"I'll leave it to you then."
The words echoed in his mind as he stared at the cracks in the ceiling above his bed. He knew why Julius had asked him and his team to take on this mission. He understood, and frankly, he would have done the same had he been in Julius' shoes. There were benefits to having no ties, he thought. But there were detriments too.
He knew he would go. He was loyal to Julius; he would always do as asked. He trusted the man. And that trust had not failed him yet.
He knew his squad would follow him too. They were loyal as well, and stupidly so.
But they did not yet understand what was being asked of them.
Asta knew, but the kid was unwavering in his faith in the path he had chosen for himself. He believed he would succeed simply because he would never give up. He was both refreshing and naive.
Yami sighed as he held up his grimoire in the dim light of the waxing moon filtering through the small dingy window above the thin mat he called a bed. He had never grown accustomed to the thick fluffy mattresses of the kingdom he now called home. He flipped through the thick tome, looking at the half-filled pages. He had been told the grimoire only holds enough pages for the number of spells one would ever learn. He tried to take comfort in the fact his still had room for growth, but the gravity of the mission was oppressive.
Times like this had been few since he had washed up on the shore, but they always brought to mind his childhood fascination with the warriors of his homeland. As a kid, he had tried to learn everything he could about them, their practices, their fighting styles. He trained as much as his parents would allow, hoping one day to join their ranks. But his dream had been quashed as he matured and his parents needed him to carry on their legacy. He had been twelve when they had first set him out on a boat alone to fish. And he was fourteen when the waves stole him away and tossed him into this strange world.
He sat up and took his sword. He set himself to caring for the blade, honing its edge as he found himself recalling what he had learned of the original wielders of the sword he now carried. He recalled stories of several who had taken on apparent suicide missions, only to overcome by some miracle. But what struck him now, was their preparation beforehand.
They had all removed from themselves any possible regret.
He sheathed the blade once more and laid back again.
"No regrets." He told himself as he tried to go to sleep. He did not have many regrets; the few which came to mind were those which would come to pass if they failed. He closed his eyes, feeling sleep come to him when a face sprang to mind. Her blue eyes were narrow and annoyed, and the corners of her lips turned down in disgust.
"Dammit." He turned over and squeezed his eyes shut in a effort to ignore the vision in his head.
It was nearly dawn when he set out. He told himself he it was because the Blue Rose headquarters had the most extensive library on magical phenomena in the kingdom, but he knew it wasn't true. The capital had a copy of nearly everything in its library, and it was closer. But he found himself flying halfway across the kingdom anyway.
"No regrets." He told himself as the cool morning air rushed against his face and extinguished his cigarette. "Gods, I hate flying."
The sun had just fully risen above the horizon when he landed outside the large complex. The building was stoic and beautiful, and reminded him of a palace he had seen once as a boy back home in its simplicity and elegance. A bored young man leaned against the wall of the gate house. He wore the colors of the Blue Rose, but the rest of him looked more servant than knight.
"Halt." The young man yawned. "Who are you and what business do you have with the Knights of the Blue Rose." His tone was flat and weary.
Yami looked at him. He debated intimidating the kid, but somehow, he didn't think it would be worth it.
"I need to see the archives." He lit his cigarette once more as the young man looked up at him with heavy green eyes.
"Black Bulls?" The kid was fighting to keep his eyes open. "Whatever." He waved Yami through the gate without preamble. Yami wondered what kind of hell the kid was going to catch for letting him through so easily.
The girls inside the main building didn't let him off so easily. Their suspicious looks set his senses on high alert, but he knew they would do nothing if he did not provoke them. They were like bees that way. He ran into the giantess who always followed Her around. She was almost as loud as Asta, but in the end she did point him to where he needed to go. He was, after all, a captain himself and had every right to visit the archives at any of the squad bases or in the capital.
"I'm going to tell the Boss you're here." Her voice was shrill with an edge of a threat as she closed the door.
"Sure, sure." he waved dismissively as he approached the short mousy bespectacled archive keeper.
"Can, can I help you?" She shrank back from him somewhat.
"I need information on the Underwater Temple and the wild mana field surrounding it."
"O-Of, course. One moment. Please wait over there." She directed him to a large empty wooden table. He took a seat in the chair as she used her magic to sift through the books and scrolls stored in the massive collection. After a few minutes, the table before him was filled with several documents.
"Please take care." She told him. "Some of them are quite old."
He nodded before he pulled the first book toward him.
He had been flipping through the pages, absorbing the information buried within when She walked in. He could tell it was here by the gait of her steps and the burning sensation of her stare on the back of his neck.
"What are you doing here?"
He held up the book over his head.
"Reading."
"You can read at your own base."
"Don't have info about this at my base."
She grunted in disgust but she looked over his shoulder anyway.
"The Underwater Temple?"
"Yeah. Julius asked me to check something out there."
"Really? You? On a Mission?"
"Contrary to popular belief, I do actually do things. Well, when needed."
She snorted.
"You could have gotten the same information from the library in the capital, you know. They have the same books. And it's closer to your base."
He could hear her defensive posture in her voice. And she was right. Even though the kingdom's magical knowledge was divided among the Magic Knight squads, copies were available in the capital. He closed the book. He had already found everything he had needed to know about the mana field and the temple. The information was minimal and speculative at best, but it was at least something to go on. He took a deep breath.
Now or never, he thought as he turned to her.
"You know how we're supposed to be prepared for every mission to be potentially dangerous?"
"Of course. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."
"You ever have a mission where you just knew something was going to go wrong? Where the chance of success was... minimal?"
"I, I don't know. I can't really say I have."
"I haven't either, not often anyway. Not until this one."
"Oh." She looked past him, her eyes distant as if she were lost in some recollection.
"This is the first time I've ever been... scared of a mission. One little mistake and it's all over. For everyone, the entire squad."
She looked at him then, her eyes wide. He could feel her eyes on him, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her.
"Julius asked me because none of us have any ties to speak of, except to each other, I guess. But I can't go into this with regrets either."
He looked at her then, finally meeting her eyes. He squeezed his hands into fists to stop them from shaking. He crossed his arms over his chest, thinking he was about to make a horrible mistake.
"Charlotte, look. I know it's a long shot, but would you... Never mind. It's stupid." He pushed his chair away from the table.
"What is it, Yami?"
He took a deep breath.
"I was wondering if." He shook his head, chuckling mirthlessly. "If you might want to go with me somewhere, I don't know. Like I said, it's stupid."
He stood to leave.
"Are you asking me out? Like on a date?"
Her words froze him. He looked at her blue eyes, like tiny ice crystals set into her pale face.
"I, Well, I would like to get to know you better."
He hated how she made him feel so uncertain and awkward. He never had this problem with other girls. With them he always seemed to know what to say. But not with her. With her, he always felt like he was tripping over his tongue, either with admissions he never knew he wanted to make, or with biting commentary designed to be off-putting.
She sighed and he braced himself.
"I, I'm sorry, Yami." She shook her head.
He looked at her. He had assumed she would say no from the moment he conceived of the idea. He thought he had prepared himself for the rejection. He had told himself he would be far more shocked if she had said yes. But he could not imagine the feeling of fracture he felt. He took the chance. He knew he would have regretted not taking it. He gambled, and he lost.
She would not meet his eyes.
"Well, at least I have an answer then, I guess." He turned to the door and left. He closed off the part of his heart that had fallen for her so long ago as the heavy door boomed shut behind him.
Charlotte stared at the door as the sound of it closing seemed to reverberate through the quiet library. The room was silent, except for the pounding of her heart as she watched him go. Slowly, she felt herself collapse to the floor as her knees gave out beneath her.
"Um, excuse me, Captain?" a small mousy voice asked from nearby. Charlotte turned to the voice and saw the archivist push up her glasses. "I really didn't mean to eavesdrop, or intrude, but." She cleared her throat. "But wasn't that Yami Sukehiro? The one who broke your curse?"
Charlotte closed her eyes against the tears she could feel welling in her eyes. She nodded as she bit her trembling lip.
"Why did you tell him no?" The young woman looked at her in confusion. "I mean, you must have some feelings for him, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to break the curse, right?"
"What do you know about the curse?"
"Well, I read a lot." the young librarian gestured around the room. "I stumbled across mention of it in one of the books. Wasn't the dispel only supposed to happen when a man stole your heart?"
Charlotte's nod was imperceptible. She took a deep breath. She had never spoken about the curse placed upon her to her squad, not since she became captain, not since it had been broken. Her predecessor had suggested she keep discussion of it to a minimum. Very few knew the details of the curse. Even Yami hadn't known what he had done to break it. She knew he was clueless when she had thanked him for it a few months afterward. And since then, she felt her heart race every time she was in the same room as him. She did her best to hide her feelings from everyone, even herself. She had never suspected the shy, quiet Camille to be able to piece them together so easily.
"That's right." Charlotte said quietly.
"Forgive me for being blunt, Captain. I know it's not my place." The young woman knelt down next to her. "But if you care for him, and if this mission is as dangerous as he says, well, if he doesn't make it back, he won't be the only one with regrets."
Charlotte looked into her dark brown eyes as she smiled in understanding. She looked back to the door which had closed behind him.
"You should follow your heart, Captain."
Charlotte stood and raced for the door. She did not care who she passed or what they might think as she sprinted through the hallways and out to the garden surrounding the complex.
He was nowhere to be found. She kicked a rock which had strayed onto the footpath before turning back to the large building. She slunk back to the library, frowning in disappointment. She closed the door behind her with a loud thunk. The archivist jumped at the sound and dropped one of the tomes she was putting away.
"Oh, Captain. I didn't expect you back."
"He was gone."
Camille descended from the tall ladder, her arms still laden with scrolls. She marched over to her superior like a woman on a mission.
"And you're here because? Go after him!"
"I'm sorry, Camille. Things don't work out like they do in your books."
"Like hell they don't. You know why people say that? Because they don't try. They assume they will fail, so they give up." She took a deep breath and smoothed her hair down before pushing her glasses back up from where they had slid down her nose.
"You won't give up, will you Captain?" Her voice had lost a bit of its fire. When Charlotte looked up at her from the chair she had collapsed in-the chair he had been sitting in previously, she could see hope in the young woman's eyes. "Everyone deserves to be happy."
Charlotte felt a tear roll down her cheek. She wiped it away as the young woman looked at her earnestly waiting for an answer.
"You're right. Everyone deserves happiness." She sighed. "Even if it's only for a moment. But I don't know. Will, will it make me happy?"
"You won't know unless you try, right?"
Charlotte sighed.
"I guess not. But how am I supposed to find him. He was reading about some place called the Underwater Temple..." She turned her attention to the few books and scrolls still on the table.
"It's in the ocean, underwater, like it's name describes." Camille unrolled a scroll she had in her arms. Drawn on the paper was an extensive map of the kingdom unlike any Charlotte had seen before. Recorded on it were the locations where various dungeons had surfaced over the centuries as well as several anomalous regions. Camille pointed to the region marked just off the coast.
"It's supposed to be at the center of this wild mana zone, but no one has ever gone there and made it back out alive, or at least sane. There have been stories of people who had gone missing washing up on shore days, even weeks later, hundreds of miles from the area, talking gibberish about fish people."
"Fish people, huh? Where does this line up on a modern map?"
Camille hurried to another cabinet and pulled out another rolled up piece of paper. She spread it out on the table next to the old scroll.
"It looks like it's here." She tapped a spot on the map after comparing the two. "Most of these phenomena don't shift locations like the dungeons."
"What's that city there?"
"That's Raquey."
"The resort town? Could the mission possibly be there?"
"It is the closest major town to the wild mana zone. That's why it's so warm."
"Ok, Fine. I'll go to Raquey, but if he's not there, I, uh, I'll come back and show you the world isn't all fairy tales and happy endings."
Charlotte stood to leave.
"Captain?" The young idealistic woman called after her. "You might want to pack appropriately. It is a beach, so think swimsuits and sundresses."
Charlotte sighed and hung her head. Camille was right, she would have to change, not only for the weather, but she was worried she would be recognized. She didn't even have a swimsuit, and the two dresses she had at headquarters were not at all appropriate for the beach."
"I've got a couple dresses you can borrow if you want."
"No, it's fine. I'll... figure something out." She knew she had to pick something up, but she decided to get to Raquey first. Still, she rushed to her rooms to find some sort of disguise, or at least something more relaxed before she took to the air.
Yami grumbled to himself the entire flight to Raquey. He grumbled about his team, certain they would be goofing off. He grumbled about Julius, putting this impossible mission on him. But mostly he grumbled about how stupid he had been for falling for Charlotte Roselei.
"You got your answer, you idiot. Now focus on the mission." He muttered to himself as the ocean came into view. He flew high over the beach, which brought back so many memories. He pushed the thoughts away as he scanned for his motley crew. Julius had set them up in a small house on the beach, isolated from the majority of the resort areas, but when he saw the commotion on the sand, he sighed, knowing without a doubt his charges were at the center of it.
"Well, time to take responsibility, I guess." he muttered before swinging closer to the madness. None of them noticed him as he landed.
"What a fucking mess..."
He could hear Asta's shrieking over the noise as a cloud of sand barreled his way, the young recruit in the lead. A quick boot to the chest and it was over.
Burying them to their necks was unnecessary, but it made him feel better. And he knew if they couldn't move, he would have their undivided attention. As he gave them the details of their mission, they all sobered up-well except for Vanessa who was still actually drunk, but even she seemed to grasp the precarious nature of their task. Noelle argued she couldn't get them to the temple, but he knew better. She had the raw power; she had the strength to get the job done. She needed to learn control. Until she did, she would be a liability. He had faith she would do so, but she was terrified at having so much placed on her shoulders.
"Now, get to work." He walked over to the chair Vanessa had occupied until recently and took a seat in the shade. He summoned a newspaper from somewhere and lay back reading.
Charlotte pulled and tugged at the dress she wore as she flew through the air toward the beach which was the heart and soul of the town of Raquey. It was short and strappy and far more frilly than she was used to. In fact, it reminded her of the dresses her mother would put her in before she had joined the Magic Knights. Only a little shorter, a little tighter and according to the girl who had sold it to her, guaranteed to turn everyone's head. She was uncomfortable in it, but even she had to admit she looked good in the dress. She wondered what Sol would say, and she blushed when she thought about Yami seeing her in it. She immediately groaned at herself for getting so caught up in trying to impress him. She landed a short distance from the chaos that was the Black Bulls squad and watched the madness unfolding. She didn't see Yami, and she did not want to blow her cover by asking any of his subordinates. She did not think they would recognize her, but she couldn't risk discovery.
She circled back toward where the beach met the boardwalk, where a row of umbrellas lined the sand's edge. She took her shoes off and dug her toes into the cool sand. The feeling was a nice counterpoint to the warm sea breeze. She released a deep breath, feeling her body relax despite everything.
"Well, no matter what happens," she thought, "at least being here was relaxing." She promised herself she would make an effort to take more vacation time as she felt the tension in her shoulders, her back, unwind with every step.
A short distance away, as she contemplated taking a longer trip here to sit in the sun and curl up with a good, trashy book or splashing in the surf, she saw what could only be him. He reclined in a chair with a newspaper, for all intents and purposes, looking as if he had no care in the world, nor any idea of the pandemonium around him. She knew otherwise. She had seen him fight before, swatting away attacks from behind which would have surprised any other Knight with ease and grace. She figured he knew exactly what was going on around him. She wondered if he knew she was watching him.
She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves before crossing the sand to him. He made no motion indicating he was aware of her approach. He seemed engrossed in his reading, his brow furrowed in concentration. She walked in front of him, her head turning as she passed. She stopped a few steps away and turned back to him. He really was oblivious, she guessed, as oblivious as she had been all this time.
She covered the few steps toward him quickly and pushed the newspaper down. He looked up at her, anger in his eyes, which then grew wide as his mouth fell open. His ever-present cigarette dangled from his lip before falling into onto his chest.
"Ow. Shit." He jumped up, brushing the cigarette to the ground and patting at the small burn. He looked at the dying ember on the edge of the cigarette and frowned before looking up at her. He blinked several times expecting the vision of her to disappear.
"What? What are you doing here?"
Charlotte felt herself blush. She didn't exactly know herself what she was after.
"I thought about what you said. About regrets, and..."
"If you're here out of pity, save it. I don't need it."
She pressed her lips together into a tight line. Her eyes narrowed with the action.
"Not your regret, stupid." Her cheeks flushed red. "Mine."
"What?"
She huffed before closing her eyes and shaking her head.
"Do you know why you broke the curse all those years ago?" She crossed her arms over her chest. The motion drew his eyes downward, where they were treated to a rare vision-a flash of alabaster skin peeking out from the gauzy blue skirt.
"I never much thought about it." His eyes lingered on the length of her exposed leg as they traced the shape of her before they reached her eyes.
"Of course not." She said in exasperation.
"Enlighten me." He stared at her, refusing to take his eyes from her. She took a deep breath and met the challenge his gaze held.
"Well, if you must know, the only way the curse on my family could have been dispelled was for a man to steal my heart. There. Now you know."
He blinked at her once, then twice before he processed what she had told him and a wicked grin spread across his face.
"So, what you're saying is, you like me."
She looked down at the beach, the seat off to his side, the umbrella above them. She looked at everything except him.
"Apparently." She could practically hear his grin growing wider. "And so, I decided that I will..." She looked at him, getting caught in his bourbon colored eyes and her breath caught. "What I'm trying to say is." Her heart raced with fear and her mind screamed for her to stop. "I, I would... I regretted telling you no as soon as the door closed behind you."
"So you came all this way to tell me that?"
She drew a circle in the sand with her toe.
"Well, yeah." She looked down at the sand. "And to see if the offer was still on the table?" Her voice squeaked out. She waited for what seemed like an eternity before he took her hand and brought it to his lips. He stared at her over their clasped hands and she felt like she would collapse under the weight of his stare had it not been for his touch supporting her.
"It always will be." He whispered.
"So, um. Where do you want to go?"
"I guess it would be too soon to say bed?" His voice was rough in her ear. She turned scarlet. He chuckled and the sound sent shivers down her spine and through her fingers and toes. She glanced at him out the corner of her eye and chewed her lip. He straightened, laughing.
"You are incorrigible." She was surprised at the breathy sound of her voice and the dryness of her throat. She swallowed hard. She hadn't expected him to be so direct with his intentions, but she blushed more as she realized he had said what she had been thinking.
"Come on." He tugged her hand, shifting the position so he could interlace his fingers with hers as he started walking toward a small bungalow on the end of a pier jutting out over the water. She trotted in order to fall in next to him before matching his stride. She refused to be dragged behind him like a love sick pup.
"Where are we going?"
He looked her over, clenching his jaw and releasing it.
"Well, you're obviously here undercover in a sense. I thought I might ditch the uniform too for a change." He led the way through the narrow, connected rooms to one slightly isolated from the rest. She lingered by the door as he pulled the frayed segment of cape he wore marking him as a member of the Magic Knights over his head. She slid the door closed behind her as he rummaged through a small bag before pulling his shirt over his head.
Her brain told her to stop, but she had decided to stop listening to it where he was concerned, at least for a little while. Her feet carried her closer to him, her fingers brushed his back lightly. She could feel the muscles beneath tense as he stood. She spread her palms flat against him, sliding them up to his shoulders, marveling at the feel of his skin beneath them. She could feel the muscles in his shoulders relax at the touch before he turned to her. He tossed the shirt he had been holding to the corner before pulling her waist to him and pressing his lips against hers in a hungry kiss.
She kissed him back in equal desperation as her hands slid over his chest, around his neck and tangled into his hair. Her entire body tingled with each touch and she felt herself yield as he pulled her closer. His lips traced the length of her neck, nipping lightly at the spot where it met her shoulder. Her breath came short and ragged as he tugged at her dress. She heard the fabric tear as he freed her from it it, but she didn't care. She only wanted his mouth on her flesh, his hands on her skin. She kissed his shoulder, echoing his tiny bite. He inhaled sharply as his hand found a freed breast. He brushed his thumb, calloused and rough, around her areola and across the contracting nipple. She gasped. And he chuckled. He pulled her close to him, his hands on her waist, as he backed into the bedframe and landed hard on the mattress. She straddled his lap as she kissed him once more, her hands running through his hair as she looked down on him.
"If this was what you wanted, you could have just asked." He licked his lips as he looked up at her before cupping her breasts and teasing her nipples with his tongue.
"Shut up, Yami." She was breathless as she turned his chin to her once more and kissed him with a desire she never knew she had. She pushed him back onto the bed before she unbuckled the belt holding her grimoire. The dress fell away with it as the thick book hit the floor with a thud.
"You know, you could, uh, tie me down." He looked up at her, the wicked grin spreading over his face once more. "I mean, if you wanted." He inhaled sharply once again as she cocked an eyebrow and her briars slithered over his arms and around his wrists, their sharp thorns biting into his skin. "Now you can do whatever you want to me."
She hovered over him, her eyes inches away from his. She tilted her head and licked the length of his neck up to his ear. He gasped and groaned in excitement.
"Including just leaving you here like this." Her own voice sounded strange in her ears, husky and filled with desire. She rubbed her hips against his, feeling him swelling with the stimulation. He panted as he looked up at her. He pulled at the vines binding him, but she just wrapped them tighter, forcing the thorns deeper into his skin. Tiny streaks of red marred his flesh where their sharp points scrapped at his wrists. She pressed her hips against his once more as she leaned toward his ear.
"Do you know how many nights I did this to myself trying to purge you from my thoughts?"
"No."
"Too many to count."
"Did it work?"
She rubbed her body against his again, and he tried to break free of the vines once more. She tightened them further, until the red streaks welled with blood.
"What do you think? She nipped at his ear and freed him. His hands flew to her back, holding her against him as he flipped her onto her back. He held both of her wrists in one hand above her head as he loosened his own series of belts, freeing himself from the confines of his pants. He entered her quickly. Her eyes grew wide from the unexpected pressure of him within her. And his mouth was on hers once more.
"I don't think it did." He muttered against her lips before kissing her on her neck, shoulder, and then taking one of her breasts into his mouth. She gasped as his tongue teased her nipple and he began thrusting into her. He was slow at first, but quickly began to pick up speed, spurred on by each of her cries. She wrapped her long legs around his hips, holding him close, relishing the feel of their union, of him filling her. He teased one nipple, then the next, each time eliciting a squeal of delight. Right as she felt herself reaching a climax he pulled away from her. He stood over her, resplendent in the beauty of his form, and she whimpered from the loss of him against her. She couldn't imagine he was through with her so quickly, but all worry melted as he flipped her onto her belly and pulled her hips toward his. He lay his chest against her back as he slid into her once more. His hands pulled at her hips as he thrust deeply into her, pulling and pushing her onto his swollen manhood. Her arms trembled as she struggled to hold herself up. Her breasts rubbed lightly against the rough sheets on the bed with each thrust, her sensitive nipples growing harder and sending waves of pleasure throughout her body. He reached around to her sex and touched her. She had been touched there before, mostly by herself, but on occasion, by one of her squad mates when she was younger, but never had she imagined what his thick fingers could do to her as he continued thrusting into her. She could hear him breathing heavily, or maybe it was her as he continued to increase the pace of his movements-both his hips and his fingers. She cried out suddenly as she felt her entire being erupt. She could feel herself tighten around his still thrusting member as it throbbed and pulsed. His body shuddered with release as he laid his head against her back. She slowly lifted herself and leaned back against him, his hand still on her sex, his other cupping her breast. He nibbled at her neck as their breathing slowed. She brushed the top of his head with her cheek and her eyes fluttered shut. Reluctantly, he pulled himself from her and she felt herself whimper once more. He pulled her down next to him as he stretched out on the bed and wrapped her in his arms. She nuzzled herself against his naked body before turning her back to him.
"That was... very nice." he said sleepily.
"I do have one regret though." she muttered.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I regret not admitting to myself sooner what it was I wanted." She took the hand he dangled over her hip and pulled it to her lips. She kissed his palm, his wrist and rubbed her fingers over the red marks still visible there. He chuckled before kissing the back on her neck and nestling down to sleep.
"Me too." He whispered as he drifted off.
His arm was heavy on her rib cage, an unfamiliar weight constricting her breathing. She shifted, moving the heavy limb to her hip where his fingers brushed her thigh in lazy circles. She relaxed into his embrace, wanting more of him, but also wanting sleep as she also drifted off. She woke sometime later to his thick fingers stroking her sex and his lips nibbling at her ear. As she regained awareness, she could feel his erection pressing into her back side. She turned to him, to see his tawny eyes already filled with desire. He captured her mouth as he tried to push her back into the bed.
But she was faster as she mounted him. Her eyelids fluttered closed at the completely different feeling she experienced as she ground her hips against his. She surprised herself with how quickly she brought herself to release as she rubbed herself against him, as he pushed against the deepest parts of her. The light flick of his fingers against her pert nipples and the soft, sucking kisses against her breasts overwhelmed her as she cried out, once more feeling the clenching feeling of her physical release. She laid her head against his chest as the waves of pleasure subsided. She listened to his pounding heart as his fingertips lightly brushed her skin.
"So good." he sighed as he squeezed her before rolling her onto her back and slipping once more between her legs.
Each thrust now was exquisite agony as he filled her, stroking her body in ways others had never been able to approach. He kissed her, softly, gently, with none of the desperation of their first kiss. He moved his hands, his body slowly, deliberately, relishing each touch, each kiss, each gasp which escaped her lips. He kept his eyes on her face as if he were memorizing every feature, every pore, every blemish and freckle. He burned into his memory every gasp, cry and moan, the way she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Satisfied with his observations, he heightened the contact, moving faster and faster until he reached his stride and released. He landed heavily, his arms bracing on either side of her head. When he opened his eyes once more, the wicked grin was plastered on his lips. He pressed his lips into hers.
And he knew he would make this mission a success. He would survive. They all would.
Because he had to get back to her.
He kissed her again, and she slithered her hands around his neck, holding him to her.
"You tore my dress." She whispered in his ear. She nipped at it playfully to which he chuckled.
"So I did."
"And you still owe me... well, whatever you had initially thought to do."
His stomach rumbled, followed quickly by hers. She blushed at the noise, but he smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.
"How about lunch?" He looked out the window at the dying light. "Or maybe dinner?"
"I'd love to go to dinner with you, but you ripped my dress."
He placed a finger over her lips before withdrawing from her and tossing on his clothes. He picked up the dress and disappeared out of the room.
She sat up, curious, as the door slid shut behind him. She pulled the thin sheet covering the bed over her nakedness before she began the hunt for her undergarments.
Yami leaned back against the door, clutching the torn garment in his fist and let himself feel happiness for the first time in a long time. He had wanted her since he had first watched her fight. She was poetry in motion and he relished every chance he had to watch her. He had often imagined what it would feel like to have her body pressed against his. He never imagined she had been wondering the same thing.
A contented smile landed on his lips. He wanted to turn right back around and wrap her in his arms and hold her forever, but the rumbling in his stomach reminded him of his current mission. He could hear voices from other parts of the house. He examined the tears in the dress as he sought out the others. He hoped Vanessa was sober enough to actually do work.
When he found her, she was nursing her nauseated belly and pounding head. Nothing out of the ordinary.
"Yo, Vanessa."
"Ca-Captain!" She looked up at him fluttering her eyelids and trying to flash him a seductive smile before she covered her mouth with her hand as the bile rose within her. "Come share a drink with me."
"I need you to fix this." He tossed the dress at her. She furrowed her brow as she held up the garment. She glanced at him, suddenly sober.
"Now." he emphasized. She nodded before she used her magic to repair the rips in the seams and the tears in the fabric.
"There, just like new." She looked at the dress with pride in her work. The outfit wasn't her style, but it was cute, she had to admit. She couldn't help but wonder why the captain had it, and why it was in such a dire state. She could only come up with one possibility. She chewed her bottom lip as he pulled it out of her hands.
"Thanks." He hurried to the back room once more.
As he pulled the door opened, Charlotte jumped.
"You scared me." She said as he crossed the room quickly and wrapped her in his arms. He inhaled the smell of her deeply. He wanted to keep holding her, to never let her go, to never leave this quiet sanctuary where they could be two ordinary people rather than tied into their roles, both official and not. She took the garment from his hand.
"It's fixed!" She tugged at the former rips, amazed at the craftsmanship of the repairs.
He rubbed his hands over her belly and tickled her sides as he kissed her neck.
"Yami, stop, that tickles." She squirmed against him.
"Um." He purred against her skin before doubling down on the tickling. "I want to learn everything about you. I want to find all the spots that turn you on and the ones that make you scream." His voice was low and his breath was warm against her. She giggled and wiggled until she broke free of his embrace. She turned on him smiling.
"You're going to rip my dress again." She snatched the garment from his hands as his eyes traveled the length of her body. He pulled her back to him, tumbling back onto the bed.
"We don't need food, do we? I mean, I can just eat you." He nipped the soft skin above her collarbone.
"Ow!" She slapped at his arm until she pushed him onto his back. She echoed the bite with her own.
"Just makes me want to fuck you more, Charlotte." He purred as she held him down with her body. He could have tossed her back to the bed. He knew he was strong enough to do it, but looking up at her half-naked body was more enticing. Besides, he thought, he would do nothing to risk her interest. He traced his hands up her thighs as she pulled the dress over her head.
"Later." She leaned over, kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her onto her side next to him. "Dinner first."
He kissed her gently and stroked her cheek. Looking into her eyes, he knew he could not leave her behind. He would make this mission succeed. He would come back to her. He kissed her again.
"Right." He sat up and pulled her with him. "You look beautiful, by the way."
She blushed as he took her by the hand and led her out of the room.
"Wait, Yami." She hesitated. "What if they see?"
"Who? My squad? I don't care if they see." But the look on her face told him she did.
"If word gets out to my squad though..."
He sighed and closed the short distance between them.
"You worry about appearance too much, Queen of Thorns." He kissed her forehead and brushed her hair behind her ear. "But if it means so much to you... Finral!" he called out, his voice booming across the wooden structure making it shiver. He held up his hand to her before he turned the corner of the building only to have his 'ride' stop short to avoid running into him.
"Yeah, Boss?"
"What are the others doing?"
"Oh, you know, the usual."
"And Noelle?"
"She's been working on that spell all day."
He nodded, pleased at her determination. He would need it if he was going to keep his unspoken promise to himself, and to her.
"Good. I need a door."
The young spatial mage sighed.
"Why can you use the actual door?"
"Just do it."
"Fine, fine. Where am I sending you?"
"Outside."
Finral raised an eyebrow as he summoned the portal. Yami disappeared briefly around the corner before reappearing with his arm around a blond who seemed vaguely familiar to Finral. The spatial mage watched as the pair appeared on the other side of the portal, trying to figure out where he knew her from as they disappeared into the night.