A/N: So it appears I wasn't quite done with the storyline last time. Here's a short little sequel to A Night With You, possibly to turn into a trilogy in the future.

Again, mature audiences only please.

Days Without You

"So…nothing, then?"

"Were you expecting otherwise?"

"No. After all, you are…"

- - -

There was that dream again. Lina stretched her arms and yawned. It was early in the day, and the light snooze had caught her entirely off guard.

"How are you feeling today?"

Lina tipped her head back. "Wonderful. And you, dear?"

He came over and kissed her gently, then wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a loving embrace. "Like the sun is in my arms," he softly answered.

She giggled and pushed him away. "Alright, away you go. The town is waiting." Then she got up and sashayed away, bidding her husband a good day as he went out the front door.

All seemed to be going well. The days of adventure were long over, and Lina had finally settled down in the town of Duvinigald with her wonderful husband, Ian. He was a modest, hard-working man (much like Gourry, though she refused to admit it) who brought out the best in average life for her. And this was the way she had been living for the past three years, ever since that night a cruel demon left her cold and hurting.

She heard a thump upstairs and frowned. Had she left the window open again? She could have sworn--

The window was closed. Lina walked over and observed the handle, but it showed no evidence of having been tampered with. That's odd, she thought. And then she turned around.

She was so startled by what she saw that she couldn't even shriek before her instinct kicked in. As she attempted to run away, though, he reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded to know, violently struggling to escape from his grasp. The skin on her wrist felt like it was going to rip, but she didn't care. She just needed to get away from him before he--

He pulled her forward and kissed her full on the lips, filling her with a passion so old and familiar that her body instantly turned to mush in his arms. He opened his eyes partially as a small sound escaped her lips, watching her as she struggled to maintain a hold on her sanity.

"Did you miss me?" he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Then he nipped at the outer edge of her ear as he traced her spine with a finger, pushing lightly against her favorite spot at the bottom locus of her spine.

She swallowed and forced a rather weak, "No." He simply laughed at her in silence, in mockery, and cupped her chin in his hand, lifting it up to his.

Lina turned her head away before she could be swallowed up by those eyes. "I love my husband--I love him," she stated resolutely, feeling the tears beginning to build in her eyes. And it was the truth--she loved her husband. She loved him because it didn't hurt to love him, it didn't hurt--

"That's all good and well. Your love is not one of my needs as a mazoku."

And then he slipped past her guard, and she gave in entirely when his lips touched hers, when his tongue invaded her mouth and sought its ever-elusive partner. And then she kissed back furtively, allowing the curtains to draw close, hiding the hushed act behind closed eyelids. And all the while her hands groped at his shoulders, trying to pull him in, to make him yield the passion that might satisfy her hunger.

"You're wearing my favorite color again," he joked as he slipped the silk robe off her shoulders. She had worn the violet one because it was a nice color--and ironically she hadn't been thinking about him until he mentioned it.

But then again, she didn't have time to think. His ardent kisses were too much of a distraction. She found herself blushing as he worked his way down her chest, probing a bit of peach-colored skin here and there with his tongue. And then when he kissed her tenderly--oh so tenderly--over her heart, she felt her legs give way and fell to her knees, no longer strong enough to sustain her own weight.

"You're a cruel man," she muttered as he crouched before her, holding her hand with that sparkle of laughter she knew was in his eyes. He raised his finger at her and reminded her of a very important thing.

"I'm not a man. I am a mazoku."

She blinked. "Oh, right."

There was that twinkle again. "But then again," he began, strategically placing his hand on the ground between her legs as he leaned forward. "I guess I'm still enough of a man to be able to please you, hm?"

And then he slid his hand up that split in her robe and felt her private place, eliciting a soft moan from her strawberry-tainted lips. She gasped and pulled him to her, kissing him as her mind began to swim in an ocean of bliss. Ah yes, it was this touch--

He slipped both hands around her hips and lifted her off the ground just enough to ease her onto her back. She wondered briefly how much experience he actually had, being able to move her into position so easily, but she didn't have enough time to fully consider it before he took initiative and entered her.

It was just as she had remembered--in fact, it was even more sensual than she had remembered. He was powerful, smooth, unhindered--and his hands were always wandering, mapping out the curves in her body and how they reacted to his touch. The sensations were strong, and as she approached her first climax, he made sure to pull her back down by applying that familiar pressure to the lower part of her spine.

"Shh," he cooed again, just like the last time. As she listened to his voice and followed the rhythm of his movements, she wondered if she could work her hands just as skillfully as he did.

Lina reached down and rubbed his manhood, timidly at first, then a bit more boldly. Apparently, this pleased him, for his mouth was suddenly working at her neck, and the thrusts became longer, though the pace hadn't been lost. The ecstasy was so strong that her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she moaned softly as her fingers sifted through his hair, feeling, feeling. And then she neared her release again, but he quickly found her, and then there she was again.

More--

She wanted this to last--she didn't want for it to end with him leaving her like he did last time; she wanted to be desirable in such a way that he wouldn't ever want to leave her side. She wanted to feel hot, hot, hot. Oh gods, she was starting to feel very, very--

The touch came, and she looked up into his eyes. She caught a glimpse of what looked like…reassurance? No, not quite reassurance but not--Ah!--

His hands were working at her breasts, and Lina placed her own atop his, following along as he infused pleasure into her body. And before long she couldn't take it anymore, and she pulled one hand down to please another part of her body, igniting flames wherever his touch went, oh, oh--

And then she climaxed, and it lasted for a good minute before she started to feel herself coming back down from her trip above the clouds. And all throughout, he kept the rhythm going, going, going until he followed in suit after her, rising and falling like the sun and moon.

Her consciousness needed only a second to collect itself, and she grabbed his arm and pleaded, "Don't go!"

But he merely smiled at her, that usual, mysterious priest smile that he always had when he looked at her. His fingers stroked her cheek, and then his lips followed suit. She closed her eyes.

And it was then that she realized it would take more effort--much more effort--to peel that mask away from him.

He slipped from her grasp like smoke, and again he was gone. But this time Lina didn't need to understand--she already had the truth in front of her.

But again, she felt hurt and lonely because of it.