rlm@0
|
1
|
rlm@0
|
2 Author’s Notes: This is a Saint Tail story from Seira Mimori’s
|
rlm@0
|
3 perspective. I’ve been wanting to deal with her thoughts on things
|
rlm@0
|
4 for quite a while now. This isn’t the story I’d intended to write,
|
rlm@0
|
5 but I’m happy with it. ^-^ Now if I can ever write a story about
|
rlm@0
|
6 Seira & Meimi when they’re older, I’ll be happy. ^^;;
|
rlm@0
|
7
|
rlm@0
|
8
|
rlm@0
|
9 A Thief in the Night
|
rlm@0
|
10 by Amazoness Duo
|
rlm@0
|
11 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
|
rlm@0
|
12
|
rlm@0
|
13
|
rlm@0
|
14 It’s been such a long night. I should be sleeping right now, but I
|
rlm@0
|
15 can’t. So here I am, Lord. Your loyal servant, Seira. I know I should
|
rlm@0
|
16 be in bed. I have classes tomorrow and I promised Sister Abbess that
|
rlm@0
|
17 I would help her sweep the grounds. But for some reason, I can’t
|
rlm@0
|
18 sleep tonight. Whenever I close my eyes, I see her. I can’t put her
|
rlm@0
|
19 out of my mind long enough to fade into a blissful sleep. It’s like
|
rlm@0
|
20 her image has been burned into my eyelids. I toss and turn, seeing
|
rlm@0
|
21 her smile. I hug my pillow tightly, wishing it were her there with me
|
rlm@0
|
22 to qualm my waking nightmares. But I know she’s far away, having
|
rlm@0
|
23 entirely different thoughts before passing into a deep slumber.
|
rlm@0
|
24
|
rlm@0
|
25 And it’s a well deserved sleep. She has done your will, my Lord.
|
rlm@0
|
26 She’s granted another person your protection by helping them as the
|
rlm@0
|
27 mysterious thief, Saint Tail. So she can sleep the sleep of the just.
|
rlm@0
|
28 Yet I only find myself caught in my blankets like a net, her voice
|
rlm@0
|
29 whispering in my ear with every breeze that brushes past my window.
|
rlm@0
|
30 I’m the one who convinced her to be Saint Tail. I send the hopes and
|
rlm@0
|
31 prayers of those who have been wronged unto her. And because she
|
rlm@0
|
32 trusts me, because she’s my friend, she will do anything she can to
|
rlm@0
|
33 fulfil those wishes. All I can do is wait here for her, praying to
|
rlm@0
|
34 you that she will be safe, wishing I could be there with her. But
|
rlm@0
|
35 that is her role. As I have my own.
|
rlm@0
|
36
|
rlm@0
|
37 So I am praying to you tonight, the moon sailing high above as I do,
|
rlm@0
|
38 alone in the church. I pray not to get rid of the feelings inside of
|
rlm@0
|
39 me, because I can’t imagine living without the love I feel for Meimi.
|
rlm@0
|
40 I pray instead to help quell my chaotic thoughts, to soothe the
|
rlm@0
|
41 stormy sea inside of me. So that I can try to find some tranquility
|
rlm@0
|
42 in this endless night.
|
rlm@0
|
43
|
rlm@0
|
44 The rest of the nuns are already asleep. They don’t come here this
|
rlm@0
|
45 late at night. But I’m here almost every night. I feel safer here. I
|
rlm@0
|
46 don’t have to be so alone in my thoughts here because of you. Other
|
rlm@0
|
47 girls my age are listening to music idols or wanting to get into the
|
rlm@0
|
48 latest trend. I spend most of my free time at the church, whether
|
rlm@0
|
49 thinking or praying, speaking to you or listening to those whose
|
rlm@0
|
50 hearts are heavy. Most of the students already call me Sister Seira
|
rlm@0
|
51 even though I’m not officially a nun yet. That will have to wait
|
rlm@0
|
52 until after high school. But I’m glad that they trust me as one
|
rlm@0
|
53 already. I guess they see me around the church enough to believe I
|
rlm@0
|
54 am.
|
rlm@0
|
55
|
rlm@0
|
56 It’s so quiet here at night. So peaceful. I may not be a thief, but
|
rlm@0
|
57 I do love the night as much as Meimi. Enveloped in inky darkness,
|
rlm@0
|
58 it’s not the cacophony of confusion that daylight brings. I feel so
|
rlm@0
|
59 out of place, nothing like the other girls. They don’t see me as one
|
rlm@0
|
60 of them. I might as well already be a nun in their minds, one of the
|
rlm@0
|
61 many who teach at the school. I don’t understand what they’re talking
|
rlm@0
|
62 about half the time. I can only smile and nod and pretend I have some
|
rlm@0
|
63 vague idea of what’s going on. During the day, there are so many
|
rlm@0
|
64 distractions, so many confusing things. At night, I can finally try
|
rlm@0
|
65 to unravel the knots in my heart. I can sit here and think, trying to
|
rlm@0
|
66 make sense of my confused soul.
|
rlm@0
|
67
|
rlm@0
|
68 Meimi. She is what confuses me the most. Yet she is the one truth I
|
rlm@0
|
69 can hold onto. She’s who I understand better than anyone. She’s
|
rlm@0
|
70 energetic and emotional and altogether too flighty. But that’s part
|
rlm@0
|
71 of her charm. She gets so confused about herself sometimes. I think I
|
rlm@0
|
72 understand her better than she does herself. But that’s just because
|
rlm@0
|
73 she hasn’t taken the time to try to find out what she’s like. She’s
|
rlm@0
|
74 always busy with other things, her thoughts elsewhere. My thoughts
|
rlm@0
|
75 are always inexorably drawn to her. I want to know everything about
|
rlm@0
|
76 her. I want to immerse myself in all that is her. So when she likes
|
rlm@0
|
77 something, I’ll try to find out all I can about it. Whether it’s a
|
rlm@0
|
78 band or a movie star or some type of stuffed animal, I’ll spend my
|
rlm@0
|
79 free time digging up all the information I can on it. Maybe it’s my
|
rlm@0
|
80 way of being closer to her. I want to understand her heart and soul.
|
rlm@0
|
81 Everything that makes her who she is.
|
rlm@0
|
82
|
rlm@0
|
83 Meimi’s escapades as Saint Tail was another way I could be closer to
|
rlm@0
|
84 her. She has always been so amazing. Athletic, talented, smart. I
|
rlm@0
|
85 used to clap until my hands ached when she would show me magic tricks
|
rlm@0
|
86 as a child. The magician and the nun. What an odd pair we must have
|
rlm@0
|
87 made as children. What an odd pair we must still make. But I wouldn’t
|
rlm@0
|
88 have it any other way. So I thank you for that, for letting me find
|
rlm@0
|
89 Meimi. I’ve spent so long watching her, fascinated by what I saw. It
|
rlm@0
|
90 was only a matter of time before I found a way to put her talents to
|
rlm@0
|
91 use.
|
rlm@0
|
92
|
rlm@0
|
93 Everyone suffers. You learn that in the church. But suffering is
|
rlm@0
|
94 part of life. All the same, I want to end that suffering. But there
|
rlm@0
|
95 wasn’t anything I could do on my own. People would come to me with
|
rlm@0
|
96 their problems and all I could do was listen and pray for them. Until
|
rlm@0
|
97 I finally found out how they could truly receive God’s protection. It
|
rlm@0
|
98 didn’t take long to talk Meimi into it. I know all the right buttons
|
rlm@0
|
99 to push with her, so I knew she’d do it before I even asked. I know I
|
rlm@0
|
100 probably shouldn’t have, but I believe some things are justified in
|
rlm@0
|
101 helping people. Even some deceit and trickery. Otherwise I wouldn’t
|
rlm@0
|
102 have teamed up with a magician and thief to grant people your
|
rlm@0
|
103 protection. Sometimes you have to do what you can to help people,
|
rlm@0
|
104 even if it is a little underhanded.
|
rlm@0
|
105
|
rlm@0
|
106 But I would be lying if I said those were my only reasons for
|
rlm@0
|
107 recruiting her as Saint Tail. I wanted something to share with her,
|
rlm@0
|
108 something that was ours and ours alone. A little secret we could
|
rlm@0
|
109 share, times we could sneak away together like lovers to whisper
|
rlm@0
|
110 about things no one else would ever hear. So in a way, this is my
|
rlm@0
|
111 love life. Standing in a church at midnight as I await my love to
|
rlm@0
|
112 come rushing in to pray with me and then run off to steal something
|
rlm@0
|
113 back from someone. Though I’m sure she doesn’t see it that way. I
|
rlm@0
|
114 blush faintly at all these thoughts rushing through my head, seeing
|
rlm@0
|
115 her once again vividly in my mind.
|
rlm@0
|
116
|
rlm@0
|
117 Saint Tail is our little secret. The one thing that we can share
|
rlm@0
|
118 away from the rest of the world. Something we can do together, just
|
rlm@0
|
119 the two of us. It makes me feel closer to her. It lets me have
|
rlm@0
|
120 something of her that no one else can have. But I don’t know how much
|
rlm@0
|
121 longer that can last. Her game of cat and mouse with Asuka Jr.
|
rlm@0
|
122 concerns me. If he finds out who she is, our little secret will be
|
rlm@0
|
123 out in the open. Our time together in the middle of the night will
|
rlm@0
|
124 end. I’ll no longer be blessed with her midnight visits. And I don’t
|
rlm@0
|
125 want to lose all of that. It’s too important to me. But it’s getting
|
rlm@0
|
126 more dangerous. I keep warning her about letting him find out, but
|
rlm@0
|
127 she keeps wavering. I think she loves the chase. Having him run after
|
rlm@0
|
128 her, spending all of his time and effort on her. But he doesn’t care
|
rlm@0
|
129 for her. He only cares about Saint Tail. He’s chasing Saint Tail,
|
rlm@0
|
130 scorning Meimi. I love Meimi, not some mystery girl that I don’t
|
rlm@0
|
131 know. Tuxedo or school uniform, I love her just the same. But I can’t
|
rlm@0
|
132 tell her that. I can’t let her know that my heart beats for her. I
|
rlm@0
|
133 can only warn her about letting him find out. And I know Meimi well
|
rlm@0
|
134 enough to know that the whole game of cat and mouse wouldn’t be fun
|
rlm@0
|
135 for her if there was no danger of him finding out who she is. So all
|
rlm@0
|
136 I can do is watch and worry. And pray.
|
rlm@0
|
137
|
rlm@0
|
138 But pray for what? That she could somehow love me? That she won’t
|
rlm@0
|
139 let Asuka Jr. find out for my sake? Or for the sake of all she’s
|
rlm@0
|
140 helping as Saint Tail? I don’t know. So I don’t know if those prayers
|
rlm@0
|
141 are reaching you. Just... Please keep her safe, no matter what path
|
rlm@0
|
142 she chooses. I couldn’t live with myself if she got hurt as Saint
|
rlm@0
|
143 Tail. That would be entirely my fault because I’m the one who
|
rlm@0
|
144 convinced her to be Saint Tail in the first place.
|
rlm@0
|
145
|
rlm@0
|
146 Saint Tail and Meimi are almost two different people. I don’t think
|
rlm@0
|
147 Meimi realizes it, but I can see. She changes when she puts on that
|
rlm@0
|
148 costume. She’s braver, more sure of herself as Saint Tail. She’s more
|
rlm@0
|
149 dedicated and focussed in a way, too. Which helps her to do what she
|
rlm@0
|
150 needs to, even if she does still play with Asuka Jr. chasing her. I
|
rlm@0
|
151 had no idea that would happen when I asked her to be Saint Tail. It
|
rlm@0
|
152 never crossed my mind that she would be almost a completely different
|
rlm@0
|
153 person as a mysterious thief. And yet, I love them both. Because they
|
rlm@0
|
154 are two sides of my dear Meimi. They’re both her in their own way. I
|
rlm@0
|
155 wish I could bring this up with Meimi, but I decided a long time ago
|
rlm@0
|
156 that I wouldn’t tell her how I feel. And she wouldn’t believe me if I
|
rlm@0
|
157 told her she acted like a different person as Saint Tail. She
|
rlm@0
|
158 probably doesn’t see it. If anything, it’s Saint Tail that likes
|
rlm@0
|
159 Asuka Jr. Meimi doesn’t get along with him at all. But I can’t
|
rlm@0
|
160 explain that to her. So she thinks that she might like him as well.
|
rlm@0
|
161 And it obviously confuses her horribly. It hurts that there’s nothing
|
rlm@0
|
162 I can do to help her.
|
rlm@0
|
163
|
rlm@0
|
164 All I can do is be Meimi’s friend. All I can do is watch on while
|
rlm@0
|
165 she falls in love and drifts from me. All I can do is pray for her to
|
rlm@0
|
166 be happy in her life. I’ve always known we couldn’t be together.
|
rlm@0
|
167 We’re both girls. She doesn’t like me that way. My role is with the
|
rlm@0
|
168 church. I’ve known all of these things from the moment I fell in love
|
rlm@0
|
169 with her. So it was never about getting her love for myself. It’s
|
rlm@0
|
170 always been about simply loving her, getting closer to her and
|
rlm@0
|
171 finding out everything I can about this beautiful girl who wandered
|
rlm@0
|
172 into my life. I will one day become a nun, devoted to you. I will
|
rlm@0
|
173 never love another other than her. She will always be in my heart,
|
rlm@0
|
174 even though my path does not let me be with her. But that’s all
|
rlm@0
|
175 right. It hurts, sometimes. But this is how things are supposed to
|
rlm@0
|
176 be. I try to remind myself of that when I find myself crying, longing
|
rlm@0
|
177 to be held in her arms. That will always remain a dream, but one I
|
rlm@0
|
178 will cherish as I live my life for you. I will always love Meimi. My
|
rlm@0
|
179 calling to the church doesn’t change that.
|
rlm@0
|
180
|
rlm@0
|
181 A noise behind me scatters my thoughts to the wind. It’s her. I can
|
rlm@0
|
182 tell without even looking. She may be a silent thief, but I know all
|
rlm@0
|
183 of her tricks. And I know this church better than my own room, so
|
rlm@0
|
184 it’s easy enough to tell when someone enters. Especially her. I guess
|
rlm@0
|
185 certain habits never go away. She’s still trying to sneak up on me. I
|
rlm@0
|
186 don’t turn, still kneeling in prayer. What’s she doing here tonight,
|
rlm@0
|
187 I wonder? I didn’t call her about any missions for Saint Tail. She’s
|
rlm@0
|
188 never mistaken the day before. Maybe there’s something she wants to
|
rlm@0
|
189 talk about. My heart nearly seizes up with apprehension at that
|
rlm@0
|
190 thought. Whatever she would want to talk about this late would
|
rlm@0
|
191 probably be very important. I’ve always been her confidante, and I’ll
|
rlm@0
|
192 always continue to be so. But whatever is important enough to have
|
rlm@0
|
193 her come here in the middle of the night worries me. Is it about her
|
rlm@0
|
194 feelings for Asuka Jr.? Did something happen at home? Does she want
|
rlm@0
|
195 to quit being Saint Tail?
|
rlm@0
|
196
|
rlm@0
|
197 Now I stand up. I can’t keep my anxiety from rising up within me. I
|
rlm@0
|
198 turn around, my long, white dress flowing about me. I never did
|
rlm@0
|
199 bother changing out of my nun’s clothes. There she is, radiantly
|
rlm@0
|
200 beautiful as ever. For some reason, she has come to me as Saint Tail.
|
rlm@0
|
201 My concern escalates. Did she go do something as Saint Tail on her
|
rlm@0
|
202 own tonight? Did something bad happen? Did someone find out who she
|
rlm@0
|
203 was? “Meimi, are you all right?” I ask worriedly, my hands clasped
|
rlm@0
|
204 together. She doesn’t answer me. Her eyes are cast in shadows, making
|
rlm@0
|
205 it impossible for me to tell what lay inside of them or whether she’s
|
rlm@0
|
206 been crying.
|
rlm@0
|
207
|
rlm@0
|
208 She starts to advance on me, her short pink skirt swishing about as
|
rlm@0
|
209 she does, the only noise in the empty church. I take a half-step back
|
rlm@0
|
210 unconsciously. She keeps coming forward. “Meimi?” I ask, more
|
rlm@0
|
211 nervously this time. No reply. Just the repeated swish-swish of her
|
rlm@0
|
212 skirt and the light clack of her heels on the floor. I take another
|
rlm@0
|
213 step back. And another. I smile weakly. “It’s good to see you, Meimi-
|
rlm@0
|
214 chan. I was just thinking about you. I hope that you’re okay.” Still
|
rlm@0
|
215 no answer. There’s something almost predatory in the way she’s
|
rlm@0
|
216 walking. I swallow, taking another few steps back. Something hits me
|
rlm@0
|
217 from behind, making me gasp out loud. I close my eyes, taking a deep
|
rlm@0
|
218 breath to try and calm myself. It’s only the altar. I must be pretty
|
rlm@0
|
219 worked up if I could have stumbled into it. And over Meimi at that.
|
rlm@0
|
220 But she’s always been the one to get me all worked up, even if she
|
rlm@0
|
221 doesn’t know it.
|
rlm@0
|
222
|
rlm@0
|
223 I open my eyes again, watching her stepping purposely towards me.
|
rlm@0
|
224 Her beautiful auburn ponytail swishes in time with her skirt, her
|
rlm@0
|
225 coattails shifting behind her as she walks ever closer. She’s simply
|
rlm@0
|
226 stunning. No wonder Asuka Jr. is so obsessed with finding out who
|
rlm@0
|
227 this beautiful Seraph is. So many boys have already been smitten with
|
rlm@0
|
228 her. Even her best friend, a girl dedicated to the church has fallen
|
rlm@0
|
229 in love with her. How could I help myself from doing just that? She’s
|
rlm@0
|
230 stolen a lot of hearts. She truly is a thief. But she can keep mine
|
rlm@0
|
231 forever. I don’t need it back. I’d rather she had it anyway.
|
rlm@0
|
232
|
rlm@0
|
233 So captivated by her beauty am I that I barely realize how close
|
rlm@0
|
234 she’s getting until she’s practically upon me. I move again, but my
|
rlm@0
|
235 escape is blocked by the altar. I rest my hands on it, holding on
|
rlm@0
|
236 tightly until my knuckles go white. I smile again shakily. “Was there
|
rlm@0
|
237 something you wanted, Meimi?” My voice is shaking. Even I can hear
|
rlm@0
|
238 it. It’s never been this bad when I’ve been around her before. I’ll
|
rlm@0
|
239 feel warm and dizzy inside, but this has me completely lost. I don’t
|
rlm@0
|
240 know what to say or do. I feel trapped. She can feel it, can’t she?
|
rlm@0
|
241 The love I have for her must be excruciatingly obvious this close.
|
rlm@0
|
242 Why else would I be so weak and nervous being near her?
|
rlm@0
|
243
|
rlm@0
|
244 Meimi is silent, standing before me. Strong, intent, focussed.
|
rlm@0
|
245 Everything that I can’t muster at the moment. A gloved hand reaches
|
rlm@0
|
246 up slowly. Her fingertips brush my burning cheeks, sending an
|
rlm@0
|
247 electric tingle through my skin. My cheeks darken considerably even
|
rlm@0
|
248 as I try to fight back my blush. “Meimi-chan, maybe we should go
|
rlm@0
|
249 outside. It’s awfully hot in here tonight,” I say, trying to sound
|
rlm@0
|
250 casual. I don’t look at her as I do. I can’t. I’d melt if I look into
|
rlm@0
|
251 her eyes, I just know it. I move to the left, trying to escape being
|
rlm@0
|
252 in such close proximity to this girl. She’s taking over all of my
|
rlm@0
|
253 senses. But before I can get away from her, Her arm blocks my path. I
|
rlm@0
|
254 turn only to find her other arm blocking the other way, boxing me in.
|
rlm@0
|
255 Her arms on the altar to either side of me, I find myself trapped
|
rlm@0
|
256 facing her. My heart beats deafeningly inside of me. She must be able
|
rlm@0
|
257 to hear it in the quiet of the night. I command it to be still, but
|
rlm@0
|
258 it’s not mine to control. It’s in her hands, after all. I can only
|
rlm@0
|
259 stand there, pressed tightly against the altar, looking down. Why is
|
rlm@0
|
260 she doing this? Why is she working her magic on me in such a way?
|
rlm@0
|
261 Even she can’t be naïve enough to not notice how this is affecting
|
rlm@0
|
262 me. Yet even then, I pray she won’t ask me about it. I didn’t want
|
rlm@0
|
263 her to find out. I didn’t want her to know I love her. She could
|
rlm@0
|
264 never love me anyway, so there’s no reason. Yet now I find myself
|
rlm@0
|
265 almost hoping that she knows. That she’s discovered my deepest,
|
rlm@0
|
266 darkest secret. That she can finally drag it out into the light.
|
rlm@0
|
267
|
rlm@0
|
268 “Seira,” she whispers in my ear. Whether it’s her intention or not,
|
rlm@0
|
269 it sure sounds seductive to me. I shudder imperceptibly (I hope) at
|
rlm@0
|
270 the sound of her voice echoing throughout me. Her gloved fingers take
|
rlm@0
|
271 my chin, tilting my head up. I blush darkly but do nothing to stop
|
rlm@0
|
272 her. My head moves up docilely until I’m looking at her once more.
|
rlm@0
|
273 Even now, I can’t see her eyes. The shadows and her bangs keep them a
|
rlm@0
|
274 mystery to me. I feel that if I could get through that to see them,
|
rlm@0
|
275 that everything would make sense. I’d be able to understand what
|
rlm@0
|
276 Meimi was doing, what she was thinking. But they’re still hidden from
|
rlm@0
|
277 me. And her hand is cupping my chin. And her face is moving closer,
|
rlm@0
|
278 inching nearer. My eyes widen in a mixture of horror and yearning. I
|
rlm@0
|
279 want to stop her. But I can’t. I just can’t bring myself to stop her.
|
rlm@0
|
280 Not when I’ve dreamt of this for years.
|
rlm@0
|
281
|
rlm@0
|
282 Her lips brush mine, warm and soft and incredibly delectable. That
|
rlm@0
|
283 delicate touch hardly seems enough, a small glimpse of heaven that
|
rlm@0
|
284 leaves me longing for more. Meimi doesn’t keep me waiting long. Her
|
rlm@0
|
285 lips return to mine, more insistent this time. My thoughts are
|
rlm@0
|
286 jumbled, an incoherent mess as she kisses me. I press back further,
|
rlm@0
|
287 but she only moves closer. Her body presses against me now, sending
|
rlm@0
|
288 more shocks through my body. I’m trapped between her and the altar,
|
rlm@0
|
289 her kisses growing more passionate as she does what she wants in
|
rlm@0
|
290 response to my own pliable kissing. It’s then that I realize I’m
|
rlm@0
|
291 kissing back. Nervously, sure, but I’m kissing back all the same. I
|
rlm@0
|
292 can’t stop myself. I don’t want to stop myself. Each kiss touches my
|
rlm@0
|
293 soul like a gentle caress. One of her arms snakes around my back,
|
rlm@0
|
294 pulling me tighter against her. I make a weak gasp but otherwise
|
rlm@0
|
295 offer up no struggle. What am I doing? I should be telling her to
|
rlm@0
|
296 stop. Or... Or.. It’s hard to think past the kisses. They’re so warm
|
rlm@0
|
297 and they surround my mind like a fuzzy blanket, wrapping it up nice
|
rlm@0
|
298 and tight.
|
rlm@0
|
299
|
rlm@0
|
300 Why is she doing this to me? Can’t she see how weak she makes me? My
|
rlm@0
|
301 strength comes from the fact that I can never have her. Please don’t
|
rlm@0
|
302 take that away, Meimi-chan. My resolve would crumble. My plans for
|
rlm@0
|
303 the future would fall apart. I would be in freefall. And it’s all up
|
rlm@0
|
304 to you. All of my strength, whether I have it or whether it all
|
rlm@0
|
305 leaves me is entirely up to you.
|
rlm@0
|
306
|
rlm@0
|
307 One of her hands caresses my cheek, the soft feel of her gloves
|
rlm@0
|
308 against my skin almost too much for me. But if I fall here, I know
|
rlm@0
|
309 that she’ll catch me, hold me tightly. But if I fall because of this,
|
rlm@0
|
310 who will save me? My entire life has been dedicated to repaying the
|
rlm@0
|
311 nuns who raised me by devoting myself to God. I knew I couldn’t be
|
rlm@0
|
312 with Meimi, so it wasn’t a problem. But if she could love me, then
|
rlm@0
|
313 what? What would I do? How could I possibly choose between her and my
|
rlm@0
|
314 path in life? I’m so confused again, even in the solace of the
|
rlm@0
|
315 church, in the night. My confusion has finally found me, no matter
|
rlm@0
|
316 how well I hid from it.
|
rlm@0
|
317
|
rlm@0
|
318 I want to tell her, to say something, to just collapse from all of
|
rlm@0
|
319 this madness. But she has other ideas. Her tongue presses against my
|
rlm@0
|
320 lips. My cheeks burning, my own lips open, accepting her. I can feel
|
rlm@0
|
321 her tongue brushing past mine, a thrill shooting through me at the
|
rlm@0
|
322 feeling. I kiss back hesitantly, but find myself responding more and
|
rlm@0
|
323 more to her lead. ‘Wherever you take me, I’ll follow,’ I think,
|
rlm@0
|
324 though whether this is more a declaration or a realization, I haven’t
|
rlm@0
|
325 a clue.
|
rlm@0
|
326
|
rlm@0
|
327 I don’t want this to ever end. I just want to be in her arms
|
rlm@0
|
328 forever, to feel this way for eternity. Is this what Heaven is like?
|
rlm@0
|
329 This delicious taste of ethereal joy? Part of me still tries to fight
|
rlm@0
|
330 it, telling me that I shouldn’t be doing this, that my path in life
|
rlm@0
|
331 forbids it. But I’m held captive by her lips, by the feel of her
|
rlm@0
|
332 against me. I gather all of my strength, what little is left, and
|
rlm@0
|
333 kiss my beautiful Saint Tail with everything I have. It leaves me
|
rlm@0
|
334 breathless, more confused than ever, but with a wonderful electric
|
rlm@0
|
335 feeling in my stomach.
|
rlm@0
|
336
|
rlm@0
|
337 She steps away from me, her hands lingering on my sides for a moment
|
rlm@0
|
338 before finally pulling away. It’s only then that I realize my eyes
|
rlm@0
|
339 are closed. “Meimi-chan,” I whisper, blushing deeply. “I love you,” I
|
rlm@0
|
340 say, forcing it out before I get too scared to say it. I don’t care
|
rlm@0
|
341 how confusing it is anymore. I know that to be true. I know I love
|
rlm@0
|
342 her, no matter what trouble that causes. And I want her to know it,
|
rlm@0
|
343 too. I await her answer anxiously, but nothing comes. Is she still
|
rlm@0
|
344 playing mute? Or does she not know what to say? Is she as embarrassed
|
rlm@0
|
345 and unsure of everything as I am? I slowly open my eyes to see, but
|
rlm@0
|
346 she’s gone. I glance around frantically, but she is nowhere to be
|
rlm@0
|
347 seen. Disappeared like a magic trick, not even smoke left in her
|
rlm@0
|
348 wake.
|
rlm@0
|
349
|
rlm@0
|
350 My shoulders slump, her spirits dropping. Gone. Like a thief in the
|
rlm@0
|
351 night. But what was she here to steal? I kneel, clasping my hands in
|
rlm@0
|
352 prayer once more. This is my solace. But even as I begin to pray,
|
rlm@0
|
353 thoughts of her linger with me. God is in everything. Maybe I don’t
|
rlm@0
|
354 have to differentiate between my love for Him and my love for Meimi.
|
rlm@0
|
355 Maybe... “I love you, Meimi-chan,” I whisper again with all the
|
rlm@0
|
356 strength of a prayer. I love you. Even if you aren’t there when I
|
rlm@0
|
357 open my eyes. |