Battle Athletes Fan Fiction ❯ Revelations In Moonlight ❯ Revelations In Moonlight ( One-Shot )

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REVELATIONS IN MOONLIGHT
Series: Battle Athletes Victory
Pairing: Akari & Kris
Description: What really happened when Akari returned to the sleeping tent at the top-secret training camp?

REVELATIONS IN MOONLIGHT
By Sailor Doc

"Akari?" the sleepy voice murmured from the interior of the darkened tent.

"Hai," Akari said as she quietly slipped back inside. She had hoped to go and return without disturbing any of her teammates, but she should have known better, especially where Kris was concerned.

"Are you okay Akari? Is anything wrong?" Kris asked softly, the worry in her voice very apparent as she sat up in her sleeping bag and rubbed her eyes.

"Sh-h-h," Akari whispered in response as, shivering, she slipped into her own sleeping bag next to Kris'. "I'm fine, and nothing is wrong...at least I don't think it is anymore," she said as she began wiggling her bag closer to Kris.

"Mmm... you're cold," Kris said as Akari cuddled up against her larger frame.

"No, I'm freezing," Akari replied. Kris was more than happy to lay back down and pull the shivering form into her arms.

"Your face is like a block of ice," Kris observed as Akari placed her cheek against the warmth of Kris' neck.

"So is the rest of me, silly!" Akari complained with a slight giggle.

Smiling down at her, Kris said, "you know you'd warm up much faster if you just got into this bag with me and shared my body heat directly."

Akari sweatdropped as a delicious tremor that had nothing to do with the cold swept through her body. "Thanks Kris! I appreciate the offer, but I'm sure I'll be fine in just a few minutes like we are."

Kris held her closer then whispered, "are you sure, Akari? Nights on the Moon can be very cold and it's not uncommon for couples to sleep together totally nude to get the full effect of one anothers warmth."

Akari swallowed hard. Though she knew Kris really was concerned with her well-being, she couldn't help but think about the other possibilities of sharing a sleeping bag with her...in the nude...in the dark...alone... But, she wasn't ready for that quite yet! And they weren't alone! Smiling softly to herself, she placed a gentle kiss on Kris' neck and snuggled closer to her. "I think we're doing fine just like we are for now," she said.

Kris smiled as she felt the feather-light softness of Akari's lips as they lingered briefly on her skin. "Okay, love. If this makes you happy, then I'm happy too."

They lay in the darkness together for some time, just drinking in the affection they could feel for one another through their unique connection. Finally, Kris said, "so, I guess you spoke to your Father."

"Hai!" Akari responded with enthusiasm. "He still will not allow me to call him Father, but he has finally agreed to at least start monitoring my training...hey! How did you know he was my father?" Akari stared at Kris in shock. "That's suppose to be top-secret, classified information! I just found out about it myself a few days ago!"

"I didn't know for sure until just now," Kris said with a gentle smile. "I just suspected it was the truth."

"But how? Kris, I had no idea! My Mother told me that he had died years ago! All this time, I had thought that I was all alone in this world, and now, now of all times, he comes out of no-where like a long-forgotten dream to save the world? I...I just..."

"Sh-h-h," Kris murmured into Akari's ear as she hugged her tightly to her chest, rocking her gently in her arms. "Easy love, sh-h-h. It will be okay."

"But Kris..."

"No, Akari! I can feel this in my spirit. It will be okay. I know it must be hard, but please trust me on this! I know what I'm talking about." Pausing just a moment, she then continued in that same soothing voice. "As for my suspicions, they came from a conversation I had with him before our race for the title of Cosmo Beauty."

"A conversation?" Akari asked.

"Hai. In response to a question he had asked me I had said that I had observed that he often had the same look in his eyes when he watched you that I did. He was shocked."

Akari blinked at her in confusion.

"He loves you, Akari. He may have never shown it to you or admitted it to himself, but he loves you."

Tears began to stream down the younger girls face as she tried to take in and understand the magnitude of this one moment in her life.

"Oh, Kris," she cried as she freed her arms from the sleeping bag and clung to the young woman who shared her heart. "Kris," she sobbed softly.

"Akari," Kris whispered in comfort as she rested her cheek against the top of Akari's head.

A thin sliver of moonlight shone across the floor of the tent. The only other source of light was it's reflection in Kris' eyes as she rode out the storm of Akari's emotions with her. When, at last, her gentle sobbing subsided, Akari pulled back a bit from Kris' embrace with a soft sniffle and apologized for being such a bother.

"You're not a bother, Akari! You'll never be a bother to me." She hesitated a bit as if she were going to say something else, then smiled and asked, "are you better now?"

"Yeah," Akari replied with a shy smile.

"Feeling warmer?" Kris asked, rubbing her arms briskly.

"Yeah," Akari answered with a short laugh.

"Good!" Kris announced with a grin, but just a bit too loudly...

"Eh? What was that?" came a gruff, sleepy voice from the other side of Kris, and she received a half-hearted thump on the back from her younger rival.

"Sh-h-h, It-chan! Go back to sleep!" Akari whispered over Kris' shoulder to her sleeping friend. "You'll wake everyone up!"

"Oh...okay...sorry...just though I heard...something...," the sleepy voice trailed off as the spit-fire from Osaka drifted back into a well-deserved sleep.

Akari continued to smile sweetly as she watched her friend start to snore softly. Watching her, Kris couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy, but she determined to keep it to herself. "So," she said softly, with a bit of a forced smile, "Do you think you're ready to sleep now? Coach will be keeping a closer eye on you tomorrow! You want to be your best!"

Akari had sensed the slight change in Kris, and knowing these two, it wasn't hard to figure out what had prompted it. She knew Kris was trying not to show her jealousy, but never being one to hide her emotions, she was a rotten actress!

"Kris," she said. "What's wrong?"

Kris smiled even bigger, but the pain in her eyes was still evident. "Wrong? There's nothing wrong! Why would you ask that?" she asked as a giant sweatdrop rolled down the side of her face.

"Kris," Akari said softly but sternly, pulling away from her embrace.

Unable to meet her eyes, Kris looked at the ground and swallowed audibly. For several seconds Akari was sure that Kris would refuse to answer her, but then she heard the quiet voice begin to speak.

"Akari," she began. I knew the moment I saw you that you were the one, the only one, the spirits had determined for me to spend my life with. I loved you from that very moment and that love has never wavered. It never will..."

As she stopped, the silence in the tent was deafening. The air seemed tense as Akari could sense Kris struggling to continue.

"You had always seemed shocked by my open displays of affection for you, but that night...the night after our last race. You came to me, held me in your arms and kissed me with such passion! Kami-sama! That was the most wonderful and yet bittersweet moment of my life! I knew I was returning to the Moon to face the elders who would most probably stripe away my right to become a priestess, yet walking away from you was the hardest thing I've ever done! But still I left because I knew! I knew and I rejoiced knowing that the spirits would find a way to re-unite us! And I was right! They did! But now...now..."

Akari could see the moonlight reflected in Kris' tears as they hit the floor while she continued, slowly and painfully.

"You love her." The words were spoken so quietly Akari almost didn't hear them. "I know you love her, and I...I could never stand in the way of your happiness." Kris paused and collected herself, looking up into Akari's face, her green eyes open, honest and filled with her endless love. "All I ask is that if it is her that you want to be with, please tell me now. Don't make me wait, or try to keep me guessing. My heart couldn't take it...please Akari," her voice trailed off as she once again seemed to study the floor.

Akari could feel the powerful emotions that were tearing through Kris' heart, and she was stunned at the courage she knew it had taken her friend to be willing to let her go. With a trembling hand, she reached out to take Kris' hand in one of her own.

"Oh, Kris," she said. "Kris, you're right. I do love her."

She felt Kris flinch at her words as if she had been physically struck, and the hand in hers began to shake. Tightening the grip she had on Kris' hand she continued;

"It-chan is the best friend I've ever had, and I love her dearly," she paused and felt Kris' hand clinch as she braced herself emotionally for the blow she could feel coming.

"But, I'm not in love with her."

The chirping of the night creatures and the gentle snoring of their teammates were the only sounds in the stillness of the darkened tent where two green eyes looked up hopefully into the reddish-brown ones across from them.

"I love It-chan like the brother or sister I never had. I love her confidence and enthusiasm. I love her loyalty and the spark of life she has that seems to influence everyone around her. Yes, I love her, but" Akari reached out and cupped Kris' cheek with her other hand, "I'm in love with you."

Leaning forward, she gently pulled Kris' face to hers. Closing her eyes in wonder as their lips met, she marveled once again at the powerful emotions this wonderful and strangely endearing person inspired in her. As she felt Kris' arms enfold her once again, she knew she had never felt more at peace...or confidant...or safe...or loved. She was home. This was her home, and she would always be welcome here.

Pulling reluctantly away from Kris, Akari held her face tenderly in her hands and gazing into her eyes whispered, "I love you Kris Christopher. I will always love only you. Friends may come and go in our life together, but my heart belongs to you."

"Akari," Kris said quietly, moving in for another kiss.

"Uh.uh.uh," Akari replied, putting a restraining hand on both of Kris' shoulders.

"Nani?" Kris asked in surprise. "Why stop now? I want to kiss you some more and..."

"No way! Are you out of your mind?" Akari said.

"But why?" Kris asked, puzzled. "We've just declared our love for one another and the natural thing to do would be to to celebrate it by sharing our love with each other," she said as she tried once again to pull a nervous Akari back into her embrace.

"Kris," Akari pleaded. "Please, we are not alone! What if somebody wakes up and sees us?"

"What about it?" Kris asked.

"KRIS!" Akari wailed.

"Well, what's wrong with that?" Kris asked, mildly frustrated.

"Kris, I know that you follow the teachings of the Beginners, and that you guys are really open and honest about what you feel and what you think. You're taught not to hesitate to express your feelings or your opinions...and that's great," she added quickly in response to the puzzled look on her love's face. "But I'm from Earth, and not just Earth but Japan, and in our culture it is considered a bad thing to show public displays of affection."

At the hurt look on Kris' face, Akari continued. "It doesn't mean that I love you less, Kris! Believe me when I tell you that I love you with all my heart! But please understand that I'm very uncomfortable sharing my love for you with people who are not...well...us."

Kris thought about that quietly a few seconds, then seemed to understand. "Ah," she said. "What you're saying is that in your culture you feel it is nobody's business what you do when you're with the one you love."

"Right!" Akari said with a smile and not a small amount of relief. "Intimate relationships are best kept private, between the people involved."

"I see," Kris said thoughtfully. "What a shame."

"Why do you say that?" Akari asked.

Smiling gently, Kris gazed into her eyes and said, "I want to shout it from the rooftops, and proclaim it to all with songs of joy!" She paused a moment while Akari sweatdropped. "But, I won't...if it makes you happy!" Akari breathed a sigh of relief as Kris leaned in again and caught her lips in a tender kiss. They both moaned softly at the contact, and let it linger longer than they intended to. Breaking away from each other they smiled and wordlessly settled back down to sleep.

"Akari?"

"Hum?" came the sleepy response.

"So, what are we going to do about It-chan?" Kris asked quietly.

"What about It-chan?"

"You know she has a crush on you..." Kris said.

Akari sighed. "Yeah, I know."

After a few moments of silence, Kris spoke again. "If you don't handle it, you know I'll have to."

"Kris..."

"I'm serious Akari! I know she's your best friend and all, but if she doesn't apply for a credit card and buy a clue real soon...I mean every time we even get near each other, much less touch, she..."

Akari placed a firm, yet gentle finger over Kris' lips, and gazed into her beautiful green eyes. "Don't worry about it. I'll think of something," she whispered, and with one last peck on the lips, she snuggled back down to get some much needed sleep.

Kris smiled gently as she watched the young woman drifting off to sleep in her arms. Sure, they had a tough road ahead of them. The fate of the world rested on their shoulders and the odds looked pretty bad, but...she closed her eyes and centering herself, called upon those ever-present guiding spirits that were so much a part of her life. As a quiet stillness at last settled over the unusual training camp, she opened her eyes and with a knowing smile settled her arms more securely around her love and returned, at last, to the land of dreams.

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