Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Are you listening to me?" Rika asked, letting her arms drop down to her sides.

"Eh?" Shizuka looked up at her girlfriend. "Sorry. What did you say?"

Propping her hand on her hip, Rika nodded at the medical books in the bookcase beside the blonde woman; each one thicker than the last.

"How is it that you can memorize everything in those books but you can't listen to me when I try to teach you how to use a gun to protect yourself?"

Thinking it over and finally pouting, Shizuka batted her blue eyes up at her girlfriend. "But Rika, it's different learning something when you can read it at your own pace and when you have to listen to someone else explain something at their pace."

Resting the gun on the table, Rika knelt down beside the bosomy blonde and took her hand. Kissing the soft flesh of Shizuka's palm, the military woman gave her girlfriend a solemn look.

"What can I do to make sure you're always protected?"

"Stay by my side all the time." It wasn't a question.

Pressing Shizuka's hand against her cheek, Rika closed her eyes against the other woman's scent. "If I had that choice, I would do just that for the rest of my life," she said, slowly opening her eyes. "If I write down how to use at least the handgun, will you read it and try to learn how to use it? For me?"

Knowing how much Rika worried about her, the nurse cupped the kneeling woman's face in her hands and kissed her.

"Okay, Rika, I'll try."

Digging for her last pack of cigarettes, Rika stumbled across the small pamphlet she had written out for Shizuka. Rika was suppose to give it to the blonde when she got back from her current mission but it was too late now. She hoped that however Shizuka had managed to stay alive so far, if she was even still alive, that it'd continue until she could find her again.