ONE NIGHT I
REI'S POV

THE RESTAURANT

"You should let me make love to you." A conversation which to this point had fallen completely within the range of normal took a sudden, sharp left turn.

My hand stopped working midair as my brain shut off. "Excuse me?"

"I think you should let me make love to you." She clarified as though the statement would somehow make more sense if repeated. My mind was blown though and thoughts were impossible.

I could barely string together my next question. "…do you have any idea what you're saying right now?"

Minako swirled her drink around, looking exaggeratedly pensive. "I have a fairly good. The rest I'm sure would …come." She may have been speaking in a deliberately matter-of-fact tone, but that little smirk...I knew the double meaning was absolutely intentional. I decided not to finish my drink.

Placing my glass down and away, I gave her as stern a look as I could manage. "You couldn't possibly think that's a good idea."

She raised her eyebrow, looking at me. "And if I do?"

"Then you haven't thought it through."

"I have." Minako shrugged playfully like she was amused by this whole exchange.

Irritation and embarrassment surged and as I went to snap back, I abruptly remembered there were people quietly enjoying their meals on all sides of us. In the pause I took to calm down, I considered that maybe this was funny to her because it was just an over-the-top joke. That made sense at least.

"You can't be serious."

"I am." I couldn't read her expression beneath the disguise she wore.

"We can't just sleep together."

"Technically we could." She corrected.

I mean yes, I understood that it was physically possible. I didn't really need to be thinking about that actually. "I know that! But I mean we… it's just crazy."

"Listen, I'm not going to force myself on you. It was just a suggestion."

"WHAT?" Minako quickly looked down at the table after my outburst, a grin escaping as she noticed several other patrons turning to see what the commotion was. I closed my eyes trying to ignore the stares and the desire to crawl beneath the table. Force herself on me? Have sex with me? Minako and I… with each other, what in the world would make her think about the two of us, like that?

When I opened my eyes to glare at her, she was watching me carefully. I couldn't read her at all again as she sipped her drink. She was cocking like a curious puppy now, resting a hand beneath her chin. "Why is it crazy?"

"I don't even know what to say to you right now." I didn't, not even the slightest idea.

"You don't have to say anything. It was just a thought. If you don't want to…"

"That's not what I said!" I was flabbergasted by my own emphatic correction.

"Oh?"

"I mean, not that I DO want to, this is completely… can we just go?" I haven't been this embarrassed since I was a child. The burn in my face and ears was nearly unbearable.

"Of course."

THE CAR:

I watched her slip off the dark brown wig and glasses she had used to hide her appearance. It was about as surreal as watching one of Minako's music videos, a feeling that I knew her without knowing her. The fact that she looked like herself again for some reason made me feel better. I allowed myself the indulgence of believing that maybe everything up until this point was some sort of delusion and not a whirlwind of absolute absurdity. She drove silently, a tiny furrow between her brows as she turned left toward the shrine. It was a plain rental car, nothing fancy, nothing to attract attention, but I felt myself sink deep into my seat, feeling as though the whole world was staring at us. Minako for her part was still acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Honestly, it was infuriating.

"Generally people don't share those sorts of thoughts you know!" I could feel the irritation seeping into my words.

"Well, I guess that's why people generally don't get what they want." Again she couldn't resist the tease, even allowed herself a smirk at my expense.

I still just couldn't wrap my head around all of it. "This can't be happening."

"No?"

"You just told me you think we should...I mean I should, or I guess you should…you know what I'm trying to say!" I hated how my voice was so like a hiss. It couldn't be helped though, this was insanity, Minako was insane, or I was insane, or both of us were.

"Because I do think that."

I was almost afraid to talk. "…did you mean now?"

"What like here in the car?"

"No no no… like now as in tonight now, not here now."

"Yes, I did."

"So to clarify..."

"Okay," She flashed me a quick look to show she was paying attention. Kami, her eyes were way too blue. It was more distressing than helpful.

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. "You were suggesting that after we left, I come back to your place and we…have sex?"

She looked at me for a beat and then corrected, "Not quite, but close enough."

I was confused. "What am I wrong about?"

"I asked you if you would let me make love to you. I think I phrased it a bit more poetically, " This was madness.

"Poetically?" I threw up my hands, exasperated. "I don't understand."

"It sounds like you do." She was playing with me. It was the only possibility.

"I can't even imagine what in the world made you consider such a thing."

"I think most people who meet you consider it."

"And why is that?" As soon as the question left my mouth, I was sure that pursuing this line of questioning was a mistake.

"You're very beautiful Rei….sexy, really. A woman like you deserves a night of undivided attention from someone who cares about you." Um…

"Um…" Um… I've been hit on before, I…my ears were burning, which just added to my embarrassment.

"Just an observation."

"What's gotten into you? I think all the fame has made you delirious."

"Could be my wig was too tight."

"Was that a joke? This isn't funny. If you're trying to embarrass me or something…"

"No, I'm not." She threw me a quick glance. "Honest." The silence was cavernous as I scrambled to even find a single word to use at the moment. "Why don't I drop you off at home? " I felt a tiny bit of panic start to overtake me.

"Wait," I spoke. I hadn't meant to. I was not in control of myself.

"Hm?

"You don't have to take me home yet." What was I saying? What was I doing?

She nodded and drove back in the direction of her apartment. Excitement and nervousness braided themselves like a rope around my stomach. I felt like throwing up, crying, and running all at the same time.

THE CONDO:

I followed her silently through the back entrance of the rather lavish condo complex she was renting in. We didn't speak at all the whole elevator ride up, but she had the most annoying smirk on her face. She was smoothing out her clothes and I found myself imagining, to my own embarrassment, her hands on my skirt instead. Damn her for bringing this up. I was looking at her legs, appreciatively for that matter, as she opened the door. I would have been happy to just have a few drinks, a nice dinner with a close friend, but I should have known. Nothing goes according to plan where Aino Minako is concerned. She always has to find some way to shake me up. I knew for a fact I wouldn't be the first woman she had been with, but we were friends, it was different. I had certainly never been approached in such a … direct way… and never by a woman.

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Do you want some food? We didn't really get to order much at the restaurant."

"Um…no…well…maybe."

She was laughing at me again, eying me by way of the mirror she was using to take off her earrings. Kicking off her shoes, she padded over to me, her eyes almost level with my mouth as she came up close. I thought for a moment she would kiss me, but instead, her eyes fell to the floor.

"God, how high are those heels Rei-chan?"

Rolling my eyes I stepped out of them, instantly shrinking to my normal height.

"That's much better." She said around a smile, sidestepping me to get to the table by the door. "I don't know how you get around in shoes like that." I looked at my heels on the floor and then at hers, noticing that mine were easily an inch higher. "I love your skirt by the way!" She commented, winking at me as she snatched menus from the drawer. I glared at her.

"What do you want to eat?" She brought a few of them over to the couch and patted the space next to her, tucking her legs under her. I sat down reluctantly, still unsure of this entire thing, of this unknown creature who had taken over my friend.

"I don't know…Mina I…"

"Hmmm..." She didn't even look up. She was positively evil sometimes. "Maybe something light?"

"Maybe something alcoholic..."

She looked at me seriously. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"What? Why not?"

"I don't want you to do anything you wouldn't normally do."

I was mildly offended by the insinuation that I wouldn't be able to control myself. "You think I'd just whip my clothes off and let you have your way with me as soon as the drink hit?"

Her eyes sparkled with laughter "I didn't picture that exact scenario, no."

"What did you picture Mina?" It was out of my mouth before I could even stop it, my voice strangely deep. God this was not a good idea. I did get a small amount of satisfaction from the shocked look on her face though.

"I just thought you'd like something to eat is all." She cleared her throat and adjusted her position on the sofa. Well if she was going to spend all night confounding my senses it only seemed fair I return the favor.

As the initial impossibility of the situation began to fade, I started thinking over everything, wondering why she would have brought it up in the first place. I tried to remember our conversation before she dropped that bomb on me. Suddenly it came back to me and I found myself a little angry. She seemed to immediately sense the shift in my mood.

"Rei-chan?" her hand came to rest on my leg, eyes questioning.

"Is this because of my break up?" It had been four months ago, but we hadn't seen each other for a while. I was over it already, actually was over it before we ended it.

"Well, I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise." I felt my lips tighten.

"I don't need your pity Minako."

"You think I want to because I feel sorry for you?"

"Isn't that what you just said?" I flinched away from her.

"Not even close. I only meant I wouldn't have said anything if you were still with him." I could tell by her voice that I had hurt her feelings. "Out of respect." I had a tendency to do that. Ire bred harshness in me. I often wished I could control it better.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to figure this out."

"What's to figure out?" Everything! I felt like smacking her. This was not your everyday idle chitchat between friends. "From what you were saying it sounded like this guy didn't appreciate you anyway. It annoyed me, you deserve better than that." This felt more like a normal conversation and I was beginning to relax a bit. I folded both of my hands in my lap. "I don't like seeing you upset." It was clear to me she had misinterpreted my guilt as sadness.

"I'm not who you think I am Mina."

She looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Girls always say that to each other…that they deserve better. Maybe he deserves better… maybe he deserves someone who has time for him, or really listens to him. I'm not some wonderful girl who just can't find a guy who gets her. I'm difficult, I'm picky, I'm irritable, I'm not easy to be with…"

She nodded a bit as I ticked off my negatives and I resisted the urge to slap her leg. "No one is, but you're also intelligent, driven, confident, and passionate…" I stared at her, worrying my nail beds as I considered what she said… I didn't feel particularly confident at the moment. "Everyone has faults."

"I guess." I hated to talk about these things because it made me seem arrogant, but the truth was men flocked to me. Good looking, smart, sometimes even funny men and every once in awhile I would say yes. Not because I wanted to, but more because it was nice sometimes, comforting to feel… wanted. I couldn't remember the last man I had chased, the last one who captured my attention first, who I would have chosen had he not chosen me. Sleeping with them was a whole other problem. I was nearly impossible to please that way, with only one or two of the men I'd been with having ever been able to wrench some real need from me. I felt deficient in that way, broken almost... because I had to be completely captured the first time or the want never came at all. "He deserves someone who knows what they want... they all do."

She was watching me closely, all the flirtatiousness drained from her. "You don't know what you want?"

"I'm not like you," I said it before I thought it, a theme for the night apparently.

"Rei...I hope you know I don't expect anything tonight. You coming here doesn't mean…"

I didn't say anything for a while, but something had been tugging at the back of my mind. "Why would you say 'make love'?" The words were strange to say, felt impossible in the context of tonight...in the context of most of my experiences actually.

She seemed startled by the question and blushed. "You mean instead of using the word 'sex'?"

And now I was blushing too, "Yes."

"Because…I care about you Rei…so much." She paused and I wanted to say something, but before I could respond, she added more. "I could never touch you without that coming across." Her voice sounded strange, nervous, like a whisper at the end, but I couldn't look at her now, not being as embarrassed as I was by the addition.

"Oh," I said after a moment still unable to turn her way. Kami, I didn't think it was possible to blush this much. I felt her get up and go to the phone.

I didn't understand why I was here. Why wouldn't I just go home? Was it possible that I wanted this? Wanted her to touch me? I couldn't say that my initial reaction was adverse...just shocked really. I was nervous that this would be a repeat of the same thing… that I would be with her because she wanted to be with me. I would be a disappointment for her in the end, because there was always that lingering possibility that as usual, I wouldn't be that into it. I knew I didn't want that for Minako, because even though I hadn't said it, she knew she what she meant to me as well.

My best friend...

Bravely I lifted my eyes to watch her as she shifted slightly, a long finger poking at the fabric of the couch as she spoke soft and friendly to whoever it was she was paying to pick up our food. She was beautiful, that went without saying. She kept in shape and took care of her self, skin and hair and make-up. All part of the job, I supposed. I wanted her to be with someone who could appreciate every aspect of her, who would treat her with the devotion she deserved. Someone who would touch her the way she apparently wanted to touch me…kiss every inch of her skin...make her feel what I hadn't been able to in years…

"Twenty minutes." She commented shaking me out of my thoughts. I felt her weight depressing the couch cushion again.

"Hmm?" I coughed, again finding myself blushing. Kami, I was practically fantasizing about her.

"The food… it'll be here in twenty minutes."

"Oh. Good."

"Hungry?"

"Yes," I answered quickly.

THE ROOF:

"This is good actually," I commented.

"Did you expect it not to be?" Again the raised eyebrow.

"No…why?"

"I don't know, the 'actually'… it sounds like you're surprised its good."

"I didn't realize I had said it. I just meant I was glad it was something light." I wondered if I used that word a lot.

"I never liked heavy dinners." She commented lightly, grasping another spicy ahi maki in her chopsticks. She always liked those. "This is perfect." I watched her smile as she chewed the roll. "Besides…you like sushi."

She was good with that, paying attention to the things people liked or didn't like, even when it was just an offhand comment. It was what made her an excellent gift giver. I remembered the jacket she sent me for my birthday a month back. It was exactly what I would've bought myself if I had forced myself to go shopping. The postmark was from California.

"How long was the world tour?"

"Almost a year."

Part of me felt jealous that she lead such an exciting life, the other could see the weariness in her face and worried for her. "Was it any fun?"

She placed her chopsticks down and rested back against the couch closing her eyes briefly. Those eyelashes were so long... I'd forgotten that. "Sometimes…seeing the fans is always great. All those people who came for you, who you can make smile just by saying hello, who just love you because the music you make speaks to them," She must understand that feeling pretty well, having spent so much of her own time idol chasing. Her eyes were always clear and sparkling when talked about her fans... as if she loved them as much as they loved her. "The travel though…and being alone…"

"I would have thought you were never alone." I would think there would be entourages and agents and managers all the time.

"It's business… they aren't my friends. Well, maybe one or two of them, but mostly it's business." She always sounded tired when we spoke while she was on tour, tired and something else, not the Minako I was with now. "You know I miss you…all of you. It's nice to be home. " I missed her too.

For the first time since I arrived, I allowed myself to look around. The décor was western style and contemporary but not outlandish… still functional and comfortable. It looked like it came right out of a magazine. "Minako...this is beautiful."

"Arigato Rei-chan… I thought it was a little cold actually, but I shopped around for quite a while." Her eyes light up and she seemed to remember something. "I chose this one for one reason…c'mon." She grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I followed her to the corner of the room where a small staircase, hidden by a half wall spiraled up. Carefully I climbed behind her up onto a rooftop deck. An overhang covered a small couch with no arms and fresh Casablanca lilies stood in towering vases. I looked at the flowers and then at her, but she just smiled and shrugged. She pressed a button on the wall and a small fire pit began burning away, fluttering in the breeze, hissing softly as the gas passed through the pipes below. A few small recessed lights tinted a gentle blue, came on in the floor and I looked out from the building, seeing the incredible view of the city, the Tokyo tower glowing orange in the distance. I would bet that we were facing the right direction to see Mount Fuji in the daytime.

"This is amazing,"

"I haven't taken anyone else up here." She commented, again in the strange, nervous, whispery tone.

"Not home enough?"

"I haven't wanted to."

"Oh." Was this some sort of love nest? It looked unassuming enough, romantic yes, but only in its seclusion and uniqueness. It seemed designed to make you feel like you had your privacy while still living in the middle of the city.

"I feel like it's just me even though I'm in the middle of the city."

I laughed a bit. "I was just thinking that."

"I knew you'd understand." She kept speaking to me without looking at me. As she went to turn around I realized she was going to go back inside. The night was mild and clear and I saw no reason not to enjoy this for a bit.

"We don't have to go back in."

"You want to stay out here?"

"Sure, for a while."

"You don't mind the noise?"

Of course she would remember that I didn't like the shuffle in the city. "It's not too bad."

"Okay. We'll stay out here."

THE COUCH:

"I wish we could see more stars..." She looked like a child, laying on her back on the couch cushion, feet draped over the side, planted on the ground and bare. I was sitting a few inches from her head, legs stretched and enjoying the warmth from the fire pit on my toes.

I looked out into the inky blackness, following it down to where the haze of neon and fluorescent light threw shocks of pinks and greens into the dark. I had mixed emotions about the bigger cities. Sometimes when I looked at them they were so impressive, like a giant piece of art and at other times, especially in airplanes, they were ugliest things I had ever seen.

She tilted her neck back at what looked to be an uncomfortable angle, her head resting on the cushion, and smiled at me. Her perfect teeth and shiny full lips reflected the light of the flames and I couldn't help but smile back.

"You look ridiculous. You need a pillow." I shook my head at her.

"Are you offering?" She eyed my lap and I rolled my eyes. The ogling was even more absurd with her face upside down.

"If you insist on laying like that you might as well." I swallowed, relieved I had managed to keep my voice neutral, detached even. Was I almost flirting?

She gave a look that was indecipherable but was something like distrust. She was so strange sometimes. I watched the flickering sea of neon and thought. I was so comfortable out here with her, I never was lost, never had to think about what I would do or say. The more I thought about it, the more I realized our friendship had always been different. I had believed it was our Senshi powers… now I wasn't sure. We connected on a level that I didn't with most people. She was one of my closest friends, but this? I had thought about sex with another woman before, but only in passing and never with me as one of the participants. Only when I met two women who were together or I heard people whispering. I never had a reaction to it though, never felt attraction or repulsion to it and so my response to all this was surprising me. In all honesty, I never thought about sex of any kind much. It was so rarely memorable enough to be worth reliving or imagining. Now I couldn't seem to get the idea out of my head. Some silly voice inside me still insisted that I ask her about it.

"You've been with girls before." It was meant as a question, but it came out as a statement.

"Yes." She answered simply.

"And you…"

"… enjoyed it?" She smirked at me. "I did."

"More than with a man?" I had wondered before if she was leaning that way. She never had relationships, but it seemed more and more of her occasional flings were with women. I had never understood girls who couldn't understand what two women would do together. It was fairly obvious, there were only so many options.

"It's different." She was never shy when talking about these types of things. I was much more reserved about it. Not that that was unusual for us. She was a talker, I wasn't really…more of an internalize and let it fester type. I was surprised I was talking this much actually. That word again...

"Different…"

"Girls touch differently, sound different, smell different, feel different…it's just different." I stared back out at the sky. Given most of my experiences with men thus far, different seemed like a good idea. But trying this with Mina… it was her idea and I knew I'd be safe, that she would never take advantage of me, but she was my friend...my closest. Maybe that wasn't a bad thing…maybe it was. I let myself imagine touching her body, kissing her and I felt my skin warm.

"Rei, what are you thinking about?"

I glanced down at her. "You've considered it before? With me, I mean" Why did I ask that? It sounded so pathetic said out loud, like I was searching for something.

"Yes." Minako had relaxed back down and was watching the sky as if stargazing, but I could see that her cheeks were pink.

I was embarrassed too. I silently admitted to myself that I was interested in her proposition from earlier, at least I had worked out that much. I had my concerns, but I knew I would never be able to be with her that way and have it be meaningless either. I wondered if that meant this was a bad idea or if it meant something else.

"So what if I said yes?" Again before I could think it through, I spoke. I wanted to slap myself.

Her blue eyes widened… she slowly sat up. Minako rested on her bent knees, sideways on the couch and looked straight at me. "What?"

I did the same, pulling my legs up underneath me. I chanced a look in her direction, hoping the dim light would hide the evidence of my nervousness. I had never blushed this much, I was now certain of it. "What if I wanted you to?"

"Rei…" She seemed concerned, almost frightened now… all the bravado from before long gone. For a minute I wondered if she had only ever been trying to get one over on me. I tried to control my reaction, tried not to feel lied to and made a fool of until I understood where she was going with this.

"What if I said yes?" I repeated it, trying to get an answer.

I watched as she reached over slowly and touched my cheek with her knuckles. I turned my head and eyes toward her shocked by the both of us. I could feel my mouth starting to say something without my permission when her lips stopped me. They were so soft, not gentle, but incredibly soft and I felt myself sighing into her mouth. My hand was suddenly reaching up to rest on her neck beneath her ear. She was definitely a good kisser, but it had been a while since a kiss had caused anything even close to this in me. She bit my bottom lip just enough to pull it and then she was gone, contact broken. I stared down at the stitching in the leather beneath me, trying to steady my breath.

"That's what." She whispered it and I noticed her fingertips trembling slightly as she ran them through her hair. I found my fingers wanting to know what that felt like. But her answer was running through my head in circles, snagging my attention and looping it over itself. If I said yes, that's what... the things I was feeling...

She gave me a questioning look from under her long, sculpted bangs, her head bent down, her pink lips just a bit puffier. I realized I hadn't spoken yet, hadn't reacted to her pulling away.

"Then…yes." She didn't understand for a second, but then I saw the realization come to her, then a smile I had never seen on her before. It must not have last though because she was kissing me again, hand on my waist, her chest close enough to mine that I could feel the warmth of her skin and I was falling back into the couch. Without understanding how, I was on my back, her body balanced above mine. My head tipped back, trying to find something to rest against, but with no armrest to stop it, my head fell off the edge. Her mouth, her lips, her tongue, and her teeth... the found my bared neck immediately. It was reflexive, my fingers tangling in her hair, my body curling. She followed the lines of my neck slowly, gently, deliberately and I moaned from deep in the back of my throat shocked by her own answering against my skin, by how intense my reactions were.

My entire body seemed to liquify, to the point that I barely helped as she scooted me back toward her so that my head was supported. Her eyes roam over me and I felt her gaze like a touch, goosebumps rising on my neck and warmth starting in my feet. "Rei…I want you so much." She whispered and I was surprised to hear her voice. I felt my jaw and eyelids clench. No one had spoken to me during this kind of thing before. I found her voice so close, just a bit deeper than before, had an interesting effect on me. I was too dizzy from the hum of my own skin to be outside with all these lights… I needed a white ceiling, a plain wall… something.

"Let's go inside." I didn't argue.

THE BEDROOM:

She had dimmed the lights to a soft glow and we silently made our way over to the mattress. It was, of course, incredibly comfortable and I sighed as I sunk in a bit. Minako sat next to me, slowly took my hand in hers, and kissed the center of my palm. It was unexpected and sweet and miles under the speed we had been traveling on the roof. I met her eyes, darker now, as she trailed gentle kisses down my wrist. Between each kiss, her breath warmed my skin and my mind quieted as it does when one of your senses is completely saturated. There was something in her gaze that I didn't understand, something that left a half-formed question on the tip of my tongue. Too much thinking. Her hair brushed the side of my face as she nipped at my collarbone and another one of those moans came tumbling out of me. She 'hmmed' quietly in response, clearly pleased with the sound. Then she was at my neck again, my ear and I felt my whole body contract in response.

"Mina…" It was a whisper and I wasn't entirely sure if it was meant to stop her or urge her to continue. My hand was in her hair, combing it to the side where it fell down like fabric, shutting us off from the window on our left. I used that hand to bring her back to me, wanting to feel her lips on mine again. I gasped into her mouth as her hands traveled beneath my shirt, breaking the kiss to suck in a breath. Then the blouse was lifted with agonizing control over my body, her fingertips leaving twin paths of tingling warmth up my ribs and along my arms. The cool silk was like a sheet of water as it fell away.

I hated to be half-dressed. It made me feel self-conscious, so I lifted myself enough that I could slip my skirt off. I felt nervous laying in my bra and what I now remembered was a thong because of the tightness of that particular skirt. I was concerned that she might not enjoy the sight of me like this…had a ridiculous moment where I considered whether or not she would appreciate the style of the underwear I was wearing…. a worry I had never felt with a man. Her eyes immediately eased this fear though. Her expression as she followed the lines of my body was almost worshipful. Then her hands were back on me, nails running up the outside of my thigh, along the curve of my hip… a sensation that caused my toes to curl and then there was her breath against my chest. Kami, I needed to lay back and she followed me with her mouth. She nuzzled against the skin of my breast where it was exposed above my bra and then bit at me through the fabric.

I groaned, my eyelids fluttering a bit. The thumb of her left hand was grazing the skin above my other breast while her palm massaged me. Another moan tore from my throat as I felt her teeth again and my back arched, my body trying to force more contact. This felt more like what I imagined when she'd said make love...and I felt a touch of fear. It had been less intimidating when thought was rendered impossible. Then her hand reached behind me, up my spine and then she was sliding the straps of my bra down my arms. I was intensely aware of the air hitting my chest and could feel my nipples tightening before her mouth ever found them. It seemed impossible when I looked down into her eyes, eyes that I knew so well… that it was Mina bringing me this kind of pleasure, that it was her tongue flicking at me, her smile around my skin. I held her to me, enamored with the softness of her hair dragging across my sides. Each time I felt the pull of her mouth, it seemed to tug a string that ran directly from my breasts to a place I was beginning to become more and more aware of. She kissed her way to my other breast, devoting equal attention to both and driving me equally as crazy. The white of the walls wasn't enough to ground me anymore. I found myself wanting to feel her body against mine, wanting her clothes gone, needing the warm anchoring heaviness of her on top of me. Kami, it was so hard to think, to do anything really, when she was doing what she was…

"Mina," I watched as my nipple popped from between her lips and felt my leg muscles quiver. "I want…" I sounded as if I had smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. I took a breath.

"Tell me what you need…" Her voice was doing insane things to my insides.

"I want to...feel you against me." I wasn't sure I could be much more articulate than that and I found myself hoping she would understand what I meant.

Her eyes darkened again and that something I didn't understand was back. She kissed my breastbone and then stood up, looking at me sideways almost shyly. Another thing I didn't think I would see from Minako.

THE WALL:

I lay on the bed, watching her. I felt for the first time in such a situation completely out of my depth, a little scared again. Looking at her seemed to steal all my confidence away, and I stared, resting on my forearms, half sitting up, knees bent, just waiting. She glanced over her shoulder, meeting my eyes as she slipped off her tights, slower than she needed to, with the grace of a dancer. I was watching Aino Minako, famous pop star, my best friend, undress for me and it was deeply arousing. I was experiencing something millions of boys and probably a few girls were dreaming about right now. I was happy that my concern over not being that into her was unfounded. The state she had already worked me into combined with the newness of this made the entire experience almost surreal, heady. I was blushing from my cheeks to my toes. I let myself look at her. I wasn't used to comparing my body to that of my lover. Her stomach especially was different than mine, more muscular… not that I was ashamed, but she had the body of an athlete. I felt like one of those thirteen-year-olds at the moment… turned on, confused, and embarrassed all at once. But even with my legs turned to jelly I felt like I had to go over there… had to do even a little of this myself.

The first touch of my hands on her bare skin was electric and I was kissing her again. She leaned into me and I took off her bra, needing to feel her body touch mine. I could feel the firmness of her abdomen as our bodies met. She stepped back and looked into my eyes with such focus that my head dropped almost submissively and I saw the last bit of her clothing fall to the floor. Swallowing, I found myself looking at her completely naked body. I felt my cheeks flame when I noticed how she kept herself. I suppose with all the skimpy outfits and swimsuit photos being snapped it made sense, but still seeing this part of her surprised me almost as much as my wondering if it was as soft as the rest of her. She was an absolutely gorgeous girl. I had always known that intellectually, but seeing her this way was a wholly new thing. Not as confident I turned slightly, facing the wall, removing the final piece of my clothing as well. I crossed my arms over my chest, realizing it was foolish after her mouth had so thoroughly explored there, but I had already done it and wasn't going to call attention to it by moving my arms again.

I watched her watching me. "God.. Rei you're so beautiful" She whispered it, her eyes wide and so blue. She had moved toward me, stepped to the side of me, lifting my hair over to the front of me, one hand caressing me, her lips following across my back. I gasped as I felt her the length of her body press against me from behind, her hand passing in front of me, fingers spread across my stomach. She had clearly noticed how sensitive my neck was and took full advantage of that now. My legs became useless almost immediately and my body became a trembling mess. My head fell back to rest on her shoulder. I didn't notice my hips had begun to move until I felt her moving with me, sighing softly and making delicate sounds of pleasure, more feminine, higher pitched than my own. They were causing my insides to shrink and expand wildly. I could feel the smoothness of her on my backside and was overwhelmed by all of it, that I could feel this way without her actually inside me. My arms shot out toward the wall in time to prevent me from falling forward. I gasped again as her fingers found my nipple, rolling and pinching as we moved together. My head rolled forward against my arm. Everything was mixing together in me, calling attention to the building emptiness inside me, the need to be filled that was growing each time I felt her press into me. It was becoming too much... I could feel the heat coming off her in waves, where her forehead rested on my shoulder blade, where her breath hit my back, from the place on her where I was certain the same need was growing. Her hand finally released my breast and trailed down, following my hipbones, caressing my thighs in a way that was absolutely maddening. My movements were embarrassingly twitchy... as if my body couldn't decide which way to go.

"Mina…please."

"Turn around. I… want to see you." I wasn't sure what she'd meant until I obeyed and we were eye to eye. She was watching me and suddenly I was nervous, naked against the wall, my desire for her undeniable... pride already rubbed by pleading turning a bit raw. But her fingers were dancing on my hip again, her body just a breath away from mine... so close. I closed my eyes as her touch came closer to where I needed it, my hips trying to meet her hand. I shuddered as two of her fingers slipped between my thighs, running softly, smoothly along the very outside of me. I nearly whimpered as she stroked me, never going inside me, and then her other hand was under my thigh, an arm slipping around... bending my leg, lifting it, pressing it back and opening me wider. I was trapped between her and that blank wall, the fact I couldn't really escape somehow enhancing everything I was feeling. She bit my earlobe, her fingers brushing the most sensitive part of me for the first time and I cried out before I could stop myself. I tried not to be embarrassed by how ready I was.

"Open your eyes Rei…" She was whispering to me again, and I felt myself pulse against her fingers.

Open your eyes…open your eyes…I tried to make sense of the words. Finally, they seemed to click and as I did what she asked, her fingers slid all the way inside me, her eyes boring into mine. I moaned, a wave of pleasure coursing up my body as she slowly drew her fingers out and with the same firm, controlled pressure pushed them back deep inside me. That feeling, the emptiness was now sated. My body was completely unsteady, but she held us up, bracing us with her legs. I lost track of everything, my breathing, my movements, my voice, my balance and I clung to the blue of her eyes, finding a hold there as she touched me, drawing sensation after sensation out of me. She spoke to me, as she curled her fingertips inside me each time the heel of her hand hit, and my body curled in response. She told me beautiful things, sweet things, sexy things none of which I could even understand beyond the appreciation of her intoxicating tone. A tightness was building inside me way too quickly, pulling everything in me toward it and all I could see was ocean blue, flickering in the dim light.

Then I felt her move, her breath on my stomach, the thigh that had been pushing back into me was now resting on her shoulder. I looked down at her questioningly through my haze, but still, her fingers didn't stop and I couldn't put together what was going on until her tongue traced the crease of my hip on the leg that was just barely managing to stay on the ground. I drew in a shaky breath as she kissed my inner thigh and much to my own shame made a noise that sounded like a whimper. I couldn't believe she was going to do THAT …like this… kneeling at my feet. When her tongue touched me, my head went back, hitting the wall, the pain so minimal compared to the pleasure she was causing. My hands tangled in her hair. Her other arm wrapped around my leg where it rested on her shoulder, her hand on my backside, pulling me to her while I struggled to stay upright. Between her mouth and her fingers, as close as I had been already, I was very soon gone. It was so much at once that I didn't…couldn't know what to do. The soft noises of pleasure from her, vibrating the part of me trapped between her lips, the thought that she was enjoying this and not doing it only for my pleasure... I nearly collapsed with the force of my orgasm, but she caught me, helping me down and onto the bed a few feet behind us.

THE BED:

I was laying against her shoulder, both of us stretched out on the mattress. She was stroking my hair away from my face with such tenderness that it reflected in me and I took her hand in mine, kissing the knuckles. My breathing was still shallow and my skin was warm and pink, but my body felt steadier now. My mind was in a cloud.

"Reiko, are you okay?" Reiko... she has only ever called me that a few times when something deeply emotional was happening. I liked it, but would never let her know that. It seemed like such a silly question to ask. I was more than okay, I felt amazing. I smiled and nodded against her arm. I noticed a tightness, a slight tremble in her hands and legs.

"Are you?" I asked, balancing my chin on her shoulder as I touched her stomach, tracing the lines of muscle that run up either side. Her body was incredible. I kissed beside her ear, watching her reaction, the goosebumps rising all along her nape. I saw her swallow and close her eyes, clenching her thighs just a bit. I ran my fingers up her torso, along the underside of her breast, circling, watching her nipple harden, surprised I was causing all this... that I could.

I moved to hover over her. "Rei…" I kissed along her collarbone until she touched my face, lifting it. "Rei, you don't have to do this." I suddenly realized that she had no expectations of reciprocation in this and I had trouble understanding why she would be satisfied with that. Maybe she didn't want to be touched, but either way, I wanted her to understand I would never have let it happen that way if it were up to me.

"I want to…unless you don't want me to,"

Her expression was surprised but in response to what I wasn't sure. Confused I began to move away from her, but her hand caught mine and pressed it to her breast. I felt her nipple poking into the center of my palm, and then she looked up at me. "Please."

I suddenly felt bolder, impassioned even. "Please what?"

She blushed a bit. "Please touch me Rei, I need you." That voice…I kissed her, tasting myself on her, surprised to find that I wasn't bothered by it. I lowered my body, letting my leg fall between hers. I could feel how excited she was and it made me press into her with my thigh, her moan swallowed in the kiss. I kissed along her neck, playing with her breast, letting her push against my leg, pressing back. Her hands kept running along my back, nails scratching lightly at me, making me feel powerful for no reason I could figure out. I took her nipple into my mouth, gauging her reactions to different things, trying to bring her as much pleasure as I could. I loved the way her hips shot up when I nipped at her and the noises she was making were doing the strangest things to me, causing little shocks of pleasure. Her movement against my leg was becoming frantic. I let my hand wander down, caressing the smoothness above her entrance.

As I slipped my fingers inside her, it was not the feeling of it that struck me, but the look on her face…it was a look that I knew instantly. I understood now why she wanted to watch me. She was giving control of her pleasure over to me, allowing me inside her, and I was caught by the intimacy of this in I way I never had when on the other end of it. At the same time that I was the one giving her pleasure, I knew what she must be feeling, had just experienced the same thing she was and the synergistic sensuality of it was indescribable. There was something incredibly erotic about having this level of power over someone else, but I found as I watched her I was overcome with a tenderness that enmeshed itself with my own need. I wondered if she had felt something similar being inside me. All I wanted was to bring her pleasure, to be the cause of her pleasure, to communicate to her how beautiful I thought she was, how much I cared about her too using my body. I touched her where I knew she needed me to with my thumb, while I let her hips guide the rhythm of my hand. She climaxed nearly as quickly as I had and I could feel her physically contract around my fingers, her arms tightening around me at the same time. She cried out, deeper than her other sounds, and I moaned as my abdomen clenched in response to the noise.

I lay next to her, and she rolled on her side facing me, curling up, catching her breath. I touched her face with the same gentleness she had touched mine.

"Rei-chan…" She was falling asleep as she whispered it. That strange look was in her eyes again and I felt something tightening in my chest like my heart was beating too fast. She whispered something I didn't catch as sleep took her. I wanted to thank her for reminding me what this could feel like, thank her for being the person she was, thank her for caring about me. I traced my thumb along her cheek, kissed her temple and whispered to her that she was beautiful and soon my eyelids became heavy themselves.

END.