Fiducius was starting to feel fatigued. Barely a week had passed, enough time to get Tsaria and Apsrytus back to full strength, when one of the capital ships had taken off again, this time moving for another world dangerously close to the world of Tynka. Tynka herself had agitated by the move, causing her to be more irritable than usual as their sail ship lifted off once again, heading off to do battle.
Both Cobalt Falcon and Zinc Mantis were waiting for them as they landed, the two fake senshi having already done a fair bit of damage to the surrounding city. "Hi, you louses!" Cobalt Falcon greeted, putting her hands on her hips. "It's about time you got here. You kept us waiting!"
"We keep our own schedule," Apsyrtus muttered. "Strenua?"
"Let's use the Tynka plan," Strenua said in response.
The other senshi nodded agreement, Fiducius calling a card to his fingertips. Despite the name, the center of the Tynka manuver was himself, setting up an illusion of the senshi oncoming straight ahead, like Tynka herself charging at her enemies. It would get them close enough to take them by surprise and do some damage. Pulling out a card, he held it up, the card taking on a power of its own and emitting a glow that covered the area. Cobalt Falcon winced and covered her eyes, Zinc Mantis doing likewise, and then the illusion senshi were moving toward them, causing them to move back. Fiducius smiled as he held onto the card, letting his power support it. Just a little longer, then--
Cobalt Falcon responded with a flurry of feathers down the enclosed street, and Fiducius let out a cry as one caught him in the shoulder, a rose blossom of blood flowering onto his clothing as he was knocked back. Shaking, he pulled out the large feather, wincing at the deep wound. The illusion faded as he was injured, but he could tell that it hadn't worked, as Zinc Mantis was already upon Imperatrix, slicing at him with her hard arms. She wasn't fooled? Why?
Tsaria knelt by him, folding a bandage over his shoulder and tying it tight as the rest of the group did battle, Thais and Gotho looking to disable with their powers. Apsyrtus, unable to use his manipulation abilities in close, hectic combat, settled for firing off arrows carefully, taking to the sky for a better view. Tynka was facing the laughing Cobalt Falcon, the woman scowling as she launched small explosions at the fake senshi, the other taking to the sky to avoid them. This, however, left her open for attack from Apsyrtus. "I have to help them," Fiducius muttered, hand over the deck of cards. What would be effective here? "Strenua, what do you want me to do?"
There was a pause before the alien could reply. The gray-skinned man was doing battle with Zinc Falcon, trying to get her off of Imperatrix. "Help Colchis with the flying one," he managed at last, taking a moment to run the facts of battle through his head.
He nodded, getting to his feet. "Fiducius?" Tsaria asked softly.
"I'm okay. Take care of Tynka for me." He ran forward, drawing a card and casting it into the sky. The six of swords materialized, forming itself into a set of six swords, launching themselves one by one into the sky after Cobalt Falcon. She tried to dodge, but one clipped her wing, sending her down, and Colchis followed this with another set of arrows, pinning her down. Cobalt Falcon let out a cry of pain, laying where she had fallen, eyes burning as she glared at the two senshi. "You think you've won? You haven't won. You're nothing next to the almighty Galaxia."
"Shut up," Apsyrtus ordered, taking aim at her throat.
The woman's eyes widened. "General Irukandji, help me!" she pleaded.
"Don't beg," a voice said from nearby, "it's unbecoming." Fiducius stiffened as he recognized the name and the low, smooth voice that spoke.
Apsyrtus turned, and let out a cry. A third woman was standing by Tynka, one hand holding a knife to the woman's throat and the other holding Tynka's hands behind her back. She was taller than the other two, and slender, long white hair which was iridescent in the sun's light reaching almost to her knees. Her sailor uniform was equally flowing, the skirt long, wide sleeves coming from the shoulders, and the bows long and reaching almost to the ground. "Let her up, senshi."
Apsyrtus frowned, then took a step back. "And you, boy," she addressed to Imperatrix, who had his whip around Zinc Mantis's throat.
"Forget it," he growled. "You're just going to kill her. I'd rather take one of you down."
"Imperatrix!" Apsyrtus shouted. "Please."
"Do you really think she'll let her go once we've released her companions?" the other man shouted. "Have some common sense, Colchis!"
"Please let her go," the other senshi said quietly.
"Do as he says," Lithium Irukandji addressed Imperatrix. "Or I kill her now and then come back directly after you. You won't be able to loose your whip from Mantis in time."
Imperatrix scowled, then slowly let his whip fall from Zinc Mantis's neck, the senshi leaping away swiftly, Cobalt Falcon joining her behind their leader. "You, boy," she addressed to Apsyrtus. "You are Colchis's Arrow, are you not?"
"I am. If you want a fight, I'll be glad to," he said, tightening his hand on his bow. "Just let her go first."
"Subamara, the Trickster," she continued, looking over the group. "Which one is he?"
"That's me," Fiducius said quietly, stepping up next to Apsyrtus. "What do you want of us?"
She smiled at them, a cold, predatory smile. "I wanted to see who you were with my own eyes. It will be all the better for when I destroy you. Unless, of course, you surrender. We'll spare your lives if you join Galaxia's army."
"And let you continue to destroy worlds?" Apsyrtus spat.
"What's it matter?" she said with a shrug. "Ordinary people are not like us. Only we senshi can obtain true power. The rest are just insignifcant lives drifting in the ocean."
"You're wrong!" All heads turned to Fiducius at the sudden outburst. "You're wrong," he repeated. "Yes, it's true that senshi have power. That doesn't make others worthless. What about the farmers, the painters, the stoneworkers? What about animals and plants? Their lives have meaning as well!"
"Such silly sentiment," Lithium Irukandji said with a shake of her head.
"It's not silly. Those people, those other lives...they enrich the lives around them, and everyone becomes happier as a result. When you destroy like this, you're only making everyone unhappy, including yourselves." Fiducius's expression softened. "I feel sorry for you."
"I would say the same thing about you," she replied. "Except that I'm not. No one will mourn your death, boy."
"You're right," Apsyrtus spoke up. "No one will, because he's not going to die here."
"I wonder about that," she said mildly as Tynka jerked in surprise, then slumped forward into Irukandji's grip. Fiducius let out a gasp as he saw the knife stuck in the other senshi's back.
"Tynka!" Before Fiducius could stop him, the other senshi charged toward Lithium Irukandji and her hostage, trying to get at the girl. Lithium Irukandji merely smiled, murmuring something in a foreign language before slicing at him, the blow catching him in the hand. "Tynka!"
"Miss Tynka!" Tsaria shouted, moving forward, hoping to get close enough to restore the girl's breath. "Oh, get lost, weakling," Cobalt Falcon said, knocking her into the wall with a blow of her wing.
"Tynka!" Apsyrtus shouted again, jumping for the girl again. Zinc Mantis got in his way, blocking his arrow with an arm, solidly placing herself between him and her commander.
The others seemed frozen in their places, and Fiducius realized he needed to try something. Concentrating, he drew the six of swords again, casting them at the senshi. She merely leapt back and upwards, onto the roof above, still holding the limp Tynka in her arms.
"Return her! Give her back, damn it!" Apsyrtus shouted, firing an arrow at her which Zinc Mantis blocked.
Lithium Irukandji removed the knife from the girl, holding it up in the air for him to see. "This girl is dead, senshi," she told him, bringing the knife down again. "As will you be, unless you surrender to us. It is the only way to keep your lives."
"Tynka!" Apsyrtus took off into the air after them, Cobalt Falcon going to meet him midway. "Don't just stand there!" Fiducius yelled at the other senshi, starting up the front of the building. "Do something!"
Cobalt Falcon laughed with delight as she met Apsyrtus in the air, sending her feathered darts down at him. He let out a cry of pain as the sharp darts tore into his clothing and flesh, but he continued forward, trying to get around her to get at Lithium Irukandji. Fiducius landed on the roof, drawing the ten of swords and calling on a broadsword, swinging it as he moved toward her.
She seemed more interested in the card than his weapon, meeting his eyes. "I see. You have the power of prediction. You understand fate."
"I will see to your downfall," he said quietly. "Let Tynka go. I won't let you take her away."
She shook her head. "You already know what your fate holds, don't you? Your fate. His fate," she added with a gesture to Apsyrtus, who was being attacked by Cobalt Falcon again. "You know the terrible thing he is going to do. I have ensured he will live with it. Your bitterness won't be empty, Subamara the Trickster."
"Fate isn't something that's already decided," he replied. "It's something you carve out with your own hands. I will take her back from you."
"No, you won't," she said with a shake of her head, "but you already knew that." Zinc Mantis moved in front of her, driving Fiducius back with a hard blow, and when he regained his senses, Lithium Irukandji and Tynka were gone. Getting to his feet shakily, he looked around for Apsyrtus.
The other man was back on the ground, crumpled where he had fallen. Tsaria was already working on tending his wounds despite her own, tears rolling down her face. "Fiducius," Apsyrtus murmured as he got close. "Tynka...is she....?"
Fiducius shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry. I couldn't get her back."
He put a hand to his face, expression contorting into one of anguish. "Tynka," he groaned, unable to do anything other than that.
"He's badly hurt," Tsaria told the group. "We need to get him back to the sail ship."
Strenua nodded agreement, helping Gotho pick up the wounded man. Imperatrix looked around, shaking his head slightly. "Well, congratulations, team," he said with a bitter note to his tone. "We protected this world. We have a victory."
The ship was silent after they had taken off, each of the senshi preferring to be off by themselves to think over what had happened. Everyone except Fiducius. The senshi was seated outside Apsyrtus's infirmary door, waiting as the doctors treated him, bandaging his wounds and speeding their healing as much as they could. Finally, they left, letting Fiducius inside.
The young man poked his head in, unsure, and took a look around. Apsyrtus was resting in the bed, eyes closed, his arms and what he could see of the man's torso covered in bandages. Fiducius felt worried; this was not the strong, cheerful man that had been before, even when asleep. "Apsyrtus?" Fiducius questioned slowly, stepping inside.
He stirred, opening his eyes. Even the expression of just looking at Fiducius was beyond misery, his eyes holding in the pain he had to be feeling. Somehow, he managed a half-hearted smile. "Hey, Fiducius. How are you feeling? How's the shoulder?"
"No serious damage. It felt worse than it actually was." Fiducius kept his eyes on the other man. "How about you?"
"They said it'll take me a while to heal from all of this," the other man said. "Probably a couple of weeks. Lucky me, huh? I hope that they take a day off. Or several days off. Maybe we'll get lucky, eh?"
"That's not all I meant."
The smile faded, and Apsyrtus rubbed at his face wearily. "Tynka...She's dead, isn't she? You saw her the best."
"That's what Lithium Irukandji said. I didn't see her breathing and those wounds would have been fatal." Fiducius shook his head. "It would take a miracle. I'm so sorry, Apsyrtus."
"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong, Fiducius. You did more than probably anyone there. I really appreciate it. I'm sure she does, too."
"Because I couldn't save her," Fiducius said, bowing his head, clenching his fists. "I couldn't do enough. I wasn't strong enough, Apsyrtus. I'm sorry."
"You're not to blame," Apsyrtus said. "None of us were. Imperatrix talks big, but he didn't do anything. Gotho didn't do anything. Thais didn't do anything. Hell, even Strenua didn't do anything, although he was probably in as much shock as I was. He was close to her, too."
"I know. That's why I'm sorry. I would have rather died than let her be killed, Apsyrtus."
With a sudden movement, Apsyrtus hurled a pillow at the other man, nailing him squarely in the face. "Do not," he winced at the pain in his arm and shoulder, "do not talk like that. You think I would have been happier to lose you? Don't be ridiculous. And how about Gaussia, how do you think she would have felt? Value your life, damn it. You're alive and that's more than she has going for her."
Fiducius looked up, and he could see the tears starting to run down Apsyrtus's face as the man sank back into the bed, putting a hand to his face again. "Gods. Tynka. I couldn't protect her, either. You're not to blame."
"What can I do for you, Apsyrtus?" Fiducius said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I...I've never lost someone before. I can't imagine what you must be going through right now, but I hate it. I can't stand knowing how much pain you must be in."
"You're lucky, then," Apsyrtus replied, shutting his eyes. "I wish we could have all had that luxury."
Fiducius bit his lip, feeling as if he had said something wrong. "Damn it, Apsyrtus!" he shouted at last. "I don't want you to keep this all bottled up inside because you feel like you can't or won't let go. You're in pain. You need to be in pain or you'll never get past it. I don't know that kind of pain," he said in a quieter tone. "I only know what I was told about grief. But I've never kept things bottled up like you are now and I know that it can't be good for you. Yell at me, scold me, cry, do something. She was your lover. It's okay to cry for a lost love."
"You're a nag, Fiducius," Apsyrtus said with a slight smile, tears flowing more freely down his face. "Tynka. Oh, Tynka," he moaned, and Fiducius walked over to the bed, handing him a piece of cloth to wipe his face. "Tynka. Why her? Why couldn't it have been that big-mouthed Imperatrix," he said bitterly. "Why did it have to be her? I'll kill that bitch Irukandjki for this. I'll kill her myself with my bare hands. Gods, I'm just...I'm beside myself. I'm saying things that don't make sense, that I don't mean. I don't want him to die. I don't want anyone to die. What if they kill Strenua? What if they kill you?"
"No one else is going to die," Fiducius reassured gently, putting a hand on Apsyrtus's shoulder, making sure the light touch wouldn't cause him pain. "We're going to win, remember? We have to in order to save our homes. And I think...for the first time, I really think it's worth fighting for. I meant what I said." He looked down at his hands. "I used to always think that other people were beneath me. No one else was important, because they didn't have the power that I do. But it's not right. When she spoke of power, I knew it wasn't right. We're in the right here, Apsyrtus. And we will win."
Apsyrtus looked over at him, and offered a weak smile. "Can you see that in the future?"
"Would you like me to do a reading for you?"
"Sure," Apsyrtus said, sitting back. "I've always put my faith in your readings."
Fiducius nodded, pulling out cards and laying them in a circular pattern. "That one's a bit more complicated," Apsyrtus observed.
"It's specifically for reading the future," Fiducius explained. "The triangular one is sort of a combination. This one tires me out more, though. It's much more difficult to have the cards read the future than it is the past or present." He studied the cards with a serious expression.
" What do you see?"
"Give me a moment and let me look." Fiducius studied the cards. "This one. It signals a decisive victory," he said.
"A decisive victory, eh? For us or them?"
"The cards don't go into that much detail," Fiducius chuckled. "This means a return home. See? We'll go home to our own worlds afterwards. We wouldn't do that if we won." His finger drifted to another card, and he frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"I was just thinking of what my teacher said to you," Fiducius said, forcing a smile. "She said you'd have a long life, didn't she?"
"Now I'm wondering if that wasn't a curse in itself," Apsyrtus murmured. "It's going to be hard to go back and think of a life after this is over without Tynka in it." He looked up at Fiducius. "Gaussia. You need to go to her."
"To Tsaria? Why?"
"You dolt, why do you think?" Apsyrtus said with a sigh. "She's just seen one of our teammates die, and she couldn't do anything either, although she tried. She must be in terrible pain."
Fiducius's face fell. "Look, go see her," Apsyrtus said in a gentle tone. "I'm all right now, really I am. I do feel better, thanks to you. And I'm sure Strenua will come by once you've left. She doesn't have anyone. Tynka was the one that brought her here, don't you remember? Go, Fiducius."
The younger man hesitated, then picked up the cards, putting them away. "Are you sure you'll be all right?" he asked slowly.
"I'm positive. Look," Apsyrtus said. "You like her, right? Even you don't know for sure what the future holds. If you love her, tell her so before she's lost. You don't want to experience worse than I did. At least if she dies, she'll go knowing how you felt, right? Tell her. Show her."
Fiducius's expression softened. "You really are too kind-hearted," he said with a slight shake of his head. "You always worry about other people." Putting the cards away, he turned and left, nodding to Strenua as he passed.
Strenua waited until Fiducius had left, then stepped inside quietly, saying nothing as he looked at Apsyrtus. "I apologize," he said at last. "Even now, I have not been able to properly overcome my species' inability to properly fight."
"I'm not blaming you, Strenua. I'm done with that." Apsyrtus gestured for the other man to sit.
The alien perched on the end of the bed, his expression relatively unemotional as usual, but Apsyrtus could tell by the tilt of his ears that he was upset, highly so. "If I had been able to act, I would have been able to save our friend. Now she is gone."
"I know," and there was a note of pain in his tone at the words. "It's passed, Strenua. There's nothing more we can do at this point except try to get her body back and make sure they don't use her for their own evil purposes. We'll return the starseed to Tynka so they can revive a new senshi."
"It will not be the same."
"No. It never will. She won't be our Tynka." Apsyrtus sighed, rubbing at his face again. "I'm okay. Well, I'm not, but I will be. I'll survive somehow. I have to, for her sake."
"Why did you send him away?" Strenua asked after a moment.
"Who? Fiducius? You wanted to see me, didn't you?"
"But you wanted to see him. He is human like you are. He is better able to comprehend your thoughts, your feelings." Strenua's ears continued to droop. "I am a useless companion to you."
"You are not," Apsyrtus said, adding a few notes in the alien's language. "Stop being so hard on yourself. You comprehend perfectly well, Strenua. You feel pain, since she's gone. So do I. Anyone can comprehend that."
"You were in love with her. I am familiar enough with human emotion that I can comprehend what you feel and what anyone else feels are vastly different. Why did you send him away? You need him."
"And I got him. He did help, believe it or not. And now I'm here for you. I wasn't the only one that lost a friend today. I can't be selfish."
"You are never selfish. On the contrary, you have always put others before yourself. I do not think this is healthy for you, Apsyrtus."
"Maybe not," he said, closing his eyes, "but that's the way I am. That's the way it'll be. It's not a good time for me to try and change my thinking in that regard." He sighed. "Fiducius needs someone as well. So does Gaussia. They need each other, right now. If they can find a little bit of happiness with each other...it'll help. It won't erase things, but it'll help."
Strenua shook his head. "I am not going to be selfish, Apsyrtus. I am going to stay with you. You may talk or not talk. I will stay and listen, and then I will watch you while you sleep. I think this will be of the most benefit to your damaged mind right now."
Apsyrtus managed a slight smile at that. "A damaged mind, huh?" He looked up at the ceiling. "If that's all that gets damaged...I'll live with it. It'll be okay."
There was no hesitation in Fiducius's stride as he made his way to Tsaria's room, knocking on her door. The girl had been to the infirmary earlier, but had been released with just cuts and bruises. Knocking on her door, he paced around a few steps, impatient, as he waited.
The door didn't open, but a muffled voice came from inside. "Who's there?" came a soft, sad voice.
"It's me, Fiducius. Please let me in, Tsaria."
"I-I'm sorry. I don't want to see anyone right now," she said, and there was the sound of a sniffle.
"Damn it, let me in," Fiducius said, rocking on his heels. "I need to see you, Tsaria. Please open the door."
There was a long silence, and at last the girl opened the door. Her eyes were watery and her face red from rubbing, which she was doing as she looked at him. "I-I'm sorry. I must appear a mess right n--"
He took her in a firm hug, stepping inside and letting the door shut behind them. Letting her rest her head on his shoulder, he murmured reassurances in her ear, stroking her hair. She began to cry again, sobbing into his shirt and clutching at him tightly as she wailed, wordless sobs escaping her as she clung to him. He didn't say anything in response, only stroked her hair, giving her forehead a soft kiss.
Tsaria at last let him go, walking over to the table. "I-I'm sorry. I wish you didn't have to see that."
"No, I'm sorry," he said softly, walking behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "I left you here alone."
She shook her head. "You had other things to do. Poor Colchis. Is he going to be okay?"
"I think he will be. He's let some of it out, let some of it go. It won't fix everything, but he should be able to function, at the least. I doubt it will ever go away completely, though."
"I'm glad for that, at least," Tsaria said softly. "It's so terrible for him. No one should have to lose a good friend like that. Strenua, too. They were all close, weren't they."
"Yes, they were," he agreed, adding to himself, Some more than others. "It's okay. We'll figure out what to do about it tomorrow. Apsyrtus and Strenua may know of some way to save her from those monsters when they're feeling better."
"It's terrible," she repeated, grasping his hand and holding onto it for support. "Why are these people doing this, Fiducius? Why do some people only want to destroy others? What's the pleasure in that? Why don't people want to create instead?"
He thought about it. "I don't know," he admitted at last. "All I know is what I want to do."
"What's that?"
"I don't want to destroy. I'll fight to save my home and the homes of my friends, but I'm not going to become like them and be someone who craves destruction of others. I want to create, too." He twined his fingers in hers, looking over at her. "Tsaria, I...I said there was something I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't get it out."
"What's that?"
"I'm in love with you," he told her sincerely, meeting her eyes. "I'm in love with you and I want to spend every waking moment with you. Can I stay with you, tonight?"
"Stay with me?"
"I know it's not terribly proper," he said after a moment. "But I don't want to leave you. We don't know how much time we'll have together. If one of us dies...if we have to part ways...I don't want to regret that I didn't stay with you as much as I could. That I didn't make you feel as special to me as you are."
She blushed at that, looking away. "I...I don't know. I've never had a, a man in my room before. For, like, the night."
"We don't have to do anything," he reassured her hastily, waving his hands. "We can talk, or we can just sleep. I just want...to hold you."
Tsaria looked up at him through her eyelashes, and he walked over to her, enfolding her in his arms again. "Tsaria," he murmured. "I'm not a master speaker like Apsyrtus. I can only try and say what's in my heart. I really, truly, love you. I love you so much it hurts. I'm terrified at the thought of losing you, but...none of us are invincible. Losing Tynka like that...it just makes you realize how important it is to keep what you have."
She smiled slightly, resting her head against his shoulder again, ear pressed against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. "I know you are. You've never lied to me, Fiducius. I don't think you've ever lied to anyone."
"Tell that to my mother when she asked me who ran through her flowerbed," he said with a twitch of his lips.
That got a small laugh out of her, and then she squeezed him tighter. "Stay with me, Fiducius. What's proper and what's not doesn't matter. I'm fighting for my life and for everyone else's here. I'm scared to death that I might be next after Tynka. Scared that they might do to me what they did to all those other poor senshi they defeated. Please, Fiducius...if I die...promise me you won't let them take me. Promise me you won't let them use me like that."
"I promise," he said with a soft kiss to her forehead, "but we won't let you die."
She smiled slightly at that. "Did you see that in the future?"
"No. I haven't looked in the future. I don't know what's going to happen tonight, or tomorrow, or the day after. I'm as clueless as you," he told her, running a hand along her face and feeling a chill up his spine at the sensation of her soft skin under his fingertips.
She took his hand in hers, admiring it for a moment. "Can you read palms?"
"Only a bit. Why?"
"What does yours say?"
He frowned, looking down at his hand, running a finger across his palm. "Um, this is the luck line, I think. It's pretty average. This is my life line," he said, trailing a finger across his palm, looking down at it. Had it always been that short?
"What does it mean?"
Fiducius swallowed, then told himself that he wasn't going to lie to her. "It's not as long as some, perhaps."
She turned his hand over, letting him run his fingers over her palm. "What about mine?"
"It's about the same," he said after a moment. "That's good. It means we can die together, when it's our time. No one will have to be left behind."
"Do you think we'll die here?"
"I don't want to believe that," he replied, "so I'm not going to. No one lives forever, so it only makes sense that the line ends somewhere."
She nodded slightly, then turned away. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Do you need anything?"
He shook his head. "Just a wash cloth to wipe my face."
She went into the bathroom, wetting down a cloth before handing it to him. Pulling off her hat, she let herself detransform, her senshi uniform transitioning to a plain, widesleeved dress, not too dissimilar in design from her own outfit.
Fiducius wiped the spade over his eye away, the transformation reverting away and revealing his own Subamaran clothing. "I didn't realize that came off," she observed in surprise. "You have a very nice face, you know. Your eyes," she said after a moment, touching her fingers to his cheek. "They're the color of rubies. They're so beautiful."
He smiled, running a hand through his hair self-consciously. "I'm already staying, you don't have to flatter me."
She laughed at that before going into the bathroom with a nightgown, coming out a short while later. Fiducius had undressed himself down to the boxers he usually slept in and was debating whether he should put the shirt back on when she returned. "Oh," she said in mild surprise as she looked over his form. "You're...smaller than I thought."
"Smaller?"
" I guess the outfit just makes you look taller and more imposing," she said, taking his face in her hands. "I like you like this. Do you normally stay out of uniform at home?"
"No. I practiced a lot, so I usually wore it. "
She reached over, running a hand down his back, and he shivered under the contact. "Your shoulders are so small for the burden you're bearing."
"If mine are small," he pointed out, "what does that make yours?"
"I'm a woman," she said in response, hopping onto the bed.
He joined her, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking her over for wounds. "How are you feeling?"
"My back hurts a little from hitting the wall, but I'm fine," she reassured. "Lay down with me."
He did so, putting an arm around her stomach, looking at her as he laid his head down on the pillow. "Tsaria?" he murmured.
"Yes?"
"I love you," he said, brushing his lips against her face.
She smiled slightly, turning her head so she could return the kiss. "You already said that."
"I can never say it enough," he told her, pulling her close. "I love you."
"Fiducius?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"For what?" he asked, sitting up slightly to look at her.
"For loving me." She turned to him again, and this time the kiss went deeper, her tongue brushing against his lips, and he moved back in surprise.
"Tsaria?"
She pushed him back on the bed, pressing against him, her head on his chest. "I love you, Fiducius."
He took her hand in his, then pressed his lips against hers, letting them trail down her cheek and to her neck, applying a light pressure there. She gasped in surprise, tighting her fingers around his, pulling herself closer to him. "Fiducius...."
"Shh," he said, running a hand along her cheek, before he pushed the shoulder of her nightgown aside, taking in her scent and her soft skin before applying a light, teasing pressure. "The only thing you need to say is no."
"What if I said yes?"
"Then I'll keep going." Moving on instinct, he pushed up her nightgown, running his hand along her stomach, grinning as he found her belly button, the girl letting out a squeak of surprise. "But you can say no any time."
"I don't want to say no." She leaned up, kissing his cheek.
With a sudden frustration at the clingy piece of cloth, Fiducius undid the buttons, slipping her out of it with an arm under her back. She threw her bare arms around his neck, leaning into his shoulder and taking in his own scent. Now more fully exposed, he took delight in her body, letting his fingers explore her form, her slender neck and round shoulders, her small, perfectly shaped breasts and flat, smooth stomach. She let out another squeak as his fingers touched a nipple, and he grinned at the sudden discovery, tapping one with a finger before rubbing at it gently.
"Ah, that's mean," she protested, shifting around on the bed.
"Is that a no?"
"No," she replied, then laughed. "No, it's not a no. Are you going to keep asking?"
"I don't want to do anything to hurt you," he murmured, placing his lips against her breast.
She let out a soft cry at the touch, digging her fingers into his back. Pleased at the reaction, he left one hand on her breast, smiling at the reaction as he touched her nipple, and then he looked down, running his tongue along her stomach. His hand then extended down to her leg, running up her thigh and making her shiver in delight, legs shifting around under his touch, almost as if ticklish.
Then came the last piece of clothing, and he removed it, touching her legs as he did so, taking a moment to admire her form. "Stop staring," she murmured, turning her face away. "It's embarrassing." She looked over at him. "Could I...could I look at you?"
He paused, then stripped away the boxers, tossing them aside. "I've never seen a man naked before," she admitted, touching a hand to his hip.
"I would be surprised if you had."
She let her own fingers slide down his side, down to his own private area. He let out a moan at her touch, his body moving under her hands. Her touch was so light, it made his head spin. "Now who's teasing," he asked breathlessly.
She smiled, and then laid down again, and he kissed her again, now fully committed to letting nature take its course. Doubt was firmly banished from his mind, replaced only with a desire for the present, for the woman right in front of him. The woman he loved. The gaze in her eyes as she looked at him, shy but full of her own love for only him, especially him, only made his heart beat faster, and he kissed her again and again. She responded in kind, murmuring his name between kisses, tightening her grip on him as they came closer to their final moment, the climax, and he could feel the building pressure, both in his body and in his heart. He wanted her love, wanted her to accept his love, and the rest of the universe would fall into place if he could only have that for himself. And in turn, he felt his own heart open, as a teacher had once told him to, and instead of feeling vulnerable, he felt more secure and safe than he ever had before.
Afterwards, she curled up in his arms, and they both slept, each feeling as if the end of the world would never come.
