AND THEN SHE KISSED HER
Bôa

//Short musical intro…//

It was dark. Way too dark. Hinata inn was always full of life at this time, something had to be wrong. 
Motoko Aoyama put her hand on the sword before continuing up the stairs. Her raven-black hair played in the wind and even though she was dressed in her school uniform, she moved quickly and without a sound across the stone floor; the result of years and years of training. Her dark-rimmed eyes did not even blink as she put her hand on the doorknob. 
Maybe she was just being paranoid, but she had learned to trust her instincts. Right now, they told her that the others might be in some kind of danger. Her heart beat so fast that it threatened to burst her chest. However, she never let it show on the outside. She was the one that would inherit the secret sword skill of Shinmeiryuu one day, suppressing her fear was easy. She clenched the sword so hard that the knuckles on the right hand whitened and a slight cracking sound came from the wood. Motoko was strong, she always had been. 
At least physically…
With the grace that only a highly skilled swordfighter could have, she drew her sword and continued inside the empty bathhouse. Unconsciously, she went towards Shinobu’s room first, and caught herself halfway upstairs before even thinking about securing the bottom floor.
<Of course I go to check on Shinobu first. She is in fact only a junior high school student.>, she excused herself and continued upstairs. Nevertheless, deep inside, she knew why she wanted to make sure that Shinobu was all right first. If it really had been because she was young, Motoko would have checked Kaolla’s room first.
Shinobu…somehow, she had something special. She seemed so helpless and fragile, Motoko’s heart started beating – if possible – even faster as she thought about her. All she wanted to do was to protect her from harm forever. Shelter her in her arms. What was the matter with her? Now was not the time to think about Shinobu. There were more important tings to concern herself with. 
Motoko’s heart skipped a beat as a shrill shriek tore the silence apart. It was Shinobu’s voice! 
“Motoko!! Help me!!”
Without a doubt, she immediately started running in the direction that the scream had come from. The screams continued, all the time begging Motoko to help her. However, the dark hallway seemed to become longer and longer the faster Motoko ran. 
“Shinobu!!” 
She now ran as fast as she could, the blood raced in her veins and she had blood-taste in her mouth, but still she kept running. The sword became increasingly heavier until she was unable to move while holding it. 
“Motoko!!” 
The tear-filled voice kept screaming, Motoko threw her sword away in sheer panic and kept pushing herself to continue, even though she could hardly breathe any more. It was just like when her sister had left her. She had been unable to stop her…just like she was unable to save the one she loved from whatever threatened her. The hallway kept growing longer and longer, and as it did, it also became more dark until it disappeared totally. Consumed by darkness, Motoko stood alone. The screaming continued, but she was unable to find the right way in the dark. 
“Shinobu!! Where are you?!” Her panic grew to a raging crescendo of memories of Shinobu and her sister, stinging her brain like a thousand needles and causing her to fall to her knees. The memories became increasingly blurry until they floated into each other.  Creating only a memory of Shinobu who, with tear-filled eyes, begged her lover for help. 

“Shinobu!!” 
Motoko woke up alone in the cold room. She was drenched with sweat and lay on the floor with her quilt wrapped around her. She was shivering with cold and fear; at first she didn’t know where she was. She reached out for her sword but didn’t find it next to her bed where it had always been. Then she remembered, she was at the training camp. She immediately felt ashamed for waking up screaming like a little kid. Shinobu and the others were safe back at Hinata inn. 
She felt a slight sting in her heart as she thought about Shinobu again, but forced herself to think about something else. She could not think about such matters now, she was here to train. 
Her sister had come to Hinata inn about two weeks ago to pick her up. It had been a chock of course. At first, she had been glad to see her sister again, but now she just wanted to go home to Hinata inn…
…And Shinobu.

//The god of dreams sent me a sign
  And I felt homesick….//

Motoko lay back down again with a sigh. She didn’t know why she was so unhappy here. This was what she had been born to do. If she was to inherit the swordskill of Shinmeiryuu, she could not be as unskilled as she was now. She had to practice harder, her sword skills had dulled during the time she lived with that weakling Urashima, he was the worst influence on her training imaginable.    
Therefore, her sister had found it best for Motoko if she returned with her to the training camp.
And Motoko had agreed.
What else could she do? This was her fate, what she had been preparing for her entire life. Even if she wanted to, she could not leave now.
However, that wasn’t a problem. She didn’t want to leave, she wasn’t about to give up. What did she have to return to? Urashima? The thought made a slight smile part her lips even so little. 
Motoko was cute when she smiled. Her otherwise resolute features were for a brief moment so much gentler, and as the smile reached her golden-brown eyes she looked as beautiful as an angel. Her milk white skin and slender body with the raven-black hair scattered across her shoulder blades completed the picture to perfection. 
That was what Shinobu had told her the first time she had seen her smile. It was right after the big festival last summer where Motoko had won a teddy bear for her at a shooting-booth. Motoko had blushed at the compliment and kissed Shinobu gently on the cheek. Shinobu had smiled and curled up against Motoko to sleep. A new feeling had spread through the swordfighter’s body, she never wanted the night to end. She wanted to stay this way forever…holding Shinobu’s thin little body, comforting her.
She guessed that she hadn’t admitted to herself how much she loved Shinobu until then. 
Shinobu again?! Why couldn’t she stop thinking about her? She had to forget about her, she was going to become a swordfighter now…she had no time for such nonsense as “love”. 
Tomorrow was going to be yet another hard day, so she’d better go back to sleep. Besides, she couldn’t think about this any more now. She knew that what she felt for Shinobu was real, it wasn’t just that she wanted to protect her because she was younger than her. 
Then, why didn’t she think about Kaolla as well? 
Heh, Kaolla would be just fine, she had Kitsune. Moreover, she had that brother of hers as well. However, Urashima had more or less occupied him now. Motoko would never understand what a sophisticated guy like Kaolla’s brother saw in that klutz.
As her thoughts yet again returned to Shinobu, she held the pillow closer to her and suppressed the will to cry. She missed her. All she wanted to do was to go back to Hinata Inn and hold her in her arms. Smell the wonderful smell of her hair, and touch her soft body again. Kiss the cherry-red lips that she had longed for so much.
However, she knew that she couldn’t. Her sister was counting on her, as did everyone else. She mustn’t give in, she had to be strong. A single tear slowly trickled down her cheek before she fell asleep, alone in the dark, still hugging her pillow.

“Shinobu…”

//And from this point of view,
  There was no rescue…//

***

Shinobu Maehara didn’t know why she was there. She clasped the tiny lunchbox tighter and hesitated for a while. Maybe she shouldn’t do this, Motoko would be disturbed during her training. Maybe she would be angry with her for interfering in her training schedule. Shinobu stood still for a while before bracing herself and continuing up the wooden stairs and putting her hand on the door. Perhaps she could just give the lunch to Motoko and then leave again, without bothering her any further. She walked inside as slowly as she could, without knowing why she was sneaking. What if Motoko’s sister saw her? She wouldn’t exactly be pleased to see her. After she caught her and Motoko in the hotspring together, kissing each other, she was cautious about Shinobu. They had been able to make up a story for that time, but it would be excessively obvious if Shinobu showed up here with lunch as well. Especially Oinari in a lunchbox with a heart on. 
However, what if she managed to get a hold of Motoko? Shinobu blushed, she missed Motoko so much. One week without her was just enough, now she had to see her again. Maybe Motoko wouldn’t mind her being there. Maybe she’d even be happy to see Shinobu again. Maybe she’d even…hug her for a while…? 
Shinobu blushed even more as she thought about Motoko, she loved being with her. Sometimes, she could sit for hours on the hard floor in the swordfighter’s room and watch her train, just to be close to her. 
Moreover, Shinobu loved falling asleep sitting in Motoko’s lap, curled up against her soft, warm chest while Motoko kissed her temple or stroke her hair. She sighed as she thought about Motoko again, what if she wasn’t coming back? What if she’d stay here after she finished her training? Would Shinobu never be able to see her again? The mere thought of that made Shinobu all cold inside, so she concentrated on what she was here to do. 
She held the lunchbox close to her chest with both arms as she continued inside the room that Motoko shared with her sister and prayed to god that Motoko’s sister wouldn’t be there, the last thing she wanted was to get Motoko in to some kind of trouble. 
She immediately knew which bed was Motoko’s. The swordfighter’s blue pyjamas was folded on the pillow, Shinobu recognized it from Hinata Inn. She looked around. Good, Motoko wasn’t here, she could just put the lunchbox on her bed and then leave without bothering her any further.
However, as she reached the bed, she sat down for a while and picked up the dark-blue pyjamas from its place on the pillow. As she drew in the well-known breath of her beloved Motoko, she felt at ease for the first time since the swordfighter left. She just wished that Motoko could be there to hold her instead. She felt a slight sting in her heart, she missed her so much. Maybe if she could just find her…it couldn’t be too hard. 
No, she mustn’t interrupt Motoko during her training! She couldn’t! 
She knew that already. With a sigh, she unwillingly let go of the pyjamas, put the lunchbox on Motoko’s bed and left through the door, trying her best not to cry.

***

Motoko Aoyama was on her way back to the small wooden cabin, which she shared with her sister. It had been a hard morning, so she really needed something to eat right now. Her face was all red, her gi was glued to her back with sweat and her breath came in short, irregular pantings. She would never be able to beat her sister. 
Especially not now, she was excessively defocused. All she could ever think about was Shinobu. 
Why? Why couldn’t she block her out as she did with everything else? Why did she keep appearing in her dreams?
If this was love, then Motoko didn’t want anything to do with it. All that it did was to cause heartache and pain. Motoko had known that Shinobu wouldn’t be hers forever, eventually they would have to part…she just didn’t expect it to be so soon. She had grown attached to the girl, opening herself and embracing love with open arms. 
She had allowed herself to be weak! Allowed herself to put her trust in someone else than herself!
The thought made her close her eyes in anger while clenching her fist so hard around the sword that it hurt. 
As she looked up again, she saw her.
She was just standing there, without saying a word, in the doorway.

//No single word, no single cry…
  …sounded sending any lie…//

Shinobu just stood there, as if she had been nailed to the ground. What would Motoko say? She shouldn’t have come here. Maybe Motoko would be angry with her and tell her not to come back? 
She wouldn’t be able to bare the thought of displeasing Motoko, who always thought about what was best for Shinobu and loved her so much. Her lips started trembling as she with tear-filled eyes saw that Motoko didn’t approach her, she just stood there as well. Maybe she didn’t want her to be there after all. She hadn’t realized how much she really missed Motoko until she saw her. She looked beautiful with her long, black hair playing in the wind, her angelic features and the sun reflecting in her glowing, golden-brown eyes. In addition, she was smart, mature and…wonderful. Shinobu couldn’t lose her now!
However, right when she was about to start crying, she saw that Motoko dropped her sword and started walking towards her.
“…G-gomennasai, Motoko-sa--" Shinobu started, but was interrupted by Motoko embracing her, pressing herself so close to her that Shinobu could feel every inch of her slender, athletic body against her. 
“I’ve missed you so much…” Motoko breathed in her ear. 
Shinobu could feel the hot breath tickling her before Motoko turned her face up towards hers, pulled herself even closer to her and kissed her gently on the lips. Shinobu could feel the swordfighter’s tongue swirling around hers and not until she wrapped her arms around Motoko’s neck and returned the kiss did she realize how much she had missed her. 

//And then she kissed her 
  Her only love, 
  and she kissed her
  
  And then she missed her,
  her only love…//

***

Motoko leaned back against the bed and closed her eyes, allowing her arms to loosen their grip around Shinobu’s thin body. Shinobu had fallen asleep sitting in her lap with her arms wrapped tightly around Motoko’s neck, pressing herself against her chest. Therefore, Motoko could feel every breath that the sleeping girl took. She buried her face in her hair and drew in Shinobu’s smell deeply before exhaling again.
She was so beautiful when she was sleeping, Motoko couldn’t help but to bend down and kiss her soft cheek again. Shinobu squirmed and tightened her grip around Motoko’s neck, causing Motoko to hold her even closer to her chest. As long as Shinobu loved her, she wouldn’t need anything else. If she knew that Shinobu would be back at Hinata Inn waiting for her when her training was completed, she would give it her best.
She never ate any lunch today, the minute she saw Shinobu she had just run up to her, the sword had slid out of her hands somehow. She had embraced the fourteen-year old and, overwhelmed by how much she had missed her, she had kissed her passionately on the mouth while tightening her grip around Shinobu to get as close to her as she could. She had swooned as she felt her lover clinging to her and gently returning the kiss, so Shinobu really had missed her after all!
However, she knew that Shinobu couldn’t possibly stay here. She had to get back to her training soon, her sister would come and pick her up in an hour from now. Therefore, she had simply carried the fourteen-year old into her bed and let her sit in her lap while she slowly kissed her without eating anything first. 
She didn’t want to keep training, all she wanted to do was to follow Shinobu home and go back to her normal life at Hinata Inn. 
Nevertheless, she had to keep training. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized that Shinobu had to leave now, she might not see her in a very long time. 
With sadness in her heart, she woke the sleeping girl, kissed her softly one more time and watched her leave.

//And then she kissed her
  Her only love,
  and she kissed her 

  And then she missed her,
  her only love…//

***

It was raining. The weather reflected Shinobu’s mood as clearly as a mirror. 
She was sitting curled up on the window ledge of her room with her arms wrapped around herself. She wasn’t really looking out the window, she was just facing that direction. She wondered what Motoko was doing now. Did she train even though it rained? Or had she taken a break perhaps? Shinobu couldn’t stop thinking about her. When Motoko wasn’t here, it was as if something was missing. She didn’t get any happier by watching Keitaro cuddle with Kaolla’s brother or Kaolla draping herself all over Kitsune. (Kitsune didn’t seem to mind, though.)
Therefore, she had been a little rude to everyone today. Why should they be happy when Motoko wasn’t here? Didn’t they miss her too? 
Shinobu longed for the swordfighter’s gentle touch, she always felt so safe in Motoko’s arms. They had really had a wonderful time today. Somehow, Shinobu always fell asleep when Motoko held her. 
The others had been really surprised by Shinobu’s – as they saw it – unmotivated rudeness. She would never had done that when she first came to Hinata Inn. 
However, Motoko had shown her that she was a great person; that she loved her for who she was. Shinobu never had to act in front of Motoko. In fact, she couldn’t. Motoko could see straight into her soul, she knew who Shinobu really was. She was the only one that had come that close to her, the only one who had cared enough to find out what kind of person she really was. 
Shinobu didn’t bother to lock the door before she started crying. 

No one came to check on her anyway.

***

Motoko put down her sword; she had lost again. 
She didn’t know what was wrong with her, she had beaten her sister before. She excused herself with the fact that her sister also was a skilled swordfighter, beating her had not been easy. 
Nevertheless, Motoko knew that she would be an easy match for anyone in this state. She couldn’t seem to find the strength to defend herself as successfully as she usually did. 
She desperately tried to block all of her sister’s attacks without thinking; she simply waved her sword around hoping not to get hit. She could tell that her sister was concerned for her; she didn’t use the same attack power that she had when Motoko fought her before. Motoko sunk down on her knees, she was exhausted. She had given it her best, but it still hadn’t been enough.
“I think that’s enough for today…” her sister said without accusation in her voice. She, as well as Motoko, knew that it was no use to continue with Motoko in this state, it was better to let her rest so that she could be in top shape the next day. Therefore, she put her sword down and silently left the room, leaving Motoko alone to gather her thoughts. 
Motoko tried to concentrate on the schedule for the following day, but all she could think about when she tried to focus was Shinobu. She swallowed the tears that started to emerge when she thought about her. 
They had had such a wonderful time today, but it had just made her miss her even more. Moreover, she had let her feelings get in the way of her training. The attacks that she made had been aimed at the fact that she had to stay here and train instead of being with Shinobu. She knew that it was hopeless though; she had to keep training to prove herself worthy of her sword. Maybe it would’ve been better if Shinobu hadn’t come. 
Nevertheless, deep inside she knew that she eventually would’ve went home to Shinobu if she hadn’t shown up today…she just didn’t want to admit it to herself. 
How could she? Shinobu was only a kid. Motoko had never needed anyone before. She laughed sarcastically as she thought about how she had been before she had met Shinobu. She had been strong, always walked her own path, never putting her trust in anyone except herself. 
She was the heiress of the great swordskill Shinmeiryuu and she had defeated numberless enemies with her mighty sword. She had in fact even saved Naru-senpai from demons taking over her body both once and twice. She had never lost to anyone…even Seta-san had eventually given in to her skilful way of handling her sword, it didn’t matter how many they were, she could take them all together. 
However, just one look from Shinobu made her swoon and loose all ability to think rationally. Just one hug from the fourteen-year old made her more vulnerable than all the opponents in the world ever could. Just holding her in her arms made her loose all will to fight, one soft kiss succeeded where swords failed and defeated her easily. 

Shinobu was more dangerous to her than any of the enemies that she had fought.

//My loneliness and fury
  were as yet as deeply to you.
  
Her influence on me
  was like hilarious…//

Shinobu had to try her best not to run away to Motoko again. She couldn’t show up there twice in a day. 
She couldn’t come crying to Motoko whenever she needed to. Motoko had to train hard; Shinobu would only be in her way if she came. She had to pull herself together; Motoko would come back after she finished her training. 
And Shinobu would be right here, waiting for her. 
Shinobu hadn’t realized that she really needed to have Motoko around until she was gone. 
The thought scared her, what if Motoko left for her training for good? 
Shinobu couldn’t expect her to stay for her sake. Or what if Motoko got tired of her and…left her…? 
What would she do then? She would feel just as bad as she did now…miss her just as much. Only, that time she wouldn’t be able to run to her if she needed to. She knew that Motoko would eventually break up with her. She shouldn’t let herself get so attached to her. She should distance herself from her before it would be too late.
Maybe it already was. 
It had gone too far, she wouldn’t be able to push Motoko away now. It would hurt too much. 
In addition, it would hurt Motoko as well. The last thing Shinobu wanted to do was to hurt the one that she loved so much.
However, she knew that they couldn’t be together forever. There was no such thing as “eternal love”, just look at her parents. She didn’t want her and Motoko to end up like that, hurt and burned.
She had seen what the divorce had done to them. 

//My father, my brother
  were teaching me…
  …of tragedy…//

Miaka Aoyama was sitting in the room that she shared with her sister. She was getting a little worried about Motoko-han. She hadn’t been in as good shape as she usually was. In fact, it was so bad that you couldn’t even think of training. It might be dangerous since Motoko was unable to defend herself properly.
Miaka’s usually calm face looked a little less at peace today, this was really a problem. She got up from the floor and started to walk around the room to clear her thoughts. 
She was beautiful. Her tight fitting gi revealed her slim waist and perfectly rounded breasts, her long, shiny, raven-black hair fell down and covered the left side of her face; her beautiful features and chestnut-brown eyes. The slender, milk-white hands gently caressed the sword, which she was still holding. 
What if Motoko-han wouldn’t be able to inherit Shinmeiryuu after all? What would happen then?
Miaka sunk down on her sister’s bed, she was exhausted. Still, she could’ve kept going for Motoko’s sake. However, she knew that Motoko had to rest in order to keep training. 
As she lay down on the bed with a sigh, she landed on something hard and rectangular. It was a lunchbox. 
Why did Motoko-han have a lunchbox on her bed? It hadn’t been there this morning. 
Moreover, where did it come from? Motoko certainly couldn’t cook. Besides, who would bring Motoko home-made lunch? Miaka didn’t know anyone who would go through that trouble…except…that girl from Hinata Inn…that would explain things. 
Miaka pretended as if she didn’t understand, but she knew about Motoko and Shinobu. It had been excessively obvious after she discovered them both in the bath at Hinata Inn two weeks ago. That was one of the reasons why she had decided to bring Motoko back here to train.

***

Motoko-han had looked so beautiful. 
That was the first thing that her sister came to think about when she saw Motoko again. She hadn’t seen her in a very long time, not since Motoko had left to live at Hinata Inn. Miaka Aoyama hadn’t until now come to check on her. She had really grown since she last saw her. 
Miaka only hoped that her sword skills had grown along with her. After all, she was the only heiress of the Shinmeiryuu; she had to be in top shape to be able to prove herself worthy of inheriting it. Miaka hoped that she had been able to train on her own, without her guidance. However, as she looked around, Hinata Inn didn’t occur to her as the best place to develop the necessary strength. Motoko-han lived under the same roof as a man, and she didn’t seem to mind. In addition, she seemed to have stopped wearing the traditional gi and went over to skirts. As she got up to hug Motoko, she had found her to be quite slender and athletic. Good, so she really had trained! Motoko-han had been skilled from the very beginning, and if she had kept on training then she would surely be great by now. Maybe Miaka didn’t even had to bring her back to train any more, maybe she was already as skilled as she needed to be. Either way, it would show when she tested her today. If Motoko-han could defeat her, then perhaps she wouldn’t need to train at all.
Motoko-han had seemed surprised to see her. Quite shocked, actually. However, if she had told her that she was coming, Motoko might have prepared herself for the test. Therefore, Miaka had shown up almost four months before the promised date. Motoko had gone to the hotspring to gather her thoughts, she knew that she had to beat her sister or she would have to leave Hinata Inn. The sooner she could test her strength, the better. 
Miaka was planning to join Motoko in the hotspring, then encounter her afterwards and get it over with before sunset.
Miaka got up from the couch where Haruka had placed her and went upstairs to the guestroom to unpack. She planned on staying here for at least three days; it depended on how desperately Motoko-han needed to get to the training camp. However, Miaka wasn’t worried, she knew that Motoko would make it just fine.
Therefore, she simply brought her towel with her and went down the stairs. 

***

The hotspring was steamy. 
Miaka could hardly see a thing as she walked across the stone floor and silently went into the spring. She sunk down until the water covered her shoulders and leaned her head back against the edge of the spring. Heavenly!
She opened her eyes again and looked for Motoko. 
She said that she would go down to take a bath together with another girl. Through the thick layer of steam emerging from the spring, she could discern the contours of two bodies. As she made her way through the water, they started to appear more clearly. 
As Miaka got close enough to see them, her face turned white and she quickly got out of the water without thinking about being quiet. Motoko had turned around and let go of the girl, but it was too late. Her sister had already seen them. 
Motoko had been sitting in the hotspring with her arms around the other girl. The other girl had been leaned against Motoko’s chest and had turned her face up towards her. 
Miaka had stayed just long enough to see her sister tighten her embrace around the girl, pull her closer and kiss her passionately on the lips while the girl clung to Motoko’s neck.
 A tear had slowly trickled down Motoko’s cheek and she seemed to cling desperately to the girl. However, her sister had no sympathy for her, she was just repulsed. 
Without hesitation, she had decided to bring her sister to the training camp no matter what the outcome of their fight would be. 

She would not let her sister stay in this place any more.

//And then she kissed her
  Her only love, 
  and she kissed her 

  And then she missed her,
  her only love…//

Ironically enough, the rain hadn’t started until Shinobu left. Motoko was sitting on the floor in her room, staring out the window. Her hand gently caressed something inside her pocket. It was blue and green scarf that Shinobu had left behind in her hurry to get back to Hinata Inn before Miaka came back.
It was now completely dark outside and the only light came from a streetlight on the opposite side of the street. The yellow light spread so that you could just see the sidewalk outside the flower shop. Motoko’s heart skipped a beat every time someone walked by, but she always lost the hope as she saw them walk past the window. 
The stone floor was cold, and she was barefoot, but she wouldn’t allow herself to leave for some socks. 
What if Shinobu came back and she didn’t see her because she was getting socks?
Motoko didn’t bother to wipe the tears off her face. She waited until they had reached the corner of her mouth, then she licked them off with the pink, gentle tongue that Shinobu had loved to kiss. The salty taste of the tears that were now running down her face as she realized that Shinobu wouldn’t come back tonight tasted bittersweet. 
Se shivered once more and lifted the scarf up to her nose. As she smelled the well-known smell of the fourteen year-old, she started hulking. In addition, she didn’t care if anyone heard her.

Motoko was so concentrated on gazing out the window that he never noticed the tall, slender woman in the corner of the room.  
 
//Instrumental…//

***

Shinobu sighed and got up from the window ledge on which she was sitting. She had to start preparing dinner, or else the others would suspect something. Shinobu didn’t know if she would be able to stop herself from crying if someone asked her what was wrong. 
Moreover, she didn’t want anybody to know about her and Motoko. She figured that Haruka knew, but Haruka-san wasn’t the kind of person that would tell on them. She stayed out of other peoples’ business. 
Motoko…
All that Shinobu wanted to do now was to be held by her, she needed it. She needed to feel loved right now. Or at least she needed to cry. However, she swallowed her tears and continued down the stairs and into the kitchen. 
As she got there, she immediately put on her apron and started cutting vegetables. The cooking was kind of an escape from reality; as long as she concentrated on chopping the vegetables, she wouldn’t think about how much she missed Motoko. 
However, she failed fatally. 
All that she could think about was how wonderful it had been to be loved by Motoko, to sit in her lap and feel Motoko pulling her closer to her or stroking her hair. To sit with her up on the roof of Hinata Inn and watch the sunsets together or take long, hot baths in the hotspring…in her arms. On the other hand, just something as simple as being able to see her everyday, whenever she wanted to was just as great…she couldn’t so that anymore. 
Shinobu could no longer hold back the tears, she had to see Motoko again…she was going crazy without her. She didn’t just miss her, it was like a big part of herself had left along with the swordfighter. 
As Kitsune came into the kitchen, she blamed the tears on the onions she was chopping and then ran out the door, out in the rain again. She had to see Motoko, she didn’t care who knew, she didn’t care whether or not Motoko wanted to see her, she needed her.
That was something that she would never have done before, she had used to be so afraid of bothering people.
However, she didn’t think about that now, she ran as fast as she could. She almost flew down the empty street, her whole body ached to hold her. 
She didn’t even notice the rain anymore. 

<I'm coming, Motoko…> 

//Get in touch with me,
  get in touch with me…//

The rain slowly dripped from the edge of her hair and mixed with the tears. Her footsteps echoed in the otherwise silent night and her shoulders were already drenched with rain. It washed her free from the troubles that she had. As if she moved in a dream, she was unable to grasp what she had just done. 
As she walked further and further away from the training camp, she feared that she was also walking further and further away from sanity. What on earth was she doing? 
She couldn’t just pack her stuff and leave. For Shinobu!
She had to stay and train, she knew that as well as anyone. Only…right now, it somehow seemed less important. The sword that she always carried was left in the empty dojo, as a sign of her leave. She knew that her sister would never understand. Also, someday she had to return to the training camp and complete her training. However, she hoped that this would help her sister realize that Motoko wasn’t ready yet. Maybe this could buy her some time. If she managed to get away with it, she wouldn’t hide her feelings anymore. She would take care of every precious moment with Shinobu as if it was the last she saw of her. 
When the promised date arrived, she would devote herself completely to her training until she was fully trained and could return to Shinobu. She actually had defeated her sister already; both she and Miaka knew that if Motoko was able to do that, she wouldn’t need any training until the promised date came. 
The only reason why Miaka wanted her to come earlier was to keep her away from Shinobu. If only she had never seen them in the hotspring everything would be as usual. 
Now, Motoko had been forced to choose between her sister and the girl that she loved. In spite of what her sister might think, it hadn’t been an easy choice. How could it have been? Miaka and Shinobu were the two people most precious to her. As she ran, she wondered if she had made the right decision. 
Nevertheless, she kept running, she couldn’t turn back now. She had to see Shinobu just once more. 
As she silently crossed the street, crossed the corner and turned left onto the street which lead towards Hinata Inn she felt her heart beating, not only because of the physical strain of running, but also because she was on her way to see Shinobu. 
And as she kept running, she felt like a stone had been lifted off her chest. She felt so much more at ease now.  She smiled and her eyes sparkled with life and joy for the first time since she left Hinata Inn. Her raven-black hair played in the wind and the rain only helped completing the picture. 
She was so happy and lost in the thought of seeing Shinobu again that she didn’t even notice the fourteen year-old until she almost ran into her. 
Instead of immediately wrapping her arms around the girl, she stood there for a while and looked at her without saying a word. Shinobu had never looked more beautiful. Her short, dark-blue hair and child-like features along with the lake-like eyes and slim body. Moreover, she was out looking for her. Shinobu loved her.
A silent whine emerged from Shinobu’s cherry-red lips as she ran up to Motoko and threw herself in her arms.

In that moment, Motoko knew that she had made the right decision.

//No single word, 
  no single cry…// 
Shinobu pressed herself even closer to Motoko’s soft chest and sighed with relief as Motoko gently wrapped her arms around her waist and buried her face in her hair. She could feel the swordfighter’s body shiver with what she thought was cold but really was Motoko trying to hold back the tears that burned behind her eyelids.
Shinobu could feel the muscles of Motoko’s forearm tensing as she embraced her even more tightly than before, as if she was never letting go. Her heart started to thump and she gently closed her eyes. She never wanted Motoko to leave again.
“Motoko…I’ve missed you so much.” She whispered, and allowed her hands to slide up and down Motoko’s slender back, stroking her. Motoko didn’t answer. She wanted to, but she couldn’t get the words out. If she has tried, she would’ve started to cry. However, It didn’t really matter, Shinobu knew. 
She knew by the way that Motoko held her. Almost clinging to her. She knew by the way that Motoko had kissed her, gently as if she had been afraid that she would break. She knew because Motoko had left both the training and her sister for her. 
Shinobu didn’t need to hear the words. As long as Motoko showed her how much she loved her, it would be ok.
And then Motoko slowly let go of Shinobu, clasped her shoulders and looked her in the eyes before bending down towards her face. 

And there, under the moonlight, she kissed her. She kissed her greedily and wrapped her arms even harder around her. 

This time, she would never let her go. 

***

//And then she kissed her
  her only love,
  and she kissed her

  And then she missed her, 
  her only love…//