｢Chapter 9｣
The first light of the rising sun shone into Fighter's room. There in the room, on the bed laid Fighter and Maker, both soundly asleep. It had been eons since Fighter was in such deep slumber sleep. The warm radiating from Maker's body was keeping the cold away from her. The slow rhythmic of Maker's heartbeat was like a lullaby to her. Fighter just wished the morning did not come so early. She just wished that she could stay this way longer, without having the need to face any confrontations that would come when morning comes.
But reality was that morning is here, and the peace they shared at the moment had to come to the end. Fighter was already up when the sun was up. But she chose to remain on the bed, pretending to be asleep. She did not want this to come to an end. She tightened her grip around Maker's waist, pulling herself closer to Maker's body. She rested her head against Maker's chest, allowing herself to feel Maker's warmth and her vitals of life.
Maker stirred a little, opened her eyes, only to see Fighter's beautiful blue eyes looking up into her lavender ones.
"Good . . . Morning" Fighter was shocked. She did not expect Maker to wake up so soon. She immediately let go of her hold on Maker sit up on her bed before she continued quietly, "Sorry. I - . Thank you for staying with me last night."
Maker sat up on the bed as well. "You okay? You collapsed last night." Maker asked with concern, without looking at Fighter.
"Yah. It's probably due to lack of sleep." Fighter replied as she pulled her knees close to her.
And when Fighter was about to talk to Maker about yesterday, Maker got off to her feet from Fighter's bed. "Where are you going?" Fighter asked fearfully. 'Why am I so afraid?'
"I'm - I'm going back." Maker replied without turning back to face Fighter. With that, Maker continued moving back into her room, closing the connecting door behind her.
Fighter face fell as Maker left. She buried her face in her knees, allowing those shining tears to flow down her knees. 'I thought she felt the same way like I do. Maybe I'm wrong. It's all one sided. All once again, it's my own suffering. I thought I would find joy. I'm wrong. I'm really really wrong.'
"Ouhi, you know what? You should not be doing all these things right now." Maker said as she walked into Kakkyu's study room, carrying a stack of four books in her arms.
"What do you mean, Maker?" Kakkyu asked
"You should be taking some time off from all these work." Maker stated.
"Maker!" Kakkyu frowned. "I'm pregnant, not sick nor handicapped." Kakkyu retaliated.
"But still, it's the best that you not overwork. And you shouldn't frown." Maker advised as she placed the stack of books that she was holding in her arms in front of Kakkyu. "I've picked some good books from the library for you. It's good for you to read more of these." Maker said, picking up the work Kakkyu was doing and walked back to her desk.
"Maker . . ." Kakkyu, filled with gratitude about Maker's concern for her. "Thank you gal."
Maker just looked up at Kakkyu and gave her a small confirming smile, before looking back down at her work.
And not long after, Maker realised that she was not focused on the small writings that she held in front of her eyes. Her mind had start wondering around, to the long night last night.
[Flashback]
Maker felt Fighter's hug around her waist. For that moment, it felt like her heart had stop beating for a minute. "Wh-a-t a-re yo-u do-ing?"
"What am I doing?" Maker heard Fighter repeated the question she asked and slowly, the grasp around her was loosen.
"I'm sorry"
Maker felt her heart broke when she heard the sorry from Fighter. 'Once again, I'm fooled.' Maker laughed bitterly at herself. Closing her eyes, she started to make her way towards the door.
"Wait Maker!" Maker heard Fighter called out, realising Fighter's hand grabbing her own. "Don't leave. I don't want you to leave."
Maker froze, shocked and unable to move. Battling the pain in her, she mustered her courage to ask, "Why?"
"Stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone tonight." Maker felt the grip in her hand tightened as Fighter continued, totally ignoring the question. "Say you will stay with me."
"Why? Fighter, why?" Maker repeated her question, pulling away Fighter's hand from her own.
"I . . ." Maker waited impatiently for her answer. She just wants to leave this room immediately. Any moment spent alone with Fighter had been driving her crazy. That was why she had been trying to avoid Fighter in the past month. She felt Fighter's hands on her shoulder, turning herself to face Fighter. And the next thing she knew, Fighter's lip was on hers.
Maker's eyes shot open. Shiny water crystals found their way to her eyes. Her heart could not stop beating at the abnormal speed. Her subconscious was enjoying it. But her conscious was not. The hurt feeling from the previous time swells around her heart. Allowing her conscious to take action, Maker pushed Fighter away from her.
Maker stared at Fighter with tears in her eyes. "Thank you for your last prank, Fighter. Can I leave now?" 'Would you stop driving me crazy, my dear Fighter?'
"NO! It's not a prank at all!" Maker heard Fighter barked out as she stared straight into her eyes. "Not even the first time. The first time is not a prank either. Definitely not." Fighter continued.
'Fighter. Enough.' Maker thought in herself. Tears started to fall off her eyes, down her face. "Fighter, I had enough. I'm leaving." Maker said as she brushed off a fallen tear from her face with the back of her hand and turned away from Fighter.
"I LIKE you Maker! And I know you too have the same feeling. If not you will not be reacting in this way, Maker!"
Maker stopped moving. 'What did you just say, Fighter?' She sensed Fighter's warm hands holding onto her wrists.
"I like you Maker. I mean it. I don't know how this will turn up into, but I do know that I like you." Fighter finished as she kissed Maker again on the lips. "Stay with me." Fighter asked again, pulling Maker into an embrace.
'Fighter, I - . Do you really mean it?
Before Maker could make any response, Fighter fell forward on her. "Fighter?" Maker called out.
[End of Flashback]
'What should I do? Was she serious when she said that? She said she liked me. Since when? Did Mercury told her anything? I - thought I want to love her. But when she said that, why were there fear building in me? Why is that so?' Maker thought as she spaced out on the piece of paper in front of her.
"Maker?" Kakkyu called out but got nothing in response. Kakkyu got up from her seat and walk towards Maker. Then again, she called out, "Maker?" And all she got was the same response. So gently, she place her hands on Maker shoulder. That cause Maker to wake up from her daze.
"Ouhi? What do you need?" Maker asked as she stood up.
"Are you okay, Maker? I've called you a few times but your did not respond."
"I'm alright, Ouhi. Sorry to get you worried about me." Maker explained.
"It's about time for lunch. Do you want to go?" Kakkyu asked.
"I think I will give lunch a pass today. I will finish up these little bits over here. Anyway, Ouhi, how were the books? Are they good?" Maker replied and asked again.
Kakkyu looked at Maker with disproval when Maker mentioned that she was giving lunch a miss."You should have something to eat, Maker, it's okay to go lunch late, but make sure you eat. Don't mistreat yourself. The books, they are really good and informative. Thanks Maker." Ouhi replied
Maker just nodded her head and Kakkyu left her study room, leaving Maker all alone in the room.
When Kakkyu left the room, she was greeted by Fighter, was as leaning against the outside wall of the study room.
"Fighter? Why are you here?" Kakkyu questioned.
"I - I just happened to pass by and thought I could wait for Ouhi you and Maker for lunch. " Fighter lied as she shifted her bodyweight back on her legs and away from the wall.
"I'm making my move now to the dining room. Let's go." Kakkyu stated as she start moving towards the direction of the dining room.
"Wait Ouhi-" Fighter called out. "Where's Maker?"
Kakkyu turned back at look at Fighter. "She said she's giving lunch a miss. I asked her not to. So I guess she would be coming along later. Are you coming along?" Kakyuu asked.
"I - " Fighter started. 'What should I say? Oh yah!' "Oh! I just remembered I have not finish something. I will come along when I done, Ouhi. You should get along now. Healer's probably waiting. And yah, the little one maybe complaining." Fighter continued, laughing a little at the last statement she had made.
Kakkyu smiled and started moving towards the dining hall, leaving Fighter along at the hallway.
Maker frowned when she realised that her mind had wondered away again to Fighter. 'Maker! Concentrate!' Maker scolded her own self. Then she heard the room door opened and closed. Without looking up to see who it was, Maker asked, "Ouhi, is there anything else? You should really be at the dining hall right now."
There she got for reply is silence. Maker looked up now, only to see Fighter standing right in front of her desk, staring at her gently. Maker threw herself back on her chair a little. 'Why are you here, Fighter?'
"Are you skipping lunch to avoid me, Maker? How much more while will you then stop doing this, so that we can really talk, Maker?" Fighter enquired with sadness filling her eyes at that moment.
"No I am not. I'm going for lunch now." Maker stated bluntly, getting off her chair to be on her feet and started moving towards the door of the room.
Fighter held Maker back. "No we are not going to get out the room until we are through with this. Fighter said firmly, not willing to let Maker slipped out of her sight once more, avoiding her once more.
"Let go of me." Maker demanded as she tried to pry away Fighter's hold on her.
"No." Fighter made a strong rejection to Maker's request, looking deep into the tall starlight unique lavender eyes. "I'm not letting you go."
"What do you want Fighter?" Maker asked as she fight back the tears that were trying to make their way to her eyes.
"I want your heart." Fighter answered. Short and sweet. That was what Fighter wanted. She wants to know what Maker was thinking deep inside. She wants to know who was the one that Maker contained in her heart. She wants Maker's love and affection.
Silence filled in. Maker did not know what should she do. The fear she felt earlier on had started to eat on her heart and courage. She just want to get out of the room.
"About yesterday, I -" Fighter started speaking after the long moment silence, but was cut off before she had the chance to finish what she had in mind.
"I will pretend that nothing had happened last night. You were in the wrong state yesterday. I know you have not sleep for nights prior to that, so everything you said yesterday meant nothing. Maybe it meant something, but it's just not for me." Maker cut in.
"No!" Fighter screamed out, pushing Maker at her shoulder backwards with her lower right arm, banging Maker's back against the wall. "What are you saying Maker? I meant every word I said yesterday. Definitely. Never once in my life I was so sure what I was saying." Fighter retorted angrily, staring at Maker with hurt encircling in her blue eyes. "Why would you think me in this way, Maker?" Fighter continued softly and sadly. "If that's what you want to believe, be it." With that, Fighter retreated.
Maker stood at her spot, watched Fighter's departure from the room. And she remembered a promised she made to herself, on the day where she informed Fighter that the Moon Princess and her senshis were invited for the wedding six weeks ago.
[Flashback]
Maker stroked the indigo haired senshi who was laying on her lap, sound asleep. Traces of dried tears could be seen on the face of the sleeping starlight.
'Maker, it hurts. It really hurts a lot. So much.' Fighter's statement rang in Maker's mind.
"I know it hurts, Fighter. Only if you would know that it hurts me too to see you in hurt Fighter." Maker stated, stroking gently at Fighter's cheek. "How I wish I could be the one to make you smile. I miss your smile. Your influential smile. The smile that can brighten up my day. I will love the way you taught me to, even though I know that you may not feel the same way, Fighter."
[End of Flashback]
'I broken the promise I made, Fighter. It takes something more than just having courage to start loving you.' Maker thought sadly in her mind.
[Flashback]
"You have to believe Maker. Have faith. All of the inner senshis had never thought that we will be able to accomplish our dreams when the new Silver Millennium came, but we did, didn't we. You just have to believe in it to happen, Maker."
[End of Flashback]
'And it did happened. And why am I running away from it right now? Isn't this what I wanted?'
Fighter buried herself on her bed once she left the study room. 'I'm such a fool. A fool who is not supposed to love and be love.' She heard the door open. "GO AWAY!" Fighter ordered. No movement was heard in the room. "I SAID GO AWAY! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU!"
"I'm sorry"
"I DON'T NEED SORRY. THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANT. GO AWAY" Fighter cried out, sobbing quieting in her pillow. Noticing that the intruder was still in the room, she got off her bed angrily, only to be shadowed by the tall statue of the intruder.
"I'm sorry, Fighter." Maker the intruder repeated, as she swept away the tears on Fighter's face.
Fighter pushed Maker's hands away from her face.
"I'm sorry Fighter." Maker repeated the third time. "But I love you, truly, from the bottom of my heart."
"Don't please don't." Fighter insisted.
"No I do Fighter." Maker said softly, continuing, "I'm sorry that I've hurt your heart. But I think I can give you what you need." Maker finished as she pulled Fighter close to her chest, where Fighter began to cry uncontrollably in Maker's embrace.
"Maker I hate you. I hate you." Fighter cried out within sobs. 'I hate you because you are really slow. You really made me thought that I won't be able to love anyone in my life.'