The trip felt infinitely longer than usual for Ilia, and just about as agonizing. She couldn't help but keep shooting glances at the faunus walking beside her, but Carmella's gaze remained focused forward.
After getting nothing from the rabbit girls face, Ilia's gaze drifted downward, to Carmella's hand, dangling only inches from her own. Would it be too weird of her to take Carm's hand again? I mean, they'd done it before, multiple times now, but those had been special circumstances. Twice it had been too use Ilia's semblance to hide the pair, and then when they were coming back from the docks this morning... well, Ilia didn't really know how that had happened. She'd been so overwhelmed emotionally at the time, and the next thing she knew, Carmella's hand was entwined with her own. Now though? There was no occasion to do it. Ilia just wanted to.
And Gods, did she really, really, want to.
In the end however, Ilia couldn't build up the nerve to do it. Her own insecurities won out in her again- adding fuel to the immense frustration she was experiencing- and after what felt like a thousand years of torment, the two of them finally made it to their destination.
The park was actually much busier this time of day, as opposed to when the pair usually did their training. Usually they'd find themselves here at the crack of dawn, when most of the citizens of Mistral where either just waking up, or already at work. Now however, all those people were wide awake or had finished work for the day and were eager to get out of their homes or offices for a few precious hours before heading to bed and beginning the cycle again tomorrow.
There were more kids as well, finally free from school for the day and overflowing with energy, running around and screaming at one another. A small part of Ilia was worried that she wouldn't be able to focus on her training with all the noise and distractions... that is, the part of her that wasn't practically foaming at the mouth over Carmella at this point.
Fortunately, it looked like the thick brush surrounding the small clearing the two had claimed as their own was in a secluded enough area that it was safe from any onlookers, but the extra ambient noise was impossible to block out.
Not that Ilia really cared at the moment. No, after failing to gather the courage to take the other faunus' hand, she'd spent the entire walk over from the hotel focused on the rabbit girl beside her, taking in all little things that could only really be appreciated up close, and she suddenly found herself just sort of... hypnotized by Carmella in general.
Had... had she always been this pretty? I mean, obviously she had. Ilia herself had taken note of this indisputable fact more than once, but had she ever actually mentioned it to Carm?
Should she tell her? Was that the kind of thing someone like Carmella would enjoy hearing? Was it even something that really needed to be said? It seemed so obvious to the chameleon girl, and she assumed it was to everyone else as well, including Carmella herself, but at the same time, somehow the rabbit faunus walked around seemingly completely unaware of just how stunning she really was. She just didn't seem to carry herself like most people Ilia would deem conventionally "attractive," and in a way, that only made her more so in the spotted girls eyes. The world was full of beautiful people- honestly, it was a little ridiculous sometimes- but running into someone who's outer beauty matched their inner qualities? Those types were rare in the chameleon girls opinion.
Ilia's tantalized gaze followed Carmella as she walked across to the other side of the clearing and began fiddling with her pair of tonfa, tucking one between her knees to hold there while she used both hands to check the other. All the while, the chameleon girl couldn't bring herself to look away, she remained transfixed on the other faunus.
This was insane. Ilia had always found Carmella to be distracting- in all the best ways possible- but all of a sudden that level of distraction had skyrocketed.
It wasn't just her brain that wasn't cooperating too, the lizard faunus own body was also betraying her at this point. Her breathing was shallower, quicker than normal, and the chameleon girls heartbeat was so loud in her ears she was worried Carmella could hear it too. Honestly, it felt like her heart hadn't shut up since she'd first woken up next to the long eared faunus, and had only sped up at the high-pitched, half gasp, sound Carm had made when she'd touched her ears. Now it seemed the overstimulated organ had settled into an unusually high tempo rhythm.
It was like the entire weeks worth of feelings she'd built up, all of the ups and downs, highs and lows, they were all screaming in her head at once. She tried to focus her brain into "teacher" mode, like she usually did when it was time to train and Carmella's adorable antics were getting into her head, but it was absolutely no use. Ilia was trapped, locked on to the rabbit girl before her.
Was this because of what had happened earlier? Had nearly losing the Carm forever somehow triggered her feelings for the rabbit girl? Evolving them into a borderline obsession? That was the best explanation Ilia could come up with, but what was she supposed to do with these... these feelings erupting inside of her?
Gods, she wished Carmella would just say something to her, anything to give her opening to get these things off her chest, but the brunette faunus continued to silently inspect her weapons, having now switched to the other half of Carrot Stix. She understood if the rabbit eared girl was still embarrassed, but it seriously felt like Ilia was about to burst here.
After finishing looking over the tonfa, Carmella gave the weapons a quick spin in both hands, before holding them both by their respective grips and turning to face her teacher.
"Okay," Carm said with an eager smile, "you ready?"
For a moment, all Ilia could do was blink unresponsively at the question, as if she'd completely forgotten the reason the two of them had even come to their usual spot in the first place.
Right, sparring, Ilia chided herself internally. She grabbed Lightning Lash from her hip, holding it up horizontally in front of her, before extending its blade out to signal she was ready- just how true that was, remained to be seen.
Her feelings would have to wait. If this was what Carmella wanted to do, that was fine with her. A little training would be great for working out these pent up frustrations Ilia felt. Besides, she could hold back her emotions for a little while longer. No sweat... right?...
There was sound, deep down inside Ilia, a sort of creaking, like the metal hull of an old ship shifting under pressure.
Oh...That can't be good...
Almost as if she sensed the other faunus' trepidation, Carmella charged towards Ilia with her usual impressive speed.
The two of them had sparred like this multiple times, almost every day, ever since the rabbit girl had her aura unlocked, and every match had ended the same way, with Carm lying on the grass, breathless and beaten.
Ilia wasn't one to hold back, as she'd warned the other faunus when this all had started. The chameleon girl didn't see the point in going easy on her pupil. She knew how dangerous the world really was, so if she was going to train someone, she was going to go all out with it.
To her credit, none of the numerous defeats at her spotted teachers hands seemed to have discouraged Carmella from trying to take Ilia down one on one. She was always the one to ask to spar, as well as the first to demand a rematch after a loss. If the chameleon girl didn't know any better, she'd call the other faunus a masochist.
Already though, both girls could tell today was different. Maybe it was the energy in the air from the excitement earlier, or the fact that Carmella could tell Ilia was off her game right now, either way, the rabbit faunus seemed determined to make this happen. Today would be the day she finally beat her teacher.
The quick footed girl leapt up and spun, becoming a whirling dervish in midair with her tonfa spread out in each hand. Ilia expected a heavy strike from one of the weapons and shifted her balance to block one of the smaller weapons with her own. However, at the last second, Carm stuck out a leg and swung it down at the spotted faunus, using her spin as momentum to increase the blows force beyond Ilia's expectation.
Switching strategies quickly, Ilia moved her whip-blade out of the way and instead blocked the kick with both her forearms instead. The hit was still massive, and the chameleon girl felt her aura tremble as the appendage made contact. Still, it was better than putting all that pressure on her weapons thin blade and risking it breaking.
There was a lot of power behind Carmella's legs, a fact the rabbit faunus apparently hadn't considered until beginning her training with Ilia, and having switched to a weapon that allowed her to take advantage of them. A pair of tonfa's seemed like the perfect match for someone with a strong pair of legs like Carm... Yes, a pair of strong, powerful... smooth, toned legs...
Ilia snapped herself back to reality as she caught herself admiring at the muscles rippling across the other faunus' appendages as they made contact with her.
What was wrong with her today?
Refocused, the spotted girl pushed back with all her might to send Carmella spiraling through the air. As the rabbit faunus was about to hit the ground, Ilia went to take advantage with a strike from her whip while Carm was off balance, but instead of landing clumsily on her feet like the chameleon girl expected, the rabbit faunus went into a split as she hit the ground, going lower than Ilia had expected, which caused her attack to soar over Carmella's head, just barely missing the tips of her long ears.
This definitely caught the spotted teen off guard. She didn't even know Carmella could do that. The brunette faunus' flexibility surprised her, as Carm always seemed to.
Not a day had gone by since the pair of them had met that the rabbit girl had failed to surprise and impress Ilia. She'd impressed her with just how much of a natural she was when it came to fighting of course, but more than that, it was Carmella's kindness and patience when it came to Ilia that had really caught the lizard faunus off guard. She'd really never met anyone like her before...
... and she'd almost sent her away...
As Ilia was once again forced to shake herself free of these persistent distractions she seemed to be experiencing, it was time for Carmella to press the advantage this time.
With a quick swing of her legs, the rabbit girl hopped to her feet and charged towards her sparring partner. Ilia quickly retracted Lightning Lash into its blade form and began to parry the onslaught of attacks from Carm's tonfa's.
The other faunus' form had improved tremendously, and in such a short amount of time no less. All it had taken was a few small adjustments from Ilia- as well as getting a weapon more suitable for Carmella into her hands- and the difference was practically night and day. The rabbit girls blows were faster, more precise, and she was finally making full use of her body as well as her tonfa's, a fact Ilia was reminded of when she was forced to lean back to avoid a sweeping kick launched in the direction of her face.
Honestly, the more experienced chameleon faunus was actually starting to have a little trouble keeping up. She still wasn't fighting any more serious than usual of course, this was just practice sparring after all, but it was quickly becoming clear that Ilia needed to focus up if she didn't want to end up on the ground.
This was easier said than done however, as the spotted girl just couldn't resist marveling at Carm's progress. She couldn't help it, Ilia just felt... proud of her, and herself too, for actually being good at this whole "teaching" thing, which was not a feeling she was used to. Just add that to the seemingly endless number of new and exciting things Carmella had brought to the typically despondent chameleon faunus' life by being part of-
This time Ilia was ripped out of her distracting thoughts when one Carm's feet slammed into her shoulder.
The spotted girl grit her teeth at the impact as it knocked her off her feet. It hurt, but not nearly as much as it would have if she hadn't had her aura up. Really, the part of her that took the most damage was the lizard faunus' pride. It had been such a telegraphed kick, even a novice should have been able to dodge it. Instead, Ilia was sent rolling across the grass from the force of the blow.
Damnit! Ilia growled internally, Focus!
Despite chiding herself, Ilia couldn't help but be impressed yet again by the strength of Carmella. With one solid hit she'd sent the chameleon faunus flying almost halfway across the grove the two were practicing in.
Just how much potential did those legs actually have?
Ilia recovered quickly, rolling out of the tumble Carmella had sent her into and getting back to her feet with a practically seamless transition. It was time to get serious, not too serious mind you, but it was definitely time to stop getting distracted by every little thing about Carm. An easy task on paper, maybe, but with everything that had happened... Ilia was still just so... flustered, and frustrated, and... and... UGH!
Why was it so hard to push these feelings aside all of a sudden!?
By the time Ilia had gotten vertical, Carmella was already closing the gap between them again. However, mid range fighting was the chameleon girl's specialty. She collapsed her weapons blade into its whip form and lashed out at the rabbit faunus, stopping the other teens charge dead in its tracks with a few electricity filled strikes.
Carm was caught rushing forward, moving too fast to dodge the first attack, which caught her in the abdomen. Her aura was still going strong however, so all the shocking lash did was make her skid to a stop. The rest of the whips attacks the rabbit faunus was able to flip and twirl out of the way of.
Thinking the fight was finally starting to go in her favor, Ilia kept up her assault. Carm was able to dodge most of the attacks, but not all of them. However the spotted faunus was still much too distracted by her own thoughts and feelings to notice the strategy behind the other teens actions until it was too late.
Blow after blow made contact against Carmella, weakening her aura with each hit, making her grimace as she began to feel the sting of each one she couldn't quite dodge. However, a more focused Ilia might've noticed that the rabbit girl was taking said hits for a reason.
The realization didn't hit the spotted faunus until much too late, but Carmella was getting closer. She'd been getting hit, sacrificing her own aura in order to get within striking distance of Ilia.
The idea of escaping, leaping away and creating more distance entered the chameleon girls mind, but it was quickly shot down. Retreating would put her on the back foot, an advantage Carm was sure to press if given the chance. So instead of running, Ilia decided to continue to feign ignorance and give in to the ploy. If Carmella wanted to make this an up close fight, that was fine with her.
And that was pretty much were Ilia lost this match.
The moment she released her second trigger on Lightning Lash, and began retracting her whip to switch to blade mode, that was the opening Carmella was waiting for.
It took barely half a second for Ilia's weapon to switch forms, for the mechanisms to lock back into place to form a sturdy sword. Add to that the quarter of a second more it took for the spotted faunus to ready a strike, and it was impossible for any opponent to really take advantage of such an opening... normally.
Today however, Ilia's usually sharp reflexes were in tatters thanks to the constant back and forth tug of war between her head and heart, and that infinitesimally small opening grew just enough, and allowed Carmella to slip in.
An involuntary gasp escaped Ilia as her cerulean eyes went wide, barley able to process the events that took place next.
She felt a sharp pain on the knuckles of her gloved hand- the one holding Lightning Lash. The muscles in her fingers instinctively loosened their grip, causing her to then let go of her weapons hilt entirely when a second hit struck her stomach. Nearly doubling over from the blow, Ilia was left defenseless as the full weight of Carmella's body collided with her own in a tackle that knocked the spotted girl off her feet and onto the grass.
Before Ilia could even think to recover, she felt a pair of hands grab her wrists and slam them to the ground, palm side up, one at each side of her head, followed by a massive weight on the chameleon faunus' torso.
She'd been pinned. It was over.
Ilia's eyes blearily fluttered open, only to see Carmella staring down, leaning over her, very close, breathing heavily as she straddled the other faunus hips with her own, still holding the chameleon girls wrists tightly, down against the grass.
Needless to say, this caused those feelings in Ilia to roar like a bonfire.
"I... I did it?" Carmella said in disbelief between labored breaths.
The chameleon girl didn't reply. Her eyes were locked onto Carm's golden pools of honey, fully ensnared by the other faunus' irises. All sound, even her own heartbeat were drowned out as she laid there, pinned beneath the other girls warm body.
"Ilia! Did you see! I did it!" The rabbit faunus exclaimed excitedly, leaning in even closer, all while still not releasing- or getting off of- Ilia.
By this point, the chameleon girl's mind had completely shut down, its last transmission only reading;
"More..."
"Ilia?" Carmella said with a tilt of her head, "are you o-"
The rabbit girl was cut off. Not by words, or by a hand over her mouth like before, but by Ilia herself, as the spotted faunus' head shot forward and her lips collided with Carmella's.
It all happened so fast, Ilia didn't even have time to feel nervous or embarrassed, and without those emotions to hold her back, there was nothing stopping the tidal wave of longing and passion that had been building inside of her for days and days.
The kiss didn't last long, just a quick peck on those rosy pink lips that had been tantalizing the chameleon faunus for far too long. However, for Ilia, the moment stretched on and on as she savored every crumb of relief and ecstasy she could in the small instant the two faunus' lips touched.
It felt incredible, amazing, fantastic, as well as about every other synonym that could be used to describe what was quite possibly the best thing that had ever happened in Ilia's life.
And then suddenly, just as quickly as it started, it was over.
Ilia pulled away, her head relaxing back onto the grass beneath it. She stared up at a flabbergasted Carmella, the rabbit girls mouth still hanging open slightly from when she'd been cut off mid sentence. Carm's eyes were as wide as they'd even been, unblinking, frozen in place as she looked down at Ilia in utter shock.
The spotted faunus gave the other teen a nervous smile, she could feel the pink rising to her spots. A moment passed... then another... and another... Carmella remained silent, staring down at Ilia, her expression unchanged.
The awkward smile on Ilia's face slowly began to fade.
Oh... oh no...
She'd done something wrong. She'd misread things. Was this not the right moment? Had something changed? Did Carmella not feel the same way anymore?
Of course, that must be it. So much had happened in the last twenty fours hours. Ilia had put the poor rabbit girl through so much pain and turmoil while she'd been figuring out her own feelings, it's no wonder that Carmella had changed her mind when it came to Ilia.
Yellow and blue overtook the chameleon faunus' skin as the elation she'd felt mere moments ago was overwhelmed by fear and regret, all the way down to the end of her long ponytail, which was coiled up on the grass beside her head.
Damnit. What had she been thinking!? She should have just held those feelings inside, like she had so many times before! That's what she was best at, hiding her own emotions, and that's all she should ever do! Now she'd ruined things with Carmella, all because she'd lost control for one, microscopic second.
No. No, she could still save this. There had to be a way.
As hot tears started to build in Ilia's eyes, she immediately went to damage control.
"Oh Gods, Carmella, I'm so sorry, I didn't-"
Now it was Ilia's turn to be cut off as Carmella's lips smothered whatever excuse was about to leave her mouth.
Compared to the chameleon faunus' earlier attempt, the more experienced Carmella's kiss was infinitely more passionate, lasting several seconds longer as she forced the back of Ilia's head down into the grass and dirt beneath her with the force behind it.
The chameleon faunus' entire complexion went pink in an instant, hair and all. She was dreaming, she had to be. There was no way this kind of thing was actually happening to Ilia- Ilia Amitola, of all people. She'd messed up so much in her short life; lost important people, ruined relationships, burnt bridges everywhere she went. She didn't deserve this. There was just no way this was real. It had to be a dream, a cruel, cruel dream.
However, as the kiss stretched on, it became harder and harder for that line of thinking to hold water. Things like the familiar scent of Carmella, the heat radiating off the other faunus' body, and the taste- oh Brothers, the taste- of the rabbit girls lips as they pressed against her own.
This was real.
Eventually, the rabbit girl pulled away, sitting up and wiping away the saliva at the edges of her lips on her own shoulder, since her hands were otherwise occupied, still pinning the other faunus to the ground.
"Finally," Carmella said with a humongous smile stretched across her face once she'd finished cleaning most of the spit off of it.
Ilia's face scrunched up at that. "Wait, what the hell does that m-mph!"
The spotted faunus wasn't given much of chance to speak, as Carmella's lips eagerly reattached themselves to hers.
This time, the girls were more prepared, and both were able to actually enjoy the kiss to it's full extent. Eventually, Ilia closed her eyes, succumbing to the feeling of Carmella practically melting into her as the rabbit eared teen laid her full body down on top of the other faunus. The chameleon wasn't at all bothered by this though, she was far too lost in the ecstasy she felt as she was finally able to express and reciprocate her feelings for the girl she'd been crazy about pretty much since the day she'd first laid eyes on her.
It was like everything that had been bottled up for days now finally exploded outward, sending the cork that had been holding it back rocketing up into the stratosphere from the pressure contained within. Waves of unrestrained happiness coursed through Ilia as her body lit up with purples and pinks.
The sensation was even stronger thanks to the link Carmella's semblance had created between Ilia and herself. It was like the two faunus' aura's were twisting and twirling together in some form of elegant dance. The souls of the two were finally, one hundred percent in sync. No more hidden emotions or doubts, just pure synergy, a genuine connection.
The third kiss between them two lasted even longer than the last, but eventually, Carmella pulled away first. She pushed herself up off of Ilia and just sort of smiled down at her, not saying anything. Then again, was there really anything left to say anyway?
Well, Ilia could think of one thing.
"So... are you going to get off of me or...?"
She was enjoying the closeness just as much as Carmella was, but spending all this time with the rabbit girls full weight on top of her was getting a little uncomfortable. Not to mention the other faunus still had both her wrists trapped on each side of her head.
The rabbit faunus laughed mischievously in response to the question. "I don't know..." she said with a sly smile. "Maybe I deserve to revel in my victory a little longer?"
Ilia gave the faunus on top of her a deadpan expression. "I mean, with everything that's been going on, I think it's pretty clear I wasn't exactly fighting at my best. I'd say this win comes with a pretty big asterisk next to it."
Carmella's smile turned smug. "Now, you say that, but you weren't the only one with a lot on their mind, and uh, look who ended up on top here."
"Oh really?" Ilia replied, her deadpan look morphing into a smirk of her own.
Before Carmella could even react, a pair of legs came up from behind her, wrapping under her arms and pulling her backwards.
The rabbit faunus let out a small shriek as she suddenly found herself the one laying on the grass. She tried to get back up before it was too late, but Ilia was quicker. The spotted teens legs swung out from under the other girl and then landed on top of Carm, all in one motion. With the chameleon faunus now on top of her, Carmella got her hands up to try and push her off, but again, Ilia was too fast. She quickly grabbed both the rabbit eared teens wrists, pulling them together and holding them tightly with only one of her own hands, before slamming them against the ground, above Carmella's head.
In barely a second, the two faunus' positions had completely reversed. Carmella tried to squirm free, but the other teens grip was too tight, and the weight of the chameleon girls body on top of hers made sure she wasn't going anywhere.
Ilia gave a slightly predatory smile down at the trapped rabbit girl beneath her. "You want to make sure to sit lower when pinning an opponent. That way they can't use their legs to... well, do that," the ponytailed girl said in a low voice, leaning in close to Carmella as she spoke.
Every brain cell in poor Carm's head crashed and burned as they tried to process the utter domination Ilia had just subjected her to. The color of her face was quickly beginning to match her red t-shirt as her wide open, sparkling golden eyes stared up at the girl looming over her. The rabbit faunus was quietly hoping this situation wasn't awakening anything inside her.
"I think I like to be on top too," the chameleon girl whispered.
It was unclear to Carmella whether or not Ilia understood the implication of those words, but even with context, they had the long eared girls body temperature skyrocketing. In the end, it didn't really matter, as the spotted teen turned her head to the side before closing the small amount of remaining distance between the lips of Carm and herself.
There was no more hesitation in Ilia's movements, no more doubts. She knew now that her feelings weren't wrong, or one sided, they never had been. There was no reason for her to fear them anymore.
However, despite this, Ilia couldn't help but be aware of how her kisses were different from the ones Carmella's had given. They were soft, gentle, almost cautious in a way. When compared to the passion that filled the rabbit faunus', the often insecure chameleon girl couldn't help but wonder if Carm found her displays of affection... lacking.
The spotted teen removed her lips from Carmella's and gave the rabbit eared girl a small, anxious looking smile.
"I think you might be a better kisser than me..." she said quietly, trying to gauge the other faunus' opinion, without actually asking for it.
The still quite red in the face Carmella gave her spotted friend a strange look. "I mean, I thought it was pretty great, but I might be slightly biased," the rabbit girl said with a lopsided grin, "Although I'm definitely down for more practice if you are."
Ilia laughed softly, before leaning down and delivering one final peck onto the rabbit girls lips.
Of course she'd had nothing to worry about, this was Carmella after all. Whether what she'd just said was true, a lie, or maybe the rabbit girl was just easy to please, it didn't matter. Because at the end of the day, she genuinely cared about Ilia, and the chameleon girl felt the same way, so she made a vow then and there to never forget that fact again.
With a content expression, Ilia finally released Carmella from her grip, flopping down onto the grass beside the rabbit girl, their shoulders touching, and just staring up into the waning, late day sunshine.
Ilia couldn't stop smiling. She couldn't remember ever feeling so happy before. Her head lolled to the side to see Carmella was wearing an expression matching her own; utter bliss.
The rabbit girl was still facing the sky, but her eyes were closed, allowing Ilia to fully take in the beautiful girl laying beside her, one that- despite the odds, and the billion or so reasons not to- had chosen her. The chameleon faunus had never once considered herself lucky, but what other explanation was there for this unprecedented twist of fate?
Carmella's eyes opened, her own head turning to face Ilia, as if she could sense the other faunus watching her-
Then again, come to think of it, with her semblance, she probably could.
Whatever the case, Ilia now found herself staring into that pair of captivating golden eyes she'd been admiring all week. Every other time she'd been caught by them, the spotted girl had instinctively felt the urge to look away, her typical reluctance towards eye contact forcing her to do so, but this time she didn't. Instead her smile just grew fonder. She stared and stared, drinking in every ounce of those luminous pools she could, because there was nothing to hold her back anymore.
It was perfect. Somehow Ilia Amitola had stumbled into yet another perfect moment. What were the odds? The blades of grass brushing up against the rabbit girls face, her caramel colored hair framing both sides of her smile, with a few errant strands dangling in front of it, the way the suns warm, reddish, late day light made Carmella's skin almost glow in a way. No other words could do justice to this moment except "perfect."
However, there was one question on Ilia's mind, one that had been slowly marinating ever since Carmella first returned her kiss moments ago.
"So... what happens now?" The chameleon girl asked, entwining her hands over her abdomen and fiddling with them nervously.
"Now?" Carmella said, her long ears twitching as her head tilted in confusion.
"I mean... what... what are we now?" Ilia almost reluctantly inquired.
She genuinely had no idea. Honestly? The spotted girl never thought she'd ever get this far, with anyone, ever. They'd kissed, sure, but what did that even mean? Was it some sort of ritual or contract binding the two of them together? Or was this all just a spur the moment thing? A "fling" or whatever you would call it? Were the fires ignited in Ilia destined to just flicker and die? More importantly, what did Carmella want?
The rabbit faunus gave the other teen a lost look, her head titling even more into the grass beneath her.
"'We?' What do you mean?"
The response made Ilia panic for about half a second, before she noticed the barely concealed grin on the long eared girls face. Carmella was obviously teasing her, yet again.
The chameleon faunus gave a slightly amused sigh and closed her eyes. "You just want to make me ask you, don't you?"
The smile Carmella had been so poorly hiding slowly began to spread across her face. "Oh, I really, really want you to ask me."
The sudden warmth spreading across her cheeks and face were a telltale sign for Ilia that her spots were going pink. Her usual unease and nervousness when when it came to this sort of thing was making its dramatic return, but she'd come this far, already dived headfirst into this scenario, so why not push herself to go deeper?
"I guess... I'm just asking... If you- if we..." Ilia fumbled to find the right words, the anxious wringing together of her hands picking up speed. "... Are we, like, you know... girlfriends or whatever...?"
The sentence trailed off near the end, but Carmella heard every word, and her mischievous smile only grew larger.
"I don't know..." the rabbit girl said, scooting herself across the grass, bringing her face closer to Ilia's until it was only inches away. She casually brushed back some of her caramel colored hair over her ear as she leaned in. "Do you want to be? Do you want me to be your... girlfriend?"
The low whisper Carmella asked the question in sent a shiver all the way up and down Ilia's spine. Pink slowly began taking over the rest of her skin as she stared at the sultry, half-lidded expression of the other faunus.
"Y-yes?" Ilia stammered out.
"Well, I'm that case..." Carm said, closing her eyes the rest of the way and beginning to lean forward more.
Ilia followed suit, shutting her own eyes and preparing for yet another kiss between the two... only to feel a small, sharp *thwack* against her forehead, right on the spots between her eyebrows.
"Ow!" The chameleon faunus exclaimed loudly, her eyes shooting open to see Carmella's hand still hovering in front of her face. The rabbit girls expression having shifted to one of annoyance.
Had she... had she just flicked Ilia in the forehead?!
"What was that for!?" Ilia said sharply, finding herself completely blindsided by the sudden "attack."
"That's for almost letting me get on a boat back to Menagerie this morning, you dork!" Carm replied, sounding just as agitated. "If you wanted to be with me then why'd you push me away like that!?"
"I-" Ilia started, but then felt all the indignant irritation she felt wash away when she realized she had no defense to that. She'd almost made what arguably could have been the biggest mistake of her life at those docks earlier today.
"... I'm sorry..." the chameleon finally said, her eyes drifting away from Carmella as she felt her guilt and regret from earlier display itself, turning her skin green and her spots blue.
Thinking the moment had been ruined, Ilia went to sit up, but suddenly felt both sides of her head trapped between Carm's hands. The rabbit girl gently cupped her fingers around both the other faunus' ears as she pulled her closer and planted a soft kiss on the spotted girls forehead, right where she'd just flicked.
"Me too," she said quietly as she pressed her forehead to Ilia's. "I shouldn't have put all the pressure on you to confess. Guess I wasn't exactly being very direct with my feelings either..."
The spotted girls features returned to normal, though the guilt still remained. She reached up and put a hand on Carm's cheek.
"I'll do better," Ilia said with conviction, "I promise."
Carmella'a smile returned. "Then so will I," she vowed, as she let go of Ilia's head, only so her arms could wrap around the chameleon faunus' torso and pull her closer.
The two girls bodies were pressed together tightly, chest to chest, one of Carm's legs even wrapping around Ilia's, entangling their forms entirely. The heat and tingles from earlier returned to Ilia as her shaky arms returned the embrace, wrapping around the rabbit eared girl as well, and the two shared another- but definitely not their last for that day- kiss in the center of that clearing, under the setting sun.
"Perfect..." Carmella said after separating their lips for only a second, before diving back in for another taste.
She took the words right out of Ilia's mouth.
Meanwhile, in what could possibly be the deepest, darkest hole one could find in the city of Mistral, a dust powered lamp flickered in the void, just barely illuminating a large map of Anima that was spread across a cluttered wooden table. A massive hand- attached to an equally muscular, tattooed arm- ran across the map, trying in vain to flatten the parchment out so it could be read easier.
The rooms sole occupant let out a low growl of frustration. It had been over a week since they'd crammed themselves- as well as any other stragglers- into this pit, away from the prying eyes of any authorities that might still be searching for them after their failed coup, only able to poke their heads out into the daylight from the briefest of moments.
What a disaster that whole situation dissolved into, to say nothing of the aftermath he alone had been left to sort through. The entire organization was in shambles, the handful who'd escaped that night at Haven fled into the surrounding forests, most even fleeing the kingdom immediately afterwards, leaving only a token few, devout followers to regroup, to try and rebuild.
But their numbers were dwindling, and there was still no reply from their groups Mistral headquarters, despite numerous attempts to contact them. He had managed to at least secure a bit more help from a few mercenary groups in the city, promising them lien he didn't have... yet. That's what the betrayal of the Menagerie militia had reduced them to, lying and cheating to hire other liars and cheaters to keep their association from dissolving completely. It didn't matter though, the White Fang- not this pathetic Brotherhood that was being formed- the true White Fang would live on. All these temporary setbacks and necessary sacrifices would pay off soon. Slowly but surely they were getting the men they needed to overcome this hurdle and get their plans back on track.
However, more recruits only meant it was getting harder and harder to hide their numbers in the cracks of the city they've been driven into, not to mention keeping all of them fed. But what this crumbling cabal needed more than bodies or even supplies right now was a leader, and deep down, he knew that wasn't him.
He was a blunt object, a bludgeoning tool, a force of nature, he lacked the... charisma to be the face of an uprising, but alas, he was all they had now. It was a role he'd been forced into, but one he'd play for as long as he needed. Still though, the quicker they found him, the better.
There was a quiet knock on the leaned up piece of plywood serving as a temporary "door" to his quarters. The giant faunus felt another wave of frustration wash over him, but this time he was able to at least withhold the growl. He reached across the desk to pick up his mask, sliding it into place over his face.
The giant shadowy figure slid the "door" to the side, revealing one of his brothers in arms waiting there, more importantly, it was one of the ones he'd sent scouting outside the kingdom.
"Tell me you have found something," the larger faunus said in a voice that boomed like thunder.
His smaller cohort seemed to almost shrink away at the man's tone. "Well, you see-"
What a promising start.
"G-Grimm activity outside the kingdom has become quite a bit more... agitated lately. W-we actually lost several of our brothers while out looking and-"
"Did. You find. Anything."
The grunt shivered in place as the man took a step closer. He looked upon the muscular faunus' giant, tightly clenched hands, knowing full well the violence they were capable of.
Without another moment of hesitation, the shorter faunus reached into his pack, fumbling through its contents briefly, all the while feeling his superiors impatient gaze upon him.
Finally, he managed to get what he had to show. The object was barely exposed to the musty air of the hideout before the larger faunus quickly snatched it out of his subordinates hands.
He held the object with a surprising amount of gentleness, given his size. He recognized it almost immediately, and knew to treat the object with the utmost care and reverence.
The four slits used to see through, the pointed tip going down towards the nose, the pair of small hooks that held the mask on over the wearers ears, and, of course, the blood red, Grimm-like markings on the front, quite similar to the ones on the larger faunus' own mask.
"... You said you found this outside the kingdom?" The giant of a man asked his trembling associate.
"Y-yes sir...?" was the smaller faunus' quivering reply.
In yet another bizarre display of tenderness, the brutal looking man ran his thumb over the masks crimson markings.
"Sir?" the confused grunt said after several moments of silence.
Returning to his senses, the giant faunus turned away, gently placing the mask on the table next to the map.
"... Continue to rally our numbers," He said in a low voice as he leaned over the map illuminated by the single lantern. "And put a call out to Viridia, on the off chance she's still in the city. We need more fighters, even if they're mercenaries. We can't afford to be picky anymore. Besides, she always enjoys a good fight."
Without another word, the White Fang grunt spun on his heels and hurried off in the opposite direction to do his current masters bidding, leaving the massive faunus alone, hunched over his notes and his maps.
He'd only been thinking about one thing since that night, since the plan had fallen apart and he'd been forced to watch, hidden at the tree line, as the authorities rounded up his kind. Then he'd been forced to retreat as well, lest he suffer the same fate. Someone had to pay for this insult to their organization, as well as its high leader. Someone would pay.
His eyes looked over to the mask that'd been added to the mess before him, then to a scroll in the corner. The man snatched the device up in his hand and began browsing the pictures for what felt like the hundredth time, his thirst for vengeance only growing with each time he viewed them.
They were of different sections of the city, the Council's chambers, the Mistral Police Department, a hotel, and more. One thing all the photos had in common though, was they all had at least one member of the Belladonna family in them.
There was Kali and Ghira in the market, the pair meeting with the kingdoms authorities, as well as several featuring their daughter Blake, traveling through the city, always accompanied by at least one of her human co-conspirators, or another of the equally despised traitors to the cause.
Yes, someone would pay, and there would be no points awarded for guessing who was at the top of the White Fang's hit list. The first family of Menagerie would fall, it was just a matter of ensuring they endured the maximum amount of suffering required first.
And he already had a good idea of where to start. The large faunus swiped across the scroll, opening another file containing just as many pictures of another individual.
The chieftain and his family might be too well protected to get to, but there were others whose pain would hurt them just as well. What better place to begin than with the one whose betrayal had turned the tide? She'd turned her back on the Albain's, ruining the attack on the Belladonna's with her misguided crisis of faith. She'd no doubt had a hand in training those traitorous fools in the militia as well. Then she'd disarmed the bombs at Haven, all but ensuring the White Fang's failure that night.
The masked faunus looked on the photos of the chameleon girl with utter contempt. There were several of her in the park, a few of her jogging through the city streets, and a couple of her with a unknown rabbit faunus, sitting in a restaurant together.
There was a long list of people that needed to suffer for the blow that'd been dealt to the White Fang's- as well as its high leader's- image that night, but the first to pay would be Ilia Amitola. And she would also be the first step in destroying the Belladonna name, and eventually wiping it from the face of Remnant.
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A/N- And the yurification finally begins! And there was much rejoicing!
(crickets)
... What? What do you mean no one in their right mind has stuck around for over twenty chapters of buildup? B-but what about character building!?
Whatever. You're all the weird ones. Not me. Now if you'll excuse me, I to go back to slamming the two dolls I made of these characters together over and over again for inspiration.
Seriously though, glad I finally got to this point in this story. Everyone has that one scene they planned from the very beginning when making a story, and this kiss was definitely one I was sure I'd never get to write, but despite that, here we are.
For a while I've been planning to just end the story here, mainly due to a lack of feedback (glares at lurkers. Seriously, I know it's hard, but a one word review would make my day, is that so much to ask?) but honestly now that I'm here I just want to keep writing cute scenes between Ilia and Carm, your interactions aren't really a factor anymore. I WILL keep word vomiting and there's very little you can realistically do to stop me lol.
Don't have much experience writing scenes like the "ear touching" or the kiss part in this chapter, but I think that's about as spicy as things will get here. No need to get into THAT territory... At least not on this site anyway. I did make a promise to someone way, way, way back around the start of this story to do something a little less PG-13, with these characters, but that's only if they remember to remind me about it once this story is over, so who knows. I have THOUGHT about it, of course, but we'll see if the demand is there.
Anyway, long outro is long. Like I so aggressively (and desperately) said a few paragraphs back; reviews, please, give me them. You won't, but please do. Think of the children... the hypothetical children.