Chapter Thirty Six
Seiza felt her skin burn as she slowly regained consciousness. The pain burned through her and she couldn't figure out why the armor was hurting her so much.
She had to get it off.
She had to get it off.
She had to get it off.
However, they were only thoughts racing through her foggy mind. She couldn't shed the armor and she almost felt like she was compressed at the same time. It seared through every nerve and joint, and her mouth was dry. She managed to take a deep enough breath to look around with her fuzzy vision that focused in and out. She could see a darkly lit room, and she laid on a futon on the floor.
Yomi appeared in the corner of the room, "ha, conquer and divide."
She tried to speak but couldn't. She cursed at Hoshi to wake up for her and move but there was no response. She was starting to dislike the withdrawn brat.
Yomi slowly stepped forward and knelt down to her. His feathery cape splaying around him, she could feel his eyes through his hawk shaped helmet. He softly touched the scarred side of her face as he brushed her bangs away. "Your host is a warrior, Seiza, but she has so little fight left. That Yurei, Suzunagi, didn't understand quite how fragile she was, huh?"
Seiza watched his armored hand and felt a chill down her spine that lit her nerves on fire.
He leaned close and whispered, "she's really pretty. I bet you were pretty when you were alive."
She turned her eyes away from him as she a kanji light up on his forehead. She felt her stomach roll and she wanted to scream but nothing came from her mouth. His hand slowly traced the scars from the top of her forehead down over her eye, across her cheek, and to her jaw. He ran a finger back along her jaw to her chin which led to her lower lip. Hi ran his finger tenderly across her lips and then back down her chin. Her skin burned every inch he touched on her neck, and then slowly laid his hand on the breast plate of the armor.
Seiza looked away. She couldn't do anything, but she could handle what she suspected he was going to do. However, the armor wouldn't let her go. So, even though it was excruciating to have the armor on. She was relieved he couldn't hurt her.
He slowly leaned over her and she felt hot breath on her skin. The jaw of the hawk vanished and revealed his mouth. She gulped and took the best deep breath that she could as he grabbed her jaw tightly. She cursed mentally, 'Hoshi, wake the fuck up!'
There was only silence though.
His lips were warm against hers, but the instant his skin touch hers the armor of Strata constricted and she screamed in pain as pain scorched through her again. Why was the armor doing this to her? She understood she wasn't its master but it shouldn't have mattered.
Yomi chuckled lightly , "well, that was interesting reaction."
She collapsed back and she cringed. She felt like she was hallucinating when she had heard his voice, and she remembered it happening earlier. What was she hearing?
There was knock on the door and a spirit appeared, "Master Yomi, Lady Tsurara wants to see you."
"Tell her I will be there in a moment," he answered and she listened closely but he had closed the mouth piece. He reached not to far as the spirit disappeared and showed her two pairs of shackles. He locked her hands into the first pair and then her feet. "Don't go anywhere."
She cursed as he got up and swept out of the room. She couldn't move without the shackles, now her hands were bound above her head and she felt like she was even more stuck. She closed her eyes, she might as well rest. She knew the ronins were coming for her, and she had to be able to break free of the armor if she was gonna make an escape.