The ground shuddered, rubble quickly giving way to the large, thundering form of a motor vehicle sporting an equally large individual on it. The motorcycle made its way over the dirt path, not as precise in its movements as it could have been. This of course was no fault of the bike but completely that of the overemotional being riding it. Having skidded as much as it could before losing complete control, the bike came to a screeching halt as the leather-clad rider hopped of, black boots thudding loudly on the ground. Surely leaving their angry imprint.
Loz surveyed the barren desert like land before him with mild interest showing through in his intense, catlike eyes. Being found was not worrying him in the least. It was a private place he found himself retreating to quite often as of late.
It was a disgustingly hot day and his skin tight leather was being no friend to him then but he was used to it for the most part. Besides, he had far too many things on his mind to worry about the blasted heat. Right now, he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts and relax. Try to clear his head and maybe even rest up a bit.
The day's events had left him weary. Another day of searching. All in vain. Would they ever find Kaa-san? He didn't know. But he had begun to lose faith a while ago and only until now had he bothered to voice this thought. This could have very well been his first and last mistake as Kadaj had overheard him speaking of losing faith with his elder brother, Yazoo. Of course Kadaj had been angry. No. Angry was an understatement. He had been furious. Almost murderous. Calling him a traitor who didn't deserve to be with Kaa-san. Somehow that hurt most of all. He loved Kaa-san too and it was his greatest desire to be with her in this promised land that Kadaj so often spoke of. But he could not protest. Like always, he accepted the punishment given and when it was all said and done, ran off like a child.
"Let him go," Kadaj had ordered Yazoo who often found himself following Loz when he needed consoling, "He'll return on his own."
He felt his eyes sting as fresh tears reappeared due to the recollection of the horrid incident. Choking back a sob, he plopped down on a fallen tree stump, rubbing at his puffy eyes with his gloved hands.
Kadaj really could be so hurtful at times.
Had he not been so occupied with wiping at his tears, his hyper keen senses would have picked up on the approaching figure. But soon enough his head snapped up to attention as he noticed the tiny feet halted in front of his large booted ones.
It was a girl. Well, young woman more likely. She was clad in a white gown and her sandy brown hair hung just past her creamy, slender shoulders. She had a face he often found himself dreaming of. A face so filled with care and innocence and wonder that it seemed too pure to exist in a world such as this. She appeared to be concerned.
He sniffled, making a final hasty wipe at his eyes. What on Earth was she doing out there in the middle of nowhere?
She shot him a sympathetic look as she noticed the tears, her delicate hands fiddling with the thin material of her dress. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"
His neat silver brows furrowed in thought at the question. Of course he wasn't okay but why would she ask him that? She didn't know him so why did she even care? It was odd but he found himself answering nevertheless.
"Yeah. I'm fu-fine."
"But um," she continued, chewing on her narrow lower lip, "You were crying. What happened? Are you hurt? Do you need help?"
Her voice was soft and childish, like a pleasant little melody that continuously rung in his ears. Her questions seemed endless and his confusion only grew. Why was this stranger bothering with him? She couldn't possibly have cared? Or she could have?
He shrugged his broad shoulders, squirming around in his spot on the tree stump. His voice was gruff as usual but at the moment he didn't really care how he sounded. "I wasn't crying and I'm fine. Who are you, anyways?"
She shot him a sheepish look, knowing full well that he was lying but what did it matter? He seemed to be okay now and that was all that mattered. "Oh, sorry. I'm Aki. And you?"
Aki. What a short but rather sweet name. Three lettered like his. Though his gave off a heavy machinery type feel which was appropriate considering who he was.
He narrowed his eyes, already forgetting about his own troubles and concentrating on her. "What are you doing here? Are you alone?"
Aki had been studying him curiously and had come to the realization that this was no normal person that she had decided to approach. First off there was the silver hair. From afar she had thought she would run into a much older man but this guy couldn't have been much more than in his early 20s judging by his looks. And then there were his eyes. There were far too many words describe them but she found herself unable to look away for quite some time. They were beautiful and bright. His build was like that of some war God and the weaponry on his arm made her certain that he was a warrior of some sort but she didn't dare question why. You just didn't aggravate people like him. But he was pleasant from how things were going and frightfully handsome.
She tucked a few strands of brown hair behind her ears and offered a tiny smile. "I was kinda going for a walk and I dunno. I kept walking and I guess I kinda…got lost."
His eyes widened in surprised at her answer. "Lost?"
She nodded.
Why a grin suddenly formed on his face, he'd never know. He lowered his head slightly and let out a low chuckle. "Huh. Well what if I led you back to the city, would you be able to find your way back from there?"
It was her turn to widen her eyes. "Would you do that for me?"
He shrugged, not bothered in the least. "Sure."
She smiled a warm smile and placed her hands on his broad shoulders, bouncing a bit in her spot. "Aww, thank you. You're very sweet, Loz."
He stared at her, slightly puzzled. Her hands felt feather light on his more than capable shoulders but the fact that he wasn't bothered by being touched by a stranger was not what surprised him. She had called him sweet. Never had anyone bothered to say anything even remotely nice about him. And he was far from sweet. Especially to humans. Just what was going on?
Clearing his throat, he remained seated in his spot. "Well, I'm not going anywhere right now. So you'll have to wait a bit."
"Oh, that's fine," she replied plopping down beside him and fixing her dress.
Eyeing her for a moment, he decided to give into the silence that would inevitably befall them as he really had no idea what he should have said then.
But Aki was not the type who enjoyed silences. She dreaded the awkwardness that they often caused. Turning her body so she was more or less facing him, she spoke in that curious manner of hers.
"So, why exactly are you here alone? I'm sorry for accusing you of crying before but you looked really sad."
Loz frowned, finally having been reminded of why he had come here in the first place. Escaping his brother's wrath. Why was she apologizing now? Gosh, humans were silly at times.
"No, it's fine. I got into a fight with my brother so I came here to clear my head, I guess."
"Oh," she said, eyes yet again filled with sympathy, "I'm sorry. I hope you guys fix things soon."
They always did fix things, he realized. Kadaj always seemed to get mad and yet, he always came back because when it all came down to it, Kadaj and Yazoo were all he really had. He could never abandon them. His brothers. His family.
"We will. When I get back. It's upsetting though, isn't it? Fighting with a sibling?"
"Oh, I wouldn't know," she replied, lightly hugging herself as a slight breeze came their way, "I don't have any siblings."
"Oh. Well a fami-"
"I don't have a family either."
Loz froze, nearly gaping at her. No family? She was living on with no family? Just her and her alone in this Godforsaken world? It was a horrible thought and he immediately felt an alien kind of sympathy for her. He turned around completely, eyeing her hard.
"So, you live alone? With no one? Just yourself? Where are your parents?"
She shrugged lightly, dropping her gaze down to her lap. "Dunno. Never knew my parents. I'm your basic orphan, I guess you could say. I've always been alone. But that's okay because nice people in this world allow me to survive."
Nice people. In this world? Was she crazy? He continued to eye her, his confusion growing steadily along with his need for knowledge about her life.
She looked back up at him and flashed him a smile, reaching up and gently poking his smooth cheek. "Nice people like you."
He was dumbfounded. She was so…different from anything he had ever known. So happy and content and free spirited. Like she had no care in the world despite the poor hand that life had dealt her. He shook his head, eyes still glued to her.
"Why do you do that?"
"Hm?" she tiled her head not unlike his elder brother, "Do what?"
"Touch me and say nice things about me and act all…happy?"
Her brows twitched in confusion as she shot him a peculiar look. He was very strange but oh how she adored strange people. "Because. You're nice and I like nice people and why shouldn't I be happy? I'm alive and healthy and speaking to a wonderful guy. You're making me smile, Loz. That's why I'm happy. Mwah. You're adorable. I could pinch you."
His head was spinning. There were so many things that he wanted to ask her. Countless questions that begged to be let forth but he found himself asking the most absurd thing of all.
"What's a mwah?"
She giggled. An unaffected child's giggle as her silky hair blew about in the merciful breeze that had finally decided to awaken. "It's like a sound made when someone kisses someone."
He frowned, obviously not comprehending.
She hesitated for a brief moment and leaned in, offering a "mwah" to his soft cheek before pulling back and smiling that sweet smile of hers. "Like that."
The moment her petal soft lips had made contact with his skin, he had felt a hidden fire within his body ignite fully, causing his normally pale cheeks to flush furiously.
She noticed the blushing of the friendly giant and just about squealed in delight. Reaching out, she gently ran a finger over the reddening flesh, smiling from ear to ear. "You're so cute, Loz. Didn't mean to make you blush. But, just…so cute."
Looking up, he forced himself to meet her gaze head on, willing himself to speak. "And you're really pretty." Before he could fully allow himself to take in her reaction, he felt an invisible string apparently pull at his lips as his muscular body leaned in, connecting his mouth to hers in a kiss that would become his first.
He expected her to stiffen and protest but she did quite the opposite as he felt her arms lock around his neck and her thin form press up against his leather clad one.
She brushed her fingertips over the nape of his neck that was damp with sweat but still baby soft to the touch. He was a large man but very gentle in his ways and not pushy in the least. His lips were soft and felt perfect against her own. Like it was meant to be.
Slowly and reluctantly, they parted and simply eyed one another, a young and not completely developed desire awoken between the both of them.
Leaning in once more, Loz aimed lower and pressed his lips to her smooth and extremely welcoming throat, trailing his mouth all along the new boundaries that he had suddenly decided to claim.
Aki simply closed her eyes and slid her arms around him, tilting her head up to allow him easier access to her flesh. This was insane. They had met only today and here they were getting lost in each other like lovebirds. But she couldn't help herself. It just felt right.
Loz allowed himself to feast as he would, at first using nothing more than his lips but soon finding his tongue flickering out to taste the flesh that had become his territory within moments. The gloved hands that had been nestled into the slim waist now seemed to rise along the warm body of their own accord. He felt her ribcage with an honest curiosity, pausing just under the gorgeous bosom. Taking a real chance with this one, he slid his hand up further and gently cupped her left breast, his hand nearly scorched from the not unpleasant heat she was giving off.
A muffled little moan escaped Aki's lips as she felt Loz explore her body. She was literally untouched up until now and when one really thought about it, Loz was still no more than a stranger. And yet, she had no problem with that whatsoever. Whatever he was, right now…he was hers and hers alone and she didn't want to share.
If they didn't stop then, he really didn't think he would be able to stop himself at all. His desire for her was growing. He wanted to feel and know every inch of her beautiful body. He was innocent in certain ways yes, but not completely ignorant. Like any grown man, he knew how to use his body to his advantage and if Aki allowed it, he would do nothing but that. Did she protest though? No. He saw nothing but his own desire mirrored in her eyes and in her actions. She was submitting and he would take it all.
Keeping his movements slow, he worked with an unknown expertise to get their bodies on the ground. He kept her attached to himself, inching his way down until finally she could lie comfortably with her back on the ground and his insistent but not overbearing weight on her.
She looked up at the man who had become her lover within moments, eyes glazed over with desire. Were they really about to go all the way? It certainly looked like it. Was she ready for such a thing? Loz was so large, certainly it would be painful. She had never even been kissed by a man before and now here she was, about to get a true initiation into womanhood. She thought she would have gotten that with reaching her 18th birthday. But, as she looked up into Loz's face, equally flushed with want, she knew that she would be able to give into his sweet desire.
She reached up, tracing a single burning finger down the side of his face. "Loz…"
He swallowed, his manhood pushing up rather insistently against the leather confinement of his pants. His chest rose and fell rapidly due to the added heat of Aki's tiny but desirable body. If she was ready then so was he. He took her hand in his own and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently before leaning in and once more leaning in for a passionate lip lock. All of his troubles seemed very far away now.
The shrill sound of a cell phone ringing unnaturally in the nothingness of the deserted land cut through the moment like a knife could cut through butter.
A noticeable groan escaped Loz's lips as he rose slightly, craning his neck to eye his bike that remained parked in its spot, waiting for him. Mumbling something under his breath, he fumbled around until he could grasp the cell and bring it up to his ear where he nearly barked a hello.
"Loz."
He breathed in deeply, his tense muscles relaxing some at the familiar sound of his older brother's voice. "Yeah?"
"Kadaj is wondering where you are. He's calmed down considerably and he's waiting. Come back, okay?"
He felt his lower lip tremble slightly. Kadaj wanted him to come back? What a horrible brother he was. Angering their leader only to have him want him back, despite being so weak and insolent. He didn't deserve to go back but of course he would. He needed his brothers.
"Hai."
The cell flipped closed as he froze in his own thoughts.
Aki, who had been watching and listening in her own polite silence couldn't help but question him. "Loz…?"
Like awaking from a very vivid dream, he glanced back down at the beautiful young woman lying beneath him, a burning sort of shame engulfing him. He stood up, dusting his leather off and offered a gloved hand to assist her in rising to her feet.
Aki frowned in confusion but took his hand nevertheless, getting up soon enough.
He held her hand for a moment, eyeing it in his own and silently taking note of how well they both fit before releasing her and walking over to where his bike was parked. "Come on."
She straightened her plain dress out the best that she could before following him obediently.
Having her seated as safely as he could, he made sure her arms remained wrapped tightly around his waist. This being for safety purposes but mostly because he liked how it felt when she touched him.
The ride back to the city was filled with a heavy silence though this time Aki did nothing to fight it. She simply kept her head pressed to his back and closed her eyes, silently praying the moment to last forever.
And when they finally did reach the city, she hopped off the bike, once again trying to make the best of her appearance.
Loz watched her fuss in silence before speaking up, not able to remain silent forever. "Will I ever see you again?"
Aki paused, biting her lower lip and offering her signature smile that could light up the planet. She leaned in and offered an innocent but lingering kiss on his cheek before whispering into his ear.
"You bet."
Loz watched her walk off, getting lost within his own thoughts as he brought up a hand and gently touched his face, the feel of her lips against his flesh leaving him with a pleasant tingling sensation. When she was no more than a speck in the distance, he took off to return to his brothers. His family. His life.