Chapter 8 – Potion 7: Violet
Stretching and rolling at the same time, Misaki was slow to awaken from her slumbers. Lying on her side, she sighed softly. She had slept well and she didn't really want to get up just yet. As she was lying there with her eyes closed, images began to flood her mind.
The image of Li surfaced to the forefront of her memory along with snapshots of last night's activities. She recalled the sensations of his lips kissing a trail across her skin; his fingertips stroking flames of arousal along the inner side of her thighs; the melting of their bodies into one with each rhythmic stroke of him inside her…
Misaki's eyes flashed open and she found herself in her own bedroom. The spot beside her was empty, but it looked slept in. Not to mention, she could tell that she was completely naked beneath the covers; a sure indication that everything she was recalling had actually happened.
Blushing as more memories entered her mind, Misaki could not believe that she had been the one to throw herself at him. Though they had gone out for supper together, she never thought that something like that would occur. Despite his shy appearance, he was a passionate and considerate lover.
When she touched her hand to his side of the bed, it was still warm which meant he hadn't been gone for long. Turning onto her other side, Misaki reached towards the nightstand but her glasses weren't there. Trying to sort through the events of the previous evening, none of the memories triggered remembrance of her glasses' location.
Slowly sitting up and pulling the covers with her, she glanced towards the door. It looked partially closed. The sounds coming from the other side indicated that he was in the kitchen. Self-consciously, she climbed out of bed, fully aware of his presence on the other side while she made her way to her dresser. It would be faster to find clean clothes rather than looking for what she was wearing before.
As she slipped into a pair of panties, she became aware of the tenderness between her legs and a vivid recollection of his lips being down there also. Blushing furiously, she quickly found a t-shirt and a pair of pants to wear. Not only had she slept with him, but it seemed like they had been rather busy finding sexual gratification on multiple occasions.
They were both grown-ups, so Misaki forced herself to push aside the embarrassment; there was nothing to be embarrassed about. They had spent the night together and that was normal for people their age. Hoping the colour had faded from her cheeks, she made her way into the living room.
"Li? Have you seen my glasses?" she asked, dropping the formalities consider the latest intimacies between them.
"Misaki? Good morning."
"Good morning," she replied, joining him in the kitchen.
"I'm almost done here, so give me a minute."
Leaning against the counter, Misaki didn't say anything in reply. Though she couldn't see well, she could see well enough to know that he wasn't wearing his shirt. As if it weren't enough that they had slept together, he was now half-naked as he cooked breakfast the morning after.
She squinted her eyes as she watched him put something onto a plate. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious and her stomach grumbled softly. This might not have been something she thought would happen, but it didn't matter. Her heart skipped a beat as Li was both unbelievably sweet and incredibly sexy.
"Okay, so breakfast is ready. I hope I didn't wake you," he said, turning towards her.
"No, not really."
Misaki blushed as he made his way towards her and gathered her into his arms. She found her face resting against his chest and she could hear the sound of his heartbeat. His arms were gently wrapped around her. Smiling softly, she reached up and returned the embrace as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
Neither of them spoke, just enjoying the moment of being in each other's company. Eventually, Li gently ran his fingers through her hair before he placed a kiss to the top of her head. Then he pulled away slightly to look into her eyes, smiling at her.
"What were you asking me before?"
"My glasses. Have you seen them?" she inquired. "I can't seem to find them."
"Oh, those…"
Instead of moving to get them, he lifted up one hand to stroke the back of his finger across her lips. Still smiling, he gently tilted her face upwards with a knuckle at her chin. Without a word, Li brushed his lips across hers, causing her to tighten her grasp on him.
"Come. They're in the living room," he stated as he grinned.
Loosening his hold on her, he took her hand as he led the way to the couch. He didn't release her as he bent towards the coffee table to retrieve her missing glasses. Rather than giving them to her, he slipped them on for her.
"Thanks," Misaki murmured as she stared up at him.
Unexpectedly, he pulled her close up against him as he started to kiss her again. She responded by pressing into him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. This wasn't the Li she had expected, but she could definitely get used to every morning being this way.
"Be careful with that gaze," he whispered in her ear after kissing her senseless. "It's distracting."
"Hm?"
"Breakfast."
"Oh…," she murmured.
Chuckling in response, Li took her hand once more before pulling her towards the kitchen. She gazed at the food in amazement as there were a number of plates waiting for them. The amount of food he had prepared seemed to be more than what was physically possible during the short time he had to make it.
Together, they moved it to the table where Li had already put out two place settings. He refused to let her help herself as he served everything, even going so far as to randomly feed her spoonfuls of food. If she didn't know any better, she would think that she had died and gone to heaven; it was beyond her wildest imagination.
After they had breakfast, she was going to get ready for work, meaning she had to change. Unfortunately, Li had followed her into the bedroom. Despite everything that had happened and was happening between them, she couldn't imagine herself changing in front of him. When she protested about his presence, he feigned ignorance.
"What's wrong?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I need to get to work."
"And the problem is?"
"I… I can't change with you in here," she complained.
"What if I don't want you to go?"
"No… Li… Stop it," she murmured as he was stroking his hand slowly up her stomach underneath her shirt. "I have to work."
"Perhaps and I'll let you. You never said you had to get there on time."
To prove his point, he feathered kisses along the side of her neck. She moaned softly as one hand against her hip pressed her more fully into him while the other tickled across her breast. She turned within his embrace and crushed her lips against his.
Groaning, Li swept her off her feet and carried her towards the bed. They made quick work of pulling off their pants before he buried himself between her legs. When he finally collapsed on top of her, he slipped out and rolled to his side. Misaki sighed next to him and he turned to glance at her.
Misaki smiled despite her earlier protests. She thought she would want him less if they had sex, but it seemed to be the exact opposite. Now, she was completely aroused by his simplest touches. Thankfully, she wasn't the only one as it seemed to be mutually effective.
"I really have to work," she eventually said.
"I know, but I wish you didn't."
Li pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly. Touched that he wanted to spend more time with her, Misaki tilted her head backwards to look into his eyes. She wished the same thing, but it was unavoidable. As special as this all was, she couldn't forget about her responsibilities.
"I warned you once already," he stated after giving her another passionate kiss. "At this rate, you're never going to leave this room. I'll take you hostage."
Grinning, Li slowly released her and rolled out of bed. Sitting up, Misaki watched as he calmly walked around her room, naked, as he gathered up his clothes. Given how he normally was, he seemed like he should be shy, but he wasn't. He watched her the whole time she was watching him as he got dressed.
"If you stay there too long, I might attack you again," he teased.
She quickly scrambled out of bed. Despite the teasing tone of voice, there was a predatory gleam in his eyes indicated that he wasn't joking. Shoving him towards the door, she went to gather her work clothes. She was about to pull off her t-shirt when she saw that he was still in the room.
"Go… Please," she said. "I am not going to change with you in here."
"Meanie. I let you watch me."
"Li!"
"Going, going," he answered, chuckling as he left.
"Geez," Misaki muttered to herself, disbelieving how different he was now and how he was when she normally met with him.
It took her a few minutes to change. When she headed out, it was to find him cleaning up from breakfast. He turned to grin at her as she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up. By the time she was done in there, Li was waiting for her on the living room couch.
"You don't have classes today?"
"Just one class," Li replied lightly. "Ready?"
"Yes."
"I'll walk you down."
"Okay. Do you want a ride home? I'm already late as it is," Misaki offered.
"Hm… Only if you come home with me."
"No, I can drop you off though."
"Then no," Li stated with a grin. "I'll just walk you down."
Misaki swallowed as he gazed at her earnestly, like he was trying to coax her into changing her mind. Closing her eyes, she shook her head, attempting to resist his lure. A squeak of surprise escaped her lips when she felt his hand at her waist.
"We better get going."
"Y – Yes, of course."
They stopped at the entrance to put on their shoes as Li had put them back by the door when he first awoke. He jammed his feet into his while she carefully made sure she didn't step on the back. When they were standing together, Li pulled her in for a quick kiss before unlocking the door.
"You really are full of openings," he murmured lightly.
"Li!"
Laughing as she blushed at him, he opened the door and exited with her following behind. He waited until she had the door locked before leading the way to the elevator. Making their way to the first floor, they reluctantly parted ways at the main entrance.
Saitou and the others stared at her when she entered the office late, but she didn't notice at all. Instead, she seemed to be glowing as she floated towards her desk. After putting down her belongings, she gave them an airy greeting before settling down to work.
There was no explanation for her late appearance. She didn't give out assignments either, a typical part of their daily routine. All in all, it seemed like she was behaving quite oddly again and no one could figure out why. Given the history in that department, it should pass, but it became a matter of when.
Glancing up from her work, Misaki saw that Saitou and Kouno were sitting at their desks. Matsumoto had left momentarily, but he should be back at any moment. Otsuka had left early since she had a doctor's appointment, meaning the day's tasks were left to the four of them.
Standing up, Misaki made her way around the desk. She approached Saitou's desk and he glanced up when he noticed her presence. A slight frown touched his features for a second before it disappeared. He pushed away his work, giving her his full attention.
"What is it, Chief?" he inquired when she didn't speak.
"I wnat you to cmoe wtih me, Stioau. Terhe's smoe itmoainrofn taht I need to cechk on. Mtsuaomto and Kunoo can wrok tgteheor if treeh's sehnitmog tehy need to look itno."
"What?"
Saitou stared at her in confusion, causing her to frown. She was being perfectly clear, so what was he having trouble understanding? Putting her hands on her hips, she repeated her instructions; something she hated to do.
"Tereh's ifmaitornon on T4-4M7 taht ndees to be ckeched. The dvire is asorcs the ctiy and I need you to cmoe wtih me. Mtomsutao and Knuoo can wrko tehtegor if tehy rqriuee srpoput. We can be rheaced by pnohe if alsoutlbey nrecasesy."
Instead of replying in the affirmative, he blinked at her a few times. Raising an eyebrow in response, she waited. Still no verbal answer as he finally turned to look at Kouno. When Misaki turned to look at Saitou's partner, he was staring at her with his mouth wide open.
"Waht is gnoig on? It's not dlfuicfit to uadnsertd. Knuoo and Motasmuto wlil saty hree in the ocfife wilhe the two of us go."
Regardless of her reassurance, the two of them stared at her with blank expressions on their faces. Saitou turned to gaze at her, back to Kouno and finally back at her. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Her frown deepened, causing him to gulp nervously.
"I – I don't understand what you want me to do…" he stated slowly.
"Excuse me? How many times must I repeat myself?" she asked haughtily. "How difficult is it to understand that we're supposed to gather information?"
"Oh…"
"It is rude of you to make me repeat myself three times. Once is more than enough. I expect better manners from both of you. Do I make myself clear?"
Misaki glared at him down her nose as she had her head tilted back slightly; standing in front of him with the grandeur and haughtiness of a queen. When he dumbly nodded his head in reply, she turned with a practiced grace before making her way back to her desk.
"Well, why aren't you going to get the car?" she demanded when she already seated herself and he was still at his desk.
"G – Going…"
She waved her hand with a dismissive motion and Saitou quickly gathered his things before dashing out the office door. When he was gone, Misaki turned her attention to the only other person in the room. Kouno was still gazing at her with that stupid expression on his face.
"Get to work," she demanded icily. "It is rude to stare and close your mouth. You look absolutely ridiculous."
Saitou cast a quick glance at his companion before turning his attention back to the road in front of him. He had a sinking feeling that things would be odd the moment she had walked in and his instincts were correct. He supposed it was better than that time she started asking about his lack of a love life…
The Chief had always been demanding, but not in the same sense she was now. Typically, she expected their best behaviour out of all of them; that they deal with each task both quickly and effectively, professionally. It wasn't unreasonable given the importance of their duty and she always led by example.
After she had spoken in a foreign language, her entire demeanor had changed. She was still demanding, but it was the things that she commanded for that bothered him. He had to drive the car around the corner, a task she normally did when they went somewhere together.
When he noticed she hadn't come down yet, he was forced to park the vehicle and go back up to find her. She was still sitting in the office. The moment she spotted him, she gave him royal hell for taking too long. Unwisely, he stated his opinion, thinking she would have come down already.
This triggered another earful about his duties in escorting her down; opening all doors and clearing the path where she was to walk. He even had to fasten the seatbelt for her when she was seated in the car.
Sighing softly, Saitou cursed his luck. He was always, always, always the one who was picked on first. Last time, she had thrown a raging fit when he called about Contractor activity. Then there was the incident with her never-ending questions and now there was this… It was one of those days where it would have been better if he called in sick and stayed home.
The worst part was that she wouldn't remember any of this; something he would bet on since it was the exact same those other times. All in all, it was going to be a long day; one he was not looking forward to.
A/N: VIOLET = mystery and nobility.
"Mystery" is where there are all the typing mistakes, so you don't need to point that out XD I think you should be able to read what it says, but if not, let me know. Anyways, it's done that way on purpose so you can read it (hopefully), yet to indicate that she's speaking in a "foreign language" that Kouno and Saitou don't understand.
