Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Walking the Edge ❯ Old Flames ( Chapter 7 )

BIG FREAKING DISCLAIMER: I don't own Love Hina, only Kiera. But I wish I owned Love Hina… *sigh*

Anything in italics are thoughts. If I can get the italics to work… Or if they're like this: `thought' and mentioned as a thought. Most of the time.

Chapter 7 - Old Flames

September drifted by and the days faded into October. A little more than a week before Halloween, in fact. It was dark and overcast, the clouds threatening to drop their loads on unsuspecting victims at any moment.

An exhausted Kiera was leaving campus when she heard someone yell her name, and not in the way any hormonal young adult would want them to. The crowds pressing around her didn't let her see who the caller was.

"Hey, Trinh! Kiera! Wait up!"

The young American whirled around and spotted someone shoving through the crowd to get to her, a familiar redhead.

`Christ, that better not be Naru.' She groaned inwardly. The redhead managed to disentangle herself from the crowd and came face to face with Kiera.

"Angela?!"

The British girl arrogantly tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I'm surprised you know who I am." She sniffed. "You've never called and told me where you went while I was visiting my father."

"Fine, Morgan. I'll see you around then." Kiera said coldly. Before she could take a step away, an arm slipped through hers and held fast.

"It's Angela. Morgan is my last name Kiera, or did you forget that?" She casually tugged on Kiera's arm. "Come on, I was just kidding around."

She gave in to the tugging and allowed herself to be turned. Kiera smiled and took in the sight of a familiar face like a breath of fresh air.

The lithe British girl was built perfectly, a shock of shoulder-length red hair, the darkest emerald-green eyes one could find outside of cats, and a body like a goddess. Dressed in a midnight blue trench coat, form-fitting black jeans, and a blood-red blouse, it was easy to get distracted by her body. "See? You can never stay mad at me." Angela grinned slyly. Grabbing her shirtfront with a free hand, she pulled Kiera down from her 5'4 for a kiss.

Instinctively, she kissed back for a moment before pulling away. "Damn it, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not interested in you." Kiera sighed.

"Oh really? I seem to recall one hot August night. You remember, don't you? The night before I left." Her hand had released the other's shirt and was idly tracing patterns on the front of it.

Kiera blushed. "You got me drunk!" Staring down into those green orbs, it was hard to believe that someone standing only at 5'2 could be so intimidating. She stopped and glanced around; people were staring at the both of them. A few guys were trying to control their bloody noses. "This conversation is not fit for public consumption!" she hissed as she walked away quickly, dragging Angela with her.

"Planning to drag me off to your sex dungeon? Well, I'm game."

"Shut up."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~

"So. How have you been?" Angela still had Kiera's arm entwined with her own. She was drawing the fingers of her free hand slowly up and down her arm.

"Fine, you? How did you find out I was in Japan? Where are you staying at?" She asked as she shifted around in the train seat. A one and a half hour train ride back to Hinata was not what she wanted to deal with at the moment.

"Well, to answer one question at a time. I'm fine, dear cousin Alex told me, and I'm staying with some relatives in Tokyo." She leaned in closer to Kiera. "See those two? Over there. They've been following us since we left campus." She whispered right in her ear.

"Yeah, I've noticed. So what?" Kiera whispered back.

"Bit suspicious, no?"

"Maybe they just want to see something. I dunno."

Angela smiled wickedly. "Well, then. Who are we to deny our fans?" She grabbed Kiera's shirtfront again and pulled her over for another kiss.

"HINATA HOT SPRINGS. HINATA HOT SPRINGS." The loud announcement over the speakers interrupted them as the train screeched to a stop. From the corners of their eyes, they saw several males suffering from varying degrees of nosebleeds, including the pair that was following them.

"Oh look, it's our stop." Kiera smirked, using her free hand to push Angela backwards on to the seat. She stood up and pulled her arm out from her grasp.

"You know I like it rough." Angela grinned up from the seat and held out a hand. "But let's try and save it for later."

Kiera grabbed her hand and pulled her off the train. "There won't be a later. Trust me."

Silently, the two men stepped off after them, their nosebleeds stopped with bits of napkins.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~

"Are those two still following us?" Angela leaned closer to the American. Because of the stalkers, she had gotten a tour around Hinata, courtesy of Kiera.

"Yeah, and I'm beginning to get annoyed." She squeezed her hand into a fist. "Come on, time to end this stupid game." Above them, the sky rumbled, seemingly in agreement. Kiera ducked into a darkened nearby alley, jerking Angela along after her.

"Here," she pressed a folded knife into the Brit's hand.

An evil grin spread across Angela face. "Now for some fun."

"Oh, grow up." Kiera was smirking just as evilly as she twirled a second knife in her right hand. "Duck back there." She waved over to the partially hidden doorway.

Two heavy sets of footsteps approached them. "Hey, where'd they go?"

"Dunno. Saw them come down here like you."

The taller one swatted at the other. "Then look for `em. They looked like the types we can have a little fun with."

"Ya know, this is a bad idea. What if we get caught?"

"Whose gonna find out?" He rubbed his hands together.

WHAM! "Well, not the cops, that's for sure." Kiera held a fist up, an unfolded knife blade glittering in her grasp.

The poor man held his hands out in penance. "We didn't mean nothin' by it. It was all his idea!" He pointed at the unconscious man on the floor as he backed away. Right into Angela.

"Well, hello there." She drew a finger down along the side of his face when he spun around to face her. He scurried backwards, bumping into Kiera, who was suddenly much closer. He twisted around to face her instead. With his back exposed, Angela naturally took the opening to drive her fist into the back of his head. Managing only a grunt, he collapsed to his knees and fell over. She had a faint look of disgust on her face as she stared at the second unconscious form. "So, what do we do now?" She handed the knife back to Kiera.

Their eyes met at the exact moment as they came up with the same idea. "Strip `em." Both were grinning wickedly as they undressed their stalkers. The pair examined every item removed from the pockets and dumped the clothes into the dirtiest dumpster back there. Both wallets had been tossed on the floor while the two girls hogtied the unconscious males with their belts.

"Oh man, they're broke." The pair of wallets followed the clothes into the dumpster. Kiera kicked the various items under the trashcan.

"That little scuffle left me turned on, how about you?" Angela had an amused sort of look in her eyes.

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Kiera replied without thinking. "Erm, shit," she blushed. "Uh, don't you have to be getting back home?" She attempted to change the topic, her face still flushed.

Angela looped an arm through Kiera's again. "No, I think we were still discussing how turned on we are." Forcibly, she dragged her friend out of the alley just as it began to drizzle. "Bloody hell, it's starting to rain."

"Gee, I didn't notice." She rolled her eyes. "Come on, we'll have to go to my place then."

"Oh, is that how turned on you are?"

"Do you want to get wet?"

Angela smiled and kissed her cheek. "At this point, it can't be helped." She winked suggestively.

"That's not what I meant!" The pair made their way through the light foot traffic.

"Well, I don't know what you're thinking about. I was talking about the rain."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~

The light drizzle had become a downpour by the time they arrived at the Hinata House. Kiera stopped. "Wait, before we go in I should tell you not to mention something. My fellow tenants don't know about me."

"They don't know what about you? That you're bisexual?" Angela tilted her head to one side, looking distinctly bird-like in the motion.

"Shh!" She held a finger up to her lips. "Not so loud."

"What? I'm also a bisexual and I'm not afraid to tell the world."

"Yeah, well. You don't live in an all-girls dorm."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "With a communal bath too?"

"Yes," she noticed the Brit's expression. "But I take showers, so don't get any ideas."

She sighed dramatically. "Must you make everything so difficult?" She thought for a second. "Unless, you already have a crush on someone here!" She grinned triumphantly.

Kiera sweatdropped. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Aha! So you do have a crush! You're being far too defensive!" The wind began to pick up and Angela shivered. "Is there any way we can continue this inside? I'm soaked."

"Yeah, you already told me." The American slid the door open.

"Pervert." She whacked Kiera on the shoulder. "That's not what I'm talking about and you know it."

"So what? Are you the only one allowed to be perverted?" The pair slipped inside and Kiera closed the door behind them. They managed to get their shoes and backpacks off before Kitsune ambushed them.

"Hey, just the American I wanted to see!" Kitsune appeared, a can a beer clutched in one hand. "Oh, hello. And who might you be?" She set the can of beer down on the table as she passed. "Well, that doesn't matter right now. Here, lemme help you out of those wet coats." They reluctantly handed their trench coats over to her and, in return, she gave them each a large, fluffy white towel. "I'll go hang these in the washing room. And Kiera, don't go anywhere." She winked and disappeared as fast as she came.

"That was weird." Kiera blinked as she dried herself off.

"Judging by how well I know you, I know you don't have a crush on her. Or rather, I hope you don't." Angela nudged her with her elbow.

"I told you, I don't have a crush. I swear woman, you are deaf sometimes." She shook her head.

"Maybe a little deaf from your screams all those months ago." The Brit grinned cheekily.

She blushed. "I don't scream, but you do. Loudly too, I might add." She shot back.

"I thought you were too drunk to remember." Angela said, blushing quickly.

"I said I was drunk, I never said I didn't remember." she smirked.

"Remember what?" Kitsune reappeared out of nowhere, carrying a notebook in her hands.

"Nothing, just a pair of friends reminiscing," Kiera gave Angela a look. "Let me introduce a good friend of mine, Angela Morgan. Angela meet Kitsune."

"Hello," she nodded to Kitsune.

"Hey," She turned back to face Kiera. "So, who are you betting on tonight? Su, Shinobu, and the others already placed their bets." She opened the notebook, her pen poised to write.

"Um," she wrapped the towel around her shoulders. "Naru, in the hot springs."

"How much?"

"Twenty bucks."

She scribbled something down in kanji. "Ya know, if you're gonna study in Japan, you should, at least, learn about the currency."

Kiera shrugged. "I can get by well enough."

"Whatever, it's your money." Kitsune grabbed her beer and plopped down on the couch.

"Bet?"

"Yeah, we got this really clumsy manager who always gets caught peeping or whatever. Kitsune and I decided to use this to make money betting on who and where."

"I take it your manager is a lesbian."

She shook her head. "It's a guy."

"I thought this was an all-girls dorm."

"It is."

"Then, why is a man the manager of a girl's dorm?"

"I dunno, they never wanted to tell me." Kiera picked up her backpack. "Are you going to head back or do you want to come up to my room?

"Your room? I thought you weren't interested in me." Angela smiled innocently. The storm outside thundered in the background.

"You're free to leave, I'm not stopping you." She paused, a foot on one step of the stairs. Lightning flashed and the room echoed with thunder.

"On second thought, maybe I'll join you." She crossed the room quickly.

"Kiera, are you home already?" A voice called from the kitchen.

"Yeah Shinobu. Is there something you need?" The American called back, sparing a glance at Angela.

"Just reminding you that dinner is at six." The master chef replied from the kitchen.

"Hey, do you mind setting an extra spot at the table? A good friend of mine just dropped by for a visit and study session," Angela opened her mouth to protest and shut it after another glare from her friend. "And I'm sure she'll stay for dinner."

"No problem."

"Thanks." She grabbed the redhead by the arm and dragged her upstairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Upstairs, in front of Kiera's room…

"Hey! You didn't even ask me if I was going to stay for dinner!" The Brit punctuated the last bit with a stomp.

Kiera rolled her eyes. "Fine," she slid the door open. "Going to stay for dinner?"

The redhead stopped in mid-tirade. "Um, yes, I'd love to stay for dinner."

"Well then, problem solved." She stepped aside and executed a mock bow, waving to the door. "Welcome to my humble abode."

Angela carefully stepped through the doorway, taking in the features of the room. A normal, if rather large, desk to the right of the entrance of the doorway, a closed, sliding door leading to a closet on the left, and a large, gray rug in the middle of the floor with a kotatsu on it. You know, one of those low, heated tables. A wide, bay window was directly across from the door and a partition over to the side partially blocked off the view of a bed and balcony. "Cozy, but why all black?" she asked, taking a few more steps into the room and dropping her bag against the desk near the door.

The other padded in silently after her. "What's wrong with black? Besides, not everything is black." She waved at the rug with one hand as she slid the door shut. Her backpack followed Angela's. "Hey, where'd this table come from?" Taped to the kotatsu was a note with her name written on it. Kiera plucked it off the table and unfolded it. Her eyes skimmed over the letter.

"What does it say?"

"Oh, the landlord found it cleaning out the attic," she smirked. "He figures I should be a genuine Tokyo U student like him and study at that instead." She crumpled up the note and tossed it into the wastebasket by her desk. The dark wood of the kotatsu matched the décor in the room at the very least. Sitting in the middle of the table was a green turtle shell. She prodded it cautiously with a finger. Suddenly, out popped a little yellow head and limbs. "Myuh!" it cried and flew out the open window.

"Well, that was certainly something you don't see everyday," Angela commented.

"No kidding." Kiera still stared out the open window. She felt hands come to rest on her shoulders. They spun her around and quickly slammed her down onto the low table. "Hey! Ow! What gives?" The back of her head had hit the table first and throbbed painfully. Surprisingly, the table bore the hit without so much as a creak.

Angela was on all fours above her, not quite straddling her stomach. Her hands pinned Kiera's wrists to the table. "Do you know how long I wanted to do that?" She looked down into the eyes of the one below her and found surprise, and under that, arousal.

"Oh no, tell me. How long?" She goaded the redhead with a smile tugging at her lips, dark humor filling her eyes.

The same dark smile was reflected in her expression. "Long enough."

Dark orbs stared into emerald ones. "What do you think-"

She smiled wickedly and captured her lips with hers. Months of pent-up hormonal frustrations had taken its toll on the young woman's self-control and sanity.

Eyes glowered at each other as tongues battled for supremacy. The pair broke apart, panting in unison. A distinct, but low growl could be heard.

"Are you purring?!" Angela stared down at Kiera.

In response, she bared her teeth and did it again.

She smiled in return, baring her own fangs at the one pinned beneath her. "We have to keep that going," she lowered her mouth to the other's neck. Teeth nipped and sucked at a patch of tanned skin. The form beneath the fangs tensed and shuddered under the attentions, shifting slightly for a better position. She drew back, absolute pleasure painted across her features. Left in her wake, a dark red mark that would come to be a promising hickey if the flesh didn't heal so fast.

Instead of saying, "Get off of me" what came out was "How come you're on top?" Kiera purred and attempted to push her off in the same breath. Or rather, in one of many self-same breaths.

"Nuh uh," she tsked, shaking her head. "I was here first. And now, your punishment for trying to escape." Angela lowered her head and managed to undo the first button on the other's top with her teeth. She breathed slowly over the newly exposed skin.

She renewed her struggles to get free, even if they were half-hearted. The hands pinning her wrists down loosened as the mouth traveled lower and lower, undoing buttons along the way. The hands slid off her wrists halfway down the shirt, but she didn't notice much.

The mouth and breath reached the end of the shirt and she felt something tug at the button of her jeans. "Oh no you don't," Kiera could only growl at this point. She reached down and seized Angela's shirt by the collar. With a quick jerk, the pair was once again face-to-face, only this time with less cloth in the way. "Let's keep this above the waist." With that said, she gave in to the urge to kiss her or at least viciously ravage her lips.

They made out furiously, Angela's hands getting to where they shouldn't have been. Kiera pushed her off gently. "Didn't I say above the waist?" She purred, rolling them both over. Amazingly, they didn't roll off the table, but now dark-haired one was on top. She straddled her hips and her hands pinned the other one's wrists down. She held her body above the other's, stretched over in a dominating position, her long braid hanging to one side. Her shirt fluttered, betraying her stillness and exposing the black bra underneath.

Someone knocked loudly at the door, shattering the moment. "What?" Kiera snarled and twisted to face the door, their little game forgotten.

"Hey, food's done. Are you coming down?" Kitsune asked from the other side.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe how far down I'm goin'." She muttered under her breath as she turned to face her captive again.

"What was that?" The door opened a crack. "I'm coming in, alright?"

"What?! I mean, don't! Uh, I'm not decent!" She practically leapt off her `victim'.

Angela grinned. "I think everyone knows that by now." She snickered as she rolled off the table. She ducked when her friend took a swipe at her head.

The door was already opened about a quarter of the way before it stopped. "Okay, then I'll see ya downstairs." The sound of footsteps retreated down the hall.

She stared at the partially open door, counting what little blessings she had left. Arms slid around her, toying with the open shirtfront. "Want to skip dinner?"

Annoyed, she slipped out of their grasp. "No. Are you done pushing my buttons yet?" Her nimble fingers re-buttoned her shirt closed as she stayed out of reach of the redhead.

"I guess I am, for now. Just promise me we'll go on a run later."

"A run? But it's so populated here, and it's, uh, raining." She protested weakly.

"Since when have you been worried about people? Or rain? Come on, it's just one bloody run. Please?" Angela pleaded.

Kiera could feel her resistance crumbling, she hadn't really been out like that since August and the idea was far more appealing than homework. "Fine, I'll go." She sighed dramatically.

She gave her a wicked smile. "Good, now it's time for dinner. I hope all your fellow residents are as interesting as Miss Kitsune." Grabbing Kiera by wrist, she pulled her out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back downstairs, Dining Room…

Everyone stopped when Angela and Kiera walked into the room, arm in arm. Motoko stared at them, envy and jealousy welling up from somewhere in her subconscious. 'What happened to you don't feel that way about her?' A little part of her brain taunted. 'Of course I don't feel that way about her! She can associate with whoever she wants!' she thought to herself. Still, automatically, she felt an extreme dislike toward the new redhead.

Kitsune's eyes widened noticeably. 'Wha? Arm in arm? What happened to Motoko? Uh oh, I gotta set the plan into motion!' she thought furiously, her expression betraying her thoughts. She looked at the floor, her brain going a mile a minute.

Su broke the silence with a blunt question, "Who are you?"

"Okay people, let me introduce a good friend of mine, Angela Morgan. Angela, you've already met Kitsune, so let me introduce you to Naru, Keitaro, Su, Shinobu, and last, but certainly not least, Motoko." Kiera gestured to each of the people in turn, saving a smirk for Motoko. She pulled her arm free from the death grasp the redhead had it in and lightly nudged her in the ribs.

"Um, hi." Angela gave a little nod to each person. Already her mind was focused on analyzing the people to find out who was her friend's crush. "So, which one of these lovely specimens do you have the 'hots' for?" she leaned in and whispered in Kiera's ear, her breath triggering a mini-shudder as it drifted along.

To the immense shock and disbelief of everyone, Kiera blushed, not just a little blush they occasionally saw, but a full blown one. Motoko felt another twinge of jealously and Kitsune nearly dropped the plate she was holding. 'How did she get that kind of blush out of our sarcastic and generally evil fellow resident?' was collectively thought by everyone in the room, save Kiera and said newcomer.

Over the course of the meal, Angela examined everyone carefully, considering what she knew about her friend and what she could observe about the others. Her talent for reading people was annoyingly accurate most of the time, but even she can be wrong. There wasn't much conversation made because of the atmosphere; it was more like a polite interrogation.

It turns out Su constructed a bigger table to seat people more comfortably and hold the weight of all the food prepared, so people were seated with plenty of room to spare. Angela surreptitiously glanced around the table at the seating order. Keitaro and Naru were sitting across from them, talking amongst themselves. They were close, to her perceptive eyes, an in-the-closet couple and neither of them probable crushes for her friend.. 'He's not her type, and she's too, something. Not a good something either.' Her eyes continued their examination of the residents.

Shinobu and Su sat a little ways away, but still on the same side as Naru. Her gaydar picked up that they were, indeed, a couple. The looks they gave each other hinted at it, not even the most retarded idiot could miss it. 'And yet, no one seems to have noticed.' she mused. 'Not them. Shinobu's far too innocent, and Su is too energetic.' She thought to herself, and her eyes moved on to Kitsune.

Kitsune was sitting at the head of the table, listening and occasionally interjecting in Keitaro's and Naru's conversation. 'She's got potential. Good looks, nice body, and an interesting personality. Too bad it's not her.'

Her glance fell upon Motoko. She was eating slowly, and looked like she was worlds away. She looked troubled, and every time she glanced at Angela her expression would become even more troubled.

"We have a winner," she whispered quietly to herself. Mentally, she started making a mental note on all the qualities her American friend would find attractive. 'Swords, discipline, and she is rather beautiful. It's a pity she's not wearing something more flattering, that ensemble doesn't do her any justice. And yet, she's still delicate. And desirable.' She smirked as she made the connection. 'Well, they say opposites do attract.'

"What was that?" Kiera asked, spoon halfway to her mouth.

She leaned closer to her. "Do tell, are you attracted to Motoko?" Her lips barely brushed Kiera's ear, her breath drew another shudder from the poor American.

Momentarily, she lost her train of thought for a second as her mind took her down fantasy road with brilliant ideas involving the aforementioned lips. She blinked and snapped back to reality, her blush returning double speed and at full strength. 'I need to get my mind of the gutter.' Kiera thought as her mouth made the automatic denial. "No way. She's a prude, and not my type."

"Is that so?" Her hand slipped under Kiera's shirt.

She set down her spoon and stood up quickly, making Angela pull her hand back to avoid being seen. "Um, Angela and I are gonna head back upstairs to study. We were in the middle of an important section." Mentally, she winced while the Brit gave her a sly look. 'Mental note, avoid innuendo.'

Angela rose gracefully and so did Motoko. "Ahem," she cleared her throat to get their attention. "Would you mind assisting me with some of my homework then?" Motoko eyed Angela suspiciously, with masked jealously. The redhead simply grinned cheekily back at her, looping her arm through Kiera's.

'Shit, shit, shit.' She swore mentally. "Of course not, Motoko. You're always welcome." She smirked, not even revealing her discomfiture. She tried to slide her hand out of Angela's grip. She pulled Kiera to her even tighter, making the samurai glare at her. "Dinner was wonderful." The redhead inclined her head to Shinobu. "My compliments to the cook."

"Come on, let's go 'study'," The Brit's emphasis on the last word made the American roll her eyes as she was dragged out of the room without another word. Motoko frowned at her back and turned to Shinobu. "That was a wonderful meal." She bowed and followed after them.

Everyone else stared after them, Kitsune hid a broad smile behind her napkin. Her plan might just work after all.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back to Kiera's room...

The three sat around the kotatsu, an uncomfortable silence permeating the atmosphere. Kiera stared down at her Literature book, chewing on the end of the pen she had in her hand. She couldn't concentrate on the words, and kept having that foreboding feeling something bad was going to happen. Missing the pen after a particularly hard bite, her teeth sank into the soft flesh inside her lower lip.

"Fuck!"

The pen sailed through the air, heading on a collision course with Motoko's ear. She knocked it away instinctively and looked up. Angela followed suit, setting down her pen and looking up at Kiera.

Blood leaked out the corner of her mouth in a steady flow. It ran down her jaw, only to fall on the pages of her textbook. She ignored it, seemingly hell-bent on reading around the spots. Normally, her supernatural healing would take over, but she stopped it with conscious thought.

The pair of women simply stared at her as blood continued to stain the pages.

"Kiera?" Angela motioned to her mouth with a hand. "Do you want help with that?"

Motoko spared a glance at the redhead and looked back to the American. "Yes, do you desire any assistance?" Her expression was questioning, and mildly curious.

She sighed tiredly. "Yeah, give me something to clean this up, will ya?" She leaned back from the table, the blood flow tapering off. She licked her lips slowly, spreading the fluid around, and completely unaware of the attention she was getting from the others.

"I've got just the way to get rid of it." Angela smiled slyly. She leaned over, grabbed Kiera by the collar, and kissed her. Licking and sucking, she savored the bitter, metallic bite of the blood. The one being 'cleaned off' didn't mind too much, until she remembered Motoko was in the room also.

She froze as her jaw dropped and jealousy flared up immediately, providing fuel for her anger. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" She screamed. In one quick movement, she had pried Angela off Kiera and threw the Brit to the floor roughly.

The redhead looked up from the floor, emerald fire flashing in her eyes. "I could ask you the same thing," she sneered as she climbed to her feet with fluid grace. Motoko had risen to her feet also, and the pair stared each other down. She sneered and shoved the swordswoman roughly, sending her stumbling back a step or two. Motoko recovered quickly, and the pair resumed their glaring.

"Hold that thought." Kiera got to her feet quickly with the same animal grace. Without her controlling it, her lip stopped bleeding and healed quickly.

The air was thick with the threat of violence, and she wanted to make sure that didn't happen. She stepped in between the both of them, pushing them apart, and using the opportunity to squeeze Motoko's breast. Accidentally, of course, but still, the samurai blushed like there was no tomorrow. "Come on, back up. That's it, step away from each other." She managed to push them an arm's length away from each other, with her hands, conveniently, still touching their chests. `Must not grope. Must not grope.' She thought repeatedly to herself as a mantra. Her thoughts derailed again, and she had to bite her tongue to get back to reality.

"Um, Motoko? Maybe you should go study by yourself. Me and Angela have a lot of catching up to do, you know?" She held her breath as she waited for the reply.

The swordswoman's face was still red as she nodded curtly. "Of course. After all, you are just friends." She scooped up her books while glaring at Angela. She stomped out of the room, giving her one last dirty look.

"Did you have to do that?" Kiera sighed and sat back down.

"Do what? She started it."

"Well, what the hell were you expecting? I asked for something to clean up the blood and you go and kiss me!"

She leaned over and touched a finger to the American's lips. "What are you complaining about? You're clean now, aren't you? Besides, I didn't hear you telling me to get off when I kissed you."

"Yeah, well, it's a little hard to talk while we're attached mouth-to-mouth."

"You Yanks are so picky." Angela mock-frowned. "Well, time to go on that run you owe me."

"But, it's still raining." She glanced at the window to her left. The storm had stopped for the moment, but it was still overcast, blocking the view of a waxing half-moon.

"I think you might want to try another excuse." She began to tap her foot against the floor, an irritated expression crossing her features. Only her eyes gave away the truth; she didn't bother hiding the amusement in them.

"URASHIMA! YOU VILE LECHEROUS MALE! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" An angry voice screamed from somewhere downstairs. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! GET BACK HERE!"

"AAAAHHHH! I'M SORRY MOTOKO!" A male voice answered in an impossibly screechy tone.

Kiera covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "You know, that run sounds really good right now." She muttered without looking up. "Um, but let's go out the roof."

Arching an eyebrow, she nudged the American with her foot. "What is that all about?"

"Our perverted landlord. He gets his comeuppance most of the time. It's better if you don't know." Was all she offered as a reply as she got to her feet. "Come on, roof's this way." She had opened the door and waved vaguely down the hall.

"Won't your housemates know you're gone?" Angela walked past her and leaned against the wall.

"Nah, they won't even notice." The pair crept down the hall, making as little noise as possible as they headed up the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Roof, the landing…

"Uh, you can go first." Kiera looked up balefully at the cloudy sky. In her hands, she kept playing with a canvas bag, zipping and unzipping it repeatedly.

Angela nodded, and began to strip slowly. Off came her shirt, and soon after her pants and undergarments followed. In moments, she stood naked, exposed to the elements, the dim light shimmering off her pale skin.

The American warred with the urge to stare or not to stare. Automatically, she shoved the clothes into the bag when they were handed to her. She decided to give in to the urge for once and watched Angela.

The young Brit succumbed to the change, the primal energy running through her veins. Her flesh shifted as bones rearranged, fur sprouting from her skin. Steam rolled off her form in clouds, momentarily shrouding her, as her body temperature rose to accommodate the change humming through her. She fell to all fours and shook herself off.

Where a human once stood, was one of the long-forgotten dire wolves of a past age. Massive jaws, paws, and generally larger than an average human or wolf, it was once one of humanity's few predators. Dark reddish fur covered her body and emerald eyes glittered in the blackness of the night as she padded over to the dark-haired girl. She nudged her friend lightly in the ribs with her snout, and seized her a belt loop of jeans in her jaws, giving a little tug.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going," She quickly stripped off all her clothing and stuffed it into the bag. She shivered as she dropped the bag on the floor after zipping it up. Angela the wolf took the opportunity to stick her nose right where it wasn't supposed to be.

"Hey!" She yelped, shoving the massive beast's head away from her. Taking a deep breath, Kiera submitted to the change running through her blood silently calling out to the night. Steam boiled off her, enveloping her in an almost ethereal mist, hanging in the air before dissipating. In mere moments, a second dire wolf had appeared in her place. With a pelt blacker than the night surrounding them, she glanced around suspiciously and sniffed the air. Her eyes, instead of remaining dark, had changed to reflective amber. After a few well-placed nips to the nape of the red wolf, she padded over to the edge and looked down. It was a rather long fall, but she could handle it with little trouble.

Tilting her head back, the dark furred wolf loosed a wild howl of joy and leapt off the roof. With a sharp bark, the red one followed suit, easily clearing the nearby trees and landing as soundlessly. The dark one nipped at her flanks, and the pair took off into the night.

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By the time they had gotten back, it was almost midnight. They had spent more than 2 hours running around, not to mention scaring several people taking a walk.

Since it was too late to return to her own place in Tokyo, Angela quickly fell asleep in Kiera's bed without another word. Clad in only a nightshirt, much to the American's annoyance.

"I'm beat," she yawned as she stretched at the foot of her bed. Her muscles would be sore tomorrow, especially since she hadn't gone on a run like that for months. She yawned again as she grabbed a towel out of her closet. "Maybe a nice soak in the hot springs will be good." `Gods know I rarely go there as it is.' She chuckled to herself as she silently walked downstairs.

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Inside Motoko's room…

The young samurai's eyes kept unfocusing as she tried to re-read the text. `I can understand why Naru's eyes are so bad now.' She thought to herself tiredly as she rubbed her own. She leaned back to stretch the muscles that had cramped in her neck and back when she had been bent over, reading her textbook.

Wearily, she glanced at the clock Urashima had given to her two Christmas' ago, it was close to midnight. She had been studying for her English midterm for a good 2 hours since she had left Kiera's room. She frowned when she thought of that annoying redhead again. `Perhaps a soak in the hot springs will relax me.' She thought as she cleaned up her books.

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A/N: Okay ladies, presenting. . . drum roll, please. . . Chapter 7! Don't ask where I was going with this, `cause I have no idea. It was really fun to write though. Oh, sorry about the delays, I actually spent the last couple of days trying to think up a decent title for this. The whole chapter basically skips around, capturing little instances in poor Kiera's life. But let's not get down, I've got a special guest for tonight: Ms. Angela Morgan!

Angela: (gagged and tied to a chair) Mmmppphhh!!

MindKore: Say again?

Angela: MMMPPHH! (starts rocking the chair around)

MindKore: Whoops, my bad. You're still gagged. (reaches over and pulls off ball gag)

Angela: YOU STUPID BLOODY WANKER! WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS- (gag is shoved back into her mouth)

MindKore: Heh heh, maybe I should let her cool off first.

Angela: MMMMMPPPPHHHH!

MindKore: Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to communicate.

Angela: (somehow manages to get the gag off) YOU LITTLE BITCH! UNTIE ME RIGHT NOW OR I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WEREN'T BORN! (starts rocking the chair around again)

MindKore: Eh heh. KIERA! COME AND GET YOUR PLAYTHING!

Kiera: (walks into the room) What the hell do you want now? And why is she tied up? (looks at Angela with interest)

Angela: Untie me, will you?

Kiera: (unties her) Who tied you up to begin with?

MindKore: Oh, shit. Um, I gotta go. (starts edging toward the door)

Angela: (smiles evilly) Oh no you don't. (pulls a whip out of nowhere and cracks it)

Kiera: (looks at MindKore) This won't end well. . . (smirks)

(fades to black)

Angela: (cracks whip) Now whose my bitch?! (laughs manically)

Kiera: (muttering) Thank the gods it's not me anymore, I get Motoko. (pulls out her knives) But that doesn't stop me from having a little fun!

MindKore: Help ME!!!!

More A/N: In case my friend should find this: No, I did not use you as an example for Angela. Okay, maybe I did, but you can't prove anything! Now, opinion time! Any Truth or Dare requests you want to make? Otherwise I'll be stuck doing them for the Halloween Party chapter. Next chapter: One naked Kiera plus one naked Motoko in the hot springs (at the same time!) and some other `fun' encounters following. (thinks naughty thoughts) Oh, and my thanks go to said friend as well, she helped me with this. Uh oh, I think I hear Angela coming back, I gotta get the hell outta here! Until later!

Angela: Bitch! What do you think you're doing?!

MindKore: Uh, nothing? (runs for it)

-MindKore