Author's Email "Ken Wolfe" This story contains spoilers for anyone who has not seen the first El Hazard OAV series, and perhaps minor ones for anyone who has not seen the second OAV series. It is a sort of side story to my El Hazard Earth Chapter 2, though having read that is not necessary. To anyone who has seen the first OAV series, the situation should be obvious. As the [Lemon] tag indicates, this story depicts adult situations. Strictly not for minors. You know the drill. I am currently subscribed to the mailing list in 'vacation mode', if you post C&C I would certainly appreciate your mailing it to: Ken_Wolfe@mbnet.mb.ca Enjoy. Reunited Nestled snugly in Makoto's arms, the most powerful Demon God ever created gazed into his eyes, smiling radiantly at him. Inches away, her lovely face filled his field of view, filled his whole world. After a long silence, she finally spoke. "Shall we go?" It took a moment for Makoto to recall that he had just promised to help her get cleaned up. He chuckled. "I'm sorry Ifurita. I guess I'm still trying to convince myself you're really here. I've dreamt of your return so many times." She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head, as if dismissing his apology. "I understand. When I saw you come back for me today, I had to consult my Voices to convince myself I was not imagining it. We can stand here as long as you need." It was what he needed. Makoto had only human senses, he needed to see and hear her, to feel her held in his arms. And she felt wonderful. That was something that had been missing from his many dreams. He had known, both from what the Staff had told him and from the brief moments they had touched before, her systems maintained a temperature of precisely thirty-seven degrees Celsius. But feeling her warmth next to him was something quite different. It told him this was not a dream that would be snatched from him as he woke to the grim reality of her absence. Running his hand lightly across the back of her threadbare uniform reminded him of the state she had returned to him in, and of his promise. But he needed just one more thing first. "Ifurita... I know you've said it, but I need you to tell me again, that I'm not going to lose you." "You won't." A look of growing realization, and pain, came across her face. "Oh Makoto..." She reached up and brushed a gloved hand across his cheek. "It's been difficult for you, hasn't it?" A tightness clutched at Makoto's chest and throat, he was barely able to keep a tremor out of his voice. "There were times, over these years, when I despaired of ever seeing you again." "I'm sorry Makoto," she said, her own voice also thick as if resonating to his pain. She put her open hand more firmly across the side of his face. "Would it help to show me?" He could feel the beginnings of a void opening before him, a great open doorway that beckoned for him to step through. The link. Only this time it was not he who was opening the door, it was Ifurita. Four times before their minds had merged like this. The first had been an accident... with Ifurita standing over him, the business end of her staff just inches from his face, for no reason he could fathom he reached out and touched the weapon that was about to vaporize him. He had found his mind suddenly filled with pictures, memories that were not his - Ifurita's memories. The experience had left them both shaken. The second time Makoto had leaped upon her and forced the link open in a desperate attempt to get through to her innermost heart. He had showed her his memories of a happy and peacful life, something she could not have imagined. It was not until the third time that he had succeeded in plumbing the depths of her soul, and in freeing her from her Staff's bondage. The fourth and last time, he had guided her in shutting down the Eye of God... and just as importantly had given her his memories, made her well and truly a part of them. And now, Ifurita was trying to do the same again. Makoto reached up and took Ifurita's hand, guiding it away from his face. Her thin, silvery brows came together in a puzzled frown. He smiled, trying to show she had not done anything wrong. "I'd prefer not to. One day soon I'll share my memories of El Hazard with you, just as I shared my memories of Earth. But not today, not when we've just been reunited. I know it's silly, but I'd prefer to just talk." Ifurita's smile came back. She shook her head. "It's not silly. For today, tell me as much or as little as you like. I am content just to be back home." Home was an odd name for a palace she had only ever visited twice before, Makoto thought. Especially since the first time she had come to hunt down Makoto, the source of the confusion and uncertainty that had been planted in her soul. But he knew what she meant. Now that she was here, it had suddenly become Home for him as well. "Anyway, why don't we get one of the girls to pick you out something a bit less ragged to wear?" "I am detecting nobody else in the room." Makoto glanced over to the door. "Oh." The servant girls had made a quiet, discreet exit from the room while Makoto and Ifurita were talking. That was their prime directive, be there when they're needed and be invisible when they're not. "I sensed them leaving, right after you said you would help me clean up." "I guess they took that as a hint. Okay, I'll show you to the washroom and go pick something out of that monstrous closet. I don't have much fashion sense, I'll just get you something simple." Two stone arches at right angles forming a little square vestibule led into a bathing room that was not much smaller than the sitting room Makoto had teleported them into. Like all the suites in the palace, this one had a grand, elaborate bathing facility. A continuous stream of water from the palace boiler room trickled out of a silver lion-head faucet, keeping the great tub full of fresh, warm water. It was about the only room that did not lead out to a balcony. The open arched windows were high up on the outer wall. The bright, playful patterns of the tiles that lined the room and the blooming vines that draped down from the windows gave it a cheery atmosphere that Makoto had always liked. He showed Ifurita where everything was and made to leave, but something in Ifurita's face made him pause. "Ifurita, is something wrong?" Her expression was hard to read. Puzzlement, or maybe disappointment. "Will you not stay and help me?" Makoto had an idea what she was really asking. It was something he had given a fair amount of thought to himself. Especially in recent days. Nevertheless, he suddenly felt very anxious and awkward. He took her hand. "Ifurita, I wasn't lying when I told you I would like nothing more. I just thought you might like some privacy, that's all." "I see." It was plain as day now, however she tried to hide it in her averted, downcast eyes. He had done exactly what he was trying to avoid, he had offended her. Makoto took firm hold of both her hands now, something that prompted her to look furtively back to him. "Ifurita, I want to be honest with you. You know that I love you, but you must know that I desire you as well. I didn't know how you would feel about that, so... well, I wanted us to talk about it before I did anything that might offend you." Ifurita looked like this had taken her by surprise. "I thought..." She looked away again. "Yes?" Makoto asked encouragingly. "I thought you were unsure about... whether you regard me as human." Makoto could see how hard it was for her to talk about this. But he also knew they had to. "You mean, whether I regard you as a woman, don't you?" he asked gently. She nodded. She looked to be close to tears now. He stroked her cheek. "I saw your heart, Ifurita. You held on to your humanity when they did everything to try and crush it. You have more right to call yourself human than most people I know." "Makoto... my heart is artificial. My body is artificial." "Ifurita... it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to me at all, it shouldn't matter to you." The tears welling up in her eyes spilled down her cheeks now, she looked utterly miserable. He cradled her face in his hands. "Oh God... I'm sorry, I've really messed this up. But I don't know what more I can say. Please, tell me how I can make this right." After a moment where she looked to be working up her courage, she finally met his gaze. "Makoto... I need for you to show me that it doesn't matter. I need... I need you." Makoto kissed her then looked into the teary blue eyes cradled between his hands. "You're sure?" "Yes." He smiled. "Why don't we have a soak in the tub first? It will help relax us both." He could sure use it, and it looked like she could as well. Ifurita nodded her assent. She had said she wanted him to show her, so Makoto did his best to ignore his nervousness and decided to take the initiative. "Let me help you with this." He took hold of the edge of the long glove that went up past her right elbow with the intention of pulling it down. It did not stretch and it stuck to her skin like a barnacle. "Uh..." "Let me." She touched the spot where he had been pulling and ran her finger down the glove. It parted as if she were undoing an invisible zipper. She opened it up to the decorative kerchief at her wrist then held her hand out. "That's handy." She obviously still wanted him to do this. He took her hand and worked her fingers out of the glove. He pulled it off and let it flutter to the floor. So went the other, and so went the gossamer veil that covered the back of her hair. She put her finger to the top of her jacket at her breast and drew it down to her belt. The fabric parted just as the glove had. The wide black belt and the big collar about her throat unfastened as if at some silent command. It came apart just enough to show that she was wearing nothing underneath. He was seeing a bit more than just cleavage now. Makoto opened the collar and dropped it to the floor. He glanced up to see her looking at him expectantly. But she was also trembling just a little. He caressed her cheek and smiled. "Feeling a little shy?" "I suppose so. I'm sorry." "Don't be. You're cute when you're blushing." Makoto was relieved to see her smile a little. He imagined that for her this first time was mostly going to be about affirming her humanity and her womanhood. But he wanted to make it more for her if he could, wanted her to feel something more than relief of anxiety. He slipped his hands under the collar of her jacket and gently worked the muscles between her shoulder and neck. They responded almost immediately, relaxing and becoming more supple under his touch. She closed her eyes and gave out a little moan. "You were really tensed up," Makoto observed. "I was. But you've fixed it now. Thank you." Makoto chuckled. "It's just a massage, that's all." And a very quick one at that. He assumed her muscles were artificial. They certainly felt normal enough, but were undoubtedly designed for greater strength and quicker reaction. Perhaps the latter made them more responsive to touch. He was suppressing his power to link with her, but perhaps his power was somehow coming into play unconsciously. Whatever the case, she looked a lot more relaxed now. He moved his hands over her shoulders and pushed the jacket off them, letting it fall to the floor along with the long tails that hung from it. He looked down and stood transfixed as the thrill ran its course through his body. He swallowed hard. "Ifurita... you're gorgeous." She was grinning and blushing furiously. "I'm happy that you think so." She reached for the top of her uniform's leggings at the side of her waist, and as expected it parted under her touch. She pushed them down to the floor and stepped out of them. "Platinum." Ifurita raised an eyebrow at Makoto's comment. "You're platinum down under too." She did something Makoto hadn't expected. She giggled. "Is that good?" "Well, it's certainly not bad." Her response was to start unfastening his long white cloak. When she had his shirt off she returned his favor by kneading the tension out of his shoulders. It took her a little longer than it had taken him. It felt wonderful, he was sorely tempted to sprawl out on the floor and let her do the rest of his back. But as soon as his shoulders loosened up she reached down and undid his trousers. When she had him down to his loincloth it became obvious what effect the sight of her was having. It was Makoto's turn to blush. She just smiled warmly. "May I?" She reached down and slipped the last piece of cloth off him, managing to discreetly get it around the obstruction. "Black." "What? Oh...!" They both started laughing at once, and Makoto couldn't stop if he tried. He almost doubled over. Somehow or other they ended up in each other's arms as his laughing fit came to an end with a long, drawn-out sigh of contentment. They just stood quietly like that for a while. Thankfully that release of tension had settled Makoto down a bit. He could only hope that making love to Ifurita would feel half as good as this. "Makoto," she said softly into his ear. "Yes?" "You're gorgeous too." "Thanks. Come on, I'll wash your back." "Okay." Makoto guided her to the narrow tile-covered stone bench beside the pool and she sat down. Makoto pushed her hair aside, dipped the little bamboo bucket into the pool and poured it over her back. "You know, for somebody who hasn't taken a bath in ten thousand years, you hardly look like you need one." "Dirt really doesn't stick to us. Our skin is different." Makoto was debating asking, but she did seem more relaxed now. "Should I be careful about getting soap in your power socket?" "No. Even hydrochloric acid would not corrode it." "I'll bet your designers put it here on purpose..." he lightly patted her bottom. "The view is magnificent." Ifurita was silent. Makoto was afraid he might have offended her, but when she spoke it was with a light, easy tone. "Many of my former masters made a similar comment, but it was always said in derision. In all these years, you are the only one who has ever complemented me with kindness. I have always known that I was made to be beautiful in man's eye. But I never cared before, never felt good about it before." Makoto rinsed off her back, leaned forward and kissed the side of her neck the hair had been moved aside from. "I'll probably be telling you how beautiful you are day in and day out. Better get used to it." She turned around and her smile of gratitude melted Makoto's heart. "Do I get to wash your back now?" "Of course." When they had both finished washing, Makoto helped Ifurita tie her hair up over her head and they both slipped into the warm tile pool. To Makoto's surprise, Ifurita went straight for the deep end and started treading water. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you can swim." She smiled. "I was designed to function on or under the water. But I have only ever swam for pleasure once before. On Earth." "On Earth? Oh, you mean before you went into hibernation. I've never thought much about it, but you must have been a long time building that hibernation chamber." "I did not build it, I found it. The chamber and the temple had been built by another Demon God, Erinyes." That took Makoto by surprise. "Another Demon God? What was she doing on Earth?" "She had been sent there by the Eye of God when it was used in the Holy Wars. But she was thrown even further back in time. Unlike me she was at full power so she had the strength left to build the chamber for her to sleep in. I woke her and she agreed to let me use it in her place." "Do you think she built another for herself? Maybe she's still on Earth too." "No, I doubt that. I freed her from her programming, just as you freed me. Luckily I had learned that from you. I also taught her to travel the wormholes. She had said she wanted to go find a soul-mate just as I had found one. I hope she did. But I expect she is long dead now." Makoto could sense the undercurrents of sadness. "I'm sorry, it sounds like you really liked her." "I only knew her for a short while. But she was a good friend." That reminded Makoto of something else. "I guess I never told you, a couple of years ago we found another Ifurita." It was Ifurita's turn to be surprised. "You awoke another Ifurita?" Makoto laughed lightly. "No, she was already awake. Years ago a man named Yuba Yurius found her. He had powers like mine, so he freed her like I freed you. It's sort of a long story, but we stumbled upon them when we were out looking for Fujisawa-sensei. That was also when we met up with Kalia and Jinnai." "Jinnai?" Ifurita's expression hardened. "You mean Nanami's brother? He still lives?" "He was the one who woke Kalia. The idiot actually helped her resurrect the Trigger of Destruction. We were barely able to shut it down. We've heard rumors he's still around. Like Nanami is fond of saying, he's as hard to kill as a cockroach." Ifurita swam closer and sat next to him in the shallow end. "This other Demon God, she is really another Ifurita?" Her interest seemed more than casual. Makoto was going to make a joke about almost jumping her on the spot, but decided against it. "We thought she was you until I linked with her and saw different memories. She explained to us that there were many Demon Gods called Ifurita." "Is she in Rostalia as well?" "No, she's guarding the place the Trigger of Destruction had been. There is still plenty of dangerous technology there, I guess she feels responsible for it." He smiled sadly. "I suspect it has more to do with the fact that it's the place Yuba had lived with her." Ifurita frowned. "Lived...?" "He died in the battle with Kalia." "Died..." She looked profoundly disturbed. "How was... how did *she* take it?" Again, he could see the answer was important to her. He had an idea why. "I could tell she was sad, of course. But I also saw glimpses of her memories. They had a very happy life together, she seemed to be content with that." It wasn't the first time he had thought of what that said about what the future held for Ifurita and him. But this was not the time. "You know, now that you're back I think we should go visit her sometime." "Yes, perhaps we could," Ifurita said. Her mind still appeared to be elsewhere. "Just don't wear your uniform or we'll never tell you apart." That did bring a smile to her lips. "Was it very disappointing for you, when it turned out not to be me?" "More than I can say. I had to wait two more years for this." On impulse he took her by the shoulders and kissed her. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, holding him firmly in place. It was like she suddenly wanted to swallow him. He responded in kind, delighting in the taste and feel of her lips and tongue. By the time they broke apart she was breathing almost as heavily as he was. It was a moment or two before he felt up to speaking. "Have you had enough of swimming?" "Yes." Makoto slipped out of her embrace and they both stood. He stepped back up onto the tile floor and picked up one of the big towels the servants had left. Ifurita did likewise. But instead of drying herself as Makoto started to do, she came up beside him and started gently toweling his back and shoulders. He craned his neck and returned her playful grin. When she was done, he considered his own towel for a second, dropped it, grabbed hers and returned the favor. By wordless consent they took turns, making a game of it. The towel's fabric was a bit rough, so of course he had to take extra care and towel the sensitive skin of her breasts more slowly and thoroughly. She gave a little moan of approval. She reached up and put her own hand over his, holding it in place long after he had dried her. When he finally let the towel drop she put her arms around his neck and kissed him just as enthusiastically as she had in the tub. She put her weight down on his shoulders, as if meaning to drag him to the floor. Makoto managed to free his mouth from hers for just a moment. "Ifurita, don't you think we'd be more comfortable on the bed?" "Is it far?" It sounded like a serious question. That gave him an inspiration. "If you don't think you can manage, then I'll carry you." With no warning he swept her legs out from under her... and staggered. Ifurita squealed, grabbing hold of him for dear life. "Makoto! Be careful, I'm heavier than I look. You'll fall." She was. And he nearly had. "Funny," he said, the strain showing in his voice. "You don't look an ounce heavier than the day I met you." "It's the implants. Makoto this is dangerous, the floor is slippery." "It's not slippery in the bedroom." "Don't be silly. I don't want you getting hurt. Please, put me down." That made good sense. He smiled at her. "Well, okay. But you are absolutely not carrying me. I have my pride." "And I do not?" He laughed. "Fair enough." He set her down. "If I want to do that it looks like I'm going to have to start pumping iron." Ifurita ran her hands across his chest. "You have the build of a distance runner, not a weight lifter. I would prefer you didn't try to change that." "Well, that makes me feel better." She continued to lightly caress him. "So is it far?" "Is what... oh, right." He pointed through the smaller arched doorway. "Just through there." He put an arm about her waist, coaxing her along. They made their way leisurely into the huge, bright bedchamber with all its silk drapery hung everywhere. Their hands explored playfully as they walked, she tickling his ribs, he squeezing her bottom. They responded with little laughs or sighs. When they reached the side of the bed, Makoto reached around her head and undid the silk tie they had used to gather her hair up. A waterfall of platinum went cascading down her back. He drew the silk ribbon across her shoulder and down between her breasts, letting it flutter to the floor. His eye lingered there, drinking in the sight of her. She was white as ivory, but no statue could have looked so alive. The lifeblood coursing under that semitransparent skin left rosy highlights that were little more than hints. It gathered more obviously under the darker skin of her nipples and her sex. She seemed to be glowing. How could mortal man have possibly created such a thing of beauty? He looked back up into her eyes. A face more enigmatic than the Mona Lisa stared back at him. It spoke of contentment and need and a hundred other things. If he looked any longer he knew he would cry. So he gave in to his body's ache instead, suddenly reaching out and gathering her fiercely in his arms, holding her against him as tightly as he could. Where a moment ago they had been a picture of stillness now they were all motion. He ran his hands all along her back and her sides, feeling her do likewise. He buried his face in her hair, then in the crook of her neck. When he reached down and probed the insides of her thighs she gasped, threw her head back and let out a loud moan. He took advantage of that, bending and planting kisses all along her neck and throat. He wanted to explore her further that way, but couldn't do it easily like this. With gentle pressure he indicated his intention. She followed his lead quickly, and they practically fell down onto the bed, arms still entangled. Soft beds were a status symbol among Rostalians, and of course the royal palace could not be outdone by any. So they were swallowed up by a fluffy silken cloud. To Makoto it might as well have been air, all he could feel was the woman in his arms, nothing more. His eyes were shut tight, vision now being redundant. He found her mouth by the sound and feel of her ragged breathing. They kissed deeply, and as if by magic the fire threatening to burn him alive from the inside managed to cool just a little. They held onto the kiss for a long while, and their movements became a little less frenetic. Now their legs and feet could also gently entwine and caress each other. His hand came around to her front and cupped a breast, squeezing gently. He felt and heard her breath catch in her throat, and their kiss broke apart of its own volition. The feel of her and the sound he was coaxing from her throat sent the liquid fire hammering through his veins again. He rolled over on top of her and slid down her body, leaving a trail of kisses as he went. Then he just let his head sink into the softness of her ample bosom. His lips and tongue trailed along one breast as he turned his face to one side. He moved again, barely able to lift himself on his quivering, trembling arms. He clamped his mouth down over her nipple, rather more forcefully than he had intended. He heard her gasp loudly. Her hands were suddenly pressing down on the back of his head, forcing him down even harder. "Makoto..." He had to fight against her to keep from biting her. Perhaps that fact penetrated her - somehow - and she eased off her pressure. He lifted himself off her and filled his starved lungs once, again, and again. For what seemed the first time in an eternity he opened his eyes. They found hers immediately. There was nothing enigmatic in that face now. "Makoto, please..." Her legs came around the outside of his, coaxing him down. Makoto hesitated. For the first time he regretted his lack of experience. This suddenly seemed like a very awkward position, with both his arms occupied keeping his weight off her. Her sunny, innocent smile washed over him like a benediction, dissolving his anxiety into nothing. He felt her take him in her hands, sending a fiery chill racing across his body. "Let me help," she whispered. Slowly, carefully, he moved, letting her guide him into place. Then he remembered the other thing he had been worrying about. "Ifurita," he said in a low, husky voice that he barely recognized as his own. "This... might hurt." "It won't." Makoto did not think she would not lie to him just to make him feel better, especially about this. He pushed more firmly now, expecting a barrier. But there was none... and all of a sudden he was inside her. The feeling took him utterly by surprise. He lost control and fell down on her. Only he never hit her, he went right through her and just kept falling and falling... And then he really was inside her, and she was inside him. It was not their memories that merged now, it was their feelings of the here and now. It was the mammalian part of their consciousness that resonated together, not the human part. For Makoto, it felt like the raging flood that coursed through him suddenly burst its banks, flooding every nerve in his body with a torrent of pure white passion. Only it wasn't just his nerves it was hers, and he felt what she felt what he felt and they both just melted together into a single pool of warm, golden ecstasy. As one creature they breathed and screamed and pulsed, pulsed, pulsed, lost in an electric inferno that should have burned them to ashes ages ago but somehow just went on and on and on. Just as involuntarily as it had formed, the link was broken. After a while Makoto's blasted mind became aware of itself again, began to comprehend what had happened. He first noticed her breathing when it fell out of synch with his own. It was coming in sharp rapid gasps, as was his. He also became vaguely aware that he really had fallen onto her. But right now there was absolutely, positively nothing his quivering limbs could do about that. Gradually he became aware of other things. Her limp arms lay across his back. Her hair tickled his nose. And for the first time he could remember he was smelling her. It was a light, musky scent, utterly unlike anything he could name, a human scent and yet not so. Having a modicum of motor control back now, he ran a hand along an ivory flank that was no less sweat-sheened than his. Absently, he wondered if this was the first time in ten thousand years she had worked up a sweat. She was starting to move a little now too, one hand sliding languidly down his back to rest on his hip. His hair-trigger nerves responded, causing him to shudder all over again, a wave of released tension that he could feel mirrored in her body as well, almost as if they were still linked. Well, physically they were... he was still inside her. But not for long. His body was shifting into recovery. He felt like a rapidly deflating balloon... not just there, but all over. The strength just bled out of him, leaving him helpless as a newborn. "Makoto..." It was something between a moan and a whimper, barely recognizable as her. He managed to prop himself up on elbows that sank into the feathery cloud that enveloped them, raising him just enough to be able to move his face over hers. Still panting through her mouth, she regarded him with a look of awe. It was also a look of understanding. In that moment they had been one person, feeling and being as one. Trying to express any of it with words would have been redundant. But Makoto wanted to put some kind of signature on that moment. He did it in the most obvious way, with a kiss. Once again, she responded as if she wished to swallow him whole. The effect was rather different this time, calming him instead of arousing him. When they parted he rolled off her, pulling her gently by the waist. She took the hint, rolling to her side to face him. Makoto was hardly aware of the passage of time now. With one hand he lightly stroked her ribs, with the other he played with a strand of the silvery hair that spilled all around her head. One of her hands rested against his chest, occasionally coming up to caress his neck or shoulder. The only event that interrupted this bit of timeless eternity was when Ifurita propped her head on one arm. This prompted Makoto to reach over their heads and pull one of the big fluffy pillows down from the head of the unnaturally long bed. They moved closer to share the pillow. More comfortable now they lay more still, one set of heavy-lidded eyes gazing into the other. Time reestablished itself when Ifurita took his hand in hers and spoke. "Thank you, Makoto." He brought her fingers to his lips for a light kiss. "Thank *you*." "May I ask you something?" "Anything, just don't ask me to describe that moment in words." Her smile brightened. "I know, that would be futile. I just wanted to ask, did you open the link deliberately?" "No." He paused to reconsider. "Well, maybe. Not consciously. I remember wanting to know what you were feeling. Then it all just happened. Why do you ask?" "I was just wondering if that is going to happen every time." He chuckled. "It better not." He grinned at her puzzled expression. "If it does, my heart will give out in no time." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Your EKG was strong and steady, you were in no real danger." "You were *recording*?" She blushed. "Just normal sensor logs. I didn't think to do more. Somehow it would be... improper." He leaned forward the couple of inches needed to kiss her nose. "You're precious." She raised an eyebrow. "Are you making fun of me?" It sounded like she was just wondering. "I suppose I am. Do you mind?" "No. People in love can do that, can't they?" "Yes, they can." They fell into a contented silence for a while again. Makoto's mind finally started to drift beyond the little piece of heaven they had just made for each other here. "Tell me about your friend," he said. "The one who built the place I found you." He listened quietly as she related the story. It was frightening to hear just how close Ifurita had come to being killed by her fellow Demon God. He still did not accept the idea that their reunion had been preordained. He had worked desperately to make this day possible, and now he saw that she had too. "She said to thank you, Makoto," Ifurita said in conclusion. "For the gift of freedom." "She sent you to me. I'm the one who should thank her, it's too bad I can't." "I think one day I'll do a painting of her. Having a physical remembrance is nicer than having just a memory." "You can paint?" "I will learn how." He smiled and stroked her hair for a bit. "That'll be nice. I mean, using your talents constructively, doing what you want. Having fun." "What else do you think I should learn?" He shrugged. "Oh I don't know. Belly dancing, gourmet cooking, massage therapy... that sort of thing." It looked like he had just taught her to smirk. "I think you are making fun of me again." He kissed her lightly on the lips this time. "Just learn whatever you want to. That's what would make me happy." "I would like to learn what it is to live as a free person, to do things for their own sake instead of following orders." "I'd say you're off to a great start." That brought the contented smile back to her lips. After another lazy silence she took the hand that had been resting on her and held it in hers between them. "I've told you of the Demon God I met, tell me of the ones you met." "Okay." He thought for a moment. "I guess it all started the day when Fujisawa-sensei and Miz were supposed to get married." Her eyes widened in surprise and delight. "They married?" "They had to make two tries at it, but they did get married just about two years ago. They have a baby girl now, little Ai-chan." "That's wonderful." It warmed Makoto's heart hearing those simple words. Suddenly he was no longer lying next to the Demon God who had slumbered under his school. She was the childhood sweetheart who had grown up with him and they were talking about friends from old memories they shared. Ifurita seemed to sense that something had changed. "Did I say something wrong?" "No, not at all." He continued with his story. After he told her how Yuba died, he paused to wipe the tear from her cheek and to hold her for a little while. When she asked him to continue he told of the final battle with Kalia and how Yuba's Ifurita had saved him. "Her last words to me were 'You must go and reunite with your Ifurita.' It was odd, in that moment I could almost believe she knew exactly what you and I mean to each other. Later on I had this crazy notion that all the Ifuritas have some sort of gestalt mind." His Ifurita smiled at him. "She didn't need to link with me. She found love even before I did, so she knew. One day I must go there and thank her for saving you. Perhaps I will share this memory with her, to show her how grateful I am." Makoto was taken aback. "You mean... *this* memory?" "Oh!" She blushed. "Well, perhaps not that part." "How about you just tell her we're both very happy and leave it at that." "Happy..." She suddenly looked miles away. "I've heard so many people use that word, I spent so much time wondering what it meant. All I could think was that it must be the absence of pain, the absence of war. Until you gave me your precious memories I could imagine nothing more than that. It was a kind of blindness I think." "If it was, I was even more blind than you." She looked puzzled by his words. "I always thought of myself as being happy. I suppose I was. But now, if I had to leave you and go back to my old life, I would be utterly lost. Somewhere there must be another me who never even met you. He probably thinks he's happy and doesn't know any better." Ifurita's frown deepened. "Another you?" Makoto sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm just babbling." He really didn't feel like explaining about the multiverse right now. She reached out and caressed the side of his face, as if sensing something was wrong. "You were happy, I could see that. Your life was a wonder to me, seeing it was what opened my eyes to the possibility of something more." He took hold of her comforting hand, kissing her palm. "The only real wonder in my life is you." "Makoto..." They inched closer and kissed softly. "If I am a wonder then it is because you made me so. I am your greatest masterpiece." There was just nothing more he could add to that. They kissed longer and more deeply this time. He explored the soft curves of his masterpiece with his hands. But she was outdoing him, her hands moved across his back with what he could only describe as frenetic precision, now floating across his skin like a feather, now zeroing in on a tightened muscle and digging into it, now sliding up and down the length of his spine. "Makoto?" she called softly into his ear. "Yes?" "Are you... tired?" He had thought he was, but the past couple of minutes had begun to change his mind. "Not anymore." "Then, it's not too soon?" His answer was to push her gently onto her back and kiss her thoroughly. Before he was done with that his hand came down and rested lightly over her breast. As if of its own volition it began gently squeezing, kneading. Her reaction was just a little more subdued this time, the little sounds she made were more of delight than of the desperate need he had felt in her earlier. He shifted his hand slightly, her nipple sliding from under his palm to nestle between two fingers, and resumed his rhythmic kneading. Her head turned to one side and she let out a contented sigh. He was suddenly faced with her ear, which he took the opportunity to kiss. He nibbled lightly at her earlobe, which made her giggle. He nuzzled and kissed her throat, this time working his way down at a more leisurely pace. Her hands rested on his shoulders, but they were gently holding him, not desperately goading him on as they had before. Her other breast now got some attention as well. He lingered a good long time there, exploring with his mouth, then with his hand, then with both. He teased her slowly and lightly, not wanting to move things along too quickly. His hand lingered there while he slid is face down her abdomen. He rested his head there for a few moments, delighting in the sound of her steady breathing. He rubbed his face playfully against her like a kitten, and got a quick, breathy laugh from her. His mind went off on an odd tangent, a habit that had probably come from years of contemplating warped space-time. He found himself wondering why her creators had given her a navel. Aesthetic reasons, no doubt. There were cultures both on Earth and on El Hazard that considered the navel one of the most erotic parts of the female body. Makoto wasn't sure he could agree, but it was worth at least a nuzzle on his way down. He contemplated her sex for a moment before giving it a light kiss. "You're beautiful. Just like a rare orchid." She put a hand over the one he still had over her breast and helped him squeeze. "I don't think I've ever - Oh! - ever heard it called that before." It was his tongue sliding across her sex from bottom to top that had interrupted her reply. Makoto slipped his hands under her arching back and went to work in earnest. He endeavored to be as methodical and as thorough as she had been when she had sent her hands dancing across his body. As he slowly and carefully explored her sex with his lips and tongue, he felt her reactions. Mostly it was in the trembling of her muscles nestled under his arms. But on top of that her hands, now holding his forearms, would squeeze him when he did just the right thing. And her sounds of delight spoke far more eloquently than words could have. Gradually, he learned what she liked. As he proceeded he became more aware of the other thing that had prompted him to make the orchid comment. That wonderful musky human-yet-inhuman scent was becoming stronger. He was tasting it now. His mind went on another of those odd tangents, reminding him that it was probably just the scent trying to fool his tongue. He really didn't care, it was delightful all the same. "Makoto..." There was just the barest hint of pleading in that voice, it was more of a gentle entreaty. He gave her womanhood one last kiss, then moved himself back up her body, pausing just long enough to tease one nipple for a moment. He looked down into her heavy-lidded blue eyes and smiled. He leaned down to give her a deep, lingering kiss, then moved back into position. "Wait." Her hands, which had been working circles down his flanks as he moved over her, now rested on each side of his hips. He smiled and nodded in approval. It was only fair, she just wanted to return the favor at least a little. His breath caught in his throat as he felt her take him gently between her hands. For just a minute she lightly stroked, kneaded and teased him. When he started to tremble she moved under him and helped him move into place. He pushed and they both gasped in unison. Nothing else happened for a moment. Well, Makoto thought, that answers that. No link. Makoto started to move experimentally. Their first couple of tries didn't quite work out. He nearly slid out of her altogether. "Oop... sorry," he said in a strained voice. Her sympathetic laughter and happy smile did a remarkable job of soothing his nerves. "Let me try this," she said. Her legs wrapped more tightly about him. They tried again. It was not long before they got a steady rhythm going. Makoto closed his eyes and now his whole universe consisted of the point where his flesh met hers. He kept thinking his release must surely be just a moment away but the tension just kept building and building until he could hardly breathe at all. He was certain he would pass out before he completed. Then he heard her joyous cry and felt her flesh clamp down hard around his. The release crashed right into him and his voice merged with hers. He wanted to keep moving, but they were both paralyzed now, there was nothing to do but just try to breathe at least a little while it ran its course. The waves of delight rolling through him very slowly faded into tingling hot chills. He managed to stay propped up on his quivering arms. But a moment later he felt her arms slide across his back and pull him down onto her. He did not even try to resist. Amazingly her skin felt even hotter than his. He turned his head a little and nuzzled the lovely hot, musky skin around her throat. He was still too busy filling his lungs to think of kissing her. His hand found hers and they linked fingers. They lay still that way for a while as they both slowly cooled down. When he had some strength back Makoto started to roll off her. But her free arm immediately tightened against him, firmly holding him against her. He settled back in place. "Aren't I heavy?" he asked. "No. I like having you cover me like this. It's very comforting. I feel safe." He kissed her just under her ear. "I'm glad. That's how a husband is supposed to make his wife feel." There was a pause before she answered. "What did you say?" It took a moment for Makoto to realize what she was asking about. She moved a little so that she could look into his face. He did likewise. She wore an expression of profound astonishment. It seemed to him that he had said the plainest thing in the world, but still she seemed to be awaiting an answer. "I guess that's how I've been thinking of you since we were reunited. I proposed and you accepted." She still looked shocked, but he truly could not think what more he needed to explain. She spoke very hesitantly. "You... want me to marry you?" He smiled. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm jumping the gun. I should ask you properly. Ifurita, will you marry me?" She still looked no less astonished. He could not imagine she was considering saying no, but she certainly was thinking hard about something. At length she looked into his eyes again. "You wish to marry me alone?" "Do you see anyone else here?" She did not react to his glib answer. He decided she deserved a proper one. He reached up and ran his fingers along the line of her jaw, letting his hand rest under her cheek. "Yes, I want to marry you and you alone." Her continued look of bewilderment was becoming a bit disturbing. He thought maybe he had just taken her by surprise. "You don't have to answer right away, you know. Sleep on it if you like." Suddenly she looked almost frantic. "No, Makoto, that's not it at all," she said quickly. "There is nothing I could possibly want more." She seemed about to say more, but something was holding her back. He hated seeing her so distressed, especially about something that should be so simple. He put a finger to her lips. "Wait a second," he whispered. He reached up and retrieved the great airy pillow that had somehow or other been swept aside by their frenetic play. Slowly, gently, meticulously, he coaxed her onto it and settled them exactly as they had been after they had first made love, side by side. He took her hands into his, caressing them almost without thinking. "Ifurita, I can tell that something is bothering you. I love you, there is nothing you could tell me that would change that. You have nothing to be afraid of. Please, tell me. Whatever it is, let me help." She still looked frightened. It took her a moment to marshal her courage. "I had never imagined you would ask me... no, that you would offer me such a gift. I want nothing more than to just accept it. But there is something I must know." "Ask me," Makoto implored her. "I trust you, I know there is nothing I can't tell you." She gave a barely perceptible nod, as if to acknowledge his promise. "You are alive, Makoto. I am a machine. If you marry me, you will be mated to something that only looks human. You would be giving up any hope of marrying a woman who could give you children and watch them grow up as you grow old together." She swallowed, continued in a more tremulous voice. "I have to know, would you ever come to regret that?" He had promised her. "I had wondered about the possibility of us having children. I'm sad to hear that it won't happen. But I'm not really sad for myself. I just think you would have made a better mother than most women I've ever met. My only regret is that one day my time with you will end and you will be alone again. But that would be true no matter who I married, wouldn't it?" "Would you not regret that you will die without leaving some part of you to live on in your children?" "Plenty of people don't have children, Ifurita. You and I saved a whole world together. We can claim that as our legacy. It's enough." She looked even more anxious about what she was going to say now. "Makoto... there was a time when you dreamed of marrying Nanami and having a family with her." He had promised, Makoto reminded himself again. "Yes, there was." "Many of the memories you gave me, they were ones you had hoped to share with her." "I had a crush on her. She saw me as a friend, and eventually I accepted that. You must have seen that in my memories as well." "Have her feelings for you changed?" He chuckled. "No, she treats me like I was her kid brother. Still thinks she has to wipe my nose for me." She looked as if she wanted to laugh, but that feeling seemed to be put down by something else, something like relief. "Ifurita, is that what was bothering you? Were you afraid I still have feelings for Nanami?" "Yes. No." She closed her eyes and shook her head as if to clear it. "I don't know, Makoto. I wasn't thinking beyond the fact that I just wanted to be with you. I thought you might even be married to Nanami by the time you came back to me. It would not have mattered to me. I would have been content just to be here and watch you live out your life." He drew her hands to him and kissed them. "Ifurita, you *are* my life." Her look of astonishment returned. But now it was utterly different. They both lay still for a while. Then she extracted one of her hands from his to try and wipe away the tears that were freely flowing across her face. "Don't know why this is... why I'm... should be happy, I..." Makoto gathered her in his arms and rolled so that she could rest on top of him. She buried her face into the pillow next to his head and clung to him while she wept. He just whispered to her that everything was okay and stroked her hair. When she was done, he felt her move to bring her lips next to his ear. "Yes," she whispered. He indicated with pressure on her shoulder that he wanted to roll back to the way they were. She moved off him and he took her hands again, looked into eyes that showed no sign of the tears they had just shed. "You mean it?" "Yes. I... think there are things we will need to talk about. But, yes. I will marry you." He grinned and they both leaned into a long, gentle kiss. "Thank you, Ifurita." He suddenly laughed. "I don't have an engagement ring for you. Like I said, in my heart you were already my wife. I hadn't even thought of a proper proposal." "It doesn't matter. But I'll wear one if you'd like me to." "Okay. We'll go to the market and get a matching pair." He glanced at the angle of the sunlight streaming in through the arched windows and openings to the balcony. It was impossible to believe it was still not much past midday. But he didn't think there was any way he would be able to drag himself out of there today. "How does tomorrow sound?" She frowned a little. "Would it be okay?" "I'd love to stay in here forever, but I think we have to step out some time." It looked as if he had misinterpreted her question. "Would you prefer to do it later?" "No, it's not that. I'm just wondering how people will react to seeing that I'm back." "Oh..." It was a good point, something he had not really thought about. The first time she came to Rostalia she had leveled a whole wing of the palace and killed dozens of people in the process. "Who does know that I am back?" Ifurita asked. "Rune and Fatora, of course. By now Rune has told the three priestesses. Fujisawa and Nanami knew I was getting ready to try opening up the wormhole. But they don't know I was going to do it today." "I would imagine Miz would have told her husband." "What? Oh no, she retired after she married Fujisawa. There's a new Great Priestess of Water, her name is Kauru." Ifurita frowned. "I took Miz for still being quite young. Was she injured?" He could hear real concern in her voice. That, and a hint of remorse. She had nearly killed Miz once. "No, she's fine, she just took early retirement that's all." Ifurita averted her sad eyes. "I don't imagine Shayla and Afura were very happy to hear about this." Makoto sighed, laid a hand on her shoulder. "So, that's what's bothering you." She met his gaze again. "Your friends have every reason to hate me and no reason to... accept me. I know how much you care for all of them. It would break my heart if you had to choose between them and me." "Ifurita, you want to know what they did when I told them I had solved the riddle of the Eye of God?" He smiled. "The very next day they held a surprise dinner party for me. To celebrate your imminent return. Rune made a lovely speech, quoting from an old poem about reunited lovers. Then she brought in musicians, Nanami and I danced a bit, Alielle sang us a song, Afura did some magic tricks and Fujisawa and Shayla got into a drinking contest. The only reason we're not all partying it up this very minute is I asked them to let us be alone for today. But Rune made me promise to bring you to dinner tomorrow. I'm pretty sure she's got an even bigger soiree planned." Though with what happened today, Rune might very well think that a longer cooling down period was in order... he thought better than to mention that now. Ifurita looked as if she was having trouble believing this. "Did they never try to tell you that you were making a mistake? I mean, by coming to find me." "Well, of course Nanami had to play big sister and warn me that I'd better know what I was getting into. But she's supported me the whole time. They all have. Without their help I'm sure I would have given up, let the council have their damned staff and go waste away somewhere." Ifurita frowned. "The Alliance Council wanted you to relinquish the staff?" "At one point most of them did. They would have taken it too, had Rune not stood up for me." Her expression suddenly transformed, hardening into a mask of cold hostility. "Do you still have enemies among the Council? Have they ever threatened you?" Makoto was shocked by the abrupt transformation. "No, Ifurita, nobody here has ever threatened me." She squeezed his hand almost enough to be painful. "If they find out I am here they might panic and move against us. I may need to protect you. I should be at full power, perhaps you should wind my spring after all." Makoto put his free hand on her shoulder, trying to stay calm and not show how bewildered he was. "They would never do that, Ifurita. That was all a long time ago, just after the Bugrom war ended. Everybody accepts that I want to bring you back, either accepts it or just doesn't care much any more." He tried to smile. "I'm a war hero under the Princess' protection, I can pretty much do as I want. Really, there's nothing to worry about." Ifurita suddenly had a blank look. She blinked and he felt her shudder. It was like she was coming out of a trance. "Oh..." She put her fingertips to her temples and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, I was listening to the Voices again." He wanted to ask what she meant, but that could wait. "Are you okay now?" "Yes, I'm fine." She looked at him again. He didn't like what he saw, it was like she felt ashamed. "I thought you might be in danger and... another part of me took control. I let my guard down, I..." She sighed. When she spoke she was no longer frantic, but no less remorseful. "Oh Makoto, you've made me feel so... so *human*. I could almost forget what I really am. You saw my soul, but there are other things within me you have not seen. I thought I could save you ever seeing these things." She looked away and spoke with a bitterness that tore at Makoto's heart. "I thought I could hide them from you. And now I've... God, what a fool I've been." Makoto wanted to just tell her it was okay. But he knew it was not okay, knew it because... yes, that was it. He wanted to ask her to look at him as he told her the thing he had to. But he did not, because he knew what she was feeling. Without preamble, he just started while he still had the courage. "A year ago I really did give up. I had run into so many dead ends, it just looked hopeless. I couldn't do it, I would never see you again. So I just crawled into a little room and did nothing. Absolutely nothing. Everyone thought it was just another of my slumps, so they were as kind and understanding as they always were. But after days of wasting away I looked like the beaten, starved animal I had become and they knew I was just waiting to die. Finally Nanami couldn't stand it any more. She stormed into my room and told me just what a pathetic craven loser I had become. I wanted to hit her but I was so full of hatred I did something far worse. I accused her of wanting me to fail, wanting for me to be alone so that she could keep me hanging on a thread like she always had. That was the one and only time I have ever seen her cry. But the very next day she brought me another meal in the hope that I would actually eat something. For the first time in days, I did." Ifurita was watching him now. Makoto had to take a slow breath before continuing. "I had been telling them how grateful I was for their support but in fact I resented them. They had their lives and the one thing I wanted was outside my grasp. I thought I could hide that from them, but eventually I couldn't. And I'm more ashamed than I can say. "That was why I did not want to link with you today. That was what I was trying to hide from you. I just finished telling you I would trust you with anything. I lied." "Oh Makoto..." he could almost think she was linked with him, feeling his pain. "Did she forgive you?" "What, after I showed her my darkest side? Yes, of course she forgave me." Ifurita shook her head. "I had no idea it had been so hard for you." He caressed her face again. "Ifurita, I didn't tell you this so that you could feel sorry for me. I just wanted to show you that we all have things we are ashamed of, things we would rather not talk about. That's..." He did not have the proper words. It probably did not matter. "That's just the way it is. It's okay, really." It was a moment before she answered. "I'm sorry, I should have trusted you more." "We've just been together a few *hours*, Ifurita. It will take us both time to learn to trust each other. That's okay too." Ifurita's smile was more than a little strained. But it was enough. "I should tell you about the Voices, Makoto." She got up and sat with her arms wrapped around her knees. "It will help you understand why I reacted so badly." Makoto also got up and sat cross-legged in front of her. It seemed by mutual consent there were some things best not talked about while lying together in bed. "Do they control you? Like the staff did?" "No. They were one of the means by which the staff compelled my obedience. When you freed me that gave me ultimate control of my actions. But the Voices are as much a part of me as they always were. They still tell me things they think I need to know." "What sort of things?" Makoto wanted to help her if he could, but he also found himself becoming curious. "Most of the time they are just telling me very banal things about my environment. When I was on a mission they would present me with tactical alternatives and compel me to choose among them. Now that I have no master giving me mission statements, the Voices are mostly concerned with security and defense. In my mind I identified you as a friendly party under my protection. When you told me about a potential threat to you, the Voices immediately perceived a defense mission and began presenting me with proposed countermeasures. Obeying them has become such second nature to me, I simply gave myself over to them." "Is it hard to resist them?" She shook her head. "No, not as long as I don't forget myself. But I have been a slave to them so long. I think it will be a while before I am accustomed to being their master." Makoto had the beginnings of an idea. "I wonder if there is some way I could help you disable them, like I disabled the staff lock." "I don't see how. The staff lock was a very simple circuit. The Voices are at least as complex as my organic brain, and are very tightly integrated into it. For better or worse, they are a part of me." She smiled at him, as if to show him he did not need to worry. "I will learn to live with them. As you said, we all have our dark side. I'm just sorry you had to relive such pain to teach me that." "I feel better, having told you about it," Makoto said truthfully. "It's not hanging over my head any more." Ifurita's smile was a little more playful now. "Is it okay if I feel just a little sorry for you?" He laughed. "I suppose I couldn't say no, I certainly spent enough time feeling sorry for myself." "I must think of some way to thank all your friends, for helping you make this day possible. I really would like to... I believe the phrase is 'patch things up,' is it not?" "Yeah, that's the right idea. I think you'll find there really isn't anything to patch up. Everyone is very excited about seeing you again." Ifurita's face lit up with wonder, as if the prospect of people looking forward to her arrival was something new and unexpected. "I am... happy to hear that. It's important to me that your friends accept me as yours." Makoto was hoping she would start calling them 'our friends' soon. Maybe the best way to begin that process was to start making them more real for her. "Let's see, maybe I can help. If you want to endear yourself to Fujisawa and Miz, that's a no-brainer. Just hold Ai-chan and tell them she's cute. And she is cute, believe me. Afura is pretty easy too, she's been saying how she'd love to question you on all sorts of things about the Old Kingdoms. Just tell her anything you can remember and she'll be your friend for life. Now Shayla-Shayla on the other hand..." he made a production of looking thoughtful. "That's a little tougher. Oh, I've got it. She's getting almost as touchy about her age as Miz. Just tell her she hasn't changed a bit since the last time you saw her." He thought better of mentioning Rune or Fatora for now... best deal with that later. "Nanami's almost as paranoid about my safety as your Voices. If you tell her very solemnly that you'll protect me with every ounce of your strength that'll go over well. I think Alielle will be easiest of all. She more or less fell head over heels for Yuba's Ifurita." He grinned. "Just stand next to her and breathe, that'll be enough." "I barely remember Alielle. I only saw her once." "Oh, right." He remembered, it had been on the Island of the Demon God, Ifurita's island. "You probably never even got much of a look at her." Ifurita smiled. "At the time the Voices judged her to be a minimal threat, so did not draw my attention to her." It was good to hear her speaking easily about it. "I remember the trip back from the island. Even though we had barely escaped with our lives, she saw fit to mention that you're a real babe." Ifurita's eyes twinkled. "My, how sweet. I understand how you would have met the others as you were drawn into the war, but I'm a little unsure of Alielle's role." "Oh." He had sort of glossed over her part in the story of Kalia. "She was with us mainly because she wanted to help us find Princess Fatora. She's Fatora's lover." Ifurita looked puzzled. "Her lover? You mean....?" She didn't seem to quite know how to put it. "Yes, they both like girls. With a vengeance." She was suddenly giving him a very odd, intense look. He waited, but she just held that look. "What is it?" That seemed to snap her out of it. "Oh... no, nothing." "If I wasn't already naked I would swear you were undressing me in your mind." She blushed and managed a shy smile. "I don't know why... perhaps because I was recalling Princess Fatora's resemblance to you. For whatever reason I was suddenly wondering how things would have turned out between us if you had been female." "Well, for my part I think I would have seriously considered a quick lifestyle change." She seemed to understand what he was getting at. "Now I know what you meant when you said they had provoked Kalia by becoming 'too familiar' with her." Makoto laughed. "Right. You'd better watch yourself, I wouldn't put it past them to hit on you too. And you'd better get used to all the guys drooling over you too. Alielle's right, you're a certified babe." She looked delighted at the compliment. "I am well used to men staring at me. It meant nothing to me then. Now... I'm not sure how I would feel about it." "You can find out tomorrow. You'll certainly turn some heads when we go out to the market. That is, if you'd still like to go." "Yes, I would like to. In the memories you gave me we seemed to go out shopping together an extraordinary amount. It is one of the many things I would like to do for real." "I guess Japan is a pathological consumer society. So what else would you like to do for real?" "Watch a sunset. Ride a rowboat. Set off fireworks. Go swimming in the ocean. See a play.... I think I would prefer a comedy. Play with a kitten. Eat a-" She stopped dead, noticing Makoto's reaction to the word 'kitten.' "Is something wrong?" Makoto suddenly wound up and smacked the bed hard. "ULA!" A little orange blur shot out from under the bed. She could run extraordinarily fast on those stubby little legs. In a heartbeat she was out the door and out of sight. "I don't believe it... all this time." "That was your cat armor was it not?" She did not seem at all concerned about the discovery of the eavesdropper. "Yes. I'd forgotten all about her." "Was she not supposed to be here?" "She often sleeps under my bed. But, well..." "Oh." She giggled. "There were many cat armors in my day. In fact I preferred their company to that of the aristocrats I worked for. They are simple and honest creatures, but I learned they are more intelligent than they seem." "And they really like to talk," Makoto said dryly. "They have a limited vocabulary, Makoto. I don't think she will have much to say about us. Except that we were disturbing her sleep." Makoto's feeling of indignation subsided. "Well there's one of your wishes already. We have a kitten." "Ula is full grown. I wonder if she was under there hiding from me? The last time she saw me I was shooting at her." Makoto smiled. "Ula was just as faithful to me as all my friends. Even when I had shut myself away from the world she was there with me. I would always talk to her, tell her how much I missed you and how happy I would be when you were back. She's very perceptive, I think she knew that just hearing your name made me happy. She started sounding like a broken record, just like me." He continued in a high, clipped voice. "Ifurita back soon? Ifurita back soon?" Ifurita put a hand to her mouth and gave a little laugh. She rested her chin on her arms and regarded him with a warm smile. "Tell me more of your memories here. Your happy memories." Makoto obliged her. He thought he would be hard pressed to think of any. There was much of the past two and half years he would just as soon forget. But as he continued, he found there were many more than he would have thought. There was Fujisawa's wedding of course... the one that actually happened, that is. Then later everyone fawning over their new baby. Ai's arrival had been like a balm for Makoto, a joyous event that helped pull him out of another of his fits of depression. There was much else in between worth remembering. Nanami making friends with those war refugees and them opening their restaurant together. The first year anniversary of the war's end, and many other smaller but no less memorable parties. Quiet evenings discussing physics or philosophy with Afura. Good-natured flirting with Shayla. Making friends with the traders and shopkeepers who found the ancient artifacts that helped him understand the technology of the Old Kingdoms. His chance meeting with Kauru. Sneaking away with Fujisawa to go challenge another mountain. And of course the day he solved the time paradox. Ifurita had listened to his stream of consciousness with quiet, happy contentment. But she listened intently as he recounted the fateful day when Afura had helped him unravel the secret of the Eye of God. When he finally told Ifurita the simple, incredible truth, she suddenly had a faraway look. "So everything we see... your world and mind, the stars, everything... we created it," Ifurita said, her eyes full of wonder. "When we diverted the Eye's energy, we created it all." "We created a new version of it. But it is just one of many. I have seen other versions of El Hazard, other realities where the Phantom Tribe won and the world was thrown into darkness." She shook her head. "I will not even try to fully comprehend this. I am sure it would drive me mad. Those who created the Eye, they must have known all this. Yet they thought nothing of using it. Even more incredibly, knowing all this they still fancied themselves lords of all creation. What sheer hubris." Makoto recalled the day he explained to Rune what she had set in motion when she had decided to use the Eye of God. She had nearly collapsed in shock. "It only hit me later, what it was we had done. At the time, I was too happy to care. I was going to get you back, that was all I cared about. Talk about self-centered." Ifurita did not smile at his joke. "It's frightening," she said in a little voice. "To think what we would do in the name of love. I would think nothing of creating or destroying a universe to be with you." That was a sobering thought. "Now I understand why Afura was looking at me funny for a long time after that day. I just found out that I had created a universe and all I cared about was that my favorite girl was coming home." "I don't think minds such as ours can hope to really grasp what we did, Makoto. It would take the mind of a god." She smiled. "I mean a real one." "Afura said something similar. She thinks after a few generations of contemplating the significance of the multiverse we might understand some small part of its purpose." Ifurita looked very thoughtful again. "Many people in my time also believed the universe to be a made thing. I always had trouble believing that. It implies a purpose... if there was one, it was hidden by the meaninglessness of what I saw going on around me." Makoto was surprised to hear her talking like this. "Did you have some belief, something that gave you comfort back then?" She thought further before answering. "It was not really comforting but... my condition was made more bearable by the thought that my masters were but a tiny part of something vast and ancient, something they could never, ever hope to fully understand much less come to master. To understand everything, to be like a true god... I think that would be a kind of death." When he did not reply for a moment, she cocked her head and looked at him more intently. "Have you found comfort in some belief?" "No, I can't say I have." He smiled sadly. "Though in the past couple of years I've prayed to God and my ancestors and Venus who is said to watch over parted lovers and every pantheon I could think of. Some nights I would recite Afura's mantras until I was hoarse. I think that was more of a mental exercise than anything. It did help sometimes." Her expression softened, as if signaling the end of any further profound metaphysics. "You are sounding a little hoarse now. I lost track of time, you've been telling me stories for a while." He had been feeling some discomfort, but it had been lost in his state of quiet euphoria. "I suppose I could use a drink." There was a pitcher of water and a silver goblet on the little white marble table that stood beside one of the bed's great wooden posts. He crawled over to that edge of the bed, poured himself a cup and drained it. "Would you like one? It's still cold." "Thank you, that would be nice. I've lost some body fluid." He grinned at her. "However did that happen?" He refilled the glass while she scooted over to him. Makoto got an idea. You were supposed to do this with wine, but why not. "Let's share this one." He drank just a little of it, then held it close to her face with both hands. She saw his intention and brought her lips to the goblet's shiny rim. Makoto tilted it slowly, letting her drink. He made a bit of a mess of it, a little of the water spilled across her lips and trickled down onto her chest. He saw her shiver from it. He took the empty goblet away and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." She shook her head. "No, it was delightful. Much nicer than using my condensers." Makoto reached back and put the goblet back on the table. He turned his attention back to Ifurita. "Here, let me." With both hands he gently wiped the excess water from her chest. Her hands came up and took his, pushing them more firmly into the softness of her bosom. Their eyes met and they both smiled. "I didn't plan this, if that's what you're thinking," Makoto said. In truth he really was just being playful, but her eyes told him she had different ideas. Makoto's quickening heart was telling him not to argue. He leaned forward and kissed her, holding it while his fingers slowly flexed, repeatedly sinking gently into her yielding flesh. Their job of encouraging him now done, Ifurita's hands slipped off his and snaked across his shoulders. She coaxed him closer, and his mouth and hands pressed into her forcefully, hungrily. He leaned into her, and she yielded. The warm silken bed welcomed them into its soft embrace once more. She ended up on her back with him beside her, their kiss still not broken and one of his hands still kneading one breast as he came down beside her. He had one arm under her shoulders, which gave him an idea. He pressed against her, enticing her to roll over a bit. She did and he slipped part way under her, his arms now wrapped around her midsection. "Your hair feels good," he murmured, by way of an excuse for being where he was. Truthfully it did. But he had better reasons for being in this position. He slid his hands up, then back down across her chest, his palms and fingers barely touching. She arched her back and made a low purring noise that no human could have made. He assumed that was good. So he continued to softly stroke her, up and down. Occasionally he would take a nipple between fingers and tease it, or squeeze a breast more firmly. The sounds she made became more human but no less delighted. Her body gradually relaxed against his, only tensing now and again in response to his attentions. Makoto slid one hand down her abdomen, tickling the hair over her mound. She giggled, so he continued. "Makoto," she said in a breathy voice. "That tickles," she admonished. "Is that bad?" "N-no.." He had been wondering whether she was sensitive there, it looked like she was just ticklish. Nothing wrong with that, but it was not the reaction he was after. He reached down and laid his hand lightly over her sex. He would almost think he could feel the heat radiating off the delicate skin there. "Makoto..." she whispered, turning her head slightly into his. Makoto stopped his other hand's movement across her, just cupping a breast so that he could concentrate on her womanhood. Slowly, carefully, he let his hand become familiar with the territory he had thoroughly covered the last time. He probed more deeply with one finger, and she whimpered. He stopped for a moment. "Did that hurt?" "No." He asked her that a couple of more times as he probed experimentally, paranoid about scratching her. Finally convinced it would be okay for her, he had three fingers pumping her rhythmically as deeply as he could manage. It wasn't long before her breaths were coming in gasps. "Makoto," she cried, putting a hand over his wrist, bringing him to a stop. "Please..." "You don't want me to finish?" he asked in a low voice. She turned her head to the side so that he felt her hot breath on his face. "I want you..." He let her extricate herself from his grip and turn over. She reached down and took him in one hand. It was a bit different this time. Makoto smiled awkwardly at her. "I guess it was a bit too early." His body was making a valiant effort, but it wasn't quite working out. She brought her face inches in front of him and once again her sunny smile washed over him like a benediction. She ran a hand through his hair and kissed him. "Let me help." She moved down on top of him and kissed his neck very enthusiastically. She surprised him with a nibble that was just enough to make him gasp but not enough to hurt. Her hands were already moving up and down his flanks, each by a slightly different path and with a different rhythm. Somehow while doing all this she managed to move her body across his, sliding up and down, then pressing her breasts or her hips into him. The small part of Makoto's mind that was not crumbling under this full frontal assault wondered at the sort of motor control that was letting her do this. He was being ravaged four different ways at once and it was exhilarating. He was focused on the tongue that was lapping at his nipple so he didn't see it coming at all. She moved down a bit and his erection slid in between her breasts as if by chance. Then her hands were there squeezing her more tightly around him. He shuddered and grasped at the silk covers beside him, taken utterly by surprise. She moved across him just a few times before letting him go. The electric shock melted away, but its aftereffect left Makoto quivering. "Ifurita..." he panted, starting to prop himself up. But she took him by surprise again. She took him gently in her hand and before he realized what was going to happen her lips were already wrapped around him. Her tongue darted across the tip of his member. Every muscle seized right up and he dropped back onto the bed, his breath coming out as a loud moan. He was helpless right up to the point where he felt her release him. That in itself sent another thrill across his shivering body. "Did that hurt?" She was asking playfully, but it also sounded like she was making sure. "God no." He spoke in a strained voice between gulps of air. "Give me... just a second." Still holding him gently in one hand she moved herself over him, holding herself up with knees and elbow. "Would it be okay like this?" Oddly enough she really seemed to be asking his permission. He flashed a wide rictus of a grin and nodded once. He was very happy as he was and not adverse to staying that way. "Absolutely." She straddled his hips and slowly moved down, impaling herself on him. He reached up and cupped her breasts. For a wonderful moment they stayed like that, both of them just smiling fondly. Seeing her like that, feeling her warm softness, he wanted to cry again. Then as if by some wordless signal they both began to move and an utterly different sort of feeling surged up within him. Very quickly there was no room for coherent thought at all. His body seemed to be teasing him, holding him just on the edge for an eternity. All at once he heard her cry out and felt the spasm rippling down her flesh. Incredibly she did not even miss a beat, it just went on and on. Long after he thought his heart would burst he saw her throw her head back and cry out again. But she still kept moving. His vision began to swim. With a loud moan he barely realized was his Makoto shot his seed into her. Somehow or other she ended up in his arms again. Absently he wondered if he had blacked out for a while. He cuddled her head more closely under his chin. Eventually he worked up the strength to speak. "Ifurita, I'm ruined." "Would you like a massage?" She sounded serious. "You mean you can *move*?" "If I re-engage my muscle enhancers I can." "Did something make them go off-line?" he asked half in jest. "I had them shut down since leaving the Eye of God, to conserve power. Of course I have not re-engaged them today. They give me up to twenty times normal strength, that could have been... dangerous." Makoto whistled. "I am *very* glad you can turn those off. I wasn't going to say anything, but I was sort of wondering if.. well, if afterwards you were really as exhausted as I was or..." "Or whether I was faking it?" He chuckled. "That's an unfortunate choice of words, but yes." "Yes, I was just as exhausted as you. I didn't keep my enhancers off just for safety considerations. As much as I could, I wanted to experience this as a human does. I only used my biological functions, which are modeled on human anatomy." Makoto felt there was something he should ask. "Ifurita," he asked gently. "You don't mind talking about this do you?" "You mean about my body? No. You have shown me in every possible way that you accept me for what I am. Now, I think I can accept it too." He craned his neck and kissed the top of her head. "I'm very, very glad to hear that," he said truthfully. "Makoto..." she sounded a little hesitant. "I wasn't sure whether I should mention this but... it seems to me that when you touched me, you were avoiding my power socket." Makoto had only been half conscious of that. But it was true nonetheless. "I thought you might be self-conscious about it." "I'm not. At least not with you. Not any more." "That's good. I've been dying to do this..." he slid his hand down her back to her hips, squeezed, and slid them back up again. Ifurita's breath came out as a long sigh of pleasure that vibrated against his chest. "Looks like I've found a new erogenous zone already. File for future reference." Like maybe a month from now when he could move again. She let out a little closed-mouthed chuckle. He just stroked her lower back a little while they lay there recovering. After a while she slid across him so that she was pressed up against his side instead of on top of him. He looked down into her eyes and smiled. "More comfy there?" "I thought I might be a bit heavy." "It's not a problem. Though you were right, you weigh more than I expected. You might even weigh more than me." "I mass sixty-five kilos at normal fluids level." "Wow. It's been years since I weighed myself on a proper scale but you've probably got me beat by a little." "If you let me lift you I could tell you exactly what you weigh." He laughed. "That's handy. But I think that can wait." Now that she had moved he could get a better look at her, which he was very happy to do. "You're really glowing." He had noticed her rosy afterglow the previous times. But that had been a mere hint. She looked almost feverish. Probably this last time had been more effort than release for her, just as it had been for him. "You are as well." "It doesn't really show as much on me." His skin was still pale from his long days in the darkness of the Eye, but it did not have the transparency that hers did. "It does for me. Your body is still shedding heat below the visible spectrum." He ran a finger down her nose. "Hey, no fair. You said you turned your enhancers off." "I'm sorry," she said, sounding like she meant it. "But you look so lovely in infrared." Her smile softened and she ran a hand lightly across his chest. "Or at any frequency." After a moment she raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure this is the right phrase, but... penny for your thoughts?" He chuckled. "Yes, that's the right phrase. Sorry, my mind just went off on another silly tangent. I was wondering if you could have detected Ula under the bed if your enhancers had been on." "I detected her as we entered the room." Makoto was taken aback. "You did?" "It's a standard safety protocol," she explained as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "I turned on my enhanced senses for a moment as we entered the room. I do it without thinking." "Why didn't you say anything?" "She is an enhanced being much like myself. I recorded her sensor signature when I first encountered her. I knew it was her and that she is your designated protector so she was not a threat... Makoto, what is so funny?" Makoto got his laughing under control and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Ifurita, you're precious." She was getting a glimmer of understanding now. "If she is like the cat armors of my day, she is like any good bodyguard, she will keep to herself anything that could be embarrassing to her master." "Alielle is a bodyguard too, at least she's trained for it. Would you have told me if she was under the bed?" Ifurita's brows arched. "I... suppose I would have. I would not expect palace bodyguards to do that." He laughed again. "They don't, but Alielle's done it more than once, to try and spy on Nanami or Shayla undressing." "Has Princess Fatora not disciplined her?" "Fatora was with her one of those times," Makoto said with a lopsided smile. That took a moment to register. "Oh..." She smiled. "Perhaps I should maintain my surveillance protocols." "It sure couldn't hurt." She closed her eyes for a moment. Makoto was beginning to associate that with her consulting her Demon God senses. She opened her eyes again. "I am detecting no immediate threats." Makoto took her hand. "I didn't mean to make you paranoid, Ifurita. I wouldn't call Alielle a threat, she can just be a little mischievous." "I know." She smiled. "Don't worry, appropriate response is part of my operational protocol. If I detect an assassin with a knife I will disarm him and turn him over to the guard. If I detect a lesbian under the bed I will escort her to the door." Her laughter soon joined his, if somewhat less raucously. They embraced and kissed, just because it felt good. She settled her head on his shoulder again, and he cuddled her closer. Another contented silence fell across the room. For the first time in what seemed a very long while his senses expanded beyond the little space of their bed. The afternoon sun angling down through the balcony on the other side of the big room was interrupted occasionally by the little fluffy clouds that were so common this time of year. It was a warm, calm afternoon, not oppressively hot but just enough to make him feel lazy. The slightest of breezes brought in hints of scents from the flower beds that lined the wide balcony outside. Maybe he would go out and pick one later, giving a flower to Ifurita would be nice. Makoto suddenly blinked and his body twitched a little. He felt Ifurita move against him. "What is it?" she asked lazily. "Did I doze off?" "For just a little while I think." "Mmm. Wasn't even meaning to." "Sleep more if you wish." "That's okay." Just that little nap had left him feeling refreshed. He recalled the notion his half-awake mind had come across. "Hey, do you smell the flowers?" "Which ones?" "Which ones?" he asked incredulously. "How many do you smell?" "At least eight kinds. There are probably more, but they are too faint." He should have expected this. "Okay, which are your favorites?" He felt her take a deep breath and let it out, as if taking in the scent again. "The Soulmates' Heart, I think. More for its looks, though. Even when I could not really appreciate them, they seemed... well-formed." He knew the one she was talking about. It was a traditional gift between lovers. Entirely appropriate. "Would you like one for your hair?" She lifted herself up to look at him. Her puzzled expression dissolved into a smile. "Yes, I think that would be nice." Makoto felt just a little pang of regret as he got off the bed. It was like he had been on a cloud for an eternity and now was coming back to solid ground again. But Ifurita came up beside him and put her arm around him and he was suddenly on the cloud again. "Are they on the balcony?" Ifurita asked. "Yes, but I don't think we can go out like this. Unless you want to give the guards on the upper terraces a show, that is." Arms around each other, they walked back into the bathing room. "Just look at the mess we've made." Their clothes were right where they had discarded them. Normally when he stayed here he would always come back into a room to find any mess he made cleaned up as if by magic. The servants were more skilled at invisible service than the staff of the Imperial Tokyo Hotel. But it looked like even they thought better of venturing into a Demon God's honeymoon suite. He sensed a subtle tension in Ifurita. "I think I would prefer to wear something else." She tried to make it sound casual, but he suspected there was something more to it. Perhaps this had been like a washing away of the past. "I sort of remember that getting you something new to wear was our original reason for coming in here." Her smile became more relaxed. "There are robes over there," Makoto said, pointing to one of the tile shelves that lined the wall beside the little pool. Two white cotton robes were neatly folded there. He helped her put hers on just because it was more fun that way, and she reciprocated. They were something like the ubiquitous yukata that everyone in his native country wore after taking a bath. They walked back to the bedroom and out onto the balcony. The sun was hot, but the breeze almost made up for it. Like all the open space in the palace, their private balcony was alive with greenery. There were wide beds of aromatic moss, clinging vines draped across the tiles everywhere, and flowers growing in everything from high pots to wide beds at ground level. The tile floor wrapped around all the various green spaces, dotted here and there across the wide space with stone seats, tables and benches. He found the flower bed that held the Soulmates' Hearts. They were something like a rose, but he had never seen a rose with such a color pattern. Blood red petals along the edge merged into a white center, the whole dotted with occasional white petals that looked as if they had been splashed with blood from the red ones. He had heard it was supposed to symbolize the blending of two souls, or to express both the purity and the passion of lovers' feelings towards each other. It was the perfect choice. Makoto selected one, broke it off low down on the stem and stood up to face Ifurita. She was glowing, as if she was about to receive a gift no less precious than she had said his proposal of marriage was. But he was faced with a dilemma. "Now that your headpiece is gone, I'm not sure how I'm going to..." She held out her hand. "Let me." He gave her the flower and watched her weave the stem deftly into the hair on the side of her head. It ended up above and behind her ear. He took her in his arms and just looked at her for a moment. It must have been obvious to her, but he wanted to say it anyway. "It suits you. Very much." He bent and kissed her. "Thank you, Makoto." Whether her thanks was for the flower or the compliment was not clear, it really did not matter. "Would you like to sit outside for a while?" She just nodded. He led her to one of the benches that was partially shaded by vines on an overhead trellice. They sat down and he put his arm around her shoulders. The little fluffy fair-weather clouds marched slowly across the sky, gathered a little closer now, offering occasional relief from the sun. "It has not been resealed," Ifurita said. Makoto did not need to follow her gaze to know that she referred to the Eye of God floating far overhead. It would have been much higher if it were sealed. "No. It's on the pretext that we are still investigating whatever sabotage the Phantom Tribe might have done. But we finished checking on that long ago. If it were sealed again no airship could reach it. I begged Rune to leave it unsealed in case I needed it to help me understand how to bring you back. As it turned out I did need it. It's just another of the things she's done for me, lying to everyone like that." "You spent much time there?" "I've practically been living there for almost half a year. There's frozen food stocked up in the cooling systems and everything. One of these days I'll have to go up there and take down all the stuff I want to keep. I suppose I'll just leave the rest there, it certainly won't be bothering anyone. Especially if Rune decides to reseal the Eye." "I'd like to help you." "Sure. The view from the balcony is spectacular, but the place I was living is not much to look at, pretty much like living in a big dungeon. Now that I've succeeded in bringing you back, I don't have much use for those old artifacts. And there's not much else up there, believe me." "I would still like to see it. You spent much time their for our sake. I would like to... share it." He smiled at her and gave her a little squeeze. "We can save that for later though." He pointed at an area of the city sprawled out before them. "That's where we're going tomorrow." "We are going to walk there?" "It's not far. Why, would you prefer to fly or teleport?" She shook her head, obviously understanding it had been a joke. "Since you are under the protection of the royal family, I thought they would provide palanquins." "Has married life made you lazy already?" She grinned. "I was just wondering." "I've never even seen the Princesses use one." He waved his arm around. "As you can see they have no problem living ostentatiously, but Rune really doesn't like being pampered. She's very serious about being a servant of her people." "Yes, I could see that. It is certainly much different than the masters I used to serve. Most of them had never even come within sight of anyone who was not either nobility or one of their bonded servants." "Rune likes to go out into the city now and then, just walking around and talking to people." "That is not dangerous?" "She takes a couple of guards, of course. But she's very popular among the people. If anyone tried to waylay her they'd probably be torn apart before the guard could even draw his sidearm." He did not bother mentioning that Fatora had no interest in mingling... and it was just as well anyway. "It is a lovely city. The ones I remember were ugly, more like fortresses." She turned around to look back at the palace complex. "I see they have repaired the tower I destroyed." "Just finished a few months ago." He laughed. "It was a little behind schedule, the artisans had to stop for a while to go repair the damage Miz did to the assembly hall dome." "Miz? Oh, you mean at their wedding." "Their real wedding was a few weeks later. Officially, that first one never happened. To hear Miz talking, you'd think it was all just a misunderstanding about which day the wedding was supposed to be. At the time she really wanted to kill someone though. It's a miracle nobody did get killed." She averted her eyes quickly. But not quickly enough to keep Makoto from seeing her discomfort. Makoto understood immediately. He put his hand to her chin and very gently turned her to face him. She did not resist, but the hurt was still in her eye. "Ifurita, Jinnai killed those people, not you." "I know." "But it still hurts doesn't it?" She nodded. He pulled her closer and she rested her head against his. "Nobody can force you to hurt people any more, Ifurita. It will never happen again." "But I continued to hurt people, even after you freed me." He turned his head, regarded her with real shock. "Ifurita, you can't possibly feel any regrets over that. We were all fighting for our lives!" She looked at him with a serious expression. "I have no regrets about anything I have done of my own free will. Ultimately I did those things for selfish reasons, so that you and I could be together one day. But I'm also proud that we saved so many other people. It felt like I had redeemed myself." "You did, Ifurita. You should be proud of what you did." "I am. But what I did simply affirms what I really am. I am a warrior. Even if all my implants were removed it would not change that." He reached up and caressed her cheek. "Ifurita, did you feel like a warrior today?" Her expression changed into something like the look of peace he had seen when they shared their bed. "No, I did not." "You've already proven to yourself that you can be something different. What your masters intended for you has nothing to do with what you want for yourself." Ifurita looked very thoughtful for a while. When she spoke it was slowly and hesitantly, as if she were having trouble finding the words. "Makoto, earlier today I told you I would like to use my powers to protect people. I mean innocent people, not slavers and dictators. I still would like to do that. I have been forced to fight for the wrong reasons for so long. I want to... I need to believe it is possible to fight for the right reasons. I don't fully understand it yet, but I feel it is something I need to do." Makoto was unsure how to answer. His instinct was to tell her that she never needed to be a warrior again. But her previous words stuck in his mind. Even if she was his wife now, she would always be a warrior. Makoto ignored his instinct in favor of what he knew to be right. "Rune asked you to pledge yourself to her as one of the Princess' soldiers. Is that what you're thinking of?" She nodded, as he expected. "Ifurita, if you think that's the right thing for you, if it's something you need and want to do, then you have my support." "I never doubted that," Ifurita said earnestly. Makoto felt badly about the feelings of doubt he was keeping hidden. "But I would like to ask you. Do *you* think it is the right thing to do?" Earlier today Makoto would have answered without hesitation. But so much had changed in the past little while. He knew it was irrational, but he found himself disturbed by the idea of this new Ifurita, the woman he had made love to, once again wielding the power key staff in anger. *You're the one who set her free. Don't enslave her all over again.* "The ultimate choice is yours, Ifurita. I can only tell you what I think. What Rune suggests seems to make sense. The Alliance has benefited all the tribes, despite what some people say. I think what the rebelling provinces are doing is wrong. It may even be a prelude to trying to annex pieces of neighboring provinces. If you were to pledge yourself to Rune and the Alliance, they really could not consider marching an army across their borders. They would have to choose between being isolated behind their existing borders or rejoining the Alliance. It might take some long, careful diplomacy, but they would rejoin eventually." "I see. Jinnai gave me very little intelligence on the Alliance. He simply told me to destroy the human forces guarding the Holy River. My Voices selected targets based on what forces I could see along the river. I know very little about the structure of the Alliance. Could you tell me more about the rebelling provinces?" That took a little while. Makoto had taken little interest in Alliance politics, being focused on his work most of the time. But it had obviously been a major topic of discussion for everybody. Ifurita did not seem to be after a blow-by-blow account anyway, she just seemed to want Makoto's impression of the situation. The rebelling provinces were among those least affected by the Bugrom war, and resented the part they were being compelled to play in the reconstruction work. The fact that their territories would have been overrun as well had it not been for the Alliance forces slowing the Bugrom advance had been conveniently forgotten. And it was only the centrally coordinated relief efforts that were keeping the other provinces from being flooded with war refugees. To Makoto it seemed like a clear case of their wanting something for nothing. When she was done questioning him, Ifurita seemed to come to a decision quickly. "I agree that Rune has the right idea. I would like to speak with her." "Okay. Tomorrow I'll ask for an audience." It looked as if he had failed to hide his reluctance. "Makoto, is something wrong?" He decided a half truth was better than nothing. "I was just thinking about Rune. She must feel terrible about what she did today. It won't be easy for her, meeting us." "We have both forgiven her. If we tell her that, and that we understand why it was necessary, won't she feel better?" That simple question, asked with such earnestness and innocence, brought a smile to Makoto's lips. "I love you, Ifurita." She seemed puzzled by his sudden declaration. But a moment later she smiled. "I cannot doubt that, but I am happy to hear you say it again." They kissed. "I love you, Makoto. And thank you. I mean, for allowing me to do what my heart tells me is right." It looked like he had done an even worse job of hiding his doubts than he had thought. But it didn't matter now, they had both done the right thing. "We can talk about it with Rune tomorrow." She took the hint and they did not speak of it any further. They went back to watching the scenery. He caught Ifurita following a ship sailing across the sky. "A merchant cutter," Makoto said. "I love flying in those ships. The way they slide through the air, it's like a big magic carpet." "We had them in the Old Kingdoms as well. The principles by which they operate are very esoteric, they were only discovered in the last centuries before the Holy Wars. By then the Great Kingdoms had much more efficient kinds of vessels, so these were only ever used for sport craft. They are remarkably simple to make, considering how advanced they are. I suppose that is why the technology survived." "I've asked people how they work, I got a lot of quasi-mystical babble. Only one shipbuilder I ever asked admitted they hadn't a clue why the ships fly. I guess he was the only honest one." "All of what you see here is technology from the Old Kingdoms. Even the Lamps used by the Priestesses." "You know, when I first arrived here I didn't know what to make of the place. A lot of it is very primitive compared to my world. But there were so many things that looked like magic. It was like dropping down into a storybook world full of knights and wizards and demons. But I guess there is no such thing as magic. There's just different sorts of gizmos." "There is magic." He looked at her and she smiled indulgently as if he had said something very silly. "Love is the only magic." By wordless agreement they both started to lean into a kiss. That was when Makoto's stomach chose to let out a long, loud growl. He scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly. "I guess we skipped lunch." "Would you like to get something to eat?" "I suppose I should." She stood up with him. "Uh... I feel kind of silly asking this but... do you eat?" "Very seldom. I have artificial organs that use energy from my implants to convert biological waste products back into nutrients. But it is not one hundred percent efficient. I'm not hungry right now. But I would like to share a meal with you, if only a little." "Okay. Is there anything in particular you'd like?" "Whatever your favorite is." "You mean you never acquired a taste for anything?" "I would ingest whatever biomass was available." Makoto made a face. "I have a feeling I don't want to ask more about that." She smiled. "That is wise. It might spoil your appetite." Makoto pulled the cord to summon a servant. In less than a minute, there was a knock on the door and one of the girls entered and bowed. He ordered something that would be nice but would not take too long to prepare. While they waited Makoto suggested they go wash up a bit. Makoto was becoming more aware of something else he had not done for a while. It took a moment or two to explain to Ifurita that there were some biological functions that even marriage partners preferred to do in private. When Makoto emerged into the sitting room again he saw Ifurita standing next to a tray of food that had been laid down on the little dining table. Makoto smiled... they had brought in the fruit juice and appetizers ahead of time. No doubt they had been keeping track of how long he had gone without food. "That was quick." "She just left. It was the same girl." Her tone had become emotionless. By now, Makoto knew that meant something was wrong. He stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Ifurita, what is it?" She stopped trying to hide her distress. "The poor girl was terrified. She tried very hard to hide it, but I could tell." Makoto sighed. "Ifurita, most of the people here have never even seen you. Right now, to them you're just a legend come to life." "Makoto, it was no legend that destroyed that tower. She may have lost friends or family for all I know." Makoto hated to see her like this, he didn't know what he could do. "She looked fine when she came in a few minutes ago." "That was when you were with me. Her eyes were searching the room, I had the impression it was your absence that frightened her." "Maybe she thought you'd just eaten me for dinner." He gave her a quick kiss. "Bad joke, sorry. I have an idea what it might be, though." She looked interested. Good. "I'll tell you, why don't we sit down." She sat down opposite him at the table, still looking to him for some answer. He decided on the thing that might help her. "Whenever I needed cheering up over the past couple of years, more often or not one of my Rostalian friends would tell me a particular legend from the Holy Wars. There are many versions of it, but the basic story is pretty simple. One day a Demon God arrived at a city she had been ordered to destroy. When news of her arrival came everyone hid in their cellars in fear. But one man stood up on the battlements and when the Demon God arrived he told her he had something to tell her that she would find very useful. She had all day to destroy the city and she required only the blink of an eye to do it, so she decided there was no harm in listening. He told her his life story. It was nothing remarkable, he was a simple artisan. But he told her about everything, his friends and family, his modest hopes and dreams, his little triumphs and disappointments. Everything. "Before the day was done the Demon God fell in love with the man. That broke the spell that bound her to the evil wizard who was her master. She stayed with the man and became his wife. It was said she became the gentlest of creatures. But it was also said that if she were ever separated from her husband for even a moment, her bloodlust would overcome her and she would kill anyone who looked at her or spoke to her." Ifurita was silent for a moment before answering. "You think... they believe this is our story?" "Afura likes to point out how potent myths can be, regardless of whether they are true or not. That was why she told them to me. They spoke to me, just as they speak to the people of Rostalia. For better or worse, I think that legend pretty much defines how the people of Rostalia regard you." "But it's not true!" Ifurita protested. "Yes I fell in love with you and yes I would be distressed if we were ever separated again. But I would rather die than kill another innocent person." "I know," Makoto said gently. "People who get to know you will also understand that. But you have to give them a chance." Ifurita looked to be at least partly satisfied with that answer. After a moment, she nodded. "I understand. I need to redeem myself in their eyes." "You just need to stop being a legend and start being a person. There's no trick to that. Just think of the day I freed you. When Fujisawa came storming into the room, you calmly greeted him by name. Do you remember the look on his face? One moment you were a Demon God, the next you were a pretty girl telling him how you had seen him in my memories. A moment was all it took." "Yes, I remember it well," she said wistfully. "I know it must hurt, seeing people afraid of you like that. But please believe me, it won't last long." "I will try to remember that." Just a hint of a smile curled her lips. "Perhaps in the meantime we should take care to be seen together when we leave our rooms." Makoto chuckled. "That sounds like a good idea. Come on, let's eat. I'm starving." Makoto ate ravenously. Ifurita just had a taste. She said it was good, and seemed to enjoy it. Shortly after they were done, the servant girl and one of her companions arrived with the rest of their meal. Ifurita thanked them and they left. Makoto raised an eyebrow. "Well?" "She seemed very relieved to see you. Perhaps she really did think I had eaten you." Makoto ate the rest of his dinner at a little more civil pace. Ifurita tried a piece of everything. Then she was trying more pieces of everything. "I thought you weren't hungry." "I'm not. But if I wish I can cut the amount of power going to my waste processor and subsist mostly on food energy. I think I would like to do that." "That good, huh?" "It is. But I think it would make me feel more human." That seemed so odd to Makoto, hers was the most human soul he could imagine. But it was important for her to feel that way too. "It'll be nice for me too. For months I've been hacking food out of ice and eating it alone." Even when in the palace he would often has not have meals sent to the laboratory or to his room, not wanting to interrupt his work. Makoto was not really much of a dessert person, but he watched Ifurita polish hers off with gusto. "Wow, it turns out you've really got a sweet tooth." "You mean you do not? It was by far the best part." "I assume you don't have to worry about getting fat." "My ability to store food as fat was disabled." "Lucky you." They finished well on time to go out and watch the sunset. The clouds were rapidly breaking up, so they had a fine view. "So what frequency does this look best in?" "Ultraviolet. The sun seems to be the core of a vast inferno. I'm not sure, but I think I could show it to you." "You mean, just what you see now?" She smiled, obviously understanding what he meant. He was still uncomfortable with doing another full link. "I think we have already proven that we can share feelings instead of memories." That they had. There didn't seem any harm in trying. "Okay." He already had his arm about her, but they joined hands to give them a focus. Makoto closed his eyes. He felt the gulf opening before him, slid into it with ease. All of a sudden he saw what she saw. He gasped, then just sat in stunned silence. Ifurita's description did not even begin to do it justice. The sky was on fire, there was no other way to put it. After a moment, the vision dissolved and he felt the link closed. He opened his own eyes again. He was very relieved to see that the world had not been burned to a crisp by the firestorm he had seen. He looked into Ifurita's eyes. #It was fantastic.# #I'm glad you liked it.# Makoto blinked. He saw his own feeling of surprise and confusion becoming reflected in her own face. "What just happened?" "I'm not sure," Ifurita answered. "We are not linked, but I heard what you thought. I responded without thinking." Makoto decided to try this again. #Can you hear this?# #Yes, just as if you were speaking.# "Same here," Makoto said, using his voice this time. "It sounded a bit like when we spoke during our links. But it was just your voice, nothing more. Do you have any telepathic powers?" "No. I have never even heard of any such powers existing. It must be you, your ability to link with my implants." "I guess. I wonder if we can do that any time?" They tried a few things. It soon became clear that Makoto had to be in contact with her or with the staff for them to talk like that. They decided it was an interesting curiosity, but not something they really needed or wanted to use unless privacy was an issue. When the last of the long twilight had faded away and the clouds were all gone, they watched the stars for a while. "I know all the constellations in Earth's sky," Makoto said, "But I never learned any of the ones here." "I was taught them for navigation purposes," Ifurita said. She pointed. "That is the Dragon. There is its head..." they came closer as she traced her finger across the sky. "There are its legs, and there is its long tail." "Right, I can see that now. Does it have a name?" "You mean a proper name? No, none of the constellations do. Their origins are from an antiquity that was little but legend even in my day. If they ever had proper names, they were lost. Because of that and other clues, many believed there was a civilization even older than ours which rose and then was all but obliterated in some war or disaster." "Do you think it's true?" "It's hard to say. I would hate to think the people of El Hazard made the same mistake twice." That was a depressing thought. "Okay, show me some others." She did. Each one had a story of some sort behind it. There was The Archer, The Stag, The Tower, The Spider... and of course, the Demon God. "That's *you*?" He could barely see her smile in the starlight. "Not us, but the mythical creatures we were named after. The way they are described, for all I know they may have been just like us, war machines that destroyed an older civilization." "That would have been sort of grim. Kind of like Earth making constellations for Fat Man and Little Boy." He patted her. "No offense, honey." She patted him back. "None taken, honey." "Any others?" "Over there are The Lovers. There's the man, there's the woman." "Not sure I can see that. What are they supposed to be doing?" "Kissing, of course." "How, exactly?" "Something like this..." It was a good long time before words were spoken again. There was no moment of release this time, just the two of them quietly delighting in each others' touch, in each others' warmth. Which was just fine with Makoto... more than fine, it was simply wonderful. Eventually they became still, just holding each other. "This must be why the stars are in the sky," Makoto said softly. "Just for a moment like this." "If the Universe is a made thing, then you must be right." A while later she pulled a little away from him. "Are you feeling sleepy?" She must have heard his second yawn. "I suppose I am. It is getting late." "Then you should get some sleep." "I assume that means you don't need to." "No. But I would certainly like to share your bed with you." "Won't that be boring, listening to me snoring for hours?" "No." While they were outside somebody had lit a few of the oil lamps in each room. Makoto doused all the lamps in the bedroom save the one hanging over the headboard. As she had promised, Ifurita crawled under the bed sheet right behind him. They pulled each other close and made themselves comfortable. "I don't want you to think that you need to do this every night," Makoto said. "All I know is I feel like doing this tonight." Makoto suspected that would change eventually, as the newlyweds became old marrieds. He was content to let that happen naturally, so he dropped the matter. He reached out and caressed her cheek. "Ifurita... today was magical. I'll never forget it." "Nor will I. Not ever." They kissed, and Makoto reached up to douse the last lamp. Her touch was like a balm, lulling him to sleep in no time at all. ---------------------------------------- Ifurita did watch him sleep all night, the darkness being no hindrance for her eyes. He slept like a baby, not moving from her embrace, hardly stirring at all. She had not lied to him, she would have been content to do nothing but watch over him. But her mind was wildly delirious, drunk on what the past day had brought her. A few hours were hardly enough time to try and absorb it all. She had been utterly petrified when she had asked Makoto the question: do you, can you regard me as a human? As a woman? She had truly thought he might be... repulsed at the idea. She knew that he loved her, what he had done for her made that clear. But he loved many people, all in different ways, Nanami as a sister, Fujisawa as a sensei, many other people as dear friends. In their shared memories Ifurita was his sweetheart, but was that truly what he wanted? Even as he told her it was, she had been unable to keep the doubts from her mind. There was another question she had hardly dared face but had been haunting her since long before today. Could the ancient, battle-weary body of a Demon God actually respond to a lover's attentions? All the components were there... for their own perverse reasons, her creators had seen to that. They had often joked about it in her presence to prove what men they were. But could a dead thing really participate in the most basic act of life? It was a question that had terrified her right up to the moment when Makoto had taken her to his bed. Then the magic had taken control, and all doubt was forgotten. But an even greater miracle awaited her. As if it had been long since decided, as if it had taken no thought at all, he had told her that he wanted to be hers and hers alone. He wanted to give it over to her entirely, that one brief, precious irreplaceable spark that was his life. The very idea had numbed her mind with wonder and an overwhelming feeling of love that was almost too painful to bear. She could do nothing but break down and cry. The day had been full of smaller miracles that were no less precious. Being able to discuss all her long-buried doubts and fears with Makoto was a blessing all in itself. He had helped her in ways she was not even aware she needed. And in a hundred little ways he had drawn her into that happy, peaceful life he had shown her in his memories, let her become a part of it, let her live it with him. Every special moment they shared, from simple laughter to highest passion, had been another act of absolution, washing away the blood and horror she had been steeped in for so very long. After just a day of her new life, she could almost forget what had gone before. Yes, she could almost forget. Now watching Makoto's serene face in the emerging light of dawn, Ifurita could not help but wonder about his feelings. She could hardly doubt that he was happy, he had shown her that in so many ways. But there had been something missing. He had not seemed nearly so... astonished as her at the joy this day had brought him. He treated it as the most natural thing in the world. She had an idea why. His young life had already been so full of joy and warmth, and he was so full of optimism. It just seemed a matter of course that he would one day meet his soul mate, fall in love and marry her. Perhaps for him this day had not been the revelation it had been for her, it had simply been the next natural course of his life. Ifurita smiled. Whatever way one looked at it, Makoto had found love in no less an unlikely a place than she had. Makoto stirred, made a little, barely audible moaning noise, then suddenly rolled onto his back. She let him go this time, thinking she might wake him if she did not. He had come close to waking several times during the night, but had fallen quickly back into another sleep cycle. She knew that this was quite normal. Nocturnal assassins had to understand human sleep patterns, she thought with more irony than bitterness. She did not need to turn on any of her scanners to know he was going back into another dream state. That was a mystery realm for her. The few times she did sleep were simply intervals of blackness. Demon Gods could do many things their creators could, but dreaming was not one of them. Ifurita frowned. For some reason the thought of electric sheep came to her mind... it felt like some reference from Makoto's old memories. She would remember to ask him about it sometime. But he obviously had other things on his mind at the moment. The eyes rapidly shifting under his lids showed he was in the dream realm. Not for the first time she wondered what it was like. Something else moved. Under the bed sheet. Ifurita smiled. *Ah, another very nice dream.* It had not been the first time she had noticed, but now with him on his back it was rather more obvious. Ifurita was astonished by the idea that suddenly popped into her head. She blushed. *Where did that come from?* It was a silly question, she had already shown she was more than capable of thinking up what Makoto would probably call naughty ideas. And this one certainly was. She wondered if he would like it? He certainly had not objected to her making the opening moves before, in fact he seemed to delight in it. Would this be any different? Just the idea alone was already getting her blood pumping faster. And having other now very familiar side effects. Of course her body had long since recovered from its state of exhaustion, but she was surprised at just how quickly that lovely feeling of need was reemerging. She was already aching for his touch. Even though she knew he would not mind, she did not want to just wake him. As if by its own volition her hand wandered down to her sex. Her body seemed to be trying to tell her she had another option for relieving this building tension. She completed the movement of her hand more consciously now. Slowly, hesitantly, she probed. Her flesh sang to her as it had under Makoto's touch. She couldn't keep a little whimper from passing her lips. No more time for dithering, her body was telling her to make a decision, either commit or abort. She made her decision. Very slowly and carefully, she reached over and lifted the light silken bed sheet off Makoto's still form, hardly disturbing a hair on his body. A moment later she had it out of the way. With all the poise and stealth of a lioness she stalked her prey, moving into position over him, then becoming utterly still again. She waited. It did not take long. His heartbeat quickened and his brain waves were now changing. She knew it was cheating, but she wanted the right moment, the... well, the climax of his dream as it were. She reached down with her one free hand and very carefully took him in her hand. His flesh did not yield at all under her grip. She smiled. *Yes, a very nice dream indeed.* Just as she had done before, she guided him in position. "Hmmm...?" This very intimate touch seemed to have triggered some warning mechanism in him, he would be awake in a heartbeat. But it was too late, she already had him snared. With one smooth motion, she slid down onto him. His eyes came opened. She had been worried he might have a fright reaction to being approached in his sleep like this, but for the moment he just looked sleepy and bewildered. When his eyes finally focused on her face, she smiled sweetly. "Good morning." It took him a couple of moments more to realize the situation he was in. A grin came to his lips. "You devil..." Ifurita perceived room for a joke. "Yesterday I was a Demon God. Have I been demoted?" "I thought this was another dream," he said, sounding as if he was still not entirely sure. So, he had been dreaming of her after all. But she wanted to convince him this was no dream. She flexed her muscles around him, sending rippling waves along his length. His next breath came out as a moan. "Guess not..." He suddenly laughed with delight. "Ifurita, are you serious about this?" "Only if you wish me to be, love." She put only the barest hint of entreaty in her voice, she did not want him to feel badly if he did not want to. If he had any decision to make at all, he made it very quickly. He levered himself up off the bed. Ifurita wrapped her arms around him. He did likewise with his one free arm and they kissed deeply. "Wanted to give you your good morning kiss first," he said lazily. "Thank you- Oh!" Her exclamation came when he suddenly thrust up into her. He pressed himself against her further and she yielded. She thought he wanted to push her back onto the bed, but he was just folding his legs under himself to get some semblance of balance. She ended up straddled on his lap, the two of them still held in a tight embrace. They began to move slowly, alternating between holding a long kiss and locking each other in a tight embrace. The former became fewer and further between as they gradually picked up the pace. Makoto's hands started making liberal use of the erogenous zones around her hips they had found yesterday. His hands passed unselfconsiously across and around her power socket as if it were nothing but a freckle. For just one thrilling moment they fell still, shared a glance and a smile that spoke volumes. #Makoto...# She let a long, desperate kiss express her joy and gratitude. Then they were moving with great urgency again. Ifurita's body was singing to her, a frenetic song that promised of the coming release. It came early, taking her by surprise. She must have worked herself up more thoroughly than she had imagined. She crooned as the waves of delight washed over her. Makoto sounded very close now, she was not anticipating another release of her own. It came anyway, following very closely on his own. They held each other desperately, both trembling and panting. Ifurita could feel her body and his slowly relax and shed heat, moving onto a lazy downhill path of recovery that was no less delightful than the steep road they had just scrambled up together. At length Makoto let out a contented sigh. "Oh God..." It seemed to be a genuine prayer of thanks, perhaps just for everything the two of them had been blessed with. "I hoped you would like that," Ifurita said happily. "You've already made our first morning together just as memorable as our first day." She felt him turn and kiss her just below her ear. "You really are a treasure." "Thank you," Ifurita said, truly happy that her special wake-up call had gone over so well. "So... what exactly were you up to while I slept?" He spoke more casually and playfully now. "Just watching you." "I don't recall falling asleep with you on top of me." She chuckled. "I simply waited for the right moment, when you were about to wake up." "Well, I suppose that's okay then." "Why, what were you afraid I was doing?" "I thought maybe you liked me better asleep than awake." "What?" "Lots of veterans develop necrophelic tendencies, you know." "Makoto!" His laughter followed right on the end of her shocked exclamation. "That's..." "Not funny?" "No..." Her reply was very hesitant, now that her rush of indignation had burst. He nuzzled her neck. "I'm sorry." He sounded like he meant it. "It's okay. I just thought you were serious." "Not really. But I thought I should check, just in case." "I prefer you alive and awake. Shall I prove it to you?" "I think you just did." He indicated with pressure that he wanted to lie back down. They both did, settling down side by side on the pillow again. Makoto had a look out the window before gazing at her again. "Looks like the sun's about to come up." "In four minutes. Is this when you usually wake up?" "Yes, your timing was perfect." Ifurita smiled. "I told you, I merely waited." "For eight hours?" "Silly. I only approached you when I sensed you were ready. Before that I was just thinking." "About what?" How could she even begin to answer? "Everything." He grinned. "The answer is forty-two." "Excuse me?" He just shook his head. "Ask me again some time." She did as he asked and just filed it. "It looked like you were dreaming the night through. Do you remember any of it?" "Not really. I'm sure it must have been about you. Even before yesterday I was dreaming of little else." "Oh. I was just wondering. I don't dream at all." He seemed to sense she wanted to hear more. "Well, to my mind you're not missing much. Dreams are mostly very silly things that make no sense at all. Here's a good one. A while ago I dreamed I was flying on a jumbo jet with my parents to Hawaii... oh, a jumbo jet, picture a big long flying tin can with steel wings and lots of people crammed inside. So the stewardess - glorified waitress basically - comes up to us and it's you. I ask you if you'll take me to see the captain and you say yes. You take me forward to the cockpit - sort of the bridge - except when we walk through the door we're on a hill looking at one of the cities you destroyed in the Holy War. Nanami runs up the hill and tells me where the hell have I been we need to get back to Earth. I ask her how and she pulls out the power key staff and zaps me with it. Then I'm on top of the tower under the Eye of God and my folks and Nanami's folks are there having a picnic and asking what took me so long. Beside them there's a little black piglet in a cage running around squealing. Somehow I know the piglet is Jinnai, I laugh really hard and I wake up." Ifurita thought about that for several seconds, then shook her head in wonder. "Makoto... how can you see such things every night and maintain your sanity?" "That's the beauty of it. You can just wake up and say 'Oh, it was all a dream'. You can even pinch yourself if you're not sure." "I see. Still, it sounds like a frightening realm." "Only for people who take it too seriously." He suddenly lifted his head and looked out the window. "Looks like the sun's just hit the needle towers. That's usually when I go for my run." "Run to where?" "Just my exercise run, a few laps around the lower terraces." "May I join you?" Makoto laughed. "Sure, but I don't think it's going to be much of a challenge for you. I go for about half an hour and probably don't cover any more than four miles." "That sounds quite respectable. I would like to try it. I'll keep my enhancers off." "Awfully sportsmanlike of you, ma'am. Let's go get something to wear." He led her into a minor warehouse full of great heavy storage chests. "These can't all be my clothes." "They can and they are. Now let's see. I think the way this works is the fancy clothes are in the fancy chests and the most used ones are towards the front, so let's look at the plain chests over here." He touched a globe hanging against the wall and it began to glow, overpowering the scant light coming in from the overhead stained windows. "We just started manufacturing these again," Makoto said, pointing to the globe. "These are prototypes I made when I was trying to figure out the Living Machines' power systems. They'll be a lot better and safer than oil lamps." Ifurita was intrigued by the twinkle she saw in his eye as he explained these very prosaic matters of lighting. She was seeing a part of him that his memories had only hinted at, the part that still saw and touched the world with the curiosity of a child. "Is this a side-effect of your search for the secret of the Eye of God?" "One of many. I've come across all sorts of neat things along the way, but I've had no time to develop anything." "Perhaps that can change now. Like me, you are now free to pursue whatever dreams you please." She had been serious, but he just gave a little smile. "Right now I'm pursuing something for you to wear. Let's try this one." Even the 'plain' chest held an impressive array of garments. "Here we go, I've seen the priestesses wear this when they work out. What do you think?" It was a simple light sleeveless tunic. "Yes, that looks fine." "Okay, we'll see if they've left some good sandals for you. They're about the best thing they've got here for running, though they're a pain to get laced up properly." Makoto really seemed to enjoy fussing over her like this, and she was more than content to let him. He found her the sandals, and also something to tie back her hair, apparently something you were supposed to do when running. When they were all set Makoto pulled open one of the great double doors. As Ifurita already knew, there were two guards out in the hallway. "Good morning," Makoto said, waving casually. They both bowed and returned his greeting, doing likewise for Ifurita. They did not seem at all surprised to see her, no doubt they had been briefed. "We'll be back within the hour," Makoto told the guards before the two of them continued down the hallway. On their way down to the lower level they only encountered a few guards and servants. About the strongest reaction were ones of barely suppressed curiosity. So word had got around in one way or another. They emerged from the bottom of a wide curving staircase into a big open space. "Here we are." "It's lovely." The terrace was a much larger version of their own balcony, with wide tile pathways and plazas interspersed with vast beds of various greenery. Much of it was covered by vast arches that held the upper level terraces above them. The wide space curved away around the palace in either direction, presumably going all around. A few gardeners were already at work, as always oblivious to all but their tasks. "It looks like we have it to ourselves." "Most people aren't up and about for another hour. Want to start?" "Whenever you're ready." Ifurita kept stride beside Makoto, letting him set the pace. It was easy for a while. Then the Voices started warning her about lactic acid buildup. She did not really need them to tell her that, she could feel it plainly enough. Movement was becoming more of an effort. They were recommending enhancers being activated. Absently she wondered if they had given her similar warnings when she was making love with Makoto... if so, she had certainly never noticed. Be that as it may, she ignored them now. She resolved she would ignore any warnings save any of impending critical or permanent damage. No such warnings ever came. Which surprised her since the last mile was pure hell. Just when she had the disquieting feeling that her legs were about to fall off, Makoto slowed down and brought them to a halt next to a wide stone bench. Ifurita *fell* down onto it painfully, flopping down on her side. She lay there and ventilated as quickly and deeply as she could, but her lungs just seemed to scream out for more. Makoto was doing something odd, he was sitting down beside her head and putting two fingers against her throat. Did he think she was in danger? She wanted to reassure him but would be unable to unless she dumped her oxygen reserve into her blood and freed up her lungs for speaking. She looked up at him, but he was just smiling sympathetically. He was also breathing hard but did not appear to be suffering for it. So she just lay her head back down on her arm and concentrated on breathing. When she was feeling a little better, Ifurita levered herself up into a sitting position. "Are you feeling okay?" Makoto asked. "I am now." "I'm sorry, I wasn't even watching you, I assumed this would be easy. You should have told me if you wanted to stop." "I was in no danger. But I'm sure I was near the limit of my endurance." "Really? Your heartbeat was lower than mine and it slowed down much quicker. I think you could have done another lap at that pace easily." "Another *lap*? It felt like I couldn't run another step!" "You were just going over the hump. Once you get past that, the last stretch usually feels easier. That is, assuming your system pumps endorphins into you like mine does." "It does, but my implants could have done it much quicker. Makoto doesn't this hurt for you as well?" "Sure, it hurts plenty." "And you do this every morning?" "When I can." Ifurita shook her head. "Save for when I was on Earth, I have never had to push myself to the limits of my endurance. For all practical purposes I had no limits." "So how does it feel?" "I'm not sure. Exhilarating. Gratifying. Painful." Makoto chuckled. "That's about as good a description of runner's high that I've heard. Are you sure you've never done this before?" "You mean run myself to exhaustion? No. It's something entirely new. I think..." Makoto cocked his head. "Yes?" She smiled awkwardly. "I think perhaps I understand just a little more... what it is to be human." He put an arm around her and kissed her on the side of the forehead. "I think you understand a great deal, Ifurita." "If so then I owe that understanding to you." They ended the argument with a kiss. "Want to get some water?" he asked. "Oh yes." Ifurita never imagined plain water could be so heavenly. She gulped down greedily from the stream flowing out of the drinking fountain Makoto led her to. She took more water and doused her burning face and neck. "I feel as if I'd like to strip this off and go jump into that big fountain." "We can do that in our rooms," Makoto said. "I desperately need a bath, I'm already starting to smell." "I like your smell." "Well if I don't get a bath soon you won't be liking it for long. Ready to go?" "Okay." Climbing the stairs again was more agony. But Ifurita would not give in, she did it with organic muscles. "Aren't you actually at a disadvantage," Makoto asked, "Lugging around that deadweight that you're not making use of?" "Not really. My genetic enhancements make my heart, lungs and muscles more efficient." "I thought so. It's like I said, if you'd pushed yourself you could still be going strong." "You know, I used to be contemptuous of humans' limited strength and endurance. Now I can see it is really I who has been living within limitations. You make a passion out of overcoming them." "Well you sure look like you just finished seriously overcoming some limitations. So do you still feel up to going out today?" "Certainly. Won't we be having breakfast first?" "Actually I thought we'd go eat at Nanami's place on the way out." Ifurita smiled. "Yes, I would like that." Which was the truth. She was still nervous about meeting all of Makoto's friends. But she reminded herself that there was nothing wrong with being nervous. It was just a sign of unknown territory ahead, of new limitations to be overcome. They washed and only took a quick soak in the tub this time. Ifurita did not say anything but she would have felt content to sit in there for a good long while. They picked out some sturdier tunics for their excursion and made their way to the front gate. There was a little more activity now as the palace was slowly awakening to the new day. "I seem to see only servants," Ifurita observed. "The bigwigs generally aren't morning people. Except maybe Rune. Actually, I'm kind of avoiding routes that they would take." "Why?" Makoto looked a little awkward. "Well, the fact is, I never really discussed the idea of an excursion with Rune." "You think she would object?" "She'd probably ask me to delay it. She wants to make some sort of public announcement about your return first." "You don't think we should wait for her to do that?" "No, I think it's better this way." He would not elaborate on that. Ifurita knew that even if he still had any ill feelings towards Rune he would not do this just to spite her. He must have his own reasons. She was content to leave it at that. True she was not at full power, but she was more than capable of dealing with any minor threats that might turn up along the way. Makoto greeted the officer at the gate. "Good morning, Lieutenant." "Good morning, Lord Makoto," he replied. He turned to Ifurita. "Good Morning, Lady Ifurita. Welcome back." "Thank you, Lieutenant," she answered. "If anyone asks we've just gone out shopping for the morning." The officer hesitated for just the barest fraction before responding. "Very good, sir. Will you be needing an escort?" "Not today." When they were walking across the great plaza that fronted the palace, well out of earshot, Ifurita turned to Makoto. "The Lieutenant was not pleased at our leaving. I have little doubt he has gone to notify his superior by now." Makoto winked. "Fine, we'll be long gone by then." "Makoto is this really okay? If the guards are that concerned perhaps they know something we do not." "It's their job to be paranoid. We're just going shopping that's all." Makoto seemed determined to enjoy himself, so Ifurita resolved not to spoil it for him. She smiled. "Okay." She slipped her hand out of his and took a hold of his arm. "Lead the way." They had to go some distance from the palace before seeing any shops. Of course they were not really looking just yet, this was just the route to Nanami's place. Most of the shops were still in the process of opening up for the day. At length they came across a street that was even narrower and noisier than any they had seen so far. Ifurita looked at all the places they passed by. "Is this where you would search for old artifacts?" "Yes. You would be astonished at the stuff I've found on this little street." "I am astonished at some of the things I am seeing for myself. Some of these things they appear to be selling as trinkets... they are pieces from battle androids." "Battle androids, huh? I found a whole head that's probably from one of those, I'll have to show it to you sometime. By the way, a couple of shops up the fellow's got something he won't even let anyone look at close up for anything less than fifty thousand gold pieces. I never thought it was worth it but I've always been curious." They passed the place and Makoto pointed. Up near the high ceiling of the front room that had now been opened to the street, displayed prominently in an elaborate case, was a ball-shaped machine about a foot in diameter. Ifurita scanned it... and her jaw dropped open. "Ifurita, are you okay?" She swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and let it out. "It's okay. It's been disarmed." "*What* has been disarmed?" "It..." She sighed. "It was designed to destroy the Eye of God. If it were functional it could do that all the way from here. Easily." "Whoa..." "Makoto, I think that one day soon we should come back here and have a much more careful look around." "Well most of this stuff has been lying around for ten thousand years, I don't think anything is about to blow up any time soon. But that still sounds like a good idea. Shall we go?" They continued on their way. "I want to step in to Asdic's place and say hi." Ifurita remembered, the shopkeeper who found him most of the artifacts he didn't get through the palace's scholars. Makoto had painted a picture of a man with a ready laugh, a memory like a steel trap and a penchant for stretching the truth just enough not to break it. A born merchant in other words. Makoto steered her towards a shop that looked little different than the others. It would have been nearly impossible for them to squeeze in side by side through one or the other of the little spaces between the cluttered shelves. But they would not need to, it looked like the man they sought was already out front putting aside the front panels he had just removed. He was a big, heavy man with a great fuzzy black beard, decked out in colorful silks and much gold jewelry. He noticed their approach, and his face lit up. He spread his beefy arms out wide as if he meant to run and embrace them both. "Lord Makoto! My dear fellow! My day has just been made complete by the end of your long absence! So many fine new things have turned up that I have been saving just for you, it would take me half the day just to show you them all. But for you I shall take the whole day, so happy has your return made me!" "I'm afraid I have some grave news for you today, Asdic," Makoto said in an easy tone that was anything but grave. "I'm not really in the market for old technology right now, at least not for a while." "Ah, a vacation," the man said quickly in his big baritone voice, nodding in approval. "Good good, the last one did you wonders. You came back all the more eager to plumb the ancient mysteries. Then perhaps your new lady friend from the palace is looking for something special today." Makoto's face was fairly glowing now. "Actually she's the reason I'm on vacation. Asdic, I'd like you to meet Ifurita." The big man looked more closely at her now, this time with growing astonishment. His jaw came down as if it had suddenly lost all muscle tension. He took in a slow breath that was not quite a gasp. "My dear fellow, you've done it..." His suddenly quiet voice was almost lost in the din of the street. Ifurita smiled. "I'm pleased to meet you. Makoto has told me about how you have helped him. I am also in your debt." "Not at all, not at all," Asdic replied, regaining his composure and his booming voice with the speed and ease of one used to quick bargaining. "I'm but a dull merchant, clever young Makoto here could have swindled me out of shop years ago but not for his generous heart." His attention went back to Makoto and his expression suddenly changed to one of unrestrained joy. He strode up to Makoto and clapped his big meaty hands over his shoulders. Ifurita could feel the impact through her light grip on Makoto's arm. "My dear boy, words fail me. Did I not tell you that you could do it?" Makoto only winced for a moment, never lost his warm smile. "Yes you did, many times." Quick as a cat Asdic turned back to Ifurita and raised a finger before his face. "Here, let me give you something special to celebrate your return, pretty lady," he said in a conspiratorial voice. "Asdic, what are you giving away?" His face fell a little at the sound of this new voice, becoming just a little world-weary. He turned and Ifurita followed his gaze to see a plump, vigorous looking woman striding out to the front of the shop. Impossibly, her silks and gold were more plentiful and flamboyant than his and her clear voice carried further. Her pleasant brown face held a hint of a frown that disappeared when she saw their guests. "Ah, Lord Makoto, welcome! And in the company of beautiful girls from the palace as always!" Asdic rolled his eyes. "Woman, this is not just another of Makoto's friends," he said, emphasizing the last word as if to spare Makoto any embarrassment. "This is Ifurita. *The* Ifurita." Her eyes went wide and her hands flew up to her face. "Oh my word! Is it true?" "Of course it's true!" Asdic countered loudly. "Lord Makoto just said so, did you not sir?" "Yes," Makoto said. He and Ifurita shared a glance and a fond smile, then looked back to the merchant and the woman Ifurita presumed to be his wife. "I just brought her back yesterday. We dropped by to say thank you for all your help over the past years." Her shock turned to delight even quicker than her husband's had. "Oh how thick of me not to realize right away, they all said you were an incomparable beauty, who else could you have been but Ifurita?" "Thank you," Ifurita said, a little overwhelmed by her bellicose voice but finding herself happy at the compliment. "How nice of you to come all the way here just to see us," she went on in an almost singsong voice, "You must have been having such grand receptions in the palace, all day and all night I would expect!" "Actually we spent a quiet day together yesterday," Makoto said, his voice a mere echo of hers. "Oh my how very romantic!" she drawled. "Reunited after such a long time, you must both be very happy!" She was looking to Ifurita now, so she felt bound to answer. "I couldn't be happier." "So have you made any plans?" she asked eagerly. "We were on our way to breakfast," Makoto said as if by way of a reminder. She cackled loudly and threw her hand his way in mock dismissal. "No no no, I mean your wedding plans! Yours will probably be bigger than Miz Mishtal's weddings! Either of them!" "They just got back, woman," Asdic finally managed to cut in. "I really don't think they've had time to discuss that." "Well it's fine to ask, isn't it?" she retorted, making it sound like a rhetorical question. "He's right, we really haven't had time to discuss details. I'm just happy she's safely back home." Makoto glanced self-consciously at the crowd that was starting to creep into their field of view from behind. Ifurita had noted them already. They were excitedly whispering women in groups of two or three, keeping as much of a respectable distance as the narrow street would allow. She had registered them as non hostile. The whisperings continued, but they were all just curious or excited. "You poor dear," Asdic's wife suddenly said to her. "Waiting for Makoto on that strange world all those years, it must have been terrible!" "Well, actually..." she glanced at Makoto. He just shrugged and nodded encouragingly. #Go ahead, we'll never escape without telling the story.# Ifurita tried to keep it short, but it still took a while. By the time she was done there were people up on the roofs too, mostly children. It was an odd feeling, being the center of so much attention from people who were not her enemies. It was not unpleasant. But she had to stop when she got to the point where Makoto returned to her. "I could not possibly describe that moment in words, I would not even try," she said pleasantly but with a finality that brooked no argument. She was done. She was unsure, but Ifurita could almost swear she heard very faint, scattered sounds of sniffling and weeping behind her. Otherwise, this little corner of the market had fallen into a hushed silence. Asdic seemed more astonished by the sight of his wife standing speechless and close to tears than by the story itself. But he recovered quickly. "Thank you, Lady Ifurita," he said in a voice that was surprisingly gentle but still carried. "They will be singing songs of your story for centuries." "I hate to be rude, but we really should be going," Makoto said. "We haven't eaten yet today." "Of course," he said. His former carefree manner suddenly returned like the dropping of a mask. "But before you go I really did want to give you something special." It was a pendant for Ifurita, a little blood-red jewel on a very fine silver chain necklace. Simple and unassuming, but elegant. Asdic and Makoto had a very odd argument about whether Makoto would be paying for this, with Asdic ending it by solemnly declaring he would rather swallow the item whole than take a penny of Makoto's money for it. Ifurita could see the sincerity of Makoto's thanks. He put it about her neck, and she also thanked the smiling, big-hearted couple whom she already decided were among the finest people she had ever met. Soon they were on their way again. "I wasn't expecting to spend so much time there," Makoto said apologetically. "I'm glad we did," Ifurita said, really meaning it. "I had fun." Makoto's face brightened. "I don't think I've ever heard you say that." "I don't think anybody has." "Hey, lady." Ifurita looked down at the little street urchin she had been tracking closely. No metal implements, not a threat. "Yes?" "Are you the Demon God?" the dirty little boy asked. Word had got around fast. "Yes, I am." "Wow. Can you still fly?" "Of course." "That's neat. Could you fly me up over the palace?" "Well..." She considered whether she really wanted to expend that amount of energy. "All right that's enough," Makoto said sternly. He made quick hand motions. "Go on, shoo shoo." The boy ran away, not really looking afraid, more like he was following some rule Ifurita did not quite follow. She looked back at Makoto. "It would have been no trouble. I just could have flown him around the block. He probably would have liked it." "Yes, and then you'd end up being mobbed by screaming kids all wanting rides." "Oh..." She giggled and held on more snugly to his arm as they walked along. He looked rather puzzled. "What?" "Nothing. I just think I'm going to like it here, that's all." The End