When They Listened

A clear and beautiful sky, along with the dazzling bright sun, was seen hanging above the large and spacious mansion that had come to be known as the dwelling place of none other than Sabrina Mercury, a legendary dragon roaming the earth but now taking residence in her humble abode. Today was like any other as nothing seemed out of the ordinary both inside and outside the mansion for Sabrina, who was reading a novel whilst in her private quarters.

“Mhm, delicious as always”

Enjoying a freshly squeezed cup of orange juice, she occasionally snacked on one of the several chocolate filled cookies that laid on her desk that were cooked by Tetsuya, her personal maid and source of amusement and focus of affection. Speaking of the boy, she wondered if he had finished his scheduled training that he subjected himself too in order to continue gaining more strength for the sake of both his family and peace of mind. It really was quite amazing how much he pushed himself.

“That boy, he really should try to take it easy” She frowned, feeling a bit lonely as she had wanted to spend some time teasing him again but was rejected as Tetsuya was unyielding in skipping his training. Just as she thought of checking up on him, the door leading into her room swung wide open as the man in question entered, a towel thrown over his neck as a few drops of sweat fell from his soft black hair. He was wearing a plain black shirt along with black jeans as he approached the smiling Sabrina who was pleased to see that he had finished.

“How was your training?” She asked, slightly distracted by the sight of Tetsuya’s after shower appearance as a perverted sparkle gleamed in her eyes. Today was just getting better and better.

Tetsuya shrugged with a faint smirk. “Not bad, I really think I’m pushing myself to the next level” He clenched one of his fists and stared at it “I can feel my power growing everyday”

Sabrina was of the same opinion as she closed the book in her hand and gave him her full attention “You are definitely making progress. I’m glad to see that the training program I recommend to you is working wonderfully”

“Yea” Tetsuya agreed as he raised his head “Thanks a lot for that; it’s been a real he-!” His face slightly blushed when he finally caught a glimpse of Sabrina’s attire. She wore a dark purple blouse, unbuttoned almost halfway down, leaving a good amount of her ample bosom exposed. Her hips were hugged tightly by a tight fitting pair of jeans that showed off her exceptional curves and her hair was tied up in a ponytail that Tetsuya rarely ever saw Sabrina sport. Even though he was sure he had gotten used to Sabrina's appeal by now, it appeared that even when wearing casual and more modest clothing, Sabrina's attractiveness was undeniable.

"I-It's been a real help" Tetsuya couldn't help but turn his face away as he walked over to the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat.

Sabrina was easily able to pick up on the boy's distress as she smiled seductively and stretched her body "You know, I would just love a massage right about now. How about it?" Making him even more uncomfortable was one of her favorite past times.

Tetsuya snorted as he found an apple to munch on and walked back into the room "You wish, get Nicole to do that for you"

Sabrina pouted a bit at his attempt at ignoring her advances "Don't be like that, Nicole is busy organizing the mansion so I can only rely on you" A faint thought occurred to the orange haired woman as she then placed one of her fingers on her chin. "Well, there's also Mizuki but she'd probably pawn it off on you" She laughed.

Tetsuya's eyes seemed to flicker with interest when Mizuki's name was brought up "Is she here again?"

Sabrina shook her head "Nope, I haven't seen her all day. She said she was going to swing by again today but I have no idea when that'll be" A mischievous smile formed on Sabrina's mouth when she saw the slight disappointment in Tetsuya's face at Mizuki not being here. "What, you miss her already?"

Wanting to deny the notion before she got any weird ideas, Tetsuya huffed in the other direction. "Fat chance, it's just... well, it can be a tad boring around here without someone to argue with" He chewed on the apple, hoping to divert Sabrina's attention on the topic. The last thing he needed was more of Sabrina's relentless teasing on how he and Mizuki should "hook up already". There was no way in hell that he held feelings for the lava spewing girl, not a chance in hell!

Sabrina merely shrugged while still smiling "Of course it is, I'm sure that's the reason" She sighed, unable to understand why the boy just couldn't be honest with himself.

Just as she thought so, both she and Tetsuya then immediately felt a presence enter the mansion and make its way over towards her room.

"Well speak of the devil, look whose coming" Tetsuya mused with an excited smile as he couldn't forget that presence even in a thousand years. It was definitely Mizuki. Though he had adamantly expressed in his mind that he didn't hold any feelings for the god slayer, why was he so excited that she was coming here? Sure, it was fun around her and he did find it much more easier to feel at ease whenever she was around but did that really translate into romantic affection? Tetsuya hadn't known at the time but the answer to that question was going to become clear to him by the end of the day.

Mizuki stood outside the imposing home, admiring its foregrounds. Trying to anyways. She caught sight of Nicole, extending a wave as the maid continued on her way. As usual the place retain its opulent beauty and extravagance, not changing since the day she first walked through its doors.

She had changed though. Taller, her let down and now extending to her back. More voluptuous too as Sabrina was so fond of pointing out. Her confidence had received a significant boost as well. So why was she so nervous? Mizuki looked down at her attire, a pair of jeans that hugged her feminine frame and t-shirt with the words "Keep Calm and Burn Down." on the front. An ode to her abilities and sometime temperament. It was a gift from her after all.

Just like that, she remembered why she was so pensive. The dragon who had taken her under her wing, brimming with confidence and sensuous appeal. Her mentor, mother figure, good friend and....lover? No, she couldn't consider that yet. Nuku noticed that she was fidgeting uncharacteristically. A fact that annoyed her; without further ado, she began her walk, entering the massive estate before opening the doors. With ease, she would begin her trek through the luxurious hallways to the typically spot where her and Sabrina would talk.

Only to stop short as she felt her favorite frenemy; Tetsuya. "The casanova's here? Fantastic..just what I needed...." she thought as her eyes closed. Mizuki steadied her flip-flopping stomach as she pushed onwards, eventually making her way through the final set of doors.

"If it isn't the typical bishō...flexing as usual. With a shirt on though? That's new. You must have a quota for ripping shirts that you must meet," she said flippantly as way of greeting.

"Then again, I'm great at knocking down people a few pegs. You would know that better than anyone else."

Nevertheless, her typical flippancy fell somewhat flat as the butterflies returned in force. Particularly as her gaze fell on Sabrina in all of her glory, her form encapsulating to the eye. The dragon was the only one who trusted Mizuki to keep Tetsuya in line should he try something stupid (which was often) or go off to recruit someone (also a common occurrence). It was something she took seriously enough to maintain that trust even as she ragged on Tetsu repeatedly.

"Missed you too" Tetsuya rolled his eyes at Mizuki's usual form of greeting, smiling a bit on the inside as he had indeed missed her sarcasm and constant jabbing at his outward appearance. Just like with Sabrina however, Tetsuya soon found himself subconsciously staring at Mizuki's long flowing hair that she began to let down, her slender and voluptuous figure, sizable chest, and luscious pink lips, unable to hide the slight flush of red in his cheeks at observing just how much prettier she had become over the years. It was still hard for him to imagine that the girl he had met years ago that still looked like a underdeveloped teenager had blossomed into a such a mature beauty. Shaking his head to rid himself of the dangerous thoughts he was about to start thinking about, he continued munching on his apple and raised his eyebrow at Mizuki's rather odd behavior.

She steeled herself. "Good afternoon Sabrina..can I talk to you in private?" she asked. A dismissal of the confused Tetsuya as he munched on an apple. Mizuki knew what she wanted to discuss would warrant incessant teasing on his part. Something she wanted to avoid if she could.

"Good afternoon, my dear Mizuki" Sabrina welcomed the silver haired God Slayer to her home as she had expected a visit from her, motioning for her to come closer but then looked surprsied by Mizuki's sudden request. "Private? Is there something the matter?" Mizuki almost never wanted to speak in private, at least not while Tetsuya was in the room so this was indeed a surprise, whether it was a good or bad one had yet to be determined.

"You wanna talk with Brina alone? Without me? What, is there something you don't want me hearing?" Tetsuya asked with both a teasing glance but also a concerned tone. He was definitely going to get to the bottom of whatever Mizuki was planning.

"Yes, it is something I would like to discuss without prying ears. So don't worry your pretty little head, ok?" Mizuki retorted, her nervousness making her tone a bit snappish.

Once again she fidgeted slightly as the gravity of what she had to say built. "Feel free to leave at anytime bishō, those shirts won't rip themselves after all. But I'm sure you know this." she teased even if it felt a bit forced this time.

"...What's wrong with her?" Tetsuya idly thought as he wondered why she was trying so badly to shush him from the room. Even that last sarcastic remark she made was a bit forced and a bit out character for her so it really did make him curious to know what was probing at the lava god slayer.

Turning back to the dragon, she had a feeling that her mind and emotional state were being read. Sabrina was too nosy for her own good after all. Indeed, she could see the slightest change in the woman's temperament. "Please. I'd prefer for it to be in private." Mizuki added.

Sabrina indeed looked slightly into Mizuki's emotional distress but clearly didn't dive as deep as usual as it was clear whatever was bothering Mizuki, it was something that was very personal and something that took a great deal of courage to muster. Whatever it was she wanted to say, it was very important.

Part of Mizuki could feel Tetsuya's stare, recalling a faint blush on his face from a few moments earlier. "Get your mind out of the gutter pretty boy," she continued, making a shooing motion.

Tetsuya snorted. "Hah, you wish I thought about you like that. Your still a few years away from being a bombshell like Sabrina" That was undeniably a lie, just something he said to rid himself of the swell of embarrassment that had washed over him when Mizuki had caught his stare.

Locking eyes with the curious Tetsuya, Sabrina smiled as she waved her hand at him. "Go on Tetsuya, leave us alone for now. This is important to her" There was no teasing this time in her voice, just a neutral expression that made it hard for Tetsuya to refuse "Please"

".Seriously?" Tetsuya looked at Sabrina with a baffled expression. It took a few moments before he finally agreed. "Fine" Tetsuya relented, seemingly giving up the hunt as he slowly walked out the front door, head turning back one last time. "I hope you both enjoy your alone time" He spat before finally closing the door, erasing his presence as he faintly listened in on the conversation without anyone noticing. He'd be an idiot to skip out on what was going on here.

Sabrina felt that his presence was gone but suspected that Tetusya was concealing it and shrugged, knowing this was the best the boy would compromise in the situation. He was just as curious as her after all. As long as Mizuki believed that he was gone, then there shouldn't be any issues anyway.

Mizuki slowly stopped fidgeting as Tetsuya closed the door behind him. She doubted that he went far though, knowing his penchant for eavesdropping when it comes to certain things and certain people. She sighed heavily in an attempt to steady herself.

She turned back to the nervous Mizuki and warmly smiled, getting on her feet as she walked to the front of her desk and laid against it with her arms stretched out behind her on the surface "So, what's on your mind? You can tell me anything"

"Well I...." Mizuki began before quailing once more. Having Sabrina's undivided attention made the tension palpable as she found herself studying the woman she loved. Yes loved. It was difficult to admit but as she gazed over her fine form and the welcoming smile she adored it became clear to her. Why else would she be wearing the shirt Brina gave her?

These details gave her the conviction she needed to continue her train of thought, aware of the odds stacked against her and having no positive connotation of how Sabrina would react to the news.

"I love you Sabrina," she confessed while holding the woman's gaze, "I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me."

Mizuki lapsed into silence following this bombshell, unable to continue as her cheeks reddened to a rose hue. Deeply embarrassed by what she said even though it was true.

Sabrina blinked, eyes remaining slightly wide at Mizuki's rather surprising outburst as she remained quiet. Following a short silence, a light chuckled escaped Sabrina's lips, finding amusement in what Mizuzki had just said. "Dear child, of course I love you too as well, your my old friend's adorable child after all. Was that really something you needed to feel embarrassed about?" Sabrina just wanted to rush over and give Mizuki a big hug as she found the sight of her blushing just too cute.

Meanwhile outside the doors of her room, Tetsuya had a puzzled expression on his face at Mizuki's supposed confession. He didn't understand, what was Mizuki making such a big deal out of? Admitting she loved Sabrina was a tad embarrassing sure but did that really warrant her not wanting Tetsuya to hear about it? The only thing that would make sense in this situation is if she was confessing to the one she wanted to get in bed wit.... Hold on just a second!

"Wait, she's actually in love with Sabrina!? Not just platonic love but, I want to get in bed with you love!? Oh... Oh my god this is too good!" There was absolutely no way Tetsuya was going to let this slide as he had to stop himself from falling over in laughter. A golden egg had presented itself to Tetsuya! The sarcastic lava spewing god slayer who never showed any romantic interest in anyone was actually in love with Brina! What made it even more hilarious was that Sabrina herself seemed to have mistook it as platonic love!

"Let's see where this goes before I barge in and ride her for this" Tetsuya thought mischievously, subconsciously holding back the strange feeling that plagued his heart when he heard Mizuki confess to someone. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought himself to be jealous but he knew that couldn't have been it... probably.

Her blush deepened following Sabrina's response. Mizuki didn't mean that kind of platonic love. Such a concept had been made foreign to her by her tragic adolescence. Dredging up her courage once more, she continued, "I love you Sabrina. I want to be with you. I want to be yours." Her face was now beet red as she admitted this..another dark secret brought into the light.

Her mind recalled what Sabrina had skimmed so long ago; You want someone to make you burn hotter than your lava. It was true, she wanted to dominate and be dominated. A feeling that brought further mortification as she realized her mind was an open book now. Sabrina would know this too. Part of her wanted to disappear after eluding to this.

She began to to turn away, ready to exit the room and find some place of solitude in an attempt to cool off and rid herself of this annoying blush that refused to go away. Oh how she wanted to hide.

"...Eh?" Sabrina let out a uncharacteristic sound as she was stumped at what Mizuki was saying. When she was told that the god slayer had loved her, she only thought that it meant in a "mother-daughter" sort of way, there was no reason to believe that it meant anything more. However, what Mizuki was saying now was clearly different than what she expected. The silver haired girl's face was flushed red and she was nervously fidgeting, looking like a typical girl confessing to her undying love. How could anyone not see that girl was in love, deeply in love?



"And just where do you think your going?" Tetsuya's sudden voice alerted the retreating Mizuki as he stood in front of the door with both his arms crossed and a wide and unatural smug smile on his face, eyes squinted as if he had been waiting for this moment. He stared at Mizuki's face, savoring the sight of her flustered expression as he spoke his next words. "So that' 's what you've been hiding eh? I knew you weren't very fond of getting close to guys but to think that it was because you swung for the other team" He knew he'd probably be roasted alive for this but he didn't care, it was payback time.

"Shut up Bishō," Mizuki snapped, ready to send him packing with a solid poleax to the face. Her mortification only increased as she saw the smugness in his expression. He was clearly ready to tease her incessantly.

"My preferences are none of your business so fuck off Tetsu."

"Hold on a second" Sabrina called out to the fleeing Mizuki looked just about ready to clobber Tetsuya into the next universe.

"You... Your in love with me?" She pointed to herself in disbelief, trying to gauge whether this was actually happening. When? How? Why? There were far too many questions on her mind to keep count as she stood up straight from the desk and walked forward, stopping right in front of Mizuki and glared at her with a serious expression. "Be honest with me Mizuki. Do you really hold those kind of feelings for me? And if you do, tell me why?" She needed to least ascertain whether this was actually the real deal or not, as this entire situation could end up ruining the precious bond that they shared. She could easily read her mind and find out why but she wanted to respect Mizuki's feelings and hear it from the girl herself, who had enough courage to come forward and confess.

Mizuki turned towards the room as Sabrina began speaking once more. The glare she felt from the dragon she loved was withering yet the woman refused to fold again. "Yes I do hold those feelings for you. Is that so wrong?" she responded.

She then steeled herself for the explanation that she was about to give. In earshot of Tetsuya no less; he would definitely commit this to memory if only to torture her with it later.

"Well," she began hesitantly, "You understand me. You know about the constant name-calling, constantly being referred to as a monster, an abomination, leviathan, etc. You accepted my desire for occasional mayhem and wreaking havoc. You were one of the first people I opened up to completely and you didn't judge what I told you. Brina, you gave me further confidence when I was running low and taught me how to interact with others on a regular basis."

Nukumori paused, "I had never been in a place for an extended period of time before. I was always the type to move on after a short while so my charisma only lasted for so long. You treated me like an equal instead of some psychotic inferior. You trusted me to keep this idiotic brat in check whenever he went on one of his recruiting missions. You stopped being a mentor to at that point and became a love interest." Her blush returned in force, "you get me and don't judge me for who I am," she finished.