Read Or Die Fan Fiction ❯ Eventually, It Happens ❯ Chapter 1 - This is What Happens When You Read Too Much ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A/N: 'Ello there! ROD tv is one of my favorite animes at the moment. I strangely fell in love with the unoffical canon pairing of Nenene/Maggie. Usually I hate the canon pairing in a show, but this one really stood out to me. I rooted the whole show for the possibilty of them getting together. Somewhat disappointed, I wrote this fic to fill my Nenene/Maggie need. ^_^

Warning: This chapter contains: Shoujo-ai [Girl/Girl love]; Romance; Comedy; Some angst.
***


"Maggie, are you okay? You've been staring at the same page for the last ten minutes. It's kinda freaky." Anita took a gulp of milk, eyeing her sister.

"What? Oh, no. I was just . . . thinking." Maggie blushed and quickly closed the book, purposely setting the book down so the title and author were out of view.

"Hee hee. I think I know what happened." Michelle teased, smiling.

The tall woman looked panicked-stricken for a moment. "You must be hungry! ," Michelle exclaimed. Relief flooded through Maggie as Anita rolled her eyes and shot another suspicious look at her sister. "Yeah, I haven't eaten all day," Maggie said, picking up two books from the pile next to her and pretending to decide which one she wanted to read next. Finally 'agreeing' on one, she set the other on top of the book she had been staring at earlier. The pink-haired girl slunk away to the kitchen to start dinner.

In the kitchen, Anita complained about always having to cook. Upstairs, Nenene was napping in her room. It was a rather peaceful day. Since the Mr. Gentleman incident, it had been very peaceful for the Three Paper Sisters. However, Maggie Mui was having a lot of inner turmoil as of late. It concerned her approaching 22nd birthday and the woman who was asleep upstairs. She was blushing when she felt two hands on her shoulders. Jumping, Michelle giggled behind her as she slid her arms down around Maggie and hugged her from behind.

"I know I'm blonde, but I'm not an idiot," Michelle whispered close to Maggie's ear. Maggie's blood froze, she stuttered to say something but Michelle's sweet voice beat her.

"Relax. I know why you were staring at that book before." The book appeared in Michelle's hand, the cover held in front of their faces. "I haven't read H.P. Lovecraft in awhile, but I do remember his work. Let me guess. You read 'Carmella', right?"

If Maggie's face went any redder, she'd probably pass out. Giggling again, Michelle moved from Maggie's back and sat next to her. She flipped through the book, either not seeing or just out right ignoring Maggie's embarrassed face.

"Sis?" Maggie finally managed.

"Yes, dear?"

"How much do you know?" The tall woman's voice was strained with surprise.

"Come now. You honestly expect a big sister not to notice these kinds of things." She smiled at Maggie. "Oh, I see nothing wrong with it."

"With what?" Someone asked.

Looking up with blinding speed, Maggie's face went red again at the sight of Nenene. The author looked at them surly, then suspiciously. "What the hell's going on?"

"Nothing, Nenene. Did you sleep well?" It was a good attempt by the blonde to divert the situation, not that it worked, judging by the look on Nenene's face.

"Do I have to kick your asses just to get the truth?"

Maggie just shook her head. "It's nothing. Really."

"Yes. Maggie was a little embarrassed from reading some of H.P. Lovecraft's work. I was just saying that I see nothing wrong with his poems. I happen to enjoy them myself," Michelle said quickly.

Nenene eyed them again, shrugged and went to the bathroom. Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Maggie sighed. This was definitely getting out of hand. Chances were, Nenene was going to eventually find out the truth if they kept talking about this. Maggie began to read, hoping Michelle would give up for the time being.

"You should go for it." Michelle whispered to Maggie, opening the Lovecraft book.

Maggie tried to ignore her, but couldn't suppress a gulp.

"I mean, she's been on the rebound ever since she finally bumped into Ms. Readman and found out about Nancy. I think you might have a good chance."

Maggie stared agape at her sister. Sometimes Michelle had the freaky knack of knowing exactly what to say. What was scarier was that she was usually right.

"All right! Dinner's ready!"

Anita brought out food just as Nenene exited the bathroom. The conversation during the meal changed from one subject to another. Thankfully, neither Maggie nor Michelle brought up what they had been discussing. Which was much to Maggie's relief, though it did linger and she was quieter than usual. Then that horrible moment came. It was something they usually stayed away from, but once Anita retired to bed, there was no avoiding it. Maggie felt like a deer trapped in headlights.

"So is there anyone you're interested in?" Nenene asked with a small yawn.

She didn't ask the question to anyone in particular, but the tall woman felt the question was directed at her.

"Not currently," Michelle said.

Maggie sighed in relief.

"What about you, Maggie?" Nenene stared at the dark-haired woman with a bored expression. Maggie went pale.

"What about you, Nenene?" Michelle chimed in. "Is there anyone you're currently pining over?"

Surprised, Nenene thought the question over for a second. "Well, there was someone . . . " The author blushed slightly. "I guess things weren't meant to be. That's okay though. So long as they're happy, who am I to complain?"

Her eyes narrowed suddenly. "Hold on. Are you helping Maggie evade my question?"

The blonde gulped as Nenene continued to glare suspiciously at her. Meanwhile, Maggie tried to make her tall frame as small and invisible as possible. This was not going to be pretty and it was already scary as hell. There was no way Maggie wanted to admit the truth to Nenene, no matter how much she liked her. It was by chance she felt a cool breeze caress her skin. Realizing the sliding doors to the balcony were open, Maggie began to edge toward it. If only she could just get up and run, things would be a lot more easier. Right now, however, her legs refused to obey her commands to get up. She was reduced to sliding her butt toward the balcony as carefully as possible.

"Oh no, you don't." Nenene pounced on the younger woman. They tumbled backwards, landing inches away from Maggie's escape route. Pinning the tall woman's arms with her knees, Nenene grinned in triumph. Behind them, Michelle debated quietly whether she should laugh or help Maggie. In the end, she decided to wait and see what happened.

Stunned, Maggie found herself suddenly very close to Nenene's crotch. Realizing what happened, she laid very still and did her best to look anywhere so long as it was not straight ahead or up. She remembered reading bears didn't attack dead prey and eventually they left. Right now, she wished Nenene was a bear.

"So, let's get to the bottom of this." Nenene gently, but firmly, grasped the sides of Maggie's face and forced her to look up at her. Satisfied, she grinned again. "Are you going to tell me who you like or do I have to get it out of you the hard way? Your choice."

Sweating and blushing, the younger woman knew she could easily overpower Nenene and make her grand escape. Unfortunately, she lacked the will power needed to do such a thing, leaving her trapped. Sorely wishing Michelle would come to her aid, Maggie gulped when she realized her big sister had left her to her own fate. From her current position, she had a good view of not only Nenene's crotch, but also of her whole body. Silently, she noted how gorgeous it looked even, causing her to blush even more.

"Nothing, huh? You're a tough cookie to crumble, but I know your weakness!"

Laughing, Nenene reached behind her and tickled the young woman's sides. Quickly, Maggie succumbed to a fit of laughter and only when tears were rolling freely down her face did Nenene decide to stop.

"Well, are you going to answer or do we have to go another round?" Nenene giggled as she watched Maggie pant.

"Maggie-dear. You remember what we were talking about before dinner? I think now would be a good time." Michelle's voice came from far away, near the staircase was Maggie's guess.

"What do you mean? ," Nenene asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Goodnight!"

Michelle's cheerful voice was followed by her footsteps on the stairs, then neither could hear her anymore. Slowly, Nenene turned to Maggie, but then Maggie moved her arms with ease out from under her knees. With a cry of surprise, Nenene stumbled backwards, losing her balance and falling awkwardly on Maggie's lap. While that happened, Maggie moved with the speed and grace of someone much smaller and caught hold of Nenene's arm before she could fall back any further. Sitting, yet leaning back some because of the awkward position of Nenene on her lap, Maggie looked at her uncertainly.

"What the hell is going on?" Nenene demanded, straightening her legs so she could sit comfortably. She would have moved off Maggie, but the tall woman still held her arm.

"I... uh . . . Well . . . " Maggie stuttered over her words.

Frowning and still blushing, the younger woman took a deep breath, let it out, and pulled Nenene against her, placing a kiss on her lips. Pulling away and releasing her arm, Maggie closed her eyes to await the beating she knew she was about to receive. A minute passed, then two, but nothing happened. Maggie knew Nenene was still there but she didn't feel her move a muscle. Risking a peek, the younger woman was surprised to see Nenene staring at her in awe. The look made her uncomfortable and she blushed again.

"You kissed me?" Nenene's voice was distant and very much confused.

"I'm sorry." Maggie looked away.

"Why?"

"Huh?"

Nenene frowned. "Why did you kiss me?"

Now it was Maggie's turn to frown. The older woman sighed.

"It's a simple question."

"I like you." Maggie's voice was very small.

"That wasn't hard to say. Was it?"

Now it was Maggie's turn to be awe-struck. She looked at Nenene, afraid she might start yelling at her, eyeing her carefully. Giving her a small smirk, Nenene waved her hand. "Something wrong?" Maggie shook her head and froze at the feel of Nenene's hands on her shoulders. The brunette blushed and kissed Maggie, sliding her arms around the tall woman's neck. It was awhile before the younger woman relaxed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Nenene's waist. Suddenly pulling away, Maggie gulped and looked away.

"What is it?"

"I don't know." Maggie's voice was almost inaudible.

Sighing, Nenene stood up, stretching more for show than anything relating to sleep. She caught the dark-haired woman observing her from the corner of her eyes. Realizing she had been caught, Maggie mumbled and turned her face toward her now empty lap. Smirking, Nenene had an idea of what the problem was. Walking to the staircase, she leaned against the banister, watching Maggie.

"I think I'll retire to bed." She said in bored voice, though the glint in her eye said something else.

"Oh, okay." Maggie refused to look up.

"Do you want to join me? ," The brunette asked slowly. "I have a lot of room on my bed." Which she did, after finally cleaning up her room two weeks ago, though the extra space was beginning to bother her for some weird reason.

Looking up, Nenene was surprised to see the fear on Maggie's face. She felt almost guilty for even offering. At least she was getting to the bottom of what was bothering the younger woman. Sort of, anyway. She walked back to Maggie and kneeled in front of her.

"Look, Maggie, it's okay. I don't bite and more importantly, I'm not going to force you to make any decisions you don't want to make just yet." Nenene said as she walked back to Maggie and kneeled beside her. "I don't know why you’re so afraid of committing to love with another person. Love doesn't have to be about sex, it just has to be about willing to say you love each other."

Maggie looked even more distraught now. It wasn't about saying she loved Nenene, it dealt with something else. That something else made her hesitate because she wasn't sure if she was ready. A big part of her wanted direly to cry, but Maggie did all she could to keep her composure. She grasped Nenene's hands, her face red and looked her in the eyes.

"Don't you see? I-I'm . . . A.. Well . . . vi . . . " Maggie's courage and words couldn't squeeze themselves much more.

"What? A virgin?" Nenene asked, a smile creeping onto her face. "Is that what's so wrong? I already told you we don't have to have sex. It's just that for a time now, I've really missed having someone to hold in the middle of the night for nothing more then them being there. Besides, it's always bothered me, just a little, the fact that you sleep under my stairs."

Feeling relieved, Maggie allowed herself to smile and when Nenene stood up, so did she. She allowed herself to be led by the hand like a child, up to Nenene's room. Walking up the stairs, Maggie realized how long it had been since she'd actually been to the upstairs of this apartment. It was so strange, going upstairs with Nenene in tow that Maggie questioned her sanity for a moment. Was this really happening to her or was she just having one of those really good dreams that had eluded her for so long? At the top of the stairs, Nenene made a beeline for her bedroom and closed the door as quietly as possible behind them.

"Well, this is my room and it's pretty clean compared to how it had been several weeks ago. It's not grand, nor small, but I like it the way it is." Nenene said as she moved about, tiding up anything that may have been potentially embarrassing. Though, she was unaware of the fact that Maggie had been in her room once before. When she finished straightening things, Nenene gave Maggie a smug smile. "I just realized that you’re not dressed for bed."

Maggie looked down at her jeans and T-shirt, a bit surprise to see them.

"Neither are you." Was the reply when Maggie looked up at the older woman.

It wasn't entirely true. Yes, Nenene was in a long-sleeved flannel shirt and pants, but really Nenene could easily slip them off to reveal the nightshirt she had beneath. Not one to miss an opportunity, the brunette undid the buttons on her shirt and removed it, tossing it to the side. Her pants followed close behind. All the while, poor Maggie fought her desire to watch, and her embarrassment not to watch. In the end, Maggie simply stared at the picture of Yomiko and Nenene that sat on the desk.

"What's the matter?" Nenene asked, slipping next to the taller woman to see what she was looking at. "Oh, yeah. That picture." She moved past Maggie and picked up the picture. "You know, no matter how long ago this picture was taken, it still makes me smile. I hope you don't get offended by it, I don't think of anything perverted when I look at it. It just . . . " Her voice trailed away as she hugged it to herself and smiled at Maggie.

The words of how happy it made her still seem to hang in the air as though Nenene had spoken them aloud. Without realizing, Maggie gave a small nod as she understood what Nenene felt. A small part of her wished it was a picture of the two of them instead, but Maggie ignored that part. That was a selfish thought and Maggie was anything but. Instead, she waited for Nenene to place the frame back on the desk before wrapping her arms around the smaller woman. Blushing, Maggie bent down and kissed Nenene again. There was no reason for it. Perhaps nothing but to validate that she wasn't dreaming and this WAS happening. Soft lips touched hers and Maggie was reassured.

***

"So let me get this straight." Anita was saying as she eyed Nenene and her sister suspiciously. "Maggie had a bad dream and ran to Nenene's room for comfort, in the middle of the night. Is that right?"

The women nodded. See, Anita caught Maggie coming out Nenene's room early that morning. Nenene followed close behind, giggling. Now, for reasons beyond them, they were seated in the living room while Anita played detective. Michelle had seated herself on the floor behind Anita and simply watched with that perfectly executed, clueless expression of hers. Anita, on the other hand, wasn't satisfied by the answers she was getting and it showed.

"That crud makes absolutely no sense! In the three years we lived here, Maggie has never run to Nenene when she had a problem! Much less do I believe that she had a nightmare that was so scary that she stumbled upstairs and entered the wrong room by accident. Nenene gets extremely cranky when she's awaken, especially in the middle of the night. SO what gives?"

The girl put so much empathize on 'so' that Maggie thought Anita would pop a vein. Since puberty had set in six months ago, Anita had become very crabby. She had gotten so bad that she sometimes scared Nenene with all her shouting. It didn't matter now though. Nenene's patience was at its end and before the girl could shout another word, she snapped.

"Look, kid! It's none of your business! We're adults and you're a kid, got that? That means we don't have to tell you anything unless it's absolutely necessary!" The spectacled woman shouted, slamming her hand on the table.

"I don't see why everyone's shouting for, it's all very unnecessary." Michelle finally intervened as Anita thought up her rebuttal. "Anita-dear, why can't you just accept that maybe Maggie has grown close to Ms. Suminegawa. We all have in one way of another, haven't we?"

When the pink-haired girl didn't speak, Michelle continued.

"Good then, that settles our little problem! Now, Anita-dear, run upstairs and get ready so we can go do some shopping."

Her bubbly personality was convincing enough and reluctantly, Anita ran upstairs to change her clothes. When a door overhead could be heard slamming, Michelle's smile grew serious. Leaning forward, she winked at the two women still seated on the sofa.

"So tell me, what did happen? ," She whispered.

"Michelle . . . !" Maggie replied, her eyes narrowing.

"All right, forget I asked." The blonde sighed in disappointment. Standing, she smiled again. "If either of you happens to change your mind, you'll know where to find me."

When she and Anita had left, Nenene turned to Maggie. "Do you think it would be worst if they knew we had decided to date?"

An almost painful look passed on Maggie's face in reply. They both laughed.