Story 1:
Chapter 10:
Pleasures within Poison
"How did this happen?" said Kuroumaru, wincing as he heard his princess's screams of agony, the occasional crash of porcelain vase and mirrors being thrown across the room reverberated within the Nura Manor, its source came from the Nurarihyon's room.
Aya had collapsed unconscious on her throne right after she issued that the Medicine Seller is free to go. As her bodyguard, Kuroumaru has brought her back with his father and the Yakushi clan's head close behind his tails, deeply concern of the pale princess. As soon as Kuroumaru laid the princess down on her bed, she woke up immediately and chased everyone out, screaming around as if she is in deep anguish and throwing priceless vase around the room.
Ren Yakushi sighed. He is a pale-looking young man who had silvery-white hair flowing to his waist, tied back simply with a deep red ribbon to keep them out of his beautifully emotionless face. His clan specializes in making medicines, and he had tried to heal the princess from human's medicine, which she is highly allergic to, but to his dismay, he could not help her at all as human's medicine is not his forte.
"Dakora has been feeding her small amount for the past one year," the silver-haired physician said dismally. "He seemed to want to kill her off when her body finally succumbed to the human's medicine, and he gave her large amounts of it in one go the day before he started to sentence the Medicine Seller. I trust you noticed his sudden bravado in giving orders when the princess is not around, Head of the Karasu Tengu clan?"
"Yes, I did," said the small sized Karasu Tengu, who, despite his appearance, is indeed the head of the Karasu Tengu clan. He had had his actual size preserved in a spell that only he knew, so as to reserve his energy for possible wars or attacks and only use it during crucial time. "I find it rather odd for the normally reserved Dakora-dono to suddenly grow into a brave tyrant when in the past he is just as quiet and loyal as a little puppy."
Their conversation is interrupted with a choked scream from Aya's room, followed closely by a white vase full of blue irises thrown right through the space in between the two standing ayakashi. They appeared unfazed by the sudden appearance of a flying vase.
"I know human's medicine very well," said a smooth masculine voice suddenly from the corner of the corridor. The three of them turned their heads around to see who the owner of the voice was.
It was the Medicine Seller.
"I can help her," he offered, his eyes focused on none of the three ayakashi, but on the shadowed outlines of the princess through the thin semi-transparent shoji door, throwing things around the room. He had observed her a few times, and he saw how she would often pause for a while in her ministration and leaned over onto a coffee table, breathing harshly and loudly. "I lead the life as a Medicine Seller in the human world, and often came across something that requires my expertise as a medicine seller who sells human's medicine."
Kuroumaru, who had been standing right in front of the medicine seller, narrowed his eyes watchfully, guarding the door leading to the princess's chamber. "How would we know that you wouldn't kill her?" he said forwardly, tightening his gloved hands on the hilt of his sword, preparing for anything from the suspicious Medicine Seller in case he tried to do anything.
"Kuroumaru!" Karasu Tengu reprimanded his eldest son sharply, who ignored his father's callings and continued.
"Why linger around when Hime-sama has freed you?" he started angrily, his grip on the hilt of his sword tightened for every single accuse he threw at the Medicine Seller, who remained as calm as he had first stepped into the land of the Nura clan. "Are you planning to take her life away again when she had saved you from your fate? Are you trying to finish what Dakora had started? Are you trying to kill her?"
"Enough, Kuroumaru-dono!" exclaimed Ren irritably, instantly stopping Kuroumaru's accusations. Once Kuroumaru had stopped arguing, Ren continued gravely, "The Medicine Seller has a wide knowledge in the medicine field, in both the human's and the ayakashi's. With his combined knowledge of both the Ayakashi's and the Human's, he could well be the only one able to save her."
"But that doesn't make sense!" Kuroumaru exclaimed stubbornly. "You're a physician yourself! You're an Ayakashi, and Hime-sama is an Ayakashi too-"
"But you seemed to forget that she is not fully Ayakashi, my son," Karasu Tengu interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. Kuroumaru has been Aya's closest bodyguard for as long as anyone could remember, starting right from when she is born. He practically raised her himself, and is more brotherly than a fatherly figure to her. He cherished his princess greatly, and he doesn't wish for the princess that he had painstakingly guarded and protected lost her life just like that.
"She does have traces of human blood within her," Kuroumaru's father continued, his voice now taking a softer tone. "-which is what triggered both the allergic and the reaction that humans normally do to this kind of medication."
"It was just an aphrodisiac-"
"Which, when given to a human, would generate unbelievable urges to have sex," Ren intercepted once again. "Aphrodisiac is the one thing known only to those Ayakashi's who practiced medicines that could harm a powerful Ayakashi, triggering allergic reactions that could sometimes be fatal, which is, unfortunately, happening to our princess right now."
Kuroumaru's eyes widened in surprise and fear, "Then save her!"
Ren sighed deeply, as if regretting the fact that he could not help the princess. "There are no known counter-measures for an Aphrodisiac. The only way is to wait it out or to actually satisfy the lust that has started within her, but the former idea is the worst since waiting it out means to allow the blood running high in her veins, which could really kill her if it is not brought back down to the normal blood rate."
He observes everyone's expression, finding traces of concern on their looks, even within the seemingly cold eyes of the Medicine Seller. He continued solemnly, "She could well die from internal bleeding."
"I owe her one," the Medicine Seller said suddenly, his voice felt alien to even him, for he thought he sounded rather apologetic. He is a Medicine Seller, always moves as someone without a name and hunts Ayakashis to rid them off the human world, and yet, here he is, not only owing a debt to an Ayakashi, but would go as far as to help one. He really should have put his emotions aside when dealing with such ayakashis, but when it comes to his mentor's families, he really couldn't help but to be emotional.
Stepping forward, the Medicine Seller raised his hands and paused right on the hollowed handle on the shoji door. "I'll help her."
The air is thick with tenseness. Everyone is on guard around the Medicine Seller, who, at times, would put people into a defense mode with the mysterious air around him. Ren broke the silence grimly, "You do know what you're offering, right, Mr. Medicine Seller?"
"I was about to gave her my answers when I was taken away by the Karasu Tengu's first heir," said the Medicine Seller, still fixing his eyes on the door. Aya's breathing has grown difficult and heavily labored, and he couldn't help but to feel as if there is a string tugging at his heart, begging him to do something about it.
Kuroumaru's cheek colored in slight pink when he heard what the Medicine Seller said. He did feel a little guilty about taking the Medicine Seller under arrest, and he now realize what the princess has been trying to tell him when he heard what the princess has announced in the hall.
"If what the princess said is true," Karasu Tengu started, catching the Medicine Seller's attention, which turned his head around to meet the Karasu Tengu's eyes. "Then that would means you will be the father of the child she is going to carry in the future."
"Yes," Ren agreed. "She does announce that you are the companion she had chosen to be with. By means of helping her, you will be giving her your heir."
"That is my intention, and my response from her last question," the Medicine Seller replied simply. He gave a nod to each of the ayakashis and slide the door open, closing it behind him quietly.
An almost infinite amount of shattered vase littered the polished wooden floor, its color mixing together like splattered paint, distorting the beautiful image of the room that he had previously have the privilege to observe and admire. A few curtains gathered in a heap, as if it were torn off from their hooks high up in the ceiling and thrown about in anger. He moved closer to the sound of harsh breathing, and huddled in a corner, hidden by a transparent curtain, was Aya.
Quietly, he walked towards her. She seemed to know he was there, and the closer he gets to her, the tighter she curled herself into a ball. Kneeling down in front of her, the Medicine Seller softly whispered to her, "Let me help you."
Without even replying, Aya stood up quickly and moved away from the Medicine Seller, as if she cannot bear to stand close to him. Breathing harshly, Aya searched for something to quench her sudden burning throat. She spotted a large vase-like jug filled with water and quickly took it into her arms, gulping it down greedily, not caring if the water overflowed from the jug and down the front of her yukata, soaking it in cool ice water that does nothing to cool her burning skin.
Suddenly, the water that drained down her front changes from transparent to blood red. Coughing violently, Aya dropped the jug, which shattered into a thousand pieces and tried to support her on one arm by the table, which fell down when she dragged it with her to the ground.
The Medicine Seller rushed forward and catches her just as she fell and knelt down onto the floor, vomiting fountains of blood with him holding her in his arms. The Medicine Seller noted that her breathings were growing harsher, as if it is painful for her to even breathe a mouthful of air. He held her patiently in his arms, pulling a handkerchief out of nowhere and dabbed at her mouth, cleaning her face from blood.
"The human medicine you are given is an aphrodisiac," the Medicine Seller explained, moving a stray lock away from her eyes. "And I know that you know what you have to do to save yourself-"
"I thought I've freed you," intercepted Aya suddenly, her voice sounded grainy from the prolonged screaming. "Why are you still here?"
"You didn't hear the end of my answer last time," he said simply, his lips curved up a little when he saw her eyes widened in surprise. "I decided to let you conceive my heir."
There were several expressions on her face after she had heard what he had said, and among them the Medicine Seller noticed that there are fear and confusion.
"I have to do this," said the Medicine Seller solemnly, grasping her hand in his. He watched as Aya gasped for breath and desperately tried to move away from him, but he secured her in his embrace by wrapping one of his arms around her shoulder, preventing her from moving away. Gripping on the front of his robes tightly as if they would be the substitute for her burning desires, a tear escaped Aya's eyes, her face flushed deep with desires she cannot comprehend. The torturing desires she felt burned deep within her and causing her extreme pain, growing all the more as she desperately trying to resist them.
"Aya, I have to do this," the Medicine Seller insisted. "-or else the amount of Aphrodisiac would kill you in less than a day-"
"Then stop them with something else!" Aya breathed out, her face flushing deeply, beads of sweat dripping from her brow.
The Medicine Seller gave a squeeze on her hand, giving a troubled look. "There is no other way," he said almost apologetically. "The medicine that it requires to neutralize all the Aphrodisiac in your body needs at least a full moon cycle for it to work, and even with that, it could only neutralize a small amount, and not a large amount."
One hand caressing the side of her flushed face, the Medicine Seller said sincerely, "Let me save you, Aya."
Aya turned her face away from him. "I did not save you just so you could repay me."
"Let me love you then," the Medicine Seller insisted simply.
Surprise came over her face. Turning to look at the Medicine Seller slowly in disbelief, Aya couldn't speak properly without wincing in pain and so she whispered tiredly, "What?"
Bringing her wrist to his lips, he brushed his lips against the back of her hand and whispered against it, "Let me love you for the time being. Until you are fully healed, let me love you."
A single tear escaped her glistening eyes. Swallowing audibly, Aya murmured. "But I'm an Ayakashi-"
"Which thinks most differently than most Ayakashi or mononoke's I've ever met," the Medicine Seller replied to her softly, an extremely light, almost non-existent smile grazed his thin lips. "You're not a full mononoke, nor are you dead with hatred and killing humans. You're born as an Ayakashi, with part of a human thinking, possibly influenced by your human blood from your ancestor. You live a life without hatred, and if possible, full of love for your people and tried your best to keep them away from harm by distancing your world from the human world as far as possible. You realized that as an Ayakashi with human blood, you won't live longer than a normal Ayakashi, thus you need an heir with a father who is different than most ayakashi's and humans."
Aya's eyes widened in surprise, mouth parted slightly in awe. "How do you know-"
The Medicine Seller merely smiled. "I figured them out when I'm in captive under Dakora."
Lifting her up into his arms, the Medicine Seller walked slowly towards her bed, where he gently laid her upon it and sat on the side of the bed, leaning forward and placing both of his arms beside her head. He patiently waited for her to give him permission to touch her.
Almost shyly, Aya looked up into his eyes. It was of such a captivating color, and the gaze he gave her was so strong that she was tempted to look away. His face is so close to hers that she could practically felt his breath lingering on her lips, a mere inches away.
As brave as she was mentioning this union earlier, she felt appallingly embarrassed when having to face him this close. She wished that she would have this union with someone that loves her, but the dire situation she is thrown unceremoniously upon were not giving her time to wait for the feelings to blossom. And she knew she cannot die right now; what would happen if she refused the Medicine Seller's seductive advances? She realizes she loves him when she so willingly drew out Nenekirimaru for him, a hunter. He might love her, but she will never know it if he didn't voice it out.
She could already feel the raging fire burning within her is slowly corrupting her from the inside, killing her slowly if she refuses the union that is the only thing to quell it completely. She cried out and arched her back when she moved her trembling legs, the fire within raged wild with need. As unwilling as she is having a loveless union, she had to do it for her people. How would they survive without her, when she is the last of her kind and having no heir to support her after she dies? Something good might result from this union, and she wishes that it will never take a turn for the worse.
With a trembling hand, Aya stroked the man's cheek, who hovered above her and staring at her with a gaze resembling adoration. Its paleness rivaled her very own, and she felt the fire grazing the tips of her fingers being quenched immediately just by the simple acts of touching him. Tilting her head up a little, the Medicine Seller leaned down and met her lips softly, almost lovingly.
Their lips touched, gently and cautious at first; one experiencing her first kiss while the other started slowly so as to not frighten her of what is to come later. His lips were soft, and hers were sweet; both were of a velvety texture and extremely addictive even for a starter. She never knew that the sheer feelings of kissing could stir up something within her, and she wanted more of it.
The kiss gradually became more forceful and passionate as the Medicine Seller lost all of his reason to be gentle with her and found how much he relished the kiss; her sweet lips, her velvety skin, and the addictive cavern. Slipping his tongue into her mouth, he smirked when he heard the beauty beneath him responded with a slight cry and her tongue starting to move against him.
He felt her wrap her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as she started to succumb to her desires welling within her. The little restraint that either of them have for themselves snapped seconds after he felt her tongue licking his lips when it came to this kind of physical touch. Her wants were already clear and lying open to him underneath, while his came soon after. Nothing could stop her from wanting this physical touch to go on further, and nothing could stop him from embracing her.
His deft fingers slide between their now tightly entangled bodies and pulled at the string that serves as the only barrier to her skin. Breaking the kiss, his mouth travelled to her neck and he begun kissing them, tasting the fresh and slightly cool skin, indicating that she had just taken a shower to ease the fire that only she can feel. He smiled when he felt her hands trying to tear his clothes away from him, whimpering when her trembling fingers failed in the process. Leaning back, he took her hands away from his clothes and undressed himself.
Robes quickly covered the cold floor in a flurry of motions, the sound of kissing the only sound that breaks the silence within the sleeping chamber of Nura Aya. The beautiful man hovering on top of Aya explored her open body with his hands and lips, driving her mad with need. His hands and fingers came to a stop in the spot between her legs, feeling her arching her back to feel his hands, her body pressed tightly to his. He stroked her silky folds and inserted one long lean finger gently so as to not cause her pain, feeling her getting so high and wet that her juices had started to flow out onto his waiting hand.
Leaning into her ear, the Medicine Seller whispered his name to her, licking and sucking on her earlobe, brings her another wave of pleasure. She had started to leave fingernail marks on his forearms, gripping him tightly, as if to tell him to just take her and stop all the foreplays.
Many a times, Aya would feel sharp pain that lasted for no longer than a second whenever the Medicine Seller kissed her, leaving a trail of saliva and planting 'strawberries' in his wake. He decided that he liked to see her with kiss marks all over her, and he had taken the advantage to do so when he stroked her so as to not let her know of what he did. He wanted to see what is her reaction when she realizes all the love bites he had planted all over her neck for the world to see when all of this is over, making him smile slightly in his muse.
He positioned himself over her and paused in her entry, looking into her dazed eyes for more permission. Aya whispered his name softly and touched his chest, stroking the smooth pale surface. That is when all the pain started.
The Aphrodisiac that Dakora had given to Aya seems to have a rather different effect than most normal sex stimulating medicines. It did not only raise the amount of needed pleasures, but also other senses such as pain, heat or cold. In other words, Aya now have more than 10 times the sensitivity of a normal human and Ayakashi.
He entered her slowly, not wanting to hurt her more by being rough and preferred to approach her gently, nudging her entrance and inserted himself more into her. He saw her face pulled up in pain, her grip on him tightened 10 folds as the pain started to take over her. He knew it hurts her, but if he stops right now, he will cause her more lasting pain. Kissing her tears, he snapped his hip forward and entered her fully in one move, hearing a mixture of strangled cry of pain and pleasure from her. The burning feeling on his back where she had sank her nails in him by gripping him too hard made him stopped moving all at once, allowing her time to adjust to him.
The feeling of being buried within her makes him feel so complete, and she's so warm. He never expected her to smell so wonderful either, a smell so addictive he wished he could bottle them up and be preserved forever. He would expect no less than 10 fingernail marks behind his back later on. Grunting embarrassingly in pain and pleasure, she used both of her legs to grip him tightly by the waist, and when she did that, a smile grazed his lips.
One hand sliding over her breast, he slipped his tongue into her mouth when she gasped from his touch, relishing and exploring her sweet addictive cavern and loving it when she responded back to him with equal fondness. He deepens their kiss almost to the degree of violating, to which she followed and soon their tongue is entangled in a battle over dominance, ending with the Medicine Seller on the upper hand.
When the pain diminished completely and be taken over by an extremely pleasurable feeling, Aya started to move, giving the Medicine Seller the hint he needed for him to move. He obeyed her completely and started to move, slow and gentle at first, and gradually picking up pace. Aya moaned and cried out in pleasure, holding the Medicine Seller to her tightly, feeling him embracing her as tightly as she did, and whispering her name over and over.
They spend a total of two full days making love with each other, not feeling the need to eat or drink as they satisfy each other completely, their eyes having only each other within their very own hypnotizing orbs.
Written On: 2nd of July 2010
A/N: First and foremost, I have to say that I hoped all of you have enjoyed my story thus far, regardless of the Medicine Seller's strange position (which I noticed is getting stranger and stranger as the story proceeds) and his strange actions. It's just so hard to keep the wonderfully beautiful, mysterious, sexy, hot and everything wonderful Kusuriuri-san in position and character, and I really hope that not many of you would mind the romance between Nurarihyon-hime and Kusuriuri-san. Dear, dear, I'm getting horny. Shit, this is embarassing.
It would surely and completely motivate me if you would kindly leave a review for me. Thank you for staying with me this far throughout When Hunter Meets Prey.