phone. "That's right. And right now, I can also tell that she doesn't want to talk. It's why she lied to us."

Kagura gawked at her. "Wh-what? Lied about what?"

"Do you have to be anywhere in the next few hours, Kagura?"

...she just changes the topic whenever the hell she wants to. "...umm, not really. I have to get my car back to my mom later today. That's about it. But, what did y-"

"Perfect. So, if you have some free time, then allow me to treat you out while Minamo's asleep. We'll get something to eat." The woman looked back up at her, a warm smile on her face. "I really appreciate you coming all the way out here to take care of my friend, Kagura, so it's the least I can do for you." She stepped close to give her a pat on the shoulder. "I know of a few amazing restaurants that we can go to. Believe me, whichever one you choose, you'll be happy."

Kagura was at a loss for what to immediately say. Things just seemed to be moving so fast now, and the close proximity of this woman to her was making it strangely difficult to string her words together. "...err, you don't have to do that..."

"Yes, I do. You're coming along with me, Kagura, so that's that."

It was an order, and Kagura easily gave in to it. "Uh...uh, ok! Ok...umm...thank you..."

Eiko gave her another pat. "Excellent. We'll have some fun together. Are you into cars, Kagura?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"Sports cars?"

"...oh, yeah. They're pretty cool."

"Well, then you'll get a kick out of mine." The woman grinned, and once again set her focus to her phone. "Let's give this another few minutes, then I'll go inside and get my purse. Minamo should be fully asleep by then. I just didn't want her to know that we'd be leaving the apartment for awhile. She always thinks everyone is going to talk about her when she's not invited to something...which is, well, what we're going to do, actually."

Kagura began to feel uneasy again. "...what about her are we gonna' talk about? How to get Yukari to talk to her?"

Eiko used her free hand to fiddle around with one of her earrings. "Well, we'll discuss that, too. More importantly, though, I'd like to hear the rest of what happened over the last few days, and anything else that you can tell me about Minamo's behavior. From what she's just told me...how do I say this? Some things that I've long wondered about her have been answered quite quickly today, but now, I have a few new concerns and questions. So, you're going to help me address them, Kagura. And, since you've become quite involved in this whole thing, I think you deserve to know a little more about your sensei as well. I take it she hasn't really explained much at all to you."

"Mmm...I don't get what you're saying. What hasn't she explained?"

"About herself, her high school days, all of that."

She frowned. As intriguing as she found Eiko to be, Kagura was beginning to sense a danger about her that she didn't enjoy. "...I don't know if that's a good thing for me to hear. I think...you know, that she should tell me personal stuff herself..."

Eiko chuckled. "You're so honest. That's fascinating."

"...huh...?"

The woman shook her head, and then locked eyes with her. "I'll be blunt with you, Kagura: I won't have you, or anyone else, misunderstand or think negatively of Minamo. If you know of her circumstances, then you'll understand any actions or decisions that she's taken up to this point. Or, may take in the future. Do you understand?"

Kagura didn't comprehend a single thing that Eiko had just told her, but there was a solid authority in her voice now, and it completely crushed any sort of desire she had for clarification. All she could do was just nod absently.

Eiko smiled, her voice velvety once more. "Excellent. Now, let's go get something to eat. Do you drink, Kagura?"

"...umm...not really."

"And why not?"

"...um, I'm not old enough..."

"Oh, that's such a trivial thing to stop you. I'll buy you a round or two. You'll enjoy it. And, don't worry..."

Kagura gasped, Eiko's face and mouth now next to her ear.

"...I won't tell your parents."

The playful whisper had rendered her utterly speechless, and the feeling of the woman's warm breath against her skin paralyzed the rest of her body. In a single heart beat, Kagura had found herself completely unraveled, and now, some instinct inside of her demanded that she do anything else that Eiko wanted of her, regardless of how dangerous she seemed to be.