PoT Ryosaku (PG-13)
Consequences (Sequel to Finding Me Finding You)
By angelhazel
Disclaimer: I asked, very nicely, but they refused to send me the legal rights. Damn!
It was different again this time, there was savagery in the way her lips were rubbed against and the way the hands were hurting her more than just touching.
She couldn't stop herself from struggling, couldn't stop herself from experiencing the helplessness again. She was sobbing, the horror of being molested by a stranger clenched ice-cold in her belly.
She felt her lips being crushed against her teeth, and she hurt. Struggling to keep her mouth closed in case the tongue invaded her mouth again, but crying very hard at the same time, Sakuno was having trouble breathing.
The hands descended on her, moving all over her. She felt a pressure on her breast, and then had to clench her teeth to keep from screaming when she was pinched very hard.
Contradictorily, the pain took fear out of her. Sakuno had felt shame and confusion that a stranger was touching her in her dreams; now she was brought beyond the self-directed emotions. Now, she felt angry, where was justice?
Who was barging in on her dreams and demeaning her nightly? She had no way of knowing. She couldn't even feel any aura indicating a human presence behind the sensations.
If not human, then what? Another magic user? Did he not take the oath by his blood not to abuse his power? Sakuno herself had gone through a lengthy ritual in which she swore to the spirits of her ancestors that she would never intentionally use her power to hurt innocent people. Didn't all magic users have to undertake such an oath? If he were a renegade, she would be doing the world a favor to neutralize him.
But why was she so helpless against him? She was Ryuuzaki Sakuno, a witch by her blood, and the strongest witch among those she knew. The anger burned low but steady, overpowering the instinct to curl up and cry.
She didn't deserve the harassment; she didn't do anything to justify this. She had to find a way to end it!
In a desperate pitch for control, Sakuno focused all the power at her command, and let loose a blinding white light, hoping it would stun her assailant no matter which magical dimension he was in. The effort was making her cold rapidly, but a painful keening that reached her ears rewarded her.
Good, she hoped he was in great pain. The weight on her chest lifted, she felt a tingling as her own limbs begun to come back to life. Grabbing the opportunity, she mentally recited the Mind Seal, bending her mind into herself so he was barred outside and could no longer control her subconscious.
As the last word of the spell was uttered, she felt her astral spirit being jerked strongly downwards. Although now in deep swirling darkness, she knew she was back in her own body. The disembodied voice didn't continue, the violating hands touching her were no more.
She stayed like that for a long time, floating in silent, aimless darkness, until she heard Ryoma calling her. His voice sounded very far away, but she could make out the words when she concentrated.
Her spirit leaned towards his voice like a flower towards the sun. Ryoma's voice was calling her to come home.
Sakuno… come back … open your eyes … Please, love, look at me.
Her heart soared at his words. He loved her. He loved her. Ryoma loved her.
Elated, she struggled through the thick darkness, moving towards his voice. She tried to open her eyes, so she could see the expression on his face when he called her "love".
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get any closer to his voice. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open her eyes. To her dismay, she just discovered the Mind Seal had a severe flaw: she appeared to have trapped herself in her own body ……
Less than half an hour later, the bath was turning cold. Feeling her temperature was rather back to normal, Ryoma decided to just get her out of the tub and back to bed. Her color was coming back, and she looked like she was sleeping peacefully, which eased his worries.
After letting out the cooling water, he faced a problem: Sakuno would have to get out of the wet clothes first.
OK, so just take them off her, shouldn't be a big problem, you know, just slip the pajamas/dress thing over her head and it would come off.
Ah ……I don't think that's the crux of the problem ……
Well, she can't go to bed in those wet clothes, can she?
Yes, well …… what happens after you take them off?
Erm. Uh-Huh. Well. But still, it's only practical!
Okay, maybe you can promise not to look.
I am not a pervert like Oyaji! I ……think.
Fine, so go ahead and strip her.
OK, I will, AND I won't look. If she stays like that any longer, she will just get cold again.
Mada mada da ne, Echizen.
He struggled to get the sticky wet material away from her, and discovered she was like a thoughtfully wrapped present: there was another layer under the pajamas.
Might as well go the distance, he thought grimly. He hoisted her up and made short work of the wet lace undies, then quickly wrapped her in the dry fluffy towel on hand.
She was blushing in her subconscious, unable to either protest or help him. Even if she could move, she wasn't sure if she would stop him or aid him. The knowledge of that made her blush fiercer.
She recalled the past few weeks, when he had practically ignored her after they spent the night trapped in the storeroom. And now he was going to so much trouble to take care of her.
Before this night, she was almost convinced that he wasn't meant for her after all. She realized that she didn't trust him, or herself, enough; she should have put more faith in the vision shown to her in her premonition dream. Ryoma cared for her, loved her even, and that was all she needed to know.
He brought her back to her bed, and carefully tucked her under the comforter, sans now wet towel. Her hair was wet as well, he spread it out behind her head to dry, and found that she looked just like a sleeping angel in the moonlight. Now he just hoped she would wake up soon.
Ryoma went back to clean up as best as he could in the bathroom, and flicked off the blue light on his way back to Sakuno's side. He sat on the floor beside the bed and watched her grumpily. He had done more housework tonight than in the past fifteen years, he told her sleeping form, and she had better appreciate his efforts.
He was worn out from the unaccustomed work, and from carrying her to and fro. Yawning, his head dropped onto the mattress and he went deep under.
Sakuno heard his complaint and smiled in her mind, she would remember to thank him properly when the spell wore off and she could wake up. There was nothing to do but wait, since there wasn't a counter spell to release her from the Mind Seal.
She would have to add a little notation to her notebook; she could either modify the spell so she could release herself from it at will or make sure she never ever used it again. She would have to find another way to stop the molester, who knew when he would be back again. The white flash worked, so perhaps she could focus her power into a beam so she would hurt him more. She would need to see if she could pinpoint a target next time.
The Mind Seal worked in its way, but she would rather not be stuck like that every time after the dream. Thankfully her life was not in danger and she was being taken care of by someone she trusted, heart and soul.
She floated in the restful infinity, feeling more energized as time past. Gradually, she was able to feel her limbs and finally opened her eyes.