Emi Epilogue - Stopping Short: Chapter 1 (Edited)

Start Date: January 7, 2015

*NOTE* Takes place two weeks after the good ending of Emi's Route.

Stopping Short - Chapter 1

The warm shower water loosens the tenseness of my muscles as it cascades down me. Most people would rule out the possibility of sharing a small bed with a cute girl having any downsides, but my sore limbs seem to be telling me otherwise. Nevertheless, I don't think I've ever felt more alive than I do now. Shame that it has to be in the showers of the girl's dorms...

Soothed almost to the point of falling asleep, I allow the water to flow out over my body, enveloping me in a coat of wet warmth. Suddenly, though, my blood turns to ice as I hear the door of the bathroom creak open.

Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshi-

My nerves are quickly calmed as I hear the familiar click of metal against the tiled flooring.

"Hey, Hisao! You've been in there for like an hour!" Emi complains, her prosthetics tapping against the floor as she strides closer to the stall. "Don't you know it's rude to keep a lady waiting?"

My face flushes crimson as she violently rips the curtains open; I cover my manhood instinctively, attempting to prevent the situation from becoming even more awkward as the small girl stares me down.

"Oh c'mon, Hisao. You know that's all you wanted me to look at last night."

Attempt failed.

I stare blankly at Emi, my mouth agape as my mind searches for some resemblance of a sentence to respond with. The fact that her eyes are constantly switching from boring holes into my skull to trying to glare my privates off does little to help my predicament. Not to mention that she stands confidently in front of me wearing nothing but a short towel, her disheveled hair still hanging straight down her back from the events of the night prior. At the very least, she only seems slightly miffed that I didn't invite her into the shower with me.

"I-I...uhhhhh..." is all I can stammer out before Emi huffs, flinging the curtains closed again as she stalks off.

Momentarily, the sound of water splashing against a tub echoes throughout the quiet bathroom, muffling the sounds of Emi's prosthetics clicking along the tile.

Without warning, a hand shoots through the curtain and latches onto my arm, yanking me out of the warmth of the enclosed shower. My "assailant" gives me no time to fight back as she quickly shoves me into the tub still being filled with nearly scalding water. I crash ungracefully into the basin, quickly righting myself to avoid further pain. Emi plops down on the edge of the bathtub and begins expertly removing her prosthetics, letting them fall in a pile on the ground before she drops backwards into my lap, nestling up against my chest. Finally, my voice decides to return to me.

"DO YOU REALIZE YOU COULD'VE KILLED ME?!"

"Yeah, I guess. Serves you right for ignoring me all morning," Emi pouts, sticking her tongue out at me as she shuts off the water.

A sigh escapes my throat and Emi takes it as an acceptance of my own defeat, beaming happily up at me as she snuggles even closer.

Goddammit, I can't stay mad at that adorable face...

It's been two weeks since that day we visited her father's grave. The memory of her trusting me enough to finally open up is still fresh in my mind, constantly reminding me of just how much we've been through together. The days immediately following our sudden bonding were spent constantly at each other's sides, unwilling to separate for any reason. Although we feel just as close now as we were then, at least we're able to spend a day away from one another without too much issue.

"Hey, Hisao?" Emi murmurs, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"You never did answer my question. What do you wanna do today?"

As she says this her body shifts against my lower half, gingerly grinding against me in an almost pleading sort of way. I suppose my face contorted in an awkward manner, because Emi quickly places a hand over her mouth and shakes with laughter upon gazing at me.

"Well, I -hnng- um, I mean that we -mmph- can you ple-ehhhhhhhhh."

Emi continues sliding her bottom, a bit more vigorously now, against my member, eagerly awaiting my reaction after each motion.

"Uh-huh, I'm listening, Hisao," she says with a devious grin.

"What I'm trying to say is -errk- that I think it's really important that I -hng- get a bit of studying done toda-"

The pleasurable movements cease immediately as Emi whirls around and straddles me, putting her face mere inches from mine.

"Oh no you don't, Hisao! If you think you can just wake up in bed with me and waltz away to do your own thing, you've definitely got another thing coming!"

I pause for a moment, steeling myself to forge ahead into the flames. "Look, Emi, you know just as well as I do that we barely scraped by in that English exam..."

"But Hisaaaaaaaoooo..."

"I realize that exams just passed, but it's really important to stay on top of these things so that I don't fall behind again." I pull the brooding girl on my lap into a warm embrace, gently stroking her hair. "We can do something later this evening, alright?"

Emi leans into me a bit, not exactly accepting the embrace but not resisting it either. "Fine," she eventually huffs out.

I move away slightly and begin to pull her into a kiss before she stops me abruptly with her hand.

"DON'T. FORGET," she states sharply, glaring into my eyes.

I gulp quickly and nod my head to show my compliance. Instantly, her expression softens and she pushes herself back against me, molding her lips into mine and resuming her grinding.

Dangit! I really want to spend the day with her, but I honestly need to get more serious about some of my studying. Did I make the right decision...?

The girl perched atop me seems to notice something is the matter as she slows down somewhat and eyes me curiously. I quickly brush the situation off as nothing with a wave of my hand and we continue business as usual. If only I could enjoy it a little more...

==========

"'Hello, it was...good to meet...your?'"

...

"Dammit, that isn't right. UUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

I slam my head into the desk and let it rest there, regretting every decision of my life in a single instant. Despite all my other subjects of study passing relatively quickly (even history), studying English seems to be a consistent game of 2 steps forward, 30 steps back. I decide to end my study here before becoming even further aggravated, pulling my head off of the desk and slowly rising to my feet.

English can wait just a little bit longer.

Although it feels like I've been trudging through books all day, it's only been a few hours since I left Emi to return to my own dorm. Remembering that I told her we could do something later this evening, I figure now would be a good time to catch up on my reading. I slip into my shoes and stride quickly out of my room, practically dashing down the hallway to avoid running into Kenji on the way out.

As I step out the front entrance of the male dorms my eyes immediately lock on the nearby doors of the female dorms. Instead of moving towards them, though, I continue on towards the main school building, fishing my phone out of my pocket as I go. A few quick taps on the keypad lead me to the contact I'm searching for: Emi Ibarazaki.

The call goes through, but Emi appears to be unavailable as the phone rings a number of times before redirecting me to her voicemail.

She's probably busy right now, I'll just leave her a message.

"Hey Emi, it's Hisao," I say into the speaker. "I guess you're busy right now, but I just finished studying and I'll be in the library if you need me." I silently debate with myself for a moment before adding, "I love you, Emi."

After hanging up and dropping the phone into my pocket, the rest of the trip to the school library passes uneventfully; nothing aside from the occasional student enjoying their day or the light sounds of birds singing to no one in particular. As I step into the library the scent of ancient novels and dusty leather covers soothes me, bringing with it an air of familiarity. I greet Yuuko quietly and pass through the rows upon rows of shelves, finally arriving at my age old friend: the science fiction section.

My fingers dance across the books as I scout for something new that I haven't touched before. I find some trouble in doing so as my previous stay at the hospital seemed to have exhausted a large portion of the genre. However, my efforts eventually reward me with the first entry in a series that I've definitely heard of, but for some reason or other have never touched. May as well...

My feet carry me automatically towards the beanbags in the back of the library. As I move closer to them, I notice Hanako sitting in her usual spot, nose buried deep into a paperback. Rather than run her off again by trying to start up a conversation, I simply greet her as I did Yuuko and plop down in the beanbag next to hers, opening my novel up to the first page.

"T-that's a really g-good one. The s-s-story is r-really engaging a-and..."

I look up to see Hanako peering towards me over the top of her own book, clearly trying to continue her sentence but finding difficulty in doing so. I should probably...

"Yeah? Well that's good to hear," I respond softly, allowing her to pause and regain her composure. "I've been wanting to read it for a while now, but I suppose I just got around to it."

The dark-haired girl lowers the book from her face and gives me a small smile. "I-I think you'll l-like it..."

I return the smile as Hanako lets out a relieved sigh, retreating to the novel in her hands. Y'know, she is kinda cute...

I immediately smack myself mentally, realizing that I should probably focus on making the girl who actually loves me continue to do so, rather than trying to be the master of romance or something.

I turn back to the book resting in my hands and begin to read, becoming enamored by the plot almost instantaneously.

==========

*tap*

...

*tap tap tap*

Mmmph...

*shake*

Mmmmh, just five more minutes...

*shake shake*

Can you stop, please?

*shake shake shake*

Kindly piss off.

*SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE*

LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE.

"Seriously, how is he still asleep?"

"I-I'm sorry Yuuko. I t-thought he was r-really peaceful, so I d-d-didn't try to wake him earlier..."

"Oh it's okay, Hanako. This isn't your fault. I'll get him up eventually."

"H-here, let me hel-aaaaaaaaaahhhh!"

*FWUMP*

"WHAT IN THE HELL-"

My eyes fly open as a crushing weight lands on my torso, forcing the air out of my lungs while thankfully missing the ticking time bomb in my chest. Trying to sit up or move is futile as whatever this is is definitely not budging and my vision is obscured by a soft, dark pile of...hair? As the situation dawns on me I begin to feel blood rushing to my face as well as to a few other areas of my body...

Hanako's face suddenly comes into view mere inches from my own. Her expression is somewhat dazed, still recovering from the fall she must've just had. It doesn't take long before her own face is flooded with crimson as well, no doubt due to the oddly intimate position we somehow ended up in. And my little "friend" down there certainly doesn't seem to be helping, as her blush somehow increases even further as she feels the bump brush against her thighs.

"OMIGOSHI'MSOSORRYHISAOIDIDN'TMEANTOANDICOULDHAVEHURTYOUOMIGOSHI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY." Hanako hardly seems to take a single breath as she leaps off of me, apologies spewing out of her mouth continuously in embarrassment.

Yuuko, however, seems to be attempting to stifle laughter.

"Um, it's perfectly fine Hanako, don't worry about it," I say sheepishly, slowly pulling myself to my feet. "Thank you for waking me up."

My words seem to calm her down, though her breathing is still incredibly frantic and she's covering her mouth with both of her hands. Eventually she begins to slow down her breaths and settles back into her normal rhythm, despite still being an incredibly bright shade of red.

"I'm sorry Hisao, but the library is closing," Yuuko states, giving me an apologetic look. "We didn't mean to wake you up in such an...exciting manner."

I feel the blood slowly creeping back up my face at the mention of the previous catastrophe. My eyes dart around the room in vain to find something less awkward to focus on and- did that pink novel just move? What the...

"Eh heh heh, it's no problem, Yuuko. I appreciate it-"

A sudden realization smacks me in the face like a sack of potatoes for about the fourth time today. A quick glance outside confirms my fears of it being much later than I need it to be right now.

"Oh shit," I whisper to no one in particular, gathering my book and handing it off to Yuuko as I begin to bolt for the door. "Sorry guys, I've gotta go! Thank you for waking me!"

I leave both girls standing next to the beanbags as I race through the exit, one utterly confused while the other continues to blush furiously.

==========

My heart thumps quickly within my chest as I make my way hurriedly across the campus to the dorms. I go back through the list of places that Emi could've been and cross them off silently as I go: her room, Rin's room, the track, the roof, or Nurse's office. No, no, no, no, no. Night fell quickly as my hunt for the pigtailed wonder took place; or rather, as I scrambled around in a frenzy trying to find her. The only people I talked to were Rin and Nurse. Rin was as cryptic as always and Nurse said that Emi had stopped by to ask about me, but he was unsure of where she went afterwards.

Why do I always do this...?

A quick check of my phone only worsens my mood as it reminds me of the missed calls and texts from Miss Ibarazaki herself while I was asleep. Trying to contact her after I left the library proved useless, as every call or text was ignored entirely.

My pace slows as I reach the male dorms, devolving into a dejected stumbling motion as I head to my own room in defeat. I put my key into the lock a bit quicker to avoid Kenji surprising me, only to find that there is no *click* of the locking mechanism being unlocked.

I should probably start remembering to-

"You should probably start remembering to lock the door."

My room is pitch black, the only light coming from the dim hallway fixtures that allow it to seep in through the doorway. I can barely make out the figure standing in the darkness, but that voice is unmistakable.

"Emi, listen, I can expla-"

I suddenly feel a pair of lips enveloping my own as Emi wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me into a deep, passionate embrace. She leads me to the bed, closing the door and flipping on the desk lamp, all the while never separating from me. Our bodies tumble onto the bed and she begins rubbing slowly against me, apparently itching to get right to the point.

Clothes (and prosthetic limbs) begin to slide off piece by piece, landing in an unorganized fashion on the floor until she's left entirely bare save for her panties. However, a gentle placing of her hand on my own prevented me from undressing myself at all. Emi straddles me and begins to grind a little more excitedly before stopping on a dime and breaking our kiss.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" she purrs in a seductive manner.

Wait.

What.

"I, uh-"

"Not only did you forget to come hang out with me. You also ignored my calls, my texts, and you weren't even in your dorm like you said you would be!" Emi's voice gradually rises and loses its purring quality, becoming angry hisses that slide out of her throat.

"Emi, I-"

"And when I came to the library to ask Yuuko if she knew where you might be, guess what I found!" Emi proclaims, sitting up and laughing in a way that terrifies me.

"Emi, please, just let me-"

"Let you WHAT? EXPLAIN? What IS there to explain?! You and Miss Ikezawa seemed mighty fine to me! No explaining necessary here!" Her green eyes drill directly into mine, daring me to break away from them.

"Emi, there is NOTHING going on between me and Hanako. It was an accident that she fell on me."

"Oh ho ho, I know it was an accident, I saw the whole thing! But you guys sure took an awfully long time getting OFF of each OTHER." Emi grips the collar of my shirt in the last few words of her sentence, violently pulling my face closer to hers. "Looked like a good time to ME."

"Emi, I'm so sorry. I fell asleep in the library and I just...I didn't mean to ignore you all day or for Hanako to-"

Emi cuts me off by releasing my collar and giving a dismissive wave of her hand. A devious smile begins to form on her lips as she closes her eyes and starts to gyrate her hips against my own. She leans back down on top of me, continuing her motions, and teases me with a light touch of her lips to mine. Confused does not even begin to describe my current emotions.

"Alright, Hisao. I have a proposition for you."

The way the words purr out of her throat once more is frightening, providing an utter contrast to the feelings in my lower regions. I'm both aroused and scared for my life right now.

"You WILL take me on a wonderful date next Saturday night, you WILL NOT forget, and it WILL be amazing."

"...okay, Emi. I will, I promise."

"Good."

With that final word her movements pick up and she seems to transition back into seductive mode.

Wrong.

In an instant all motion ceases and I feel myself being hoisted by the collar once more.

"But so help me GOD, Hisao Nakai, if you forget again..." Emi grits her teeth, each word slithering out from between them as she hisses them at me.

"I won't, I won't! I swear to you, Emi, I won't forget again!" I gulp nervously as she continues holding eye contact for a minute longer before finally letting me drop back to the mattress.

Wait a minute...

"Did you leave my clothes on just so you could act all macho?"

Emi turns to me, beaming, suddenly her cheery self once again. I'm starting to question whether she was even mad in the first place.

"Yup! Thought it would be much more dramatic and get the point across better! Did it work?"

"Yeah, you had me scared shitless..."

"Oh, well if that scared you then you'll be TERRIFIED of what's coming next!"

"What are you talki-"

"Goodnight!"

Without any warning Emi flops off my lap and onto the bed, curling up beneath the covers and turning away from me.

"You have GOT to be kidding me..."

"Nope! Looks like you're stuck with that problem all night!" Emi giggles, gesturing towards the clearly visible hump between my legs.

There is no way that this punishment isn't a Circle of Hell of its own.

I sigh in defeat, deciding that there's no point in arguing the matter any further. I quickly discard all of my clothes save for my boxers before snuggling up next to Emi, pulling her body into my own. She gasps quietly when her butt collides with a certain something, but my hopes to gain anything out of it turn up fruitless. There ARE worse ways to fall asleep, though, so I think I can let it pass.

...

What in the actual hell just happened.