19 May 2001
TITLE: Velvet
AUTHOR: Kat & kumi!
PART: 34/?
FANDOM: Gundam Wing
PAIRING: A puddle of Treize, Zechs and Wufei
WARNINGS: lemon, lemon, lemmmmon!
DISCLAIMER: Not ours. *sigh* ^_~
Dinner had been more comfortable than any of them expected and they had played cards together afterwards. Now Mari was in her pajamas, brushing her teeth, and getting ready for bed.
"Do you want to just laze on the sofa while I do this?" Anne said, smoothing his hair from his eyes.
"Laze on the sofa while you do what?" he asked, raising one forked eye-brow.
She smiled at him and shook her head. "How quickly he's forgotten. While I put Mari to bed, silly man."
Treize stretched a little, already rising to his feet. "I'll go change, then I'll tell her a story before she goes to sleep. I've missed doing that."
"All right," she said, winding an arm around him as they walked up the stairs. "She's missed it a lot, too. I'll be in the bathtub - you're welcome to join me when you get finished..." Her words trailed off as she entered the bathroom where she turned and winked at him before closing the door.
Lips thinned, he entered the master-bedroom, and quickly rifled through the two drawers that his clothes were in, finding a pair of comfortable boxer-shorts that he put on over one of the black thongs, and then found the t-shirt he'd taken from Zechs. Plain black, the Marquise company logo on it, it was a bit over-sized on Zechs, so it was bigger-still on him; and it smelled, just faintly, like Zechs. /Ah, god, I miss him... I wish he were here, and not Anne. I wish I could get Mari to stop hating him -- she's never even met him!/ He moved on to the next drawer, not even conscious of what he was doing until he held the supple blue-dyed leather in his hand, already opening it to put it on.
/Bad idea, Khushrenada,/ he chided himself as he closed the drawer, setting the collar absently atop the dresser before he turned out of the room, and crossed down the hall, knocking on Mari's door. "Darling? Are you ready for a story?"
"Yes!" she said with enthusiasm, scrambling onto the bed and diving beneath the covers. Somehow, the seething lump she made under all the sheets resolved itself into a girl, right side up with her head on the pillow, smiling at him angelically. "All ready," she grinned.
He opened the door fully, and stepped in with a smile. "You've decorated since I was last in here!" Treize exclaimed, smiling as he looked around the room -- posters of bands, doodles and animal pictures. "Maybe you're too grown up for a story?"
"No!" she said, giving him an affronted look. "I want a story, *now.*" She crossed her arms to show him she meant business.
He gave an amused snort, sitting on the edge of her bed. "*Well*, young lady, what story do you want to hear? I'll have to make it short, since I'm starting to fall asleep."
She stared at him for a moment. "I want a fairy tale -- and... what's 'Marquise?'
"It's a company -- or a title of Nobility," he smiled at her, stretching a little. "Or a bit of both. Fairy tale... one you've heard before, or do you want a new one...?"
"Hmm.. oh a new one, definitely." So saying she snuggled down into the covers and look expectant.
"Hmph." Silence for a moment. "Once upon a time, there was a young boy --and his name was Wufei. His parents had too many children, so they threw him out into the streets, since he was the smallest and the youngest, and the least useful. On the streets of the city, it was cold, and he spent a lot of time hungry."
"Sounds like a good one, Daddy," she said, smiling.
Treize gave his own tentative smile back to her. "And that boy, Mari, spent half a winter out on those streets, begging and stealing to survive. Through the day he sat on street-corners, swaddled up in a big coat -- stolen, of course -- begging for handouts. Nights were spent sleeping in door-ways. One day, in late January, as the snow nipped at his skin and stung his cheeks, a group of men grabbed him, trying to rip his warm coat off of him and carry him into a van."
A worried frown crossed her face. "Is someone magical going to come and rescue him soon?" she said, sounding for all the world like Treize himself was remiss for holding them back.
"Hold your horses, Mari," he chided softly. "Nothing magical. Wufei fought the men, fought them tooth and nail -- he didn't want to lose his coat *or* go into the van! But he wasn't big enough to win the fight.
"And then it stopped -- the men froze, staring. He looked up, over to the same thing they were looking at. A handsome man, with blonde hair down to waist, with a dog on a chain. Before their very eyes. he released that dog, and Wufei knew fear -- but the dog savaged the men who attacked him, without laying a single claw upon him."
Mari's eyes widened. "Oh, *wow*..."
"Wufei was equally stunned," Treize added with a smile, "and didn't ask 'why' when the nobleman stepped forward, re-chaining the now placid dog, and held out his hand to Wufei. The beautiful man was strangely silent, but what else was there for Wufei to do? He accepted the hand, and was lead to a sleek car, and shortly taken to a mansion in the country."
"Mmm... was it like a *castle*?" Mari said, eyes bright.
"As big as one -- with bright red bricks on the outside and green shutters on the windows. The man put Wufei in a bedroom, and bade him goodnight.
"Weeks passed, and weeks became years, and the man kept Wufei --sheltered him, fed and protected him, in return for loyalty and love."
Mari looked at him with no little disappointment. "But where's the magic, Daddy? It needs some magic!"
"Magic, magic," he mocked gently, shaking his head at her. "I haven't thought about magic in months...
"But back to the story. Wufei grew to love the aloof man, with his strange ability to sway and control others. Loved him with all of his heart, but his heart broke when the man brought home someone else, while he disappeared on one of his many trips. It was an older man, not a young one like Wufei was, in bad shape, half-dead -- and the beautiful nobleman gave the newcomer over to Wufei, telling him that he'd best watch over the new one."
"You mean he didn't love Wufei anymore? That's mean!"
"That's what Wufei thought -- but he stilled loved the Nobleman, so he did watch over the newcomer. And the newcomer healed, and fell in love with the nobleman, who began to spend less and less time with Wufei -- it broke Wufei's heart, until the newcomer started to reach out to him, trying to show him that the three of them could work together. And just when things started to feel nearly normal for Wufei again, the newcomer left, leaving behind the nobleman and his freshly broken heart."
The girl in the bed sat, motionless, her brows furrowed, mouth open in sad surprise. "Ohhh... how *sad*! Why did he leave? Did the nobleman start to love Wufei again? What did Wufei do??"
"I don't know," he murmured quietly. "Last I knew, the story was still unfolding."
She gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean? It's *your* story, Daddy. You're the one who's in charge of the ending. What happens?"
"I don't know," he murmured, leaning in to playfully tap her nose. "You see, I was rather violently removed from the story, and now I don't know what's happening anymore."
"You...? Daddy - I don't understand. It wasn't a story?"
"Well, it *is*. Except that Wufei really exists, and so does the nobleman." He leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Good-night, my darling. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"And *you* were the newcomer?" she said. "Who was the nobleman?"
"Zechs," he murmured as he stood up. "And I suppose that's where the problem starts."
Mari was silent for a moment. She sat in bed, looking up at him. "Oh, Daddy..."
"Good-night, darling." Quietly, he slid from the room. "Maybe we'll talk more about it in the morning."
Anne stepped out of the shower and dried off, letting her hair down from the bun she'd put it in. Approaching the mirror, she stared at her reflection for a moment. "Shall we remind him that he's not gay at all," she murmured to the woman in the mirror. They exchanged a wink and she reached for the perfume that Treize had always loved, tracing minute amounts over her wrists, behind her knees, and down between her breasts.
She stepped into the bedroom and choose a short chemise that barely covered her. It was sheer - a pale shimmering champagne color - and she smiled at herself in the mirror. /How can he ignore this...?/ That was when she noticed the strange, leather strap on the top of the dresser.
Her brows furrowed and she picked it up. /It's far too small to be a belt, or even a strap to hold something... / She held it up, staring at in puzzlement and then happened to get a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The strap was near her neck and it came to her suddenly just what it was. With an odd thrill, she stared at herself and put the collar around her neck. It was necessary for her to tighten it to the last buckle hole, but when finally fastened it was comfortably snug.
She reached a hand up to feel it there and felt a soft throb begin between her legs that grew harder as she imagined Treize above her, inside her, moving...
"Hurry up, darling," she murmured, pressing herself against the dresser and closing her eyes. "I've been so lonely..."
"Anne, are you...?" His voice trailed off, as he opened the bedroom door, and closed it behind him, eyes *caught* on her -- her, standing there, dressed like that, wearing *his* collar!!
"Take that off. Take that off *now*."
She turned, giving him a little surprised smile. "Don't you like it?" she teased. "I saw it on the dresser and thought you might find them attractive now..." She gave him a rather coy look. "Well, I'm not averse to wearing it - if you want me to... if it makes things more... *exciting* for you."
It was hard to not simply *snap* and rip it off of her, and Treize was surprised by the anger welling in him. "Anne -- it's *mine*, and I'd truly rather you didn't wear it."
She frowned slightly, and reached up to take it off. "Well then maybe *you* want to wear it. You like being submissive now, is that it?"
His expression flashed with anger for a moment, but he reached out a hand to accept it. "No. But it's *mine*. I'm used to wearing it, and it's strange to *not* be wearing it."
"I have to admit, Treize, that I'm a little surprised that you *kept* it. If you didn't plan on using it when *we're* together, why hold onto it? I assume he made you wear it?"
"At first," Treize murmured furtively as Anne gave him the supple leather. Familiar in his hands, that strip of blue-dyed hide. He put it on without looking, *knowing* how it should go, with the silver catch just to the left of being centered. "But I came to like wearing it. It's... strange, really."
"Yes," she said quietly, "it is... but if you *like* it, well - who am I to argue?" She'd crossed the room and stood in front of him, graceful fingertips trailing up his arms and obvious want in her eyes. "Anything else that *he* did that you want *me* to do...?"
He shivered a little, feeling... sick inside. Like he was betraying, or... worse. "You can't."
"No, I can't do *certain things*... but I'm willing to learn anything you'd like." She kissed his neck, and the length of her body pressed to his. "Give me a chance, Treize. You *did* enjoy it... once."
This time he took a step back. "Anne..." /How do I say it...? How do I tell her...?/ "Maybe... after I see your 'doctor'. I'm really too tired to..." And the fact that he wasn't aroused at all didn't hurt his case.
"Hmmm... too tired, is it?" She did a good job of hiding the disappointment in her voice, but she didn't press further. "All right -why don't you get into bed and we can just cuddle," she suggested, slipping into fragrant sheets as she did.
The smell, at least, was familiar. Wufei had the same rose-scented stuff in their bathroom, that he'd used before he'd been taken... "all right." Sliding carefully under the sheets, he curled on his side, looking uneasily at Anne.
She moved towards him and slid her arms around his waist, leaning close and catching his mouth in a kiss before he could move away.
But his lips didn't do much more than the trained in minimal response, and even that felt stilted to her. "Anne," he warned when he broke the kiss.
Pulling back from him, Anne sighed in frustration. "What *is* it, Treize?" she said. "It's been so long since we were together!"
"You mean it's been so long since *you* were with someone," he murmured. "It's... different from what I've gotten used to."
"Well," she said, kissing his cheeks and chin, "won't it be fun getting used to this all over again?"
"Anne, I really think... that I can't," he murmured in a soft voice. "I... *liked* being with Zechs."
It took all of Anne's willpower to hold back - to not shout at him that he didn't mean it, that it was all the work of the horrible men he'd been with and the atrocious things they'd done with him. It took everything... but she did it. Moving back to her own side of the bed, she smiled at him. "All right dear, I won't press you on it now... I know you're tired and it's been quite a day. Goodnight."
She closed her eyes and comforted herself with the thought that tomorrow, Treize would be seeing a doctor who would begin to help him out of the terrible lie that he now believed was truth.
Soon, the ginger-haired man was asleep, arms hugged around his pillow, dreaming of France and the night before.
"Master?"
Since he'd come back Zechs hadn't been seen in the estate. And though he'd probably be punished for it, Wufei could wait no longer. The bedroom door hadn't been fully closed, though it was dark beyond. "Master....?"
Sitting on the floor next to the bed, Zechs cringed at the soft sound of Wufei's voice. He'd been ignoring Wufei, not intentionally, but because he couldn't bring himself to see any of the boys and young men who lived in his house. The memories they brought back were far too painful for him to face and sex was the last thing on his mind now. He was too far gone, in love with Treize Khushrenada, to do any of the things a good master should. The change he'd undergone in France, culminating in his thoughts after the bullets struck, was too great. He just wasn't a slaver anymore.
But Wufei was a different matter to him, and he willed himself to speak. "Come," he called hoarsely.
Soft padding steps into the dark room, closing the door behind him as he sat beside Zechs, arms slipping around his waist. "I missed you, master."
It was the soft voice that did it. Ducking his head, Zechs could feel hot tears form behind his eyes. They were tears of anger at Treize for leaving, grief over the relationship they could have had, and utter desolation at what he would do without the elegant nobleman.
The boy beside him was so warm, so familiar... "Wufei," he whispered brokenly into the darkness. "I... I'm so *sorry*... I didn't mean to ignore you. It's just... Treize..."
"Left," came Wufei's equally sad voice, arms tightening slowly. "Bastard. I knew, all along, that he'd do this... break your heart, Master, and I'm sorry..."
"Don't call him that, Wufei. If it weren't for him I wouldn't know that I had a heart..." He wiped fiercely at his eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. He had never in his life cried in front of a slave. Not even Wufei. How could he do it now? "No, it was *my* fault he left. It was too little, too late and he had the chance to go back to his normal life. Back to his daughter and... his fiancee. Because they loved him all along, you see? It didn't take them five months to realize it either..."
"Shhh." What *was* Zechs babbling about? it worried Wufei beyond belief to hear Zechs talking about love -- what had happened? The embrace tightened, and Wufei pressed himself closer against Zechs, nestling in. "I'm still here, Master. I'll never leave you, because you're...." /I love you, and you're my owner, and it's *right*./ "Because you're perfect for me."
"Ah, Wufei -" Zechs said his voice breaking. "You, too... never said it, never *knew* it..." The blond man's head was in his hands and he was rocking softly back and forth. /How could I have never seen it? It looks so obvious now... they were different... different that any I'd ever had or owned... Treize... and my little angel.../
He put his hands down, agony forcing him into a decision he knew he should have made long ago. With one, trembling hand he cupped Wufei's cheek, stroking it with his thumb and staring into dark eyes made darker by pain. "Wufei... my perfect angel... you've been with me for so long, and in all that time you've never done a single thing to hurt me. Never done anything but give everything that you have to me..." Now the thumb ghosted across the other man's full lips. "And in all that time... I've been too blind... and too afraid... to tell you..." Both hands cupped the lovely face and Zechs gently lifted Wufei's chin. "I don't want what happened with Treize to happen to you. So let me say it now... before another day goes by... before it's too late..."
One small tear escaped the golden cage of his lashes. "I love you, Wufei... I love you with all my heart... and there is nothing, *nothing* I wouldn't do for you..."
"My master," Wufei whimpered, over-whelmed and shocked -- Treize had left after Zechs had told him *that*? /God... he *can* do it, can do that... can love./ Long ago, Wufei had realized that searching for Zechs' love was pointless, so he simply did everything to his best, to make the man he loved so much happy...
"I'd never leave you," Wufei whispered, hugging Zechs closer, head tucked beneath his chin. "You're my everything."
Zechs's arms returned the embrace, and he whispered against the ebony silk of Wufei's hair. "I know you wouldn't... my sweet Wufei... my love..."
"I love you, too, Master," Wufei murmured, angry at Treize, but... ah, to finally *know*! There was no doubt -- they were his master's words, and there had never been anything but truth found in them.
A thought struck Zechs - a thought that immediately became a need. "I... I want to take you away somewhere, Wufei. Somewhere away from this house... from the others... someplace where we can start things over..." He looked down and the glossy, black head that rested on his chest. "It wouldn't be forever - just for a little while... someplace where I can pamper you, where you can have me all to yourself... What do you say? Will you go with me?"
"Of course! Anywhere with you, my master," Wufei purred softly, nuzzling a little. "It sounds like heaven, just you and me..." /And it hasn't been that way since we were younger... years and years since it's just been 'you and me'./
"Yes... just the two of us, like we were when you first became mine..." Zechs looked down at Wufei, reaching a hand down to caress a caramel-colored cheek. "What suits you best -- secluded in a northern climate, with blazing fires and frosty walks, or secluded in a southern climate with beaches and hot sun?"
All alone... with Zechs. The idea of *beaches*, to Wufei, brought to mind lots of people, and he wanted Zechs entirely to himself...
"Northern," Wufei murmured. "I love to keep you warm. I still love snow, no matter where it is." Whether on the ground, or... well. England was so much nicer, for him, than his 'homeland' had ever been.
A soft smile crossed Zechs's face. "Snow... where might we find snow in November...? How about... *Norway*? Is that isolated enough for you? I have a friend with a forest house up there. Peter can take care of the tickets..."
The idea of going on a *trip* with Zechs, to someplace so far away... was heavenly! "Oh, yes," Wufei smiled, nearly grinning. "Sounds *perfect*. It's isolated *enough* for me keep you all to myself."
"That settles it, then," Zechs said softly. "I'll get Peter working on a flight to Oslo." As he stroked the younger man's hair, he couldn't help chiding himself. /You know what you're doing? You're running away... running away from memories. Everything in this damned place reminds you of Treize... but do you really think you'll be free of him if you leave? You won't... you won't *ever*.../
"My master..." Wufei's purring voice trailed off as he buried his face against Zechs' chest. "Wo ai ni."
Treize had risen before Anne, re-wrapped his bandages, showered and gotten dressed mechanically -- it was a familiar routine, to get up by a certain time.
So by the time she was finally waking up, he was standing at the end of the bed, wearing his boots and pants, looking at himself in a full-length mirror. Inspecting the scars that marred his lean torso, far more noticeable in the light of day, the ragged lines that traced his chest and back.
/Why would Zechs ever want me...? He's got Wufei, and now that he knows he can love... maybe it's better for him. Without me./
"My poor darling..." Anne was sitting up in bed, staring at his reflection along with him. "I know what you're thinking, you know," she said as she rose and stood beside him. "You're thinking you're somehow "damaged goods," aren't you?"
She looked up at him then and smiled softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But nothing could be further from the truth, Treize. To Mari and me you are every bit as beautiful, if not more so, now than you were before. We love you more than we could ever say. Please believe that."
His eyes dropped, slowly, from his own reflection, unable to met her eyes as he pulled away carefully, opening a drawer to pull out... That mid-night blue silk shirt. He unfurled it carefully, making sure the other collar and the cock-ring fell into the corner of the drawer, unseen, before he lifted it entirely, shaking it out. A little wrinkled, but... barely noticeable, with a few more shakes.
"Treize?" she said uncertainly. "Did you hear me?"
"I heard you, Anne," he murmured as he unbuttoned the familiar cloth, sliding it on. "I simply... have different views on it. No matter what I do, I'll be breaking a promise."
"A promise?" She frowned at his back, wondering vaguely where he'd gotten the shirt. "Are you saying... you made a promise to that man?"
"Yes, I did. I promised I'd go back to him once I'd straightened out my life here." He was tucking the tails of the shirt into his form-fitting black pants, unselfconscious.
"You *what*?" Anne's tone was one of utter disbelief. She walked over to him and took him by the arm, turning him to face her. "You told him you'd come *back*? Treize - how could you *do* that? Not only to me, but to *Mari*?"
"I'd planned on taking Mari with me!" he snapped softly. "It's... complicated."
Anne pulled back from him abruptly. It felt as though the world had just dropped out from under her feet and she was falling, endlessly. "Treize... I..." Then the tears came and she ran out of the room, grabbing clothes as she did.
"Shit," he swore softly as he finished buttoning up his shirt, and sat on the edge of the bed. He'd wait for her to come back -- and she would, he knew. when she was calmer -- he'd wait until then.
But she didn't come back. It was Mari who poked her head in, smiling a little weakly. She came to sit beside him on the bed and put her hand on his. "Anne's really sad about something," she told him. "She's trying to pretend she's not, but I can tell. Don't you want to go downstairs and make her feel better?"
He was covering his face with one hand, trying to gather himself. "In a moment, Mari. She... has some things to think about."
His daughter gave him a sharp look. "You told her, didn't you," she murmured. "You told her that you wanted to marry Zechs instead of her." She looked away, out the lead-paned window to the gray, misty day outside. "She must be so *sad*..." And with that, she jumped up and ran out of the room, fairly flying down the stairs.
Now... now Treize felt frightened, in some strange way -- watching his daughter run from him. "God dammit." A moment of closed eyes, before he rose, walking out of the bedroom, down the hall and the stairs. "Anne...? Mari?" /Screwed up again, Khushrenada, didn't you? That's all you can do, isn't it? They need you to support them, do the 'right thing'... And I expect that from Mari. She's only a child.../
"We're in the kitchen, Daddy."
He came in, almost tentatively, standing in the doorway itself. "Anne, Mari... I'm sorry," he murmured, not really looking up as he stood there.
"Breakfast is ready," Anne said in a neutral voice as she passed him. She put a small basket of muffins on the table, along with a plate of cold ham and sliced cheese, then went back for a pitcher of milk and the coffee pot.
Mari eyed the two of them nervously and sat down in her usual place, toying with the fruit that was on the table.
"Eat up, you two," Anne said, "Mari you need to be at school early today and Treize, your doctor's appointment is in an hour."
"All right." Silent, he sat where he used to sit, reaching for a muffin. /Not what you expected at all, is it? Did you really think she'd just accept your decision for what it was?/ "Mari, what classes are you taking this semester...?"
Slowly picking apart her own muffin into pieces, Mari glanced at Anne, at the sink, and then spoke. "We have math and science - just biology so far; growing plants in water - and history. We're learning about Germany. Then there's gym of course and music."
"Music? What sort of Music?" he asked, smiling just a little -- he was straining to, in the face of all that was against him.
"We're learning about chanting and how it tells us about rhythm," she replied, still looking warily between the two of them.
"Sounds good," Treize uttered, looking over to Anne. "Are you going to have any...?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm not really hungry. Mari? Is all your homework done?"
"Of course." She nodded as she finished off her muffin, before slipping down from the chair. "I'll get my bag." And then was gone in a flash, leaving Anne and Treize alone together.
"Don't close up on me, Anne," Treize whispered.
She didn't speak immediately, but continued cleaning the dishes used to make breakfast. "You've just informed me that you are breaking our engagement because you promised to go back to a man who kept you as a slave. Perhaps I'm not quite sure what I can possibly say to that. What do *you* think my response should be?"
"I have no idea," he replied, tone tense, aching. "I didn't know you'd expect me to have not changed while I was gone."
She stood still for a moment, then turned to him slowly. "Changed? Oh I *knew* you'd be changed, Treize." Her voice was quiet, but the emotion behind it was unmistakable. "I expected you to be afraid of people, maybe even me. I expected that you would have to adjust to being free. I expected that you might not be as outgoing as you were before. I expected a lot of change. What I didn't expect is that you would decide that an aspect of your personality that had been there for years was completely wrong for you. That in five months you could completely change the fundamental nature of what you find attractive... and I never expected you to be rescued from human slavery and then think only about going back to the man who enslaved you."
She stared at the man she thought she knew, the man who was breaking her heart, and she couldn't find any hatred. Only confusion and pain... and questions that he refused to answer.
The muffin, half-eaten, was set aside, and he looked at the table before finally looking back up at her. "Before Zechs, Anne, I was afraid of people. I still can't stand crowds. I can't sleep alone at night -- night terrors. I can only relax around people I'm comfortable with -- Relena nearly makes me go catatonic." He sighed quietly, rising to his feet. "And freedom... was something I started to taste again, little by little. It started when Zechs let Wufei and I go out to get clothing for me, when he fed me, gave me a *bed* to sleep in, water to clean with. It was a simple start -- subsistence. Then he gave me a job, affection and hope. I didn't mean for it to become what it has to me, Anne. I didn't mean to fall in love with him, for whatever reasons I have."
Her voice took on an edge. "You fell in love with him - just because he treated you in a more civil manner that any of the others? That's enough to make you change your very *identity* from being heterosexual to being homosexual? Just being treated *civilly*??"
"It's more than that," Treize murmured in an unsure voice. Was it more than that...? "I could trust him, and he trusted *me*."
"There are a *lot* of people you can trust, Treize. And we're all here! We've been here the whole time, even when he was barely giving you enough to live in a civilized manner. You can trust *me,* and you can trust *Cathrine* and *Trowa* and you can even trust *Mari.* That's not a reason to fall in love with someone Treize... not when you're surrounded by people who love you and who've done far more to earn your trust."
"it's deeper than that, Anne," he tried to dismiss. "It has to be. I miss him."
"All right," Anne said, "go ahead and get in the car, I'll be right there." She watched Mari leave and then turned to Treize. "Please don't be hasty about this," she murmured. "Give yourself time to settle in here - you may feel differently in a week or so."
"I'll... see," he sighed shaking his head as he moved after Mari. "I'll wait a little bit. Until I'm *completely* sure."
End of Chapter 34
(:./kumiko/velvet34)
