Tenshi and Shiryu walked back to his apartment alone. The saints decided to split up after they had eaten because it was getting late and they wanted to go back to their places to get some rest. Certain things weren't panning out, and they decided to meet early the next morning to discuss what they were going to do about Saori. They had wasted a lot of time to rescue her mostly because they knew that they had leverage and that Ares wouldn't bring any harm to her. They knew that Saori would be fine as long as they had Tenshi, but now that they were discovering that there was more to this plot than they had first assumed. With more unfolding, the bronze saints all agreed that they should move forward with any plans on trying to rescue Saori. They weren't about to trade Tenshi for her, but they couldn't rush blindly into a battle with sanctuary when something strange was happening. Although they hadn't prepared Tenshi for battle just yet, they could always take the front of the line and if they desperately needed help, they could have her there to back them up.
Tenshi waited patiently for Shiryu to get out of the shower. She would shower in the morning, but there were some things that were bothering her. Once he emerged from the bathroom, she watched him dry off his hair in the mirror outside of the bathroom.
"Shiryu?" she began, "I know I am able to use powers to fight with but what if something goes wrong when we go to the Sanctuary? What if they capture me? I won't back down no matter what, but I'm still really scared."
"Don't worry, Tenshi. No matter what it takes, we will all get out of there just fine," he assured her.
She felt a bit better after hearing his words, but she still had her concerns. They hadn't made a move yet because they were concerned that something might go wrong, and now, with nothing different from before, they were ready to move in. She trusted them but that didn't mean that she didn't have every reason to worry. She knew that they would eventually have to rescue Saori, but as long as they knew she was safe, she wished that they could delay their actions.
"I know you have your doubts, Tenshi, but we've been in worse positions before. There was a time when the Pope had Saori shot with a golden arrow and we only had 12 hours to defeat 12 of the strongest saints in the world to save her. We have been through many struggles like that, and yet, here we stand. I would give my own life before so much as putting you in danger. If I had any doubts at all, I wouldn't be considering this."
Tenshi smiled and sighed, finally feeling secure about their mission to sanctuary. She knew that Shiryu would protect her, and she suddenly felt silly for doubting any of the bronze saints.
Tenshi felt Shiryu place his hands on her shoulders gently and she looked up at him, waiting for more calming words, but instead all she received was a smile. Tenshi wasn't sure what she should do, so she just smiled back at him and said the first thing that popped into her mind.
"Thank you, Shiryu. Thank you for saving me and for taking care of me."
"It has been more than a pleasure to have you around. Tenshi, I really care about you," Shiryu continued to look into her eyes.
Tenshi could see where this was going, but she had no idea how to react. Her mind was screaming at her, telling her what to say, but she couldn't seem to force the words out of her throat. Could it really be that difficult to tell someone that you like them and care about them? Apparently it was, because the only thing that escaped Tenshi's mouth was a bit of a squeak.
Tenshi was staring into Shiryu's eyes, not realizing that he was moving closer. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek, and although she didn't move closer to him, she didn't pull away. Shiryu took that as a good sign, and so he moved in closer. Tenshi could feel the warmth from Shiryu's lips on hers, even though they were not touching. Shiryu was about to kiss her, when he spoke softly.
"Thank you," he smiled at her.
She was about to ask him what she was being thanked for, when she was rendered speechless by his soft lips. Shiryu's kiss was soft and sweet. He moved a hand to the back of her head to hold her where he wanted her, yet did not take control of the kiss. He gave her enough lead to pull away if she wanted to, while his other hand was around her waist, holding her body close to his. Tenshi could feel herself blush a bit, because as far as she knew, that could have been her first kiss! She did feel very secure and felt as though where she was, was where she belonged. Tenshi still didn't know how to react, but she stopped trying to think and just reacted. She placed both hands on his waist and let him take full control.
Shiryu felt Tenshi move closer and he knew that she was completely comfortable and that she had no resistance.
Shiryu began kissing Tenshi more deeply, deciding to make it more official, and gently ran his tongue along her lower lip to see if she would let him intensify the kiss. She instantly allowed him access and he took it gratefully. Their kiss was long and passionate, filled with intensity and care.
After several minutes, Shiryu pulled away.
"Is something wrong?" Tenshi asked, a bit concerned.
"No, nothing. I just don't want to do anything that either of us may regret later. But thank you, again, for that amazing kiss."
Tenshi felt herself blush; now knowing why he had thanked her before. She didn't know what else to say, so she said the first thing that came to her mind.
"Thank you too. That was so amazing," she tried to think of something romantic to say, but again, nothing came.
"That was amazing, and you are amazing. I don't know who you really are or where you are from, but no matter who you were then, I really love who you are now."
"Love?" Tenshi choked out.
Tenshi really liked Shiryu, but she couldn't quite say that she loved him. She looked at Shiryu's face and realized he was a bit red in the cheeks.
"Well, I don't know if I'm in love with you, but I've never felt this way about a girl before. I've had a few girlfriends, but none of them ever made me feel like," he looked away from her face to finish his thought, "like I can accomplish anything. I have always been strong and have never had any real fears, but now I feel just so confident in my abilities. You bring out a side of me that I have never felt before."
Shiryu took a deep breath and looked back at Tenshi, who looked as though she were about to cry. Shiryu thought perhaps he had said something wrong, but then he realized that she was not upset.
"I'm so glad that I make you feel that way, and I'm glad that you said something, because I've wanted to tell you the same thing. You make me feel so comfortable and secure. Sometimes I feel like I don't fit in here at all, and then just hearing you speak makes me feel like I'm at home. I don't know if I am from the past or from here, but wherever I am from, I don't want to be there if I can't be with you."
Shiryu could do nothing but smile, and so he did. He really wanted to kiss her again, but decided that he shouldn't because he didn't want things to heat up too much, although he wished he could.
"Maybe we should get some sleep. Did you want to shower now?" he asked her.
"No, thanks. I'll shower in the morning to refresh me," she replied, still smiling and a tiny bit red in the cheeks.
Shiryu was going to sleep in the chair next to the bed, but Tenshi smiled and patted the bed.
"I think I can trust you."
Shiryu was a bit surprised by this comment, but nodded, "Of course you can. I'll be a perfect gentleman."
Tenshi slept between Shiryu and the wall, and Shiryu tried to stay as close to the edge of the bed as possible, so as not to make Tenshi feel uncomfortable. The two of them didn't really have much to say, and if they did, they weren't really sure how to word it. Tenshi tried to fall asleep, but the thrill from her wonderful kiss with Shiryu simply wouldn't allow it. Shiryu, on the other hand, was completely relaxed, and managed to fall asleep almost instantly.
While Tenshi lay there, listening to Shiryu breathing, she thought about what she had dreamed about lately. She didn't think that it was possible for her to be from the future, but at the same time, when she had mentioned the idea to the bronze saints, they didn't seem too surprised by the idea. In fact, they thought of it as a kind of solution to her strange appearance. She thought about more pieces to the dreams, but they didn't all fit together with her 'from the past' solution. If she were from feudal Japan, then why would there be video games and televisions in her dreams? Was she from the past and dreaming also of some more futuristic things, or was she from this time and for some reason adding in things that were from the past.
She wanted to fall asleep, but at the same time wanted to avoid those strange dreams as long as she possibly could. She felt herself growing so tired, her eyes stinging from needing sleep. She slowly drifted into a deep sleep. Her night wasn't really filled with much in the dream world.
Tenshi's dream mostly consisted of her being in a dark room and she was floating above herself, watching the girl below her create sparks from the tips of her fingers, flashing back to the alleyway where she was being attacked by the man, using powers to fight back, and passing out. It was mostly a repeat of her previous dreams with nothing-new happening in them.
The next morning, Shiryu awoke, feeling a bit warmer than he usually was. He realized that Tenshi had her arm draping over his waist and her body was pressed up against his. He could feel the skin of her legs against his, because she was wearing a long shirt that reached her knees but her legs were propped on top of his. Shiryu just smiled and placed his arm over her, trying not to wake her up. He just rested for about half an hour before there was a knock on the door.
"Shiryu! Tenshi!"
Shiryu recognized Ikki's voice immediately. Before Shiryu had a chance to say anything, a key turned inside the lock and Ikki walked right in, as though he lived there.
"Well, well. What were you up to last night?" Ikki asked, eyeing them oddly.
Tenshi pulled away from Shiryu quickly and rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust to the light shining in from the doorway.
"What time is it?" Shiryu asked Ikki, sitting at the edge of the bed.
"It's about nine. We're all going out for breakfast in about forty-five minutes if you two are interested, and then afterwards we are making our move," Ikki explained.
"We will get ready and meet you guys outside alright?" Shiryu said.
Ikki left the room and Shiryu stood up, lifting his arms over his head, stretching with a yawn. Tenshi pulled the shirt she was wearing down enough to make sure that nothing could be seen and then pulled the covers off of her. She crawled to the edge of the bed and stood, just a few feet away from Shiryu. She smiled at him and turned to head to the bathroom for a shower, when she felt Shiryu grab her waist and he turned her around to face him.
"Good morning," he smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her.
Tenshi quickly pulled away from the kiss and out of his arms. She looked into Shiryu's eyes and realized she'd hurt his feelings, and so she explained herself.
"Sorry, I just haven't brushed my teeth yet and kissing me would be a lot better after I am minty fresh."
Shiryu laughed and nodded, "Okay then, go get all dolled up and then we will go get breakfast with the guys."
Knowing that there was no issue to resolve, Tenshi nodded and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the shower to let it heat up for her and began to take off her shirt and panties. She laid her clothes on the sink, and placed a towel over the bar at the top of the shower. She grabbed her hairbrush and brushed her hair to put into a ponytail because she didn't want to spend time drying it, and as she put the brush down on the sink, she looked in the small mirror above the sink. It was completely covered in steam, except for two dots. The dots just so happened to be exactly where her eyes were, and Tenshi felt a chill run down her spine.
Tenshi ignored the mirror and stepped into the shower. After washing off, she wrapped the towel around her and dried off a bit. She stepped out of the shower and dried off fully, reaching for her clothes, but they weren't on the toilet seat. She looked towards the bathroom door, which was still closed and locked, but Shiryu had the key to the door, and she smirked.
"Shiryu, you little peeping tom, you had better give me my clothes back!"
Tenshi ran out of the bathroom, giggling, but the room was completely dark. She couldn't see a single thing in front of her, and didn't know where anything was.
"Okay, Shiryu, good joke. Okay, now turn on the lights and give me my clothes back."
Tenshi stumbled around in the dark, trying to find a light switch on the walls, but couldn't remember exactly the layout of the apartment and couldn't find anything. She was going to make a reach for the windows and pull the curtains up a bit to let some light in, when she tripped over something. She fell hard, expecting Shiryu to give up on his joke when he realized she'd gotten hurt, but it was almost like he wasn't there. She wasn't sure what she had tripped over, but she felt to see what it was, so she would know at least where in the room she was. She grabbed the object, and felt fur. She moved her hand a bit and felt something clammy and cool, and then something sticky and wet.
"SHIRYU! HELP ME THERE'S SOMEONE DEAD!" she ran for the door and opened it to see Shiryu, standing right outside the door.
She was screaming insanely, and Shiryu was comforting her. Her head was buried in his chest, tears falling freely from her face.
"Tenshi, I'm here, what's the matter?"
Tenshi looked up, so she could tell him what had happened, when she realized her surroundings. She was on the floor, her legs still inside the standing shower, and the rest of her body was cuddling up to Shiryu, who had no idea what had happened. At that point, Tenshi had no idea what had happened.
END OF CHAPTER THIRTEENPeggi-Okay, well first of all I would like to let you know that this chapter was exceptionally difficult for me to write because the idea of some GUY kissing MY cousin makes me a little . . . scary. Well, next chapter will open up more plot details but the action hasn't even begun yet. Also, I really don't want to "rescue" Saori but I GUESS I have to, or else SOMEONE out there SOMEWHERE would be angry. Well, hopefully you enjoyed, now review!