((whispered: disclaimer: A small grey rat scurries through the tangled web of the intertubes, hoping that her travels will go unnoticed. In her tiny paws she carries a small stack of papers, and on her back she carries a staple gun. The muse sent her on this dangerous journey, she is full of fear, but the powerful being insisted that she write down the words and share them with others.
At long last she reaches the fan fiction site where she has posted her work in the past. Her nose twitches as she sniffs around; looking for any signs that there might be readers about. There have been some here not too long ago, but she can't sense anyone around at the moment. Good. Quickly she unstraps the staple gun from her back, and with great effort she sets about securing the stack of papers to the site. When her job is done, she quickly scampers away, leaving the staple gun on the ground not wanting its extra weight to hamper her retreat...
-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-
"Hey Mai?" Natsuki called as she finally stepped into their shared dorm room, wondering briefly if the orange haired girl was spending the night elsewhere since it was so dark in here. A sudden horrible thought occurred to the Slayer, what if while she was checking up on Midori another demon had been sent here to kidnap or kill Mai? She didn't even bother to turn the light on, relying on her night vision as she frantically searched the room for signs of a struggle. "MAI!" Her heartrate increased, flooding her muscles with oxygen as she got ready to kill something.
"Natsuki, what is with the yelling?" Mai asked sleepily, walking down the hall from the bath wearing only a skimpy white terrycloth robe, drying her still damp hair with a towel.
The Slayer felt her charged body responding in an altogether different way at Mai's unexpected appearance. She quickly turned away from her attractive roommate, walking over to turn on her computer instead for an excuse not to look in the other girl's direction. "I was just worried about you. Midori was attacked by a demon at her apartment tonight."
"Oh my gosh, is she okay?" Mai asked, pausing in her search for her pyjamas to stare at the back of her roommate's head, wondering why Natsuki was so pointedly avoiding looking at her.
Natsuki nodded as she logged into her desktop's operating system, "Yeah she was alright. Got a few flesh wounds, but Yohko was already there to look after her." The Slayer sighed dramatically, "It could have been worse if I hadn't gotten there in time though. Don't get me wrong, Midori is far from helpless, but a demon getting the drop on her like that... Even I might have gotten hurt in a similar situation." She shook her head, "And plus Yohko was there, and she doesn't know how to handle herself in a fight. Not that she should, being a doctor she shouldn't really be risking her hands like that..."
"Hey, Natsuki." Mai spoke soothingly, "It's okay, you can calm down. They're both safe right? And why are you avoiding looking at me all of a sudden?"
Natsuki rolled her eyes at how clueless Mai could be at times. "You're half naked."
"I don't see why that should prevent us from having a normal conversation. We are both girls after all." Mai asked, confused.
Natsuki resisted her first impulse which was to call her roommate an idiot. "Mai, please don't take this the wrong way alright?"
"Um... what?"
"I think you're really hot."
"Um... thanks Natsuki." Mai replied, still clearly missing something. "Wouldn't that make you want to look at me though? I don't really understand. I don't mind or anything." The orange haired girl grinned as her tone turned a bit flirty and she stopped her search for her pyjamas altogether.
The Slayer tried to take in a deep, calming breath but instead all that she managed to do was catch a hint of the peach scented bodywash that her roommate used, further heightening her awareness of Mai instead of clearing her thoughts. "You don't understand. After I've been slaying, everything like that is more intense. I walked in here thinking that you were in danger too. I'm really charged right now."
Natsuki growled when Mai actually giggled, "I thought slaying just made you hungry. I didn't realize it made you all horny too." Her roommate teased mercilessly, flinging a pair of pink panties at the Slayer who caught them without looking. It was a sign of her state of mind that she didn't even blush when she realized what she was holding.
"Mai please." The Slayer's voice was husky as she momentarily forgot what she was even asking Mai to do, running her rough fingers over the silky fabric in her hand. She shook her head to clear it, forcing herself to put the panties down on her desk to avoid the unnecessary extra temptation. "I mean it; I have very little self control right now. You'd be playing with fire if you keep teasing me."
She could hear Mai slowly walking closer and felt a slow burn start in her chest at the other girl's proximity. "Well, maybe I like to play with fire a little bit. Like I said Natsuki, I don't mind if you want to play some. I'm not exactly unattracted to you."
The Slayer growled again. For someone who claimed she didn't like science, Mai always seemed to need proof before she would believe something. She hoped she had good enough control to give Mai a little taste of what she was tempting without actually going too far. She really didn't want her first kiss, or gods forbid her first anything else, to be brought on by Slayer impulses. Especially since she knew that she was far from ready for the emotional stress of a romantic relationship.
She stood and turned slowly to face Mai, her green eyes glowing lightly from the overwhelming burn of her Slayer powers that were still on high alert from the threats tonight. For a moment she was unable to move, she simply stared at Mai illuminated by the soft blue glow of her desktop monitor and the faint silver moonlight that made its way through the window. The dim light gave her skin a washed out pale look, though Natsuki could still see the freckles scattered over her arms and cheeks and even the tops of her full breasts. The amused smirk on Mai's lips and her seductive stance awakened the need for the Slayer to prove herself. Natsuki knew that she barely had control of this situation. The dark haired girl was suddenly hyperaware that she was still fully dressed, wearing even her boots and leather jacket while Mai was a flimsy cloth belt-tie away from being completely naked. She grinned ferally at the heightened sense of power Mai's vulnerability gave her as she stalked closer to the orange haired girl, the heat in her chest and lower throbbing hotter.
She could hear Mai's breath catch in her throat as she approached, stopping for a moment a few steps away. The other girl was clearly aroused; Natsuki could see the light flush to the pale skin and how her normally pale eyes were darkened. "You think you want me?" Her voice cracked as she spoke, sounding like she was speaking for the first time in a long while, as though words had almost lost meaning to her. Natsuki closed the gap between them, lightly gripping soft upper arms with deceptively gentle hands as she rested her forehead on Mai's, gazing into the slightly shorter girl's eyes. Through the haze of intense hormones her brain noted that Mai wasn't smirking anymore.
Mai struggled just to breathe, overwhelmed by the sudden intensity of her feelings and the almost dangerous look in her friend's eyes. She could barely see Natsuki's face in the dark room, but the Slayer's eyes glowed as they stared into hers. She tried to reply, but couldn't form words around her heart that seemed to be beating rapidly in her throat. Natsuki was barely even touching her, but already she felt completely helpless with arousal. None of the boys she had kissed ever made her feel like this. Of course she wanted more. She simply nodded her consent, pressing her body against Natsuki's, whimpering slightly at the feeling of cool leather on her heated skin.
The Slayer felt her heart skip a beat at Mai's unexpected complete submission to her, wrapping her arms around the soft body pressed against her. Feeling a surge of tenderness for this girl that she would do anything to protect, Natsuki nuzzled her face into soft hair, purring slightly at the comforting scent of shampoo and the underlying scent of Mai's arousal that seemed almost overwhelming now. When she felt hot kisses on her neck, Natsuki finally remembered that she was supposed to be trying to discourage this because neither of them was ready for the consequences.
The Slayer shifted her hands back to Mai's arms, roughly shoving her back against the wall next to the dresser. Mai let out a gasp at the impact, her chest heaving for breath as the air was knocked out of her. Natsuki swallowed hard at the sight of Mai gazing at her submissively, full lips slightly parted. Trailing one hand down a trembling side, Natsuki felt her control slipping as Mai let out a soft pleading noise, arching into her touch. She wondered just which one of them was playing with fire. Natsuki leaned in close, her breath hot on Mai's ear as she slid one hand inside the flimsy robe, digging her fingers hard into the soft skin of a gently curving hip. "If you let me have this," She murmured huskily into a lightly blushing ear, "I'm going to want to hurt anyone else who ever looks at you like you could belong to them. The way Tate always looks like he wants to touch you; I'd want to break his hands." Even as she warned Mai, she wondered if it wasn't already too late for warnings, if maybe the line had been crossed the minute they had started this dangerous game. "I don't share. If you let me have you, you'd only belong to me."
Mai gripped desperately at Natsuki's leather-clad arms, feeling her knees weaken at the Slayer's roughly possessive words and touch. A large part of her so wanted to just throw all caution to the wind and give into this, but her last thread of reasoned thought warned her that Natsuki probably wasn't exaggerating. If she allowed this, she would be committing to something that she wasn't sure she was ready for or even fully understood. "Is this a onetime offer?" She managed to get out, hardly recognizing her own voice. If Natsuki said it was, Mai wasn't sure that she would be able to turn her down.
Natsuki thought she felt her heart stop at the pleading look in those darkened eyes; Mai really wasn't going to be the one to stop her if she wanted this. Strangely as soon as Mai was trusting her to be the one to make the right decision, she felt the overwhelming need to take and have recede. She slowly removed the possessive, bruising grip holding Mai close to her and raised her hand to gently brush still damp bangs out of dark blue eyes. She smiled slightly, kissing a smooth cheek, "No, it's not just a onetime offer." She gasped suddenly as she felt the familiar warm sensation of being infused with magic, realizing all at once that there wasn't just a burning sensation in her chest, it was on it. "Fuck! The spirit orb!" Natsuki cursed leaping back, causing Mai to stare at her like she was losing her mind.
"Natsuki what..." Mai asked, as she struggled to make her legs work normally again, her still arousal hazed mind unable to completely keep up with the Slayer's sudden moodshift. Her skin tingled and burned all over but Mai shivered, feeling cold inside now that Natsuki was no longer close.
"You're a witch!" Natsuki exclaimed excitedly, as she pulled the brightly glowing reddish-orange spirit orb out of her shirt. She looked at it in fascination; the thing was glowing so bright that it seemed to be performing nuclear fusion or something. Natsuki winced when she touched the orb, pulling her hand away as quickly as a vampire accidentally touching a crucifix. It was nearly as hot as it looked. "No wonder that was so intense."
"Natsuki, I promise I'm not. I wasn't trying to take advantage of you or anything, please believe me." Mai pleaded, assuming that Natsuki was angry at her for teasing too much. She felt a surge of panic as she thought that maybe Natsuki wouldn't want to be friends with her anymore now.
Natsuki shook her head and smiled at Mai, "It's alright, I'm not angry at you about that. I just didn't want my first kiss to be because of a slaying high. Not to mention I still feel like I'm too young to be doing things like that when I don't understand the consequences. Midori hasn't been able to tell me much about what precautions I should take beyond the basics, since there are things about me that are different from other Slayers." She looked into her friend's scared blue eyes, trying to reassure her, "It's not because it was you Mai, I promise. You're a really great friend and I care about you a lot."
"Are you sure?" Mai asked shyly, pulling her robe tight around her body as she walked over to sit on the bed next to Natsuki, feeling suddenly exposed and unsure of herself. Still she felt an overwhelming need to be near the Slayer right now, feeling less vulnerable when she was close to the dark haired girl.
Natsuki felt her breath catch a bit at how beautiful Mai looked, her blue eyes gazing shyly at the floor and a light blush on her cheeks as though she was horribly embarrassed for sitting so close. The Slayer was a little surprised that Mai wasn't scared away from wanting to be close to her at all with how aggressive she had been. She reached out a hand to caress the soft warm skin of a flushed cheek, gently encouraging those soft eyes to meet hers. They had faded back to their usual more washed out grey, and Mai gazed at her shyly through her long pale lashes. At her trusting and vulnerable look, Natsuki found herself wanting to kiss her friend for reasons that had nothing at all to do with her Slayer instincts.
"Completely." She murmured, gently brushing a calloused thumb over Mai's soft full lips. "I don't really understand how feelings like this work, but I do know that I care about you." Blue eyes fluttered shut at her touch and Natsuki felt herself wanting to be closer, "I just wouldn't want to be taking away your choices unless you were sure about it." She wrapped her arm around the other girl, pulling her close so that her head was resting on her leather-clad shoulder. "I would do anything to protect you. You don't have to worry, that's not ever going to change."
Mai let out a contented sound as she snuggled closer to the warm Slayer, allowing herself to enjoy how immensely special it felt to be held like this. Tate who? Her eyes drifted open and she looked shyly up at Natsuki, blushing when she saw that the Slayer was gazing longingly at her lips. She wanted so badly to kiss the dark haired girl even just once, maybe even more than she wanted it when she thought they were just playing around. But Natsuki was right, neither one of them was really ready for something like that right now. She gazed passed her friend's gorgeous face and her eyes rested on the strangely glowing piece of jewellery in her other hand. "So what is that thing?"
"What thing?" Natsuki asked absently still distracted.
"That glowing thing, you acted like it burned you." Mai answered, reluctantly drawing Natsuki's attention away from herself.
"Oh crap, the spirit orb!" Natsuki cursed herself, holding the brightly glowing orange glass bead closer to Mai so that she could get a better look. "It did burn me, so don't touch it." She cautioned.
"It's really beautiful. You said something about my being a witch?" Mai asked confused, "I'm not though, I swear Natsuki. I would have told you something like that. I trust you."
"I know you do." Natsuki shrugged, "The orb doesn't check for how much you've trained your magical abilities, just how much potential power you have." Natsuki stared at the burning orb, "And judging by its reaction to you, I'd say you've got an awful lot of it."
Mai blinked in surprise, "You mean I have superpowers like you?" She shook her head, trying to clear the million thoughts suddenly flying around in her brain to a manageable number, "Why do you have a witch-detector anyway?"
"Well... witches are pretty different from Slayers as far as I know, but I guess they could be considered to have superpowers. I'm ashamed to say that I don't know the details of casting magicks, only the basics of how to defend myself from the more commonly used spells and effects. As for why I have it..." Natsuki trailed off, a worried frown on her face.
"Natsuki?" Mai questioned, not sure what to make of the sudden reticence.
Natsuki sighed, "Well... I have this because Midori and I needed a witch for a ritual. We were going to try and separate the summoner from their source of magickal energy so that we could identify them. We needed someone who could hold a lot of magick, but not me because I need to be able to protect the casters and being infused with a whole lot of power like that makes it nearly impossible to concentrate on anything."
"My keen observational skills have me noticing you using past-tense. You're not going to try this anymore? Why?" Mai asked suspiciously.
The Slayer glared at Mai, wondering why the girl was making her explain something so obvious, "Because, I don't want you near a fight like that. This ritual is almost certainly going to result in us being attacked, and I don't want to risk you getting hurt."
Mai glared back, indignant, "Well isn't that my decision to make? I want to help you!"
"No it's not! I'm the Slayer. I protect you. I don't let you go into a situation where you'll be attacked by demons!" Natsuki growled as she held Mai more possessively at the very thought.
Mai felt herself becoming annoyed by the Slayer just assuming that she was completely useless, and struggled to think of some bit of reasoning that Natsuki couldn't refute. "You said already that this big bad or whatever isn't playing by the rules. It sent a minion after Midori when you weren't there. The only way that you can really protect me is if I'm close to you. What if you all are performing this ritual with someone that the thing in charge knows you don't care about, so it sends something after me then, when you're too far away to even hope to get here in time to protect me?" Mai nuzzled her face into Natsuki's neck, not above using a bit of manipulation to get Natsuki to agree with her. "And I'd be so scared that something would happen to you out there and I wouldn't know about it. Natsuki, I wouldn't feel safe anymore without you, and I already have nightmares about those bugs. Everything is better when I'm near you though."
"You have nightmares?" Natsuki questioned her green eyes sad as she searched Mai's. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to think that I'm weak." Mai sighed, "And anyway, they don't scare me nearly as much as the thought of something happening to you." Mai glared at her friend, "I know you think I'm just some helpless ditz, but I know I can help you. That spirit orb thing obviously thinks I can help you too."
Natsuki looked away ashamed, taking her arm from around Mai's shoulders, suddenly feeling like she didn't really have a right to be touching the other girl at all. "I'm sorry Mai. I guess I can be a jerk sometimes. I didn't really mean it like I thought you were useless. I don't even like to allow Midori into combat situations if I can help it and she's better trained for it than most people in the military are."
"But this threat is too big for you to fight alone."
"Fighting things alone is supposed to be what I do." Natsuki complained, "I'm the Slayer, no one else should have to take on this burden too."
Mai actually growled at the Slayer's words, "Natsuki, knowing that you are constantly risking your life is the biggest burden I can think of. Just sitting here at night waiting for you to get home, wondering if you're okay... It's the worst feeling in the world. I have no idea how Midori manages to not go crazy."
Natsuki's eyes widened as Mai moved over to straddle her lap, kneeling so that her full breasts were right at the Slayer's eyelevel, indeed she could feel the heat from Mai's skin on her face. Mai reached out to gently run her fingers over Natsuki's jaw, bringing green eyes up to meet hers. "I care about you too Natsuki," She said as she rolled her hips forward seductively, leaning in close to gently run her tongue over Natsuki's earlobe before continuing, her voice low and husky with desire, "Gods, I'd do things for you that I don't even have words for if you wanted me to. There's no one else who makes me feel like you do." Natsuki shivered as Mai sat back to look her in the eye again, "But Natsuki, if you only want me to be your damsel in distress, then I am never going to be your girl." Mai continued, shoving the Slayer's shoulders hard as she got up from the bed, standing in front of the shocked still Natsuki. "If you want this," She said as she toyed with the cloth belt of her robe, "then you have to let me help you."
Natsuki let out a rather unSlayer-like whimper, "Jesus Mai, you're so hot when you're not doing what I tell you to."
Mai laughed as she finally walked back over to the dresser to get her pyjamas. "Oh really? Natsuki-chan wants a wife who doesn't know that her place is either barefoot in the kitchen or naked in bed?"
Natsuki grinned cheekily, "As long as she still wants to be in my bed sometimes I don't have a problem with that. Besides, I like a challenge." Natsuki stood up from the bed, stretching her slightly sore muscles and again pointedly not looking at Mai while she was changing. "Anyway I'm gonna go take a quick shower before bed, I'm still all yucky from slaying earlier."
"Are you going to tell Midori that you found me so that we can do that ritual?" Mai asked, walking over to Natsuki wearing her far more modest flannel pyjamas.
Natsuki smiled, teasingly taking one of Mai's hands in her own, raising it to her lips and placing a soft kiss on the smooth skin, "You made the reward-system simple enough that I think I understand it." Mai simply nodded silently as Natsuki released her hand, "Great. I'll let Midori know in the morning, she wouldn't be checking her email any sooner than that anyways." Natsuki said with a smirk. "You go ahead and get some sleep alright? It's really late already. I won't be up too much later and I promise to be quiet."
"Thanks for letting me help." Mai said shyly as she sat down on her bed, reaching over to grab the lotion from the bedside table to put on her legs. "And thanks for not being upset with me"
"Hey, it's fine. You couldn't have known how you were affecting me. It might have been just as much my fault for not warning you ahead of time, I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable around me..." Natsuki trailed off awkwardly. "Anyway, showertime for the dirty Slayer. I'll talk with Midori tomorrow before class and see if we can set up a meeting with the three of us for later." She said hastily before quickly retreating down the short hall to the shower, planning on making it a cold one.