Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Shades of Time ❯ Impact ( Chapter 23 )

 

The first few kisses they shared were sweet and soft. A barely there brushing of lip to lip but that didn't last long. The entire situation turned rapidly into something hot and wilder than anything Hakkai had ever experienced before. Kanan had been far more passive in their time together and she had never been aggressive. Rei on the other hand, was far from passive. Both of her hands were buried in his hair and she was kissing him like he'd never quite been kissed before. Teeth nibbling subtly on his bottom lip, her tongue coaxing his to play.

 

The calm and rational part of Hakkai's brain was arguing furiously that he should not be kissing a woman he'd known for all of twenty four hours. Less if he actually had the inclination to calculate it. He realized dimly that he heard some kind of high pitched screaming but before he could really coherently think to investigate it he found himself backed against the wall. He shuddered lightly when one of Rei's hands slid from his hair and down his shoulder then around to his back, snaking under the edge of the untucked tunic he was wearing and against his skin. Her short fingernails raked against the small of his back lightly and this spurred him further into the need to touch her has well.

 

She chuckled a little when he had to come up for air from their latest kiss.

 

“Breathe through your nose and don't hold your breath,” she murmured into his ear before biting down lightly on one of the limiters.

 

The surge of panic he initially felt at her teeth tapping at the limiter was quickly quelled by her lips wandering down to the erratic pulse in his neck. It soothed his worry a little but there was still that low, vibrating hum of power that the limiters weren't quite containing.

 

For her part, Rei was trying very hard to focus on enjoying the taste of Hakkai's skin under her mouth and ignore the ghostly ruckus going on behind her. From what she could gather by the sound of it, Hakkai's former lover was NOT happy about the two of them being together and was making that known in a very loud way. Rei's natural shielding was enough to keep her from trying to physically pull them apart, not that she could have, but a ghost's touch was a surefire way to ruin a mood. It further sounded like one of the other resident spirits was dragging her away. Rei thought that it had to be her father since she could feel him but not see or hear him. If she had been paying more attention to Hakkai's aura she would have sensed a subtle shift in him.

 

Hakkai was startled by a low growl when Rei's teeth scraped against the skin of his neck. He was even more surprised to realize that it had come from him. All of his senses instantly sharpened. Not only could he feel Rei in his arms but he could smell her arousal and taste her on his lips and tongue. Worry shot through his lust hazed mind and he ran his tongue experimentally along one suddenly sharp tooth. He jerked back a little, making Rei abandon his neck and look up at him.

 

“Hakkai, what is it?” she asked, frowning a little.

 

He turned his face away from her, not making eye contact and trying to avoid opening his mouth too much as he said. “I'm . . . it's . . . we have to stop.”

 

She frowned deeper, consciously assessing the energy around him and finding it much stronger and of a slightly different wavelength. It was still Hakkai but there was also something more primal that smacked of youkai energy and Rei suddenly understood what the trouble was.

 

“Hakkai,” she said, putting one hand against the side of his face and turning it back toward her. She thanked the gods that he hadn't fought her on it but he still kept his mouth shut and his eyes away from her. “You haven't really wanted anyone since you became a youkai, have you.” It wasn't a question, just a statement of fact.

 

He shook his head slightly. There had been a few times since Kanan had died but they were few and far between and had merely been a release of frustration much to his embarrassment. Those encounters had never been as remotely intense as what had been happening between the two of them.

 

“I see,” she said.

 

Hakkai looked at her through his lashes, still keeping his lids lowered slightly. “See what?”

 

“This has never happened to you before.”

 

He shook his head and Rei would have laughed had it been any other situation. “Hakkai, that's a natural reaction for a youkai wearing limiters in that situation. The effects should fade in a few minutes. Didn't you do any research on what you've become?”

 

Hakkai shook his head again. “I hate it,” he said, voice trembling slightly.

 

Rei sighed a little. The wave of self loathing coming from him was nearly enough to knock her over. “Hakkai, believe me, I could have given lessons in self loathing a few years ago. I hated everything I was until I was around sixteen. I do understand where you're coming from.”

 

“But you couldn't help the way you were born. This,” he said, looking down at one now clawed hand. “This I brought on myself.”

 

Rei was quiet for a moment before saying. “Would you have avoided trying to rescue the person you loved?”

 

His head shot up and he looked at her fully. She smiled a little, noticing the elliptical pupil of one eye and the sharp teeth showing through his slightly opened mouth.

 

“I don't know. I don't remember any of it. I just remember being so . . . so enraged. All I remember is blood everywhere and everything else is just a blank until I got to her.”

 

“You're a better person than I was then. You snapped. You were trying to protect the person you loved. There's no shame in that. Nor should there be in this,” she said, lifting one of his hands to her lips and kissing the taloned fingertips.