Saizo walked into the room without hesitation, sliding the divider wide open. Yukimura and Sasuke were kneeling by Erina on their knees, watching her with fear lining their features.
"Both of you, get out." He said with a cool tone.
"But –- " Yukimura tried to argue.
"Now." Saizo ordered.
Yukimura sighed and stood, quickly urging Sasuke out as well.
He kneeled to her bedside, immediately resting his ear against her chest.
Nothing. There was no heart beat.
He immediately ripped open her kimono, exposing her bare breasts. But he didn't even blink, his palms went to the centre of her chest and began to pump forcefully.
You're not leaving me.
He placed his lips to hers and willed the life to flow through her. He repeated each process over and over again, until right when he was about to give up, he heard her gasp.
She bolted upright into his arms, heaving and coughing, looking around frantically.
"Erina, you're safe." He said calmly, gripping her shoulders and looking into her eyes.
"Saizo?" her voice croaked.
He nodded, gathering her close. She was shaking, either from fear, adrenaline or simply being cold, he wasn't sure.
"I can't breathe." She cried out, her hands at her throat to try and find something blocking her air way.
He held her back and saw two dots of blood on her neck.
Damn you, Kotaro.
He tried to hold her still, but her body was instinctively reacting, going into fight mode.
"Erina, calm down. You have snake venom in your veins. The more you move, the faster it will spread."
She stilled while Saizo quickly moved to her side, his hands moving her hair to her shoulder.
"Rest against me." He ordered sternly.
She allowed her weight to fall against his chest while he had his arms circled around her, his head moving quickly behind her neck to her shoulder, pushing her kimono down all the way to her abdomen. His lips touched her sensitive skin and she jumped from the contact.
"Stay still." His hand came up to her chest, keeping her still while his other one kept her hair away from his lips.
He began to suck hard, she could feel the blood quickly leaving from the puncture points, his lips strong and his tongue coaxing.
He turned and spat out the tainted blood into a bowl that Yukimura had brought in with a cool cloth to try and bring her fever down. He returned to her skin and sucked, trying to ensure all the venom was out.
He heard a sound he hadn't expected to hear, but sure enough she had moaned, her hand coming up to grip his shoulder. He fought the urge to smirk against her soft skin.
"Shh," he tried to quiet her, "Relax." He whispered in her ear. He felt her trying to stay conscious, but the venom had taken too much of her energy.
He returned to her neck, her body now beginning to shake. His hand on her chest tightened and he ended up gripping her breast, she kept moving around so much, trying to get away from the pain.
"Erina, stop." He ordered, looking down at her neck. He was almost finished, he just needed her to be calm for another minute.
"Saizo." She gasped his name, her exhaustion evident.
His hand on her chest moved to her neck, keeping her still. He sucked hard and heard her cry out, she jerked against him. He felt the swelling under her skin go down, a sure sign the venom was out.
He spat the rest of the blood into the bowl and caught her as she fell against him, a bruise now forming where his lips had been. Her chest heaved and for the first time, he noticed her as a woman. He listened carefully to make sure Yukimura was no where near. He sighed with relief and watched her now calm face, her lips pouty from when she must have been biting them from the pain. His hands lifted and began to wrap her in her kimono again, his desire beginning to make itself known for the first time that night.
But the movement woke her and she jerked away from him in shock.
"It's me, Erina." He said calmly, not moving.
"Saizo - what happened?"
"A snake bit you. I had to get the venom out."
Her hand went to her neck. "That's why…"
"That's why I had my mouth on you." He finished for her.
"What about my…" she wasn't able to finish the sentence. Her hands now going to her kimono, clutching it tightly.
"You weren't breathing. I had to get your heart beating again." He said these things so matter-of-factly, it stunned her.
"…Thank you, Saizo." She blushed, not able to meet his eyes.
He supressed a smile. "Don't mention it."
"You didn't have to save me."
He met her eyes, "Yes I did. Yukimura never would have forgiven me if I had let you die."
Her eyes fell and she began to curl into herself, pulling her knees up. She began to shake and her teeth were chattering.
"Cold?"
"N-no." She tried to lie and failed.
He pulled her towards him quickly and easily, "Turn around."
"Why?" she looked at him with a hint of fear.
"Just do it."
She hesitated but obeyed, turning her back to face him. He stripped himself free of his shirt and armor, letting his natural body heat radiate to her. His arms wrapped around her slender body and her kimono fell off her shoulder, his mouth watering for her delicate skin again.
"You have a fever and need to rest." He stated, ignoring his wandering thoughts.
"With you?" she squeaked.
"Would you rather I grab Yukimura?" he teased, not meaning it at all.
"No!" she tried to sit up, but he tightened his grip.
"Then calm down and go to sleep."
She was going to protest, but submitted to his embrace. She couldn't resist his warmth.
A few minutes passed and she was still shaking. His hand lifted to her forehead and she was still burning up.
"Get undressed." He said.
She nearly choked, looking back at him. "What?" she cried out.
"Do you want to get worse?" he asked, his eyebrows raising.
"There has to be another way - "
"None more efficient than using natural body heat."
"Saizo, I can't - "
"Just do it." He used a no-nonsense tone.
She studied him carefully, probably trying to gauge his intentions. But his intentions were as he stated, she needed to stop shaking from the cold and the fastest way to do that was with body heat. He stood and began to remove the rest of his armor. She watched him with nervous energy, her eyes trying to not look but unable to not stare. He kneeled down in front of her, completely in the nude and waited for her to do the same, but she didn't move.
"Are you going to undress?" he asked, keeping very still, sure not to startle her.
"Uh - " she was frozen, her eyes on his, so unsure and innocent.
He sighed and moved toward her, his hands slowly going for the opening near her neck.
She gasped but didn't move away.
"Trust me." He whispered and kept eye contact with her, his fingers quickly sliding the material down her smooth shoulders and arms, her chest rising and falling quickly. She blushed and tried to look away, but he quickly raised a hand to grip her chin and turn her towards him again. He untied the sash at her waist and allowed the kimono to fall to the floor. She started shivering instantly and tried to cover herself, but he gripped her hands in his and forced them down to her hips.
"Turn around." He said gently, never breaking eye contact.
She was speechless but did as he said, her back now flush with his chest. He leaned back against the wall and brought the thick blanket around them, trapping as much heat as he could. His arms surrounded her entirely, her shaking becoming less aggressive. She was so tired, he felt her head begin to lull against his chest. He allowed his chin to rest on her shoulder, his eyes able to observe her face and how fast her breathing was. His eyes closed and he drifted.
He opened his eyes to her back and chest being completely different temperatures and lifted his palm to feel her forehead again.
"Still burning up." He said to himself.
She began to make soft sounds in her sleep, but nothing he could understand. He lifted her effortlessly and turned her around, her breasts now on him directly. She stirred once more, but her cheek rested on his chest, one arm draped over his torso. He rubbed her back soothingly, trying to calm her into a deep sleep again. His chin rested on her head and he began to thread his fingers through her hair. She was so soft. He could see himself spending the rest of his life like this.
Where the hell did that thought come from?
"Saizo…" she mumbled.
He froze.
Did I just hear that right?
He watched her expression change from calm and sleeping, to lustful and tempting. She started panting and her fingers were tightening and loosening rhythmically, a blush coming to her cheeks.
He smirked, tempted to entertain whatever she was dreaming of, but thought better of it.
"Please…" she whispered.
Damn.
That did it. His control broke, hearing her beg him for… whatever it was she was dreaming of. But he knew it involved him and her wanting something that only he could give her.
Her body temperature was starting to get back to normal. He was thinking very dangerous thoughts. And if she woke up, he could just claim it was a dream, or that the fever was making her delirious.
"Erina…" he whispered against her ear, his hands gripping her hips tightly, a small gasp escaping her lips.
"Mhmm…" she licked her lips, a sign she was slightly conscious.
"Who are you dreaming of?"
She raised her head slightly, helping him now see her face without moving. She sighed, smiling slightly.
"Saizo…" she whispered again.
"I'm right here, little lady." He bit her ear and she moaned, her eyes opening.
"How - "
"Shh." He silenced her, meeting her eyes and waited for her to say something.
"Am… am I dreaming?"
"Do you dream of me?" he answered her question with another question.
She blushed, unable to look away.
"What happens in your dreams?" he whispered against her lips.
"You…" she trailed off, her breathing quickly becoming gasps.
"What do I do?" he flicked his tongue out, making her jerk back. But he anticipated her reaction and gripped the back of her neck and kept her right where she was. She was stunned. "Tell me what you dream of, Erina."
She couldn't formulate words; her brain wouldn't respond. His grip on her hips tightened, making sure she knew who was in charge.
She had to admit it felt like one of her dreams. And if it was, that meant there was no real consequences to their actions.
She tried to sit up, but he gripped a fistful of her hair, bringing her lips nearly back to his.
"Answer me, little lady."
"You…" she wouldn't meet his eyes.
He decided to give her some assistance. Releasing the hold on her hair, she started to slowly back up, but never too far out of reach. He mimicked her movements to follow, crowding her.
"Do I kiss you?" he said with a smirk, watching her reaction.
She gasped, meeting his eyes, the blush spreading through her cheeks.
He reached a hand up to her cheek, gently stroking her soft skin. "Do I touch you?" he whispered.
Her mouth opened to respond, but no words came out. He immediately took advantage of her surprise and spun her around to the wall, trapping her. His hands rested on either side of her head, peering down at her.
"Would you like me to kiss you?" he leaned down to her lips, just barely out of reach.
She panted, her chest rising. But she wouldn't ask him to touch her. He wondered why.
"Say it, Erina." He flicked his tongue out again and caught her bottom lip between his teeth, biting for a short moment.
"Say… what?" she gasped.
He smiled, he was having so much fun teasing her. "Say you want me."
"What makes you… think I want you?"
He nearly raised an eye brow in surprise, but refrained from showing any reaction. She wanted to play a mind game with him? Very well, he'd entertain her, but she would lose.
His hand lowered to her neck where the snake bite was and he gently touched her, his hand sliding down her arm. "I think it's safe to say when I had my mouth on you earlier, you enjoyed it. A lot."
"No, I was delirious from the venom." She argued.
That smart mouth of hers.
He grinned, "Really? Then maybe I should prove it one way or the other." He suggested, leaning close.
"H-how?"
"By doing it again." He whispered right before his lips gently kissed where she had been bitten. She gasped and tried to grip his shoulders, but he was too strong for her to move. His tongue flicked against the pin pricks and he moved to the other side of her neck, biting down.
She didn't disappoint with her reaction. She cried out, nearly begging him to continue, her arms wrapping around his shoulders.
He stopped, looking down into her eyes. "What was that you were saying about being delirious?" he nearly laughed.
"I…Saizo…"
"Are you going to tell me what you dream about now?" his hands found hers and their fingers threaded together.
"You, uhm…"
"What do I do to make you cry out, Erina?" he raised her arms up above her head, trapping her wrists with a single hand.
"Saizo, please…"
"You have to say it. Tell me what you want me to do, little lady."
She was panting, her chest rising and falling, nearly distracting him from his prize.
"I want… I want you to…"
He waited, his control getting thinner and thinner.
"Saizo?"
You've got to be kidding…
He heard Yukimura's hurried footsteps and he quickly put Erina back down to the bedding, covering her entirely.
"Sleep." He ordered, while he stood up and grabbed a robe, hiding in the darkest corner he could find.
Yukimura walked in and Erina bolted upright, looking at Yukimura with confusion.
"Yukimura?"
"Erina! Are you feeling better?" he ran over and knelt down to check her fever, until the blanket fell and revealed her bare breasts. Yukimura choked and fell three feet back like he'd been slapped, crawling away from her as quickly as he could. "Sorry!" he kept apologizing.
Saizo figured this was as good a time as any to come in 'randomly'.
"This is certainly a sight I thought I'd never see." He stated calmly, never leading on what had nearly happened between him and Erina.
Yukimura stared with shame, doing everything he could to not look in her direction.
"Saizo - " she began to try to speak.
"Did I interrupt something?" he asked in a teasing tone, watching her carefully.
"I was just checking to make sure she was alright when - "
"I believe her fever has broke. When I left, she was fine. That is until you came in and disturbed her." Saizo walked over to the bedding and brought the blanket up to cover her chest again.
"What's going on?" she questioned.
Yukimura started to stutter but couldn't get any explanation to come out.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Just rest, you still need to heal." He stood and gripped the back of Yukimura's shirt, dragging him out still shocked that he had just seen a woman's bare chest.
"Goodnight, Erina." Saizo said, closing the screen to her room.
She didn't protest and laid down. When Saizo turned around, Yukimura was speechless.
"Calm down, little lord."
"B-but I…"
"Just go back to bed." Saizo sighed and turned Yukimura towards his room, watching him stumble around completely distracted.
Saizo himself went up on to the roof. It was his favorite place and in case Erina needed him, he would be able to help her. He couldn't believe the luck. He was so close to getting her to admit she wanted him.
Now what was his next move?
