| She ~ dodie |

It's a warm Saturday morning. Niji's naked in my bed, having kicked off the covers, her hair all over her face, bare ass pointed toward me. You know you're gonna have a good day if that's the first thing you see.

I get off the bed, trying my best to not creak it under my weight. I find the satin scarf I used to tie her hands up last night on the floor and pick it up. Images flood into my brain. Images that can send me back into domspace almost immediately.

I surprised myself last night. I've never been such a polite and caring top ever in my life. With every partner of mine who has been interested in BDSM, I've been rough and demanding. Pleasurable, yes. But never polite. Never... romantic.

And, what the hell? That was the most beautiful orgasm I've had in months. I know beautiful isn't a commonly associated adjective with orgasms but I know what I'm talking about.

And I'm not very proud of vehemently lying to Niji yesterday either. She was right; the party was a celebration. Our community of sorcerers just sorted out the numerous reports of curse sightings and attacks from all over the nation. Mostly small fries and typically harmless. But some places had been struck by unusually dangerous grade 1 curses. Miyagi and Kumamoto prefectures were being hit the hardest.

Gojo chose me, a sorcerer freshly upgraded from Grade 4 to Grade 2, to look into Miyagi. I accompanied his cousin, Gojo Kotaro, a Grade 1 sorcerer from the Gojo clan, with a less competent version of the Six Eyes, to stake out and demolish the notorious Grade 1 curse going rampant around the Sendai Gymnasium. Three innocent people had fallen prey to it in the week prior to our visit. It couldn't go unchecked anymore.

Killing it was easy. It happened in less than two hours and had minimal damage to the two of us and the property. But the curse was freakishly elusive, hiding under the floorboards of the gymnasium, attacking janitors in the middle of night shifts. It took us over four days to find it and lure it out. There had to be a celebration.

If I had been completely honest with Niji, I'm sure she would have understood and maybe even encouraged me. But lying was obviously easier than explaining to her the whole concept of curses, cursed techniques, sorcerers, etc.

I rounded the bed and picked up my t-shirt and underwear from last night to put them on. I gathered Niji's clothes too and folded them to keep them on the bedside.

She looks so pretty sleeping, with her mouth slightly parted and nostrils flaring with every breath. I want to brush the hair off her face and rub the drool off from beside her lips but I don't touch her lest I wake her up. I slowly separate the thin white sheet from the heavier duvet and cover her with it, before leaving through the bedroom door.

The living area is a mess. Nobody helped clean up and Niji and I were a little busy last night to even think about it. I go around the room, picking up things that'd go in the trash. I wash the glasses at the sink and put them upside down on the kitchen counter. They're from Todo's cupboards and he would be here soon to collect them. He was very particular about "who shall drink, shall wash," but he left his own beside the sink so here I am.

The bell rings, catching me off guard. I pad my way through the living room to check if the sound woke up Niji but she's still peacefully asleep. So, I move quickly to the main door lest the person outside decides to ring the bell again.

It's... my sister.

"I came here to drop this off," she says, holding up Niji's ID card.

"Oh, great." I snatch it from her.

She still stands there, blinking at me, expecting something more.

"If you want me to say thank you, you can fuck right off."

Mai scoffs. "God, Maki! Is it a crime to expect basic human decency from you? You got laid last night because of me."

"Unlike you, who gets laid... umm... never."

She scoffs again. "You're an asshole!"

"Hi! What's going on?"

I turn to my left and Mai peeps in to see a very sleepy, half-dressed Niji walking over to us. She rubs her eyes and yawns.

"Oh, Mai senpai! Hi, good morning."

"Good morning, Niji," my sister replies. With a smile. It's weird seeing her smile when I know there's not a single positive thought between those ears. "I was out on a walk and thought I'll drop off your ID card."

"Oh, that's so nice of you. Thanks a lot, senpai." Niji stands next to me and I instinctively put an arm around her.

"See, Maki! Basic human decency." My sister wiggles her eyebrows at me and looks back at Niji. "Your girlfriend here doesn't want to invite me inside. It's like I'm only useful when I score the ganja and help her get laid."

Girlfriend? Girlfriend.

I guess I can cut myself some slack because I had to go away for a week. But when I met her yesterday, I should have asked her out immediately instead of waiting for her to do it. I already told her friend, in front of her, that we were going out. What was I expecting Niji to do? Lie for me?

At least we're going on a date soon. That's what we discussed last night before cuddling to sleep. I was the big spoon, of course.

"Oh... I..." Niji hesitates and looks up at me. I know she wants to invite Mai in.

"Fine, you can come in for coffee." I roll my eyes.

"And breakfast," my sister adds.

Niji excuses herself to freshen up, leaving us Zenin sisters alone. I make coffee and set aside a cup of milk for... my girlfriend. It's going to take a while to get used to.

"Nice girl, huh?" Mai attempts to make small talk and I only hum in reply.

A few seconds later, she tries again. But what she says doesn't sound like small talk at all. "I haven't seen you smile like that in months."

When Niji arrives, we have a breakfast of toast, egg whites, and coffee in silence. Well, I am silent.

Niji gets a call from her mother and she lies about having breakfast at the dorm canteen. That leads to Mai asking her about her parents, whether she has a sibling, and where she grew up. Things that I should have been asking.

When Mai finally leaves, after raising a hellfire in my mind, I grab Niji by the door and give her the longest, wettest kiss I can. She giggles halfway into the kiss, making me let go.

"What are you laughing about?" I ask.

"Nothing," she whispers and rubs a thumb across my lower lip. Somehow, she's braver since last night. "I think I should go. I have... umm... homework."

"Why don't you do them here?" I suggest. I just want to keep her here for longer.

"My books are in my room." She licks her lips and looks up.

Damn it!

I sit on the living room mattress and watch as she finds her remaining clothes, hair tie, phone, charger, and backpack scattered throughout the apartment. She can be a little messy but hey! At least it makes her stay a little longer.

As Niji brushes her hair in front of the mirror in my bedroom, I stand behind her and put my hands around her waist. I rest my face on her shoulder, kissing her neck. She giggles and I thrive in the brightness of that sound.

Gosh! Cringe. Who is this person?

"How long will the homework take?" I ask, standing up straight but refusing to take my hands off her.

"A couple of hours, probably." She holds my eyeliner up with questioning eyes and I nod approvingly.

"How about we go out on that date tonight?"

My question makes her jump and mess up the eyeliner. "Umm..." She looks at me and then back at the mirror, rubbing off the crooked edge. "You wanna go tonight?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"I... honestly, I wasn't expecting you to want to go so soon," she says, confusing me.

"Why not?"

"I was just..." Niji shrugs. "You know, feeling brave last night when I asked you out. I wasn't expecting you to actually want to go out. At least, not so soon."

"Why not?" I'm confused and she shrugs with a polite, apologetic smile. She still thinks I do this with every girl. I don't.

Niji chugs her now cold glass of milk like a child and I watch her with awe. Like a child.

"Let's go somewhere nice." I try again. "I can make a reservation at Crimson if you want."

"Crimson?" She swings her backpack from her shoulder. "Isn't that place very expensive? Lulu-san was telling me that it's hard to get in."

Not Lulu again!

"I can make a call. If not today, then tomorrow at least. What do you say?" I take her hand and hold it between my palms like a needy lover. Ugh! What am I doing?

"That sounds lovely, Maki-san," Niji replies. She inches closer and stands on her tiptoes to drop a quick kiss on my lips.

---------------

Fuck Crimson! The service is bullshit. Zero out of ten. I do not recommend.

When they finally pick up my call in the evening, they have run out of the "limited number of seats" they have for the day. Bullshit!

I make a reservation for dinner on Sunday before hanging up and immediately text Niji.

M: Made a reservation for dinner tomorrow. Can't wait to see you.

Can't wait to see you?

Niji replies after a considerable amount of time, the whole of which I spend looking at the phone's screen.

N: Hi, Maki-san! When is it? Asking, cause I'd have to return before the curfew.

M: Curfew is at 10, right?

N: Yes, Maki-san!

M: I'll pick you up at 6:30. And drop you back at the dorm gates before 10:00. That works?

N: Yes, Maki-san!

For several minutes after, her chat window shows her to be typing and I lay in my bed, worrying about what's coming my way.

N: Should we also discuss BDSM tomorrow? Like, our preferences and stuff?

M: If you want.

N: I want to.

I choose one of the most top outfits I have in my wardrobe for the date. A black-on-black techwear outfit with heavy, black combat boots. A necklace with silver clothespins hangs around my neck and the extra length of it dangles over my chest. As I wait for the elevator to take me to the basement of my apartment building, I tighten the velcro of my biker gloves around my wrists.

The doors open and there she waits. My actual girlfriend that I've had for over a year. My Kawasaki Vulcan bike. Everyone else is on the side actually. She's a big girl with a big engine and thick tires, and as I ride her through the campus, she turns more heads than I've ever had. Even after I got my scars.

Niji's jaw drops as I take my helmet off in front of the dorm gates and shake my hair into place. Mine does too. This girl may be a bit shy and messy but she knows how to dress. She's wearing a pink satin top with sheer sleeves that end in gloves, a denim skirt with prints of pink peonies on one side and a thigh-high slit on the other, and baby pink sandals with nude fishnet stockings. A white rectangular purse with a golden chain handle swings from her hand.

"What the hell?" She smiles widely as she proceeds toward me and I get off the bike. I can't kiss her here in the middle of the campus but I hug her.

"Isn't she pretty?" I run my palm over the Vulcan's seat. "650cc, V-twin, liquid-cooled engine. Dual channel ABS. What more could you want? Oh, she also has a 6-speed manual transmission and..."

"Dual what? What transmission?" Niji giggles. "Maki-san, it's like someone's speaking to me in hieroglyphics."

I realize she doesn't share my love for motorbikes like she doesn't share my love for coffee. Like I don't share her love for ballet and everything pink. I'm in head-to-toe black techwear and she's wearing the prettiest outfit I've ever seen. We're two opposite aesthetics. We're the Pinterest-perfect lesbian couple they make digital art about.

"You're cute when you're excited," Niji whispers with a smile.

Cute is not something I'm used to being called. But it doesn't sound abhorrent coming from her.

I swing my leg around the Vulcan and put my helmet back on. I offer a hand as Niji settles herself sideways on the pillion and I give her the other helmet.

"Hold on tight," I tell her as her hand snakes around my waist. "You're sitting the wrong way and it's not fine by me. Hold on tight."

We ride all the way back to Gate 1 and get out on the main road. I speed up, making my way through the traffic, getting ahead of cars and buses. Niji clutches my shirt with her life. When I ask her at a red signal if she is comfortable, she only nods.

We get to Crimson in no time. It's on the fourteenth floor of this skyscraper named The Tower Watcher. Apparently, you can see the Tokyo Tower from the twenty-sixth floor viewpoint of this building.

I park the bike in the lot and we get out to the sidewalk in front of the TW to get a smoke. Niji's idea.

The elevator ride to the fourteenth floor is peaceful. A heterosexual couple stands with us, taking pictures in the elevator's glasses. Niji fishes out her phone too, and we snap a couple of selfies before getting off on Crimson's landing.

We wait for a few minutes in front of the restaurant, taking more pictures, and when they call out for Miss Zenin and Miss Gushiken, we amble through the entrance. The little space of this ridiculously expensive restaurant is jam-packed with people and we are being offered a table right in the middle of it. Discussing BDSM here would be... a healthy challenge.

Maki in techwear and riding a Kawasaki bike? If that isn't your wet dream, you should consider therapy.

Aren't the Zenin sisters cute? Do you think we'll be seeing them finally being decent with each other in future chapters?

A/n: If you liked this chapter, please consider leaving a vote and commenting about what you liked or what you'd like to see in the next chapters.