Chiana sighed, nibbling absentmindedly on a food cube. During entire evening meal, she´d been almost unconsciously staring at Zhaan, and it hadn´t gone completely unnoticed. Zhaan had seen it, of course, but she said nothing. John caught her sort of, but didn´t catch the object of her daydreaming. Instead, he kept directing one of those strange sayings of his at her.
“Earth to Chiana. Hey, Pip, is it nice where you are?”

What the traz did he mean, ‘earth to Chiana´? He could be so confusing sometimes. Only when she and Rygel grabbed opposite ends of the same food cube, did she speak.

“Hey, I got it first, toad-boy. Let go-” She yanked it away, slapping the top of his hand. He gave her a dirty look and grumbled something, then snatched another one as if she´d try to take it, too.

Aeryn and John passed a look between them when they were through. She left the table first, with him following quite soon after. Chiana didn´t want to think about where they were going. It always gave her a twinge of jealousy. For what, she didn´t know. She didn´t have those kinds of feelings for John. Or, for that matter, Aeryn either, although she could see what John wanted in her. Chiana´s tastes ran to the slightly more exotic side of the universe. Chiana, with her kitty-cat movements, went back to her own quarters. She stared at the ceiling for a while, then at the wall. Finally, her boredom overcame her.

“Pilot?” she said aloud. The next thing she knew, Pilot´s face appeared in front of her in a somewhat holographic form.

“Yes, Chiana?” He said, never ceasing his work. When she didn´t answer, he continued, “What is it that you want, Chiana?”

“I´m bored.”

“I am quite busy. I´m afraid I do not have the time to do anything about your boredom. Is that all?”

“Yes.” She pouted, and Pilot´s visage disappeared.

Chiana got up, walking around the room, trying to think of something to do. She decided that her boredom wasn´t boredom, after all. Well, perhaps a little of it...but she had that feeling in the pit of her stomach, like she got when there was something that she wanted to do, but couldn´t, or shouldn´t. A tingling sensation that was impossible to ignore. She went from her room, to take a walk around Moya, perhaps to find someone else who was also without something to do. However unlikely that was. She felt as if, every time she ventured forth to help with something, she was put back in her place. Soon, she hoped, maybe they would warm to her more. There was always wishing.

She wandered past Rygel´s quarters, who was counting and stacking food cubes for storage, most of which he´d filched from evening meal. Chiana opted to not interrupt his concentration. John and Aeryn, she knew, were probably taking care of private things in a private place. If there was one person on the entire ship whom she wouldn´t bother, it was D´Argo. Pilot had already made it clear that he was busy. Strangely, though, Zhaan´s door was open. Usually, hers was shut for a little while, at least, in the evenings, while she meditated. Curiosity got the best of her, and she peeked around the opening.

There Zhaan sat, with her legs folded, on her bed, her back straight, eyes closed. She was indeed meditating. And naked. Something inside Chiana sprung to life, sending an electric chill through her. Zhaan opened her eyes and slipped her arms through the folds of the robe behind her.

“Chiana, you are still there?” She said, more of a statement than a query.

Chiana, who had ducked back, stepped out in answer.

“What are you doing lurking out there? Come in, if you like.” She patted the blanket in front of her.

Holding her bottom lip between her teeth, she did so, and sat down on the bed. She gave a little lopsided grin, unable to think of something to say, for once.

“What´s the matter?” Zhaan asked, gently tugging her robe around her, but not bothering to tie it.

“Nothing. Well- okay. I guess I´m bored.”

“Lonely?”

“That, too.”

“You needn´t be.”

“You know, you have this way of pulling things out of people?”

Zhaan smiled softly, listening.

“It´s- no- I´m lonely. Everybody else has somebody to go around with, or who´ll at least tolerate their presence.”

“You feel that you have neither of these?”

Chiana shrugged her shoulders.

“What am I doing right now?”

“Listening to me gripe.” She grinned again.

“We do care for you. Some of them, though, are not well adapted to sharing these sorts of feelings.”

Suddenly Chiana´s expression brightened, “Will you teach me?”

“Teach you what?”

“About- uhm- you. I mean, you´re- I don´t know- at peace, I guess. Patient and tolerant. I guess that´s what I´m trying to say.”

“Not always, child. Everyone has their darker side.”

Chiana sighed, “And some are darker than others.”

“But you must remember that all darkness can be held back by light.” Zhaan´s brow creased slightly, recognizing the Nebari girl´s dark mood.

“Something more than this is worrying you.”

“No-“

“Chiana..."she lightly warned, resting a slender, azure hand on her shoulder.

“I just- I can´t say what it is. Please?”

“Alright, but perhaps I can help you in another way?”

“You´ll teach me?”

“Ah…later, perhaps. At the moment, I think that you would benefit from something else.”

“What would that be?”

“A bit of healing, I think.”

“Healing? What for?”

“You are tired, to the point of being weak, and there is pain...here.” She raised her hand to Chiana´s temple, where a headache throbbed.

“Yeah, I am kinda wiped.”

Zhaan shook her head. She´d never understand these slang phrases that Chiana used, and John made use of them often, as well. She moved, now kneeling beside the bed. “Lie down and close your eyes. If you want to be more comfortable, you may remove your body suit.”

Chiana shrugged her slender shoulders, then tugged the top off them, letting it fall to her waist. When she lay down, she pulled it off her hips and legs. Underneath, she wore a thin, off white, camisole-like garment and a pair of panties. Zhaan turned off the light. She squirmed, making her place on the bed warmer. She closed her eyes, and felt Zhaan touching her face. Her slender, gentle fingers caressed Chiana´s cheeks before settling her palms somewhat at her temples. Chiana felt the pain from the headache drained from her suddenly, and something else filled her. It...felt like...music? She couldn´t have explained it if she were asked, and could barely comprehend it. The graceful hands moved slowly down her neck and shoulders, as if drawing the pain out of her entire body. She moaned softly, moving a little on the bed, maybe making sure that she was actually awake.

And then, that wanting returned. Deep in her chest, sort of like an ache. It was forcing her to do what she was about to do. Zhaan was so near, she could feel her body heat. Chiana reached out for her. Catching a small hand behind her neck, pulling her forward. She didn´t know whether it was odd or not, but there was no resistance from her. Zhaan did indeed allow the young Nebari to draw her into a soulful kiss, her tongue slipping cautiously into her mouth, her petite but nimble hands sliding her already open robe back and off. The strong feeling which Zhaan felt emanating from her was not merely lust, but an aura of unfeigned love.

She moved up, onto the soft-clothed bed, sitting beside, but more leaning into Chiana. Their breasts pressed together, she gently removed the camisole over Chiana´s head and ended up lying along the length of her body.

Zhaan suddenly grew still and rested her fingers lightly over Chiana´s lips. She heard John just outside the open door, “Zhaan?”

“Yes, John?” She answered.

“Have you seen Chiana, by chance? We can´t find her.”

“Yes. She is here with me.”

“You´re okay?”

Their eyes locked. “We are fine, John.”

“Okay. G´night. Sweet dreams.”

“I wish the same to you, John. Sleep well.”

After John walked away, Moya´s lights dimmed to her version of nighttime. Feeling Chiana tremble, Zhaan spoke again, “Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

“You are afraid? Do you not want this to happen?”

“Oh, yes-“ Chiana smiled. Although she couldn´t see it, she knew that Zhaan was smiling as well. “Yes, I do.” She ran her hands over Zhaan´s smooth back, over her soft curves. Chiana spread her legs a little, and Zhaan settled between them for a moment, lowering her mouth onto her own.

She rolled over, taking Chiana with her so that they were both on their sides, facing one another, and pulled down her panties. She felt her push them off the bed with her feet. Chiana´s hands traveled over one of Zhaan´s breasts, then her stomach, and came to rest between her legs. She was wet there, and very warm, with a pulse that seem to intensify this heat. This made her aware of her own heartbeat quickening, not to mention the rate at which she realized she was breathing. She felt Zhaan´s breath breeze sweetly over her face, surprisingly cool. Zhaan placed a hand low on Chiana´s abdomen. Chiana learned quickly of the physical sensations that Zhaan could invoke merely by this flesh to flesh contact.

A pulsing here, which synchronized with Zhaan´s own, built slowly within Chiana´s womb. She felt it spread, through the immediate area at first, but it was soon as if it were penetrating her bones, to the very core of her being. She slid one, then two fingers into Zhaan´s vagina, removed them, and began to massage her clitoris with the delicious slickness. The more pleasure Zhaan felt, she realized, the more was her own. Chiana pressed herself to Zhaan, indulging in her sweet, soft lips again, their tongues clashing and exploring time and time over. She felt the blue tendrils of energy emanating from Zhaan´s fingers beginning to work themselves all throughout her, invading most welcomely and inviting themselves into all places inside of her body, working into her brain and her eyes, even. She could almost see it leaping about the room the same way it was inside her. Zhaan began to move the hand that rested on Chiana´s abdomen, caressing deeply, almost but not quite forcefully, from that point of origin, up, over her stomach, between her breasts, and back down, deepening the stroked of emotional and physical pleasure which she dealt to Chiana. One of the Nebari´s hands, which had been painstakingly trained to pick the most intricate of locks, now worked between her legs, in her sex, so intent on bringing her off.

Every nerve ending contained in both women was on end, devouring every movement, every miniscule touch, and multiplying it to impossible, mind-blowing degrees. Although Zhaan could not completely control the time at which she, herself, would climax, she could control this in Chiana, so it would occur at the same time.

The waves of heat and pleasure that were screaming through Zhaan´s spine and neck finally peaked. She gasped, her entire body convulsing against Chiana´s. The full power of her orgasm was channeled through her, into Chiana, and the girl cried out. At the moment it hit, possessing the both of them, Zhaan felt Chiana´s desperate love for her, and Chiana felt the same of Zhaan. It pierced them, enveloping their souls and surrounding their beings, an internal glow, and this ribbon of life bound them together.

When the orgasm began to subside, Chiana wrapped her arms around Zhaan, nestling her face between her breasts. “I love you.” She whispered hoarsely, her respiration and heartbeat beginning to normal. In her position, she could hear as well as feel the beat of Zhaan´s heart. Zhaan slid her arms tightly, protectively around Chiana as well. She smoothed the wintry locks of hair off her sweat-beaded forehead.

“I love you too, my sweet Chiana.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*FINIS*~*~*~*~*~*~