Lemon Warning

Sirens screamed though the city as the local district fire brigade quickly arrived on scene. The fire however had already gone out of control, and the brigade could only try to keep it contained until it burnt itself down enough to properly fight.

A block away, Shinji and Hikari stood, watching the chaos. Hikari stayed in the light, and Shinji was under a shop awning as direct sunlight was uncomfortable for him. Hikari watched with sadness as everything she had in this world was burning without hope of retrieval, but not just hers. Kodama and Nozumi would return to find their home destroyed as well…

How am I going to explain all this to them?

"We shouldn't linger," Shinji noted. "Dario might be looking for us. My teleportation range isn't that much better than his, though he doesn't know that."

Hikari sadly nodded and turned away. Shinji braved the sun to stand next to her, simply conjuring his hat and putting it on.

"Now what?" Hikari asked sullenly.

"I know what you're thinking," Shinji noted. "The same thing I thought when my first apartment was destroyed by cultists… 'I just lost everything'. But it's not true. It's all just stuff… stuff can be replaced. People once gone, are gone.

"I know," Hikari replied. "I'll adjust… I always do."

Shinji nodded. "To properly answer your question then, we're walking to my SUV. I have a safe house in the wilderness. It'll take some time to drive to, but we'll be safe there."

Hikari sobbed almost silently, drawing Shinji's attention.

"Safe…" she lamented. "Is there even such a thing anymore?"

IV: Synthesis

They arrived in the dead of night, Shinji hurriedly getting her into a spare room as the stress and fatigue were overtaking her. Once she was settled, she passed out fast, even despite being in such a strange place. Shinji felt that was a good thing.

That morning, Hikari groggily moved and looked towards her window. The curtains were drawn and the shutters were closed. Knowing the way she was now, she realized this wasn't acceptable. She dragged herself out of bed and pulled opened the curtains. Seeing accordion windows, she unlatched them, pulled them open the threw open the shutters allowing the glorious sun into the room. Shinji had the presence of mind it seemed to give her a room that faced east, towards the back of the house. The sun was over the nearby trees and the warm glow embraced her. Instantly she felt better, breathing a sigh of relief as her skin once again regained its color.

"Much better," she whispered. The breeze was only slightly warm and judging from the height of the sun it was around mid to late morning. She went to check her phone and noted an electronic alarm clock on her night stand that read 10:37am… then questioned how a house this deep in the woods would even have electricity.

Seeing some clothes were laid out on her dresser for her, she first questioned where they came from but saw they were a close fit and felt it would be better to ask later. Noting the fact that underclothes weren't included, she realized she'd have to reuse the ones she had for now, a thought she didn't enjoy.

The bathroom was set up basically and a little bigger than she was used to with white marble vanity tops, darkwood, and brushed nickle accents, all together she liked the simplicity of it. Expecting cold water, she tried the faucet and was pleasantly surprised to find it was hot. Hikari stripped down and took a shower, noting some other changes to her body now that she was naked.

Flustered she looked down at herself. Her freckles were healthier looking and stood out more, and her skin tone had taken on a slightly pinkish palor, though it was barely noticeable. Her hair was now very dark red rather than chocolate brown, a change she did like, and hair seemed to have evaporated everywhere else. Like many Japanese girls, Hikari took to older conventions when it came to "adult hair", and though she hadn't shaved her pits in two days, there was no hair growing there either. Her entire pubris was completely smooth where she once had managed to cultivate quite the hedgerow but no errant hairs were found in her panties to explain their disappearance.

As she concentrated, she noted her skin had odd blotches there were a slightly different shade, though they were very hard to see. She wondered if they were some sort of chlorophyl or other plant-based substance and wondered if maybe it was the reason she didn't have an appetite anymore; she was just absorbing sun and making her "food" from that. Though she reminded herself that plants are also constantly drawing moisture and nutrients from the ground… and she wasn't rooted.

Not wanting to question things any further, she began to clean herself, now being careful around her own apex as the lack of adult hair made it more sensitive than she was used to, and she "wasn't like that". Finally clean, she ended her shower, dried off and looked at the clothing she was left. There were three different outfits and she settled on a long red sundress, it didn't require a bra (though she knew she would be self-conscious about that) and she could get away with not putting on her old panties (but would also be mindful of this).

Now decent at last, she stepped out of her room finding she was on what seemed to be the second floor. She couldn't see the house last night so she wasn't sure what to expect. The place had utilities, which was a surprise, and she couldn't wait to find out why. Proceeding downstairs, she exited out the front door finding Shinji sitting on a chair looking into the forest. A cup of red liquid was in his hands and her heart immediately started pumping.

"Is… is that…"

"It's fruit punch," Shinji replied. "Want some?"

Hikari sighed in relief. "Sorry."

"Don't be," he smirked. "I did that on purpose." He observed her frown in response and chuckled. "I see you found the clothes I left for you."

"Where did you get them?"

"Roommate," he replied immediately, taking a sip from his cup after. Hikari looked at the outfit again, thinking something was familiar about this style of dress, and caught sight of an errant hair. She pulled the strand finding it was a long red one.

"Asuka?" Hikari asked surprised. "I didn't know you two were seeing each other."

"We have been for a while now."

"When will I see her?"

"Not for a while I'm afraid," Shinji noted, sounding concerned. "Her and my other roommate are on a mission for me, gathering data on the cults and trying to figure out what they're up to."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Hikari asked concerned.

"It would be if they both weren't supernatural themselves." He noted Hikari's shock. "You might want to sit down; I have a lot to tell you."

Hikari sat on the chair next to him, keeping her knees together and smoothing out the borrowed sundress. Finally, she was going to get some answers, but she wasn't sure how much of them she'd understand, and knew most of it would sound crazy… but she believed him… Somehow, being this close, she felt like everything was going to be okay.

"Some months back, Asuka and I worked for NERV. As you probably know, after the Angels were defeated NERV became property of the JSSDF, and was repurposed as a special operations division. My father retained his job, though Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki didn't survive the war. My guardian, Misato became his Sub-Commander and my direct superior.

"Our first operations were pretty standard… a hostage situation here, an extraction there. Nothing too crazy… except having a bunch of 16-year-olds do this kind of work, but with the world population so low, you can understand that the JSSDF really doesn't have any options. Besides, as former EVA pilots we were already battle-hardened vets, and teaching us the new skills they required us to possess was pretty easy. After a while though, we ended up straying from standard operations and into more… esoteric affairs.

"We received a tip from a third party about a cult hideout owned by The Sons of Shaft and were sent to investigate. Insert pop-culture jokes and references here… I'm sure by now Misato has heard them all. At the time we didn't know much about the organization, only that it was involved allegedly in blood sacrifice rituals, which of course were highly illegal. Asuka's team was sent in first… and all hell broke loose. A mist settled over the area, allowing for zero visibility.

"When it was over dozens of operatives were either dead or missing, Asuka among the missing. She had been taken by the cult and prepared for one of their attempts to resurrect Count Dracula. The ritual called for a sacrifice that would use the power of Dominus via a set of intricately inscribed runes, to awaken the Dark Lord using one of the candidates. In my research, I discovered that I was likely one of these candidates though I had no idea what that meant at the time. Asuka came back after almost two months being gone. I found her, hurt and dirty and with no memory of who she was."

Hikari looked concerned. "Did she get her memory back?"

"A good portion yes, but there is still much that remains missing… her personality has changed a bit since you last saw her…

"Anyway, I started to help her get it back, and noted the runes inscribed into her back and shoulders. Later she discovered she has access to Rune Magic, greatly enhancing her already impressive physical prowess in combat. I put her in contact with an informant I knew name Selina, and the two bonded. Asuka quickly learning how to leverage her new gifts, and finally deciding it was time to take the cult on directly and save whoever they were trying to sacrifice to bring Dracula back. At the time, I didn't know she was to be the key, but I knew I was the one they were looking for… I couldn't tell her though. I knew she'd never be able to bring herself to kill me."

Hikari looked on sadly, realizing so much pain had been inflicted on both of them.

"Decius was the head of the cult at the time, or so we thought. When Asuka and Selina finally managed to get to the throne room and Decius was killed, she opened the coffin used in the ritual to find me there. Selina tried to get her to kill me, but she couldn't go through with it. Having heard her voice in the coffin, I put two and two together. Asuka had been used the whole time by Selina. Decius was under the impression that using Dominus on me would awaken me into the Dark Lord, but Selina had designed the ritual so that my part of the Dark Lord's power would be pulled into a prepared vessel to be transferred to her, making her a candidate and perhaps one day the Dark Lord.

"It gets worse though. Only Dracula can properly use Dominus without paying its price. Anyone else uses it, and it takes their soul as payment. Asuka, obviously feeling very used and betrayed, fought Selina, but failed to take her down. Instead, she used Dominus to kill her. Being within the range of its radiant power, I fully awoke as a Candidate and used my powers to capture Selina's soul as it was released from her destroyed body. Pushing the soul into Asuka's body with the hope that Dominus would take it instead. I guess being as how Dominus is mine to command, that's exactly what it did.

"Asuka was free, and I was awakened. Since then, the two of us have worked together to try to stop the cults."

Hikari breathed out a sigh. "Quite the tale," she noted. "What of the other? And who is the Carmilla you spoke to Dario about?"

"Both are connected," Shinji explained. "Her name is Mari, and from what she told me, she was kept on after the EVA program to work in NERV Special Operations like us. But she was also a Child Commando from the SAS. Part of her training included infiltration, so Misato gave her the mission to try to find Asuka and I, investigating another cult called 'The Circle of the Moon'. Mari went into deep infiltration, learning that the circle was a fertility cult that was training the concubines of Dracula to help him bring into being a new ruling class."

"That's insane!" Hikari interjected. "Can vampires even have kids?"

"Recently, we found out it was possible… but in the worst possible way."

"What happened?"

"I can't get into details," Shinji explained. "The long and short however is that one of the concubines that had already been turned into a vampire managed to get pregnant, but due to a battle injury… she lost the child."

"Oh my God," Hikari whispered.

"This of course defies all logic about undead creatures, and such a creation would yield children of incredible power; Born undead having already undergone a form of Apotheosis in the womb, they would be close to Dracula's power… a perfect nobility to help him rule the world.

"Mari of course wanted to put an end to it, and we helped her… we being Asuka and myself. Carmilla is the leader of the Circle of the Moon, and a Vampress… unfortunately, in the process of infiltration, Mari became Carmilla's favorite and she was turned."

"Mari is a Vampire," Hikari noted.

"Mari is likely what I will become in the future," Shinji noted. "As much as I don't want to be the Dark Lord, I keep finding myself in situations where I have to use my powers to stop evil designs. Asuka killed a Candiate in my presence and I gained his power… almost Highlander style. Since then, I've been uncomfortable in sunlight and it takes more concentration to keep the power of Dominus submerged within me. Now another Candiate is in the game, and he's even more dangerous than the first."

"So that's why you don't like being in direct sunlight," Hikari noted.

"And it's only going to get worse. The more of Dracula's essence I absorb, the closer I come to some kind of Undead Apotheosis."

"I wonder if I'll change more."

Shinji looked at her, noting the worry on her face. "I don't think you will," Shinji replied. "Though it is hard to say for sure… you already have powers beyond what a normal Alura Une would possess."

"I think… she's still inside me…"

"What?" Shinji questioned. "How can that be? Your soul effectively consumed hers."

"I don't think it did," Hikari countered. "A lot of the time, I'm not consciously controlling my abilities."

"I figured it was just instinctual reflex."

"No… I think she's protecting me," Hikari stated.

"Symbiosis," Shinji noted. "I wondered why specifically she was the one who escaped, why others didn't also leave me and enter into you when they had the opportunity."

"She loves you," Hikari whispered. Shinji just looked at her with a shocked expression. "When you called her to help you deal with Minotarus, she was overjoyed… but she couldn't interact with you the way she wanted to… you're her master after all, just another minion in your control."

"Alura…"

"I see the battle in my head now," Hikari continued, not even reacting to Shinji. "She did take offense to the axe as you said she might. He was trying to kill you… this cannot be allowed… we must protect the master at all costs." She flinched at that moment. "Wait… we?"

"It is some kind of symbiosis," Shinji realized. "Forgive me but this is quite fascinating. I dominate the souls in my employ, but you've bonded with the one that chose you."

"She… she did choose me… because she could tell…"

"Tell what?" Shinji asked, watching Hikari blush suddenly. He put it together before her admission though.

"That I've had a crush on you for a while," Hikari admitted. "Once it became obvious that like Asuka, Touji would never see me, only the one he could never have, I… Maybe it was just hero worship taken to the next level… I wish I knew… but I started falling in love with you. I was jealous of Asuka since she lived with you, and squandered her opportunity on a man who would never love her back…" Hikari seemed suddenly shocked by her own admission. "I-I mean…! It's not like I was obsessed or anything!"

"It's happening again," Shinji noted.

Hikari stayed silent, lower her head in embarrassment.

"Asuka became attracted to me due in part to our relationship before her change, and then I surmised, having my power literally imprinted on her skin, she was drawn to me in more ways."

"Have… have you…" She blushed hard again. "I'm sorry, I've no right to-"

"Many times," Shinji freely admitted, causing Hikari to continue blushing. "She's became a nympho that one, once her inhibitions were shattered. But she wasn't the only one."

Hikari's heart started beating harder.

"Mari, having been conditioned by a fertility cult designed to bare the offspring of Dracula was instinctually drawn to me as well."

"Did you… did you sleep with her to?" Hikari almost didn't want to know, but almost felt like her partner wanted her to know the truth and was pushed to asking.

"Once," Shinji admitted. "But I wasn't the aggressor."

"She… she raped you?"

Shinji chuckled. "Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But basically, yes, she did, though I suspected something had happened to her while she was infiltrating the cult otherwise, I could have easily stopped her. I didn't because I knew it would end up causing more psychological harm… perhaps even to a fatal level."

"Fatal?" Hikari questioned, wondering how such a thing could kill a person.

"Members of The Circle of the Moon are conditioned to be submissive to Dracula and to seek him out when certain triggers are reached, and Mari was experiencing the triggers at that moment. If I had stopped her, she would have felt rejected. But it wouldn't be mere rejection, it would have been proof in her mind that she wasn't worthy of the very thing she was made to do. There would have been a high chance she would have committed suicide after such a rejection."

"I see… Those triggers… Likely meaning when she is most fertile…"

Shinji looked at her sadly. Hikari was putting it together, and he unintentionally let her do it.

"Oh no," Hikari whispered, tears starting to appear in her eyes. "Mari was the one you spoke of… the Vampress that miscarried."

Shinji sighed and looked away. "I couldn't tell you if it happened during her fight with Minotarus and the Werewolf before we arrived to help, or if it happened when Taleth punched her hard enough to almost break her spine… but one of those injuries did it." Shinji shook his head. "She was a mess for a few weeks after that."

Hikari put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. Has she tried again?"

"I don't want to bring children into this world," Shinji stated with finality. "If I end up becoming Dracula, I will find a way to seal myself back in that prison in the sky. Dracula has no place in this world." Shinji sighed. "Aside from my personal feelings though, she hasn't tried again. It may take a long time for her reproductive system to regenerate after that kind of an injury, since Vampires in theory shouldn't even have functional reproductive systems. We haven't even slept with each other, despite Asuka allowing it."

"She's to be the head of your harem then?" Hikari chuckled as she watched Shinji turn red this time. "Does she want to be called 'Mistress'?"

"Actually, knowing her, she'd go with 'Head Bitch'."

Both of the young adults looked at each other after that, them smirked and started laughing. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Hikari finally spoke again.

"The forest sings you know."

"Does it?" Shinji asked. "I always wondered."

"It's indescribable," she explained. "It's like hundreds of the most heavenly crystal chimes in the background, and voices that defy classification gently singing acapella. Every rustle of leaves, every bird singing adds to the chorus… I was mesmerized the first time I heard it… and although it made me feel like a monster to know I was probably the only one who could, I… was… am… entranced."

"You're not really a monster you know," Shinji noted. "Sure, you have supernatural powers and a symbiotic monster within you, but it is not being different that makes a person a monster… not really… it's what they do with the power they have. As far as I'm concerned people like the late Decius, and that bastard Rastur are the real monsters."

"I can see her in my mind's eye," Hikari noted. "Alura… she's beautiful and exotic… Red hair, pinkish skin… eyes like glittering gems." She blushed slightly. "More endowed than me that's for sure."

"Honestly not that much more," Shinji noted. "She's shapely but she's thin and kind of small actually. You're seeing her as she sees herself. But yes… she is quite beautiful."

"She did all this so she could be with you."

Shinji blushed slightly. "So you mentioned." He felt his heart start racing a bit… In truth, he was attracted to Hikari as well; something about her seemingly plain exterior that seems to hide an allure that was unmistakable. He decided in that moment that Touji Suzahara was just as Asuka described him… an idiot.

He opened his eyes in time to see Hikari standing in front of him. Without a word she put her hands on his shoulders and straddled his lap. Even though his cargo pants, he realized she wasn't wearing any underwear.

"No panties? That's a bit risqué for you, isn't it?"

"You didn't give me any, and I wasn't about to put the old ones back on without giving them a proper wash first. Which reminds me, how does a house in the middle of nowhere have utilities?"

"Short answer, science. I used some of my trust fund from NERV to put in a geothermal generator and tap an aquifer." Shinji's heart sped up as she settled in. His face now only a few inches from her chest and he had to look up a touch to look her in the eye. Her pheromones were powerful, giving her the aroma of a field of flowers… sweet… enticing… irresistible….

"We shouldn't," Shinji noted, though he remembered how that went with Mari.

"I want to," Hikari whispered. "Being near you excites me, makes me feel… beautiful… wanted… loved."

"You… or Alura…"

She leaned down to his face, and whilst only inches from his face whispered, "Both."

Shinji accepted the kiss, more perhaps because Hikari truly wanted it rather than his own needs. Her arms rested on his shoulders has his hands traced up her thighs to her hips then to her lower and upper back. Hikari's heart was racing, and yet she wasn't nervous at all. She may not have been his mistress, but perhaps she could steal that position away for just one day.

Her skin was hot to the touch, and smoother than the leaves of the tulip tree. They broke the kiss long enough for Hikari to relieve Shinji of his shirt. Her hands rested against his chest, less thin and more well defined than she expected. His hands slid to her lower back, then slid off of her a she stood up and began to relieve him of the rest of his clothing, returning to his lap, his already prepared member pressed its underside against her slit, feeling the wetness causing it to slide. His breath caught at that moment as did Hikari's, the lack of pubic hair made her super sensitive. Hikari let her breath go and a small sound escaped her, one that brought pleasure to Shinji's ears as she ground against him slowly, almost methodically.

They kissed again, the connection only broken when an errant breath needed to be taken. His hands slid up her stomach to her breasts, and the moment his palms brushed against her areolas she nearly squealed. Shinji loved the sound, smiling as he gently massaged her breasts. Hikari ground harder against his body as she grabbed the sundress and lifted it over her head, tossing it aside and allowing him to see all of her. To Shinji, her figure was beyond cute, and he indulged closer as he leaned her back and nipped her collarbone. Hikari gasped and ground harder, finally pushing up to force a sensitive breast towards his mouth. Shinji wasted no time coiling his tongue around the erect nipple before giving it a strong suckle. He felt wetness drip down his shaft as the motion to pull up brought the tip across the slit. Hikari eased herself down again, feeling the shaft once more slide across her slit and the tip brushed her now throbbing clitoris.

She nearly screamed at the feeling, and brought herself up again to do it once more, this time however, her angle was wrong, and instead of gentle slide, she impaled herself upon him. A sharp but short cry of pain came from her, and Shinji grunted as she suddenly clamped down on him. It almost felt like she was trying to crush him inside of her.

"Easy," Shinji whispered. She gently lifted herself again but refused to break the connection now. Shinji smelled her nectar and now a coppery tinge filled his senses. She leaned back, making the connection somewhat more comfortable and he caught side of a blood stain on her labia.

"Didn't… mean… for that to happen," Hikari managed to get out as she concentrated on relaxing her body. "Just wanted to glide a little more."

"We can back up if you want," Shinji offered, knowing she must have been in more pain than she was showing.

"No," she replied immediately. "No… I can handle this… It's pleasurable more than painful. I just need a moment to stretch."

"You're bleeding," Shinji noted.

"Aren't I supposed to? You're my first."

"Not when it's done right," Shinji noted, then sucked in a breath as Hikari began to grind him again. "For a first time, you grind like a pro."

"Just… seems right," she managed before she settled for moaning in pleasure. Her legs squeezed tighter as she shifted from rocking to bouncing. Shinji was having issues holding back, Hikari being far too much of a natural at this. Her voice became louder as Shinji grabbed her per rear and started slamming her into himself harder. For being small, he was able to bury to the hilt with each hit, and soon Hikari could take no more. Sensing she was done, he slammed into her one final time and held her. Hikari cried out, squeezing him inside her again as she tumbled over the edge. The sudden clamping having the same effect on Shinji and he spilled deep within her. She could feel the heat spreading in her lower tummy, filling her with bliss.

She leaned against him now, sweat dripped from both of them as they slowly started to recover. The afterglow on Hikari was immense, and it felt like the world around her had itself come alive. He rubbed her back from neck to rear end, as her nerves did stop firing just yet. It took almost a fully minute for her to stop twitching. For a brief moment, he thought he heard the music she described. She settled for a moment before seeming to fuss a little.

"Cold," Hikari managed out as she shivered a bit. Shinji finally got his hand under her and stood up. Ignoring the clothing as irrelevant, he took her to his bedroom and laid her on his bed before joining her. He pulled the comforter over both of them an allowed her to curl into him for warmth. Soon she stopped shivering and simply basked in his body heat.

"Askua sometimes gets cold too," Shinji noted.

Hikari nuzzled into him. "I can't believe I actually had sex… and it was even better than I ever imagined it would be."

"I'd offer another round, but you look like you're ready to pass out," Shinji observed.

She nuzzled into him again in response. "I hope I'm not disappointing you."

"You could never disappoint me, Hikari-chan."

She smiled at that finally settling herself enough to sleep. For once she knew she'd sleep well.

That evening, Hikari heard Shinji having a conversation as started to wake up, though she decided she would keep quiet and just listen; Asuka's voice could be made out on the other end of the phone. Gently, she tightened her grip on Shinji and resisted the urge to start rubbing herself on him again.

"Based on what we now know," Shinji continued, "Rastur is either working with the Order of Infernus or is actually part of them."

"Actually, we think he's the leader of that cult," Asuka clarified. "It's existed for some time, but he may have gotten the order from on high to take control of the cult directly."

"By on high, you mean from Shaft himself," Shinji noted, carefully shifting the grip on his phone to wrap a possessive arm around Hikari.

Shaft… that gives me an idea, Hikari thought lecherously.

"Well, it's obvious he still taking a direct part in things. We've known that since Decius," Asuka noted.

Hikari traced her hand down his stomach, gently wrapping her fingers around Shinji's penis, then stifled a chuckle as Shinji's expression changed accordingly and watched him mouth the words don't you dare!

"Mari has been digging around trying to find the truth of that comment about a Five-Headed Serpent. We don't know for sure yet, but we have a theory that it could be a reference to the number of primary cults working towards the goal of Dracula's return."

Hikari gave his member a good squeeze causing it to harden instantly. Shinji stifled a noise so Asuka couldn't hear and got Hikari back by managing a squeeze of her left breast. Her hand instantly left his body to clamp over her mouth, ensuring that an errant squeak didn't leave her.

"Sounds reasonable," Shinji finally managed out.

"You OK? You sound winded."

"I'm fine," Shinji assured her. "We can assume that three of the cults are The Sons of Shaft, The Circle of the Moon, and The Order of Infernus… but which of the dozens, if not hundreds of other clans could claim the other two spots?"

"Sadly, we don't know yet, but chances are we'll find out. Seems the major ones are always trying to get at you in one way, shape, or form."

"Noted." Hikari finally managed to recover, both happy and annoyed at how sensitive her nipples were at that moment. "Any more leads?"

"A few at least, we'll be busy for a couple more days at minimum." There was a pause. "Miss us, Master?"

"A lot," Shinji replied in a lower voice.

"My my, actually accepting your role in all this?"

Shinji sighed, running his hand down Hikari's arm earning a content exhalation from her as well. "It's a cross to bear."

"Oh yeah, having two beautiful women at your beck and call is such a burden," Asuka replied sarcastically. "Oh poor Shinji-sama!" Shinji caught Hikari mouth the word 'three' from the corner of his eye.

Shinji chuckled. "I know… I shouldn't complain but…"

"You're a good man," Asuka noted. "I don't blame you for not falling into a role that so many other lecherous men would dive head first into without hesitation. That's why you alone are deserving of what you have… and why you can carry such a curse as this with dignity and restraint."

"It means a lot to hear you say that," Shinji thanked her.

"The old me wouldn't have," Asuka admitted. "Perhaps it is best that she stay right the hell away."

"To an extent… that fiery young woman was who I fell in love with back then.

"But she didn't appreciate you like I do… I'll talk to you again soon."

"I know you hate it when I do this but I'm going to any… I love you."

There was a pause, but Shinji made out a content sigh. "I love you too, my Dark King."

Once the line was dead, Shinji tossed the phone over to the night stand.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Hikari said sheepishly, then gasped as she felt Shinji's now free hand roam over her pedals.

"Neither can I," Shinji noted. He turned on his side for better access and gently stroked across her labia. She felt his manhood against her hip but made no effort to try to reach it. His left arm was fully under her back with the hand gently massaging her left breast. As sensitive as her breast was, this was already making her nectar flow.

Hikari couldn't even talk as the feelings overcame her. She felt two fingers slip inside her and shifted her left leg out to allow better access. She was about to say something when his mouth sealed over hers. Deeply kissing now, she stopped trying to do anything other than enjoy the attention. Her body warmed up, feeling almost hot to the touch once more as her body began to twitch occasionally. She moaned into his mouth as they continued. Finally, she managed to get her left hand over to his body and made good on her desire to stroke him.

Shinji made no sound but his slight hip gyration told her that he was enjoying it as much as she was. Within moments she broke the kiss to squeak out an orgasm, letting go of Shinji in the process. Before she could recover, he was already on top of her.

"Too soon," Hikari tried to protest. Shinji slipped himself inside her this time, finding it a perfect fit rather than the excessive tightness of before. While the hypersensitivity should have made her try to throw him off, it instead felt really good at that moment and she instead wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him deeper inside. They kissed as they slowly rocked into each other, Hikari almost desperately grinding him now. Moments later, Hikari had another orgasm, this time her flower clamped down on him hard enough to force him over the edge, and the wave like motion of the inner walls of her body felt like they were trying to get every drop out of him.

Now both of them spent, He rolled onto his back, with Hikari climbing on top and using him as a bed.

"Short but holy shit," Shinji noted.

Hikari chuckled. "Guess I really needed another round after all." She sighed. "I truly hope Asuka is going to be okay with this."

"Are you kidding?" Shinji noted. "She'll want to bed you next."

Hikari blushed at that. "I was always worried she was going to try to jump me when she was staying over at my place. Her mental and emotional state was so unstable at the end, I figured she would use me as a convenient outlet. And I was trying to be such a good girl… but…"

"You wouldn't have stopped her."

Hikari blushed slightly. "No… I wouldn't have."

"You were always important to her, even if in the end, she just didn't know how to show it."

Hikari nuzzled into him. "I'm glad… she needed that in her life at the time. But there is something else we need to talk about."

Shinji stayed slient a moment. "You know what I'm going to ask, don't you?"

"Asuka stands out, Mari can't be out in the sunlight, and you have both of those problems in spades. Out of the four of us, I'm the only one who can move about freely during the day and even pretend to be human."

"We know of another Corp that has ties to The Order of Infernus… they also happen to be looking for an accountant that can handle high level finances."

"The cult knows me though," Hikari pointed out.

"Yes, but Asuka was able to determine the Corp's knowledge of who they really work for is almost non-existent. Guess you slept though that part. They're kept in the dark… so you should have no issues at all getting in, especially with your credentials. I hate to ask it of you but…"

"I want to help," Hikari noted. "And don't worry, I'll be discreet."

Shinji nodded, stroking her bare back as she lay content upon him.

Burn to Burn

The seed we sow

Burn to flow

Into the sorrow

Burn to Burn

The seed we sow

Burn to grow

Into the sorrow

"Part of me just can't believe I'm actually going to do this… Infiltration… I must be insane… but Shinji, he gives me so much confidence and strength. I can't fail…"

The Next Chapter: Seeing the Forest for the Trees