"Give up?" Heda asked calmly. Then she actually heard a sniffle. She let Madison go.

"You okay?"

Madison sat up.

“It's just . . . damn it, I've been training really hard for over a year, and . . . are you laughing?"

"You're upset because I won? Madison, my first karate gea had to be a bit big in the butt to fit over my diapers. My mom was pissed that I wanted to play volleyball instead of joining the wrestling team."

"A real task-mistress then?" Madison wiped her nose.

“Don't get me wrong, I didn't exactly have a deprived childhood, but it was probably a bit more tactically oriented than most. Hey, think of it this way . . . I took you just as seriously as any other sparring partner."

For some odd reason, that made Madison feel immensely better.

“You wouldn't mind . . . you know, helping me learn to defend myself and fight and stuff?"

Heda lay back and pulled Madison on top of her.

"It's the ‘and stuff' that I'm most interested in right now.

Madison's heart was making a sound similar to a centipede wearing wooden clogs . . . a lot of thudding. Her mouth was dry, her breath absent, and her skin felt flushed. ‘Is it actually going to happen?’ she wondered. ‘Here? With her?'

"Madison?"

"Yes?"

"Please breathe. You're scaring me."

Madison let out a gasp, but the breath and noise were captured in Heda's mouth as it closed on Madison's lips. Heda's tongue the invisible barrier between them and danced into her friend's mouth. It was amazing! For the second time, Madison was unable to breath, but this time was much more pleasant.

"I... uhm . . . Heda," she babbled, “are you . . . I mean ——

"Moving too fast?" Heda asked, looking a bit worried. She thought she'd been reading the girl right.

"Listen, I like you, and I don't want to do anything that'll make you uncomfortable. So we can stop right now --"

"No! Imean. . . err. . . no! It's just that I have bug breath And there's a twig poking me in my left butt cheek. And I'm --"

Madison paused, completely unable to form words or even coherent thoughts.

"Madison?"

Madison remained silent. ‘Speak!’ her mind screamed. Her mouth ignored her, though her throat produced the sound of a puppy that had been cooped up all day and needed to pee . . . really, really whiny.

“You're a virgin aren't you?" Heda smiled.

"A virgin with a healthy Libido?"