Different as Night & Day Ch. 06
Keywords: Night, Day, Ch., 06, Different, as, &,
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*Chapter Six: Soul Searching*
Sunlight beat down on Autumn where she lay, spread out on the grass like a lazy cat. It was afternoon already. Hunter had tried, at breakfast, to convince her to go for a walk with him. Why would I want to do that, anyway? she thought, scowling. How dare he play with me like that! She was still upset about him kissing her. Or, if she was gong to be honest with himself, she was upset that he'd stopped. Autumn sighed, and rolled onto her back, slinging an arm over her face to block her eyes from the sun. She did not like admitting that sort of thing to herself.
I wish you were here, Akiko, she thought, chewing her lower lip. Perhaps Akiko could have helped her with this. She'd never been as shy with boys as Autumn had been. But that's why she's dead now, too, she thought. It had probably been that that had been the breaking point for her.
"Hey, lazy!"
Autumn snarled. She felt a faint pressure on her belly, and tried to sit up. Hunter had his foot resting on her stomach. Despite the fact that he had put barely any weight down, she couldn't get up. From this angle, she had no leverage. Squinting against the bright sun, she glared up at him. She could barely see his face, but she didn't need to, to picture his smug grin.
"Get your fucking foot off me!" Autumn growled.
"Language," Hunter admonished. "I won't move until you say please."
"Fuck you!" Autumn retorted.
She wrapped her hands around his ankle and twisted. Since he was off balance, Hunter tumbled sideways. Autumn sprang to her feet, and was shocked to see that he had gotten up just as fast as she did. They were both bare foot, which at least made this fair. She lashed out with her foot, catching him in the stomach, but making certain to hold back. Even if we hold back, we'll both have bruises, Autumn thought, dodging out of the way of a punch. She wasn't fast enough, and it brushed her shoulder, harder than she thought possible.
She blocked his next kick, then took a step forward and lashed out in a roundhouse kick. Hunter moved out of the way, but her heel caught him on the shoulder. Her next kick fell short, and put her in position for a low punch that struck her belly. Autumn wheezed, bending over, and allowed herself to tumble to the grass. She reached out and grabbed Hunter's ankle, pulling him as she rolled. He landed hard beside her.
As she started to climb back to her feet, Hunter tackled her from the side. His arms locked around her tight, dragging her back down to the ground. Autumn howled indignantly, shifting around in his hold. She managed to jab an elbow sharply into his ribs, which made him release her. He staggered to his feet as she did, and they turned to face each other. Autumn was surprised to find that she was actually winded, and a thin sheen of sweat was breaking out on her skin.
"Do you surrender?" Hunter asked. He was panting a little, too.
"No fucking way," Autumn replied, smiling sweetly.
"Remind me to wash your mouth out later," Hunter told her, sweeping closer with a punch.
"You did that last night," Autumn retorted, lifting her arm to block the punch.
Something unrecognizable flickered across Hunter's face. He lunged at her suddenly, catching her off guard. The momentum of his full weight sent her to the ground, hard. He landed on top of her, pinning her down. I'm going to have so many bruises, Autumn thought, groaning softly. Hunter settled on her hips, holding her in place. His fingers wrapped around her wrists, drawing her hands up to his chest. She stared at him, her heart suddenly beating faster.
"You need to be faster," Hunter murmured. "You shouldn't let a guy like me catch you."
"I thought I was faster," Autumn snapped, glowering at him. "Would you get the fuck off me?"
"Do you want me to?" Hunter asked quietly.
No, Autumn thought, feeling her cheeks heat. What she did want was more than just those few kisses, and she couldn't believe it. For a long time she'd hated men. In fact, she still did, but for some reason, Hunter was different. Just the touch of his fingers around her wrists made her long for something more. Frustrated, she fixed her expression into a scowl.
"Get off," Autumn repeated, through gritted teeth.
Hunter released her wrists, and stood. The smile he flashed seemed a little melancholy, and (was she imagining it?) hurt. He walked off, heading into the house, leaving her sprawled on the grass. I'm so confused, Autumn thought, kicking her feet. I can't tell whether he likes me or not. He'd brought her out here to help her, he said. Did that mean that he liked her? Grumbling, she rolled onto her stomach and buried her face against her arms.
*****
Hunter knew that he shouldn't do it. He knew it, but that didn't stop him from opening the door of Autumn's room and slipping inside. When he'd peek in before, during the first time he'd been here, it had meant nothing to him. Now he hoped it might give him a few pieces of the puzzle that was Autumn. He was particularily interesting in the articles and pictures on the wall. The one of Autumn, some years young, standing with an Asian girl of the same age, caught his eye.
Next to it was a newspaper clipping about a raku firing. Pottery, Hunter thought, eyeing the clipping. The Asian girl was in this picture, too, standing beside what had to be the biggest vase he had ever seen. It was at least four feet tall. He scanned the article, reading until he picked up a name: Akiko. She's Master Kano's daughter, he realized, his eyebrows lifting. Hunter glanced back at the first picture. From the look of it, she and Autumn had been very good friends.
Noises downstairs alerted him to the fact that Autumn was coming back inside. Damnit, Hunter thought, scrambling quickly out of her room. He closed her door gently, so it wouldn't make too much noise, and fled into his own room. Sighing, he settled on the window seat and leaned against the window. Maybe I should ask Master Kano, he thought. He said he's leaving at the end of the week...tomorrow's Friday already. Hunter would have to find a way to deal with Autumn on his own.
*****
Autumn winced. Her bruises were keeping her awake. It's almost midnight, she thought, scowling. I want to sleep. She hoped that she'd managed to give Hunter some bruises that would keep him up, too. What she really needed was a good soak, but the house only had showers. There is the hot spring, Autumn thought, frowning. It's pretty shallow...it shouldn't be too bad. It wasn't like she hadn't been in there before. She'd gone with Akiko a ton of times. But was it really worth it?
Autumn rolled onto her back, and yelped. Yes, it's worth it, she thought, springing up to her feet. She paused, chewing on her lower lip, as she scanned the room. Since she didn't like water, she didn't keep a bathing suit. She glanced down at what she was wearing, and shrugged. It was her usual sleep wear; panties, and a plain white t-shirt tied up to reveal her belly. Autumn had gotten used to sleeping that way when she'd lived in Florida, and she'd never shaken it.
Stopping in the bathroom, she grabbed a towel, and headed outside. In an open area like this, the stars and moon were so bright that she could see perfectly. Autumn headed around to the hot spring and paused beside it. Despite her extreme dislike of water, it looking inviting. She dipped her toes in, and sighed. Feels nice, she thought, stepping into the water. If she was shaking just a little from nerves, she ignored it. Autumn was not going to let a little fear get in her way.
As she relaxed, she sank deeper into the water. It never got deeper than roughly four feet, so she could always keep her feet firmly planted. Autumn drifted towards the center of the spring, allowing the heat to sink into her bones. It helped to soothe the bruises on her body. I'll pay him back for this, she thought, but there was much anger behind it. The heat of the spring was too relaxing for anger. It was, however, great for deep thought.
She couldn't help wondering about Hunter. Autumn knew next to nothing about him. She didn't know anything of his past, or even the things he liked. Yet she felt an odd connection to him, one she was loathe to admit. What does he think of me? she wondered. He must think I'm the loudest, most annoying girl he's ever met. She hadn't always been that way. Once, Autumn had been quiet and shy, barely able to speak her own name when asked. How greatly things changed over the years.
She glanced up at the house. Hunter's window was the one next to hers, but his room was dark. No doubt he's asleep, Autumn thought. That feeling of loneliness she had experienced that first night she'd met him came rushing back. In three years she'd spent most of her time alone. It wasn't so strange, she decided, to long for company. Sighing, she rested her head against the rock wall surrounding the spring. There was no use in feeling sorry for herself, but she decided that for the moment, it couldn't hurt.
*****
After rolling over for the dozenth time, Hunter decided it was time to call it quits. Autumn had managed to leave him a decent amount of bruises, and sleep seemed impossible. He knew it had to be after midnight, now. A short while ago he'd heard Autumn leave her room, and she hadn't come back yet. Awfully long bathroom trip, Hunter thought, climbing to his feet. He moved over to the window and stared out into the night.
To his surprise, he saw Autumn relaxing in the hot spring. Maybe she isn't afraid of water, he thought, his eyebrows lifting. She definitely had the right idea, though. He had no doubt that she was soaking the bruises on her body. Hunter moved away from the window and headed out of his room, then out of the house. The night air, while not exactly cold, was pleasantly cool for a Florida night. He sighed as a cool breeze stirred his hair, and headed for the hot spring.
Autumn was leaning against the rock wall, her eyes closed. Hunter approached the edge of the hot spring, and paused.
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Keywords: Night, Day, Ch., 06, Different, as, &,