A/N: This is just nonsense (for you anyway). Remember the tape that I mentioned I was transcribing last time? Well, yesterday my boss told me she was sorry because it was the wrong one! She said she could just imagine me having a difficult time doing it because the right tape was a monologue and not a round table discussion. I couldn’t help but shook my head at that. Anyway, I learned new information from that wrong tape so it's alright.

Oh well, until she finds the correct tape, I can’t concentrate editing a story because of waiting whether I have to write a paper on rainfall insurance or on watershed management or on importation. Geez! The wait is killing me that I don’t feel like writing anything, except for my roommate’s sake who kept on nagging me until I did her assignment on environmental laws. And then she told me a day after (with puppy-eyes) that she needed me to do her next position paper on water quality management in the country!

Haha I just want to rant ;)

For people like me who are working, good luck, good health and have fun working (I know I do even if it gives me headache most of the time :) For those who are still studying, study hard and enjoy life. For those who are doing something else, enjoy, too!

Chapter 8

The morning and afternoon had been spent with Sei and Youko teasing each other, or when no one was looking, stealing a kiss from the other. They would have preferred to stay at the cottage, but the need to buy presents for the New Year gathering at Sachiko’s new house had to be done. Youko wouldn’t have time to do it anymore except this day.

Surprisingly, Youko hadn’t stopped Sei from being mischievous that she was, glad that she was now truly at ease. She just rolled her eyes as Sei gave flirty remarks to other good looking girls they encountered, and couldn’t help but laugh when a guy did it to Sei. The look on Sei’s face was priceless. She had sweet-talked the guy, and then told him to get lost.

However, Youko was torn from wanting to laugh, feel embarrassed, and elated, when the same thing happened to her. Sei glared at the guy as she grabbed her hand and pulled her away. And for the rest of the day, Sei didn’t let go of her hand unless it was necessary, which she secretly enjoyed.

---o---

“I’m dying of hunger,” Sei moaned as they made their way to the cottage.

Youko just shook her head. They would have arrived earlier had it not been for Sei wanting to go here and there, like it was her first time to be out shopping during the Christmas holidays. Though in a way, maybe it was, knowing how she hated Christmas season before. She just hoped that with the things that were going on between them, that hate would be forgotten soon.

“Unless our food had been delivered as you said, then you can have your fill soon,” Youko said.

Earlier, Sei told Youko that she had arranged for a restaurant nearby to have their dinner delivered at the cottage. It would have been easier if they have dined before going back if only to avoid Sei’s grumbling about hunger all the way here. However, Sei wanted dinner to be special and that was the end of discussion.

She wondered what it could be that the blonde had planned.

---o---

Youko stared at Sei for the nth time that night. Whatever the special dinner she was saying earlier, she couldn’t really see it, much to her shame. They had a simple dinner, not even one that could be considered romantic. Although anything done with Sei was something that she would consider as romantic. However, Sei was grinning at her for the rest of their dinner, like she knew something that she didn’t, and that was what making her all worked up.

A chuckle escaped Sei’s lips as Youko gazed at her. She knew Youko had been puzzled about the fuss over the dinner, and had been trying to figure out what she was up to.

“Losing your touch, high and all-mighty Mizuno Youko?” Sei teased, which Youko answered with a frown but nonetheless kept her mouth shut.

“Isn’t it romantic?” Sei continued, still chuckling.

“Spill it out, Sei, before I gut it out of you,” Youko said, rolling her eyes.

“Youko being violent? Now that’s something no one sees everyday,” Sei said in mocked fear.

When Youko glared at her, Sei smiled in response.

“I’ll tell you after desert,” Sei said as she headed for the refrigerator. She came back with ice cream in hand and served Youko.

“I’ve been thinking, Youko, where do you think could we get an apartment that is bigger than yours near your school?” Sei asked as she savored the taste of the ice cream.

Youko nearly choked as soon as the words left Sei’s lips. Did it mean that she and Sei would live together?

Not that she was against it.

“I want to look for an apartment as soon as we can.”

“Sei…”

“Or for the time being, your apartment is just fine. Anyway, I need to finish college at Lillian first before I should move into yours. In that way, I could save some money first before being stripped with money seeing as you could eat like there’s some kind of another one inside you, and you still had to focus in your studies long after I’ve graduated,” Sei teased.

Youko ignored the teasing, knowing that she wasn’t like that. She understood though, that it was Sei’s way of saying that as soon as she graduated, they would live together, and Sei would work and provide for them despite her having support from her parents still.

“Or probably I had to get another part-time job just to be able to hire some maid to clean the mess that you would surely make at our apartment,” Youko said with challenge in her voice, knowing how messy Sei’s place could get as far as she could remember.

“Sure,” Sei grinned, knowing that they had the topic of living together someday settled.

“By the way, you should wear this. I wouldn’t want anyone trying to get you out while I’m at Lillian,” Sei added nonchalantly as she grabbed Youko’s left hand and slipped something at her ring finger.

Youko stared at her hand being held and then to the person holding her hand.

She stared for a few seconds…

A minute…

Two minutes…

Her hand started to tremble.

“What? Are you going to stare at me forever? I sure won’t mind. Do you want me to pose or something?” Sei teased.

Youko tried to open her mouth, then closed it again, her mind blank, her wits scattered for the time being. She did it a couple of times while her gaze flicked from Sei’s face to the glittering ring at her finger.

When finally Youko found the words to say, she did what she considered as the most embarrassing thing that happened in her life, and what Sei considered as the most amusing thing that she had ever seen – she burped.

Sei almost fell over at her seat as she burst out laughing just as heat covered Youko’s face.

“Stop laughing or I’ll have you thrown out of this place,” Youko said in stern voice just as she recovered from embarrassment. She glared at Sei, before her eyes softened as she gazed at her ring finger.

“Ah, Youko, Youko…my life won’t be boring as long as I’m with you,” Sei said in between laughter as she wiped the tears that formed in her eyes.

“I had never imagined that something like that would happen when I give that ring to …”

Youko have had enough.

Sei’s teasing was cut off when her lips were covered by Youko’s.

The kiss was meant to punish, just as it meant as gratitude. It started as harsh and passionate, that soon turned gentle and passionate.

When Youko was about to pull away after what seemed like eternity, Sei grabbed her and once again touched her soft lips in equally soft lips. Soon, hands tangled both in blonde and black hair, caressing, playing, and tugging. And when they pulled away from the kiss, they were breathing hard, both with racing hearts, both with glazed eyes.

“Youko…”

“Sei…”

A/N: It’s time to end this story on the next chapter. Until then!

---Arvendell---

22 September 2008