9. Segue

Miki and Godzilla ate dinner in relative silence. No TV, no radio, nothing but the sounds of their silverware occasionally clicking on the white plates. Godzilla cooked a delicious meal of spicy prime ribs and macaroni. Miki initially thought such a combination wouldn't taste very nice, but Godzilla urged her to try it before she judged it. And it tasted great. He'd taken the same thing she said to him earlier that afternoon and reminded her to practice what she preached. Watching Godzilla eat was never a pretty sight. He couldn't chew with his mouth shut no matter how hard he tried. To make up for it, he never, ever spoke with his mouth full and kind of ducked behind the center piece while he chewed. Miki thought that was kind of cute. He'd take a bite and suddenly vanish behind the bouquet of fake yellow daffodils sitting in a tall golden vase. Miki saw it in a mall a few weeks back and thought it'd look good in the kitchen. It brought out all the gold fixtures and accents in the room. It also protected Godzilla's dignity during meals.

"Finished?"

She set her napkin down. "Yeah. That was delicious! You have to make this again sometime."

Godzilla's chair scraped as he pushed it back to get up. He gathered up her plate, silverware and napkin and headed for the sink to wash the dishes. Miki swallowed when he turned away. Why did she feel so suddenly scared? She wasn't afraid that he'd hurt her-he'd never do anything to harm her. Maybe she feared the 'no going back' aspect. It was like giving away her virginity. Once gone, it could never be regained. Deep down, she knew that once Godzilla's camera began to snap, there was no undoing it.

"Miki?"

"Hm?" Miki glanced up.

He turned the kitchen sink on with his tail and shoved the faucet to the plugged half of the sink. All without taking his eyes off her. "Are you all right about tonight? You can always back out if you don't feel-"

"No." She cut him off, "I want to do this. Where will you be shooting?"

"I...was kind of wanting to let you pick that spot. Anywhere you want."

Miki blinked. "The sink."

"By the sink?"

"No," she said, pointing. "The sink's overflowing!"

Godzilla turned just as water began to cascade onto the floor.

"Oh, shit!" He hurried over to shut off the water. Miki dove in behind him to unplug the drain. Her pink blouse got water splattered all down the front. She giggled and shook the water off her hands. Godzilla leaned on the counter and laughed as well. "I guess we're both a little nervous."

That was just so cute of him. How odd that a lot of things Godzilla did seemed cute to her. Cute and a bit dorky at times. She smiled and patted his shoulder. "Let's do the shoot in your bedroom. You can do my makeup however you want. My body is your canvas tonight."

The way he looked at her after she said that made her heart melt. He gazed at her that way a lot-that almost sleepy-eyed, soft puppy dog gentleness with a hint of a smile. She never knew anyone who gave her such a look...and she liked it a lot better than the hungry, lustful expression Aleron gave her earlier. He slowly tilted his head and said, "I'll be upstairs in two minutes."

Miki let her breath out slowly, nodded and brushed past Godzilla to get ready. In her room, she changed into a long, white satin robe and gathered her hair and makeup supplies. She heard a knock on her door a moment later and said, "I have my makeup and hair stuff here. Do you want to fix me up in my bathroom or yours?"

"Mine is fine." Godzilla answered.

The camera and tripod set up in Godzilla's bedroom reminded Miki of what was about to happen. She paused a moment to take in the room. Piles of stuff on the floor had been swept hastily up against the walls. The black sheets on Godzilla's huge bed looked soft and inviting. When he led her to the bathroom, she did not question the lack of mirrors, though she did notice a small hand-held mirror sitting by the sink.

"I was thinking I'd keep a mostly natural look. Just...hey, what's your favorite way to do eye shadow?"

"Um," Miki giggled, "I was never good at putting it on myself. I love smoky eyes, though."

Godzilla glanced at the makeup bag she brought. "Then I'll do that. Here...you can sit on the toilet. Are you okay with a black base color?"

"Black works for me. It'll match your sheets." She was falling outside of herself, floating somewhere in a world just slightly outside reality. At his command she put the toilet lid down and sat. "How do you know how to do makeup?"

"I read a lot, and I saw it done on Youtube." Godzilla said, chuckling. "I've never actually done this before, but I know how to do this, so you'll look fine. I promise. Now, let me know if I tickle too much."

Miki felt him gently sponge foundation onto her skin. A very light amount, just enough to eliminate shine. It tickled, but not a lot. His hands were trembling. She pretended not to notice. He reached for the eye shadow applicator. Her eyes automatically closed as he tilted her head back. The way he applied the eye shadow was soft, slow and careful like a caress across her eyelids. He didn't just slop it on with the scratchy brush like most makeup artists did-he used the little applicator first, gently. She felt him pat the base color onto the whole of her eyelids and then use a small brush to lightly tap another shade on the inner and outer corners of her eyes.

"What highlight are you using?" Miki asked, curious.

"The silver shimmer." He said.

The brush disappeared and came back against her bottom eyelids. After a moment, a slightly larger, softer brush swished back and forth to blend and create the smoke effect. He repeated this on her other eye. It was so quiet that she swore she heard her own heart beating faster. Sometimes she could hear Godzilla breathing through his nose. He dusted on only a tiny amount of blush onto her cheeks.

"Got any lip gloss?" Godzilla's smooth voice sliced the quiet.

"Try the purple bag."

"Thanks." Then his fingers were on her lips, shockingly cold with the gloss on them. He wiped his hand off on a towel and reached over her shoulder to run his fingers through her hair, smoothing it down. "No hairspray...I'm going to leave it natural. It's nice this way."

Miki smiled at that.

Godzilla's face was only a few inches away from hers because he had to bend down to reach her hair. He gave her that 'puppy dog' look and softly asked, "Are you ready?"

Miki picked up the mirror to study her reflection. The eye shadow was dark on her eyelids and faded gently to pale silver near her eyebrows. It made her eyes very sultry. The gloss added fullness to her pink lips. Other than that her makeup looked extremely natural. She felt...beautiful. "Yes, I'm ready."

Godzilla seemed to get even more nervous. "O-okay, I'll be waiting out here with the camera. There's no rush." He gave Miki a little nod and slipped out the door. She heard his camera equipment rattle around, then silence. He was waiting for her.

No turning back now, Miki thought, shutting off the bathroom light. She emerged from the dark bathroom to find Godzilla and his camera at the foot of the bed. Soft, but bright lighting came from a single lamp with the shade removed. It was sitting on the dresser, and Miki stood right next to it so the glow fell across her body. Godzilla's eyes seemed to grow when her hands moved to the edges of her filmy white robe. Something strange and warm raced down her spine. She locked eyes with him as she let the robe fall slowly away, baring her body completely.

Here I am.

Time seemed to halt right there. Trapped briefly in the instant before Godzilla would recognize that she let her robe slip off. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The Italian song he sang for her suddenly cropped up in her mind, though she didn't know why. Maybe it was the way he sang it with such feeling, feeling she now experienced. It made her innards tremble.

But time would not stand still forever. Miki saw Godzilla visibly gulp. His eyes slowly traced her body. They were like lasers caressing her chest, stomach and thighs. He blinked, slowly, and let out his breath. "You are beautiful."

She blushed and nodded her thanks. "What should I do on the bed?"

"Just be...you."

Miki looked to the left. A red rose sat all by its lonesome in a vase on his dresser. She snatched it up, inhaled its lovely scent and sat down on the bed, holding the flower close to her face. In that same instant the shutter began to click. He didn't shout instructions at her, didn't tell her to smile, didn't demand anything. After a few seconds Miki relaxed and leaned back on her elbows, her eyes still on the rose. Then she looked up at Godzilla. "Is the lighting okay?"

Godzilla clicked away, smiling. He wasn't ogling her at all, his gaze always focused on her face. "It's perfect."

She laid back completely on the bed. His soft black sheets hugged her form. Curling up and running her hand over the cotton comforter was impossible not to do. She felt so comfortable.

"Oh, hold that." Godzilla climbed up to stand on the bed above her. He pointed the camera straight down and snapped away. There was something extremely powerful about seeing him above her that way. Miki felt time lay down around her like a lover. Only her, Godzilla and the camera seemed to exist. She held the rose to her cheek as she gazed up into the lens with longing in her eyes. Her heart was pounding and she forced herself to take slow, deep breaths. A rosy flush colored her cheeks when Godzilla bent to get a close up. Then he climbed off the bed and knelt to capture her from the side. She clutched the rose to her chest and smiled softly.

"Can you take pictures remotely with that thing?"

Godzilla straightened slowly. He set the camera back onto the tripod and reached for the little remote on the dresser. "Of course. Why?"

Miki held her hand out to him. She was quivering from the emotional swirl bombarding her. "Come here." She stood up and pulled him over to her. "Take some photos with me."

"Miki-"

"Please?"

He sagged, took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Why, though?"

"So I can show you what I see when I look at you." Miki replied softly, staring up into his eyes. She cupped his cheek and felt the muscles in the corner of his mouth tremble under her fingers. Reaching into his other hand, she pressed the button on the remote and the camera clicked. She leaned against his chest with her cheek on his shoulder. He let her take the remote and rested his hands flat on her back, holding her in a careful embrace. His heart raced, matching the pace of her own.

"Miki..." Godzilla whispered.

"Hm?"

"I-I want to kiss you right now...but I-"

Miki tilted her head back and felt his breath puff against her face. They were so close together, pressed chest to chest as bare as God made them. He wasn't alone in his desire-she would have given anything to kiss him, too.

All at once, her stomach felt hot and heavy. The hand she'd laid on his cheek slid around to the front of his snout. He leaned into her touch and gazed at her with utter devotion. Her heart broke for him when she realized what she'd been doing to him by taking off her clothes. Underneath it all, he was still male. She looked into his eyes and saw a turbulent ocean pounded by storms. And somewhere in it, drowning, was a soul so...so...human.

"It's okay," Miki whispered. She slid away and reclined once more on the mattress, offering herself completely to him. Godzilla followed as if pulled by an invisible force, his eyes never leaving hers. Miki pressed the shutter button one more time before setting the remote aside.

"Miki..." he gasped, pulling back, "we...can't...we-aren't..."

"I don't care." Miki said. She touched his face again. Somehow, they would find a way around their differences. "Please, don't stop."

.o

Sunlight streamed through the bay window to illuminate two figures covered by black blankets. The rectangle of light tracked across a gray snout and locks of dark hair. Miki stirred when the sunlight hit her face. Her makeup had smeared all around her eyes and her hair was a mess. She turned over to see Godzilla still sound asleep. He was smiling and his eyeballs moved under his closed lids as he dreamed. When awake, he looked fierce. While sleeping...he appeared utterly peaceful.

Miki slid from between the sheets and entered the bathroom. She needed to wash her face and take a shower before the makeup made her break out in zits.

Godzilla's eyes opened right after the door closed. He heard the shower start and jerked up to sit in the rectangle of sunlight, looking at his hands. "What?" he blinked and closed his fists. "Oh, come on...Mothra...I love her! Why is the spell still in effect?"

"She has to realize how much she loves you," said a tiny voice.

Godzilla's head snapped up towards his windowsill. A tiny, doll-like Asian woman in an elaborately beaded red gown was smiling up at him. She looked to the side and a woman in a blue dress similar to her own stepped into view. They joined hands. Bright sunlight made their jewelry glitter. The girl in blue spoke, "The spell will not break until she confesses her love to you."

"Come on!" Godzilla growled, "what we did last night is a damn big confession!"

"That was an action," whispered the figure in red. "You will know it when she truly confesses her love. Be patient and do not press the issue with her. She must confess willingly."

Godzilla held his head in his hands. In the time it took him to lower his eyes, the tiny figures vanished in a rainbow shimmer. He smashed his fist down on the sill where they'd been. Okay, calm down G-man. Don't ruin this when you're this close. Talking to himself helped him control his temper. Godzilla knew why his temper was shorter than usual...he hadn't consumed any radiation in almost a month. He had to get more soon or he WOULD become an animal, and he could not risk hurting Miki. Silently, he prayed he could hold off until after sunset. His mind quickly switched gears to last night. The camera! He grabbed it and headed downstairs to load the photos onto his laptop.

Miki's pictures all came out fantastic. She had a lovely body, slightly athletic and perfectly in proportion for her size. Godzilla was quite taken with how her brown eyes showed maturity beyond her years. They gave the impression of an old soul in a young body. Even though she was completely nude, he wanted to focus on her eyes and how her fingers gently touched the soft rose. And the photos he took standing over her...Godzilla caught his breath. He could not stop staring at her smile. She looked so playful, innocent and yet so sensual.

Then he came to the photos of them together. Godzilla hated seeing his own image and wanted to just crop himself right out of every picture. He put his finger on the mouse pad and prepared to do just that, but a flashback from the previous night stopped him.

"Take some photos with me."

"Miki-"

"Please?"

He sagged, took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Why, though?"

"So I can show you what I see when I look at you."

Godzilla's clawed finger lifted up away from the keyboard. He saw himself looking down at Miki with complete reverence. He could see how much he loved her. It really showed in the image where she'd rested her cheek against his shoulder. There he was, this hideous, terrifying beast, and she had let him hold her naked in his arms. He'd laid his chin on the top of her head in that shot. His hands rested flat against her back, protecting her from the cold. Miki was pressed completely against him, her face tender even though her eyes were closed. She clutched at his arms as if afraid something might rip him out of her life at any moment.

Godzilla felt his heart melt again at the last frame. There he was, on his hands and knees on top of her, and she looked up at him with utter trust. Him, the most feared creature on the planet, was an angel in her eyes.

An entire song wrote itself in his head. Just...bang, it was there. He pulled up Word to type in the lyrics, saved it and went back to Paintshop Pro.

Godzilla flipped to the photo of them hugging. A little airbrushing protected Miki's modesty by adding a strategically placed shadow over her exposed breast. He carefully painted the background black to cover up the bedroom. Then he cropped the photo so Miki was in the center. All Godzilla wanted seen of himself was his shoulder, arm and chest. The background coloring kind of disguised his form a little. If anything somebody might just think it was a male model in a monster suit. He just didn't want his face or his distinctive dorsal plates in the shot. That would reveal too much.

That urge to binge on radiation came flooding back to the surface. He reached across the table for a box of cigarettes and fumbled with the crystal tabletop lighter. Ten minutes and three cigarettes later, he felt a little calmer. Nicotine had that effect. He snuffed his last smoke out in the little green ash tray and pushed it aside. His eyes flicked sideways when the grandfather clock in the living room chimed the hour. It was ten in the morning. He got up off the chair to prepare breakfast. While he cracked eggs over the frying pan, he wondered to himself, Does Miki regret last night? I don't...but does she?

.o

I hope he doesn't think last night was a mistake, Miki thought as she shut off the shower. Steam filled the white shower and fogged up the clear curtain. It suddenly occurred to her that Godzilla wasn't human. She hadn't pondered it at all last night-it was easy to close her eyes and see with her body, her heart, and not fully notice the rough flesh and jagged teeth.

But am I ready for the kind of life I'll lead if I stay with him?

That thought gave her pause. She slowly drew the shower curtain aside and reached for a towel. Cold air rushed in, causing goose bumps to break out all over her skin. Miki hurriedly wrapped the towel around herself and dried off.

I'll probably be away a lot if my career picks up. And then there's the world-how would I tell people that I'm taken, but can't talk about it? I don't know if I can deal with the questions. I could lie and bring some handsome guy around...no, wait, that wouldn't last long if someone asked him to sing. Damn, I wish this had a simpler answer! Frowning, Miki flipped her head down to towel out her hair. He was so good to me last night when he-

"Miki?" Godzilla knocked gently on the door.

She stood up, startled, and spots danced before her eyes. It took a few seconds for the blood to get to her head. "Oh! I'm still here."

"Okay. No rush. I'm just here to tell you breakfast is ready. I've got your pictures, too. They're..." a smile came into his voice, "beautiful."

Miki found it impossible not to smile as well. "I'll be down in a few minutes." She heard Godzilla's slapping footsteps move away As soon as he was out the door, she hurried to her own room for some deodorant, her clothes and her hair dryer. Exactly ten minutes later, she was dining on toast and orange slices while Godzilla pulled up her photos.

They were the most awesome photos she had ever done. Miki had never seen herself look so real. Rarely did she ever look at her own portfolio and see beyond the makeup and clothes. She saw herself the way Godzilla looked at her...and she was beautiful. Her eyes were deep, dark, yet warm. The nudity in the picture wasn't just her body...it was her soul, too. Bared completely to the world.

"Tell me you airbrushed these..."

"Not one bit." said Godzilla. "Ready to see my pick for the cover?"

"Yeah!"

Godzilla clicked a button and the photo came up. Miki saw herself leaning on Godzilla's chest, held gently in his arms. He had airbrushed out the bedroom and cropped himself out so that only his arms and chest were visible. A strategically placed shadow gave her modesty without diminishing the picture.

"It's awesome. I love it!" Miki leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. As she felt his large hand come up to touch her wrists, she thought to herself, Why do you have to be so wonderful? Why does this have to be such a hard decision? My career...or my happiness?

"Miki...I'm going to have to go out tonight. Better not leave the house after the sun goes down. It won't be safe."

She sagged against him. Her eyes wandered to the three crumpled cigarette butts in the ash tray. Godzilla only smoked when he needed radiation, and the more butts in the tray, the worse his need. "Where are you going to go?"

"Probably the Tokai plant. It's the most easily accessible and I won't cause as much damage." He stabbed a piece of sausage on his fork, took it in his teeth and swallowed it whole. Then he lit a fourth cigarette and the stinging smell of smoke surrounded him. "If the JSDF would just leave me alone, they'd realize I'm not after their precious city. Then they blame ME for the damage their own weapons do to buildings and streets! It's ridiculous."

Miki wrinkled her nose, "You should just stand up straight one day and tell them to stop."

Godzilla shook his head and muttered, "The generals would probably shit in their pants if I started talking to them." He switched to his email account and started opening some fan emails. One of them had the subject line: Hello from Monica in Texas! and inside was a photo of a woman exposing her large breasts. "Gads!" Godzilla put a hand over the screen and burst out laughing when Miki gasped. "Sorry, Miki, sometimes I get these." He blew smoke out through his nostrils, clutched the cigarette in the corner of his mouth with his teeth and put his hands on the keyboard.

Miki snickered, standing up again. "I'm surprised you don't get panties in the mail."

"That's why I have a P.O. box for fan mail. Those huge bags of mail I get every month are from that. I get so many love letters and pictures and birthday cards."

"It doesn't surprise me at all. Hey, when is your birthday anyway?"

Godzilla blew out a last smoke puff and added another butt to the pile. "November the third."

"Oh." She bit into her buttered toast, feeling bad that she didn't know about it sooner, "At least they love you for your music. They don't even know what you look like-are you answering that email?"

"Sure! Why not?"

Miki rolled her eyes and read over Godzilla's shoulder. "'Thanks for sharing, I hope you have a nice day.' Isn't that a little...I dunno...impersonal?"

"I don't want to encourage her. While I do appreciate the view, I don't even know this lady. Besides, yours are cuter anyway."

Heat rushed to Miki's cheeks. Covering her face, she giggled and carried her dishes to the sink to be washed. She heard Godzilla light another cigarette. Five in less than thirty minutes...not good. The smell made her cough a bit. Her smile dropped once her back was to Godzilla. It always worried her when he attacked a city. She hated how he had to hurt people to protect his own sanity. But he doesn't hurt people on purpose, she reminded herself, I wish there was a better way. What if one day they come up with a weapon that seriously hurts him?

"I can't wait." Godzilla said. "I've checked the news. There's nothing dangerous-going on." His voice shook. Miki turned around to find him gripping the table and trembling. "Miki, p-please...forgive me for what I have to do."

"Just...go. It's okay. I'll clean up here." Miki replied, trying her hardest to sound flippant about it. Yet another thing to consider...do I want to spend my life with someone who damages cities to hold onto his sanity? She walked mechanically to the door to watch Godzilla leave. He looked both ways before charging across the beach and diving into the waves. The change was instantaneous-he passed a large rock jutting from the water and his jagged spines became suddenly huge. Miki stood by the door until Godzilla disappeared into the distance.