Nasami is Samurai-ko's, part of "The Sword of the Soul" ficverse. Edited, 5/07/09.

This fic contains adult semi-explicit sexual situations, or else, kink. Also, if you're not a fan of any relationship with Nasami as an OC, I wouldn't suggest you go further, (although if you do, that's great), so thank you. :)

. xXx .

When she sat up suddenly, Nasami let out a loud cough and clutched her chest.

Kambei waited to see if it was a dream that might have jolted her, but Nasami stayed hunched over herself for a long time before he realized that she was whimpering slightly.

"What's wrong?"

Nasami released a shuttered breath. "I… I ache." She rubbed her forehead. "I just hurt so badly… In parts of my body... that I don't think I can relieve on my own. It feels like everything hurts…"

Her posture was slumped with her head down against her shoulders. Her back lurched uncomfortably forward, sitting in a position that her teachers trained her was unacceptable. Being a woman of decency and having years of training engraved in her everyday movements, Nasami never let herself hunch forward at risk of hurting her back and inflaming her pelvis again, but she was about to break in half in more ways than one, eyes becoming windows to tears instead of flaming pain.

Nasami folded her arms in front of her chest, but then tried to shield herself, careful to not press too firmly against her breasts. She cupped her breasts gently, one hand on the opposite sides, and still tried to message herself in a way that might relieve her of the pain or just to take her mind off of the discomfort.

Nasami had wanted to start breast feeding baby Kaminari as soon as possible, but her physicians were hesitant to let her breastfeed until the stress of childbirth left her so her body would ease into the change. There was a minor risk that she might contract an illness and it would pass to the baby, but after a few check-ups, she was free to feed him naturally.

What was more frustrating after the birth, however, was that Kaminari was too fussy to be fed from her breast, and most of the time Nasami had to feed him from a bottle. He just would not latch properly, even with the advice from her nurses. Not being able to feed her own son made Nasami feel like a failure, even when Kambei told her that it was normal behavior for some infants.

So her breasts remained engorged and filled with milk for days. She had started to notice early in her pregnancy how lush she was becoming (much to the adoration of her husband), but the ache constantly remained and limited her movements. When she lifted her arms to grab for a boken, or reached down to carry the baby, she would pant and whimper just a bit, trying to stifle it so that she wouldn't trouble her husband. But Kambei was astute to the needs of his wife, and he noticed all of this at her side and worried over her daily.

Now, Kambei watched her sullenly message herself in mild fascination, though not in the same way as she might pleasure herself when she knew that he was watching at a distance - when she would entice him when they retired early to bed - but in a way that made him feel useless to try and lessen the pain she was feeling. He had the same stagnant and useless feeling as he watched her throughout her pregnancy. Obviously, it was hard for him to imagine that kind of discomfort on any other level.

And yet seeing her on the verge of tears and still sniffling at her own attempts to calm herself down made him ache the same way as when he wanted to touch her, but she was much too tender to have him hold her in the same intimate manner as they did every night.

Or maybe not…

"Are you comfortable sitting like that?" he asked, leaning his weight on one arm.

She gazed at him, her hands still messaging her breasts as discreetly as she could, her face mostly covered by her long hair. "I feel better leaning… or lying down…"

"Here," Kambei thought fast, picking up his pillows and some other folded blankets behind Nasami so that when she lay down, her back and head were elevated comfortably.

Kambei leaned down to kiss at her forehead and cheeks. Her eyes drifted closed, tiredly opening them again, and tiredly closing them as she felt Kambei's caresses. Carefully, he undid the waist tie and slipped off her robe to expose her nakedness. She reached for him to kiss her, but he pressed his lips to hers gently, tentatively, trying not to engage her more passionately. His kiss told her to relax.

Her kisses, however, had always been gentle, soft, and she knew how he could help her level her pain. So she laid there and waited for him to continue.

Breaking away from her gaze and her kiss, he braced himself on his elbows and tried to levitate the rest of his body so that he wouldn't brush against her uncomfortably, moving his head to be parallel with her breasts. As gently as a feather, he brushed his loose hair, his nose and his lips over her skin. He kissed and nipped at her tenderly, playfully, before taking one of her nipples between his lips and tongue and creating a soft vacuum when drops of her milk entered his mouth. He suckled again and swallowed whatever milk she gave him.

Immediately, Nasami felt shivers go up and down her sides, and as soon as she felt a brush of his teeth, she gasped and brought a hand to the back of his head. When he kept a rhythm, she combed her fingers through his hair and let out a long sigh.

Tasting her, tasting something new and foreign from her, gave him almost involuntary quakes. Seeking more warmth, he gently lowered his body onto hers, but was careful not to hurt her. Both her hands wrapped around his neck and she cradled his head to her breasts.

Kambei tried to keep his growing frustration to himself as he felt his body react to the feel of her, despite reminding himself that he only wanted to help her find the comfort she needed. Still, something deep inside of him knew that this was not a bad thing to feel. He would help comfort her when she hurt, she did not need to request it.

All the while, Kambei reveled in the taste and feel of her. A taste he would never soon forget and wouldn't try to stop enjoying. Her light sighs and whimpers were reminders of how his mouth performed on her when they made love.

He stopped to catch his breath. Her eyes where slightly dilated, but focused on him when he came into view. Kambei dipped his head back to treat her other breast the same way. How sensitive she was - her mouth opened fully and she let out another long sigh. It wasn't long before he started to hear her sob between breaths.

Kambei swallowed and lifted his head, his mouth still salivating with the sweet honey taste of her skin and milk, and looked down to see tears running down her face as she tried to bury her nose in the pillows. He reached out to brush them away when she turned and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Thank you, anata" she whispered desperately. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…"

He kissed her tears away and tried to smooth her hair from her forehead as she chanted. Nasami pressed her mouth to his again and even though she didn't seek his tongue, she tasted the sweet and warm flavour of her on his lips. It made her feel sleepy. She kissed him again and again before she ran out of breath from crying.

"I love you," Kambei said when he pressed his face to her ear.

He tried to hold her the way he would if he would lie on top of her, but she struggled a bit, so he moved on his side with her curled up to him still on her back. "Very much."