view old/stories/thief.txt @ 4:69f0191c9016 moonlitnights tip

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author Robert McIntyre <rlm@mit.edu>
date Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:42:35 -0400
parents fc00894c1d4a
children
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2 Author’s Notes: This is a Saint Tail story from Seira Mimori’s
3 perspective. I’ve been wanting to deal with her thoughts on things
4 for quite a while now. This isn’t the story I’d intended to write,
5 but I’m happy with it. ^-^ Now if I can ever write a story about
6 Seira & Meimi when they’re older, I’ll be happy. ^^;;
9 A Thief in the Night
10 by Amazoness Duo
11 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
14 It’s been such a long night. I should be sleeping right now, but I
15 can’t. So here I am, Lord. Your loyal servant, Seira. I know I should
16 be in bed. I have classes tomorrow and I promised Sister Abbess that
17 I would help her sweep the grounds. But for some reason, I can’t
18 sleep tonight. Whenever I close my eyes, I see her. I can’t put her
19 out of my mind long enough to fade into a blissful sleep. It’s like
20 her image has been burned into my eyelids. I toss and turn, seeing
21 her smile. I hug my pillow tightly, wishing it were her there with me
22 to qualm my waking nightmares. But I know she’s far away, having
23 entirely different thoughts before passing into a deep slumber.
25 And it’s a well deserved sleep. She has done your will, my Lord.
26 She’s granted another person your protection by helping them as the
27 mysterious thief, Saint Tail. So she can sleep the sleep of the just.
28 Yet I only find myself caught in my blankets like a net, her voice
29 whispering in my ear with every breeze that brushes past my window.
30 I’m the one who convinced her to be Saint Tail. I send the hopes and
31 prayers of those who have been wronged unto her. And because she
32 trusts me, because she’s my friend, she will do anything she can to
33 fulfil those wishes. All I can do is wait here for her, praying to
34 you that she will be safe, wishing I could be there with her. But
35 that is her role. As I have my own.
37 So I am praying to you tonight, the moon sailing high above as I do,
38 alone in the church. I pray not to get rid of the feelings inside of
39 me, because I can’t imagine living without the love I feel for Meimi.
40 I pray instead to help quell my chaotic thoughts, to soothe the
41 stormy sea inside of me. So that I can try to find some tranquility
42 in this endless night.
44 The rest of the nuns are already asleep. They don’t come here this
45 late at night. But I’m here almost every night. I feel safer here. I
46 don’t have to be so alone in my thoughts here because of you. Other
47 girls my age are listening to music idols or wanting to get into the
48 latest trend. I spend most of my free time at the church, whether
49 thinking or praying, speaking to you or listening to those whose
50 hearts are heavy. Most of the students already call me Sister Seira
51 even though I’m not officially a nun yet. That will have to wait
52 until after high school. But I’m glad that they trust me as one
53 already. I guess they see me around the church enough to believe I
54 am.
56 It’s so quiet here at night. So peaceful. I may not be a thief, but
57 I do love the night as much as Meimi. Enveloped in inky darkness,
58 it’s not the cacophony of confusion that daylight brings. I feel so
59 out of place, nothing like the other girls. They don’t see me as one
60 of them. I might as well already be a nun in their minds, one of the
61 many who teach at the school. I don’t understand what they’re talking
62 about half the time. I can only smile and nod and pretend I have some
63 vague idea of what’s going on. During the day, there are so many
64 distractions, so many confusing things. At night, I can finally try
65 to unravel the knots in my heart. I can sit here and think, trying to
66 make sense of my confused soul.
68 Meimi. She is what confuses me the most. Yet she is the one truth I
69 can hold onto. She’s who I understand better than anyone. She’s
70 energetic and emotional and altogether too flighty. But that’s part
71 of her charm. She gets so confused about herself sometimes. I think I
72 understand her better than she does herself. But that’s just because
73 she hasn’t taken the time to try to find out what she’s like. She’s
74 always busy with other things, her thoughts elsewhere. My thoughts
75 are always inexorably drawn to her. I want to know everything about
76 her. I want to immerse myself in all that is her. So when she likes
77 something, I’ll try to find out all I can about it. Whether it’s a
78 band or a movie star or some type of stuffed animal, I’ll spend my
79 free time digging up all the information I can on it. Maybe it’s my
80 way of being closer to her. I want to understand her heart and soul.
81 Everything that makes her who she is.
83 Meimi’s escapades as Saint Tail was another way I could be closer to
84 her. She has always been so amazing. Athletic, talented, smart. I
85 used to clap until my hands ached when she would show me magic tricks
86 as a child. The magician and the nun. What an odd pair we must have
87 made as children. What an odd pair we must still make. But I wouldn’t
88 have it any other way. So I thank you for that, for letting me find
89 Meimi. I’ve spent so long watching her, fascinated by what I saw. It
90 was only a matter of time before I found a way to put her talents to
91 use.
93 Everyone suffers. You learn that in the church. But suffering is
94 part of life. All the same, I want to end that suffering. But there
95 wasn’t anything I could do on my own. People would come to me with
96 their problems and all I could do was listen and pray for them. Until
97 I finally found out how they could truly receive God’s protection. It
98 didn’t take long to talk Meimi into it. I know all the right buttons
99 to push with her, so I knew she’d do it before I even asked. I know I
100 probably shouldn’t have, but I believe some things are justified in
101 helping people. Even some deceit and trickery. Otherwise I wouldn’t
102 have teamed up with a magician and thief to grant people your
103 protection. Sometimes you have to do what you can to help people,
104 even if it is a little underhanded.
106 But I would be lying if I said those were my only reasons for
107 recruiting her as Saint Tail. I wanted something to share with her,
108 something that was ours and ours alone. A little secret we could
109 share, times we could sneak away together like lovers to whisper
110 about things no one else would ever hear. So in a way, this is my
111 love life. Standing in a church at midnight as I await my love to
112 come rushing in to pray with me and then run off to steal something
113 back from someone. Though I’m sure she doesn’t see it that way. I
114 blush faintly at all these thoughts rushing through my head, seeing
115 her once again vividly in my mind.
117 Saint Tail is our little secret. The one thing that we can share
118 away from the rest of the world. Something we can do together, just
119 the two of us. It makes me feel closer to her. It lets me have
120 something of her that no one else can have. But I don’t know how much
121 longer that can last. Her game of cat and mouse with Asuka Jr.
122 concerns me. If he finds out who she is, our little secret will be
123 out in the open. Our time together in the middle of the night will
124 end. I’ll no longer be blessed with her midnight visits. And I don’t
125 want to lose all of that. It’s too important to me. But it’s getting
126 more dangerous. I keep warning her about letting him find out, but
127 she keeps wavering. I think she loves the chase. Having him run after
128 her, spending all of his time and effort on her. But he doesn’t care
129 for her. He only cares about Saint Tail. He’s chasing Saint Tail,
130 scorning Meimi. I love Meimi, not some mystery girl that I don’t
131 know. Tuxedo or school uniform, I love her just the same. But I can’t
132 tell her that. I can’t let her know that my heart beats for her. I
133 can only warn her about letting him find out. And I know Meimi well
134 enough to know that the whole game of cat and mouse wouldn’t be fun
135 for her if there was no danger of him finding out who she is. So all
136 I can do is watch and worry. And pray.
138 But pray for what? That she could somehow love me? That she won’t
139 let Asuka Jr. find out for my sake? Or for the sake of all she’s
140 helping as Saint Tail? I don’t know. So I don’t know if those prayers
141 are reaching you. Just... Please keep her safe, no matter what path
142 she chooses. I couldn’t live with myself if she got hurt as Saint
143 Tail. That would be entirely my fault because I’m the one who
144 convinced her to be Saint Tail in the first place.
146 Saint Tail and Meimi are almost two different people. I don’t think
147 Meimi realizes it, but I can see. She changes when she puts on that
148 costume. She’s braver, more sure of herself as Saint Tail. She’s more
149 dedicated and focussed in a way, too. Which helps her to do what she
150 needs to, even if she does still play with Asuka Jr. chasing her. I
151 had no idea that would happen when I asked her to be Saint Tail. It
152 never crossed my mind that she would be almost a completely different
153 person as a mysterious thief. And yet, I love them both. Because they
154 are two sides of my dear Meimi. They’re both her in their own way. I
155 wish I could bring this up with Meimi, but I decided a long time ago
156 that I wouldn’t tell her how I feel. And she wouldn’t believe me if I
157 told her she acted like a different person as Saint Tail. She
158 probably doesn’t see it. If anything, it’s Saint Tail that likes
159 Asuka Jr. Meimi doesn’t get along with him at all. But I can’t
160 explain that to her. So she thinks that she might like him as well.
161 And it obviously confuses her horribly. It hurts that there’s nothing
162 I can do to help her.
164 All I can do is be Meimi’s friend. All I can do is watch on while
165 she falls in love and drifts from me. All I can do is pray for her to
166 be happy in her life. I’ve always known we couldn’t be together.
167 We’re both girls. She doesn’t like me that way. My role is with the
168 church. I’ve known all of these things from the moment I fell in love
169 with her. So it was never about getting her love for myself. It’s
170 always been about simply loving her, getting closer to her and
171 finding out everything I can about this beautiful girl who wandered
172 into my life. I will one day become a nun, devoted to you. I will
173 never love another other than her. She will always be in my heart,
174 even though my path does not let me be with her. But that’s all
175 right. It hurts, sometimes. But this is how things are supposed to
176 be. I try to remind myself of that when I find myself crying, longing
177 to be held in her arms. That will always remain a dream, but one I
178 will cherish as I live my life for you. I will always love Meimi. My
179 calling to the church doesn’t change that.
181 A noise behind me scatters my thoughts to the wind. It’s her. I can
182 tell without even looking. She may be a silent thief, but I know all
183 of her tricks. And I know this church better than my own room, so
184 it’s easy enough to tell when someone enters. Especially her. I guess
185 certain habits never go away. She’s still trying to sneak up on me. I
186 don’t turn, still kneeling in prayer. What’s she doing here tonight,
187 I wonder? I didn’t call her about any missions for Saint Tail. She’s
188 never mistaken the day before. Maybe there’s something she wants to
189 talk about. My heart nearly seizes up with apprehension at that
190 thought. Whatever she would want to talk about this late would
191 probably be very important. I’ve always been her confidante, and I’ll
192 always continue to be so. But whatever is important enough to have
193 her come here in the middle of the night worries me. Is it about her
194 feelings for Asuka Jr.? Did something happen at home? Does she want
195 to quit being Saint Tail?
197 Now I stand up. I can’t keep my anxiety from rising up within me. I
198 turn around, my long, white dress flowing about me. I never did
199 bother changing out of my nun’s clothes. There she is, radiantly
200 beautiful as ever. For some reason, she has come to me as Saint Tail.
201 My concern escalates. Did she go do something as Saint Tail on her
202 own tonight? Did something bad happen? Did someone find out who she
203 was? “Meimi, are you all right?” I ask worriedly, my hands clasped
204 together. She doesn’t answer me. Her eyes are cast in shadows, making
205 it impossible for me to tell what lay inside of them or whether she’s
206 been crying.
208 She starts to advance on me, her short pink skirt swishing about as
209 she does, the only noise in the empty church. I take a half-step back
210 unconsciously. She keeps coming forward. “Meimi?” I ask, more
211 nervously this time. No reply. Just the repeated swish-swish of her
212 skirt and the light clack of her heels on the floor. I take another
213 step back. And another. I smile weakly. “It’s good to see you, Meimi-
214 chan. I was just thinking about you. I hope that you’re okay.” Still
215 no answer. There’s something almost predatory in the way she’s
216 walking. I swallow, taking another few steps back. Something hits me
217 from behind, making me gasp out loud. I close my eyes, taking a deep
218 breath to try and calm myself. It’s only the altar. I must be pretty
219 worked up if I could have stumbled into it. And over Meimi at that.
220 But she’s always been the one to get me all worked up, even if she
221 doesn’t know it.
223 I open my eyes again, watching her stepping purposely towards me.
224 Her beautiful auburn ponytail swishes in time with her skirt, her
225 coattails shifting behind her as she walks ever closer. She’s simply
226 stunning. No wonder Asuka Jr. is so obsessed with finding out who
227 this beautiful Seraph is. So many boys have already been smitten with
228 her. Even her best friend, a girl dedicated to the church has fallen
229 in love with her. How could I help myself from doing just that? She’s
230 stolen a lot of hearts. She truly is a thief. But she can keep mine
231 forever. I don’t need it back. I’d rather she had it anyway.
233 So captivated by her beauty am I that I barely realize how close
234 she’s getting until she’s practically upon me. I move again, but my
235 escape is blocked by the altar. I rest my hands on it, holding on
236 tightly until my knuckles go white. I smile again shakily. “Was there
237 something you wanted, Meimi?” My voice is shaking. Even I can hear
238 it. It’s never been this bad when I’ve been around her before. I’ll
239 feel warm and dizzy inside, but this has me completely lost. I don’t
240 know what to say or do. I feel trapped. She can feel it, can’t she?
241 The love I have for her must be excruciatingly obvious this close.
242 Why else would I be so weak and nervous being near her?
244 Meimi is silent, standing before me. Strong, intent, focussed.
245 Everything that I can’t muster at the moment. A gloved hand reaches
246 up slowly. Her fingertips brush my burning cheeks, sending an
247 electric tingle through my skin. My cheeks darken considerably even
248 as I try to fight back my blush. “Meimi-chan, maybe we should go
249 outside. It’s awfully hot in here tonight,” I say, trying to sound
250 casual. I don’t look at her as I do. I can’t. I’d melt if I look into
251 her eyes, I just know it. I move to the left, trying to escape being
252 in such close proximity to this girl. She’s taking over all of my
253 senses. But before I can get away from her, Her arm blocks my path. I
254 turn only to find her other arm blocking the other way, boxing me in.
255 Her arms on the altar to either side of me, I find myself trapped
256 facing her. My heart beats deafeningly inside of me. She must be able
257 to hear it in the quiet of the night. I command it to be still, but
258 it’s not mine to control. It’s in her hands, after all. I can only
259 stand there, pressed tightly against the altar, looking down. Why is
260 she doing this? Why is she working her magic on me in such a way?
261 Even she can’t be naïve enough to not notice how this is affecting
262 me. Yet even then, I pray she won’t ask me about it. I didn’t want
263 her to find out. I didn’t want her to know I love her. She could
264 never love me anyway, so there’s no reason. Yet now I find myself
265 almost hoping that she knows. That she’s discovered my deepest,
266 darkest secret. That she can finally drag it out into the light.
268 “Seira,” she whispers in my ear. Whether it’s her intention or not,
269 it sure sounds seductive to me. I shudder imperceptibly (I hope) at
270 the sound of her voice echoing throughout me. Her gloved fingers take
271 my chin, tilting my head up. I blush darkly but do nothing to stop
272 her. My head moves up docilely until I’m looking at her once more.
273 Even now, I can’t see her eyes. The shadows and her bangs keep them a
274 mystery to me. I feel that if I could get through that to see them,
275 that everything would make sense. I’d be able to understand what
276 Meimi was doing, what she was thinking. But they’re still hidden from
277 me. And her hand is cupping my chin. And her face is moving closer,
278 inching nearer. My eyes widen in a mixture of horror and yearning. I
279 want to stop her. But I can’t. I just can’t bring myself to stop her.
280 Not when I’ve dreamt of this for years.
282 Her lips brush mine, warm and soft and incredibly delectable. That
283 delicate touch hardly seems enough, a small glimpse of heaven that
284 leaves me longing for more. Meimi doesn’t keep me waiting long. Her
285 lips return to mine, more insistent this time. My thoughts are
286 jumbled, an incoherent mess as she kisses me. I press back further,
287 but she only moves closer. Her body presses against me now, sending
288 more shocks through my body. I’m trapped between her and the altar,
289 her kisses growing more passionate as she does what she wants in
290 response to my own pliable kissing. It’s then that I realize I’m
291 kissing back. Nervously, sure, but I’m kissing back all the same. I
292 can’t stop myself. I don’t want to stop myself. Each kiss touches my
293 soul like a gentle caress. One of her arms snakes around my back,
294 pulling me tighter against her. I make a weak gasp but otherwise
295 offer up no struggle. What am I doing? I should be telling her to
296 stop. Or... Or.. It’s hard to think past the kisses. They’re so warm
297 and they surround my mind like a fuzzy blanket, wrapping it up nice
298 and tight.
300 Why is she doing this to me? Can’t she see how weak she makes me? My
301 strength comes from the fact that I can never have her. Please don’t
302 take that away, Meimi-chan. My resolve would crumble. My plans for
303 the future would fall apart. I would be in freefall. And it’s all up
304 to you. All of my strength, whether I have it or whether it all
305 leaves me is entirely up to you.
307 One of her hands caresses my cheek, the soft feel of her gloves
308 against my skin almost too much for me. But if I fall here, I know
309 that she’ll catch me, hold me tightly. But if I fall because of this,
310 who will save me? My entire life has been dedicated to repaying the
311 nuns who raised me by devoting myself to God. I knew I couldn’t be
312 with Meimi, so it wasn’t a problem. But if she could love me, then
313 what? What would I do? How could I possibly choose between her and my
314 path in life? I’m so confused again, even in the solace of the
315 church, in the night. My confusion has finally found me, no matter
316 how well I hid from it.
318 I want to tell her, to say something, to just collapse from all of
319 this madness. But she has other ideas. Her tongue presses against my
320 lips. My cheeks burning, my own lips open, accepting her. I can feel
321 her tongue brushing past mine, a thrill shooting through me at the
322 feeling. I kiss back hesitantly, but find myself responding more and
323 more to her lead. ‘Wherever you take me, I’ll follow,’ I think,
324 though whether this is more a declaration or a realization, I haven’t
325 a clue.
327 I don’t want this to ever end. I just want to be in her arms
328 forever, to feel this way for eternity. Is this what Heaven is like?
329 This delicious taste of ethereal joy? Part of me still tries to fight
330 it, telling me that I shouldn’t be doing this, that my path in life
331 forbids it. But I’m held captive by her lips, by the feel of her
332 against me. I gather all of my strength, what little is left, and
333 kiss my beautiful Saint Tail with everything I have. It leaves me
334 breathless, more confused than ever, but with a wonderful electric
335 feeling in my stomach.
337 She steps away from me, her hands lingering on my sides for a moment
338 before finally pulling away. It’s only then that I realize my eyes
339 are closed. “Meimi-chan,” I whisper, blushing deeply. “I love you,” I
340 say, forcing it out before I get too scared to say it. I don’t care
341 how confusing it is anymore. I know that to be true. I know I love
342 her, no matter what trouble that causes. And I want her to know it,
343 too. I await her answer anxiously, but nothing comes. Is she still
344 playing mute? Or does she not know what to say? Is she as embarrassed
345 and unsure of everything as I am? I slowly open my eyes to see, but
346 she’s gone. I glance around frantically, but she is nowhere to be
347 seen. Disappeared like a magic trick, not even smoke left in her
348 wake.
350 My shoulders slump, her spirits dropping. Gone. Like a thief in the
351 night. But what was she here to steal? I kneel, clasping my hands in
352 prayer once more. This is my solace. But even as I begin to pray,
353 thoughts of her linger with me. God is in everything. Maybe I don’t
354 have to differentiate between my love for Him and my love for Meimi.
355 Maybe... “I love you, Meimi-chan,” I whisper again with all the
356 strength of a prayer. I love you. Even if you aren’t there when I
357 open my eyes.