“You’re not as fierce as you would like me to believe,” the man with the long auburn hair taunted her.
“Are you challenging me to another round?” she responded, pulling her long hair into her preferred ponytail.
“I’m always looking for a new opponent,” he answered back, slowly circling her and finally coming to a stop on her right side, just slightly behind her.
“Do you feel the way that your leader does about women as soldiers?” her voice rose slightly in pitch.
“He has his own issues with women that the rest of us choose not to get involved in. I, on the other hand, am an admirer of women.” He stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, still standing behind her. “When I see you, I see all of you. You are a soldier, it’s written clearly in your eyes. But underneath that you are still a woman who wants to be appreciated for her beauty.”
“Is that what you see?” she laughed.
“I want to see more of you, Makoto,” he whispered in her ear, gently placing a kiss by her earlobe. His words caused her to stop laughing and to turn her head to look back at him. Her emerald eyes were wide as she watched the smile spread over his face like a Cheshire cat. “A lot more.”
She could feel her heart beating strongly in her chest and could do little more than nod her head dumbly as she was caught in the depths of his eyes.
