Chapter 4: Calm before the Storm

"I can't believe he let us stay in the same room…" Ayano looked out of the temple's sheer windows open to the residential area just down the stairs beyond the broken trees.

"Frankly he seemed to only provide one…two didn't seem like an option. Maybe he knows good ol' Jugo…" Kazuma said. Ayano gave him a stare. "….But I wasn't going to persist. The food was pretty good."

"Where were you earlier?" Ayano asked. They had no sleeping attire so the attendees, whom now seemed all too eager to attend the temple, had given them basic kimono robes.

"Just had a hunch about something. Let you know if it pans out."

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Oh do I have to tell you everything now?" He was lying on his side on the bed on the floor, raising one eye open to look at her.

"Why wouldn't you just tell me anyway? What are you hiding Kazuma?"

"Oh so you want all the dirty little secrets I keep?" He smirked as he sat up.

"That's not what I meant!" Ayano's face went red as she yelled at him.

"Keep yelling and you'll wake up the whole place. You know there are others here that are probably sleeping…and this time I'm not lying."

Ayano groaned, annoyed and aggravated by his constraining teases. He was right, one way or another. "I don't get what caused that stupid demon to awaken or come here. It wasn't really even that powerful…and the priest didn't give up the temple, he forced it on him."

"For the average person probably would be seen as a lot more threatening. They're known to draw people in as fake priests and then kill them, they love a spectacle. Dramatic demon bastards. Then they spread the dark energy of the haunted souls they leave behind. Pretty terrible if you're hoping for a nice temple visit and end with you're head chopped off...although it seemed there wasn't too many victims either..."

"Yea, I suppose…but you know, there's no reason you can't tell me where you were earlier? Was it about Umiko's appearance? Did you see her?"

She turned to see he wasn't there. She felt a pull on her wrist, as she was pulled hard into his chest.

"And if it was?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"No it wasn't. She probably just happened to hear the monster or whatever." He rolled his eyes. "Plus I don't really think she's as great as she says she is…" He looked thoughtfully to the side.

"Oh you're admitting this now?" Ayano retorted.

Outside Umiko watched not too far from the shade of one of the few remaining trees outside their window. She wondered if they knew how loud they were talking. It wasn't good that the Wind Contractor thought she was weak. More pathetically she half wished she hadn't stayed to watch the show; their flirting was ridiculous.
Next time she'd be around.

She pulled her gaze from the pair just as she watched Kazuma corner Ayano to a wall. Heated discussion? She couldn't tell if they were arguing or flirting anymore and frankly she didn't want to stay around to find out.

"Look if you're going to have a serious problem with this…" Kazuma said, regaining his monotone composure, as he had her pinned.

"I-I-just don't know why you keep bringing it-"

"You brought it up Ayano. And no it wasn't about Umiko. Just trust me okay…"

"Okay…but I mean can you blame me? You kind of left in the middle of the priest's thanks to us, like-"

"So…"

She looked as his eyes diverted, his face not far from hers, as she was pinned to the wall. "He's not my father…you could have had more respect…"

"Well I didn't mean it that way anyway. Plus who gives you the right to lecture me like this?" His brow raised. "I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be your teacher…I'm your appointed Tutor and your boyfriend for gods sake…"

"Well I- you know you're being a bit egotistical aren't you?!"

"I've had enough, I'm going to bed." He turned away.

"Hey, wait-!" Ayano quickly tried to stop him; she didn't want him mad over a petty issue…although she was curious.

He spun around and grabbed her wrist, suddenly dragging her down onto the bed with him. She fell flat onto his chest over him, klutzily supporting herself, her hands on each side of him. "What are-"

"Going to bed. Like I said."

"Why did you drag me down here with you?"

"We're in the same room. No reason why we can't be in the same bed either."

"It's a temple!"

"But you are still over top of me…you haven't jumped off me yet-"

"Kaaazuma – I –" She started as a warning before he greedily pressed his lips onto hers.

"We can't do this here?!" She said, as quietly as she could muster her persistence.

"Who said anything about doing anything? Look, I don't want to fight, okay? Let me off the leash a bit, I won't do anything…or Ill just have to loosen it myself…I don't like playing submissive."

"Submissive?"

"Yea, personally I think that one works best for you. When your not yelling…" He smirked.

"Kazuma I'm-"

"Seriously, just lay here beside me. We've slept in the same bed before. We said lets not mix business and pleasure right?"

"Right…"

"So this is pleasure, but pleasure …light. We're in a middle zone, so lets just enjoy it before the next job pops up." He pulled her back down again into a spooning position.

"I didn't know you wanted to just relax like this…I guess I kind of got caught up in the job." Ayano admitted. Kazuma did have a soft side…she'd seen it this past summer…she just kind of forgot as they went back to their old ways. It seemed the stress of the jobs kind of had that effect on them…or her.

"Don't worry about it." He said in her ear. "Just pull your Kimono together a bit more…its falling down… and I wont be tempted to do anything stupid."

Ayano groaned as she gathered the slipping neck around her shoulder. It was more like a bathrobe, what could she do to help that?

She felt his grip around her waist pull her in tighter to him. She blushed. It could have gone a lot worse… he was right. She felt the heat of his body; it helped her lull to sleep, both unaware of the dark path they had taken a step towards.