Chimamire Namida

Chimamire Namida Ch. 3 - "Kisu Hajimete"
By Shawna

how howled outside of Ayumi's window as she rolled over in her bed and switched off her alarm clock. It was the beginning of another school week, and another night where she would be at Seto's house. It was three days ago that she had seen Jou and Seto kiss, and she still could not get it off her mind. She pressed her face into her pillow without thinking about it, but then gasped in pain. There was a dark purple bruise on her cheek, and it ached now. prespressed a hand to it gingerly, not wanting to get out of bed, where she would have to bury the mark under makeup, but her fellow students would notice anyway, and stare and wonder. They never asked, and that was both a relief and an annoyance to Ayumi. They did ask ask and she did not tell.
"Holy shit! What happened to your face?"
Ayumi pressed a hand to her forehead as Jou's voice rang through the halls when she arrived at school. He came up beside her, looking concerned.
"Hey, I asked you about your face," he said, when he saw that she was not going to answer him.
"Well, what about your neck?" She said quietly, referring to the reddish blotch low on Jou's neck. He laughed and covered it with his hand.
"Fair enough," he said. "We won't tell each other then. You'll be at Seto's tonight."
"Yes. And youter ter not be, or you'll make him angry again."
"Of course I'll be there. Seto'ath ath never stopped me from doing anything before, and I'm not going to let it start now."
"You're crazy, Jounouchi," she said, turning into her classroom. Jou stopped outside the door.
"And you like it!" He called before leaving. Several students looked up at her, snickering because they knew who had spoken. Ayumi felt her cheeks begin to burn as she took her seat.
"Does he bother you?"
Ayumi turned around, to face who had spoken. A boy she did not know, though he had sat behind her since the year began, was looking at her expectantly. He had large, innocent looking purple eyes, blonde bangs, and the most outrageous fuchsia spikes. She had seen him before, but never really applied just how wild his hair was.
"Who?" She asked. "Jounouchi?" The boy nodded. "Yes," she said. "He does. Why?"
"He's a friend of mine," the boy replied. "He can be annoying sometimes. You're Katana Ayumi, right? He's talked about you a few times to me."
"Has he?" She asked innocently, determining to throttle Jou later for talking about her with his friends.
"Yeah," the boy continued. "He says alot of nice things about you. I would even say..." Here the boy looked down, blushing a little. "I think he likes you, but don't tell him that I told you."
Ayumi could not help but grin at how cute he looked, shyly biting his lip and not meeting her gaze. "What's your name?"
"Motou Yugi," he answered.
Ayumi opened her mouth to respond, but the bell rang just then and she whirled around in her seat, not wanting to get into trouble for talking when class had begun.
That day after school, Ayumi showed up once again at Seto's house. Mokuba answered the door this time, seeming a bit dejected.
"Hey, Mokuba, what's wrong?" Ayumi asked, coming into the house.
"I don't think Jou's coming today," Mokuba said sadly.
A pang went through Ayumi, and she told herself it was relief. Mokuba pouted.
"That means it will just be the two of us," Mokuba continued.
Ayumi's eyebrows went up. "Oh? Is being alone with me so bad?"
"Being alone with you would be great."
Both Ayumi and Mokuba turned, startled. Outlined in the doorway, which Ayumi had been about to close, was Jou, smiling his usual wide smile. With a gleeful shout, Mokuba sprang into Jou's arms. Ayumi just looked contemptuously at Jou.
"Don't make that face at me!" Jou laughed, putting Mokuba back down on the ground. "You're happy to see me and you know it."
"Keep telling yourself that. I can't wait to tell Kaiba you were here."
"Don't tell on Jou!" Mokuba said in a panic. "I like him being here."
Ayumi eyed Mokuba evenly, and then glared at Jou as she took Mokuba's hand into her own. "Fine, Mokuba, I won't." Her mouth formed these words as her eyes said 'Oh yes I will' at Jou. She led Mokuba away as Jou came into the house, shutting the door behind him. He followed Ayumi and Mokuba into the kitchen.
"Try to stay out of the way, Jou," Ayumi said. "Mokuba and I are going to make cinnamon buns, because he wants to."
Mokuba nodded vigorously. "I tried them at a party," he said. "They're so good."
CinnCinnamon what?" Jou asked. "Don't make that filth. Teach the boy how to make something traditional."
"Jounouchi," Ayumi said softly. "If we wanted your opinion... We'd have asked for it!" She yelled this last part, startling both Mokuba and Jou.
Jou held up his hands defensively. "Alright, alright," he said. "Make whatever you want." Turning easily on his heel, Jou haughtily left the room. Mokuba moved to follow him, but Ayumi grabbed his arm.
"Let him go," she said. "Come on, this was just supposed to be for us anyway."
Mokuba cast a final glance at the doorway, and then turned and happily helped Ayumi. Making their chosen recipe was good fun, as neither of them were familiar with how to do it, and there was more than one mishap. Somewhere during their trial and error process, Seto's cook came in and managed to make dinner around the two giggling people, who were busy rng tng the delicious recipe. It was not until several hours later that they got it right and were able to produce something edible.
"Hey, not until you've had your dinner," Ayumi said sternly, seeing Mokuba reaching for one of the buns that lay cooling on a tray. He pouted, but Ayumi's glare was unwavering, and so he turned from the tray and headed into the dining room. Jou was already waiting for them.
"Hey, how did the cinnamon things come along?" He asked cheerfully.
"Just fine," Ayumi said. Jou snickered and she glanced at him quizzically. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," Jou said, trying hard not to laugh. "Absolutely nothing."
He was staring at her face, and Ayumi gingerly touched a finger to her nose, taking it away covered in white flour. With a gasp, she ran to the bathroom, finding her nose to be as white as snow with flour. Angrily, she scoured away the powder, burning with embarrassment. She did not meet Jou's gaze through the rest of dinner.
Ayumi occupied herself with avoiding Jou's eyes through the rest of the night,she she helped Mokuba with his homework. Tonight, Mokuba had difficult math homework, and while math was certainly not Ayumi's strong point, she found it quite easy to help Mokuba with his lower level work.
"I'm tired," Mokuba announced a few minutes after nine o'clock. Ayumi stared at him.
"But we're not finished with your work," she insisted.
"But I'm sleepy," Mokuba pouted. "Take me to bed."
Ayumi sighed. "Fine," she said, closing the math book and taking Mokuba's hand. "Come on, then."
She walked Mokuba to his room, while he clutched her hand protectively the entire time, as if something would come to try and steal her away. It confused Ayumi that he suddenly acted this way.
She waited outside of Mokuba's room while he got ready for bed and changed. Dutifully, she went inside when he called for her.
"Is something wrong, Mokuba? You usually don't even like me to come up the stairs with you now now you're practically asking me to tuck you in."
Mokuba was sitting up in bed, and he did not speak, so she came over to him, sitting down slowly on the bed.
"I feel sick," Mokuba said quietly.
"Oh, sweetie," Ayumi pressed a hand to Mokuba's forehead. "Why 't 't you tell me you weren't feeling well? I would have put you in bed right away."
His skin felt only slightly warmer than normal beneath her hand, but it was definitely clammy. She moved her hand down to his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin.
"Well, you're only a little bit feverish. You should have told me you weren't feeling well, hachimitsu. Luckily, it doesn't feel that bad. You should feel fine in the morning. Get some sleep." She leaned down and lightly kissed Mokuba's forehead. He smiled at her and turned over onto his stomach. Ayumi rubbed his back softly, relaxing him, helping him get to sleep. She hoped his sudden illness would play itself out over the night.
Ayumi did not stop rubbing his back, softly, slowly, until his breath had become deep and even and she knew he was asleep. Then, she rose quietly, painfully careful to not make a sound despite her knowledge that Mokuba was a rather deep sleeper, and crossed the room. She opened the door and stepped into the hall.
Looking over her shoulder, Ayumi smiled softly at Mokuba's sleeping form and gently shut the door behind her. Upon turning around, she found herself face-to-face with Jou. She gasped, startled, and pressed her back against the closed door.
"What's the problem, Ayumi?" Jou asked with a smirk, placing his hand on the door by Ayumi's head, trapping her against it, between his arm and the corner wall.
"You," she said uneasily, and then with more confidence, "And call me Katana "I like calling you Ayumi. I've told you that I don't want you to callJounJounouchi, either. Call me Katsuya or even better, just Jou. I prefer Jou."
"I cal call you Jou when you call me Katana."
"That defeats the purpose, Ayumi. I want us to be on more familiar terms."
"Well, we're not, Jounouchi. Now move out of my way. I have homework to do and Mokuba is sleeping just on the other side of this door. If your obnoxious voice wakes him up, I'll be even more unhappy with you."
"I know why you act like this," Jou said, smiling widely down at her. "You just don't want to admit that you're attracted to me."
“Attracted to you?” Ayumi was aghast. “Jounouchi, I can’t stand you.”
"And yet you keep coming over."
"It's not my choice to come here and you know that; don't act more dense than you really are."
"Aww, now you're complimenting me on my smarts. Ayumi, you are in love with me."
Ayumi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. When she opened them, Jou was leaning down, his eyes intent on hers. His breath was warm on her lips, and smelled sweet, like sugar and cinnamon.
"You ate the cinnamon buns I made with Mokuba, didn't you?" She said, staring him down.
Jou laughed. "You're ruining this tender moment."
"We're not having any type of 'moment' Jounouchi. And now I'm even more angry with you for eating what Mokuba and I labored to make."
"I didn't eat them. But, you know, your buns were very nice."
He said this with such a smirk on his face that Ayumi instantly caught his meaning and was able to intercept his hand on its way toward her backside. For a moment, he looked disappointed, but then his hand gripped hers.
"Let me go, Jounouchi," Ayumi said firmly, trying to twist her hand out of his grasp. He just grinned down at her and pinned her hand against the door. Before she could bring her other hand up to push him away, he had pressed himself aga her her, hard, crushing her against the wall.
"Joun-"
He covered her lips lightly with the fingers of his hand that he had first used to trap her against the door. His cinnamon sugar breath fanned across her lips again, in the spaces between his fingers, and she was acutely aware of the firmness of his chest pressed against her, and the feel of his hipbones pressing into her just above her own. Her breath came in a shaky gasp.
"I can feel your heart beating," he whispered. "Hard and fast. Is that how you like it?"
Ayumi took a deep breath. "Don't tease me."
"You don't want me to tease you a little bit first? You like to just get right down to it?"
Ayumi laughed lightly in spite of herself. "You're still teasing me, Katsuya."
Jou moved his hand to her chin, tipped her head up. "You called me Katsuya, Ayumi."
Ayumi shook her head regretfully. "Che," she said. "Now you're going to think that I actually like you."
“You do like me,” he said lightly, tracing his thumb along her lower lip. "But remember that I prefer Jou." He leaned down slowly, and Ayumi instinctively shut her mouth and squeezed her eyes closed. Jou's lips ran lightly across the bridge of her nose, down her cheek, but then froze. Tentatively, Ayumi opened her eyes. Jou was gazing intently down at her.
"You know," he said slowly, "It would help me alot if you didn't look like you were in pain."
"Maybe I am in pain."
Jou eased off her, concern washing over his face. "Am I hurting you?"
Ayumi smirked. "No," she said. "But I got you off me, didn't I?"
"So you were just scared."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
Angrily, she raised her hands, put them on his chest and tried to push him back. After a half step, he set his legs and she could push him no further. Easily overpowering her, he pressed himself against her again, taking her wrists into his hands.
"You don't have to be afraid," he breathed.
"I'm not afraid of you, Jou," she said, relaxing her body, letting herself meld against him.
"Yes you are," he said, moving one hand from her wrist to her cheek. "You're trembling."
"No, I'm not, I'm-"
Jou cut her off by covering her lips softly with his own. For a moment, her eyes went wide, her body rigid. Her free hand clenched into a fist, pushed hard against the door. She shut her eyes when Jou's tongue traced the line between her tightly closed lips. Finding that he could not get her to open her mouth, Jou moved his thumb to her chin, pushed down lightly and forced her mouth open. His other hand tightened around her wrist.
Ayumi's free hand rose, traced up Jou's side, and came to rest on his back. His tongue played against hers, coaxing, trying to get her to go along with him. She dug her fingernails into his shirt, and further, into his skin. The bite of pain drove hi, an, and he released her wrist, tracing han hand across her hip and down her back. His other hand ran down her neck, down her chest - causing her to put her other hand on his back and dig those fingernails in, too - and joined the other in moving to the backs of her thigh and lifting her easily, forcing her legs up around his hips. She tightened her hold on him and one of his arms moved under her, supporting her against the door. The hand that was left free moved up, going to the buttons on her shirt and deftlyinniinning to undo them, one by one.
Ayumi broke her mouth from his, gasping, apprehension creeping in her stomach. Jou was undeterred, however, as he instead latched onto her neck, biting gently. Her hands were shaking and white and her fingertips ached because of how hard she was gripping his back, digging her fingernails in so far it had to be hurting him. Undoing all of her buttons did not take Jou long, and she gasped again when the material parted and Jou's fingers traced along the bottom edge of her bra. Nervousness bubbled up in her ach.ach.
"Jou," she said abruptly, urgently.
"Hmm," he mumbled in response, his mouth pressed against her collarbone.
"Jou, listen to me."
Her tone was so serious that he lifted his head, meeting her gaze. His eyes were bright and shiny, full of excitement and lust. A light flush had settled onto his cheeks.
"Jou," she pushed at his arm that was holding her up, enough so that he took her meaning and let her down gently. Her deathgrip on his back finally broke as her feet hit the floor. Instinctively, she pulled her shirt closed.
"Scared again, Ayumi?" Jou asked huskily, reaching for her. "I told you that you don't have to be. I don't like to, but if you want me to go slow, since its your first time, I will. It won't hurt that bad."
Ayumi blushed. "That's not what I'm afraid of, Jou."
"Then what is it?"
"I..." She swallowed hard. "I don't really know if I like you that much, Jou..."
Silence fell for a few moments, and Ayumi avoided Jou's eyes.
"I know you like me, Ayumi," Jou said at length, apparently undaunted by her sudden proclamation. "You just keep denying it because you're afraid of sex."
"I'm not afraid of sex!" Ayumi said, with growing anger. "I'm not! I don't know what I'm afraid of!"
Jou looked her in the eyes. "You're afraid of sex," he repeated. "More specifically, afraid of your own sexuality. I can change that for you, Ayumi."
"Jou! You don't know enough about me to make that sort of... sort of... erroneous assumption."
Jou laughed. "All this talk, I want to just show you what I mean. I've had enough talk, let's have sex."
Ayumi backhanded Jou across the face, hard, like her mother did to her. The action came naturally to her in her anger, but the sound of it, the sight of the red mark that sprung up on Jou's face sickened her. She took a step back, staring at Jou, who pressed a hand to his face and did not speak. Without a word, she turned on her heel and fled down the hall, disappearing down the stairs.
"Che," Jou said, frustrated, leaning against Mokuba's door. "I almost had her."
"What the heck is going on out there?" Mokuba's voice came from the other side of his door. Before Jou could move, Mokuba had thrown the door open wide and Jou had toppled over into his room.
"Heh," Jou laughed from his place sprawled on his back on Mokuba's floor. "Hi Mokuba. Shouldn't you be asleep?"
Mokuba just stared down at Jou in stunned silence.

*To Be Continued*