Ryo followed the scent of hot cocoa down to the kitchen. He had been surprised at Mi-chan�s note requesting this �Cocoa Session,� as he hadn�t read any plans for it from her when he had seen her earlier. Then again, with her mind shield, who knew what she was thinking sometimes.
What was more shocking though was that it wasn�t Mi-chan who requested it. Even though he knew before he arrived at the kitchen, he was still so astonished to see Neko there.
�What? You didn�t think I knew about your guys� late night talks?� she asked, reading the expression of surprise on his face. �Or did you just think Mi-chan did a better job of hiding the note she leaves for you?�
Ryo relaxed and smiled at her. Truth was, he just didn�t ever remember a time when she would come to him before she�d go to Mi-chan. As she served him a mug of cocoa, he inquired, �So, what�s up?�
She sat down, all traces of amusement leaving her face and her mind. �I� I have to tell you something.� Her voice began to shake as she continued in a whisper. �Tenshi and I- We��
He waited patiently for her to continue, but when it became apparent that she wasn�t going to, he finished for her. �You had sex.�
She looked up at him in alarm. �You know?!�
He tried not to laugh. Of course he knew. He had known before she had left Saturday morning to get a tuxedo. He had known before she had known. But his answer was simply, �Yes. I know.�
�Then why�? You never mentioned it.�
This he did chuckle at. �Honey, you�re almost eighteen. And the two of you are engaged. I figured it was your business, and I didn�t want to interfere.�
She bit her lip and thought about it for a minute. �You- You don�t think it was wrong?�
He shook his head, an action she smiled at. Leaving her untouched cocoa on the table, she pushed back her chair and got up. �Thanks, Otou-san. You and Mi-chan have it right � these talks are good.� She gave him a peck on the cheek and ran up to bed.
He sighed as he took a sip of the cocoa. Neko had made it with water rather than milk like her sister did. It didn�t quite taste the same, but this �Cocoa Session� hadn�t left him with the same feelings as Mi-chan�s did either. Sure, Neko had been allowed to unburden herself, as Mi-chan so often needed to do, but she still was feeling uneasy about other things, and except for Mi-chan�s recurring nightmare, Mi-chan was often open about everything during these sessions.
Besides, he knew that what Neko really needed right now was to have a long talk with both Mi-chan and Tenshi. And, as nice as it had been to actually talk with her for a change, no amount of �Cocoa Sessions� between him and her was going to solve what she was currently struggling with in her life.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tenshi cuddled with her pillow, trying to convince herself that it was just as good as cuddling with Neko. It was a pretty transparent lie, especially to herself, but having something to hug did make her feel better.
*Is this feeling of emptiness in my chest going to be here every night I don�t spend with Koneko, now that I�ve spent one with her?* Tenshi hadn�t thought the longing could get worse than before they had slept together, but now she felt like she was going to drown in it.
She closed her eyes and let herself drift a bit, imagining that the pillow really was Neko, that they were together in her bed. And just as she was on that ledge between sleep and daydream, she was jerked awake by another intrusion into her mind.
Her heart beating fast, she tried to remember what she was dreaming, hoping to find some clue as to why this had happened again. Unfortunately, her alarm had pushed away all remnants of her pre-dream, and the intruding sense of someone else�s feelings (which weren�t totally unpleasant in and of themselves, just disturbing in her own head) had wiped her own previous thoughts away.
She concentrated on sending the thoughts away, and, as if on command, they miraculously disappeared. Tenshi sighed in relief and settled back into bed, but judging by the speed at which her heart was beating, she could guess that sleep wasn�t going to be that easy again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko pulled her blanket up to her chin, trying again to get comfortable enough to get to sleep. She had had trouble sleeping the last couple nights too. Earlier she had wondered if maybe she was so restless because she felt guilty about keeping things from her parents and Mi-chan. She had been ready to all but renounce her mind shield in hopes that she could free her conscience and get some sleep. After all, she had always been the one to confess what she thought were her sins (usually with greater detail than she even needed). It had been Mi-chan who would rebel against their parents� wishes and then try to get away with it for as long as possible. So to be suddenly hiding something that could potentially be considered naughty was probably weighing on her conscience, right?
*So why aren�t you sleeping now?* she asked herself uneasily. She had confessed to Ryo, and he had given her his blessing as far as her making love to Tenshi went. And she had every intention of telling Mi-chan tomorrow about that and the mind shield, so she knew that wasn�t weighing on her conscience now either.
Neko closed her eyes and rolled onto her side. The soft pillow felt nice against her cheek, but it wasn�t as nice as when she had pressed her cheek against Tenshi�s chest and fallen asleep there. She missed Tenshi. More than anything else, she longed to sleep in Tenshi�s bed again. To be lulled asleep by Tenshi�s steady breathing, by her strong heartbeat. To wake in the comfort of Tenshi�s arms, knowing she was safe and would always be loved.
Neko�s wistful memory was interrupted by a slight uncomfortable feeling and Mi-chan�s quickened breathing. It was rare when Neko caught Mi-chan in the middle of a nightmare, but she was certain that was what was going on. Sure enough, Mi-chan�s mind shield was up and strong, and all Neko could feel was the minimum, providing her solely with the knowledge that Mi-chan existed.
Mi-chan had protected Neko from so much over the years. Now that Neko recognized that Mi-chan was in the middle of a nightmare, she wanted to free her of that burden.
*Mi-chan, it�s okay. You can wake up now.*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mi-chan ran through the labyrinth, sword in hand, searching for Neko. She had no guide, no proof even that Neko existed, but in her heart she knew that if she could just find Neko, everything would be alright. It didn�t matter that the sword she held was broken. In fact, the broken ep�e would prove to be more effective if she were to need to fight something to the death. And she was prepared to do that to get back Neko.
She came to a fork in the road and made the arbitrary decision to go left. As she continued running, she became more certain that this was the correct way. She would find Neko and protect her because that was the way it was supposed to be.
Her heart began to pound as she raced toward something that looked like an exit. A welcoming light beckoned her beyond the seemingly endless cement walls enclosing her path. That was the path to Neko, she was certain of it.
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