Absence of Fear
Prologue: Enter the Sandman
Summary: The walls come down around a young, middle-aged substitute teacher when she is kidnapped by an obsessive and heart struck student. Will she resist her student's advances? Or will she finally open up and decide to be her own person instead of being consumed by the shadow of her mother?
Rating: T-M Author: Yamistar
Genre: Romance, Angst Type: Original,
Fem-Slash
Warnings: Yuri, Angst, Original Characters, Lime, Language, some Crude Humor
Disclaimer: Legally, I own the characters. But, in my mind, they own
themselves.
A/n: Kinda took me awhile to think of a name for this story, and a name for this chapter. Bah, I don't care for names very much. Labels...but, then again, I don't like labeling every chapter Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. So yea, whatever. I was very excited about writing this story, so yea.
ENTER THE SANDMAN
"Hidden love will come your way under cover of tragedy." What kind of crap is this? The young woman thought to herself as she stared with dull crystal blue eyes at the piece of paper. She had eaten a fortune cookie to try and settle her stomach. The warm sake was ragging a war with her stomach, and it was winning by a land slide. It hadn't been her idea to come out with her younger half brother and drink to her health. He had dragged her there, hoping maybe a man would be interested in her. He had left her there, thinking maybe that his presence was warding away and possible suitors.
Pff. Yea right. I look like an American. What logical man would openly flirt with some hag from America? Subaru Touki thought dejectedly. Besides, I don't like men. They're all a bunch of pigs. Now, if I could find me one of these hot, young girls...
Subaru sighed to herself, trying to will away the pervert in her. She stood up, left a couple of yen papers on the counter, and began walking towards the exit of the bar to go home. Face it, no young school girl is gonna wanna date some old, nasty, foreigner looking hag. They go for all of those goofy looking boys. I just don't see what those girls see in these boys...
Subaru was interrupted out of her thoughts as her world around her swirled and everything went dark. Crap. Fainting in the middle of a sidewalk is such a pain. Good thing I'm not in some back-woods country road. I'd be worried about...
"Hey, are you alright?" a feminine voice called out from somewhere above.
Well, I'm not going to be mugged. Great. What botheration am I going to be blessed with now? Subaru thought within a foggy haze. She had landed on her hands and knees, feeling that the insides of her stomach fighting to see the pavement. She resisted the gag reflex, not wanting to drown in her own vomit, and had carefully settled herself on her stomach.
A blur of black and pale skin came into view, the owner of the voice crouching down beside her. "I saw you fall. Are you okay?"
Murmuring from the pavement, Subaru asked, "Does it look like I'm okay?"
"Ah, sorry. Are you...drunk?"
Subaru rolled her eyes, as best as she could, and said with confidence, "As a matter of fact, yes I am."
"Could I see your Alien ID, then?" 1
Her eye twitching in annoyance, Subaru mumbled in a controlled manner, "So, just because my hair isn't black, or doesn't look dyed makes me some bum from America, right? Well, I got news for you, kiddo, I happen to be half Japanese! I live here!"
She was drunk. And she didn't mean to yell. But, she always got knocked for being a foreigner. Her little brother was Japanese, goofy looks and all. It wasn't her fault that her mother was a psychotic red head from America, had sex with some virgin Jap., and then went back to Hillbilly Land all knocked up. It plainly wasn't her fault. And she would be damned if she was going to let some kid ask for an ID she didn't even own.
"I...I'm sorry. It's just that, your words have an accent to them," the woman said.
"Yea, yours would to if you had to live in America for the first six years of your life," Subaru said, sighing afterwards, wishing she could fall asleep. She had to go to some school and sub for a class. She was registered to do that, but she didn't really want to. Kids, anyone besides herself, for that matter, annoyed the tar out of her. It never used to be that way, but as she grew older and became a teenager herself, Subaru noticed that she really didn't like other people. She wasn't narcissistic, but other people rubbed her the wrong way. Like alcohol and sake. They did the same things to her. Botheration.
"I'm sorry for mistaking you. You seem to be incapacitated. Can I help you get home?" the other woman asked.
Bringing up a shaky hand, Subaru pointed forward, up over a hill the road and sidewalk took. "It's about a mile...That way."
Sighing, the other woman carefully touched Subaru's left shoulder, asking quietly, "Would you mind if I just took you to my parents' house?"
Shrugging, Subaru sighed again, mumbling under her breath, "As long as I get off of this side walk and get somewhere I can saw some logs. Big, fat ass logs..."
Subaru heard the other woman chuckle at what she had said. Rolling her eyes, Subaru slurred, "Oh, you think that's funny, do you?"
"Yes. For someone of this ethnicity, you seem to not be shy about what you say."
Subaru mocked what the other woman said with a mimic of sorts and her face screwed up. "I'm half American, damn it. I'll say whatever I want, whenever I want. Got that?"
The elder woman could hear rustling of clothing before a warm jacket covered her back. "I'll carry you back to my house. It's not far from here."
Subaru was suddenly jarred when she felt two strong arms flip her onto her back, and then pick her up bridal style. She quickly cuddled her cold face into a soft, warm chest, breathing in the other woman's clean scent.
"I'm tired..." Subaru murmured against her savior's chest. This girl...Where did she come from? Was she following me, or something crazy like that? Hell, I haven't even been here that long. Oh well. It can't hurt anything.
"Hey, where did you come from, anyway? It's not like people normally go out walking the streets at two in the morning for no reason," Subaru asked, before she yawned loudly.
The grip around her suddenly tightened, before the woman whispered, "I was working in the bar. A waitress. I'm going to quit. But, I saw you leave, and I was worried about you. I didn't want you to fall asleep in a gutter somewhere."
Glaring at nothing in particular, Subaru whispered, "I don't like people, much less lying teenagers."
"I'm not lying to you, miss. Honest. I was worried about your well-being."
"If I could lift my head, and I caught you smiling nicely, or something like that, I'd make you drop me back in that "gutter" you found me in."
"Why?"
"Because. The smiling ones are always the ones with ulterior motives. They hide behind that smile while thinking about their evil plans. Simple as that," Subaru finished, her eye lids getting heavier with every word. Why did she have to explain the simplest things to young people?
"Alright, miss. I won't smile. I don't have any ulterior motive. Please, just trust my word."
"Whatever, kiddo."
It was later that night, or early morning rather, that Subaru almost woke up to the feeling that she was being watched. She didn't awaken, but if she had, she would have realized that her instinct was correct. The teenager who saved Subaru watched over her that night, making sure the older woman didn't toss and turn in her slumber.
The teen smiled to herself, a small hidden smile. It was not one unlike the kind Subaru apparently distrusted. Brushing a few strands or red-brown hair away from Subaru's face, the younger female let her finger tips slowly travel around Subaru's expressionless face.
This woman looks so peaceful in her sleep. Something awful must have happened to her when she was younger. The young woman thought. Her finger tips suddenly brushed against Subaru's lower lip; she quickly tore her hand away as if she had been burned.
No. I shouldn't. I promised I wouldn't take advantage of her. Even if she is so innocent looking...
A/n: Hardest part to write of this first chapter was that beginning. Gawd, I couldn't figure out for the life of me how to start this damn story! But, I got around to this idea, juggled it around a little bit, added in my own humor, and wa la! Probably not perfect (who the hell is, anyway?) But I'm satisfied with it. Yesm.
1: It's something foreigners have to carry around with them. For identification and jazz like that.