Akira Route - Act 5-2 - Just The Way You Are

Against my expectations, the new trimester has actually turned out to be rather difficult, given the amount of work we've had to do in the first month alone. My bookbag's weight has nearly doubled and there’s a general lack of enthusiasm around the campus.

But for all the obstacles that have cropped up, it’s definitely manageable; and for the most part I’m still able to enjoy lunch here in the same empty classroom on the second floor.

“At least this time I don’t have to spend half the trimester trying to catch up with everything I missed.” I say, leaning back in the chair and stretching my arms.

Both of the girls in front of me giggle as I set down my teacup and heave an exhausted sigh. It’s a great contrast to Shizune's constant passing notes and Misha's… everything, both of which made it difficult to even pay attention in class today. Despite that, I still managed to get something out of the class, so hopefully I should be prepared in time for quizzes tomorrow.

Lilly takes a few moments to refill her teacup, the plates and empty lunchboxes between us already gathered in a neat pile at the center of the table. “We’re not quite at the final stretch, you know. We’ll simply have to keep working until it gets easier.”

“Y-Yeah...” Hanako mutters, shooting a glance to her own overstuffed bookbag. “I-I've barely had any time to read this m-month, though. There are too m-many things going on.”

Too many things indeed. I was hoping I'd be able to maintain a regular study schedule even around work, but that plan doesn't seem to be working out considering how often I've had to stay late -- sometimes I wonder if Mr. Setou is even aware that I'm still a student.

Ever since Tetsuo stopped coming around, the one boss I have left has been treating me like I'm the only force that keeps the company going -- while I find that flattering to a degree, I know for a fact that there's at least one other janitor who can’t possibly be pulling as much weight as me.

“At least I have plenty of chances to make up the failing grades.” I remark, eyeballing my empty teacup before deciding that I can pass on another cup. “I feel like there isn't enough time in the world for me to fit in any studying. If it’s going to get easier, it needs to hurry up and happen.”

“You do seem awfully busy as of late.” Lilly says, clasping her hands together in her lap.

I shift in my chair and let out a groan, feeling the urge to kick my bloated bookbag as far as I can. “Yeah, but at least finding time to study is the only issue I'm having. I'm getting along with everyone in the classroom just fine.”

...For the most part.

Lilly perks up at the notion. “Judging by what I heard on the phone last night, you seem to be getting along just fine with Akira as well.”

Even though it's already been a few weeks and this is hardly the first time Lilly has brought it up, I'm still unable to keep from getting flustered.

“Do you have to mention that every time we have lunch?” I ask, noting that Hanako has decided to ignore our conversation, gazing out the window and taking meager sips out of her teacup – as always.

Lilly giggles. “You'll have to forgive me if I'm concerned for both you and her. I don't mean to sound harsh, but you two certainly aren't the likeliest of couples.”

“Come on, at least try to show a bit of faith.” I laugh, trying to brush off her statement.

It's not something I haven't heard before, mostly from myself. It was a big laugh Akira and I had during those first few nights when I mentioned the concept of... us, but never got a real opinion or answer. She understood that I had feelings for her and she'd admitted a few times to wanting to spend more time together, but I feel like it wasn't something that was actually considered until we started bouncing dreams or potential dates off of each other.

Lilly takes a sip out of teacup and gives a contented sigh before continuing. “Only time will tell, I suppose. I do hope that no matter what happens you both find happiness.”

“Akira deserves it more than anyone.” She adds, a troubled smile forming on her lips. Even Hanako seems to notice the shift, although she quickly returns to her own thoughts.

I make an attempt to laugh off the change of mood, still blushing either way. “At any rate, don't go getting ahead of yourself. We’re just now getting past the one-month mark.”

And on top of that, I'm not entirely too sure where it began – then again, at this point it doesn't make much sense to keep focusing on that. If it really matters, then we can just say our anniversary lasts a few weeks -- not that an anniversary is anything to worry about when we haven’t even had a formal date.

“Even so, I would like to find out where it goes.” She smiles, starting to gather up all of the empty dishes on the table. “Has Akira told you about... a certain visitor that may be coming by soon?”

“She's mentioned a couple of different 'characters' to me. Are you talking about your father or your uncle?”

Lilly gives me a small frown, her previously busy hands now prone above the handle of the emptied teapot. “I am aware of father deciding to pay us a visit, but I've not heard anything about Uncle Jigoro coming by.”

Is it strange that even without a name, Lilly knows who I'm talking about? I guess it makes a bit of sense seeing as how most of their family seems to be over in Scotland, but maybe there's more than one uncle in question? Akira didn't mention any names beyond an uncle and a cousin.

“Is that who it is? She said he was bringing your cousin as well.” I say, leaning forward and trying to figure out just what has her so worked up. Hanako seems to be just as curious, her head tilted and her gaze drifting between Lilly and myself.

Lilly's face, while still maintaining its refined demeanor, becomes a lot more distressed, moreso than when she was just referring to her father and uncle. “I see.”

She resumes moving the dishes and finished meals to their respective places before settling down, facing away from us with her hands folded over one another.

“I'm afraid I won't be able to attend.”

It sounded so calm, and yet I get the feeling that she was defying the entire concept of having to spend time with those two relatives with as much force as she could manage.

“I-Is something wrong?” Hanako asks, so worried about the situation that she doesn't even flinch when the bell to go back to class sounds.

On the other hand, the ringing seems to bring Lilly back into the world as she gathers up her cane and bookbag, all smiles despite filling the room with such a frightful aura.

“Everything is alright, Hanako.” Lilly remarks with her usual brightness.

Any thought of bringing it up or questioning her is pushed away, as if she made sure to bar the possibility. From that point we head back to class as has been clockwork for over a month now. The only thing out of the ordinary is that today, instead of wishing us well before walking the rest of the way on her own, Lilly decides to leave me with a message.

“You'll tell my sister that I won't be coming over today, won't you?”

It takes a few nods of my head before I remember that I have to actually vocalize “right.”

********************

The bus ride into town went off without any real occurrences beyond me falling asleep for a few minutes and the penthouse lobby seems as spacious as ever. Despite serving no purpose other than to greet residents and their visitors, it’s still undergone a weekly redecoration, the likes of which I don’t take any time to observe before making a beeline for the elevator.

I punch the number to Akira’s penhouse into the keypad and the brass doors slide apart, opening me to a lift with no other passengers.

Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've come here by myself. Granted, I don't have a key, so Akira will have to let me through the door once I'm up there. The only other times I've come here have both been at her side, seeing as how she doesn't invite me over very often – not as much as I'd like, anyway.

I've asked to come by and hang out on a couple of occasions, but I could never get her to let me in on account of 'arrangement issues.' Something about getting all of her stuff packed up to move out and not feeling like setting everything straight now that she's for good once again.

Offers to help were also refused, mostly since whenever I had time she was taking care of business elsewhere. Either that or she was sleeping in -- ‘I haven’t slept until three in the afternoon since I was in high school and I’ll be damned if I let the chance slip away now’ was one of her many ways of declining.

I arrive at the top floor, which opens me up to a short hallway that only hosts a few doors, one of which is an exit labeled ‘roof access - do not enter.’  The other option is a wooden door with a peephole in the center, which is obviously never checked seeing as how I’m only left waiting for a moment upon knocking on the door.

The greeting party consists of one Akira Satou dressed in a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves and a pair of olive capris, the likes of which seem to be her usual ‘I don’t work today so I didn’t feel like getting dressed’ attire.

“Hey! How's it going?” She says with a bright smile, pulling me into a one-armed hug as I enter.

“Pretty well, now that I get to see you.” I answer, noting that her penthouse looks totally rearranged. “How have things been going around here?”

She slumps against me. “I've only been up for a few hours and I already can't wait for today to be over. I’m not saying I don’t like my relatives, but hopefully they don’t hang around for too long.”

“Yeah, you look like you've been working all day.” I chuckle.

The room in front of me is nothing like how I remember it -- the television and cushy leather sofa having changed places around the coffee table and there are still about a dozen small brown boxes sitting around on the shelves or against the wall, some of which look like they’ve already been unpacked.

“Ever since I woke up.” She groans, continuing to jump around the room as she puts portraits or other such things back on the wall, leaving the newspaper or other wrapping they were kept in on the floor. “I had to get everything unpacked one of these days, at least before my uncle came to visit.”

So she’s been busy all day then. I guess that explains why she didn’t return any of my text messages when I told her I was coming over. “Oh, yeah, Lilly said she can’t make it.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. Lilly has always had a bit of an issue with Jiggy and Hideaki.” Akira laughs while collapsing a cardboard box and throwing it into an already tall stack. “Shizune is really the only one she ever truly got along with in that household, provided one of her tutors was there to translate, but besides that…”

So Shizune is the unnamed relative? She would have been one of my first guesses, behind that blonde girl in the back of the class, but I can’t say I’m not surprised. If that’s the case, then their little arguments just got a lot more serious.

Akira chews on the words for a moment before adding onto her previous statement. “Lilly is really good at keeping her composure -- a lot better than me, at any rate. A raving lunatic could follow her around for a week and she wouldn’t even come close to snapping unless there was a hundred other things going on.”

“So you’re saying she’s polite to her uncle and cousin even though she can’t stand them?” I ask, finding the idea surprisingly easy to wrap my head around.

Akira nods before letting out a sigh. “Yep. There’s a long story behind all that though, she doesn’t just like them for no reason. I’ll tell you someday when we’re not so busy.”

“It sounds like something I’d like to hear.” I muse, having to stifle a laugh as I start to imagine just how out-of-left-field her relatives have to be if even Lilly finds issue with them. The fact that they’re Shizune’s family might explain a bit, but I don’t want to go jumping to conclusions.

As she said though; it’s a story for another time. At the very least it’s something that can wait until after I’ve met the folks in question.

I decide to plop down on the sofa rather than get in the way by trying to help out. “So is your uncle strict about that sort of thing? The kind of guy that would rather live on the street than in a messy house, or something like that?”

“Nah.” She says, waving one hand back and forth to dispel the thought. “He's just full of hot air, he'll groan about the first thing you give him a chance to groan about. You could show him a chest of buried treasure and he’d complain about the fact that there were more jewels than gold.”

As if saying that reminded her of something, she gives me an intent stare, looking me up and down.

I don't think there's anything out-of-place about me right now, besides that odd lock of hair that never wants to stay down. I decided to leave the suit at home, going with just a white button-up shirt and some slacks. Formal, but not like I'm going to a funeral or anything.

“Something wrong?” I ask, my eyes tracing her as she paces over to me and begins messing with my hair, maybe trying to see if she can't do something about the one issue.

Or maybe she's just ruffling my hair for no reason, as would be the case as she begins wildly running her hands through it -- it feels nice, but still.

“There was, but I fixed it.”

As soon as I try to pull a comb out of my pocket to put everything back in ‘proper’ order, however, she pushes my hand away.

“Leave it messy like it usually is. It looks weird when you’ve got it all straightened and everything.” She says with a grin, apparently pleased with the amount of fun she’s able to have with my head.

I shrug and decide to leave it be. “I thought you said not to give your uncle anything to groan about?”

Akira returns my gesture, although that playful smile never drifts from her lips. “Yeah, but it's worth it. You look better when it's only formal from the neck down.”

“I bet you have amazing bed-head.” She muses as she begins to stride away back to her bedroom.

...I only leave my hair messy because it takes ten minutes of constant combing and brushing just to get the rest of it sorted out. As for my bed head, it's not too different from what you normally see seeing as how I don't bother to comb it out on most days.

On that note, however, I wonder what Akira's bed-head is like. While it's clear that she grooms it, she still wears it like the mess she no doubt wakes up with.

“Where are you heading off to?” I call out as soon as I hear her door shut.

A muffled voice answers. “Getting dressed. He'll be here any minute now.”

Ah, right. If he's anywhere as full of hot air as Akira says he is, then I'm sure he'd have a lot to say about his corporate lawyer niece having company over in anything other than a Victorian dress.

I glance around to make sure there's nothing that seems out of place before sitting back down on the sofa. The thought of turning the TV on crosses my mind for a moment before a couple of harsh knocks sound, almost like someone were rapping their entire fist against the door.

“Oh dammit.” Akira remarks, loud enough to be heard even through the wall. “I thought we still had a few minutes.”

“Do you want me to get it?” I ask, wondering just how much longer it'll take Akira to put on... whatever she has to wear to impress her uncle.

A few moments of silence elapse before she pops out of her bedroom in that same pinstriped black suit, adjusting her tie with a bit of haste even though she seems just as relaxed as always. “Nah, we're good.”

“Does everything look alright?” She asks, turning around and trying to glance over her shoulder, swatting at some invisible bit of lint.

I stand up and pat her back down a few times, a useless action seeing as how she probably just pulled it out of the plastic from the cleaners. “Just as great as always.”

She chuckles before replying with “just making sure” and ruffling my hair one last time for good measure. From there, she jumps over to the door and pulls it open before taking a step back, evading the next set of ham-handed knocks that would have followed.

“It's about time.” The man... bear... person out in the hallway growls. “Unacceptable. Expecting guests and yet the door was firmly locked.”

Akira and I both bow our heads as he steps in, neither him nor the tiny person trailing in the back bothering to close the door behind them.

The formalities quickly end however, as my companion decides to comment. “Well I can't just have anyone walking into the place, especially since there's no code on the door for the stairwell.”

The taller of the two gives a short huff. “Is that how you greet people these days? Disrespectful. To think that I was in a good mood until now.”

Rather than offer an argument or an apology, Akira just shrugs it off. “Nah, it's just how I greet you. Take a seat and chill out.”

As the two of them trade non-sequitor greetings, I'm given my first chance to actually think about what I'm looking at here. Having already taken a seat on the sofa is a man who can't be any shorter than two meters – he had to duck his head under the doorway, in fact. The next most imposing thing I notice is the fact that he's carrying a sword.

As in, a full-length sword, which he is now twirling around as if it were a cane or a drumstick. No one else seems threatened by this fact, though, so I'll assume it's business as usual.

He doesn't seem to believe in shaving, seeing as how he sports a full beard of dark hair, accompanied by an unkempt mullet that drifts down to his waist. On top of all of that, his clothes are about as casual as it gets; a pair of jeans and... a sky-blue hawaiian shirt. With palm trees. I get the impression that he wrestles bears or some other form of dangerous wildlife, so I’d sooner jump out the window than attempt to comment on it, especially since all this time he’s been ranting and raving about something unrelated.

“Anyway, I'm glad you could make it over.” Akira says after a short silence, having just suffered through a lengthy, drawn-out exposition on the importance of home security. “By the way, this is my boyfriend, Hisao Nakai.”

And then all the attention in the room goes to me, which isn’t something I need to be dealing with after having the ‘we’re official’ bomb dropped on me.

“Hisao, this is my Uncle Jigoro and cousin Hideaki.”

The latter statement goes unnoticed as I receive a pair of mixed expressions, a look of disbelief from the grizzly one and a curious gaze from who I assume is his daughter. With nothing coming to mind, I simply bow my head and wait for recognition.

Which happens to come in the form of a gruff laugh. “At least you've still got a sense of humor. I needed that.”

Akira doesn't even wait for her uncle to finish laughing before chipping in, though. “I wasn't joking.”

She shoots me a smile before nudging me in the side and winking, giving me some silent reinforcement. “Anyway, I'm gonna go make some coffee for all of us. Hisao will keep you company while I'm busy.”

With that said, she disappears into the kitchen, leaving me with her extended family.

The two of them eyeball me expectantly, one of them still snickering from the previous exchange despite hearing that it wasn't a joke.

“So, uh, good afternoon.” I say, deciding to take a seat in the recliner. From there, I immediately regret having not turned on the TV a few minutes ago.

The one named Hideaki lets her attention drift around the room, the curiosity in her gaze apparently having been depleted as she looks for something else to pick apart. I'm met with the interest of the elder, however, as he leans forward and begins twirling his sword around as if it were a baton.

“Hello. What are you doing here?”

Well he's certainly to the point.

“Akira actually asked me to be here to meet both of you. I'm curious ab-”

His stern voice cuts me off before I can even express what I was wondering about. “Stop. Be quiet. Don't ask questions. Who are you to question me?”

It takes me a moment to realize that the entire mood has changed in the snap of a finger. One moment he's jolly and polite, and then the next moment he's telling me to shut up. “I was… excuse me?”

“You are not excused. I asked you what your business here was and you ignored me. Learn how to answer questions instead of going off on tangents. Immature.” He lectures, barely stopping to take a breath between each of his pointed statements.

All I'm able to do is remain silent as he continues. “I'm asking the questions here. Who are you? Where do you work? What do your parents do? When were you born? How did you get here?”

“My name is Hisao Nakai and Akira let me through the door. I don't think any of that other stuff is necessary at this point.” I reply, feeling uneasy as this grizzly bear of a man swings his sword around like it’s a toy.

Just before her uncle can answer, though, Akira peeks out of the kitchen and throws in an annoyed “hey, you two play nice in there.”

He doesn't wait long to give his own two cents, though. “Everything is my business. You are a child claiming to be my niece's boyfriend. What happened to Kirei?”

I'm not given a chance to answer though. At least not immediately. First I have to wait for Akira to finish yelling “I broke up with him three years ago, Jigoro!”

While that calls other questions into mind, I still have more pressing matters to deal with. “Yes, I'm Akira's boyfriend. Does that really matter right now?”

He lets out a burly 'hah,' almost like a guffaw. “A child is dating my twenty-four year old niece. Disgraceful. What kind of a prank do you think you're playing?”

“You are short, weak, and your hair is a mess. Do you even know how to play golf?” He continues, beginning to ramble despite the fact that he's still in the exact same position we started in, the idle 'click click clicking' of the sword shifting in its sheathe never slowing up.

“What does golf have to do with anything?!” I sputter.

He ignores me, though. “Golf is a man's soul. You've never even been fishing have you? Do you know what it's like to partake in sports? No doubt you spent all of your student career in the chess club. Nerd.”

How can he make so many assumptions on someone just going off of one thing? And even that's on shaky ground. I feel like this might be a game for him, like he's racking up points in his head based on how many pointless insults he can sling.

At least one of us is having fun, anyway. I almost feel bad about letting Akira miss this -- how long does it take to make a pot of coffee?

“No, I've never been fishing. I played soccer when I was younger. I'm terrible at chess.” I return, knowing full well that I'm just tossing wood on the fire.

He laughs again. “Chess is a man's soul. You need to read my biography. If possible I would record every word on a playing piece and force you to capture each of them in sequence, but I do not have enough time. I have business, unlike you.”

Somehow I get the impression that Akira is in the kitchen finding all this hilarious, just kicking back and waiting for the fire in here to die down. Surely she's learned some tricks to dealing with him, seeing as how he helped her out all those years after her father had moved. If this is what she had to deal with the entire time then my already overwhelming respect for her just grew even more.

“The only thing about yourself you haven't pre-emptively debased is your clothing.” He continues, no doubt twisting and turning inside at the thought that there's something he can't chastise. “Plain and unassuming. It is too bad that no other part of you is unassuming.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” I counter, checking my clothes up and down. I tried to wear something as neutral as possible, but if he's going to point it out like that then I think I would have been better off wearing a swimsuit.

I thought I'd have to fight for their approval, but now I don't feel so bad seeing as how the approval isn't anything obtainable, at least for one of them. I’m not too sure about what the other thinks, seeing as how she hasn’t said a single word since she came in.

Either way, I could be the richest, most handsome man on the face of the Earth and he would still find something to hurl insults over. I can respect him if he's who got Akira where she is, but with the way things are I can't find myself looking up to him for anything else.

It doesn't help that I haven't heard a single word from the younger one; Hideaki, I think her name was? For a moment, Jigoro stops swinging his sword around and looks me dead in the eye, as if waiting to tell me something important.

And then, from there, he laughs again. “Fashion is a man's soul. If you had read my biography you'd know that. Maybe I should have my publisher write a picture book version so that someone as slow-witted as you might have a chance of understanding.”

“I don't think I need to take that from someone wearing a hawaiian shirt.” I jab, feeling a pang of satisfaction well up inside my heart as a chuckle sounds from the kitchen.

Jigoro only regains that jaded expression however, leering at me through the tiny bangs of his mullet. “A man's clothes speak volumes about his character. I look at you and see a simpleton who gambles in the restroom to make up for the fact that he cannot work.”

“I have a job, though.” I retort, crossing my arms in response. “And if that's the case, aren't you someone who either spends too much time at the beach or shops off of the discount rack?”

In an instant, he utters something of a grumble. “Didn't your mother ever teach you not to make assumptions? Disrespectful. I am appalled that such stupid words could come from someone so unassuming.”
“What do you do, then?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder as Akira steps into the room and sits beside me on the arm of the chair.

She's wearing a pretty neutral expression. Not angry that I don't seem to be getting along with her relatives, but at the same time not happy for it either.

Akira's uncle shoots me a grin bloated with unwarranted confidence. “I lecture ignorant youths on the dangers of making assumptions of men older than them.”

“Older and stronger.” He adds. “And wiser. And bigger. And with more money.”

He continues to tack things onto the end, almost as though he had a list he committed to memory long ago. It doesn't take long for Akira to tire of it, however, leaning in and whispering “he's a consultant” into my ear.

“What kind of consultant?” I whisper back, content to let the grizzled man across the living room have his rant.

She shrugs. “That's just what he's been ever since he gave up 'Director of Human Resources.' He's pretty much retired, even if he doesn’t get benefits. If anything 'consultant' just means 'the guy who calls me every month and asks if I've broken anything yet.'”

Then, without any kind of final statement to his previous ongoing rambling, her uncle stands up, announces that he's going to use the bathroom, and heads down the hall to do just that. He even takes his sword with him, leaving Akira and I alone with the girl sitting on the sofa.

“Hey little man, what's going on?” Akira says without waiting to see if anything’s wrong before jumping off of the chair-arm and plopping down on the couch. “About time your old man shut up, huh?”

Wait, little man doesn't seem like a very appropriate pet name for a...

“Nothin'.” She... He... Hideaki answers.

The appearance of a young girl, if a little tomboyish, coupled with the voice of an adolescent boy. Either a very feminine guy or a masculine girl. I honestly don't know which way to lean, and I'm not sure why it matters at this point in time. Or if it ever well – all they've done so far is sit down and glance around the room. I can understand not wanting to create conflict with that walking hurricane of a man, but...

“Nothin', huh?” Akira says, crossing her legs and laying back. “How's school been?”

Hideaki shrugs off the attempts to create conversation. “Alright.”

Every so often he glances over at me, giving me a blank expression and yet acting as though he's nervous to say anything around me.

Akira just rolls with the punches though, clearly a master of dealing with both of her relatives. “Tried out for any clubs? You said you wanted to do journalism last time I saw you.”

“No.” Hideaki answers blankly.

The woman beside him gives a short ‘heh’ before glancing at me and around the room. “Gonna give me anything other than one-word answers?”

“Ye-...”

Akira meets his defeated gaze by ruffling his hair, which only prompts more resistance. She ignores his protests, however. “You've been in such a bad mood since you got here. C'mon, smile a bit; otherwise Hisao's gonna think you're a stick in the mud or something.”

“I'm not a stick in the mud.” Hideaki replies, attempting to feign composure by sitting up and planting his hands in his lap. “I'm only here because I have to be. I don't want to cause any trouble.”

“You're not really causing trouble.” I say, deciding that I've been invited into the conversation. “Not any more than your dad, anyway.”

“Speaking of which...” Akira muses, pulling our attention to the man standing in the hallway. Without a word, he gestures for her to join him, who then motions for me to come along.

His expression has gone unchanged since before he left us, still looking as annoyed as ever. Though now he seems to want to talk about business, hence why the three of us are leaving Hideaki in the living room.

Akira has one strange family, as least as far as I can tell. If this is her uncle, my head hurts just thinking about what her father could be like, whether he's better or worse – he seems to match all the jerk aspects at least.

We all file into the kitchen with Akira and myself both leaning against the counter and Jigoro taking a seat at the dining table, sword in hand even though it's clearly difficult to find a place to put it.

Three cups of coffee are poured from a full pot and passed between the three of us, although Akira decides to set hers aside after only one sip.

“So, straight to the point?” She says with a look of concern. “What do you wanna do about father? We both know what he's gonna attempt.”

The matter doesn't seem particularly pressing to the other party however, seeing as how he's gone silent – more concerned with finding a teaspoon and perfectly measuring out the sugar for his coffee, down to the grain… An act which then goes wasted as he takes one sip, grimaces, dumps it in the sink, pours another cup, and then drinks it black.

Finally content with the state of his coffee, he crosses his legs and decides to give us some attention. “Whatever you see fit. I haven't spoken to him ever since I left the company, and I'd like to keep it that way. I don't associate with backstabbers.”

The woman beside me scoffs at the notion. “No help from you, then?”

At this point everything begins to get a little confusing. Her father is coming to Japan, I know that much but I don't know why. At first I'd like to think that he's just coming to try and convince her to come back to Scotland in person, but... is that really the case?

“You think there's something I could do?” He asks in response,  giving us both an annoyed gaze as he takes another healthy gulp out of his cup. “I could pound him into the ground with my bare hands, clubbing him over the head with a hardcover copy of my biography. That is all I wish to do. That would not fix your problem, however.”

“I came here to visit and see about business. I am not here to deal with your issues, I have enough of my own.” Jigoro adds with a grizzled tone, fist clenched around the sheath of his sword. “Family deals with family, and he is no family of mine.”

Akira lets out a long sigh. “I should have figured as much.”

“Okay, okay, what's going on here?” I ask, too confused to bear being silent any longer. “Why is your father coming down again? He's just trying to get you to come back to Scotland, right?”

She nods. “That's the gist of it, yeah. I need to make sure Lilly's safe, though. I can't watch over her anymore; she has to finish school.”

I don't have any doubt that Lilly is going to be in danger, but is he really coming over just to abduct one of his daughters? It's not like he's going to stick her in a tower or anything, right?

“What about you? I understand that there’s apparently some danger for her, but are you sure he's not going to try to rope you in while he's at it?” I argue.

“Ignorant. Of course he's going to be here for her.” Jigoro chimes in. “The Satou have a knack for closing off their family members. He has just the spot for it too.”

He strokes his beard in an exaggerated manner, thinking of what else to add. “What was that position he had open? 'Vice-chairman of company resources?' Utterly disgusting.”

“Wait, what's so bad about that?” I ask. I'm not firmly rooted in corporate-speak, so I'm not too sure about what the issue is here – it seems like it would be a high position.

“You remember when I told you about that job offering in Scotland?” Akira says, crossing her arms. “Guess what the bad part was?”

I shrug. “Too much work?”

She shakes her head. “No, there's nowhere to go from there. Just like the job I'm currently stuck with. I'll be pushing papers until I retire in forty years.”

“Wait, that doesn’t make any sense.” I say, setting my own coffee aside. “Why wouldn’t a vice-chairman just become a chairman someday?”

Her uncle decides to take this time to put in his two-cents, which for once is something helpful and relevant. “He pigeonholes his family into bottom-feeding roles. He’ll put them in what seems like powerful positions, but ultimately he never allows them to move up from there.”

“So why did you take the offer in the first place?” I ask, trying to tune Jigoro out as he continues onto something more unrelated. “You seemed pretty ready to throw everything else away for this.”

My question is met with detachment. “For a jackass who hadn't called in four years, he made a pretty convincing argument. It helped that, contrary to what this guy says; it was a pretty good position to be in.”

“It had pretty much everything I'd ever need, but what bothered me was that he was locking me away.” She sighs, glancing over at her uncle before resuming. “He's just trying to get Lilly and I under the rug for some reason. I have a couple of guesses, but nothing really definite – he's a wildcard when it comes to this stuff.”

“What's your best guess?” I ask, already letting the ideas form in my head. I can hardly come up with anything, though the first thing I'd imagine is...

She rolls her eyes. “You know he's a control freak. Take a wild guess.”

Yeah. That's what I figured.

Even so, I don't want to go jumping to any conclusions. “You'll have to spell it out for me.”

“Are you as dense are you are presumptuous?” Jigoro cuts in before Akira can even open her mouth. “One child is locked into a management position, the other is married off to some promotion-grubbing pantywaist so that the company can be kept in the family.”

He puts a sardonic emphasis on 'family,' his words dripping with spite. I don't know what happened in the past to put everyone in the positions they're in now, and I don't want to risk pushing him to set the city on fire by asking. All I can gather is that he has a pretty big grudge against his family; or at least the ones that aren't Akira and possibly Lilly.

“Regardless of their petty infighting, there is still a lot of potential at hand.” He adds, taking gulps of coffee between each jagged statement. “I taught you to seek opportunity and shoot it where it sleeps. If you overlook that for drama then I will have my biographer personally come here and smack you.”

“That's pretty much it.” Akira says smoothly, choosing to move along with her voice and expression both filled with emptiness. “I thought I'd be able to move on and actually have a life of my own, but go figure my dad's gonna take one last stab at chaining me down.”

It's almost appalling how many hurdles she's had to jump over during the past few years, and that's just for her job. It's just another way we're different; my problems are all internal, whereas hers are all things thrown from the outside world. It's one of the things I admire about her -- she's strong in all the places where someone like me would crumble apart.

“You're not gonna let him, are you?” I say, nudging her in the side and offering a friendly smile. “You've come this far, right? What's a little more work?”

Without a second though, her face lights up and she returns my gesture with a confident smile. “Of course I'm not gonna let him, dummy.”

“I gave his offer a lot of thought and was on the verge of taking that plunge, but in the end I didn't.” She explains, receiving Jigoro's emptied cup of coffee as he rises to his feet. “I was too caught up in my own life to realize that he was full of crap, and I'm glad you helped me realize that.”

I can’t help but blush with pride, if only for a moment; it wouldn't make much sense to go through all the trouble to get her settled back into her life here only for something to tear everything up again. It doesn't seem like we'll be getting any help from the other side of her family, but at the very least I've got some more information. Or somewhat of an explanation as to what's going on.

Her uncle decides that there's one last piece of advice worth divulging though. “Don't burn bridges.”

Jigoro lets out a hearty chuckle, as if there were a joke only he understood. “Use them for all they're worth, then let them burn along with it.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” I ask, leaning out of the kitchen as he makes his way to the front door, not even gesturing for Hideaki to follow.

He taps his sword against the ground a few times and gives me one last annoyed grumble. “I dream of a Satou Electronics run by someone in the family other than that backstabber.”

With no further comment and leaving no room for discussion, he gives a disgruntled announcement of his departure and steps out of the room, leaving the door open for his ‘partner’ to follow.

Hideaki gives both Akira and myself a nod before going to accompany Jigoro, shutting the door behind him.

************

“Up a little more.” Akira chimes as she lays back into my hands, letting out a tiny sigh as I press my thumbs in and out against her back.

The clock on the wall reads '10:05 P.M.,' well beyond the time I should have stayed over here. I don't have it in me to leave just yet, though, seeing as how there was so much left to unpack and I would have felt bad leaving her to finish the remaining four hours worth of rearranging after all the work she had already done.

I might have to spend the night on the couch, as a matter of fact -- the buses stop running in about an hour and I doubt Akira has the energy to drive me back to the school. Then again; she probably doesn’t have enough energy to even stay awake for much longer.

With that in mind, one has to take into consideration just how comfy Akira's bed is with regards to the fact that it's magnitudes bigger than the tiny dorm beds. As a whole, this room is about ten steps up from my dorm -- the navy-blue carpet, twin closets, and curtains sealing us from any sort of outside light all make that very clear.

“Seems like you've had a hard day.” I joke, sliding my hands a bit farther down her back. Her coat now lies hanging from a rack in the corner and the fabric of her shirt feels soft against my touch. Try as I may, I can't help but let my fingers linger around her shoulders, hovering over the areas where her bra straps lie.

She lets out a frustrated groan, shooting me a displeased look over her shoulder. “It's like one big mess I just can't clean up. It doesn't help that Mr. Infuriating Jackass decided to stop by and do nothing but spout crappy advice.”

I have to give her that; when she said that she had family coming to visit, I was thinking we'd get some decent help or at least some kind of a hint when it comes to dealing with her father. It’s pretty clear that she’s more frustrated about it than I am, at any rate.

“Oh yeah, can you press a little harder?” She says, regarding my thumbs rolling around the flesh of her mid-lower back.

My hands comply without a second thought, although I wish I could focus more on my new duties as her personal masseuse rather than worrying about today’s events.

Sure we got a lot of advice, but none of it was very applicable to what we're dealing with – or to anything in general, really. I almost want to read his biography just to see if it's anything more than a venomous insult directed at every prospective reader in Japan.

“Yeah, your uncle didn't seem like very much help.” I remark, recalling that painful hour spent in the living room. “Your cousin didn't seem very interested in the situation either. From what I could tell she was only there for-”

Akira cuts me off with a snicker. “Did you just say 'she?'”

“I’m not too sure which one it was, alright? They looked like a girl, but when they spoke I figured it could be a boy.” I respond as she glances back at me giving a quiet moan as I slide the palms of my hands around her shoulders.

“Well, your latter guess was correct. He'll be thirteen in a few months.” She explains, not at all upset with my assumptions. “You wouldn't be the first to get a wrong first impression, though. That's what happens when the kid insists on wearing his sister's clothes.”

Those were Shizune's clothes? Either they were hand-me-downs or she has a thing for lounging around in clothes that barely fit someone half her size. Either way, I can understand being so harsh and domineering if that was the family you had to grow up with.

“You two seem pretty close though.” I comment.

Before continuing, she takes a moment to unbutton her shirt, sliding her arms out of the sleeves as I pull it off of her without question. Underneath the white work shirt is a gray tank top, the color red peeking out alongside the thick straps.

“I can barely feel anything through that.” She says, rolling her shoulders around before relaxing into my hands once more. “Anyway, yeah, I've known the kid since before he could walk, back when Lilly and I would spend weeks at a time over at the Hakamichi's seeing as how we couldn't hire a babysitter.”

Her skin feels soft to the touch, warming my fingertips as they glide over her shoulders. “I see. I guess sibling rivalry could explain why Lilly and Shizune are always at odds with each other.”

Akira shakes her head. “Nah, that's just some recent crap they've been going through. You're better off asking her about that, I don't have any of the details.”

“If it's any consolation, a lot of things did happen over at their house when we were younger, which is why she's anything but enthusiastic when it comes to visiting these days.” She continues, giving a gentle moan as I let my thumbs slide over the base of her neck. “I've always gotten along with 'em just fine, though. Or, at least, tried to. My uncle has never been squeamish when it comes to paying his babysitter at any rate.”

I laugh. “So you're the babysitter, huh?”

“Some might see it that way, yeah.” She returns with an amused smile. “I really do enjoy being with the kid, though. I wish you could have met him without dumbass dad tagging along.”

“Are all the parents in your family that dysfunctional?” I ask, deciding to let my hands rest for a while as she leans into me, clearly tired from the day's events.

She stops to think for a moment, her smile fading into a look of indifference. “I don't think there's any part of my family that isn't dysfunctional in some way.”

“It's a dirty thing to say, but sometimes I feel like I'm the only 'normal' one out of all of us.” Akira says, pursing her lips in reflection. “A sister without her sight, a cousin without her hearing, a couple of aunts and uncles with debilitating illnesses – I'm starting to think it's a miracle that I turned out alright.”

I nod my head in agreement. “That's not saying anyone's perfect, though. I just wish I could be as strong as you.”

“I'm not strong.” She chuckles, sitting up and giving me a smile. “Stubborn is a better word for it. I guess that's one way I'm like my father; too stupid to see when there's no point in trying anymore.”

She gazes into my eyes for a moment, caught in her own mind. “Not like you, anyway. I'd be better off if I could stand back and question things every now and then, you know? And there ain't a lot of people who talk quite like you do.”

Even if she says that, I don't think I could stand nearly as tall as she does. It's one thing to look at all the possibilities, but part of me wishes I could just jump for something; to fight against the things that are holding me down, rather than just playing with the hand I've been d-

“I say that, but then again... sometimes I wonder if you ever get tired of thinking.”Akira muses before flicking me on the forehead.

And then, before I have a chance to argue, she...

Her lithe fingers grip my shoulder and she pulls me closer, bringing her lips against mine. All of the thoughts that were swimming through my head are immediately purged and any semblance of awareness goes out the window.

The initial surprise wears off and I lean into it, shutting my eyes and wrapping one arm around her slender waist. What could have been a full minute feels like only a tiny moment as she pulls away, leaving me gazing into the glimmering rubies of her eyes.

I try to say something, desperate to liven up the following silence. “Kinda took me by surprise there.”

All I receive for my shock is a light shrug. “What, you didn't like it?”

I shake my head so hard that my hair shakes back and forth. “Of course I liked it. I just wasn't expecting my first kiss to happen like that.”

She snickers and gives me a wide smile. “Oh, so I got to have your first kiss? Lucky me.”

In one smooth motion, she grabs both of my shoulders and leans back in, our faces mere inches apart. “What do I have to do to get the second one while I'm at it?”

The contents of my skull practically turn to mush as she delivers that question, everything around me slowing to a halt as blood rushes to my head.

“Hold still.” I jab, pushing back against her in an attempt to meet her lips first this time.

Her fingers settle on my cheek, her lips holding on for a lot longer this time around. The room around me blends together into a haze of unnecessary detail, all of my attention going to the blonde-haired woman in front of me.

We break apart once more, my heart racing and my breath rushed.

“How was that?” I ask, falling back against her bed and letting my eyes wander up and down her figure, cradling my head in my arms.

She takes a moment to gather her thoughts. “Better than the first, that’s for sure. It needs some work though.”

“How much practice do you think I need?” I return, feeling my heart race as she glances back at me with a playful grin.

“Depends.” She answers, laying back and turning on her side. “More practice than you have now, at least.”

Her hands grip both sides of my face and she pulls me back in, fingers running through my hair as our lips lock together once more. I wrap my arms around her back and try to slide her in closer, my mind spinning as we pull apart only for a moment to grab a breath.

We begin to shift back and forth, my instincts taking the wheel as she rolls over and I climb on top of her. Everything about her gets my heart and blood racing, from her sultry tone and alluring smile all the way down to the ever-so-slight movements of her body against mine.

Our lips connect yet again and I offer no resistance whatsoever as her hands fly to the topmost button of my shirt.  She works her way way down my torso, my imagination running at about a hundred clicks per second as my entire body flares up.

I pull away to slide my dress shirt off, almost afraid to remove my undershirt as my eyes trace the curves of Akira's figure.

A mischievous glint flashes in her eye as the dull clicking of metal dances past my ear. After a few moments, she pulls her belt off and then undoes the button of her suit pants, wiggling her hips back and forth as she slides out of them . “Muuuuch more comfortable.”

She then glances up at me and breaks out in a grin, snickering as as my gaze wanders around the bare skin of her thighs before focusing on the red satin fabric of her underwear. “C'mon Hisao, what are you looking at?”

My mind begins to give control to my body as I yank my undershirt off, shifting into a more manageable position on the bed as she hops on top and meets me with another kiss. In spite of any previous reservation, my hands begin to wander up and down her form as she straddles me, caressing the slim contours of her waist.

I don’t know what it is about her. The entire outside world could disappear and I wouldn’t care about anything other than this moment, and the next, and the next after that. School, graduation, college, a career, dealing with my condition, all of that can wait as far as I’m concerned.

Her lips settle further into mine as she runs her fingers through my hair, the warmth of her body washing against my exposed chest.

After only a few more moments, she breaks away and takes a deep breath. Our eyes meet and we lay in silence for what feels like a whole minute, kept only in each others embrace. Her breath is hot against my skin and I can feel all of her weight pushing against mine, regardless of how relatively light she may be.

As if reading my body, Akira fixes me with a curious stare. "Is this your first time?"

I feel a knot swell up in my throat, unsure of where to go from here. “You mean, with stuff like this?”

“Well, yeah.” She answers, smiling. “But, I mean, you do seem kinda wound up.”

Oh.

Right.

That -- that thing I wasn’t really paying attention to but now that she mentions it… “Well, that was just my first kiss, you know. What do you think?”

“Smart-ass.” She grins before nudging me in the side. “Do you want to keep going?”

I nod with as much confidence as I can.

We’ve only been ‘dating’ for what may be a month, but I feel as though I’d never be able to forgive myself if I let this chance slip. I certainly don’t have to force myself; the feelings are there, and I don’t think there’s anyone else on the face of the earth I’d rather experience this with. The confirmation that she feels the same way only adds to the difficulty of turning around and saying something like ‘we’d be better off waiting.’

“We’ve already come this far, wouldn’t it be stupid to stop now?” I remark, one hand sliding along her waist.

She offers me a reassuring smile before sitting up, steadying herself on my belly. “For just a moment there, I was scared that you were going to say no.”

I laugh. “Really? I mean, I’m not gonna say I wasn’t a bit worried. I mean, we have only been together for a short while…”

“Well, for some guys it’s better to wait.” She says, crossing her arms and looking wistful. “I’m not going to go into talking about the few past relationships I’ve had, though. What matters is that we’re here, and…”

Akira’s voice trails off as she glances around the room and then back at me. “Screw it, no need to beat around the bush. It’s only been a few weeks, but honestly, I think I’m in love with you.”

To say my heart skipped a beat would be inaccurate. For the entirety of the three seconds that follow, I feel as though tonight might be a repeat of that incident back in winter.

I manage to hold on, however, if only barely. “I, uh… uh.”

“I’m just telling it like it is.” She says with a satisfied expression. “Although, if I’m honest; I didn’t start seeing you as anything more than a friend until that night you confessed in the jazz club.”

“Oh, is that so?” I remark, laughing despite the fact that my heart could have very well started leaking after that jolt. “I don’t think I could tell you when I started to see you as more than the woman I randomly met in a suit shop.”

“What’s your best guess?” She ask with an amused gaze.

Could I really put my finger on it? I was fascinated with her even from the beginning, but I don’t think I ever considered that someone like me could be with her until later on.

“You remember that night I ran into you in the city and you showed me around?” I reply, still blushing from what was said.

She nods, a warm smile on her lips. “Yeah, you were just wandering around like you didn’t know left from right.”

“I think that’s when it happened for me.” I continue, recalling that night in the city. “Mostly at the jazz club. The way you talked and the way you joked around and the way you tricked me into betting on a pool game I had already lost before I picked up a cue…”

“That was pretty fun, you gotta admit.” She replies with a nostalgic sigh.

It’s been less than three months since that night, and yet I feel like it was so long ago. Time flies when I’m with her, and yet when I’m recalling the things we’ve done and what I know about her, it’s like I’ve known her all my life. It’s a strange feeling, and yet-

“So do you wanna keep going or should I wait for you to finish thinking about it?” Akira says.

I’m not given much of a choice, however. She doesn’t bother to wait for my answer before pulling off her tank top and revealing her toned belly and the red lacy pattern of her bra. A warm giggle breaks the silence as she lays one hand on my cheek, a look of curiosity on her face. “Are you nervous?”

“About as nervous as a guy with a time-bomb for a heart should be.” I nod, gulping in anticipation.

The soft touch of her fingers caresses my face and glides along my collar, all the way to the three-inch scar on my chest. “You know, you've never told me a whole lot about your heart thing. Arrhythmia, right?”

“Yeah.” I respond, my thoughts jumping back and forth as I try to recall how far is too far, whether or not I took my pills today, when I last took them, how much I've done since I...

“Is it gonna get in the way?” She asks with a look of concern.

The answer that pops into my head is neither yes or no. “I hope not.”

“That makes two of us.” Akira purrs, slinking back into the mood as her fingers trace all the way down my torso, centering on my belt buckle. “Anything we should avoid?”

I feel myself gasp in surprise as she undoes my belt and plays with the waistline of my trousers, undoing the button and letting her hand linger around my pelvis.

Nothing can stop me now, I don't think. I'm not going to let anything get in the way of this – not even a heart attack. “Well, I'd like to avoid getting too worked up, but if this is how we're gonna do things then that might not be avoidable.”

She shrugs and offers me one more warm smile. “Well, do you know how we can solve that?”

Then she starts to lean in; closer, and closer, and closer, until finally her breath washes against my ear and her cheek brushes mine. “Relaaaaaaaax.”

Before I can react or offer another opinion, she pulls me into a long and sensuous kiss, biting my lower lip as her arms wrap around me. My fingers caress the smooth, silken surface of her back and slide back and forth along the strap holding her bra on.

She smiles into my lips as I play around with it, having to make about four different attempts at undoing the hooks before they finally come undone.

My mind becomes a total haze, every part of my body wanting to react in different ways but all setting their goal on the woman straddling my lap.

My thoughts go blank as she pulls away and meets my gaze, her eyes like chiseled rubies gleaming in the moonlight. Without another word, Akira lets her bra fall forward and into her hands, which she then flings across the room without a second thought.

“Look at the bright side -- if something does happen, the paramedics have a straight shot here from the roof.” She smirks as my hands wander up her midsection, relishing the soft flesh of her modest bust.

A light moan escapes her lips as my fingers sink into her breasts, gently squeezing with as much self-control as I can muster.

She winces in pleasure as I pinch her nipple between two fingers, flashing me an enticing grin in response. “But hopefully we won’t have to involve any trips to the emergency room.”

Another trip to the hospital is, quite frankly, the last thing I want right now. If anything happens to tear me away from this moment, I’d rather it killed me. I don’t want to have to live with the fact that I fell off the mountain before reaching the summit.

We shift around on the bed as she tugs at my pants, pulling them all the way off and letting them flop off the side of the mattress before taking back her previous position. “Oh, polka dots again?”

“What, got a problem with polka dots?” I retort, almost gasping in bliss as she starts to tease me through the thin fabric.

“The only problem I can find is that you’re still wearing them.” She counters, any worry that had taken root in my head washing away as our lips meet again.

At the same time, I become dangerously aware of just how little the both of us are wearing. The only thing between us at this point is some black and white polka-dotted boxers on my end and a pair of ruby-red lace panties that flatter her hips in all the right ways.

We lay like this for a while, my hands wandering up and down the exposed skin of her figure while she shifts back and forth against me. Before long, she takes the initiative and begins to work her way down my body, laying a small peck against my neck, then my collar...

One on my chest, again on my stomach, each gentle brush of her lips against my flesh leaving a warm and wet sensation. I glance downwards in a mixture of anticipation and embarrassment while her fingers hook around the elastic of my boxers, a dumb grin creeping up on my face as she tugs downwards and lets out an impressed 'ooh~.'

I feel as though my entire body could melt into the bed as she meets me with a smooch, followed by another peck as I twitch against her breath.

A slick warmth rolls up and down from bottom to top, coaxing a shameless moan out of my throat and forcing me to grip the bedsheets. All self-control leaves my body as soon as I feel myself enveloped by her lips, unable to keep my hips from lightly bucking against her. She brushes a lock of hair out of her face as she swallows up more and more, one hand planted on my midsection while the other teases at the base of my lower half, sliding up and down in tiny motions as she rolls her tongue around me.

I force myself to sit up and gaze down, inhaling sharply each time her head bobs up and down. It's only a matter of time before I’m practically at the bursting point, at which point she pulls away and glances up at me, an expectant grin on her lips while her shoulders rise and fall with heavy breath.

“How was that?” She asks, one hand still rubbing up and down.

All I’m able to say is “Yes” while attempting to endure her treatment without exploding.

Akira laughs before crawling over to the edge of the bed, fetching my pants off the ground. “You keep one in your wallet, right? Most guys do, last I heard.”

“I... I think?” I reply, still dazed from finding out just how much control her lips have over me. “What are you talking about?”

“Protection, you goof.” She says, fishing my wallet out of the back pocket of my slacks. “Don’t ever go without it.”

“What if I don’t have any?” I ask, trying to recall whether or not I do. I think back before I ever got to Yamaku my dad bought me a wallet and slipped something along those lines inside as a joke on my mom, but if I’m wrong, then…

Akira groans. “Well, we’ll have to cut things short, since I’m not exactly the kind of girl that stocks those.”

Before I can answer, however, she pulls a small silver package out of the middle pocket. “Woo, dodged a bullet there. It’s a month before the expiration date too.”

I sit up as she… does most of the work for me. Not another word is said between us as we shift around for a few moments while trying to get settled in, rolling back and forth until finally I’m perched on top of her. Despite being only a centimeter shorter, her frame feels light and thin beneath me, each motion of her figure against mine making me wonder if I might accidentally crush her.

Those thoughts are quickly swept away from my mind as she nudges me up, shifting back and forth as she tries to remove the one piece of clothing she still has. With a bit of help, I hold the thin, lacy undergarment in my hand, paying no mind as I fling it over one shoulder and plant a long kiss on her lips. I can feel myself twitching against the bare skin of her pelvis, my mind a maelstrom of lust.

I don't wait long before trying to move onto the next step. “So is it alright if I…?”

My question is met with a wistful smile. “Well, you do want to, right?”

“Of course I want to. I just don’t really know if I should.” I gulp and nod my head, her eyes locking with mine as she gives me a wistful look.

She wraps her arms around my shoulders and pulls me in even closer, so close that I think I might slip inside if I accidentally move my hips. “You wanna know how you find out?”

I shake my head, at which point she pulls me in and meets me with another kiss, but softer this time. All I can do is return the sentiment, letting her soft lips fill every inch of my mind.

Her previous words start to bounce wildly through my head again. ‘I think I’m in love with you.’

Isn’t that all it takes? I’ve been spending this entire time thinking about how long we’ve been together or what I have to do in order to get to some imaginary point in the future, when in reality everything we need is already here.

Not a word is spoken between us as I pull away and meet her gaze. I begin to wonder if she’s actually able to read my thoughts as she winks at me, her expression silently saying ‘so what’s it gonna be?’

With her silent approval, I glance down and gently prod at the place where our hips meet, feeling her hands tighten around my back as I slide in bit by bit. I freeze up only a fraction of the way there as she tightens up, sending a warm surge throughout my body.

"You're a lot bigger than you look." She croons, her breaths hastening.

I give a nervous chuckle before trying to move, gripping the bedsheets on either side of her and finding myself unable to look away from her alluring expression. Her hand slides down my chest and teases at my nipple, her fingers freezing for just a moment as a smooth moan graces my ears. The sensations washing over my body and mind send me into a frenzy as I continue to shift my hips back and forth, in and out.

Her toes dig into the sheets as I try to push myself further and further, her lips glistening as each exasperated breath and moan washes against my skin. I want to go all the way with this woman. I want to go further, faster, deeper, with as much force as I can must-

"RRKH"

My hand flies to my chest and everything goes red, my entire body tensing up in inexorable pain. It comes and passes in a single instant, although I'm still frozen in place, a strange terror slicing through my mind and instilling a look of worry on Akira's face.

"Whoa there, you okay?" She says, pressing one hand against my cheek. A droplet of cold sweat trickles down my face and lands on her chest, drawing me back into reality.

I shake my head in an attempt to regain my senses, the strength slowly returning to my limbs. "Yeah, just... had a moment there."

"I think we were both having a moment there." She sighs, looking a bit more relieved as she gazes up at me. "Your heart thing acting up?"

"It was just a... yeah." I nod, beginning to feel embarrassed for spoiling such an amazing time.

She sighs and looks over my chest for a second, her finger tracing the large gash on my sternum. “I don’t think it’d be good for either of us to go through any more scares like that."

Common sense dictates that I should get some rest and put this away for later. But... my libido seems to have other thoughts. “Uh, I could try again...”

“You sure?” Akira says.

“I’m sure.” I reply, sighing as her hand rubs my torso. “If that happens again, though, I might just have to call it quits.”

She smiles and gently nudges against my shoulder, causing me to pull out and roll onto my back. In an instant she swings one leg over my pelvis and positions herself on her knees atop me. “I’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen, then.”

The moonlight bleeding in through the curtains glows against her figure, a pale light illuminating the sweat glistening on her face. From where I’m laying now, I can see everything; her wide hips curving into a slender midsection, the tuft of blonde hair between her thighs, and the beads of sweat trickling down her perky bust.

I want all of it.

"It's more comfortable for me this way, actually." She remarks, one hand on my belly as the fingers of her other gently slide up and down my length. “You were so caught up in taking the lead though, I didn't want to be selfish and not even give you a chance.”

She smirks as her comment causes me to twitch in her fingers. "I guess it's more manageable for you too, hmmm~?"

I give a forceful nod, gulping in anticipation as she continues to play with me, going so far as to lightly prod herself with it.

She leans in and plants a small peck on my lips, wearing a satisfied smirk as she sets her forehead against mine. "You know you don't need to be so nervous; I’m the only one who gets to see you like this."

Puffs of steam practically shoot out of my ears and my mind does double-takes and trips over itself at the same time as I try to think of all the things I could say in response and thefactthatshekeepsteasingmedowntheredoesnothelpmeintheslightest.

“I almost feel like I'm forcing you.” She says, tilting her head as her hips lightly sway against me.

“You're not forcing me.” I reply, my brain boiling in its casing as my heart, while not so stressed anymore, continues to beat like a heavy drum. “I just, I don't... I think I...”

I keep stammering and stuttering in an attempt to break up the awkward air left by my first incident, but ultimately I go silent again, my face burning up from all the embarrassment.

Akira takes it in stride, however, giving me a short 'heh' and shaking her head. "C’mon, it’s your first time, we’ve just gotta find out how far we can go."

That just about describes my entire life at this point. Playing around and skirting the edge until I find out just what my boundaries are. I don’t want that to be the focus, though.

“Are you going to keep playing with me like that or are you actually going to do it?” I finally ask, feeling as though my head might explode at any second.

“I dunno, at this point we may as well stop...” She trails off, cutting off just short of actually doing so and laughing at what may have been the most horrified expression she's ever seen.

She flicks me on the forehead once more. “Yeah, right.”

Without any further delay, she positions me between her thighs and slides down, moaning with satisfaction as I dive into her. I interlock one of my hands with hers before planting the other on her hip, my fingers sinking into her supple skin.

An ecstatic sigh rolls out from between my lips as I begin to move along with her, squeezing her hand each time she squeezes mine. I push my hips up to meet hers as she slides back down, slowly at first but picking speed much faster than when I was on top.

She plants her other hand against my side, trying to balance herself as she moves with more and more force, our bodies finding a rhythm rhythm with each wiggle of her hips against mine. I can feel my hand slowly crawling backwards, coaxing a pleased “oooh” out of the woman atop me as my fingers sink into her rear.

“Mmm.” Akira moans as I give her a healthy squeeze, a wave of satisfaction rolling through my body each time she drives me on. It takes everything I can to hold on and go along with her pace, quickly realizing that we're on two different levels when it comes to this kind of thing.

The sights and sounds filling my senses make me feel as though I could melt away into the sheets, driving me to push on and on in an attempt to keep up with her. She bites her lip with ecstasy as I try to thrust even harder, shutting her eyes and letting out a long, pleasure-filled sigh.

It isn't long before I find myself at the edge of my endurance, however, and I feel myself throbbing, ready to burst at any moment. Akira seems to be nearing the end of her rope as well, at least, her breaths uneven and her hand squeezing mine so hard that I can feel her nails digging into my skin.

Before I have a chance to prepare myself, my entire body tenses and I erupt, every ounce of strength and focus in my head fllowing out in one explosive moment. My arms fall to my side and I gaze up at Akira, who...

“Whoa, you’re done already?” She asks with a look of mixed curiosity, still caught up in her own side of things.

Who...

Who...

...

...

Oh god.

Not too long after the realization hits me like a dump-truck filled with bricks, Akira offers me a reconciling look before dismounting and lying on top of me, any chance at a satisfying afterglow punctured by my own lack of stamina.

In just those few moments, she catches up with the situation quite well. “Hey, you know this a stupid thing to make a face like that over.”

The fact that I finished before her seems like a pretty harsh thing to press against myself, but regardless of that it's not something I'm... proud of. I understand that it was my first time and that she was a lot better at these things than me and I kind of got ahead of myself and then didn't even have the decency to warn her that I was...

My thoughts are split apart as she gives me one last kiss, this time with a more gentle push.

“I, uh...” I trail off as soon as we break away.

She plants one finger over my lips to prevent any further comment, not that there would have been one beyond any ashamed stuttering.

"You remember what I told you?” She asks, her hand searching around my pelvis before toying with the rubber barely hanging onto my spent libido.

My mind goes blank, trying to search through the exhausted haze to pick out anything significant she might have said in the middle of... our deed.

Ultimately I shake my head, which only gets another smile out of her.

“Relaaaaaaaaaaax. It’s not like I’m going to stop caring about you because of it.”

With that, I feel myself slinking into rest, having a million things to say but without the strength to vocalize anything.

Content that she’ll hear no argument, the 'used' condom is deposited into a waste-basket next to her nightstand. She lies still for a while, no doubt contemplating whether or not she should take a shower, although it doesn’t take long for her to reach a decision as she slides under the covers facing me.

The magnitude of what just happened may not hit her as hard as it hit me, and for the first time in a while I feel like I've been left in the dust again. I don't know what I'm going to do, but for now, I...

I'm too tired for thinking.

There's one thing I have to do before wind up falling asleep, though. Well, besides grabbing the bedsheets and joining her under them.

“Hey.” I mutter, still trying to catch my breath.

She perks up. “Hey.”

I chew on the words for a few moments before firing everything into the open, not caring about what aftershocks it may have. “I think I love you too.”

The words roll off of my tongue as if it were something natural to say. The same could be said for everything tonight, really -- it all feels ‘right.’ Like it’s how everything is supposed to be. At the very least I could see myself easily getting used to it.

Akira doesn’t seem too opposed to the notion either.

“I love mushy stuff, but let’s save it for the morning. That’s the best time for pillow talk.” She groans with exhaustion, although she’s not so tired that she can’t give me one more smile before scooting a little closer and pulling the covers over her bare shoulder.

I hope it isn’t the last.