(A/N: Ok, here we go. As you can probably tell from this chapter's title, things are going to start to get a little heated between our two heroines. It's still a T rating, but things might be pushing the rating a little bit. Just thought I'd give everyone a heads-up just in case.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 8: Pool-Side Passion
Juri may have look cool and collect on the outside as she exited the woman's changing room after having confronted Shiori, but on the inside, both her heart and mind were racing. She had honestly surprised herself with her boldness and forwardness back there. And the moment she was far enough away, she rested against a wall and let her cool exterior drop.
She couldn't believe she had just done that. In the past, she would have been too afraid to approach Shiori in such a manner, let alone speak to her like that or act that way around her. But she was determined to grow beyond the person she was before and not let anything hold her back anymore. At least she managed to get the answers she needed.
Despite the worry and doubts Nanami had instilled in her about Shiori being a social climber who was just using Juri to elevate herself, Juri was now convinced that that wasn't the case, not this time anyway. As she had acknowledged already, Shiori wasn't that good of an actor; you pretty much always knew what you were getting into with her. Shiori just wasn't good at hiding her intentions, no matter how hard she tried.
So the confrontation had been a success. Juri had gotten what she needed out of it and no longer doubted that Shiori was sincere. But still, her method of doing so, she still couldn't believe it of herself, even if she had gotten what she wanted out of it and more.
While she had planned on speaking to Shiori regarding her concerns, she hadn't exactly planned on how. Confronting her the way she did in the changing room had just been a spur of the moment thing. The water in her room hadn't been shut off; that had been a lie she had used to explain her reason to shower with the other girls instead of using her own personal shower. In truth, she had been trying to intimidate Shiori with her presence a bit, to make her nervous before catching her off guard in the locker room in order to get as much of an honest answer out of her as she could.
Well, she'd certainly accomplished that. Her plan had worked like a charm. Still, she had been shocked by her actions. They had been underhanded and manipulative. Juri didn't care to resort to such methods, and made note to not be so rash and impetuous in the future. Shiori just made her so… irrational sometimes.
But Shiori hadn't been the only one to feel intimidated back there. Even though the situation had been one of her own making, Juri had felt rather daunted herself. After all, she had stripped down and showered with the woman she loved. She may be a lesbian, but she could have cared less about the other girls present, not with Shiori right there. Knowing the violet-haired girl could have looked over and seen her naked body had been absolutely nerve-wracking.
It had also been highly tempting for her as well. It had taken all her self-control and willpower not to take a peek at Shiori's nude form, but she had managed to prevent herself from looking and kept up the act of nonchalantly washing up. She couldn't help but wonder though if Shiori had snuck a peek at her.
The very thought had her face filling with heat, and for the rest of the day, she couldn't stop herself from wondering if Shiori had seen her, and if she had, what she thought about her body. While the other girls had complimented her figure, it was really only Shiori's opinion that mattered to her in that regard.
"So, how's your water problem?" Touga asked her later when she and the others were in the Student Council area later.
Juri blinked, coming out of her thoughts, and glanced at him. "What?"
The red-haired boy just smiled knowingly. "We heard that the water was shut off to your room today. I was just wondering if you got it back."
Kyouichi just harrumphed as he swung his kendo stick. "Funny, I haven't heard anything about the water being turned off anywhere in the school. You'd think that as a member of the Student Council that we would be informed of such a thing."
Juri just narrowed her eyes at him. "It doesn't concern you."
Touga just chuckled. "We're not judging, Juri, merely making conversation. How you handle things with your girlfriend is your business."
There was a click as Miki hit his stopwatch. "I'm actually rather surprised by you, Juri. I didn't think you would do something like that."
A sigh escaped the orange-haired girl. "I rather surprised myself."
"That may not be a bad thing," Touga pointed out. "So, tell us, did you get the answers you were looking for?"
Nanami was not here today, and she was the one who had made Juri question Shiori's motives in the first place. "I did, and I'm satisfied with them. On that note though, tell your sister to please butt-out of my relationship."
The red-haired boy just smiled at that. "Don't hold it against her. Nanami can be rather crass at times, but she usually means well. What she said was just her way of expressing concern for you. Be that as it may, I'll tell her to keep her opinions on the matter to herself."
Kyouichi scoffed. "As if Nanami would ever not do what she wanted or say whatever's on her mind."
"She is getting better, Kyouichi," Miki pointed out. "You do have to admit that."
The green-haired boy didn't reply, though he did harrumph again.
Touga took a sip of tea before setting down his cup. "As I said, Nanami doesn't always go about things in the best way, even when her intentions are well-meaning. She does come up with good ideas about certain things though, such as her idea to hold a school-wide dueling tournament. Speaking of which, Juri, have you broached the subject with the fencing club yet?"
The orange-haired girl crossed her arms and turned away. "I plan on bringing it up at our next meeting."
"And I'll do the same with the kendo club." Kyouichi added.
Touga nodded. "Good, then we'll make the announcement to the rest of the school and tell them that anyone interested in participating should attend either the fencing or kendo clubs' next meeting or ask the two of you if they have any questions about the tournament."
"That's fine," Juri replied. "So long as they don't interfere with the club's practice."
"Miki," Touga glanced at the blue-haired boy, "have the fliers been made?"
Miki clicked his stopwatch again. "Yes, the printouts are finished and ready to be distributed throughout the school."
"Good," Touga replied, picking up his teacup. "With this tournament, we'll hopefully be able to put an end to all these rumors about the Dueling Game."
(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)
"Next," Juri declared after her sword landed the winning blow on the club member she was dueling.
The student bowed to her, accepting defeat, and a different one took their place. They pulled the fencing mask over their head before raising their sword. Juri did the same as they took their starting positions.
"Begin," Juri told them, and they both charged at each other.
Their swords clashed together, the tips topped with safety caps to protect them from any potential accidents. Juri thrusted and parried, ducked and dodged, once again displaying why she was the best duelist in school and captain of the fencing club.
She focused on her opponent, but at the same time was aware of all of the eyes on her. There were more people than usual due to the number of students who wanted to hear more about the dueling tournament that would be taking place. The extra attention didn't bother Juri though; the only eyes that meant anything to her were Shiori's.
She was fully aware of the violet-haired girl's eyes on her; she could actually feel the heat of her gaze. She was also aware that Shiori was next in line to practice against her, and so sought to end the current duel quickly.
Charging forward, she dropped to her knees as her opponent stabbed at her, allowing her to slice beneath the outstretched blade. She then jumped up to her feet and stabbed her sword into the padding of her opponent's chest, winning her the match.
"Point," she announced, backing off from her opponent, and the two of them bowed to each other. "Next."
With a smile, Shiori pulled on her mask and eagerly rushed forward to meet her. Juri instantly felt her heartrate speed up at the thought of dueling against Shiori. This certainly wasn't the first time they had dueled, but every time they did, it would get Juri all excited, leaving her all hot and bothered by the end of it.
"Begin."
Shiori lunged forward, stabbing at her, and Juri leapt back, knocking the sword away from her before stabbing forward herself. Shiori dodged and brought her sword up to meet Juri's. Their swords began clanging against each other as they dueled.
Despite their relationship, Juri didn't hold back in the least. As captain of the fencing club, she had to remain unbiased; plus, she knew that Shiori wouldn't appreciate her going easy on her. Not that there was really a need to; Shiori was a pretty good duelist, and she had only gotten better since joining the club.
Shiori lunged forward again and Juri brought her sword up to catch it. Shiori kept pushing forward though, trying to trip her up. Juri took a step back, but then shoved forward, causing Shiori to stumble back. The violet-haired girl regained her footing and stabbed forward once more. This time though, Juri leapt up in the air, doing a flip clear over Shiori's head.
Shiori gasped in surprise at the unexpected move and began to turn around. Juri landed before she completed the turn and swiped at her. Shiori must have predicted the move though, because she backed up as she finished the turn, narrowly missing Juri's swipe. Juri didn't let up though and lunged forward to stab.
At the last second, Shiori turned her body, avoiding the blade as Juri moved past her. It was too swift of a movement though and she was too off balance from all the sudden turns and movements she made. She began to lose her footing and began stumbling backwards, tripping over her own feet. And as she tried to regain her footing to prevent herself from falling over, Juri took advantage of the opening by whirling around and stabbing her sword into the violet-haired girl's padded chest.
"Point," she declared.
The force of the stab caused Shiori to fail to regain her footing and she fell back. Juri moved quickly though, her hand shooting out and grabbing Shiori's wrist, preventing her from falling. Her other arm then went around her back to hold her up, and she heard the violet-haired girl gasp behind her mask.
They stayed like that for a few moments. Perhaps it was the sudden close proximity or the surprise of suddenly being in Juri's arms, but Shiori seemed to be frozen in place, making no move to regain her footing as she continued to lean against her.
"Are you ok?" Juri asked.
Shiori stiffened in her arms for a few moments before regaining her composure. "Y-Yes."
She found her footing and Juri pulled her upright, reluctantly letting her arm drop from around her. Shiori reached up and pulled off her mask, giving Juri a bashful smile.
"Thanks for that," she said shyly. "Guess I lost my footing."
Juri only nodded, unable to take her eyes off Shiori, and was glad her own mask was obscuring her face. Shiori looked gorgeous with her hair disheveled, her forehead shiny with perspiration, and her cheeks flushed from exertion and embarrassment. Juri really wanted to kiss her right now, but instead called out a loud, "Next," for the next club member.
The rest of the club went by without issue. And by the end of it, a couple students who had only stopped by for information on the dueling tournament expressed an interest in joining the club. Juri gave them pamphlets and membership forms before she began going into detail on the dueling tournament, explaining what it would entail, along with where and when it would take place.
"You'll win for sure, Juri!" a student called out excitedly. "You're the best duelist in school!"
"I don't know," another student countered. "Don't forget about Touga Kiryuu. I think he might win."
"What about Kyouichi Saionji?" someone else added. "He's the captain of the kendo club. I think he stands a pretty good chance of winning."
"No way," yet another student exclaimed. "It's going to be Juri for sure. No one can beat her."
The orange-haired girl in question couldn't help but smile at the students' banter. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Anyone could be the champion. The tournament will take place a month from now, so you all have until then to practice."
With a frown, another student raised their hand. "Miss Juri, isn't a month a little short notice? Shouldn't we have been informed about the tournament around the beginning of the school year? Why weren't we told about it sooner?"
Juri was actually very glad this question was asked, as it gave her the opportunity to bring up the real secret purpose of the tournament, and that was to silence any rumors about the Dueling Game.
"Yes, it is, and I apologize for that," she said, feigning sincerity. "The Student Council has actually been trying to arrange this tournament for quite some time, but we kept running into complications. On that note, as I'm sure some of you are aware, there have been rumors going around of secret underground duels taking place at the school that the Student Council and some other students and even faculty have been party to."
She cleared her throat before continuing. "I don't know where such rumors came from, but I want to assure you that they are just that, mere rumors. Anything you have heard about such duels has been nothing more than leaked information in regards to the Student Council attempting to arrange this tournament that have been embellished and misinterpreted. There have been no secret duels happening, and I would appreciate it if you would all inform others of this so we may put an end to such ridiculous rumors."
And there, the announcement had been made. If Nanami's plan worked, then any talk going around the school about the Dueling Game would be chalked up to exaggerated rumors about the upcoming tournament. Hopefully that will put the matter to rest for good and they could put that part of their lives behind them.
After giving out a few more details and answering a few more questions, she dismissed everyone. She asked Shiori to stick around to help her clean up all the equipment though. This was just a blatant attempt to get the violet-haired girl alone, and she knew that Shiori knew it, even if she didn't say anything about it.
"So, a dueling tournament," said Shiori as she helped stack the mats. "Sounds fun. Although, I agree with what the others were saying; you'll probably win. I wonder how far I'll get though if I manage to qualify. I guess it really depends on who I'm up against. I doubt I'll be able to beat anyone on the Student Council, but I think I'll do pretty well against most of the people in the club."
Juri watched her as Shiori folded up another mat and was now struggling to lift it. Unable to take it anymore, she began making her way over to her. It was just the two of them now, everyone else had gone, so there was no reason to hold back, and Juri wasn't sure she would have been able to anyway.
Shiori's back was to her as she pushed the folded mat on top of the others. A surprised gasp escaped her as Juri grabbed her, turned her around, and stepped against her. "Juri, wha–"
The orange-haired girl silenced her by cupping her face and kissing her. It was a rather forward move on her part, but she had been holding herself back ever since their match. Shiori's eyes widened at the unexpected kiss, but then she relaxed and leaned into it, setting her hands on Juri's hips to hold her close as Juri's other hand, the one that wasn't cupping her cheek, pressed against her lower back, pulling her closer.
They kissed for a time before slowly coming apart and gazed into each other's hooded eyes. They stared at each other silently for several long moments before Juri took a step back, looking bashful.
"Sorry," she said, sounding embarrassed. "I've been wanting to do that since we faced off."
Shiori felt a blush fill her cheeks and looked away. "I-It's fine," she muttered shyly. "I didn't mind. You just caught me by surprise."
The truth was, she had been wanting to kiss Juri as well. She'd been utterly entranced by Juri as she watched her fence, and when they had faced each other, it had been difficult to focus on the match. But when she had lost her footing and Juri had caught her, Shiori's heart had started racing, and not from physical exertion. Had they not been wearing their fencing masks and not been in the presence of all those other students, Shiori felt that Juri would have kissed her then. And… she'd wanted her to.
She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Juri cup her cheeks again, and she looked back at the orange-haired girl. Juri was staring at her so intensely that Shiori felt her breath catch in her throat. From the look on her face, Juri was on the verge of kissing her again.
Tucking a lock of violet hair behind her ear, Juri let her thumb brush over Shiori's lips and slide down to her chin. "God, you have no idea how much I love you, Shiori."
"Juri…" Shiori whispered.
The orange-haired girl slowly moved in as of to kiss her again. Shiori closed her eyes and lifted her head to receive her kiss. She was so close she could feel Juri's breath against her lips, and they tingled in anticipation. But then she felt Juri move away from her lips, and a moment later, she heard her whisper seductively in her ear. "Until tonight."
Then her hand fell away and she pulled back. Shiori's eyes opened in surprise, leaving her feeling denied and needy. She looked up at Juri in bewilderment, and the orange-haired girl smirked at her teasingly.
"Huh?" Shiori asked, not fully registering Juri's words.
Juri's smile became more playful and she cocked her head to the side. "Our second date. It's tonight, remember?"
Shiori blinked a few times, coming back to herself, and suddenly became flustered. "Oh! Right! Yes, I remember."
Juri chuckled. "Good. I'll pick you up at 9:30. Make sure to wear your swimsuit under your clothes."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving a slightly flabbergasted Shiori behind. It must have taken a few seconds for her words to register, because a few moments later, she heard Shiori ask, "Wait, my swimsuit?"
Juri only smirked.
(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)
Shiori had found it strange that Juri would schedule their date so late. She also found it strange when she told her to wear her swimsuit beneath her clothes, and so had spent a good portion of the day wondering what the orange-haired girl had planned for them.
She found out later that night when Juri picked her up for their date. Apparently, what she had planned was a night swim for the two of them in the school's open-air pool. Perhaps the request to wear her swimsuit should have clued her in, but considering the pool was officially off-limits to students after hours, she hadn't considered that as an option.
"But how did you get permission?" she asked curiously. "Students aren't allowed to use the pool after dark."
Juri just smiled at her with self-assurance. "I told you before, as a member of the Student Council, I have certain privileges." She then winked at her. "But let's not let any of the faculty know about this."
Shiori's eyebrows rose at this. Did that imply that they didn't have permission to use the pool and Juri was just using her position to do so anyway? That was rather… unexpected and daring of her. Juri was usually very particular of following the rules.
But then she was distracted from her thoughts as Juri began to strip. Shiori's eyes widened as the orange-haired girl removed her clothes to reveal a golden-yellow bikini with white polka-dots and white frills. The swimsuit clearly showed off all of Juri's assets, and Shiori was unable to tear her eyes away as her mouth went dry and a blush filled her cheeks.
An additional blush soon joined the first, the second one born from embarrassment as Shiori remembered that rather than her own personal bathing suit, she had simply donned her school swimsuit. What had she been thinking wearing her plain, gray, one-piece school swimsuit for their date rather than her own? How foolish of her?
Juri shook her hair out behind her before turning to Shiori and smiling. She cocked her head to the side curiously and gave her an expectant look. "Well, aren't you going to get in?"
Shiori swallowed nervously and nodded. She reached for the bottom of her shirt and began to pull it up, but then paused as she once again thought of the simple one-piece she was wearing and became embarrassed once more.
"What's wrong?" Juri asked when she made no move to finish changing.
Shiori hesitated for a few moments before bashfully glancing at the orange-haired girl. "Um, about my swimsuit I, uh… I ended up bringing my school suit."
Juri just stared at her for a few seconds, as if not seeing the problem. But then she smiled and slowly approached her. Feeling even more flustered, Shiori had to resist the urge to step back as Juri, clad in only her bikini, came to a stop right in front of her and leaned in.
"That's fine," she told her. "I've seen you in your school swimsuit before, Shiori." She lowered her voice a bit. "And I think you look very sexy in it."
Shiori blushed some more, unable to bring herself to meet Juri's eyes. But then the orange-haired girl pulled back and gave her a wink before carefully running over to the pool and gracefully diving in with hardly a splash.
Shiori watched Juri perform her dive, utterly mesmerized. It seemed that everything Juri did was always perfect. And the sight of her in a bikini… her body was flawless. In contrast, the plain school swimsuit Shiori was wearing made her feel self-conscious when compared to the orange-haired girl. But then, when wasn't that the case?
Shiori knew she had an attractive figure herself and was in good shape, but she did need to stop the stress eating she had been doing lately; she'd already gained a couple of pounds since she had agreed to become Juri's girlfriend. It was nothing noticeable, and a pound or two wasn't that much, but she still found it irksome, especially when compared to Juri's perfect figure. And the plain swimsuit she was currently wearing was just another way she fell short to Juri. But she knew that even if she had worn her own personal bathing suit, she would still have fallen short.
But then she shook those thoughts off, reminding herself that that was just her inferiority complex talking. As Juri had told her, it wasn't a competition, it never had been. She needed to get over herself and stop comparing herself to the orange-haired girl.
She glanced at the pool to see Juri's head poking out of the water as she waited for her. Shiori pushed any unpleasant thoughts she had aside and stripped out of her clothes, leaving her in her school swimsuit. Then she too ran to the edge of the pool and dove in. Her dive wasn't as graceful as Juri's, but would still have gotten her a good score if this had been a diving competition.
The pool was heated, a benefit of Ohtori Academy being such a rich, elite school. And with it being an open-air pool, due to the lighting, the water reflected the starry night sky, almost making it seem like they were swimming through a sea of stars. It made for quite the enhanced atmosphere.
The two girls leisurely swam along, talking and enjoying each other's company, and even resorting to a splash fight at one point. All in all, it made for a very enjoyable date.
"Hey, Juri," Shiori asked at one point as she floated on her back, looking up at the stars.
"Hmm?" the orange-haired girl responded from where she was leaning against the side of the pool.
"I was just thinking. About what you said at club today, when you were telling everyone about the upcoming tournament. You said that any rumors going around the school about secret duels going on were just rumors. You were talking about the Dueling Game, weren't you?"
"I was," came Juri's reply, her voice sounding slightly muffled due to Shiori's ears being submerged.
"That was a lie," Shiori stated plainly. "The Dueling Game isn't a rumor. My memory is rather sketchy of when I first got involved after attending that Mikage Seminar, but I clearly remember the other duel I was involved in with Ruka. So why lie to everyone like that?"
A few moments passed before she heard Juri sigh. "You're right, it was a lie, but there's a reason for it. The Dueling Game was only supposed to be known by those chosen by End Of The World, but others got pulled into it as well, particularly during that whole business with Mikage. And as a result, rumors started spreading about it, and the Student Council and some of the faculty's involvement with it. The rumors didn't reflect well on us or the school. So Nanami came up with a plan."
"Nanami?" Shiori repeated. "Touga Kiryuu's little sister?"
She got the impression that Juri nodded before she responded. "Yes, her. She figured we could hold a school-wide dueling tournament and pass off any rumors about the Dueling Game as the Student Council's attempts to schedule it. Since the Dueling Game is over indefinitely now that the Rose Bride is gone, there shouldn't be any more rumors since the tournament is finished."
"I see," Shiori replied, and closed her eyes as she continued to let herself float.
It was a good strategy, she decided, if it worked, and there wasn't really a reason to think that it wouldn't if the Dueling Game really was over. She did wonder what the outcome of it had been, but, truthfully, she had given very little thought to it before now. She had been too depressed over being dumped by Ruka to worry about it, and then later too focused on trying to repair her friendship with Juri.
The whole thing had been a bizarre series of events. She barely remembered anything involving her duel after she had attended the Mikage Seminar. And when she had been Ruka's support in his duel, she couldn't even remember who he had been up against, but for some reason, the color pink was coming to mind.
Her thoughts were interrupted as her head bumped into something solid but soft, and her eyes flew open. Rather than the night sky, she now found herself staring up at Juri as the orange-haired girl looked down at her. A light blush colored Shiori's cheeks as she realized that as she had been floating, she had drifted right into Juri.
"Sorry," she mumbled, not really sure why she was apologizing. Her eyes had been closed, so she hadn't been able to see where she was drifting. Had Juri chosen not to move and let Shiori drift into her, or had she had her eyes closed too?
Shifting to stand, she began to move away from Juri. But in a motion reminisce to what had happened back in the club, Juri reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. Shiori let out a surprised gasp as in one fluid motion, Juri reversed their positions, and Shiori suddenly found her back up against the side of the pool with the orange-haired girl standing in front of her, her gaze intense and full of desire.
Both of Juri's hands were grasping Shiori's arms from having spun them around, and one of them began to run up her arm, over her shoulder, her neck, and then cupped Shiori's cheek. She watched with bated breath as Juri's gaze moved from her eyes down to her lips, then up to her eyes again.
"I said until tonight," Juri told her as she caressed her cheek, "and I meant it."
At her words, Shiori found herself subconsciously licking her lips in anticipation. Juri didn't disappoint as she leaned in and pressed her lips to hers. Shiori closed her eyes in bliss at the feel of Juri's soft lips molding against hers and she kissed her back. The hand caressing her cheek moved to cradle it instead, and the hand grasping her arm snuck around her to press against her back.
Slowly, Shiori's own hands moved to find place on Juri's hips, slowly sliding around and moving up to her lower back. The feel of Juri's bare skin against her hands felt like velvet, even in the water, and she pulled the orange-haired girl closer until they were flush against each other. Shiori's hands moved up higher until she was grasping Juri's shoulders, all but clinging to her as they continued to kiss.
Then she felt it, the gentle caress of Juri's tongue against her lips. Shiori's eyes briefly flew open at the unspoken request as Juri's lips moved against hers, lightly coaxing her to open up for her. Sliding her eyes closed again, Shiori granted her access, parting her lips to give her entrance. Juri accepted the invitation and deepened the kiss, and Shiori let out a whimper as Juri's tongue met hers.
The hand cradling Shiori's cheek moved to the back of her head and neck as Juri kissed her harder, exploring her mouth and curling her tongue around Shiori's. Juri shifted closer still, and Shiori felt the orange-haired girl's leg press between hers. She opened her legs, feeling Juri's knee press against her center, and Shiori moaned into her mouth. She released Juri's shoulders and instead wrapped her arms around her neck.
Their kiss grew more heated, the two of them as close together as they could be. They broke apart for only the briefest moments for air before sealing their lips together again. Shiori's arms tightened around Juri, as did the orange-haired girl's embrace of her. She lifted one of her legs, wrapping it around Juri's hip, allowing Juri's knee to press more firmly against her. Her bathing suit felt too tight and constricting as the desire to feel more of Juri's skin against hers became overwhelming. Juri's knee rubbing against her was driving her crazy, and Shiori found it difficult to remain standing on her remaining leg.
Juri seemed to pick up on this as she adjusted her arms around the violet-haired girl, lifting her up. Shiori now wrapped both her legs around Juri's waist as the orange-haired girl pressed her against the wall of the pool, pinning her there with her body. Their kiss became more intense, beginning to border on desperate as their heads turned this way and that. Finally though, Juri moved her lips away from Shiori's, but only to move lower and begin pressing kisses to her neck.
"Juri…" Shiori whispered, keeping her eyes closed as she tilted her head to the side to give her better access. Juri took full advantage of the exposure, placing open-mouth kisses to the sensitive area of Shiori's neck.
Suddenly, Juri lifted her completely out of the pool, setting her down on the edge of the pool as she stood between her legs. Leaning down, she began placing kisses over Shiori's knee, moving up her leg and to her inner-calf. As she kissed across her leg, she lifted Shiori's other leg before switching over to the other one, kissing down its length to her foot. Shiori watched her with hooded eyes as Juri all but worshipped her, the sight as symbolic as it was intimate.
When Juri reached the end of Shiori's foot, she looked back up at her, and Shiori's breath caught in her throat. Never had she seen such love and raw desire in someone's eyes before. It was written all over Juri's face just how much she wanted her, and Shiori felt herself reaching for her.
Juri moved away from her, but only to place her hands on the edge of the pool and haul herself out. She sat beside Shiori and then turned to her, and their lips met in another heated kiss. Shiori returned Juri's passion with just as much enthusiasm, this time seeking entrance into the orange-haired girl's mouth, which she was immediately granted. And as they continued to kiss, Juri slowly coaxed Shiori to lay down.
Pulling her legs from the pool and turning, Shiori did just that. Moving away from her lips, Juri once again began kissing and licking all along her neck as Shiori clung to her. Her hand soon came up to take hold of the strap of Shiori's bathing suit and began sliding it down her shoulder. She then began kissing at the newly exposed skin and lapping at the water drops clinging to her as Shiori tangled her hands in Juri's hair, keeping her head right where it was.
"No," Juri suddenly exclaimed, and quickly pulled away.
The sudden lack of weight and feel of Juri against her had Shiori blinking in surprise, and she opened her eyes and looked at Juri. The orange-haired girl was sitting with her body turned away from her as she hugged her knees.
"Juri, what's wrong?" Shiori asked, her voice weak with desire.
Closing her eyes and clenching her teeth, Juri hugged her legs even tighter. "I'm not doing this with you, Shiori."
The sting of rejection hit Shiori at her words. Hurt and confusion filled her as she reached out to Juri almost desperately. "But, Juri, I…"
"I said no, Shiori," Juri practically snapped, her tone harsh as she shifted further away from her.
The hurt and confusion grew, and Shiori was suddenly reminded of how Ruka had dumped her. Somehow though, this felt even worse, and not because she was overcome with arousal. Somehow, Juri's rejection felt far more painful than she expected.
Slowly, she sat up, readjusting her bathing suit strap as she turned away from Juri and also hugged her legs. She didn't understand. Juri loved her, didn't she? She desired her, or at least she had a minute ago. There had definitely been no mistaking that look in the orange-haired girl's eyes, not to mention her kisses and touches had been a big indicator. So what had happened? Had she done something wrong?
"Don't you want me?" she whispered sadly.
There was sudden movement behind her, and Shiori felt Juri grab her arm and pull her towards her. On reflex, Shiori turned towards her, and immediately felt Juri grasp her face before kissing her hard. Shiori's eyes widened in surprise and further confusion, not understanding the contradiction between Juri's words and actions.
When Juri broke the kiss, she stared at Shiori hard and full of longing. "Of course I do. God, you have no idea how much. But I'm not going to take you right here by the side of the school pool in the middle of the night." She shook her head. "No, Shiori, I've wanted you for too long, and I'm not going to have our first time be some frivolous, spur of the moment, casual fling in a public area. That's why if we don't stop now, I don't think I'll be able to. When I make love to you for the first time, I want it to be special, meaningful, something we'll both remember for the rest of our lives and beyond."
Shiori's eyes were wide as she listened to the seriousness and intensity of Juri's words, knowing that she meant each and every one of them. She then chastised herself for her reaction to Juri's rejection, especially since that hadn't really been what it was. Juri was actually thinking of her, not rejecting her. She could see for herself just how hard the orange-haired girl was trying to hold herself back from ravishing her. After all, she'd said "when" she made love to her. Not "if", but "when".
"And besides," Juri continued, "I don't think you're ready for that step in our relationship yet."
Shiori blinked as Juri's words set in, then suddenly felt embarrassed. Now that Juri mentioned it, this did feel rather rushed. Technically, they had only been dating a couple weeks. She had gotten caught up in the moment a few minutes ago, but the truth was, she was still trying to work out her feelings for Juri. And while Shiori wasn't inexperienced, she had never done this sort of thing with another girl before.
Juri had realized all this, even before Shiori, and she wanted her to be sure about her feelings before anything happened between them. Juri was right, she wasn't ready.
"I'm… sorry," the violet-haired girl muttered, averting her eyes.
She couldn't believe she had been so dejected over Juri's refusal. Was that something left over from the way Ruka had dumped her, some sort of underlying trauma of sorts? Perhaps, but she also felt like it was more than that. That because it was Juri specifically who had turned away from her that it had hit her so hard.
She felt Juri's thumb caress her cheek and looked back at the orange-haired girl. Juri simply gave her a smile. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I know this is all new for you, and I really appreciate you giving us a chance. I just want you to be sure about your feelings first and not regret anything before we take things further. You can take all the time you need for that."
Shiori appreciated that, more than Juri knew. For so long, she always felt like she had to try to be better, try to do better, to meet and exceed everyone's expectation; to raise her rank, so to speak. She knew that was related to her inferiority complex. When she had been with Andou, she had felt the need to make herself out to be better than Juri, and so she had attempted to do so in the hopes that his feelings of love for the orange-haired girl would shift to her.
The same had been true of Ruka. She knew he was in love with Juri, and so she had once again attempted to make herself out to be better than her, or at least better for him than her. It had been part of the reason why she had slept with him. Yes, she genuinely wanted to sleep with him, but it would be a lie to say that part of it wasn't meant to be a way to make sure he stayed with her, for all the good that had done.
With Juri though, that wasn't the case. There was no reason for her to put out or to push herself or make herself look good or be anyone other than who she really was. Juri loved her exactly the way she was. All she had asked for was a chance. Anything more she was willing to wait for.
"Thank you, Juri," she said, reaching up and covering one of the hands cupping her cheek. "I really don't deserve you."
Juri just smiled at her. "It's not a matter of deserving, Shiori. It never was." Standing up, she offered Shiori her hand. "Come on, we should head back. We're probably pushing our luck just staying here so long anyway."
Returning the smile, Shiori took her hand, letting Juri pull her to her feet, and gave her a knowing look. "You didn't actually get permission for us to be here at all, did you?"
The orange-haired girl's eyes danced with amusement. "Well, that's my little secret."
(A/N: Well, as far as second dates go, that went pretty well. Things got a little heated between them, but Juri was able to reign things in before they took things too far. But in doing so, we got a little more insight to Shiori's psyche and why she behaved the way she did in the past regarding her previous relationships and how that contrasts with her current relationship with Juri. We'll just have to see where things go from here. And on another note, the announcement for the dueling tournament has been made, and it looks like Shiori has decided to take part in it too. So we'll also have that to look forward to. Stick around to see what happens next.)