Chapter 9 - Scent of the Damask
Tessa flipped through the reports that had been handed into her from the Urzu team's last deployment, her frown deepening as her gaze focused on the increasingly depressing type. Due to various circumstances, the Eastern Sea Fleet already had a full mission roster, leading to the decision that the West Pacific Fleet would take on any extra missions, should they come up, until further notice. It had only been recently that Mithril had been finding clues to indicate the possibility of a dangerous opposing organization, and though at the moment there was no conclusive evidence, everyone seemed to be more on edge at the thought. It had been earlier in the week that they had received orders to investigate a suspicious facility that had been located in the northern region of Afghanistan by their spy satellite.
Though Tessa accepted that the Tuatha De Danaan would have to venture into unfamiliar waters in order to properly complete the investigation, it left her with an odd feeling, almost similar to a child attending a new school in a different country for the first time. Setting down the report from Melissa, she leaned over to take up the one handed in from Sergeant Weber, grimacing at the thought that she would have to re-read the same gruesome facts all over again. Along with their investigation, they had been asked to pick up Mr. Kalinin, who had been scouted some months before, and who coincidentally had raided the same facility they needed to check out alongside the Afghani Mujahedeen.
Tessa was counting her lucky stars that she hadn't been the one to investigate the grounds. Her fingers twitching as she came upon the section of both reports that scared her the most, she took a deep breath before continuing. All of those poor victims, every one of them tortured to death as their very lives were choked out of them by various chemicals and supposed treatments. It never ceased to surprise and horrify her when it came to the desperate measures some organizations used to try locating potential Whispered, not to mention the poor souls forced to accept the various drug cocktails that so often sacrificed the person's sanity for the ability to use a functioning Lambda Driver. Hearing a knock at the conference room door, Tessa took a deep breath, hoping to dispel the heavy feelings of sadness and nausea. Calling for her guests to enter, she slipped the reports back into their files as the three entered to stand in front of the table.
"Sergeant Major Melissa Mao, Sergeant Kurz Weber returning from recon and recruit pick up ma'am."
"Yes good work Sergeant Major, Sergeant. At ease." As soon as Tessa received their simultaneous responses, she turned her attention to the gentleman they were escorting. "May I assume that you are Mr. Andrei Kalinin?"
"Affirmative ma'am. I am grateful that the offer that had been presented to me had not expired, I look forward to assisting you in any way I am able."
"I'd like to welcome you to the Tuatha De Danaan, home of the West Pacific Fleet Mr. Kalinin. I'm glad to hear that you have finally decided to accept our offer as well. Though I must thank you in advance for your patience, this area is not normally handled by the West Pacific Fleet, and our knowledge of this part of the world is somewhat limited. I sincerely hope you won't mind assisting us a bit."
"Not at all Madam Captain."
"I thank you, Mr. Kalinin. You will be escorted to the living quarters by Sergeant Major Mao and Sergeant Weber. For now, you will be sharing a bunk with Corporal Yan, and should you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask him for assistance. We will begin collaborating our Intel regarding the current mission in the morning once you have had a chance to rest."
"Yes ma'am."
"Before you go though, there is one thing I would like to ask of you Mr. Kalinin; if you don't mind."
"Of course Madam Captain, what can I do for you?"
"During your raid on the facility with the Mujahedeen, were you able to locate any survivors?"
Switching between checking the map and scanning the distant horizon through his binoculars, Kashim continued analyzing their current position, his face void of anything except complete focus on his task. The weather conditions had not been as favorable as he had predicted, and due to the sheer amount of snow that seemed to keep following, their course was going to have to be altered. If they kept having to find shelter at the first signs of another snow storm, Kaname might get home around two more weeks from then. Those results were immediately considered unsatisfactory by his standards, no matter how much he may have enjoyed those few precious moments of peace in her arms the previous night.
Another blush spread across his cheeks, one that had nothing to do with the cold wind rushing around them, and he found his concentration wavering. Before last night he would have sworn that nothing on the very face of the earth could ever reduce him to forget their immediate surroundings. However, before last night, he'd also never understood how the older men could be so excited to return from a day of patrols or survive just one more fight, thus being granted the reward of spending the night in the arms of their women. True he was not naive to basic human relations, but he never would have dreamed that he'd ever experience anything close to what he had the night before. Though he never claimed to have an advanced vocabulary, what he had felt the night before, the feelings she had evoked in him, it had been nothing short of incredible.
The memory of her slender fingers weaving themselves through the hair at the back of his neck, the heat that had risen anywhere they touched, the taste of her on his lips, it all caused a powerful shiver to run down his spine, one he hoped would be attributed to the cold rather than the lewd thoughts going through his mind. No one had ever touched him like that before, and he couldn't help feeling the desire to be with her like that again. It was all deliciously addicting. With a gulp and light shake of his head, he tried focusing on the expansive distance beyond the lenses. Just as he was getting his mind back on track, the lenses went inexplicably dark, though he could probably guess why without looking. Setting the binoculars down over the map, a pair of slender arms wove themselves around his shoulders, his blush returning as he felt her slightly rub her cheek against his, a light smirk present as he felt her warmth pressed against his back. "Chidori, this is very counter-productive."
One arm came up to give him a light punch on his other cheek, turning him enough for her to plant a quick kiss before unwinding herself from him and standing. "Sourpuss..."
"I am not a sourpuss Chidori, I-" His words must have fallen on deaf ears. Reaching back to check his hair, he brought his hand back to find pieces of snow. Had she just...thrown a snowball at him? Turning, before he was able to locate her exact position, another snowball came at him, impacting right between his eyes. He could only guess at the expression on his face as her laughter filled the air, the sound of snow crunching below her feet growing as she came closer to him.
"I really got you good didn't I?"
"It appears your aim is quite impressive, yes." His eyes still closed against the cold still present on his face, she kneeled and started gently wiping it away for him, as he seemed perfectly fine just letting it melt using his body heat rather than remove it himself. Though if he had, she would have to admit that she would have just thrown another, if only in an attempt to have a bit of fun. It had been a while since she had felt so free, and Kaname wanted to use her newfound freedom in a far more enjoyable fashion than looking over boring maps and sitting in the snow. Giggling as she wiped a bit of snow out of the unruly bangs that hung over his face, she smirked at the compliment.
"Well thank you. I was hoping my pitching hadn't dulled since being held captive, and it looks like my experiment was a success."
"Allah help me if you ever decide to learn to shoot then." Her hand stopped as he spoke, almost literally frozen in shock by what he had said. Staring at him as he shook the last of the snow from his head, Kaname's eyes were wide as her mind processed his words. Finally clearing the last of the frozen flakes from his face, his head tilted to the side as he wondered at her expression. "Something wrong Chidori?"
"Did...did you just joke with me?"
"Did I? I was merely stating a fact. You do have excellent aim." His complete loss for what had just happened had her laughing at him all over again, her head bowed as her shoulders shook. A glance every few seconds showed her that he was still very much confused, but it only served to fuel her laughter. "I'm afraid I will never know why it is you find me so amusing Chidori."
Her laughter still persisting, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, inciting a deep blush from him as she held on tightly. "Uh...Ch-Chidori?"
"Don't go worrying your pretty little head about it, Sousuke." If the sound of her voice so close to his ear hadn't been enough, the fact that she had used his name, his real name, his blush suddenly went a few shades darker.
"I-I am not pretty Chidori. Men are not supposed to be-"All thought process stopped when her head turned, a soft kiss pressed against his lips. If things progressed as they did, the blush would forever be on his face, and that was not exactly something that struck fear into the hearts of one's enemies. "Uh..."
"Oh come on already." Standing, she stood and wiped the snow from her pants and tunic before offering her hand to help him up. Taking her offered hand, they both shouldered their bags as they finished brushing the snow from their clothes. Once ready, Kaname reached to take hold of his hand again, a bit taken back when his instant reaction had seemed to be to twitch away from her. A bit hurt by the attitude he was displaying, her worries began getting the better of her, and she could already feel the faint sting of tears behind her eyes. Perhaps he regretted his actions from the night before? Had she been too bold, advancing so shamelessly in her effort to discover if their truly was something between them besides mere friendship? Had she made him violate serious religious laws with her newfound attraction to him? A small whimper escaped before she could silence it, and she quickly turned when it caught his attention, despite the wind flowing around them.
"Chidori?"
"I'm sorry, Sou-Kashim..."
"Sorry? I don't understand, what would you have to be sorry for?" A few tears escaped down her cheeks before she could wipe them away, and she couldn't believe she had been so stupid! Despite being so capable in battle, he was still an innocent in many ways, and she had taken advantage of him! Her shoulders shook as she tried to keep her voice steady, hoping that the tunic would hide it from him.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Kashim. I promise it won't happen again. I've just been doing what I wanted, and I never gave thought to how it would affect you at all..."
"Uh, Chidori, what are you-"
"Last night you idiot! And just now too! I've ruined you and I'm ashamed for it. I don't have the right to call you my friend..."
"Ruined? Me?" He was still thoroughly confused, and not for the first time in his life, he admitted to himself that no force in heaven or on earth could ever help him to understand women. Hearing her sniffle as she turned, he finally saw the tears as they fell down her pinked cheeks, and her normally clear chocolate eyes clouded with distress.
"Didn't you tell me that Muslims should be pure for their partners? What would any future bride of yours think if she found out that a foreigner practically raped you?" Understanding finally dawned on him as her hands came up to cover her face when she finished. That's what this was all about? She was crying over the prospect that no woman would want him after having shared some level of physical intimacy?
He was having a hard time believing that this was truly what was causing her to cry like she was, and if it hadn't been for the tears that made it down her face, he would have almost had the urge to laugh about it. Seeing her wipe away the fresh tears, his mind stumbled over what he could possibly say to make her understand that she really had nothing to worry about. It wasn't as if any of the women he knew from the Mujahedeen were interested in him, at least not past finding ways for their brothers and husbands to beat him for whatever it was they could.
Words never being his forte, he decided that as usual, actions could help him where words failed. Quickly walking back over to her, he took hold of her shoulders and lifted his other hand to hold her face in place. "Ka-"
All her thoughts stopped the moment she felt him press his lips firmly against her own, her eyes going wide in surprise as she was captured in his hold. Still feeling regretful at her earlier forwardness, she tried to back out of his arms, but the hand at her chin held fast, only granting her a moments breath before once again feeling the warmth of his lips. The hand at her shoulder made its way down, coming to rest at the small of her back and drawing her closer to him, as the hand that held her chin moved to gently massage the back of her neck.
Kaname felt the same fire from the night before building again, the excitement crawled its way along every vein, and had her feeling both weak and strong at the same time. No other had ever made her feel so alive before, and as she rested her hands on his chest, she finally gave into the powerful sensations only he seemed to inspire in her with nothing but a simple kiss. Finally in need of air, they broke apart, heated breaths mingling as they were swept away in the blustering cold. Barely apart, every breath gave them light brushes of almost kisses, both of them still very much gripped in the near euphoria they had tasted the night before. "Had I not wanted last night to happen Kaname..."
His words only served to fuel the flames within, and she found herself arching her back in search of more contact with him, her hands tightening their hold on his tunic in an effort to aid her now useless legs. Knowing how dangerous he could be, that the same hands on her now could kill her if he so wished, Kaname wondered at herself when that knowledge only served to hasten her heartbeat in a way that had nothing to do with fear. Her mind blanked again when she felt him dip his head to graze his teeth along her neck, and the ever tightening grip on his tunic finally had her knuckles turning white. "You already know how most of those I travel with feel about me, what self respecting man would sink so low as to introduce his daughter to a heretic outsider?"
The last of his words held a faint growl, and he punctuated the end of his question by allowing his teeth to sink into the soft flesh, his lips and tongue soothing the bite when he was done. The action drew a long low moan from Kaname's throat, the vibrations exciting him as well. He could only guess at whether or not she could still form any coherent thoughts now, and as it was, he was starting to have a bit of trouble doing that himself. The faint scent and taste of her skin was becoming intoxicating, and if he didn't stop soon, he might not be able to at all. Coming slowly back to her face, lightly dragging his lips across her cheek, he spoke once more, his voice coming out rough against her smooth skin.
"I have no bride waiting for me, but if I ever did, I'd like to think that she wouldn't care what happened in my past," the hand at the back of her neck moved back around, brushing by her cheek before settling over one of the small hands tightly holding onto his tunic. "Nor the blood that still coats my hands, or how many had to die for me to live long enough to meet her." Finally, she was able to meet his gaze, and he was glad to see he wasn't the only one in danger of slipping. The rising heat between them was becoming difficult to fight, and it was taking all his willpower to not give into the gnawing desire to taste her again. "We're changing our course. We'll head to the southwest down the ridge of the mountain. Then we will follow the river until we get closer to the city."
With a sleepy nod, he dipped his head for only a moment, taking in the sweet scent of her skin before pulling away to untangle themselves from each other. Taking hold of her hand, he turned them in their new direction, carefully leading her down the snow covered ridge. The cold helping both of them to ground themselves back in some semblance of reality, as they began their descent into the burning valley below.
The small room was dark except for the glow coming off the screen of his newly 'acquired' laptop. The cellular phone then man had also 'volunteered' to lend him lay open on the desk, the loud and rather unhappy voice of his employer still coming from it as he relaxingly chewed his bubblegum, trying not to let any of his chuckles at the other man's frustration be heard. "Do you hear me you piece of shit! What the hell is wrong with you!"
"Don't go getting you panties in a bunch." Gauron leaned forward, coming closer to the light of the small phone as the other voice rose angrily over the line once more. "I didn't have a whole lot of options at the time. Didn't help that she was gone when I broke out too you know."
"Don't you dare patronize me you filthy mange-ridden ogre!"
"Now, now, that's not a very nice thing to say boss man." Though rattling the boy's feathers once and a while was always entertaining, it certainly didn't mean he liked him. Whispered or not, the boy was more than your average tantalizing kill, if only for his attitude than anything else. Of course, considering his looks, he could also fetch a decent price on the sex slave market. Someone out there had to have a fetish for girly looking boys, as they sure as hell had enough looking for girls. He would fetch a high price for his pretty little face if nothing else.
"Maybe I should have put Kalium on the job instead! At least he produces obvious results instead of this round-about shit you call planning!" His chewing slowed, a deadly glare illuminated by the limited digital glow of the electronics on the table in front of him. Gauron was just about done with this conversation, and his patience was running low at the liberties the young man like taking when speaking to anyone not proven to be another Whispered. Leaning forward, he eyed the small phone in front of him, as if doing so would allow him to reach though and strangle the life out of the young man on the other side.
"You listen to me you spoiled little bitch, and you listen well. Just because I don't have the Chidori girl with me right now doesn't mean I won't soon. There's not a whole lot of places to go here, and for a girl on the run, her options are almost dry from the start." He spat his gum at the nearest wall, the treat having lost its flavor, and therefore was now useless. "You could always put that nut-job Kalium on her case, but somehow I doubt he would know this land or the one protecting her as well as I do, and that could cause more setbacks than you really want right now."
A faint sound came from the phone, and Gauron almost wanted to laugh at the boy's failed attempt at growling at him in frustration. With a hard sigh, the voice continued, and it was obvious that he was far beyond frustrated at the moment. "Then what would you suggest? We need her if we're ever going to finish the project, and we need her alive."
"You just leave that to me. If I know Kashim, he'll be keeping her alive until a time that I can get my hands on her. Can't promise that she'll be unharmed though. Accidents do happen after all..."
"You lay one hand on her and I swear I'll-"
"I told you to calm the fuck down pretty boy. I'll get you your precious little Chidori, it's just gonna take time."
"How much time?"
"If I'm right, then I should have her in another few days."
"If? How the hell am I supposed to trust an if?"
"Because it's the only one you have right now." The silence dragged on, the only sounds heard in the small room was the electrical hum, and the echo of life beyond the window. Finally, another loud sigh came from the other end of the phone line, a sure sign that Gauron had exactly what he wanted.
"...fine. Just see to it that you don't fail. Remember, you can always be replaced." The smirk that spread on his face glowed eerily in the low light, his face the very picture of devils on the purgatory door.
"Pleasure doing business with you." With a quiet beep, the line was disconnected, the small display screen going dark as the call ended. Standing, he turned and looked through the blinds hanging in front of the window to the streets below. People bustled this way and that, cart and shop owners tried to entice possible customers to sample their wares, and the mechanical sounds of the occasional vehicles rumbled through the dust covered streets. It might be fun to take up another side job once the girl had been handed back to his employers. And, of course, after he'd had his fun with Kashim the way he wanted. If things went his way, Kashim's death would be drawn out, allowing him to witness that look in his eyes again before the life slowly drained from them. Turning back away from the window, the idea sent a cold and chilling laughter through the quiet room. "Come back to me quickly Kashim, I can't wait to see you again..."
Kaname sighed in contentment as she stretched her arms over her head, the wind at the lower altitude blew significantly softer, not to mention a lot warmer than she had been used to the last two days. Even the slightly warmer weather was a welcome feeling, though she had to admit that when she finally did get back home, she would be missing the snow until winter came around. There was always a sort of quiet tranquility in the winter that the other seasons lacked.
Glancing over to where her companion had started setting up camp, she felt the heat rise in her face at the memory of earlier that morning. Unlike the night before, he'd been so sudden and, forceful almost. Not that she was complaining though, it was a nice change to know that he had it in him to take further charge of a situation and not just follow other people's orders all the time. In a way, Kaname almost wondered if she should have been angry with the rougher and more demanding treatment, but instead, something inside her had been more excited that way.
It had been one of the most hurtful things she'd ever heard when she had learned that almost all the boys in school had agreed that while she was beautiful, that there was really no way any of them would date her. A lesser girl would have spent the rest of her day locked in the girls' room crying her eyes out about how no one would give her a chance, and whining about how cruel people were. Kaname had simply held her head high the rest of the day, and had spent the night watching a few of her favorite movies when she got home. Nothing quite made her feel better about things unless it was followed by John Rambo giving that asshole of a wannabe sheriff exactly what he deserved. As much as she advocated that people should try everything to avoid violence, sometimes people just had it coming. "Chidori?"
"Hm? Uh, what is it?" Hopefully he wouldn't notice that she had been staring at him the last few minutes. She wasn't sure if the blush would ever leave her face if he actually had noticed.
"The tent is finished if you'd like to change for the night. I have to get started on the fire pit so we can have something to eat."
"Uh, yeah sure. That sounds good." Picking up her bag, Kaname carefully made her way into the newly pitched tent. The one they had with them wasn't nearly as large as the one they'd been staying in while at the facility, but it was still large enough to hold maybe four to five people comfortably. Pulling off the long sleeved shirt and loose scrub pants she'd worn that day, she slipped back into the simple dress she'd found in one of the rooms back at the facility. As soon as the fabric fell into place, another blush came across her face at the memory of what had happened in this dress. The way the fabric fell around her shoulders, the feel of his hot breath against her bare shoulder, and the feel of the fabric bunching up around her hips as his grip tightened.
Kaname had to wrap her arms around her a moment, hopefully it would help her to feel more in control against the rush that had suddenly filled her at the memory of his strong hands. "Chidori?"
"Eh! Uh, yeah what is it?"
"I've finished putting together the fire pit, and I took the liberty of getting the fire started as well." A deep blush rushed to her cheeks at the thoughts of earlier that day. The feeling of being so wonderfully trapped in his embrace as he, in his own way, told her not to worry about what others thought of them for indulging as they had.
"Fire's started alright..." Kaname's hands slapped over her mouth quickly, hopefully quick enough to hide the near moan that had been in her voice when she had spoken.
"What was that Chidori? I couldn't hear you over the wind."
"I-uh, I just said that, I-I'd look through the bags and see if I can find something besides just soup for us once I've changed." 'Whew! Now that was close!'
"Roger. I'm going to survey the surrounding area and make sure we didn't settle too close to any animal dens."
"Good idea. But be careful about it! The last thing we need is to have you so wrapped up in bandages that you can't tell where we're headed!" Satisfied with her small lecture, Kaname wrapped up the clothes she'd changed out of and put them into one of her bag's compartments. Stuffing the last of them into the small zipped area, Kaname did a double take at the secured weather proof sheet when she heard a low chuckle from behind it.
"Yes Chidori, I'll be careful. I'll return in a few minutes."
"Okay, be safe." Slipping her shoes back on, she exited the tent and started digging through the bags to find something that would make a more sufficient dinner. Soup was all well and good, but sometimes something with a little more substance was needed in order to feel stronger for strenuous activities. Kaname sat up sharply at that, her mind immediately going into the gutter after thoughts of other strenuous activities had rushed to the forefront of her mind. "No! No, no, no! Bad Kaname! Must think pure thoughts!"
Grabbing one of the first things she found, she lifted her hand to find she now held a can of cream of mushroom soup. All at once her shoulders slumped and she could swear that a part of her psyche was laughing at the irony. "Just great, I ask for something with more substance, and I get cream of mushroom soup. Wonderful..."
With a sigh she dug through the bags once more, searching out the small cooking pot they had packed so she could start heating up the soup. After everything was set up and all that was left was to wait for it to heat up, Kaname took a better look at their surroundings. Not as much snow was on the ground where they were, and a lot more of the dark brown of the dirt showed through. It was still beautiful, but it was amazing what a simple change in altitude would do. It seemed as if there was no end to all the snow earlier that morning, and now it seemed as scarce as water in the desert. A cool enough breeze was still blowing, and Kaname could only stand it for so long before fetching the tunic she had been given from the tent.
"Chidori?"
"Yeah, I'm in here," she replied quickly, not wanting him to get worried if she took too long answering. The tunic wrapped tightly around her neck and shoulders, she came back out to find him standing with four dead creature hanging from his hands. "What on earth...?"
"They're Altai Weasels Chidori. I came across them not far from here and thought we could do with some fresh meat instead of the dried jerky." A smirk came to his face as Kaname's scrunched up in disgust at the thought of eating the small creatures.
"Well, we do need the meat, but,...weasels?"
"I promise it won't be that bad. I'll skin them quickly and we'll have them on a makeshift spit over the fire in no time." Another grimace passed over her face, inciting a light chuckle from him. "I'll make sure you don't see me skinning them, would that be satisfactory?"
"Yeah, I guess. Just don't let me see any heads or eyes while it's cooking though or I might lose my appetite." With another small smirk to himself, he made quick work of the small mammals, and they were roasting over the fire before Kaname could argue any further. After a while, he tested them, and handed them over to Kaname to chop up and add to the soup. She had an amusing look of disgust on her face as she did, mostly from knowing that the creature she was chopping up for sustenance was more often than not, sold as pets on the street corners.
When the time finally came to eat, Kaname carefully sniffed at the bowl that now held a portion of the mushroom soup and chunks of weasel meat. Glancing across the fire, she almost glared at Kashim as he sat and ate his meal without even blinking. "Something wrong Chidori?"
"It amazes me that you can eat this so calmly when just under an hour ago the creatures in our food were out looking for their dinner." Sipping up the last of the soup from his bowl, het set it down in front of him before responding.
"This is actually much better than some of the many other things I have eaten Chidori. More often than not, I was never given first, second, or even a third chance at meals when I was traveling with the Mujahedeen. There have been times when I went without food, simply because it was a choice between taking what was left, or allowing one of the younger children to have a little more." The spoon stopped before it made it to her mouth, the surprise written clearly across her delicate features.
"You...you really did that? You would go without food like that?"
"Yes. In fact, the only reason I have eaten as I have the past few days, is because Majid ordered that you be taken care of as an honored guest among us." Lowering her hands, the half empty bowl came to rest at her knees, still amazed that he had been treated in such ways for so long. Suddenly having lost her appetite, she moved the bowl aside and stood to sit closer to him, her expression tense as she tried in vain to hide the fact that she wanted to cry at the newfound knowledge. "Chidori?"
"Would it be okay to change the subject? There was something I wanted to ask you."
"Of course, what is it?"
"Well, since we have a ways to go until we get to the city, I'd like it if you could teach me some Russian on the way." That he was surprised at her request would have been an understatement. Still, she was right, it would be good if they could pass the time with something more than just stories from life and literature. Reaching over to the side of the fire pit, he picked up a stick and began drawing words and symbols in the dirt. A few minutes later, a small collection of basic words and phrases now stared back at them.
"I've written them in a way that I believe will be simple enough for you to make the transition Chidori." Pointing to the first of the Japanese symbols, he continued, pointing out their English and then Russian counterpart. "The Japanese symbol is 'Yama', it's English meaning is 'Mountain', and the Russian word is 'Gora'." As he continued, Kaname occasionally asked a question on pronunciation, or if she had been confused by the usage, but otherwise, he had to admit, she was n incredibly intelligent girl. Erasing the set he had made and starting another, Kaname reached out and swept the small area clean, confusing him for a moment until she took hold of the stick and tried writing everything that he had just told her out.
"So, 'Yama' is 'Gora', 'On'nanoko' is 'Devushka', and-"
"Wait a second, you got those symbols wrong." A blush rushed to her face as his hand came to rest over hers, guiding the stick in the shallow dirt, hopefully allowing her to get a feel for how the Cyrillic alphabet was drawn. She was acutely aware of just how close he was now, and though she wanted to pay attention to what he was saying, feeling the heat between them through the tunic was starting to cloud her thoughts.
"S-So that symbol belongs her instead?"
"Yes, you accidentally moved it to the end instead of third from the beginning." It was difficult to think the longer he was that close. Having leaned over, while his right hand had draped over hers to guide their makeshift pencil, his other had come around and rested on her waist. The heat radiated from her back, and when she felt the hand on her waist drift up her arm, Kaname couldn't help but shiver as pleasant tingles followed the trail his fingers left. "You're not listening Chidori."
His voice was rough and hot in her ear, and she felt herself tilting her head, her body growing hot as his breath played over the soft skin. Her eyes drifted closed for a minute, lazily turning to face him when the heat on her neck had disappeared. Kaname's head rolled back to rest on his shoulder, allowing herself to revel in the pleasant heat as he spoke foreign words to her. A small moan escaped her as she felt his lips dragging across her neck, the word for the body part, 'Shyeya', coming out roughly before pulling away and coming back to her ear. "Sousuke..."
All at once he too was trapped in the same fires that had started to consume her, the stick finally falling from their hand and allowing their fingers to intertwine. It was amazing what hearing his name on her lips did to him, and said like that, he was willing do anything just to hear it one more time. She finally twisted far enough to meet his eyes, mere centimeters apart with every heated breath shortly warmed the other's lips before being carried away in the ever cooling wind. Just staring at each other for a moment, her mind finally cleared enough to speak, though that was actually the last thing she wanted to do. "We shouldn't really be doing this..."
"If you tell me to stop, I will honor your request Chidori." Losing herself in pools of molten silver, Kaname's free hand came up to brush under his jaw, lightly dragging her pointer finger down the side of his throat and enjoying feel of his rapid pulse. Stopping at the collar to his shirts, her hand took hold and drew him back in, her lips brushing against his with every word.
"What is it that you really want...Sousuke?" It wasn't a matter of what he wanted really, but in the end she had asked a redundant question. Taking from their forgotten lesson of learning the basics of the Russian language, he decided to be difficult, and reply in that language instead.
"Ya hochu potselovatʹ tebya yeshche raz." Pulling on his shirt collar, he got his wish as their lips crashed together, the flames that had been building inside growing higher as she turned to fully face him and allow his arms to wrap tightly around her as she settled into his lap once more.
In case anyone is wondering, no, they did not get down and do the nasty. I know, it's disappointing, but oh well. Also, in case anyone is wondering, the last thing Sousuke spoke in Russian was: 'I want to kiss you again', and no she didn't understand, but then again did she really need to? ^^ Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the updates, and I hope everyone is still enjoying the progression. I'll try and get the next one started asap. Until next time!
