Amakusa could feel her gaze on him, but whenever he looked up to interrogate her, she'd be staring at her plate again. With her lips closed tight and body tense, Ange was tamer than usual, and he felt irked by that new attitude— it just wasn't right.
"Lady... Are you alright?"
"..." Her frown hardened. "It's nothing."
"Are you sure? You're acting weirder than usual."
"Shut up."
She was crankier than usual, too. He decided to drop the subject with a shrug: The little lady was already hard to handle when she was in a good mood, so talking to her in that state would be a waste of time.
"Amakusa."
He was getting up when she finally spoke up.
"Yes?"
"Do you really need to carry that gun everywhere you go?" Amakusa dropped his shoulders, completely caught off guard.
"... Excuse me?"
"It bothers me." She eyed the weapon in question, half hidden under his clothes.
"Heeeh... I didn't think you'd be scared of guns, Ange-san~ That's cute~."
"It's not that." Her tone was sharp and almost aggressive— It did not leave place for questions. "Can't you just put it in your bag or something?"
Amakusa pretended to think about it, tapping his chin with his index finger.
"Well... I could do that... or I could do my job right."
And though he looked and sounded way more relaxed, his tone was just as terminal as hers.
"... Fine..." Amakusa nodded and left her to finish her breakfast. "... Tch..."
"Ange-sama... If you keep smashing your eggs like that they won't be edible anymore..."
She was so used to Mammon's sudden appearances that Ange didn't even flinch when her friend materialized above her, eyes fixed on the messed up plate.
"..."
"Ange-sama, are you alright? You're making us all restless..."
"I just... had a rough night, that's all..."
"Rough night? You mean like a nightmare?" Ange nodded. "That's why you woke up moaning and gasping—?"
"I what?" The stake backed off, her master suddenly aggressive. "Y- you heard me? No... Did he hear me?"
"I... don't think so... I was there because you kept trying to summon us in the middle of your sleep, and when I realized it was just a dream, I left."
"I... see..." Ange looked relieved— Too relieved, and Mammon couldn't help but ask:
"Just what was it that disturbed you so much?"
"... It was... a stupid... stupid nightmare that didn't mean anything. But it made a point: I don't want that guy to have a gun on him all the time. It's dangerous."
"Dangerous? But Ange-sama, he's trying to protect... Oh." Her eyes sharpened and she got closer to Ange. "You don't mean... he betrayed you?"
"Hn. Something like that."
"'Something like that'? Something like what?"
"..."
Ange's cheeks lit up.
"It didn't mean anything."
"A- Ange-sama...?"
It was stupid. Stupid.
"What a terrible face. You'll get wrinkles if you don't smile more often, Ange-san."
She tried her hardest to keep her cool even as she felt a few sweat drops on the top of her forehead and under her nose. Black eyes scanned the room: The door, the window, they were useless.
Because she would never reach them alive.
His eyes followed her own, smiling casually and waiting for her to stop even thinking about running away.
"Give it up..." Amakusa sighed, patience running short. "Since you look so distressed I'm guessing you heard everything."
"..." If only looks could kill. "That bastard Okonogi."
It was the only thought that occupied her mind— She had trusted him... And now—!
She couldn't die. Not yet.
"I'm going to get so scolded for this..."
"You... are you going to kill me now?" Amakusa shrugged.
"Only if you want me to." She raised her eyebrows. "My orders are to kill you in Rokkenjima, Ange-san. I could kill you now too, I guess, but it'd be really, really troublesome, getting rid of your body and then tricking Kasumi-san into thinking you're still traveling to that island..."
"So... you won't shoot...?"
"What?"
Amakusa blinked— And that gave her enough time to make a run for the closest door, adrenaline rushing through her veins. If he wouldn't shoot her, she still had a chance to escape: As long as she could reach any exit, it'd be enough...!
Her thoughts were interrupted by a laugh and the metallic sound of his gun's safe being unlocked, but Ange didn't slow down at all:
'He's bluffing...!'
"Heads up!"
"...!"
... Or so she thought, until a bullet hit the wall in front of her.
Taking advantage of her shock, Amakusa used his own body to slam Ange against that same wall, forcing her to put her hands behind her back as she gasped for air and fought to free herself from his weight, but to no avail.
"I said troublesome... not impossible." Ange let out a cry of anguish, and he eased the pressure on the girl to let her breathe. "I can kill you right now if I want to. I'll get less money but if I have to deal with this until we get to Rokkenjima, I'd rather shoot now. So." Ange felt the hard barrel of the gun on her forehead. "Will you calm down? I'd really hate seeing such a nice looking lady dying so soon."
It was hard to think with that thing on her head and her entire body screaming bloody murder, yet one thought remained clear:
'I can't die without knowing the truth.'
He grinned when she relaxed and nearly went limp, legs barely keeping Ange from falling to her knees. If she was going to let herself be taken hostage, she was going to do it with what little dignity she had left.
"'Atta girl." He tried to help her stand on her feet, and Ange rejected his hand with a slap.
"Don't you ever... touch me again..."
"Oh, Ange-san. If only you weren't like this..." She frowned, still feeling too light-headed to bother with his words. "Now, let's go to the lobby so we can work something out. If I'm lucky, Okonogi-san won't even need to know about this."
Ange grudgingly walked back to the lobby, where she had heard Amakusa having that dreadful conversation with Okonogi just a few minutes ago.
Where she had discovered that the last two people willing to help her in that screwed up world were also trying to kill her.
Amakusa asked her— No, ordered her to stand in the middle of the room, far away from any windows or exits, and he plopped on a sofa in front of her. Her 'bodyguard' looked collected as usual, but his right leg kept tapping the floor restlessly, and he bit his lip from time to time.
"... Right, I guess I should keep you from running away first. Can never be too careful, especially with a feisty lady like you."
"I won't run away... not if it means you'll put a bullet in my head. Then again, it's not like you won't do that eventually." He chuckled again.
"Now, now. I'm not perfect so I don't want to give you any chances." He looked up to the ceiling for a second. "So I guess that for now, taking your clothes off should be enough..."
"What?"
Ange wondered if she had heard him correctly, and shook her head just to receive a mocking laugh.
"I'm assuming you've never watched any western movies. It's a really smart way to keep hostages from running away."
"This is not a movie— There's no way I'm-"
"This may surprise you, but sometimes movies are based off reality, Ange-san. This is a real technique to keep you right where I want you."
"Do you seriously want me to believe you're not asking this because you're a pig?"
He laughed loudly, and Ange bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from losing control.
"Gee, am I that obvious?" A wink. "I admit there are other and better options, but I'm not lying when I say this is a real way to prevent escape. Now, will you take them off or do I have to do it myself? Not that I'd mind." She furrowed her brow and muttered between gritted teeth:
"I'd rather bite my tongue."
"That's cute. I hope you enjoy dying without knowing what happened in Rokkenjima 12 years ago, then."
She had to hold back a frustrated growl, just to not give him the satisfaction of knowing that she was cornered.
"I take it that cute frown means you'll cooperate, then. This is going to be fun~ Hihihaha~!"
Ange struggled for a few seconds, a blind rage taking over her feet and making her walk three menacing steps forward— Yet the sight of the gun's barrel threatening her in silence made her resign her attempt at what was pretty much suicide.
"If I do this... you promise..."
"Well, I was going to take you to all those places you wanted to go anyway, so yeah, I won't change that or do anything to you unless you try to run away."
Ange nodded and lowered her eyes.
"... Fine."
It was just... She had to do it for her family... She had to... For the truth...
It was stupid anyway... It wasn't like she cared, right? Because it was stupid, and shallow— She had been naked in front of other people before. Sure, she was 4 and, sure, it was her mother but—
Why did her cheeks feel so damn hot? She was above this... it was ridiculous, because it didn't mean anything...
"I guess even the great Ushiromiya Ange gets embarrassed about things like these." She had only taken off her jacket and her ribbon when he started talking again. "It's no big deal, you're still a virginal young lady after all~" She winced in disgust— Something about the way he said it made it sound wrong. "I'll tell you what. You can keep your underwear... Oh, and your socks too, I like those."
"How considerate of you."
She started unbuttoning her shirt, and, in an almost ironic way, her chest felt more constricted as she freed herself from it. Ange kept her eyes on the floor— She knew that if she looked at him she wouldn't be able to continue and would probably try to kill him... and kill herself in the process.
Eventually, all that was left was her skirt and it fell on the floor with an ominous flap.
"Oho! Matching underwear! I underestimated you, lady."
Ange blushed harder: She usually didn't even try to match her bra and panties— who cared about that anyway! ?
"Hands behind your back, please." His nearing voice made her jump out of her inner tantrum, and Ange pulled back on reflex, arms wrapping around her body. "You're always so difficult. Maybe you still don't understand what's going on, miss: You either obey me, or..."
"I know." It was hard to forget, especially as he kept casually playing with the safeof his gun. "Is this really necessary? Do you think I'm crazy enough to jump out of the window naked?"
"... You're an Ushiromiya, so yeah. Now, hands behind your back."
Ange's body compulsively rejected his fingers while he tied her hands with his own head wrap, and it didn't help her anger that he laughed whenever she did, daring his lady to try and rebel. As a finishing touch, he kissed her naked shoulder, earning himself a gasp...
... and a kick in the knee.
It had been an automatic reaction— And useless too, since she couldn't hurt him much without her shoes. Amakusa just let out a surprised gasp and soon snickered, running his finger down her back to provoke her again. It was instantaneous: She arched her body, growling before trying to turn around and kick him again.
"You—! Ah...!"
"Whoa, hey!"
All Ange could do was cry as she lost balance, her tied hands making it much harder to move, let alone try to raise her leg in the air. She would've hit the coffee table if it weren't for Amakusa's fast reflexes, hands reaching out for her before she could fall. Ange felt a mixture of surprise, gratitude and—
"... Ah...!"
Indignation.
"Y... your han...!" Amakusa didn't need her to tell him though, and what was worse, didn't even make an effort to grab her from less inconvenient places.
"Uwah~, your butt is so soft, Ange-sa..." He made a painful grimace, and Ange cursed her knee for hitting his thigh and not his area. "Tch, you're welcome..."
"I'll thank you when you stop touch— Don't— Don't touch me...!"
She froze when the cold steel of his gun buried in her ribcage, but her glare and that rebellious frown remained even if her face was inches from his. Amused by the girl's fiery attitude, Amakusa's irritation faded, and he winked.
"That's more like it. If you kept moving like that we would've fallen together. You don't want that, do you?"
"..."
"Heh." He helped her stand on her feet. "You must really want to know the truth if you let me do all of this without killing yourself. I wonder how much can you take?" Ange gritted her teeth, jumping against her will when he squeezed her butt. "Soft..."
"Guh..."
She fought uselessly against the imprisoning head wrap— Just to distract herself from his fingers sliding down her legs and up her stomach. It wasn't like she could fight back when he had a gun buried in her skin ready to fire, so all that was left to do was wait for him to get bored of molesting her.
"You're pathetic...!" He laughed, sitting on the sofa and making Ange straddle his lap.
"You made some nice noises before. I wonder if I can get you to make them again."
Fingernails followed an invisible path on her skin and Ange bit her lip— fighting back and complaining would only amuse him. It was impossible to stop her body from instinctively rejecting him, though, especially when he started playing with the fabric of her panties and kissing her breasts over her bra.
"You're difficult as usual..."
Amakusa didn't sound the least discouraged, and finally managed to steal one moan when he sucked on one of her nipples, biting tender skin but not marking it. It would be a crime to bruise her smooth, smooth body, after all.
"G... ah...!" He hummed on her neck, sneaking his hand under her panties. "... No! D- damn i...!"
"Oh, are you getting turned on? Cute~" Panicking, Ange squirmed on his lap.
"You're going too far, you bast...!" Her mind went blank when his fingers ghosted over her labia— She didn't care if she was pathetic, she didn't care— all she wanted was...! "S... stop... stop..."
"It suits you, that voice." He kissed her jaw. "Don't hold back."
"Hah..."
Whether it was his hand caressing inside her panties, his mouth on her neck, or that gun burying in her back, there was always something keeping her on edge, lips pouring moans that sounded shameful and awkward in her ears. He seemed to love them though— and he pushed and pushed buttons until she couldn't control her voice nor her mind and couldn't even think...
"Does it feel good here, lady?" He didn't wait for an answer and kept teasing her. "I can't put my fingers in yet, but it feels like it's getting wet—"
"Stop... you bastard..."
It was a mixture of embarrassment and self-hatred, because even with all her anger, she felt good. Ange didn't know what he was doing that made her feel hot, humid and so damn sensitive, hips swaying to follow the rythm and insides twitching whenever he whispered in her ear.
"You really are something, Ange—" Amakusa rubbed himself against her— hard...
"N-No..."
"Heh, so you know this much." Ange tried to scoot away, but he forced her still with his gun. "It's your fault for being so cute."
"Stop. Amakusa, I swear, if you..."
"You're wasting your time." He started pulling down her panties. "We both know you have nothing to threaten me with."
No— Oh no—
It was a cry of pure frustration, and she started struggling against his hands and against that damned head wrap— Why couldn't she...! ? It wasn't natural, how it wouldn't get loose, as if it were made of steel—!
"What... what the...?"
"Mh?" He lazily lapped up her neck, and Ange panicked again at the sound of his zipper being undone. "You're as wild as I thought you would be, missy. This will hurt a little, but I'm sure you can bear with it."
"...! Damn it, damn it..."
His agitated laugh sent shivers down her spine, and she felt him inside— she wasn't sure how exactly, though, feeling full and hot and ticklish... and amazing. And only that word could describe it: She didn't really feel— She didn't know— It was just...
"Ah... hah..."
Ange gasped hotly on his shoulder, barely registering what he would whisper to her neck: Her body obeyed his instructions on instinct and accepted his every thrust and caress gladly.
She was losing it...
"Oh... hah...!"
"Hahah... you really are the best, lady... I should've done this as soon as we met...!" Ange let out another muffled cry, shuddering in pleasure— Why, why...
"I... hate this... I hate you..."
"Really..." He made her look at him, still mercilessly pounding into her. "Let's see how long that lasts before you start loving me."
She growled when he kissed her as a last pathetic attempt to resist: Her whole body kept betraying her, and soon she started to feel both hot and desperate—
'S... So close...'
... To... what...?
"S... stop, stop! I... I don't...!"
"Why should I? It's the best part after all...!"
She didn't get a chance to answer: insides twitching and dripping and tightening, she couldn't find her voice and opened her lips in a silent cry— It was almost cruel how such an amazing feeling lasted only a few seconds before she fell on his arms again, limp and exhausted.
"Heh... That's what we call an orgasm, Ange-san. How was it? Do you love me yet?" She didn't react when he blew on her ear, or when he started thrusting again. "That's alright. We have a few more days to make you love me...!"
He sped up, and Ange hid her face on his shoulder. She didn't care anymore: She felt too good to care, to worry, and accepted him, dizzy and confused as those amazing sensations started slipping away. His gun had disappeared and so had his head-wrap, leaving her free to hold on to him while he muttered that he was already...
"Oh~ So it was just a wet d...!"
The witch apprentice slammed her hands on the table, standing up violently.
"No. It was a nightmare."
"But Ange-sama, it sounds to me like you were enjoying it..." Ange looked like Mammon had just insulted her mother.
"I would never enjoy something like that. It was a horrible nightmare..."
"I was there when you woke up, and you didn't sound like you were exactly in pain...!"
"... That means nothing."
Mammon rolled her eyes. Hard-headed as usual.
"What's so wrong about it? He's nice looking and you're a woman, right? It's only natural you get those kind of dreams."
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. It was a nightmare...!"
"It was a wet dream!"
"I would never have that sort of dream with Amakusa!"
With those lasts words Mammon disappeared in a flurry of butterflies— Oh so mature...
"A dream?"
... Or it was due to another human's toxin.
Ange didn't even turn around to face her bodyguard, and she didn't really need to: He hurried to occupy his seat right in front of her with that stupid grin she always wanted to punch off his face.
"So that was why you wouldn't make eye contact with me, Ange-san~."
Punch.
Off.
His face.
Still, a wounded bodyguard was of no use to her, so Ange controlled herself.
"So, so. What kind of dream was it? Did I save you from a bunch of bad guys and then we ran off to some far away country?" He was like some sort of narrator, a terrible one, too.
"Of course not." She spat. "It was nothing special, so forget about it."
"Oh, don't be so mean. It's not like you had a wet dream or anything, ahahaha!"
"..."
"... Wait... you don't mean..."
His eyes widened, and he covered his mouth with his hand— And it was too late for Ange realized her mistake:
"No. No."
"A- Ange-san... I didn't think you... pff..."
"No. It wasn't like that!" He was giggling like a madman though.
"Then whyyy didn't you deny it right away? Whyyy did you need to think about it~? This is too good, Ange-san, you're too cute...!"
"That doesn't mean...! I just took my time because...!"
"You're killing me Ange-san. I think I might die, right now."
"Then die!"
Ange stormed out of the living room and left her bodyguard to 'die'— Oh and how did she wish she would as well: She knew that there would be no instant without him reminding her of that stupid, stupid, stupid wet d...
... Nightmare.
Nightmare!