A/N- Mentions of very adult topics. But I mean, it's M-rated so… you asked for it.
Chapter 3
"This is so boring," Sayuri whined as she sat on the floor of the sports store, while the boys looked at different swimming costumes. She'd admired Rei's tight-fitting trunks for a while, but even that got boring towards the end. She glanced up and noticed that Gou seemed equally bored. "Ne, Kou-chan. Let's go look at bikinis."
Gou turned to look at Sayuri in surprise. "I don't swim."
"You don't need to swim to wear a bikini," Sayuri replied simply, grabbing her friend and pulling her towards' the women's section. It was a lot more colorful than the men's, and Sayuri instantly latched onto a pretty pink two piece with a red bow. "This would look great on you! It would match your hair."
Gou hesitated, taking the bikini and holding it up. "I don't know. It's really small. Besides, you normally wear a one-piece, don't you? Do you even wear stuff like this?"
"I don't," Sayuri muttered with a sigh. She thought about the way Rei stared at her whenever she wore a swimsuit. Yet, no matter what, that boring black one-piece wasn't quite enough to push him into doing anything. "I thought maybe something like this would inspire Rei-chan to make a move on me. But I don't know. I've given him so many hints, but that brain of his sees nothing but formulae. He'd get more turned on if I told him the elemental composition of my body than he would at the sight of me in a bikini."
Gou smiled. "You really love him, don't you, Sayuri-chan? It's not just the megane guy thing. You love Rei."
Sayuri turned, and for the first time, Gou saw her look a little embarrassed. She hesitated and rubbed her neck. Nobody had ever really asked her that before. "I mean… I guess. What does it mean to love someone, really?" Sayuri mused. "I think he's gorgeous. I like that he's so smart and focused and dedicates himself completely to whatever he wants to do. And even though he seems disinterested and anti-social, he really cares about people. He's really sensitive and just a tiny bit vain on the surface, though he's more insecure on the inside."
Gou smiled. "From the way that sounds, you do like him, at least. Would you be upset if he started dating someone else or something like that?"
"Absolutely," Sayuri replied with a nod. She smiled to herself slightly. "I guess I do like him. What's the use, though? He either doesn't like me, or if he does, he's too shy to do anything about it. Urghhh. I love how cute he is when he's embarrassed, but sometimes I wish he was a little more aggressive, you know?"
"Aggressive how?" Gou asked, putting the bikini back on the rack and picking up another one.
"Aggressive like; you know. Pull me into an empty locker room and have his way with me. Probably trap me against the wall, and tell me I belong to him. A confident and aggressive Rei would have me weak at the knees for sure," Sayuri said with a laugh, noticing how Gou seemed a little surprised. "Gomen. I've been told I don't know when to stop talking."
Gou laughed. "It's okay. Are you sure you're a virgin?"
"Hey. Just because I've never had sex doesn't mean I can't dream about it," Sayuri replied simply. Her hands landed on a dark green two-piece; it was simple and plain, but when Sayuri held it up to her body, it matched the color of her eyes. Gou smiled.
"That one would look good on you, Sayuri-chan!"
"Really?" Sayuri asked. She pulled it off the hanger and blushed suddenly at how tiny the flimsy little pieces of cloth seemed. Despite her big talk, she'd never worn anything this revealing. But the color was really pretty. She fingered the cloth again, before she heard someone call out. Gou and Sayuri saw Makoto waving to them from a little distance away.
"I guess they're done," Gou said, glancing at the two-piece in Sayuri's hands. "Are you going to buy it?"
Sayuri frowned, glancing at the price tag. It was on sale, and wasn't particularly expensive. Should she buy it? She checked the size tags too and then smiled. "Yeah, okay. I'll buy it. Let's go."
They joined the boys at the check-out counter. Haru had bought another swimsuit that looked exactly the same, while Makoto and Nagisa were holding new swimwear as well. Sayuri grinned and joined them in line, smiling as she complimented Nagisa's colorful trunks.
"Are you buying something, Sayuri-chan?' he asked, gesturing towards the bikini she had been trying to hide. Sayuri sighed and nodded, opening her fists to reveal it. Makoto and Rei leaned over to look at it too, Rei's face turning red instantly.
"It's a nice color," Makoto said with a smile.
"It's tiny," Rei grumbled, looking annoyed. "Why would you buy something that small anyway? I thought you wore one-pieces because they were more comfortable. You can't go for competitive swimming in something like that."
Sayuri grinned, nudging Rei's arm. "Don't worry, Rei-chan. I won't wear it to prefecturals. I just wanted to try something new." She leaned closer and whispered in his ear. "If you want, I'll only wear it when we're alone together, Rei."
Rei flushed and looked away from her. "Wear it wherever you want, I don't care."
"You'll never change," Sayuri muttered with a sigh, moving forward to the counter and pulling out her wallet to pay for the two-piece. Hopefully she'd get an occasion to wear it.
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Rei stared as Nagisa entered his bedroom, carrying something in a rather suspicious-looking black plastic cover. He opened the door for his friend and then sat down quietly, wondering why he'd come over uninvited so soon after they'd gone shopping for swimsuits.
"Is everything okay, Nagisa-kun?" Rei asked hesitantly.
Nagisa grinned. "Of course it is! Don't worry, I have everything planned out. Remember what I told you I overheard Gou-chan and Sayuri-chan talking about at the sports store?"
"Overheard?" Rei grumbled. "You were eavesdropping on them, Nagisa. You shouldn't have been listening to their conversation anyway." He sighed and leaned back against his bed. He hadn't been able to get it out of his mind, though. Did Sayuri really like him? He'd always thought her flirting was a joke, and her being playful but if she actually had feelings for him… He flushed red at the thought. He shouldn't be happy about that. Sayuri liking him shouldn't make him happy. But somehow, it did.
"So, I brought you these," Nagisa replied, pulling out a handful of magazines. Rei's eyes widened as he saw the pictures of half-naked girls on the covers and balked. "Did you just come over here to bring me porn? Nagisa, get out! I have my own porn!"
"Really?" Nagisa asked in surprise. "Anyway, these are different. I asked my cousin and he gave them to me. They all feature aggressive guys. Just like Sayuri-chan wanted. Maybe it'll give you some ideas on how to seduce her!"
Rei glared at him. "I don't want to seduce her! What gave you that idea?"
"Rei-chan, come on! It would be so nice if you and Sayuri-chan got together! You'd be the first one of us to get a girlfriend! Well, actually… Mako-chan said there was this girl who confessed to him last year and they went on one date, but it's okay! That doesn't count!"
Rei groaned. "Nagisa, this is crazy. I never even said I liked Sayuri-chan, you cannot just bring over porn and try to claim that you're helping with my love life!"
Nagisa rolled his eyes. "Hai, hai. I figured you'd be embarrassed about it. Anyway, I'll leave you to browse these on your own. I'll see you at practice tomorrow, Rei-chan, hopefully we'll get you to swim!"
Rei acknowledged Nagisa with a light grunt and didn't move until he heard the door close behind the blonde haired boy. He closed his eyes, letting the embarrassment wash over him. Why did Nagisa think that he needed to seduce Sayuri anyway? He didn't like Sayuri. She wasn't beautiful. Except when she put on a swimsuit and kicked her long legs in the water, and then she was.
Besides, did she really like him? From what Nagisa said, it sounded like she did. Rei groaned. If Sayuri liked him, why hadn't she confessed yet? Was she hoping that he would make the first move? Sayuri didn't seem like the type to wait for others. But she'd been flirting with him since forever, a confession would be weird now. How would he know if she was serious about liking him?
Rei sat up and spotted the porn that Nagisa had so kindly left on the table. He sighed, opening the pages and grimacing as he flipped through the obscene images. This wasn't just aggressiveness; it was practically rape, and violent at that too. He flinched and shoved the magazines back in the cover.
What kind of a perverted mind are you hiding under that blonde hair, Nagisa?
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"You look stressed," Sayuri pointed out bluntly, as she caught up to Rei just outside the swimming pool area. He seemed tired and there were bags under his eyes, hidden by the red frames. "Haven't you been sleeping? Is it because you haven't been able to swim yet?"
No, it's because of you, Rei wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut and shook his head simply, as though he didn't know what she was talking about. Sayuri blinked up at him, her green eyes conflicted. She was unsure whether to make a joke about his not sleeping, or to be more serious. As they reached the locker room, she finally shook her head and sighed. "Get more sleep, Rei-chan. Tired and depressed isn't a good look on you. Maybe your new swimsuit will work, eh?"
"Of course it will," Rei muttered, as he went to change.
Sayuri wasn't particularly surprised when the new swimming gear didn't help Rei learn to swim. She sat on the edge of the pool, watching with mild amusement as Rei failed again. Once they'd given up, Sayuri went over and stood near him, leaning down so he could hear her. "Ne, Rei-chan. I forgot my goggles. Don't you usually carry an extra pair?"
Rei nodded, wiping the water off his face. "Hai. They're in my bag. It's in the locker room, you know what it looks like." Sayuri nodded and headed back to the locker room.
Rei sat on the edge of the pool, disappointed that his brilliant plan with the swimsuits hadn't worked. Would he ever manage to swim, or was he just wasting his time? He sighed, glancing after Sayuri as she slipped into the locker room. And what was he supposed to do about her? Did Sayuri really like him? What would he do if she confessed? After all, she wasn't a bad person. While Sayuri's teasing could be annoying, she never crossed the line with them or hurt people's feelings. She was actually sensitive to things like that, not to mention she looked gorgeous in a swimsuit. No matter how irritated he acted around her, he was fond of Sayuri. I would probably say yes, Rei realized suddenly. But does that mean I like her?
"Where did Sayuri go?" Gou asked, looking around. "She hasn't started her laps for the day, I was going to keep time."
'She went to get an extra pair of goggles from my bag," Rei told her, kicking his feet in the water until he suddenly froze. His bag. His bag, which also contained the porn that Nagisa had given him last night and that he'd planned to return to his friend once he caught him alone! Gou watched in surprise as Rei stumbled out of the pool and ran to the locker room, his wet feet slipping around almost dangerously in his desperation. He whizzed past her, hurrying into the dark locker room.
It was too late. Sayuri was standing over Rei's bag, the goggles dangling from one finger while the other hand flipped through the magazine. She turned when he entered and he noticed that her eyes were wide. "Wow," she muttered. "Ano… I didn't know you were into stuff like this, Rei."
Rei flushed red. "They're not mine!" he yelled.
"Of course not," Sayuri muttered, quietly slipping the books back into the bag. She gave him an odd look and Rei's heart dropped into his stomach when she quietly walked past him. "Anyway, I have to practice. Good luck."
She thinks I'm a freak, Rei realized in horror, his hands reaching up to clutch at his face. What was he going to do? Sayuri was probably afraid to even talk to him now, thinking that he was some sort of perverted freak who was into violent rape! Why didn't she just make fun of him so he could yell at her and get it over with? Why did she have to act uncomfortable?
How could anything make Sayuri uncomfortable, anyway?
Who am I kidding? Those magazines were about extreme violent rape fantasies, Rei remembered the graphic images. He sank down onto the floor, wondering how he was ever going to look Sayuri in the eye again. My life is over.
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A/N - Thanks so much for your encouraging review, Nyoko Nightray! I'm glad you like Sayuri's character, she's actually very difficult to write!
Hope you enjoy!