Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Leather and Lace ❯ Chapter 4

Leather and Lace

By: Maidens of Konan

Disclaimer: We do not claim to own any part of Fushigi Yugi, it is owned by Watase Yuu, Shogakukan Comics, Pierrot Studios, TV Tokyo and Pioneer! However, we do claim the rights to the past and present lives of any original characters that may appear in this story. Plagiarists will be sentenced to an eternity of being a foot masseuse for Taiits-kun.

Chapter Four

Dante had never been as disappointed to see a law enforcement building in his entire life as he was when the police station loomed into view. A quick glance at his watch indicated that he had now spent less than an hour in Miaka's company, which was more enough time for him to decide that he wasn't going to let her get away. Not only was she beautiful and sexy, she was sweet, kind-hearted, intelligent, funny, spirited and, he suspected, a hell of a lot more adventurous than she let on.

In short, Miaka was his ideal woman.

It was eerie how quickly and easily they had established a rapport. Although it was totally clichéd thing to say that he felt he had known her his entire life, that happened to be exactly how he felt. From the second he had laid eyes on her he had felt that pull, and he was certain she had too.

There's been another guy after her, so I can't rush her into anythin'. Gotta give it time an' have some kinda plan or the whole thing could blow up in my face.

A glance down at his watch told him that it was almost time for his lunch break, a fact which provided the perfect opportunity to keep Miaka with him for a while longer. No matter that he had only written one ticket that morning; this was going to be a temporary gig after all, and quotas had never meant diddle-squat to him anyway.

"This is really close to where I live!" She exclaimed, as they pulled into the back lot used by the precinct's employees. "My apartment complex is only about four or five blocks east of here."

"Is that so?" He replied, feigning surprise. "Small world, isn't it?"

Her lips curved in what he had come to think of as her 'mysterious' smile. "Yes, it certainly is."

Dante swung the LeBaron into a spot next to his own vehicle. He almost pointed it out, but then changed his mind. If his lunch plans happened to fall through and he ended up resorting to arranging a 'coincidental' meeting, it would be better if she didn't know what kind of transportation he drove.

"This should only take a minute." He told her. "I'll keep the air running if ya want."

"Thank you, I'd like that." She replied. "It looks like it's getting hot out there."

Dante started to open his door, then hesitated. If he was going to ask her out it had to be right now, before he had too much time to think about what could go wrong.

"Say, Miss Miaka…I was just wonderin'…" He began, not looking at her, "…since you missed your brunch date, and as long as I have a lunch break coming up, and there's this nice coffeehouse and café just down the road… would you like get somethin' to eat with me before I take you home?" He held his breath as she considered his question, not daring to even glance at her in case it would provoke a rejection.

Mercifully, she didn't keep him in suspense. "Just call me Miaka like you did before. And I'd love to have lunch with you!"

He risked a quick look, and his heart leapt at the sight of the grin she was wearing. "You would?"

"Yes, very much...but I do have one condition."

Dante's exhilaration quickly drained away. All right, so she wanted to be sure they were going out as friends. That was okay- building a friendship would provide a way to keep seeing her until he had convinced her that she wanted more. And convince her he would...

"What's your condition?" He asked, abruptly reining in the dangerous train of thought.

"I want to pay for our lunch this time." Miaka declared. "It'd give me pleasure to do that after you've taken such good care of me!"

It was like being on a Ferris wheel, Dante thought wryly; first he was down, and then all of a sudden he was heading back for the top. This time... does that mean she wants there to be more? She hasn't set any limits... so there's nothin' stoppin' me from askin' her out again!

"Um...Dante? Would that be all right?"

Miaka's smile had faded, and her widened eyes gave away her worry that he wasn't going to accept. As happiness exploded within him, it took every single bit of self -control Dante possessed not to lean forward and lay a kiss on her luscious mouth right then and there.

"Lady, ya got yourself a deal!" He told her gleefully, and then bolted from the car before he did something to embarrass them both.

_________________________________________________________________ _______

Miaka giggled to herself as she watched Dante sprinting towards the back door of the precinct house.

He's very sweet and so modest… I can't believe he was so worried I'd say no to going to lunch with him! If only he knew how nice it was to have someone ask me out …

Her smile grew, then faded as guilt assailed her about missing breakfast with Taka.

I'll call him when we get to the restaurant, she promised herself. He'll understand when I tell him what happened. And Dante definitely deserves a thank you for all the trouble he's gone to for me, even if he only doing his job! Strangely, the thought of Dante helping her purely out of duty was as unpalatable to her as her guilt over missing her date with Taka. It can't be that. He's got to be feeling the connection we share... why else would he be asking me out this quickly?

Swarms of butterflies filled her stomach as she contemplated the implications of the situation.

Oh my goodness, Tasuki's reincarnation just asked me on a date! I suppose I should've told him I have a steady boyfriend… but he already knew that, and he asked me out anyway! He's probably thinking I'm totally easy...what will I do if he tries to put the moves on me?

Just the thought made her heart flutter.

A short, friendly peck would be all right. She reasoned. People here are always hugging and kissing each other for one reason or another, so it doesn't necessarily have to mean anything if I allow him one. If he tries to push me beyond that one, I'll say no, I don't want to complicate things and ruin a wonderful new friendship.

It was a solid plan, chock full of good intentions, and hopefully one that might allow her to keep Dante in her life even though she was with Taka. The only problem with it was that she couldn't go through with it.

Face it, Miaka, it's stupid to pretend to be friends when you feel more than friendship. The right thing to do is to buy him lunch and then go your separate ways.

But there was no chance of that. On top of her excitement at possibly finding another of her seishi in her world, her attraction to Dante had been instantaneous and undeniable. She knew that and herself well enough to be certain that there was no way she could ignore him or push him out of her life now that she'd met him. As if to confirm that admission, memories of being passionately kissed by a flame-throwing bandit leapt to the fore, stirring up intense feelings of love and regret.

Maybe Suzaku had a hand in this I've wished over and over I'd gotten to know Tasuki better, so now that I have been given a chance to do that, how can I pass it up? Things happen for a reason in the book. This could be the best thing of all ...

Her thoughts took an abrupt turn, this time venturing into forbidden territory with Dante dressed as her redheaded warrior, stealing her away with the intention of loving her throughly and making her feel like a real woman. Enmeshed in spinning out her newest erotic fantasy, she failed to notice that the star of it had returned to the car. When the driver's door was yanked open and he slid into the seat next to her, she jumped and let out a startled shriek.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed, eyeing her flushed features with concern. "Chill! It's only me!"

She blinked at him in bewilderment, her hands clutching at her racing heart. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you would be back so soon." She took a deep breath, and then lowered her unsteady hands to her lap. "I guess I got too caught up in my daydreaming."

"Yeah, you looked like you were miles away." He observed, as he started the car and shifted it into reverse. "We're really gonna have to do something about that short attention span of yours. It could get you into trouble."

"It already has," she confessed ruefully. "Especially when I was younger."

Dante laughed. "I bet it did! You must have had a tough time in school if ya spaced out like that in class!"

Miaka smirked. "You're right, I did get in trouble for not paying attention." She confirmed. A streak of mischief suddenly reared its head and she added in a rush, "But in my defense, I read an article in the American Journal of Psychology that said a healthy amount of fantasizing is absolutely essential to humans achieving full gratification."

The car lurched and bucked violently. Dante swore under his breath as the engine died.

To his right, the owner of the car suppressed a giggle at his flustered expression. "What happened?"

"I popped the damn clutch!"

"Ah."

As Dante re-started the car, Miaka could see that his cheeks were flushed and that his hand was tightly gripping the gearshift. A purely feminine elation filled her at the knowledge that her words had had such a strong effect on him, closely followed by surprise that they had. From what little she had witnessed in the social scene, American women were much more forward with their men friends, so she would have thought Dante would have been used to remarks of that nature.

Well, it was too late to take it back. All she could do now was wait to see if and how he would respond to her risqué comment. She strongly suspected he would, even if he had been embarrassed. Just like Tasuki, this man didn't seem like he'd let anyone get the best of him, physically or verbally.

As soon as he had gotten them safely out of the parking lot, Dante confirmed her theory.

"So what happens in your daydreams?" He inquired, with a suspiciously innocent look. "Must be some pretty gratifying ones to grab your attention like that."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm sure it's nothing a guy would care to hear about."

"Try me." He persisted.

"Um…well...it's mostly just… girly things."

"Sounds interesting. What kind of girly things?"

Miaka hesitated, torn between mischief, shyness and exasperation. Clearly, Dante wasn't going to let her off the hook until she had completely satisfied his curiosity! All right, Fang Boy… just remember you asked for it! "Well, sometimes they involve…um… romantic situations."

To her surprise, Dante didn't laugh. "The once in a lifetime kind?" He prompted.

"Sort of. " Despite her efforts to remain cool and composed, she could feel the rising sting of a blush. "For instance, I've had some involving a secret mountain hideout and being carried away to it by a fiery, woman-hating bandit."

"A mountain bandit's lair…" Dante repeated, looking intrigued. "Wow. I can understand the romance part, but why would ya want to be swept off your feet by a hot-tempered hillbilly thief who hates females?"

Miaka bit back a laugh. This was a very improper conversation to be having, but it was also fun. Too fun to stop. "Well...because I'd be the only woman in the world he doesn't hate, and he'd turn out to be a brave and chivalrous champion with a heart of pure gold!" She asserted.

Dante smirked. "A combination of Prince Charming and James Dean?"

She laughed. "Exactly! Except not as conservative looking and broody!"

"And I suppose he's the world's best lover?"

"Well of course!" She retorted, refusing to let his knowing smile fluster her. "But the best thing about is that he proves he loves me in spite of all my flaws and foibles…" Her voice drifted off on a wistful sigh.

"Sounds to me like you wish this guy was real."

"He was." Miaka gave another involuntary sigh, too wrapped in memories to notice that her companion's smile had flatlined. "A long time ago I knew a guy just like that, but by the time I met him I already had a boyfriend. I was too caught up in the rapture of first love to even consider that he might have been the one for me."

Dante's gaze was sharp, but his voice was gentle as he asked, "Was he the guy I reminded you of?"

"Y-yes." Her cheeks grew even hotter under his prolonged scrutiny. "So Dante, how about you? Don't you ever fantasize about things like that?"

He looked surprised and then amused at her clumsy attempt to deflect his questioning. "Nah, not really. I only think about it when I have the time to go out and do something about it."

"And have you?"

"From time to time. Nothing good came of it."

"Oh." She wondered if that meant he wasn't interested in making a commitment, then told herself it didn't matter. After all, she had Taka.

They had now reached the coffeehouse, which housed at the end of a small strip mall. Dante swung the car into the nearest parking space and switched off the ignition, while his passenger pondered upon what he had said

"We're here!" He announced cheerfully.

In the silence that followed, Miaka blurted out the question her inner demons were prodding her to ask. "So you've never ever had a single dream about finding a certain someone, and what you'd do if you found her?"

Dante stared down at the keys in his hand with an expression that indicated that he was considering his answer very carefully. After a few seconds of contemplation, he turned to look at her, and she sucked in a breath at seeing how dark and intense his gaze had become.

"To be honest, I have had recurring dreams about a woman." He confessed. "And now...I think she isn't just a dream."

To be continued!

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