"One can never be too prepared Lara," Sam explained. Of course, this was just her excuse to bring more things on their trips that she didn't need.
"Whatever you say, Sam," Lara sighed.
Lara and Sam traveled to Egypt a few weeks prior to do archaeological research. Well, Lara did most of the research while Sam documented with her camera. The trip was fascinating, yet a bit exhausting. Sam managed to convince her girlfriend that they needed a break from all of these expeditions and that the two of them should take a small vacation-or holiday in Lara's case-to the Yufuin Onsen in Kyushu, Oita Japan. The two women took a 10-hour flight from England at four in the morning; not arriving until about two later that afternoon. As soon as they got to Yufuin, Lara wanted to relax and settle down in their room. Perhaps read some history or archaeology books, or try out the baths. But Sam ended up dragging Lara to go shopping. Lara can easily say 'no' to almost anyone. Although when it came to Sam, however, that was a completely different story.
"Hey Lara, why don't we check out the baths now?" Sam chirped.
"I don't know," Lara replied. "We just got back from all that shopping. I think I'm just going to relax in the room tonight."
"Aw, c'mon sweetie! The whole point of going to an Onsen is the baths!"
"Now you want to go to the baths?" Lara sighed. "I don't know Sam… it's pretty late."
Sam chuckled, a smug look appearing on her delicate face.
"I have an idea." Sam took both of Lara's hands in hers, gently dragging her towards the door. "No one will be able to bother us," she added with a wink. Lara blushed, making a small gulping sound.
"Sam…"
"Please, baby? I promise we'll do whatever you want tomorrow," Sam begged.
As usual, Lara ended up giving into Sam. The two women entered the front of the inn, spotting the lady at the front desk. From the looks of it, the baths were still available to use. Sam walked up to the front desk, politely requesting that she and Lara would like to use the bath. Lara was a little rusty on her Japanese, but she could still understand most of the conversation. Also, Lara thought it was always nice hearing Sam speak Japanese. She had this lovely blend of an American and Japanese accent whenever she would speak the language, making the archaeologist melt just a bit. Of course, she could never mention that to Sam since it would just be too embarrassing. The receptionist, and potentially the owner of the Onsen, handed Sam the keys for their locker, telling her 'thank you' and to have a pleasant night. Lara and Sam made their way over to the doorway with a red curtain down. It had the kanji for 'women' in the center.
"It's a good thing we're both girls," Sam commented with a smirk.
"Really, Sam…?" Lara sighed.
"I'm sorry sweetie, but I just gotta mess with you," Sam giggled.
Sam opened the locker and began to strip off her clothes, Lara soon followed. They then grabbed a towel and went to wash up before getting in the bath. As Sam and Lara began to clean themselves, Lara couldn't help but look over at Sam as the water cascaded over her skin whilst she sat on the stool under the shower. Lara quickly turned away as she saw Sam turning towards her.
"Sweetie, I'm not stupid. I know you were staring at me," Sam said with a smirk.
"I'm sorry," Lara apologized with a blush and a slight frown.
"There's no need to be sorry, babe. Besides, it's not like you haven't seen me naked before. You know we've taken plenty of showers and baths together… Plus, you know."
"I know, it's just… We're in a public bath," Lara whispered .
"Yeah, but that just makes it more scandalous and sexy!" Lara gave Sam a puzzling look.
"And speaking of sexy…" Sam gave her girlfriend a seductive smile, making her way over towards Lara, straddling her lap.
"Have I ever mentioned how sexy you are? And how your muscles and battle scars just contribute to that?"
"All the time Sam," Lara stated as she continued to blush. She usually felt self-conscious about her scars from Yamatai. Not only that but whenever she saw them, they brought on painful memories from those traumatic events. Although whenever Sam mentioned how 'badass' or 'sexy' they were, it made Lara feel like they were worth it. Well, they may have already been worth it because Lara needed to obtain those scars in order to save the woman she loved. She would go through Yamatai over and over again if she had to.
Sam began to caress Lara's bicep along with her scars. Lara failed to fight her urge and wrapped her arms around Sam's waist, pulling her closer. Sam then started to pepper kisses along Lara's neck.
"Bloody hell, Sam…" Lara breathed, releasing a small squeak. The archaeologist returned the favor by giving her girlfriend a passionate kiss, causing a quiet moan to escape as she cupped Lara's cheeks. The kissing continued to be passionate but got slightly more intense as Sam gently licked Lara's bottom lip. Lara slightly opened her mouth, allowing her girlfriend to explore it. Eventually, the two reluctantly pulled away from each other to catch their breath. When Lara was ready, she made her way to Sam's breasts, placing gentle kisses on them.
"Lara…" Sam quietly moaned. She pulled her significant other closer, wrapping her slender arms around Lara. The taller woman soon made her way to Sam's neck, all the way up to her cheek.
"We should probably finish cleaning," said Lara reluctantly. She didn't want to stop, but they needed to get into the bath at some point.
"Y-Yeah, you're right," Sam sighed. She was even more hesitant to stop, but when she remembered how amazing the bath was going to be, Sam quickly finished her shower.
When the women were done, they placed the shower accessories back the way they found them. As they made their way to the baths, Lara put her hair in a bun to avoid her hair from touching the water. As soon as they took off their towels and got in the bath, they were in complete bliss as the steaming water soaked their bodies. It caused their muscles to immediately relax and their worries to melt away.
"Oh God, this feels so nice," Sam sighed in contentment as she leaned against her girlfriend.
"It does," Lara agreed as she wrapped her arms around Sam.
"Can we stay more than just a few days?" Sam begged. "I don't think I'll be able to leave then."
Lara stifled a small laugh. "Love, you know we can't stay longer than that. We've got more archaeology bases to cover."
"I know, It's just…"
"Don't worry, we can always come back. And we can stay longer next time," the survivor assured.
"You always know what to say," Sam commented.
"When it comes to you, I do." Lara tightened her embrace around Sam, placing a soft kiss on her ear. The energetic girl turned around, wrapping her arms around Lara's neck. She then gave a kiss on the brunette's lips, who gladly returned it.
"I love you, Lara," Sam whispered into Lara's ear, sending a warm chill up her spine.
"I love you too, Sam," Lara replied, sounding fulfilled.
Sam continued to look into Lara's eyes as she gently pushed a strand of hair behind her girlfriend's ear. The two briefly touched foreheads before Sam went back to lean against Lara. Then, the Japanese woman spoke up. "Hey, Lara."
"Yeah?"
"Do you think that we would have ended up together even if Yamatai didn't happen?" Lara raised her eyebrow in confusion as she rested her chin on Sam's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist.
"What brought this on all of a sudden?" Lara questioned, her eyebrow raised in confusion.
"I don't know… It's been a question that's been weighing on my mind for a while, but I was always too afraid to ask," the slender woman confessed.
"Hmm, we probably would have," Lara replied. "I most likely would have fallen for your goofy and adorable charm sooner or later. Not to mention, you're someone very dear to me." Lara tightened her hold on Sam, placing a tender kiss on her shoulder.
"To be honest, I think I've always been in love with you, Lara," Sam admitted. "Although, it did take a lot of stupid flings and a cursed island to figure it out, but whatever," Sam sighed.
"Oh God, I remember I used to get so jealous whenever you'd have one of those blokes over. Oh course, I never understood why until now," Lara said, also making quite the confession.
"Whaaat!? I never thought that you'd be the jealous type! Especially when it comes to me!" Sam's jaw was practically torn off.
"I'm...Sorry?"
"Well, you know what? I have a little confession to make as well," the pale woman whispered in a playful manner, "I actually got a little jealous when you and Alistar were 'hanging out.'"
"Really, Sam? 'hanging out?' Alistar and I were nothing more than friends. It's not my fault you saw it in a romantic way," said Lara. "And probably in a sexual way as well, because this is you we're talking about," Lara added.
"Lara, sweetie, it was totally obvious that he was into you! You could just tell by the way he looked at you!" Lara blushed at Sam's accusation.
"...Alright, you may be right about that. But I only saw him as a good friend," Lara replied defensively.
"Yeah, sure." Sam responded sarcastically. She took Lara's hands, kissing her fingertips. Lara rolled her eyes at Sam's response, but then looked up when she noticed Sam looking above. She saw a star shoot through the sky.
"Lara! Did you see the shooting star?" Sam's voice turned very childlike, along with her eyes. They widened with excitement and had a certain glow to them.
"Yes, I saw it. Did you make a wish?"
"Maaaaybe. But I'm afraid I can't tell you what it is," Sam replied.
"Of course not, then it won't come true," Lara grinned.
"That's right," Sam giggled as she poked Lara's nose, placing a small peck on it.
"Besides, I already have a feeling of what it is anyway," The athlete smirked.
"Oh, do you now?" Sam asked, playing along.
"Yeah, it's probably an unlimited supply of video cameras or to have all of the latest fashions from around the world. Or perhaps even more sex toys?"
"Haha, nice try, Lara. But you're not even close. Although, I mean… I guess It'd be pretty rad to have those other things…" The women let out soft laughs as they continued to hold each other in the bath.
The next morning, the two lovers were snuggled up together wearing their light blue yukatas given by the Onsen. For once, Sam ends up waking up first. She rested her cheek on her hand as her elbow stood on the futon. She looked down at her girlfriend, who was letting out quiet little snores.
"You're so cute Lara," Sam whispered. She placed a gentle kiss on Lara's temple, causing Lara to stir. Sam froze, fearing that she accidentally had woken Lara. When she saw that Lara was still sound asleep, she slowly got up from the futon. Sam decided to make herself some green tea and sit outside so she could admire the Onsen's view. She felt so relaxed and at peace when she did so. Warm tea and being surrounded by nature was a great combination. Soon afterwards, Lara awoke and decided to join her girlfriend.
"Wow, I'm surprised you're actually up before me," Lara teased.
"You never know, baby, I'm always full of surprises," Sam said with a wink. Lara could only chuckle at the comment because of how much she had to agree.
"Oh yes, I know you are Sam. Only too well actually."
"Soooo anyways," Sam began. "What would you like to do today? It's your pick, remember I promised?" Lara felt her cheeks redden as she began to blush.
"Well… All I really wanted to do today was go to the bath," Lara whispered.
"That sounds like an excellent plan," Sam winked.
"I-I'm going to make some tea," Lara nervously excused herself. When she returned to Sam, she felt even warmer not only from the drink, but from her girlfriend as well.