Kaname Chidori believed in women's intuition—when women expected things with an unexplainable yet astute sense of conviction— but never in her life did she ever expect to witness Sousuke Sagara seemingly asleep inside a bathtub full of bubbly foam.
She slowly lowered her bat, her gaze never leaving the sleeping soldier. His head was resting on the small depression at the head of the tub, his face titled to the right towards her. She noticed his torn, brown fatigues neatly folded over the hamper across the sink. She became afraid to check whether that shade of brown was the result of dried blood. For the love of God, Sousuke. How long has he been here? Why didn't he call me before coming back?
From missing him to having nearly cracked open his skull by accident, she felt the need to spend a minute or so staring at him to calm her erratic heartbeat. He must have been so exhausted.
Soon enough, the corners of Kaname's mouth went skyward. Well, the good thing is he's back and in my bathtub.
She set her bat down gently on the bathroom rug. Moving closer to the hamper, she removed her bra and underwear and set them neatly above her soldier's clothes. She tied her hair in a bun. Completely naked, she climbed inside the bathtub slowly, slipping her foot into the lukewarm water carefully so as not to startle him awake. She felt around for space, and when she couldn't find any, she dipped her arms, moved his legs, and made room for herself.
Surprisingly, he didn't jerk awake like she expected him to. For all he knew, she could be the unwanted intruder.
Small bubbles popped upon contact with her skin as she settled inside the tub. Her hands were on his ankles and her knees were pressed to her breasts. She licked her lips in anticipation. The water felt nice, but the feel of his body made her feel safe again.
"Sousuke," she whispered, her thumbs pressing more firmly on his skin. No reaction.
"Sousuke," she repeated, relaxing her body more, moving her hands to press his firm calves. His powerful legs. She felt the blush spread all over body, and it wasn't just the heat of the water anymore.
He groaned, and she felt his body twitch. She wasn't sure if he knew it was her. He could very well come at her from his position and snap her neck before he realized it was her. His unresponsiveness could be part of his plan.
"Chidori," he said her name quietly as if her name merely escaped from his mouth. He was coming to, but his eyes were still closed. If she hadn't been staring at him so intently, she would have missed the short-lived crease of his brow.
You knew it was me all along. "Welcome back, soldier."
She wondered if he could feel her thumbs tracing small circles near his knees. She smiled the smile that a woman shows when a great weight has been lifted from her chest. She felt incredibly blessed to have him come back to her, and he seemed to be in one piece. She moved her hands to touch his toes. One, two, three...ten toes. Good. She almost laughed at herself.
Without warning, in the middle of her reverie, his arm peeked out of the water towards hers. She felt his wet fingers gently slip around her arm. He slowly pulled her against him, having opened his eyes against heavy eyelids.
Her back was pressed against his chest. She felt several of his scars. She drew comfort from that.
His hot breath created a blazing trail from her ear to her shoulder. "Kaname," he said breathily as if intoxicated, chanting, as if her first name was the only word that mattered in his religion. His hands caressed her thighs, moving upwards until they settled just below her breasts. From there, his forearms drew her even closer to him. She felt his hardness—she gasped and reddened even more—but he didn't feed the growing fire. His chin settled on her shoulder, and she knew in some way, he was still asleep. She laid her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes. They remained like that for a while.
"I'm sorry, Kaname," he started, causing her eyes to flutter open. The white of the ceiling was blinding. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I was going to call you after I disembarked from Dé Danaan, but I wanted to...surprise you. I wasn't exactly sure how. I arrived here around 20:00 hours. I fell asleep here where you found me." His fingers moved against her torso. He knew she was ticklish there.
She sighed happily. "There's nothing to be sorry about, you idiot," She turned her face a little towards his. "I had a week to myself before Melissa came and stayed for a few days. We had a great time. Then Kurz came and, well, I think I had to clean up a month's supply of beer cans between the two of them." She moved her face closer to his. Through his bangs, his eyes were closed. "I'm just glad you came back to me alive, Sousuke." she said, even if he didn't catch it.
She could only look at his eyelashes as he opened his eyes. Even his damn eyelashes. Before she knew it, their mouths were pressed together in one of the softest kisses they've shared in weeks.
His lips eventually fell down to her chin when he had to breathe. He kissed her there. "I'll always come back to you, Kaname. I intend to keep that promise. You have this soldier's word."
Her eyes burned with fresh tears as she twisted her body around to embrace him. The soapy water around them sloshed over the edge of the bathtub, drenching the carpet. He held on to her tightly as she cried. He didn't have to tell her that he thought of her every minute of every day whether or not he was in the middle of struggling with the Lambda Driver or writing a report. The idea that she could be left alone without him in the event that he was unable to come back caused him great inner and physical anguish. She had inexplicably become such a big, essential part of him.
Sousuke Sagara firmly believed, and he knew this for a fact, that no one in the world was capable enough to protect and make Kaname Chidori happy save for him.
No one else.
"I missed you so much."
"I missed you, too."
"I slept with a stupid stun gun under my pillow for two weeks because of you."
"You didn't have to worry, Kaname," She braced herself by tightening her hold around his broad shoulder. "Before I left, I installed four hidden sentry guns in this apartment while you were out. There's one in our bedroom, the kitchen, the living room, and here in this bathroom, naturally. I took it upon myself to attach the guns to a computer system at a spot below the couch to shield it from any stray gunfire. By doing all that, I was able to manipulate the guns' target selection. I simply programmed the sensor and facial recognition systems to tell you apart from other moving bodies so as not kill you. Of course, I had to configure it first to detect signs of struggle, identify hostile behaviour, and analyze physiological factors such as heart rate and pupillary response. You were perfectly safe while I was gone."
If they were still in high school, she would already have whipped her fan out and smacked him dramatically on his head. He'd tell her what she did hurt him, and she would have hurled one of her tirades about sensitivity and normalcy towards him. She also wouldn't be pressed against him completely wet and naked.
"Oh, yeah?" She pulled away from him a bit, an action he found quite displeasing, having gotten immediately used to the feel of her breasts against his chest. She looked at him playfully, and it was the grin on her face—moist, pink lips and all—that kept him at attention. "Sure, I was safe here, but what about when I stepped outside the door and found myself in trouble?"
She watched a drop of water fall from his bangs. She was naked and flushed against him, the steam rising up to meet her skin. He could have looked at her forever like that.
"That's when you call me," he said, bringing up a wet hand to wipe her tear-stained cheek with his thumb. "That's when I'll come running back." Her heart couldn't beat any faster.
Kaname decided that they had been talking too much already, and that the conversation can be picked up again tomorrow. She bent forward to kiss him on his lips, an action he mirrored, when she suddenly tilted her head up, and gave his nose what his lips were ready for. In the quiet moment they shared where the water around them made the loudest sounds, he grew confused.
She flashed him one of her winning smiles, and he could have swore she looked like the disarming sixteen year-old he met nearly a decade ago. "You're tired, Sousuke. You can barely keep your eyes open."
"It's not a problem," he assured her, wanting her to come closer to him again, his scarred body yearning for hers. She hadn't realized how much she always misses him telling her what wasn't a problem.
She shook her head with a smiling face, and stood up, disrupting the bubbles, the fragrant water, and Sousuke's hope of spending more time with his very supple and very, very naked girlfriend inside the bathtub. Girlfriend.