Harukanaru Toki No Naka De Fan Fiction ❯ Unbound Trust ❯ Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTES: At the time of writing this I have only seen the Japanese manga volumes of Harukanaru Toki no Naka de. I haven't seen anything of the drama CDs, the games, or the anime series. As my ability to read Japanese isn't that great, please forgive any out-of-characterness and detail mistakes I may have made with regards to the series. And for those of you who know Haruka better than I do, feel free to comment and point them out - I'd really appreciate it!

 

Gift fic for Vampmistress27/Buffybot76/Rose-chan and all the other names she may go by. Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy your sappy lemon-scented one-shot present - and that everyone else does too!

 

oOo

 

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oOo

 

oOo

 

oOo

 

“Uhn…”

 

Akane groaned softly as she shifted. The earth around her seemed to be shaking as she felt the wind whip at her skin and her clothes, dragging her towards consciousness with impossible to ignore tugs. Reluctantly she opened her eyes and immediately wished she hadn't as the world blurred around her in dizzying indistinct shapes, worsening the throbbing in her head that she just realized she had.

 

“Wha…?”

 

“Please bear with it a little longer, Miko-dono. We're almost safe.”

 

She recognized that low baritone voice - it was Yorihisa's! The next instant she became aware of something else as well. She was in Yorihisa's arms!

 

Memories suddenly came rushing back to her in a flood of images. Several figures with blond hair and blue eyes in battle stance. Tenma, Yasuaki, Inori facing them off in a clash of fists and sparking energy. Yorihisa pushing her behind him to safety. A bright white explosion, the earth splitting beneath her feet, purple haze filling the air and…

 

Nothing.

 

She couldn't remember anything after that.

 

Dully, she wondered if that purple haze had something to do with how tired she felt. She had the feeling that she shouldn't be so lax at a time like this…but she couldn't remember why. There were questions she should ask, things that she needed to know. But just what those were eluded her as she struggled to keep her eyes from drifting closed while the world continued to whiz by blurrily as the body wrapped around her was lulling in its rocking motions and lethargic warmth.

 

“Just a little further, Miko-dono,” that familiar soothing voice came again. “Please, rest.”

 

Unable to help herself, she did.

 

oOo

 

When he felt the small body in his arms go completely limp, Yorihisa's features softened. His hold on her tightened infinitesimally as he protectively cradled his delicate charge against him and continued to run as quickly as his speed would allow in order to lose any potential pursuers in the darkening forest. The sun was setting, not much longer until everything was completely dark and Yorihisa wanted to be far enough away from any potential threat to his miko until his instincts told him it was safe to stop.

 

He gave a brief thought of concern as to the welfare of the others but he was confident in their skills and, as he recollected it, they had been evenly matched against the three enemies that had suddenly appeared, blocking their path back home to the capital of Kyou. Their fair coloring declared them Oni, though they had not been ones that Yorihisa could recall ever seeing before.

 

Still, there was no doubt that Akram was behind the attack.

 

His minions had mentioned his name themselves.

 

Silently, Yorihisa vowed once again to do all in his power to protect the Ryuujin no Miko from the machinations of the evil Oni leader. Anger spiked high within him at the mere thought of Akram getting his hands on her and he had to consciously restrain the impulse to immediately hunt down the evil Oni and finish him once and for all. The Ryuujin no Miko was too pure a soul and allowing her to be tainted by such darkness was unforgivable.

 

Yorihisa would do anything to keep that from happening.

 

Even at the cost of his own life.

 

Yorihisa twitched, shaking off the strange lethargy that was constantly trying to creep up on him. He called upon all his discipline to remain focused on ensuring the miko's safety but dearly wished that Yasuaki or Takamichi were there so that he could ask them about the strange bittersweet smoke he had inhaled; they were sure to know more about such substances than he. And though he had grabbed the miko before the purple haze had completely enveloped her, he was fairly sure she'd still inhaled a greater amount than him. Logic told him it was most likely some sort of stunning poison to ensure that the victim didn't put up a troublesome fight for, if nothing else, Yorihisa was positive that Akram had no desire to see the miko dead.

 

Not yet, at any rate.

 

He stumbled, but caught himself before he fell with the precious bundle in his arms. Pausing, he looked around, extending his senses out to see if anything dangerous triggered his instincts. When he detected nothing dangerous in the vicinity in the form of pursue or otherwise, he allowed his guard to ease.

 

With Yasuaki among the group, Yorihisa was sure the Oni had been taken care of accordingly, which no doubt attributed to the lack of pursuers on their trail. Though he had signaled to Tenma to split up as he was carrying the miko away from the fray for her safety, Yorihisa was sure that the group would either be waiting in Kyou upon their arrival or Yasuaki with his uncanny abilities would soon find a way to locate them. As it was getting dark, too dangerous to backtrack and find the others while risking the miko's wellbeing, Yorihisa opted to make temporary camp for the night.

 

After scanning for a suitable area, Yorihisa gently propped the young woman against the base of a tree as she slept. Making sure he was never too far away from her, he gathered up the necessities as he set up camp, all the while continuing his fight with the strange lethargy persisted in creeping upon him.

 

oOo

 

Pop, pop, pop.

 

The crackling sounds infiltrated her mind and only when she opened her eyes to see the blurry flickering of orange and yellow dancing flames did she realize the source was a fire. Feeling heavy and disoriented, she forced herself to sit up, her attention caught by something sliding off her shoulders to pool around her waist. Fingering the object, which bore a familiar pattern reminiscent of the spotted coat of a leopard, Akane couldn't help the tiny smile that tugged at her lips.

 

Gazing across the fire, she spied her erstwhile protector - minus a certain article of clothing - leaning cross-legged against a tree, facing her with sheathed sword ready in his arms as if he were prepared to leap up from his resting position and defend against any intruders at a moment's notice. Her smile turned into a frown as she observed the way he was hunched over uncomfortably, dozing on the hard ground and out in the open while she rested in bed of grass and leaves with a lean-to made of sticks and branches arched protectively over her. Yorihisa had obviously constructed the shelter, seeing to her comfort to the best of his abilities given the circumstances.

 

Sighing in exasperation, Akane rose. She was careful not to bump into the man-made construction, not wanting to test its durability and possibly send Yorihisa's hard work tumbling to the earth. Tiptoeing as quietly as she could so as not to disturb her dozing bodyguard, she ignored the lingering heaviness in her body as she crept closer. The night was balmy and, with the fire blazing, Akane was warm enough as it was. So she clutched the leopard printed cloth, intending to return it to its owner.

 

She should have known better.

 

No sooner had she reached out to place the material around him than she found her wrist suddenly seized in a hard grip. She yelped and barely had enough time to register the rough contact when her world spun again and the next thing she knew, she was lying flat on the ground with the sharp edge of a blade at her throat and a dark figure looming over her!

 

“Yorihisa-san?” Akane's voice was calm and steady. “It's me. Akane.”

 

Dark eyes blinked above her and world whirled again.

 

Suddenly, Akane found herself sitting upright with Yorihisa kneeling before her in a subservient position. She tried to blink away her dizziness, fervently hoping no more such instances would be coming in the near future or else she would probably be unpleasantly ill.

 

Vomiting would, no doubt, ruin some of her credibility as the Ryuujin no Miko.

 

“I'm very sorry, Miko-dono,” Yorihisa apologized head bowed so far down his bangs brushed the ground. “I know it's unforgivable of me to have drawn my sword upon you when I'm your appointed protector. There's nothing I can do that shall be able to make amends.”

 

“Yorihisa-san, it's my fault for sneaking up on you like that. I should have known better.”

 

“There's nothing that you should have to apologize for, Miko-dono. I was the one who-”

 

“Oh, please! Yorihisa-san, you always get like this. What have I told you about blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong? You need to lighten up.”

 

“But I cannot forgive anyone who harms you, Miko-dono. Including myself.”

 

“That's ridiculous! There's nothing to forgive - I'm perfectly fine. And for that, instead of forgiving you, I should be thanking you!”

 

“That is not-”

 

“Look,” Akane broke in. “Let's get something straight, okay? You didn't harm me, Yorihisa-san. You saved me from harm.”

 

“Miko-dono?”

 

“Please, don't look at me like that. I know you're smart enough to understand.” Akane shook her head. “You think I didn't notice the way you immediately put yourself between me and those Oni? And maybe I was knocked out after getting a whiff of that smoky purple stuff, but I knew I was safe when I woke up again in your arms as you were carrying me away. If I had been in enemy arms, I really don't think I would have slipped back into unconsciousness so easily. But I did, because I knew that you were watching over me and that you would keep me safe.”

 

“Miko-do-”

 

“Yorihisa-san,” she interrupted his protest again. “You once told me to believe, to trust in myself when I was still uneasy about being the Ryuujin no Miko, about using its powers. Well, now I'm telling you. You need to believe in yourself more and in your capabilities to be able to accomplish what you want to do. And since you've insisted more that once that your duty is to protect me, you should trust that you can do it and do it well.” She smiled at him. “I know I certainly do.”

 

“Miko-dono…” For a moment, Yorihisa was at a loss for words. But still, he protested her faith in him. “My duty is to protect you. But I was lax and fell asleep and almost harmed you in my disorientation. That cannot be forgiven.”

 

“Yorihisa-san!”

 

Her face was suddenly looming up close in his field of vision. Startled, Yorihisa jerked and barely caught himself from toppling over as he rocked back on his heels. He was even more startled to feel the warmth of a tiny hand cupping his jaw and froze when it directed his gaze upwards where saw her features arranged in familiar lines of irritation as she stood over his crouched form. Reminiscent of another similar long ago scene, her tone as she spoke was firm but gentle.

 

“You can't take all the woes of the world on your shoulders, Yorihisa-san, and you can't treat a small mistake like it's the end of the world. Though I admit I was startled to suddenly find myself flat on the ground, there wasn't one moment that I was afraid, even when your blade was at my throat. And you know why?”

 

She never gave him time to respond.

 

“It's because I trust you. More, apparently, than you do. Rather than ask my forgiveness, it's beyond me why you can't forgive yourself. Falling asleep? I don't think there's anyone who could've done better. I was out like a light after one breath of that purple fog. Since I don't see you could have avoided breathing it in either when you snatched me from it, I think it's absolutely amazing that you were able to keep awake long enough to make sure we were safe before succumbing. Not to mention doing that.” She pointed to the lean-to. “And I'm still feeling drowsy! No one can fault you for dozing off.”

 

“But, Miko-dono, that is still a lapse of my duty.”

 

“That's not how I see it. If anyone were to go through and do what you did and still be able to remain completely alert…they would have to be a machine or a monster in my opinion.” Her expression softened. “But you're not a machine or a monster. You're human. And a human that I admire and like very much.”

 

Yorihisa felt his face grow unaccountably warm.

 

“Ah, you're blushing! How cute!”

 

And warmer still.

 

It couldn't be helped, he supposed. The self-anger he held faded away, unable to withstand the trust, the utter belief in him expressed within those caring green eyes. It was just like before, he remembered.

 

Whenever he doubted that he was suited to be on the road that he walked on, that he had chosen or that had chosen him, she would set him back on the path whenever he felt as if he were straying. And it wasn't just him. He'd seen her work her magic on the other members of the Hachiyou as well. She was more than just a miko they were sworn to protect, she was the light that guided them all. Whereas once a long time ago when she'd first appeared and he'd had a hard time believing that he'd sworn his fealty forever towards a girl-child such as her, he had seen how she'd grown in the months that had passed and now…now…

 

“I'm very glad you were chosen to be the Ryuujin no Miko,” he said softly. “Very glad.”

 

This time, it was Akane's turn to blush.

 

Seeing it, his expression gentled and he covered her hand pressed against his flesh with his. “Thank you.”

 

The soft words could have been thanking her for any number of things. Even Yorihisa could not say for certain. But it was the feeling in his heart he most wished to express and if his actions were not quite himself, he could only blame it upon any lingering effects from the Oni's purple haze. Feeling loose and freer than he could remember feeling in a good long while, Yorihisa could not bring himself to regret his words, especially not after seeing the sweet expression on that overtook his miko's features.

 

“You're welcome, Yorihisa-san.”

 

Her voice was as soft as his had been. Her words and the emotions behind them wrapped around him like a gentle soothing mist. And endless moment they remained thus, gazing at each other with his hand pressing hers against his flesh while emotions flowed between them in such a way that no words were needed.

 

Who moved first was hard to say. But as the half-moon shone down upon them, filtering through the canopy of leaves above and dappling them in moonlight and shadows, suddenly his hand was tangled in the pale strands of her hair with one of her arms wound around his neck and their lips were pressed together.

 

He thought she tasted like moondrops and rainbows. She thought he tasted like starlight and shadows. Whether it was truth or merely the embellishment of emotion-riddled imaginations, each felt that the flavor of the other was the perfect complement.

 

And, perhaps, that was all that really mattered.

 

They kissed under the moon and the stars, sharing themselves with the other as they danced across the grass and around the burning fire in slow revolutions until they came to a stop before the leafy shelter made by beloved thoughts of the man for the woman he worshipped in his heart. However, despite his feelings and the mood that shadowed his thoughts, the man hesitated as his actions conflicted with his sense of duty and honor.

 

“Miko-dono,” he whispered as if afraid to break the spell of whatever bound them. “This is not-”

 

“Yorihisa-san,” she gently broke in. “Call me Akane.”

 

But he shook his head. “This cannot happen. The Oni's poison-”

 

“Has not affected my thinking of feelings in anyway,” she finished. “Perhaps it has lowered my normal inhibitions a bit…but I'm not doing anything I haven't thought of doing before.”

 

His breath caught as her words sank in.

 

“It's embarrassing to admit, and maybe I should even thank the Oni for giving me whatever courage that's allowing me to confess when I've always shied away from it before. It's frightening but I've known for a while now and…Yorihisa-san…I love you.”

 

The raw honesty reflected in her clear gaze put an end to any doubt he might have had about the lucidity of her statements and the tide of emotion that swept and swelled through him was a powerful force. What she spoke was truth and it was scary to realize just how much her words mirrored his own thoughts and feelings. Though he found it hard to refuse her whatever she asked, though he wished to give in to the emotions that he now knew were returned -

 

He couldn't.

 

“Your feelings honor me,” he began, “but, even so-”

 

Then pain that flashed across her features was more than he could take. He couldn't bring himself to finish what he would've said, couldn't forgive himself for bringing that pain to her in the first place. And she was withdrawing, emotionally as well as the few steps that took her physically away from him.

 

It was surprising how much that hurt.

 

Or hurt even more as she continued to speak.

 

“I'm sorry, Yorihisa-san.” She bowed apologetically, pain shadowing her features. “I thought- I mean, I don't want to push myself on you, especially if you don't return my feelings. You deserve better than that. I understand that this may make things awkward between us so, when we get back to Kyou, you can be relieved of your duties for a while and we can get one of the others reassigned to-”

 

“No!”

 

Her expression showed she was just as much surprised at his vehemence as he was. He vacillated between duty and heart's desire but, in the face of her suffering, all else crumbled away and left only one option open to him.

 

He dropped to his knees.

 

“Y-Yorihisa-san?”

 

He gazed up into her confused features and sighed. “Miko-dono, forgive me. You misunderstand my position.”

 

Her brow furrowed. “In what way?”

 

“In that it is not that I do not wish to reciprocate…but that I cannot.”

 

“…eh?”

 

He struggled for the right words. “There are others, countless others involved. The other Hachiyou and their unresolved feelings, the war that we wage with the Oni and even all the people that have and will get caught up in the middle. Miko-dono, you're a symbol to all and to steal you away from them, even for a moment, would be incredibly selfish and goes against my duty.”

 

“I see.”

 

And she did. If she'd learned anything about him since she first dropped into this world, it was that Yorihisa had a very strong and strict sense of duty. His honor wouldn't allow him to place himself above it. More than once had she butted heads against him over his stubbornness. Apparently, this was going to be another one of those times.

 

“I understand, Yorihisa-san,” she said compassionately. “And I can't say that they aren't an issue. But there's an even bigger one that concerns me right now and I would appreciate a straightforward answer, if you please?”

 

He bowed his head. “Of course, Miko-dono.”

 

“Akane,” she said in exasperation. “Never mind. Just answer my question, please.” She pinned him with her gaze. “Do you or do you not return my feelings?”

 

There was no escape. “I do.”

 

“Okay.” Her smile was blinding in its radiance. “That's all I wanted to know.”

 

It was hard for Yorihisa to believe that his confirmation could make her look that happy, that she seemed to accept him above all the other Hachiyou. It made him feel strong even while it also left him feeling weak. The contradiction was confusing, like so much about her. But one thing was always the same - being with her always made him feel so much more alive than when he was without her.

 

It was something he didn't think he could live without.

 

“Yorihisa-san.”

 

The call of his name was accompanied by a light pressure against his forehead. She'd closed the distance she had put between them and he felt the vibrations as her finger tapped him there several times while she smiled down at his kneeling form in a mix of amusement, exasperation, and warmth.

 

“Yorihisa-san, you're thinking too much again.”

 

The remonstration was familiar and he couldn't keep his lips from tipping upwards in response. He opened his mouth to apologize but-

 

“And don't you dare apologize,” she chided. “You do too much of that too.”

 

That, too, was familiar. “Miko-do-”

 

“Akane,” she said again. This time she cupped him in both of her hands, tilting his face upwards to gaze into hers, which was filled with as much determination as there was caring. “My name is A-ka-ne, Yorihisa-san. Say it.”

 

He always had a hard time refusing his miko anything.

 

“A-Akane,” he blushingly stumbled then added, “-dono.”

 

She twitched. “Well, it's an improvement, at least. We'll have to work on the rest of it.”

 

“But Miko-”

 

Her eyes narrowed.

 

“-ah, Akane-dono?”

 

She gave an approving nod.

 

“Even so, there is still the war. The Oni, the others-”

 

“Stop right there,” she commanded as she gave the face in her hands a warning squeeze. “I know what you're going to say. But let me say something as well.”

 

He conceded with a tilt of his head.

 

“It's true the others are issues that need to be dealt with. And I promise you that I won't shirk from it. However, I've been thinking about this a lot lately and despite the seriousness that our lives are caught up in, I realize that our lives are still short. Oni, human, miko, Hachiyou…in the relative scheme of the universe, our lives are just a flicker in time. And with this war raging on, the future is uncertain and there's no guarantee that any of us will live long enough to become old and gray.”

 

He'd never heard her so pessimistic before and it bothered him. “Mi- Akane-dono…”

 

“Wait, I'm not done yet.” She sighed. “Yorihisa-san, if there's anything I've learned this past year of uncertainties, it's that it's important to reach out for the moments that make you happy. It's those moments that make all the bad things that happen worthwhile and with life being as fleeting as it is, I believe it's even more important to be as happy as you can while living it. Now, I'm not saying there won't be problems. But I think the reward in the end makes having to tackle all those problems worth it. So please…please stop resisting it so much if it's something you really want as well.”

 

Yorihisa knew he should protest. He knew. And hadn't he been fighting himself for so long - holding back for his duty, his honor, for the sake of harmony amongst their group? He had been successful, so many times he had kept himself in check for her sake, pulling back from his own wants to see to those of the others and tamping down on his own selfishness.

 

She was right.

 

He was only human and restraining himself ruthlessly for so long was wearing his control thin. Though the Oni's poisons could be partly to blame, still that first kiss should never have happened as it opened up paths that shouldn't be walked upon but was too late to turn away and pretend that they weren't there.

 

And now there they were. Moonlight and shadows played about them, tinting her fair features in an ethereal haze. Her pale pink hair and green eyes shimmered in the night; she looked more like a flower from Heaven granted human form for a day as in old folk tales he'd heard. And fear stole upon him as it sometimes did that, one day like the flower from Heaven, she would suddenly disappear back to the world from which she had come, never to be seen again.

 

But she was with him now, there in the flesh.

 

He could feel the smoothness of her palms as they cupped his face, felt the tangible warmth that poured from her into him. It was proof that, wherever she might be in the near or distant future, she was there with him now. Though protest was still in his mind, there was something larger growing with him that could not be held back and drowned that other voice out.

 

“Are you sure?” he asked.

 

His voice was hushed, as if not wanting to break whatever enchantment that seemed to wrap itself around them, weaving about them a diaphanous cocoon that was as fragile as it was magical. And she, perhaps taken with the same notion, forwent words in favor of silent expression.

 

Her smile was as warm and luminous as the sun breaking through the dark of night. At that moment, he couldn't recall ever seeing anything so beautiful.

 

But then her smile changed, as did the look in her eyes, and he found that he was wrong.

 

“May I take down your hair?” she asked shyly, blush tinting her cheeks.

 

That was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

 

And he doubted that he'd ever forget it.

 

Feeling an odd flush to his cheeks, he nodded in silent assent. He continued to kneel there in part wonderment and awe at her shy smile as she leaned over him, reaching for the tie that bound back his hair. He never took his eyes off of her, but he felt the firm tug on his scalp and then the loosening as his dark tresses were unbound, spilling over him in a shimmering wave.

 

She settled back and he glimpsed the bit of white dangling from her fingers. He waited silently as her gaze roved over him, wondering what she thought. But then her lips parted and he wondered no more.

 

“You're beautiful.” Green eyes sparkled softly. “This is the first time that I've ever seen you with your hair down.”

 

“Loose hair gets in the way,” was all he said.

 

She laughed quietly. “Probably. But I still like it.”

 

Though he wasn't certain how to respond to that, her merriment warmed him. Which brought to his attention that the fire was dying. With a slight bow to her, he rose and tended to the fire. Holding back his newly unbound tresses from interfering, he made sure there was enough wood to keep the fire flickering for a good long while. As he tended to his duties, he was ever conscious of her presence behind him and knew without looking that she was watching him.

 

When he turned, he wasn't surprised to see her gaze upon him.

 

She didn't say anything.

 

Neither did he.

 

But they gazed at each other for a moment that might have lasted forever when, in truth, it was only a moment. And when her arm rose as she held out her hand to him in wordless entreaty, he silently crossed the few steps to her side and took it.

 

They stood before the bower of branches and leaves that he'd constructed as the fire crackled and the forest whispered its night noises around them. Nature played its quiet symphony as the two started down a path in which the final destination could not be known. Nevertheless, they were compelled to take it by forces that were greater than any sense of moral or duty.

 

It was with the utmost reverence and gentleness with which he parted the layers of cloth that cloaked her. And when she stood before him bare, tinted in nothing but light and shadows and the blush of pink that suffused her skin, he found himself once again on the ground kneeling before her like a vassal to his princess or a worshipper to his goddess. But whatever reverent emotions he held for her, he was still male and the man in him clamored for that which made her woman.

 

Still, no matter the strength of his more primitive instincts, he cared for her needs far above his. Though he knew that it was unnecessary to insult her by inquiring whether or not she was virgin, for the answer was in the innocence shining in her eyes and unconsciousness of her actions, there was still something that he had to ask.

 

“Aren't you afraid?” he questioned tentatively, quietly.

 

“A little,” she answered in turn, not even pretending to misunderstand. “But I'm more embarrassed than I am scared.” The look she gave him was all trust. “I know you won't hurt me.”

 

“But I might.” The first time for a virgin, pain was sometimes unavoidable. “It might not be something I can prevent.”

 

“That's okay. No matter what, I trust you.”

 

And she did.

 

She always had.

 

She knew he was always thinking of her best interests, even now as he hesitated. Though shyness and embarrassment gripped her, the quiet wonder and vulnerability written plain to see upon his features helped her move past it. More than anything, she wanted him to believe, to see himself as she saw him. Fighting the urge to cover her nudity, with a soft sigh she dropped down to kneel on the ground beside him.

 

Tentatively she reached out, placing her hands on his shoulders. When no objection was forthcoming, just that wondering vulnerability staring back at her, she grew bolder and leaned forward until her lips were pressing against the warm flesh of his. For a moment there was nothing beyond that, but then her patience was rewarded when that pressure was returned and she responded as her lips parted on a sigh.

 

Yorihisa took the invitation offered as his tongue probed hers, cautiously at first. But when there was no protest and only the muffled sounds of her encouragement, his actions became more purposeful as he swept into the wet cavern of her mouth and sampled fully the sweetness of her taste. At the same time, the need for more crept upon him and his hands smoothed over the soft skin of her back. It was only when he felt her body relax the tenseness that had occurred at the first foreign contact that he allowed his hands to roam to other parts of her form.

 

Her hands were just as busy as they alternately clutched and tugged, bunching the material of his clothes until they pooled around his knees. Gratified by the feel of his smooth muscled flesh beneath her fingertips, she murmured her approval into his mouth.

 

But then he drew back and she moaned her disappointment. She shouldn't have worried though. The darkness of his gaze held hers and she couldn't look away, but she was dimly aware of him tugging off his footwear and the rest of his clothes before his mouth was on hers again.

 

Akane reveled in his smoky flavor as it rolled over her tongue even as she felt herself beginning to fall. Only when she stopped and her back hit the coolness of grass and leaves did she realized that he had nudged her until she was lying prone beneath the woodsy canopy that he had made. A maze of leaves and branches hung above her, but then she saw nothing other than the tiny sparks that exploded when her eyes closed against the sensation of his mouth leaving hers to capture the crowning peak of her breast.

 

“Yori - !”

 

She was unable to even gasp out his full name as she felt his fingers toying with her other breast and the twin sensations of hand and mouth on her body was too intense. Expressing her pleasure, one hand raked blunt fingernails across the bare expanse of his back while the other tangled in the caressing silkiness of his hair, holding her closer to her as his teeth scraped across one pebbled peak.

 

With a cry, she arched as he continued to lave her body with his attentions that were as stimulating as they were gentle and arousing. She never thought her breasts could be so sensitive, but he showed her. And when she thought she could experience no greater pleasure than this, he showed her that she was wrong on that too.

 

So focused on what he was doing to her breasts, she hadn't paid attention to his other hand until she felt something warm and heavy gripping one of her thighs. For an instant, it squeezed with light pressure, molding her flesh, and then it was slipping around and down until it was cupping the very heart of her.

 

The surprise of it, the strangeness of it, caused her to jerk with a startle gasp. She might have tried squirming away, but the low murmured sounds of reassurance he uttered soothed any fears she might have had for, no matter the oddness of the situation, there was one thing that was above all clear.

 

She trusted him.

 

Completely.

 

Akane subsided, body relaxing with a sigh. And when his hips settled between hers, her legs parted easily around his at his gentle nudging. She shivered as that hand between her thighs worked in tandem to the other one at her breasts while his mouth reclaimed hers once more.

 

How could he make her feel so good?

 

It was a mystery and perhaps one day, if she remembered, she might even ask him. But the thought was vague, washed away in the vivid sensations he was causing to zing through her body in shocking little waves that lapped at her senses and drowned them in pleasurable sweetness. Down, down she fell through a thick liquid sea of delightful bliss and, just when she thought she was about to touch the bottom of that endless deep -

 

He stopped.

 

Yorihisa stopped!

 

Making a sound that sounded more like a pleading mewl than a moan, she wondered desperately why he was torturing her like this. Just when she was starting to feel betrayed by the man she trusted the most, she felt his hand being replaced by something else, something blunter bumping against her wet entrance and tingly shocks shuddered through her at the action.

 

Eyes that had slid half-closed opened once his utter stillness registered in her pleasure-laden mind. She found him gazing down at her, his features twisted in worry and concern and love.

 

“This may hurt,” he warned her, tone as regretfully apologetic as it was soft.

 

“It's okay.” She smiled at him, green eyes glowing softly in the night. “I trust you.”

 

With a sound that was half laugh, half quiet groan, he shook his head as a glint of tender amusement glittered in his gaze. Then he became all concentration, focusing on her face and reading each minute expression that ran across it as he pressed in.

 

She trusted him. She loved him. She tried to be brave but-

 

It hurt!

 

She could feel her features scrunching up for the pain, wished she could stop it. But as conscious as she was of his watchful gaze upon her, she couldn't prevent herself from revealing how much his intrusion hurt as he bumped up against that virgin barrier deep inside.

 

Suddenly, once again, the world spun and whirled around her. When it righted, he was sitting up and she was on his lap, her legs on either side of his waist as she straddled him. Confused and off balance, she stared back at him blankly.

 

See it, he smiled and tenderly brushed away the strand of hair that lay askew on her cheek. “This seems to be more painful for you than I thought it would be. I don't want to hurt you and, this way, you'll be able to control how much you can take.”

 

Understanding dawned and she returned his smile. “See? I told you that I trust you.”

 

He could only give a quiet chuckle as he shook his head.

 

“Um, but you know,” she hesitantly put forth, blushing. “I've never done this before so…I'm going to need a little help. I'm not sure exactly what to do.”

 

Feeling a little pink and awkward himself, he opted for showing instead of telling. Hands on her hips, he guided her into the right position. And when the tip of him was fitted just at the entrance to her body, he pushed down just a little, enough to get the idea across.

 

“It's up to you,” he told her quietly. “Just take as much as you want to.”

 

The sweat slicked his skin and his muscles trembled with the effort, he held back on the urge to just grab her hips and force her all the way down. He wouldn't allow himself to compound his transgressions by bringing her any more pain than was necessary. Still, the strain of keeping himself in check while she rocked experimentally against him, sinking down on him just a bit more, was almost too much for him.

 

He didn't know how much more he could take!

 

As for Akane, though the newness of it was strange, the pleasure she got from it more than made up for any discomfort. The deeper she took his body inside his own, the more uncomfortable the stretching sensation became. However, it wasn't completely unpleasant which is why she continued to press onwards until she felt him hit that wall inside of her again. The more she pushed down on it, the more it hurt and her eyes began to sting with tears.

 

Conflicted with wanting to continue, if only for his sake if not for hers, and wanting to pull back, for an instant she remained undecided of what to do. But, as if sensing her internal turmoil and wanting to help, suddenly she felt his hands skimming over her body once again. She gasped as he leaned forward to capture a nipple in his mouth while one hand did something similar to her other one.

 

Sensation licked over her at his touches, only to turn into a flood of heat when she felt strong fingers plucking gently at a mysterious spot just above where their bodies were joined between her thighs. She wasn't sure exactly what he was doing, but whatever it was had her shuddering when heated sparks seemed to crackle against her every nerve ending. Her insides felt as if they were growing hotter, wetter, more aching as they continued to rock against his flesh inside her as she began sliding up and down again and again until, suddenly, he was pushed in further than he'd ever been before.

 

Pain ricocheted through her for one blinding instant and she froze. Only when tender caresses began fluttering over her skin as he murmured against her flesh did she realize that his actions had frozen as well when she had gone still.

 

He gave her time to adjust and, eventually, she did. Pain faded away as his constant ministrations gave her more pleasant things to think about and feel until any discomfort was but a forgotten memory lost in the night. Though his hands and mouth had been gentle upon her while she adjusted to this newest intrusion, as she moved up and down upon him until finally she was able to take him all, they became rougher and more urgent the longer they rocked together. But far from complaining, she reveled in it as she strove to reach that shining something that hung just out of reach, eluding her grasp until she desperately wondered just what she needed to do to reach it.

 

Suddenly, his hips bucked against her and he made a rough, almost animalistic sound that she never imagined she'd ever hear him make. He grabbed her hips and pushed her down, pushed himself so far inside of her with enough power to force a strangled gasp from her through as he leaned back hard and swift for better leverage and -

 

Sent the lean-to crashing around them in a tumbling of branches and leaves!

 

Shocked silence descended. And as the random stray leaf fluttered around them, they were locked for a moment in frozen stillness as one pair of wide eyes gazed into the other with blank astonishment.

 

It was she who started it first as a humorous twitch of the lips soon became a soft giggle before turning into outright laughter. As always, her mood was contagious and it wasn't long before he followed suit as his quieter chuckles melded and merged with hers while broken branches and leaves lay in disarray around them.

 

But their merriment created vibrations between their bodies that couldn't be ignored for too long. Breath caught in her throat as her laughed subsided as she felt him pulsing still within her, hot and hard. Nevertheless, the loving amusement in her heart remained in the small smile that played about her lips and in the tenderness in her gaze as she stared down at his reclined form.

 

Slowly, as once before, her hands came up to frame his face between her flesh while her eyes stared directly into his. She let all the emotions she held for him shine through as she rocked her hips, feeling him intensely in the area below where they were still joined.

 

He responded, his hips rolling against hers. His hands were still on her hips and he used that to guide her along. Rock, rock, rock…their hips undulated together, their bodies swaying to the melody that bound them both as they moved to the tune best suited to bring the ultimate pleasure to the other.

 

However, the inevitable could not be ignored.

 

Breathing harsh, skin slick, and muscles straining, much as they each wished to prolong being thus with the other, the demand of their bodies couldn't be denied. Though their motions started off slow and gentle, need grew within them both. And as that need grew, as the pleasure within them built, the motions of their bodies became more and more frantic until they were almost pushing at the other in a fight to the top.

 

She reached it first.

 

One moment she was rocking her hips against his, riding a spiraling crest of pleasure, and the next she was spinning out of control. Her back arched and she cried out as her world splintered and fractured around her, whirling in a way that had nothing to do with swords at the throat but everything to do with finally, finally being as close to the man she loved as she could get.

 

Her body was still shuddering, still riding those shocks of sensation when his strong arms clamped around her, crushing the soft pillows of her breasts against the hard plain of his chest. His hips were still moving, his flesh was still rasping against hers and sparking off her own pleasure once again, and then she was dimly aware that he was stiffening too. His arms convulsed around her as he groaned harshly into his ear with a low whisper that had starbursts zinging through her and sending her over the edge one final time.

 

She thought her head exploded - it felt like the rest of her had as she shook and quaked in his arms. She was gratified that she wasn't the only one to so as her senses vaguely registered the trembling of his body around hers. And even when she finally came down from that high, drifting back to earth, the warmth and the pleasure never when completely away as the remembrance of his harshly groaned words still echoed in her ears.

 

I love you…Akane…

 

Smiling, she would have let her tears of happiness fall freely if she hadn't known him well enough to realize just how alarmed he would be at the sight. He never did deal well with the sight, no matter whether the tears were happy ones or otherwise.

 

She felt his sigh as he leaned back, dragging her down with him for he never removed his arms from around her. So she rested against him, hearing the strong beating of his heart beneath her cheek. And as they lay there amongst the ruins of branches and leaves, she thought that she had never been happier.

 

Pop, pop, pop.

 

Feeling tired, she struggled to keep her eyes open as the fire crackled, dancing flames of yellow and orange blurring in her vision. There were things that needed to be said. By her, by him…to each other and to the others that they would have to face on the morrow. What that would be, she didn't know.

 

But she did know that she didn't have regrets about her actions.

 

Whether those actions had been wholly her own or the partial results of an Oni's poisonous gases were moot. It had happened. And she was glad that it had.

 

The fire continued to crackle as she lay upon Yorihisa, cradled in his arms. She felt safe and loved and knew that, no matter what else would happen, for this night he would not leave her side. She doubted he would the nights after but still, as slumber tugged at her senses and she smiled sleepily, she made a mental checklist of what she needed to do when the new day dawned.

 

Tomorrow she would deal with the consequences. Tomorrow she would see just where she and Yorihisa would take things from there. Tomorrow she would explain to the others and then start patching up anything that became bent between them along the way. Tomorrow she would remember tonight to get through the day and tomorrow -

 

She wanted to see his reaction when she called him Yorihisa instead of Yorihisa-san…

 

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~ owari ~