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