A Mortal Infatuation
Chapter Nine: Healing Kisses and Sweet Promises
"If you cannot keep up, I shall have Takao carry you again"
"I can't help it! Your legs are longer, and my shoulder hurts!" Kimieka complained, her arm straining against the pull of his brisk pace. Kimieka almost face planted into him at his sudden halt.
Deep green orbs studied her critically, the pull of a frown creasing his beautiful brow at the sight of her injured shoulder. "You're bleeding" he murmured surprised.
"Y-yeah! That Bird guy was really too rough-
"You should be more careful" The green god admonished harshly. His long elegant fingers tugged down quickly the collar of her sweater exposing the bare skin of her punctured shoulder.
"Takao" he called "Come help with this"
"Shin-chan?" Takao who was travelling a few feet in front backtracked beside the taller man. The Familiars eyes widened when he eyed the wound.
"Oh" he said softly. Kimieka watched him spare a quick glance at his God friends face. "Ne, don't worry Shin-chan I can fix this no trouble, won't even scar I promise!"
Midorima's face reddened to the state of an overly ripened tomato. "I'm not worried, nanodayo!"
Kimieka felt herself blush when Takao stepped forward, his face hovering an inch away from her own.
"Shin-chans right you know, you should be more careful. A mortals pretty delicate and you shouldn't make Shin-chan worry too much" The familiar smiled.
"I wasn't worried" Midorima repeated quickly
Kimieka gasped in surprise when Takao's wet tongue lapped at her injured shoulder.
"W-what are you doing!?" Kimieka squeaked. She tried to pull away but Midorima's stern look kept her in place.
"Ah!" A sudden suckle withdrew another gasp. She was as surprised as she was embarrassed to find it didn't hurt. When Takao withdrew all flakes of blood and cut had disappeared.
"How did you-
"Im a familiar, Its one of my special abilities" He grinned.
"That's amazing" She cooed and watched as his brushy tail wagged at his apparent delight. From this proximity Kimieka could see how velvety soft his midnight ears looked and didn't restrain her urge to reach out at pat him.
"Thank-you" she murmured awkwardly, unsure if what she was doing was insulting or not she gave into her desires and offered him a quick scratch behind the ear. She jolted back in surprise when he made a noise similar to a cats purr.
"K-KAWAII!" She squealed as she watched his ears twitch and eyes flutter innocently. When she reached out to pat him again however her had was seized by a rather pissed off looking greeny.
"Enough fooling around, if you have time enough to waste then you should do the festival preparations yourself Takao" Midorima gave her hand a gentle tug and began their brisk pace again leaving the familiar behind.
"Waah Shin-chan, that's no fair!"
"Well you should had thought of that before"
"Its not my fault your planning is behind, you where the one who interrupted the meeting by leaving to save the Mortal"
Kimieka felt a wave of guilt wash over her.
"Ano, I'm really very sorry for the trouble" She caught the Gods attention enough that she able stop to offer an apologetic bow, "and please I would like to make it up by helping out with any of this planning, if you would let me?"
He remained silent for a while, his expression remaining rather peeved.
"What star sign are you?"
Kimieka raised her brows at the question, "Virgo but I don't see how-
Kimieka nearly choked unable to finish her sentence.
Midorima was smiling.
"It is good you are Virgo" he replied softly
Holy fucking hell Mr Moody Carrot head just smiled. CALM DOWN HORMONES IT'S JUST A SMILE.
"Y-y-you just smiled" oh god her brain had stopped functioning.
"Is that a problem?"
"Ah n-no" She laughed feeling her face blush, "It's just that, you looked very handsome just now"
OMG I SO DID NOT JUST SAY THAT
Next to her Midorima froze.
THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING HOW COULD I HAD JUST SAID THAT SO CASUALLY, OMG I CAN FEEL HIM LOOKING AT ME, DONT MAKE EYE CONTACT, KEEP YOUR DIGNITY WHILE YOU STILL CAN...
She heard him sigh. His grip on her hand relaxed and she felt herself squeal internally when his fingers laced between her own. Suddenly she was reminded of some stupid television drama where two star crossed lovers held hands like this and fans dubbed it the 'lovers embrace'. She was sure her face was an unpleasant shade of pink and she turned it as far away from him as possible.
...
Despite her nerves, Kimieka found it remarkably easy to be around the Green haired Deity. His quiet stoic nature measured a level of peaceful tranquillity about him, which she found soothed her jumbled hormones and awkward tongue in the many moments they spent together. Much to her dismay she found Takao mostly left them alone which meant many minutes of relative silence if she was not the one to speak. The deity had assigned her many duties, ranging from scenting envelops and cleaning ink brushes to more exciting tasks like sorting through temple prayers; which Takao had informed her where as valuable in this world as gold was on earth. Despite the hard work and his tsundere* attitude, she found her stay with him much more enjoyable than at the First Temple.
"Mido-kami?" She watched the God gracefully writing neat Kanji* characters on the scrolled paper. His arm was steady from what she was sure was many hours practice and long, fine-boned fingers moved the brush economically and without hesitation. Midorima did not stop his ministrations to look at her as he answered stiffly, "What is it?"
"What exactly are we preparing for?"
He sighed, and placed his brush neatly beside the paper.
"The changing of seasons of course" He said matter-of-factly, two of his bandaged fingers moved to adjust his slipping glasses "It is celebrated as a festival, much like it is on the Mortal realm"
Kimika bustled excitedly, "No way like a traditional Japanese Summer Festival! Will there be games?"
Greeny looked positively startled at her sudden animation.
"I really wanna play that fishy game, OH! WILL THERE BE SNOW CONES?! I LOVE SNOW CONES"
He looked just about ready to run.
"What? You've never had a snow cone before or something?" She asked curious.
"I can assure you I have no desire to try such a thing"
Oh my God(pun intended) he could be such a bore sometimes.
"How can you say that when you don't even know what you're missing!?"
"I do not need substance to survive"
Kimieka stopped herself from rolling her eyes.
"Don't you just want to try it? Be a little adventurous." She admonished
He blushed lightly at her last comment.
"If it would please you so much I would try it once" he muttered loud enough that she let out a squeak of excitement.
"I'LL DEFINITELY MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE BEST SNOW CONE EVER A-AND IT'S GONNA TASTE SO GOOD YOU'RE GONNA DIE!" She made a cross-my-heart-hope-to-die motion over her chest and without noticing the concerned gaze he fixed her, dashed out of the screened room to inform the chef.
Meanwhile Midorima just stared dazed at the paper screen she had just exited through. He heard Takao pop his head through the roof where he had likely been napping.
"Was that just now a threat, Shin-chan?" Takao whispered worriedly
"Don't be stupid"
He dismissed his familiar quickly re-focussing on the mountain of work before him, wondering if he would get it all done by the deadline in two days time. The Festival was never his cup of tea, it was after all mostly the Sun God's affair even if he had just as large an equal amount of work he had to contribute. If he finished all his work in time perhaps he would partake in the festivities.
Midormia for once found himself suddenly looking forward to the Summer Festival, not that he would ever admit.
...
Kimieka messily tried to tie the obi of her silken Kimono, a feat she had found frustratingly difficult. The gorgeous cerulean flowers that covered the print clearly reflected the warming weather. Tonight was the Summer Festival, and Kimieka couldn't help but be excited.
"Ah Mido-Kami?" She called out through her screen shyly
"Are you ready, we really should be leaving" came the brisk response
"I um, can you help me tie my Obi? I'm still not use to wearing Kimonos"
There was a pregnant pause from the other side of the screen before it slowly opened to reveal Greeny's prettily blushing face. He himself was dressed in an impressive orange colored print which clashed dreadfully with his green hair. Now he really looks like a carrot.
"Turn" he muttered stiffly, and his hands went about fixing her Obi almost mechanically once she complied.
Once she felt him pull the last knot tightly, she turned around to offer him a full 360◦ view of his handiwork.
"There, what do you think?" She asked happily
It was as if he had turned to stone and Kimieka hardly made out the 'nice' that dropped from his unmoving lips. She was satisfied with his response however; smiling excitedly as she returned the compliment with a thumbs up, "You look great too!"
"A-ah t-that's...w-w-we should be leaving n-now" the God hid most of his blushing face with the adjustment of his glasses, another hand pulling her closely behind him. Outside a familiar old carriage awaited with an already dressed and seated Takao ready to help Kimieka climb aboard.
"We are ready now Takao" Greeny's face had settled back to its original colour though refused to glance back Kimika's way. Kimieka waved excitedly to the familiar who shot a sly wink her way, moving to the front of the wooden vehicle to navigate.
Kimieka too jovial to be sitting in silence started asking, "How far away-
"It will not take long" The God quickly dismissed
"Er, right" She pouted, his attitude slightly jarring her festive mood.
Suddenly, within the blink of an eye, an unsettling heaving sensation nearly startled her off her seat. Clinging for her life onto the unaffected mossy haired god next to her, she realised with a degree of stupid wonder that the carriage was now flying through the night air.
"T-THIS IS AMAZING!" she cackled gleefully, shaking the hem of Midorima's robe in disbelief.
"Are you making this happen?!" She almost yelled
"Of course, who else?"
Kimieka couldn't help but laugh at his cold attitude, did he really not realise how cool this was?! She made sure to voice her opinion more than once.
"If you like I could take you again...any time you want" The God muttered softly once the carriage landed a short time after.
She was a little shocked to hear that. He wasn't one to offer such things especially when it was of no necessity. She didn't have time to answer however as Takao suddenly burst through the front curtain.
"We're here! Are you excited Kiki?! This is your first festival right!?" His bushy tail wagged excitedly behind him and he steadied Kimieka at her waist to help lift her down from the wooden platform. Midorima suddenly brushed past them angrily and disappeared into the crowd of strange creatures.
"Oh did I do something?" Kimieka asked worriedly
"Actually I think it was me" Takao scratched behind his head sheepishly, "I interrupted the date"
"DATE!?" Kimieka shrieked, "THIS ISN'T A DATE!"
Takao was silent
"IS IT!?"
"Sheesh quiet down, it's fine, I'm sure he just went to cool his head a bit, let's just enjoy the festival!" Takao patted her softly on the back, trying to calm her panicked state.
OMG was this suppose to be a date? What if he tried to kiss me? EEEP STOP THINKING THAT IT MAKES ME FEEL TOO WEIRD! Wait isn't this what I wanted? If this is a date then, does that mean...that he likes me?
Somehow that thought didn't settle her nerves in the slightest. She barely took notice of all the strange sights and sounds as Takao led her through the swarms of exotic stalls and beings, her mind utterly consumed with thoughts of the Green Deity. She was too oblivious to notice the familiar warm body that she bumped into. She stumbled backwards caught off balance but a strong arm wrapped around her waist pulling her back safely, while the other hand brought one of her own up towards soft thin lips.
"K-KISE-KUN" She stuttered surprised, her eyes widening as she watched him continually kiss the back of her small hand. Wow he looks really good.
"Kiki-cchi" he pouted playfully, "Did you run away from me? I went to visit but you had already left, Akashi-cchi was super mad"
"I-i" Kimieka blabbered incoherently. Did he just say Akashi was mad? She thought of the red haired God and shuddered unconsciously.
"Ah but Kiki-cchi looks really good tonight so maybe I'll forgive you...If you give me a little treat" He cooed seductively and he let his tongue dart out to lick the spot on the back of her hand. Her face brightened up like a stop sign and Kise threw her a disarming wink.
"Unfortunately we have plans with Midorima-kun already" Takao pulled Kimieka back out of Kise's grasp and let his arm rest around her shoulders protectively.
"Aw that's not fair now is it?" Kise's voice dropped dangerously and his eyes flickered over Takao who turned stiff, "besides I don't see Mido-cchi around anywhere so let me take Kiki-cchi for a little fun"
She could hear a small growl from Takao before he retracted his arm from her shoulder and left suddenly. She was positive he was going to find his master. As soon as he had left Kise delivered his most charming smile and extended an arm, "Shall we Kiki-cchi?"
"Er o-ok" she replied quietly. Truth be told she was rather nervous to be alone with Kise-not that amongst the busy crowds could be called 'alone'-given his rather perverted track record.
"Come with me I want to show you something"
Kise guided her by the arm further through the crowds towards the bottom of a relatively large hill. He smiled indicating that whatever he wanted to show her was waiting at the summit of the grassy slope. The trek upwards was relatively quiet except for her laborious breathing as Kimieka struggled against the tight restrictions of her Kimono and balance of her heeled sandals. She almost slipped a few times but was saved by the ever alert Sun God.
"And there is the performers tents" Kise finished showing her the view of the festival below from their clearer vantage point. It was larger than she had first assumed, thousands of flickering lanterns scattered through an assortment of tents and stalls.
"I'll take you to see them later" Kise grinned
Kimieka smiled back, "Thank-you Kise-kun this is nice"
The quiet certainly made a nice change from the hustle and the bustle from down below.
"Actually I wanted to give you something"
Kimieka turned back towards him surprised, "Oh there's no need to give me anything-WOW are you making that happen?!"
The area of grass on which the sun god stood began blossoming with flowers and he plucked the liveliest of the bunch.
"This would look lovely with your kimono"
Before she could do anything but blush he fixed the flower in her already decorated hair. His fingers falling slowly to tuck a loose tendril behind her ear.
"You're not much like any other being I've met, Kimieka" Kise muttered softly, so soft that if she wasn't so startled by hearing him call her by her full name she might had just ignore it.
"You're quite extraordinary yourself" Kimieka nodded. I mean just how ordinary could a God be? Kise chuckled lowly into her ear, and she stilled a shudder at the feel of his heated breath.
"So cute" he muttered, "But you don't even think about me do you Kimieka?"
"W-what d-do you mean?" She was exceptionally nervous now. Kise was so close she wasn't sure who's heart beat she was hearing thumping overbearing in her ears. It was probably her own.
"Even when I'm not near you I hear your sweet voice calling to me..."
"...And if I close my eyes I see your smile..."
"...And my fingers itch to touch you.."
"...My mouth yearns to taste you..."
Kise was starting to sound a little unhinged. His voice was cracking with emotions too wild and unfamiliar Kimieka was unsure on whether to stay or too flee.
"Um, then...d-do you mean that..." she stuttered nervously and her blush intensified as she watch him cling on to her every word, "...is it that, you love me Kise-kun?"
"How should I answer that I wonder..." Kise whispered playfully.
And his lips floated a close distance opposite from her own.
And he lowered them gently down.
And kissed her sweetly.
A/N Wow Kise moves fast eh, Rushed Chapter I know, let me know your thoughts on the Harem theme, any particular paring you prefer? Should it remain an open relationship LOL
*Tsundere: Japanese expression that describes a person who is cold and even hostile towards a person before showing their warm side over time. Pretty much just the cutest little babies and they all need a hug
*Kanji: Set of characters from the Japanese alphabet