Here is Greenwood is the property of its creators. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is the property of the author. Suffice to say that this is my first crack at writing this type of story, so bear with me because I was actually pressured by some of my friends to write this. To my fellow Mitsuru worshipers, please don’t hunt me down! People below the age of 18, please pick another story because this one is not for you. With that, let the story begin...

Young Love’s Flame

by Lady Aria

"What are all those flowers for?"

"They’re for the wedding ceremony later, Mitsuru."

Mitsuru stared at his foster father who was busily rearranging a bouquet near the steps of the shrine. It was a cool spring day and he could hear his younger brother Sho lugging around a bucket of water for his mother. It was a typical day at the shrine with everyone going about their own business, with the exception of the preparations being done for the wedding to be held in the afternoon. Ten-year-old Mitsuru just came back from taking out the trash when the flowers arrived.

<Strange,> he thought to himself, <none of the couples I saw get married at the shrine ever bothered with the decor before.> He spotted a stray carnation lying on the steps and bent to pick it up. <Must have fallen from one of the bouquets. What a curious pattern.> He looked at the flower and noted its curious color -- white and speckled with deep red. <It almost looks like someone sprinkled blood on it.> He went to his room and left the flower on his desk, mentally reminding himself to put it in water later.

The wedding ceremony was already in full swing and Mitsuru decided to leave when it looked like nothing much was going to happen. Outside, he saw a girl sitting on the temple steps quietly singing to herself. The melody of the song was unfamiliar to Mitsuru yet it drew him to her. Since the girl was facing west, the day’s lengthening shadows did not give away Mitsuru as he drew near. He came so close that he could smell the faint scent of lilacs on her hair.

"That’s beautiful," he whispered to her ear.

That was enough to scare her. She practically jumped to her feet and nearly slipped off the top step. Before she could fall, Mitsuru was up and was able to grab her arm before she lost her balance. A pair of grateful, though wary, emerald eyes met his amethyst ones, and he quickly lowered his eyes so as not to seem rude.

"I’m sorry if I frightened you," he said, helping her back onto the step. "The song was so beautiful, I just didn’t want to disturb you until you finished it."

"I understand," she said, her voice still trembling slightly from her near-fall, "it’s an old Chinese love song my brother used to sing to me. I always sing it to myself whenever I think. He’s in the temple right now, getting married."

Mitsuru stared at her. She was now looking at the sunset painting the sky with its golden radiance. She had the most curious of expressions on her face. One of melancholy meshed with joy. Something so foreign to him, that he didn’t quite know what to expect next from this girl -- the girl with the soft brown hair, the expressive emerald eyes, the melodious voice. Suddenly, it dawned to him that he didn’t even know her name. Sheepishly, he lightly tapped her shoulder. The expression on her face was enough to make his heart ache. With the dying day’s light weaving its magic on her, she looked almost ethereal.

"Who are you?" was all he could say.

"My name’s Maia. Maia Noriko. What’s your name?"

"Mitsuru. Mitsuru Ikeda."

He could feel the strong body against his as his lover shifted to a more comfortable position in his sleep. The day had been warm and its balmy breezes carried over well into the night. They had left the window open to let the wind in, but pulled the thin curtains so that curious eyes would not be treated to a shocking discovery.

Mitsuru knew that Shinobu had gone to sleep almost instantly after they made love that night. He couldn’t blame him. They had done more than they usually did, kissed deeper, explored more -- just plainly made love longer and that left them both spent. But for some reason, sleep refused to come to him. He wrapped his arms around Shinobu and buried his face into his shining silver hair, breathing in the scent of the shampoo he had used earlier when they took a bath together. He closed his eyes and relived the events of the last few hours -- the feel of his body moving with his, the feel of his lips on his skin, his teasing caresses....

A small smile played on Mitsuru’s lips. <Shinobu,> he thought, <the seducer, the lover... MY lover.>

A particularly strong gust of wind made the curtains flutter violently and Mitsuru pushed the bed curtains a bit to look out.

The light of the full moon filtered into the room, shifting with the fluttering of the sheer curtains. From somewhere below, he could hear the faint chiming of a song. <Ma’am must have left the radio on,> he mused. Since only nineteen students decided to stay for the summer, the sounds in the dorm seem to have magnified a hundredfold. In an effort to catch his much needed sleep, he slowed his breath and concentrated on the music coming from the first floor.

<So familiar,> he thought, <where have I heard this song before?>

This question lingered on his mind as he molded himself to Shinobu. With the restful tendrils of sleep finally tugging at his weary being, the answer to his question came in the form of a name -- Maia.

Mitsuru began to notice Maia’s comings and goings at the temple and was even able to worm out a few details about her life. As it turns out, she was two years his senior and had been studying at the university’s junior high. Her brother moved out to a condominium with his wife soon after their marriage and Maia was the last of the brood left at home with their parents. She had been accelerated twice already for her exceptional intelligence and was already going to start high school soon.

"Mitsuru," she said, as they walked through the temple’s tree grove, "what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I don’t know," he said as he picked up a rock and sent it skidding along over the mess of fallen leaves. "I haven’t decided yet. After all," he grinned mischievously at her, "I’m just a kid."

Maia tried to maintain a serious face, but that remark sent her laughing. Mitsuru’s grin turned into a sincere smile as he listened to his friend’s laugh. He loved the sound of her laughter -- much like the sound of the small bells that hung on the temple’s eaves. It sounded so pure, so innocent.

Maia, seating herself on a large root, looked at him and quite seriously said, "I am going to be a doctor when I grow up."

Mitsuru, for once at a loss for words, just stared at her.

Seeing that her friend has run out of wisecracks, she continued. "I have always wanted to help others." Hugging her knees to her chest, she looked at him, the animated sparkle returning to her eyes. "I believe that there is nothing more noble than devoting your life to the service for your fellowman."

Mitsuru didn’t see Maia for almost a week after that. On the seventh day, Maia came to the temple dressed in traveling clothes. She was looking for Mitsuru. She guided him back to the spot of their last conversation and with her voice breaking, told him that they were moving to Osaka so that she could study at an exclusive school there. All he could do was hold her in his arms and try to comfort her while he himself was experiencing his own inner turmoil.

<Why did she have to leave?> he asked himself angrily. <Why couldn’t she just stay here in Tokyo?>

At last, feeling her tears spent, he let go. Those eyes, <sadness doesn’t become her.>

Suddenly, an idea dawned to him. Asking her to stay where she was, he dashed back into the house behind the temple and came back, a flower in hand. A quizzical expression crossed Maia’s face as she regarded the flower.

"This came from one of the flowers in your brother’s floral arrangements," he explained. "I picked one off the temple steps and cared for it. This is the first flower from the plant and I want you to have it."

Amidst the soft twittering of the temple’s birds, and the soft rustling of the leaves overhead, two friends share an innocent kiss -- one of good-bye and of sorrow.

Mitsuru and Shinobu were having breakfast at the dorm’s mess hall when Kazuya came in running and plopped into a seat directly across the two. Apparently, he had come from the academy’s main halls and had run all the way to Greenwood. From the excited expression on his face, he must have some really good news.

"Kazuhiro is taking a vacation!!!"

Mitsuru and Shinobu exchanged knowing glances with Kazuya. The plague of always having Hiro looking over Suka’s shoulder being over for a while was good news. He would finally experience some real freedom.

"And," he continued, lowering his voice and gesturing for them to come closer, "rumor has it that the temporary doctor who will be filling in for the rest of the summer is a woman!"

"This should be interesting," Shinobu said, sipping his tea. "I’m willing to bet that a lot of Greenwood’s residents will be calling in sick for the summer, especially if this doctor of yours proves to be pretty indeed."

Mitsuru felt Shinobu squeeze his thigh under the table, and gave him a warning look. Shinobu had this bad habit of doing things impulsively, and it scared Mitsuru to think of what will happen if Suka found out what periodically happens in the room next to his.

"So when is this doctor getting here?" Mitsuru asked, one hand carefully peeling Shinobu’s hand off his thigh.

"She’s supposed to arrive anytime now." Suka said thoughtfully.

<Thank God, he didn’t notice.> Mitsuru thought as he gave Shinobu’s hand a slight squeeze before letting it go.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Shinobu said, getting up. "Let’s go see if the doctor is in."

On the way to the academy clinic, the three of them were treated to a show of butterflies and birds flitting about in the school gardens.

<So much like summer at the temple.> Mitsuru thought. Remembering the days he spent there before he knew the weight of the knowledge that he was an orphan. <So many memories....>

At the clinic, Mitsuru noticed that his shoelaces were untied. Gesturing to Shinobu and Suka to go on in, he bent down to tie the loose ends.

From his position outside the door, he could hear the muffled voices of the school president and Shinobu as well as a voice that was distinctly feminine. Getting up, he could see from the frosted glass the doctor’s silhouette as she shook hands with Suka and Shinobu. With a ready smile on his face, he turned the door handle.

Mitsuru could hardly hear the president’s greeting and his effort to introduce him to the new school doctor.

Emerald eyes mirrored the shock on his amethyst eyes as he stared at her. Soft brown hair flowed to her shoulders, and her soft oval face showed a warm expression of greeting despite the shock evident in her eyes.

"Mr. Ikeda, I want you to meet the new school doctor, Dr. Maia Noriko."

The same eyes, the same hair, the same girl, even the same fresh scent of lilacs that never seem to leave her side. <I never thought I would see you again...,> he thought as he fought the conflicting emotions within him and extended his hand in greeting. <Maia...>

*-*-*-*-*-*

"Too bad she’s only staying for the summer."

They were back in room 210, taking turns drinking from a can of cool beer. Like Shinobu and Suka, who were sitting on the floor, Mitsuru was also thinking about the new school physician.

"I mean," Suka continued, "sure, Hiro is a great doctor, and all that, but who would want to be cared for by him after they take one look at Dr. Noriko?"

"She is rather striking," Shinobu said absently, eyeing Mitsuru. <Something’s wrong here. Mitsuru’s been acting really strange after we came back from the clinic. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.> Shinobu stood up and snapped his fingers in front of Mitsuru. "Oi, something wrong?"

The look that Mitsuru gave him was something Shinobu wouldn’t soon forget. It looked like he was angry at him and at the same time confused. This was definitely not the Mitsuru he knew. <I wonder if the doctor has something to do with this,> he thought, and made a mental note to look into her background as soon as he gets his hands on the student council computer.

"Nothing’s wrong, Shinobu," he said, an instant later, his grim mask melting into a smile. "I’m just thinking of how much harder it will be for me to sneak into the clinic for a nap with a new doctor on duty."

Suka sighed as he propped up his elbows on the table and lowered his face onto his cupped hands. "You know," he said to Mitsuru, a wry smile on his face. "It’s just like you to think about taking naps in the clinic even though there’s a perfectly gorgeous doctor who also happens to be IN the clinic." A curious expression crossed Suka’s face. "Come to think of it, for someone who’s well known to be a lady killer like you, Mitsuru, I find it a little strange that you’re willing to dismiss this lady doctor rather than to plan for a way to get her alone with you."

<So do I,> Shinobu echoed in his thoughts. A nagging feeling came over him. What if Mitsuru ALREADY got her attention?

"Suka, I’m not like every other guy in Greenwood," Mitsuru sighed as he stood up and stretched. With a sly smile that made the hairs behind Suka’s neck rise and further fueled Shinobu’s curiosity, he continued, "I choose my targets carefully. Ones that I know will offer little or no resistance." And with that, he left the room leaving a very wary Suka and an even more concerned Shinobu behind.

*-*-*-*-*-*

On the other side of the campus, a door closed and a rather weary form seated itself at a desk by the window. Outside, one would have been able to see the well-kept grounds of Ryokuto Academy as well as the numerous dorms it had, namely Greenwood.

Propping her elbows on the desk, Maia began massaging her temples and looked out the window, her gaze settling upon Greenwood before closing into the blackness beneath her lids.

<Mitsuru.> That was a name that she never thought she would encounter again. <How long has it been?> she mused. Looking back at her last memory of the boy who now stood as a man, she counted six years. <So much has changed,> she said to herself. <Even you’ve changed, I could feel it when you held my hand.> She looked at her hands. They were still supple despite all the torture they went through in medical school. The same hands that accepted a white and red carnation from Mitsuru, the same hands he had held when they shared their first -- and only -- kiss. <But why,> she asked herself as she started straightening out her lab coat, <why does it feel like we were back where we started?>

*-*-*-*-*-*

That night, Shinobu wrapped his arms around the firm body beside him and held him close. Mitsuru had been preoccupied for the remainder of the day after they talked with Dr. Noriko. Shinobu swore to himself that tonight, Mitsuru will focus his attention on something more immediate. Himself, for example. It was quite obvious that Mitsuru wasn’t in the mood for sex, but that hasn’t been able to stop Shinobu before. Being the master manipulator himself, he considers himself THE expert when it came to Mitsuru.

Mitsuru felt Shinobu kiss the nape of his neck in the tender way he does, at the same time, he felt his lover’s hands slowly and methodically moving their way across his chest and resting on his nipples, like Shinobu always did when Mitsuru was feeling out of sorts. Only tonight, the feelings had a more concrete cause -- Maia Noriko. Mitsuru closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on visualizing what Shinobu was doing to him.

In his mind’s eye, he was floating above their naked bodies, seeing his lover stimulate every cell of his body by little touches, little nips in the right places, hungry kisses that melt to his very heart. Mitsuru’s breathing became slower. <This was what it should be,> he though. He and Shinobu, partners not only in crime, but also in love. He was enjoying both the physical inputs he felt as well as his mental imagery when it happened.

In shocked fascination, he saw the image of Shinobu change. The hair grew longer, darker. The hard, well-muscled body, changed into the soft curves of a young woman. The squarish face, became a soft oval. The light jade eyes, turning to intense emerald. <Oh God,> he thought, <this can’t be happening!> In his mind, he was not making love to Shinobu -- he was making love to Maia!

Shinobu felt more than heard the sudden change in Mitsuru. Seeing that something was interfering with his efforts, he shook Mitsuru out of his trance. The look on his lover’s eyes was enough to make him shiver. <What could have caused this?> he thought, noting the haunted expression on Mitsuru’s face. "Mitsuru?" he whispered quietly, as he held him close. <He’s shaking,> Shinobu noted, as Mitsuru in turn clutched him.

Blinking, Mitsuru saw that he had drifted off. Breathing deeply, he fought to regain his control. One look at Shinobu was enough to convince him that he had to do something about this situation. <I can’t go on like this!> he thought. <I have to keep her out of my mind!> He rested his head on Shinobu’s chest and willed his breathing to slow and deepen.

"Maybe we should try this some other time...," Shinobu started to say.

"No," Mitsuru said to his lover. "I want this Shinobu, and you know damn well that I get what I want."

Shinobu felt Mitsuru’s lips press onto his and rolled over to let Mitsuru take the lead. Whatever it was that was bothering Mitsuru, if it could incite him to this type of sexual frenzy, Shinobu wasn’t going to stop it from recurring.

*-*-*-*-*-*

Alone in room 210, Suka heard a muffled bump coming from the wall connected to room 211. <I wonder what they’re up to this time?> He couldn’t sleep. Shinobu wasn’t the only one sensitive enough to notice the non-verbal exchange between Maia and Mitsuru. More to the point, it made him downright uneasy.

"I wish Shun was here," Suka said to himself as he lay on the lower bunk and gazing up to the underside of his bunk. With Shun home for the summer, there was no way that he was going to keep sleeping in the top bunk. "He would have been able to offer an explanation for what happened." <Even though it would probably have been much weirder than the conclusions that I’ve already made.>

But then again, that was Shun. Shun had a propensity for jumping to conclusions, but most of the time, his theories were a lot closer to the truth than his.

Rolling over, Suka closed his eyes and his senses from the outside world, willing himself to sleep. <Nah,> he thought, sleep finally finding a hold on his consciousness. <Thinking that Mitsuru and Dr. Noriko were once lovers was probably something borne out of my overactive imagination....>

*-*-*-*-*-*

"I see you’re adjusting well, and doing a fine job to boot."

"Thank you, sir. I’m happy to know that my efforts have been well accepted here."

It had been a week since she arrived at Ryokuto Academy and Maia has done everything she could to keep the clinic running smoothly. So far, things have been VERY busy. It seemed as though a new student came in with a minor injury as soon as the previous one left.

<They should start getting used to me by now,> she thought as she applied antiseptic to her latest ‘patient’ who scraped his elbow during gym class. <But then again,> she mused, a knowing smile on her face, <they must be trying to see as much of me as possible. After all, when the summer ends, I’ll be gone and they’d be stuck with Hiro again!>

"I just came to check on you, Dr. Noriko,> the school principal said as he turned to leave. "Keep up the good work."

"I will, sir, and have a nice day!"

The guy with the scraped elbow had practically just left when Maia heard a soft knock on her door. <I wonder who it could be?> Maia left the cabinet she was rearranging and opened the door.

"So, how long has it been?"

Maia was at a loss for words when she saw that the person outside the door was Mitsuru Ikeda. She mutely gestured for him to come in and sat back down in front of her desk, the cluttered medicine cabinet momentarily forgotten.

"Well, Maia?" Mitsuru said as he sat on the lone bed on the clinic directly across from her. He had taken off his jacket and loosened his tie. "It must have really been a long time, after all, you’re there, wearing a doctor’s lab coat, while I’m still here wearing a high school student’s uniform."

The comment was meant to be friendly, but it made Maia uneasy. <Everything I’ve done... somehow things feel so awkward now.> Maia lifted her eyes and looked Mitsuru straight in the eyes. "Six years," she said, "it’s been six years since I left."

"And look where you are now." Mitsuru stood up and gestured to the room. "A doctor. A medical professional." A small smile graced his lips and he shook his head. "When you said that you dreamed of becoming a doctor, I never once thought that it would be this soon."

"They said I could handle it." Maia never once took her eyes off him. <What is he up to?> When they were children, Mitsuru had a fondness for playing games like this -- start with small talk and get to the point when the one he’s talking to lets his or her guard down. Both sets of parents have observed at least one of these and saw that Mitsuru and Maia were so evenly matched in wits that no one ever came out with the upper hand. "So, what are you doing in here?"

"Seeing that the rest of my classes for the day have been canceled," he said, lying down on the bed, "I thought that it’s about time I had a nice chat with you." <As well as to make an effort to banish my personal demons and finally get on with my life!> he thought darkly.

Total silence prevailed between the two. The sounds of the birds taking wing outside seem to have been magnified tenfold. Neither were willing to start off the conversation, and both had guarded expressions on their faces.

Seeing that Mitsuru wasn’t about to start talking, Maia returned to her cabinet and started putting away the medicines. The only warning she got was a sudden shift of the breeze and when she turned around, Mitsuru was close enough that their noses touched!

The expression of shock on Maia’s face made Mitsuru smile. <She looks like she’s about to have a heart attack,> he thought. Remembering that he had locked the door when he had been pacing, Mitsuru smile mischievously. <I wonder...>

With that thought, Mitsuru wrapped his arms around Maia and kissed her. Hard. Maia hadn’t expected that and since she was already in an awkward position, she nearly fell over backwards. If Mitsuru hadn’t had his arms around her, she would have suffered a nasty bump on the head.

<Man, he’s still as strong as ever!>

She tried to wiggle out of his grasp to no avail. Mitsuru’s grip had been like iron when they were children, and so far, nothing has changed. Instead, she clenched her jaw tight forcing Mitsuru to stop kissing her. He did stop, but he still wouldn’t let her go. He looked at her and she knew that look only too well. Her brother had always said that the eyes were the mirror to one’s soul and if you want to scrutinize someone, the eyes were always your best bet. She hated it when Mitsuru did this. It always felt like he was judging you -- like you were left naked in front of a grand jury with all your flaws and weaknesses exposed for everyone to see. She braced herself on Mitsuru’s chest. His heartbeat was so strong and so fast, she could feel it through her palm...or was it her own? Seeing that he wasn’t about to let go, she sighed and wrapped her own arms around him and laid her head on his chest.

<This was exactly how it had been six years ago.> She shut out the flood of memories and she opened her senses to this particular moment. She and Mitsuru...it had all started with that good-bye kiss. It was something that she never forgot. This was de déjà vu and Maia was terrified.

<I don’t want this!> With a slight snarl, she shoved Mitsuru away from her with enough force to break his hold. There was confusion in his eyes, and that expression was enough to make her heart ache for him. Trying to hide her own confusion, she wrapped her arms around herself, plopped back on her seat and stared him down.

"What was that for?" Maia asked, her own inner confusion giving way to anger. He had started this and she was going to see its end right here.

"Nothing, really," Mitsuru said as he sat back down on the bed. "I just thought I’d shock the living daylights out of you. Tending to countless minor injuries for the past week must have been pretty boring by now."

Maia rolled her eyes at the smiling Mitsuru, once again managing to look like a cheshire cat sitting on the bed. Maia then finished rearranging the cabinet and went to sit beside him like she had done so many times before.

<I guess he hasn’t changed after all.> She should have known that that kiss was more for shocking her than for expressing... something. She laid her head on his shoulder and felt his left arm snake around her shoulder.

"Hmmm...?" Maia had been so lost in her thoughts that she missed Mitsuru’s question.

"I said, ‘where are you staying?’ I mean, even though the temple is located nearby, I’m staying in Greenwood so that I can study with my friends..."

"I’m staying at the Paladin Mansion. My suite is number 3 on the penthouse floor."

<That was easy.> Mitsuru was surprised at the ease with which Maia parted with her address. He had initially thought that it might take him the rest of the afternoon to get her to tell him where she’s staying. Of course, he wasn’t going to speak of this visit to Shinobu nor to anyone in particular. <I learned enough from my years at the temple to know that I should not disregard dreams.> A grim expression crossed his face and he looked at Maia. She had her head rested comfortable on his shoulder, her eyes closed. It reminded him so much of Shinobu, the positions they took were so similar. <One thing’s for sure,> Mitsuru thought, <I will get to the bottom this.>

*-*-*-*-*-*

"You’re going OUT?!"

Kazuya was once again in room 211 and was now looking at Mitsuru as though he had grown another head. It was late afternoon on a Saturday which had turned from cloudy to gloomy as the day progressed. Summer rains were rare given the hot weather they experienced and when rains do come, they do so with a vengeance. Shinobu went out on an errand about a half hour ago and now Mitsuru decided to go out, too.

"Relax, Suka. I’m just going to go to the convenience store to buy some stuff. It’s not going to take that long."

"But, it might rain any second!" Suka reasoned. "You know that it becomes almost impossible to walk the streets when rains this bad pour!" He hated it when Mitsuru decided to do stuff out of the blue.

"Suka..." Mitsuru was getting impatient with him. "Look, the longer I stay to argue with you, the lesser time I have to get back. So I’ll just see ya later." Without waiting for another word from him, Mitsuru grabbed his jacket and sprinted down the hall leaving a gaping Kazuya in his room.

*-*-*-*-*-*

<Maybe I should have listened to Suka after all.>

It had started drizzling about five minutes ago and the rain was now coming in fat drops. Mitsuru was five blocks away from the convenience store and eight blocks away from Greenwood. He was getting soaked and he knows that he should try to find someplace to go before he gets even more wet. Standing under a large oak tree, he looked at his surroundings. It was too late to try going back to Greenwood and he certainly couldn’t stay at the store soaking wet. About a block away, he saw a residential building.

<It’s the Paladin Mansion!> he thought, surprised. <Well, it looks like I’ll be paying Maia an impromptu visit tonight.>

With that thought, he sprinted as fast as he could towards the building. By now, the rain had started pouring and lightning flashed. Though the building was only a block away, by the time Mitsuru got there, he looked like he went swimming with his clothes on. Luckily, there weren’t that many people in the building at that time and the people there did not pay much attention to a soaking teenager entering the elevator nor the small puddles he left in his wake. Well, probably with the exception of an annoyed janitor who came back from his break to find several puddles on the floor he just mopped.

*-*-*-*-*-*

*Ding-dong*

Maia put down the book she had been reading and stretched. She had come straight home from work and changed into a pair of shorts and an old T-shirt. Curled up on the couch, she had been reading for about twenty minutes when the doorbell rang. Slipping her feet into a pair of slippers, she got up to answer the door.

*Ding-dong*

"Coming!" Maia hadn’t expected anybody to drop by especially with a storm raging outside. <It’s probably Mrs. Miyata next door. She probably misplaced her glasses again.>

She was surprised to see a dripping Mitsuru grinning sheepishly at her on the other side of the door. Mitsuru was equally surprised when Maia yanked him into the suite before he could offer a word of explanation. Mutely, he let himself be guided into the suite by a fuming Maia and was once again surprised when she led him into a bedroom. There, Maia let his arm go and looked at him quite sternly.

"Take off your clothes, Mitsuru."

Mitsuru’s eyes bulged as Maia left him in the room after saying those five words.

<What is she thinking?> He wondered as he obediently peeled off his soaking garments until he was down to his shorts. He could see her coming up to him wearing a satin negligee. Her lips red not from cosmetics, but from the rush of hot blood running through them. Her skin, radiating heat...

"Mitsuru!"

He was shocked out of his reverie by Maia tapping her slippered foot on the floor. She was still wearing her shorts and T-shirt and she had a bathrobe in her hand which she tossed to Mitsuru.

"There’s warm water from the pipes. Try taking a bath before changing into these clothes."

A dumbfounded Mitsuru watched as Maia laid out a clean set of men’s clothes on the bed.

Seeing the unspoken question in his eyes, Maia said, "Ryo left some of his clothes here in case he comes over. He doesn’t like staying in hotels, so he stays here when he needs to do business in Tokyo."

The mention of Maia’s brother answered his questions and he proceeded to the adjacent bath in the bedroom. As he scrubbed the dirt that had somehow managed to attach to his skin on his run over, he heard Maia busily preparing the bedroom. He shook his head as he heard the wet sloshing sound of his clothes being picked up off the floor and the wet thunk they made as they plopped into the small clothes hamper that Maia had brought in with her.

"You’re too good to me, Maia," Mitsuru whispered to himself as he soaked in the warm water of the bathtub in an effort to drive the chill from the rain.

After the bath, he saw that Maia had laid out a complete change of clothes for him, laid out a set of pajamas, and turned down the bed for the night. Mitsuru, wearing the robe she had tossed to him earlier, moved to lock the door so that he could change. To his surprise, Maia had locked the door from the inside before she left. Obviously, she wanted him to have as much privacy as he needed. But then again, that was Maia.

After changing into clean clothes, he walked into the living room and immediately detected the smell of cooking food coming from the kitchen. Following his nose, he came upon Maia who was busy cooking stir-fry vegetables while talking to someone on the phone. He paused at the doorway to listen.

"Yes, Ma’am, Mr. Ikeda is here... I don’t think it will be wise to let him walk all the way back to Greenwood in this storm... You’d like to speak with him? I’ll see if he’s done..."

Mitsuru chose this moment to show himself to Maia. Maia gestured for him to take the phone and returned to cooking after handing him the receiver.

"Hello, Ma’am," Mitsuru began, fully expecting the dorm supervisor to be worried for him. "No, Ma’am, I’m fine. Dr. Noriko is an old family friend and I’ll be staying over until the storm blows over... Don’t worry, Ma’am, I’ll be back as soon as I can. By the way, please tell Tezuka-kun and Hasukawa-kun that I won’t be coming home tonight. They might be worried... Thank you."

Mitsuru replaced the receiver in its cradle and looked at Maia. She had her hair pinned up behind her head and the white skin of her neck showed. Thoughts of vampires and necks ran through his head until Maia snapped him out of it by announcing that dinner was ready.

At dinner, Mitsuru helped himself, as always. Maia shook her head as they ate. <Some things just never change.>

That night, Mitsuru lay awake listening to the howling of the wind and the patter of the rain on the glass doors leading to the balcony. They had spent over an hour catching up and laughing at some of the weird memories that they had shared. They would have stayed up longer if only Mitsuru hadn’t brushed his hand against her knee. Maia had looked at him with a guarded expression and announced that she was tired and that she was going to bed. Seeing that Maia had her mind on something else, Mitsuru decided to get ready for bed himself. The problem was, he couldn’t sleep. He had tried rolling over a few times and even counting sheep, but nothing seems to work. He just couldn’t get the image of Maia out of his head, and having her alone and so close felt like torture.

*-*-*-*-*-*

<I can’t stand it!>

Mitsuru got up and silently walked out of the bedroom. Crossing through the living room, he paused at Maia’s door. Indecision clawed at him. What if she takes this the wrong way? What if she hates me for this? What if... what if.... With a steadying breath, he clutched the doorknob and turned it.... Surprisingly enough, it had been left unlocked and Mitsuru was soon looming over a sleeping Maia.

She was wearing a satin nightgown. White, as far as he could tell, and it suited her. Mitsuru could hear the his heart beating faster and the blood rushing to his head as he bent close to her. He could smell her sweet breath and could see the slight shifts of her body underneath the sheer satin. Delicately, he brushed several stray locks from her face and kissed her.

She reacted much in the same way as she did when he had kissed her in the clinic. The only difference was, this time, she couldn’t move. Her wrists were pinned to the bed by Mitsuru’s hands and she felt her limbs grow weak as she felt how close he was. His kiss was delicate, not like the other. This one was... loving?

Maia felt as though her heart was racing at a hundred miles an hour when Mitsuru finally broke the kiss, his hands still pinning her wrists on either side of her head while he straddled her body. A flicker of recognition emerged in his amethyst eyes and he immediately let go of her and sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. Maia gathered the covers and wrapped them around her body and moved towards Mitsuru. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she was shocked at the sensation she felt.

Mitsuru was shaking.

"Maia... oh, please, Maia, forgive me..."

Taking his hands in hers, she gently lifted his gaze to meet hers.

<Oh, God, he’s crying!>

Tears were silently and slowly flowing down his face, as he came to realize what he had just done. <I tried to take her by force! My own friend!> He gulped down a calming breath as he returned her gaze. Mitsuru was even more confused when he didn’t see any anger in her emerald eyes. He became even more confused when Maia let go of the sheet she had wrapped around her body and embraced him. His head rested beneath her chin, just above her breasts. With just a thin layer of silk between him and her, Mitsuru felt as though he would go mad!

"It’s alright, Mitsuru," she whispered, as they held each other.

"The dreams..." Mitsuru whispered.

"What dreams?"

Letting her go, Mitsuru told Maia about the dreams he had, leaving out the part of him and Shinobu. <She would understand,> he thought as he finished his story, <she just has to or I will go crazy!>

His confirmation came in the most unexpected of actions. Maia took his hands and guided them around her waist and wrapped her own arms around Mitsuru’s neck. Maia felt so small in his arms yet he clung to her like a lifeline -- afraid that the feelings raging within him would sweep all control away from him. Tentatively, Mitsuru loosened his hold on her and looked into her eyes. She was afraid. It was plain from her expression that she was afraid -- afraid of the possible consequences of their actions.

<But she’d let me hold her,> Mitsuru thought. With his heart beating loudly in his chest, he lowered his lips to hers.

It felt like an electric shock. This time, Mitsuru took it slow. She didn’t resist. The other kisses that he had initiated with Maia were hungry, savage. This time, he was determined to treat her the way he should have from the start.

As the kisses deepened, he held her tighter crushing her body against his. Muffled moans sounded from her lips and this only made him want her more.

Losing their balance, Maia fell back on the bed with Mitsuru’s full weight on top of her. His body felt so hot against her skin, and his kisses felt like fire. Maia let out a low moan as Mitsuru moved his lips from her mouth to her neck. Her skin felt so alive!

Her body tensed as she felt his weight lift from her body. She practically cried out when she felt his hands move under her nightgown. She felt them delicately exploring her. A low moan escaped her lips when his fingers started playing with her nipples. She bit back a scream when he pinched them. There was no sensation in the world that could describe what she had just felt.

With his hands still under her clothes, Mitsuru lifted her up to a sitting position and shucked off her nightgown. It had been exceptionally hot that day and the rain had released all the heat that had gathered in the ground. The heat left a thin layer of sweat on Maia’s body and she looked like a statue of a naked goddess come to life. Unable to stand it, Mitsuru started to unbutton his own shirt when Maia stopped him.

"Maia, what...?"

"Shhh...."

Maia placed a finger on his lips and gave him the faintest of butterfly kisses. Mitsuru sat back on his heels and let Maia take over. She slowly undid the buttons of his pajama top and took it off by sliding her hands over his shoulders and his back. With a slight push, she had him on the bed and started to work on him.

<I wonder if what he did works on him?>

She ran her finger delicately around his nipple. She felt his body stiffen, a soft moan sounding like her name coming from him and she definitely felt something growing in the lower half of his body. She smiled. <That can wait until later.> She moved to the other nipple. Same results.

Without a warning, she was lifted from her position and found herself lying on her back on the bed with Mitsuru once again straddling her. She was about to say something when he buried his head between her breasts. She felt his arms around her while he kissed her breasts one at a time. She let out a shriek when he started suckling. Her senses felt like they’re on overload.

Mitsuru lifted his head from her breasts and kissed her lips. "Did you like that, Maia?"

"What ....?"

"I’m making love to you, Maia," Mitsuru laid his head on her bosom and sighed. He had said that he was making love to Maia. It had gone from the initial physical attraction he had felt for her when he had seen her alone in the clinic. Now....

This was getting too much, even for him. Making love to Maia was nothing like making love to Shinobu. There was an intensity, a frenzy in Maia that he never experienced with Shinobu. Coupled with long-ago bottled -up feelings, it felt like someone lit a stick of dynamite and threw it his way.

He felt Maia’s hands running through his hair. He heard her whisper his name. They were so delicate, her hands. He lifted his head from his impromptu pillow and looked at her. Giving her a wicked grin, he moved lower and parted her legs and rested his hands on the inside of her thighs. Her secret lips.

He gave her a small lick, just to taste her, and he was repaid by a loud moan of mixed agony and ecstasy from Maia. That was enough. Mitsuru buried his head in her and ran his tongue on her and into her. It was too much for Maia. She thrust herself to Mitsuru and he used his arms to pin her down on the bed. A faint whimper came from her.

"Mitsuru....stop it...."

He shucked off the lower half of his pajamas and positioned himself so that while he had a hold on Maia, Maia also had a hold on him. Dual shock. He could hear her moans mixed with his as she sucked on him. The sensations were further heightened due to the fact that the stimulations were going both ways.

"Mitsuru... I... can’t....take... much... more...." Maia gasped, her knuckles white from gripping the sheets too tightly.

Mitsuru turned back around and knelt in front of her. She looked so fragile lying there, her breath coming in quick shallow gasps. Using his finger, he probed her opening and put two fingers in. Maia started squirming, and she was biting her lip to keep from screaming. Mitsuru withdrew his hand.

<She came,> he thought noting the moisture on his fingers. He licked it off his fingers and put his hand on her hips. <Maia isn’t going to be able to take much more of this.> He wasn’t even sure if he could either.

"Maia?"

"Mitsuru..." she moaned.

"Maia, you definitely have to be awake for this.." With that, he thrusted.

This time, Maia wasn’t able to keep her voice down. She screamed and clutched at the sheets as Mitsuru withdrew and thrusted again.

<Uhhh, she is so TIGHT!> A sudden realization came over him right then and there. <My, God, she’s still a virgin!>

Still coupled, Mitsuru lay on top of her and kissed her deeply, driving himself in deeper in the process. Her body was so tensed up and her knuckles were white from clutching at the sheets. He lifted her up from the bed and held her tight. Her sweat tasted sweet as he ran his lips on her neck. She clutched at him, whispering his name over and over again. Suddenly, her body became rigid and she let out an anguished, primal scream at the same time he held her tighter and bit back his own moan. Little death, they had called it -- they had both come at the same time.

Both passions spent, they lay beside each other, arms locked in an embrace. Mitsuru felt Maia snuggle close to him despite the heat. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in the scent of lilacs. He could offer no explanation for what had transpired between them this night. He kissed her forehead and looked at her -- she was already asleep. Smiling wryly, he held her close, enjoying the feel of their bodies against each other.

"I hate to admit it, Maia," he whispered to the sleeping girl in his arms. "But I think that I’ve fallen in love with you."

He sighed and pulled the sheets over their naked forms. What a mess....

<I think I’ve fallen in love with you.>

It didn’t matter. What matters is that she’s here with him. Right about now, there was nothing in the world that could possibly tear them apart. With that last thought, sleep claimed him.

Outside, the rain continued to fall. The silent witness to their passion play.

*-*-*-*-*-*

Lying back on his own bed in Greenwood, Mitsuru watched the rain fall. Shinobu had been reluctant to let him sleep on his own bunk, but, then again, he had his reasons.

He and Maia had said good-bye earlier in the evening. Once again, she is being brought to Osaka. This time it was to be the chief doctor of the new family hospital that her parents had built. There had been no tears. Both had known that this was somehow bound to happen -- such was their fate.

Mitsuru heard his lover’s even breathing in the bunk beneath his and smiled. Maia had figured out this part of his secret on her own. He never thought that she would understand. She had been shocked, but she wasn’t disgusted of him. But then, that was Maia, dear Maia....

He needed to sleep, after all, tomorrow was the first day of regular school. He rolled over to his side and kissed the flower that lay there. With a smile on his face, sleep slowly claimed him. The rain stopped a few minutes later and parted to reveal a glorious full moon whose silvery light graced the petals of the flower -- a white carnation speckled with red like blood.

A lone figure stood at the # 3 penthouse suite of the Paladin Mansion looking at the Tokyo skyline. All around her, bags were packed, ready for her trip home to where her family anxiously awaited her arrival. The summer had been full of surprises. A sad smile crossed her face. She wished that things hadn’t ended the way it had.

She walked over to a plant on the balcony and delicately fingered the petals of the flowers.

"You’ve seen the making of so many memories," she whispered.

"Maia, the car’s arrived."

She turned and gave Ryo a warm smile. It’s funny that she had just happened to meet Mitsuru at his wedding never knowing where that one event would lead.

"I’ll be right down."

A porter came and took the potted carnation to the vehicle waiting below. Maia waited until all the bags have been taken downstairs before deciding to go down herself.

<But then again,> she thought, <maybe things would go my way next year.>

She turned her back and started towards the door, stopping once to blow a kiss in the direction of Greenwood.

The End