Chapter 3: To Stop or to Keep Going
Rei was exhausted. Spent. Her hand gripped her bow with unnecessary force. She pulled the string back as tight as her aching muscles would allow. Biting her lip, looking through the bow's sight window, eyes narrowed in a hawk-gaze at her target—she let it go. Arrow connected to nothing. She missed horribly, and it was only after that fact that she realized how very tired she felt. She ached from the inside out.
Minako does these things to me, she thought with a snarl. The girl had disappeared again. As she sometimes did. As she only ever did when she was dating someone new.
Three days without that little brat. Coming here, distracting me from work and practice and meditation; making my heart heavy with sinful thoughts. I should be…happy.
She turned and put her weapon away. Feeling weak, she turned and walked despondently to her room. She met nobody's eyes, so she had no way of knowing whether she appeared rude to any of the shrine's guests, whether there are or aren't people here, I am alone.
Walking directly into her bathroom, she took an efficient shower. She washed only until clean; feeling strange, feeling numb. Was the water cold? She couldn't tell.
Stepping out into her room she noticed the steam that followed after her, hot then; you'd think I'd feel that.
"You'd be surprised the things that you can't feel, Reiko!" –Minako would say if she were here.
Rei turned to her mirror, staring at her naked body; pale, and flushed from the recent shower. Her slender muscles were still tight and bulging from exertion. She analyzed herself, carefully, taking time to look into her eyes. "You're crazy," she smiled, "You are absolutely crazy. Now you're making up her dialogue?"
Her mirror self said nothing. She only looked back at Rei with hollow, seeking eyes. She had not been sleeping well, she noticed. It was something she'd known, but had not yet fully registered.
How much longer is this going to go on? Her affairs don't ever last three days. After a single outing she can't wait to come to the shrine to tell me about his bad breath, or his awkward humor, or his mismatched outfit. I don't ever want to hear any of it but I'd rather that than this…this nothing; this no Minako.
One last look at her own sad, naked body and Rei decided.
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Rei usually was not nervous talking to her friends' parents. She was actually more comfortable around adults; they were courteous and had simple feelings. Not like teenaged girls…not like Minako.
Mrs. Aino was very different than most adults, however. She was warm…you could see where Minako got her essence, her white-gold hair (though, Mrs. Aino's was of a dandelion-like texture that fanned out to frame a face warmer than a summer sunset).
Rei would be lying if she said she felt completely comfortable around the older woman. In the first place, quite plainly, Rei wanted to—for all intents and purposes—defile the woman's daughter. In the second place, Mrs. Aino bore an uncanny, and disconcerting resemblance to Minako…or, she should say, Minako bore one to her.
"Hello Mrs. Aino," Rei bowed, "I am terribly sorry for showing up uninvited, but I haven't heard from Minako in a few days, and as you know that's a bit rare…"
"Rei-san!" Mrs. Aino's smile was a sight to behold, for anyone, "Oh, Minako's been very sick these last few days, actually. I'm surprised you didn't come by sooner with soup and tea."
Rei's perplexed countenance wasn't visible to the older woman, only because her head was down. She looked like a scolded child. "She didn't call me."
"Oh," Mrs. Aino stared at the young girl, feeling an odd sense of sympathy, "Well you know my daughter. She's been too busy whining and moping at home to even pick up a phone."
Rei only nodded quietly, "Is it all right if I see her for a little?"
"Of course!" Mrs. Aino looked particularly like Minako when she smiled, "Your friend Haruka is there too."
"E-Excuse me?"
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Rei pushed Minako's door open carefully…she didn't want to interrupt. She didn't want to think about the things she might be interrupting.
Things like…Minako lying there, in an oversized shirt and her panties, napping while Haruka leant over her in a protective posture, an arm slung around her middle.
She wanted to turn around and go home silently, but Haruka had apparently noticed her. Her eyes still on Minako's sleeping countenance, she spoke, "Hello, Rei-san."
"Hello."
She smiled, "I'm glad that you're here."
"I…just came to make sure she's okay," she spoke, "But I should go."
Finally, the sandy blonde turned to her, "And why is that?"
Here, Rei's demeanor seemed to change; her anger was sparked. She was trying to accept defeat, damnit, "Because she's okay."
"Rei," Haruka sighed and sat up on the bed, away from Minako, "I think maybe we should talk."
"It's none of my business," Rei said coldly, "I won't tell Michiru if that's what—"
"This has nothing to do with me or Michiru," Haruka realized something then, "I'm the one that shouldn't be here. I came because she called, but it's…it's 'none of my business' to use your phrase."
Rei's eyes became dark slits, "What're you talking about?"
"The fact that you're in here, being hostile to me and throwing around accusations about my character just at the sight of me and Mina should give you a clue as to—"
"I didn't realize that you two were so intimate."
"Hmm?"
A dark smirk was flung at the lanky, handsome form, "The name."
"What do you care if Mina and I are intimate?"
"She likes you okay!?" Rei whispered harshly, feeling almost out of breath, "But I know you have Michiru too…so that doesn't make you a very good possible lover for my best friend. And if you hurt her, I won't hesitate to hurt you."
Haruka only smiled at the threat, "So you think we're lovers?"
"Are you?" The words were croaked out of a very dry mouth.
Green eyes twinkled mischievously as the sandy-haired girl clicked her tongue thrice, "It's not my place to say. And either way, I don't kiss and tell."
Rei watched in disgust as Haruka got up from the bed smoothly and grabbed her blazer from Minako's bedside table, putting it on with a suave air of indifference, "Regretfully, I have to go. I have a class soon. Please give my goodbyes to sweet, beautiful Mina-chan, ne?"
Before Rei could even blink Haruka was gone.
Without the air of animosity that hung in the room just moments ago, the space became tender. It became even with Minako's gentle breathing. Rei smiled, somehow here I achieve the greatest peace; higher than any meditation.
Just what was it about this girl? She pondered as she sat down, first at the edge of the bed and then closer to the center, where Mina slept; where it was warm with her body. Rei could only stare in loving wonder. She watched as the sunlight streaming through the window stroked the sleeping girl's cheek, first thinking it beautiful before growing bitterly jealous of it. Without a thought, she stroked her own hand down that soft, serene cheek. She didn't know her calloused hands could be that gentle.
"Mmn, Reiko," cerulean eyes wakened to the world.
Rei whipped her guilty hand away. "Sorry, I…"
Minako's gentle gaze and reassuring hand over her own calmed Rei. The miko's guilty hand was again placed on Mina's cheek, "Have you been practicing, Reiko?"
Rei had a hard time following the conversation while Minako stared at her with half-lidded eyes and rhythmically stroked the back of her hand, "Wh—," oh…archery, "Yes. I have been."
"I can always tell," Minako whispered, sleep still evident in her tone, "You get so tense."
"Hmm."
The blonde smirked wickedly, before using the hand she still held prisoner between her own and her cheek to draw the miko close, "I'm going to give you a massage, okay?"
"Mina…" Rei began to protest, but stopped short. Perhaps because she knew she wouldn't win. Perhaps because she knew she didn't want to.
She laid face down on Minako's infinitely soft bed. It smelled of powder and her perfume and made Rei want to sleep for the first time in three days. As she started to settle into the position, she felt Minako straddle her buttocks and tensed up instantly.
"Relax, Reiko."
Minako's honeyed voice was like a salve to Rei's nervous spirit, and her hands were like cool water being poured onto her stinging muscles.
Rei's back is all sinews, Minako thought. She could feel that hardness through the fabric of her black t-shirt. With a coquettishly bitten lip, Minako demanded, "Take your shirt off, Reiko."
"What?" The miko spun her head around sharply to face her. The expression on her face was one Minako hadn't seen since the days they used to save the world, fear.
The blonde almost regretted her bratty demand, "I thought it would make it easier to reach your ski—your sore spots…you, you don't have to."
Rei only spun silently back around, "Pull it off me then."
Looking like a kitten with cream on its cheeks, Minako fingered the very edge of Rei's t-shirt, before hooking her nails under it and dragging it up along Rei's spine, over her shoulders, off her altogether. "See how much better this is?"
Rei felt vulnerable at first; nearly half-nude on her love's bed. But the heat created by Minako's soft hands rubbing the planes of her shoulder blades, and down the length of her spine, calmed her no matter how in control of this she wanted to be. She realized for possibly the billionth time in her life that she was putty in Minako's hands.
"Reiko, you're so strong." Mina murmured, without even really realizing it. She stared at the miko's back with such blatant adoration that it was a complete shame that Rei's eyes were facing the headboard.
"Are you really sick?"
"Hmm?"
Rei repeated the sudden thought through the hazed mindset Minako's swirling hands had caused, "If you were sick, I'd be the one giving the massages here, Mina. Why are you faking?"
She doesn't even sound mad, Minako thought with a grin, kneading harder at the bullet-sized knots formed in the spot between Rei's neck and shoulder. "I dunno."
It wasn't what Rei wanted to know anyway, "Why haven't you been around, at all? Haruka keeping you busy?"
The innuendo went far over Minako's head, "I guess so."
"Hmm."
Minako could feel Rei's muscles tense under the soft pale skin, she could see the change in them, as if the girl was also getting ready for battle. The blonde stroked softly around her shoulders, "I saw you kissing Yuichiro; I thought I'd give you time for your new relationship. And I was also mad you hadn't told me, I'm your best friend and the goddess of lo—"
"Was that it?" the miko interrupted, turning around again, "Minako, there is nothing between us. He misinterpreted me."
"And you…"
"Corrected him."
"And he…"
"Is a bit incapacitated now."
The blonde giggled in relief and disbelief of her own sillyness. She should've gone to Rei sooner.
Rei turned back around and sighed deeply; at least it all made sense now. "Stroke around my neck, Mina."
The blonde smirked, tickling Rei's ribs with feather-soft fingertips, "Magic word, Rei-ko."
The miko would've fought back if she weren't so at peace with the world currently, "Please, you little brat. Please stroke my neck a little."
As she scooted up Rei's body slightly, Minako had to bite her lip so as not to moan at the sudden feeling. Her oversized flannel shirt had ridden up quite a bit and she had forgotten that beneath it she was clad in just her orange panties. She looked down to see the image of herself straddling Rei's behind with such a flimsy material standing in the way of her and nudity. Immediately, she looked away, and tried to concentrate on simply rubbing Rei's neck.
It didn't work. Now that she knew how exposed she was, she could feel every slight movement her or Rei made on her clitoris. As she rubbed up and down the planes and valleys of Rei's back, she could feel the most vulnerable part of herself sliding up and down the same little spot on Rei's buttocks, I wonder if she can feel it…the wetness, or the heat. She bit her bottom lip again, as she tended to do when mischievous or erotic thoughts orbited her head; she didn't know whether to stop or keep going.
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I appreciate feedback very much; if I'm just writing this story for myself then there is really no need to post it.