A/N: sorry for the delay! We're almost there guys i swear, thank you so much for the kudos and review feedback that have been both good and bad, i appreciate it all

…

She was fidgeting in her seat the entire lesson, Sanosuke noticed. It was so hard to miss that he had to remind himself a few times that he needed to lift his lingering eyes on her as he gave his lesson at the front of the room less one of his idiot students catch on eventually. He could tell she wasn't really paying any attention and frankly, he wasn't really all that focused himself. She just had that power over him; if she appeared unwell to him, as her boyfriend his pride couldn't let him overlook it. His mouth was moving on auto-pilot as this lesson was one he's done many times over, but his thoughts were focused on her. He tried to guess what she was thinking. Whether she was thinking about him, too. Or how many times she was gonna absently play with the ends of her hair.

She seemed OK when they spoke last night on the phone. Was she really feeling ill this morning? How he wished he could stop droning on about history, and comfort his pretty girlfriend instead.

The bell rang and he realized that he forgot to mention the reading assignment to the classroom for tomorrow's lesson. They just entered into the lunch period, and the students were already re-arranging the desks.

She met his gaze briefly. 'Gym.' she mouthed to him, and then took her satchel and hurried off. His confused frown soon melted into a little smile to himself.

She always managed to impress him in the strangest of ways sometimes. He thought she would find the restriction of their interactions at school cumbersome-and instead she was directing him on where and when they met in secret.

He looked down at his watch. He probably wouldn't have enough time to sneak off campus and pick up food afterwards. But it didn't matter; the pounding of his heart in his chest was louder than the grumbling of his stomach.

Sanosuke's eyes swept over the students now chatting with their friends, the smell of food permeating the air. His stomach grumbled again almost rebelliously as he gathered his printouts in a folder and left in the direction of the gymnasium.

No groups ever used the gym during the lunch period so the overhead lights were off and casting eerie shadows across the shiny polished hardwood flooring. He made sure to close and lock the crash bars on the inside of the swinging double doors behind him to ensure no interruptions. He couldn't afford another slip-up.

His golden eyes adjusted to the darkness and his head looked up towards the second floor balcony, where the object of his desires looked down at him, her soft brown hair spilling over her shoulder as she leaned and with a soft smile.

"Hi." Her quiet voice echoed in the empty gymnasium.

"Hey."

He swallowed thickly, suddenly at a loss of words as a large silence sat between them. She beckoned him with a slight nudge of her head, and he made haste to walk across the floor to the stairs. His shoes made soft squeaks on the waxed floor.

The second floor balcony was for on-lookers of games during gym classes, and it was littered with excess equipment for the sports teams. There were plenty of places to hide here, he realized. It was empty, dark, and quiet. For the second time today his eyes shone with a sense of pride as he climbed up the steps. And it was a much better option than his desk in the fully lit teacher's lounge. His Chizuru was so clever.

Chizuru's smile widened a little as she turned slightly in his direction, her arm holding the satchel loosely off her wrist while still leaning against the railing.

"Why are you grinning like that?" Her face was reddening with every step closer he took.

She was trembling, yet he couldn't seem to change his facial expression as he approached towering over the small girl. She looked up at him, her amiable smile intensifying his as they met each other's eyes.

"What?" She repeated, trying and failing to hold a pout.

"No reason. I was just thinking that I'm incredibly lucky to have such a beautiful woman like you." He whispered hoarsely, mesmerized by her large honey-colored eyes.

She blushed immediately, the tips of her exposed ears even turning pink. Her eyes started to lower in embarrassment but Sanosuke was quick to lift a hand under her chin, his index finger along pushing her small face to look up at him again.

Sanosuke's voice deepened to a hoarse murmur as he leaned down to meet her height, their faces now inches away from each other. "Can I give my beautiful girlfriend a kiss?"

She froze, her pupils widening in surprise. His finger was applying too much pressure to allow her head to lower, and as she was forced to look directly into the eyes of her lover, Sanosuke's heart was flipping in his chest as he watched the emotions flash across her face: surprise, embarrassment, lust. The lovely reddened color spread across her face.

She licked her lips anxiously. "...Y-yes…"

Her voice broke. She pushed up on her toes to meet him, and Sanosuke let his eyes close as her small, soft lips pressed up against his.

Sanosuke's belly churned with heat, but he made sure to keep a slow tempo as he pressed for one kiss, then two, and by the third she had finally given in, his silent urging successful in make her open her mouth. She let him push his tongue in easily, a sweet noise echoing in the silence as he rubbed his tongue along the length of her own. The subsequent fireworks exploding in his stomach was proof enough that this feeling could not be beaten. He truly was the luckiest in the world.

"Ah, aah…"

Chizuru's moans echoed around them as she whined with pleasure at his skilled tongue, her lidded eyes opening slightly so she could savor the redness of Sanosuke's face while they kissed, his eyes squeezed shut with focus, the slight glistening of sweat appearing on his forehead like he was working hard to suppress something.

This expression was because of her entirely. The thought made her knees weaken in delight, and she shivered as Sanosuke slid the hand on her chin to the back of her neck, pressing them both together. His other arm had snaked around her waist, drawing her in.

"Uah..!"

"Shhh…" He chided, pulling away a moment to press a finger to his lips with a smile.

She nodded, pressed her eyes closed again as the smacking sounds soon resumed. Chizuru knew she was quite noisy whenever Sanosuke touched her. The heat radiating off him was both frightening and exciting. She moaned aloud again when he suckled on her smaller tongue, her feet aching as she pushed herself up even more so he could access all of her. He let her grasp for perch using his neck for support. Chizuru was melting in his arms, and for a moment forgot to maintain her grip on the bag, and it slipped through her fingers and hit the floor with a gentle thud.

The noise startled them both, their wet lips disengaging with a loud smack.

Sanosuke's eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. His voice was rough. "What is that?"

She let her heels hit the floor, but his arm remained around her waist as they both looked down towards the bag.

Her hazy mind was suddenly splashed with icy water. Chizuru pushed against his broad chest to wriggle away anxiously as she scrambled to pick up the bag, her hands feeling the contents with a worried expression. He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, it's…I made bento lunches today for Okita-senpai and H-Heisuke…" Her voice began to quiver as she watched his expression darken.

His eyes shifted from Chizuru down to the dangling bag in her grip, his gaze full of hostility towards the bag. Sanosuke's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?"

Chizuru flinched at his voice. It had evolved from honey to a sour sternness. Her face reddened again, the memory of their last group lunch, and their embarrassing conversation. The truth was that it was bothering her slightly, and she was hoping to bribe her friends into forgetting the entire thing completely. She wasn't prepared to explain the entire situation...she probably didn't even have enough time to do so and deliver them on time.

Sanosuke could see the conflict cross Chizuru's features, her swollen red lips scrunched together.

He sighed, anger extinguished. "...Do you make them lunch often?"

Chizuru quickly shook her head in the negative, her free hand waving in dismissal. "N-No, this is…for a different reason. I wanted to show my gratitude." She offered him a disarming smile.

But Sanosuke's irritation still burned uncomfortably in the back of his throat, although he realized belatedly it wouldn't be very manly of him to complain about her making food for her close friends, he couldn't help but want to lecture her to not be so welcoming. But not here. He sighed again, and checked the time on his watch.

"We've already been missing for fifteen minutes, you should hurry along if they're waiting for you."

She nodded again, then hesitated.

"O-one…one more?" Chizuru asked timidly, her knees trembling. Her face flushed again with a pink so lovely that Sanosuke's arm moved from her waist to caress her warm face.

Sanosuke leaned down, so their lips were inches away. "Your sensei told you to hurry along, Chizuru." His breath ghosted over her skin, leaving her shivering. She frowned, but couldn't disagree with him. Still, he usually wasn't one to reject her rare advances, so she knew he was probably angrier with her than he let on.

"Yes, sensei…" She whispered back as Sanosuke drew away.

Sanosuke's eyes remained sharp though, as he expected something.

She fidgeted nervously. "Um, I…I can make you one too, for next time…"

He titled his head in pretend thought, letting a long pause stretch between them. "Okay. But it's a little late for me to have lunch, you know….so instead, invite me over for dinner tonight."

"T-Tonight?!"

"Yes…unless you don't want to see me?"

Sanosuke's mischievous smile was wickedly handsome. Chizuru's face burned hot as she jumped back in surprise, her pout intensifying at his amused chuckle. He grabbed her by the free hand and pulled her towards the staircase without waiting for her response. Their fingers laced together as they descended the steps, Chizuru kept a pace behind to hide her blushing face. His hand was so warm.

She squeezed his larger palm in fear he'd pull away from her. "N-No I do! I will do it!"

He grinned to himself. "Great. I'm looking forward to it."

With every passing minute, the twitching of Souji's left eye was becoming too obvious to ignore, and Heisuke had finally run out of things to say.

Twenty minutes had almost passed and yet the air was absent of the familiar pitter-patter of Chizuru rushing up the stairs to the rooftop for lunch. He was beginning to get a little worried.

As if his thoughts were written across his face, Souji let out a humorless sigh. "You're worried about the wrong thing."

"Eh? Who, Chizuru? O-Of course you'd say that, you're the one who made that stupid joke in the first place. You should be more worried than I am!"

"And yet," Souji leaned all the way down on his back, the shadow of an overhead cloud darkening his features. "I'm not. You know why?"

It was bait, Heisuke knew it. But he still bit. "Why?"

Souji closed his eyes gently and sighed again. The breeze picked up while he spoke. "Because that's not the reason why she's late."

The indignation on his face was slowly replaced by curiosity. "...It's not?"

"No, it's not." He peeked one eye open at Heisuke suspiciously. "You still don't notice it by now?"

The question sounded vaguely patronizing to Heisuke, making him scowl back at Souji. "Hah!? Stop bitching and get to the point already!"

Souji rolled over on the warm concrete to his side, facing away from Heisuke. "Hmm..no, I don't think I will. "

Heisuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Because you're talking out your ass?"

"No…" Souji's voice quickly became serious. "...because I need to be sure first."

"Be sure of what?" Heisuke's teal eyes blinked twice, still frowning. His attention was quickly changed however, when the long awaited pitter-patter of small feet climbing steps reached his ears. "Yay, Chizuru is here!"

"Haah….sorry….hah….I'm late!"

Souji narrowed his eyes and sat up quickly as Chizuru tried to quiet her huffing as she took her seat and started rummaging around in her bag. He closed his eyes again and reopened them again, letting his expression shift back into a friendly smile. "Well, since Chizuru brought her handmade food and I'm hungry, I'll let it drop for now."

"Hm?" Chizuru tilted her head in confusion.

"Eh, don't worry about him, he's just sulking today." Heisuke quickly interjected, his hand waving around in dismissal, and the topic changed to the delicious presentation and variety of Chizuru's packed bento gifts to them both. The clouds cleared a soft patch of sunlight above them.

Thankfully, her tardiness at lunch was forgiven and since both boys were quick eaters anyway, there was still enough time to enjoy each other's company, and for the rest of the afternoon Chizuru didn't run into the red-haired teacher since she had literature with Hijikata-sensei for a nice change of pace, which had only heightened her anxious once the final bell rang. She had no excuse to hide behind: he knew she wasn't assigned for classroom duty today, and she wasn't in a club either. Chizuru was free to head home first, and await Sanosuke's arrival with dinner.

Almost like we're newlyweds! Her cheeks tinged pink.

"Hey!" A cheerful voice tore her out of her thoughts, and she realized she had been staring into her shoe cupboard absently. She snatched her outdoor shoes and turned around to the voice.

"Oh, h-hi Heisuke…"

His smile fell at the sight of her shoes. "Aw, you're leaving early? I thought you were free to come to practice with us today. Heading over to the dojo with just Souji sucks. He's not funny."

She giggled, and then outstretched her left forearm for Heisuke to catch and keep her steady while her right hand helped her slip out of her shoes, one at a time. "I'm sorry Heisuke, but I can't…"

"Again? ...Lately you're so busy after school more than usual…and even at school now too. Chizuru, I'm worried. Are you OK? If it's not about that other thing, then…are your marks so poor?" Heisuke's eyes were shining with concern as he watched the top of her head bobble unsteadily as she switched shoes. With them being this close, he could smell the sweetness of her shampoo. It was the same brand as always, he recognized with a smile.

"Please don't be mad." She urged, finally finishing and standing back up on her own two feet. When she saw his face however, her resolve almost cracked. She hated making anyone worry. "Um…I promise I'll wait for you and we'll walk together for the rest of the week!"

Heisuke pouted, reminding her of a puppy. "Promise?"

Chizuru clapped her hands together in prayer and bowed sincerely. "Promise, promise!"

He tried to smile, genuinely satisfied. "Okay. See you tomorrow then."

"Be careful at practice today!" She shouted, grabbing her schoolbag and taking off. He lifted a hand up behind him a halfhearted wave, leaving Chizuru thinking that he was more dejected than she might've realized.

She decided to mull about it later. She only had a short period of time to make it to the station, grab groceries, and head home to get dinner started before he'd arrive. Should she make curry? Or fried chicken? She had made dinner for others before-when they were younger, Heisuke sometimes still slept over, and Kaoru came to visit once a week now, ever the suspicious brother.

The rare visits of her father off the remote island also always stirred a renewed interest in cooking. Otherwise, she'd usually have a quick dinner of the same variety or skip it altogether. But this was a 'special' occasion, as although they have ended their dates together at her home, they'd never had a meal together in her home before.

The smell of the fresh vegetables and seafood hit her nostrils familiarly as she entered the automated sliding doors of the supermarket, grabbing a small basket. She quickly gathered a few ingredients she already knew she was low on such as fish stock and salad, ginger...oh, and some pork...and sweetened soy sauce after a final moment's thought. She was thankful her allowance would renew next week. Luckily, she didn't run into anyone else and hummed happily the rest of the way home.

Chizuru only removed her shoes and blazer once she entered the home, opting to roll up her sleeves and find an apron right away so she could get started with cutting the vegetables. She wanted to at least have the special dish started on before she began working on everything else.

"I hope he likes shogayaki…" she mumbled aloud, staring down at her half-chopped vegetables for grilling. She put the knife down and wiped her hands on her apron.

Her feet started moving towards her father's room down the hall from the kitchen. In case he doesn't…maybe he'll be satisfied with this much. She thought, tip-toeing into her father's dark bedroom, turning on the LED light above her.

She hardly ever went in here except to dust his things every once in a while, as there wasn't anything of note in here that she used regularly and he left it unlocked for this very reason. But today, she needed something that he kept inside.

Chizuru quickly got down on her knees and twisted her head to the floor, her fingers rummaging underneath her father's bed frame until she brushed against a bottleneck.

"Found it!" She whispered happily, carefully pulling it out from under the bed. She had never let her father know she had discovered this secret years ago, but he hid all of the alcohol in his room. She would just borrow one bottle of wine and find a way to replace it later.

Satisfied, Chizuru was careful to make sure she disturbed nothing else as she quickly cut off the lights and shuffled back down the hall in her slippers. She placed the bottle aside on the counter, renewed, and got back to work.

She was lucky enough to get the main dish started in the pan and have the rice, miso soup, and fried vegetable tempura ready for frying before she heard the secret knocking on the sweeping windows in the living room. She startled, her heart racing so much that she forgot to remove her apron before she quickly hurried to the window latch to let him sneak inside.

Sanosuke had a rugged, charming smile across his face as he helped Chizuru gently slide the door open and squeezed inside. "Hey."

She drew in a breath. "H-Hi…"

His eyes roamed over her so obviously that she couldn't help but fidget and blush as he didn't speak. Do I have sauce on my face?

"That apron…looks really good on you." He said finally, a dark look in his eyes as he took her hand gently and shut the door behind him. It was dark in the living room to conceal his entry, so Chizuru had to lead him back towards the front of the house so he could remove his shoes properly. She offered him her father's slippers and they both moved to the kitchen.

He rubbed the top of her head affectionately. "I almost feel bad for causing you all this trouble over something said on a whim."

"No! I don't mind at all…" She shook her head and smiled. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving." He said, the charming grin returning.

They took each other's hand again and she led them back into the kitchen so she could check on her frying oil temperature.

"Smells good. What's for dinner?"

"I wasn't sure what you might've liked so I made a few things…is shogayaki okay? Do you like ginger?"

"Duh. I wouldn't be a proud Japanese man otherwise!" He tapped her on the nose affectionately with his free hand, eyes exploring the plethora of cookware on the stove as they approached, the smell of ginger and mirin meeting his nostrils.

He inhaled appreciatively. "You surprise me more and more each day, Chizuru." He approached her from behind and wrapped his thick arms around her middle, squeezing. His chin sat on top of her head as she moved carefully beside him, dropping coated vegetables into the hot oil.

"Hehe. That's not all, either."

"Oh? You think you have a surprise more pleasing to me than being able to eat your cooking for dinner?" He said teasingly, his chin applying pressure on her scalp as he talked. She felt the vibrations from his deep voice rumble through her like a shiver. Her knees swayed under her.

"Maybe…?" She dislodged her head from under him to nudge over at the bottle of red wine sitting on the counter.

She felt Sanosuke's body tense over as his voice grew serious. "Where'd you get that? From Heisuke?"

"No." She shook her head, her smile fading at his stare. "My father keeps some in the house. I thought you probably usually ate dinner with alcohol of some sort, so…" her voice gradually grew soft. "...was I wrong?"

The bubbling oil aroma filled the air as Sanosuke gently nudged her to turn around, as he dipped his neck down to steal a kiss. Her lips were already parted so he slid his tongue inside easily, softly licking around the inside of her mouth.

"Mmph!" Chizuru made a small noise as Sanosuke's hips ground into her and pressed her against the counter. Her arching back dangled dangerously close to the cooking pots but his mouth was rough, forcibly pulling noises of pleasure out of her as their tongues intertwined together.

She had to push against his solid chest to make him ease off of her, their mouths leaving a shared shiny line of saliva. She quickly turned and moved to grab a pair of cooking chopsticks to rescue the vegetables out of the oil before they burned.

Sanosuke made a low noise in his throat. "I can't decide if I'm hungry anymore…" He pressed into her back again.

Chizuru gave a short laugh. "Would you like to set the table? For some reason my father never hides the bottle opener. It's in the drawer over there, but I don't know how to use it, so-"

"I got it." Sanosuke said with a hint of eagerness, forgetting his lust for an opportunity to be at least a little helpful to her. It charmed him to know she was so unfamiliar with things like alcohol, and his amusement got the better of him as he rummaged around for the serving ware and a pair of glasses for the table. "Will you have a glass with me?"

Chizuru's head bobbed up from her cooking in surprise. "M-Me?"

"Yeah. I'm not asking to force you, Chizuru. I just thought, 'this wine will taste so much better drinking it with my girlfriend', so I asked impulsively, sorry…" He showed her an apologetic face.

She paused, brown eyes wide with astonishment that he was asking seriously. "Oh, um…couldn't I just have a sip from yours then?"

Sanosuke smiled, shoulders lowering only slightly in disappointment. "Okay, no problem." He put a single wine glass back in the cupboard, and set the rest of the table with a confident ease that Chizuru felt especially giddy to watch as she finished cooking the last stewed dish.

"I still love japanese dishes the best." Sanosuke boasted in his seat, watching her set the table with the cooked food carefully. "I think it's because my father was always very traditional, and he worked a lot of the time-yet he always made sure to be home for my dinner just to have my mother's cooking. Ah, it brings back good memories!"

She beamed at him, moving to her seat. She reached for his rice bowl, which he handed to her and watched her fill it with freshly cooked rice. He continued, "To be honest, I thought you would make something like omelet rice or curry. You kids like that stuff."

She gasped, patting at his rice bowl once more before handing it back to him. "I'm not a kid, Sanosuke-san!"

"Just Sanosuke," he chided, and then smiled cheekily. "but you're right, you're not a kid at all, Chizuru."

Chizuru nervously avoided his mischievous eyes and reached with her chopsticks small pieces of food from each dish.

"I-Itadakimasu…" She mumbled. They began to eat in silence.

Sanosuke hummed happily as filled his own plate, tasting a piece of the ginger-grilled pork. "Oh, it's really good, Chizuru! Not too salty or anything."

"Really?" Chizuru perked up.

"Absolutely." He answered with a smile, making a show of taking a few more bites before reaching for his half-filled glass of wine, washing it all down with a long sip. "Your father has good taste in wine too. I'll be sure to try and find another lovely bottle of this for you to replace later, okay?"

"Okay!" She was thrilled that he thought ahead for her without her even asking. Curious brown eyes blinked at him as she chewed. He offered the glass to her.

"Have a sip too."

She stared at it, hesitantly. Yet he didn't pull it away, the genial smile still on his face.

"I won't let you have too much, don't worry. You trust me, right?"

"I do! Alright, please excuse me..." Chizuru knew to accept now without protest, but felt vulnerable under his hungry eyes as he watched her bring the same glass to her lips.

It's like an indirect kiss… she mused as she took the tiniest of sips. The wine had a strong alcohol taste, but it was also very sweet like raspberries. She took another experimental gulp.

"Mm. It's good!"

"I'm glad you like it." Sanosuke extended his hands to take the glass back but to his gaping surprise, she tipped the glass some more and drank again. He nervously beckoned with his outstretched hand. "Woah - are you sure?"

"Mmhm." Chizuru felt warm all over very quickly. The food suddenly looked even more appetizing than before. She reluctantly handed the near empty glass back to him, and went back to eating contentedly as the gurgling sounds of wine being poured entered their silence. "It's with you, so it's okay, Sanosuke-san."

Sanosuke's golden eyes shined with amusement. "How many times are you gonna impress me today?"

"Lots!" Chizuru chirped, a slight slur already affecting her speech. He chuckled to himself. Of course the tiny girl would be so inexperienced she'd get drunk quickly. He decided to do most of the talking while they ate, just so he could watch her reddened face stare across the table at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

Sanosuke ate heartily, making up for skipping lunch by having his fill gorging on Chizuru's delicious food. Even without the buzz of the wine, he felt like he was having an out of body experience. They were sitting together, eating and chatting so naturally, that Sanosuke was sure he had finally reached heaven.

Graduation couldn't come soon enough. He had to marry this perfect woman right away.

"...What? Why are you making that face?" Chizuru was grinning dazedly.

"What face?" Sanosuke retorted, tipping the glass upwards for the last swallow. He placed the glass down and rested his chopsticks. "Thank you for the meal."

"Thank you for the meal…" Chizuru echoed, and then blinked innocently. "I…should probably start my bath now." Her eyes looked back at the kitchen worriedly.

"Go," Sanosuke urged. "Let me do the dishes." He gave her one of 'those' smiles, relishing in watching her squirm in the hopes of what may come after. She nodded and excused herself, absently untying the knot of her apron behind her as she exited, unaware of the sharp, hungry eyes watching.

While he cleaned up the table and washed the dishes, he kept thinking about her in the bath, guiltily. He nearly nicked his finger on a knife being so absentminded while scrubbing the sharp metal, but he couldn't help himself. The image kept coming back of smooth, pale, fragrant skin. Right now, he was meters away from the only thing that might taste better than her cooking.

He growled to himself, shaking his head to rid him of the image. Originally, Sanosuke planned to leave immediately after he finished tidying up after them and making sure that Chizuru was okay and not too tipsy. But she must have been taking her time in the bath because he finished, polished off a third glass of wine, and made himself comfortable on the couch, feeling a bit tired.

He tugged at his necktie, throwing a leg on the couch with a sigh. This would be better than inquiring down the hall and potentially walking in on something he shouldn't. So he kept himself, and his thoughts, in the living room. His heavy eyelids began to drift closed before he realized.

Sanosuke was not sure how much time had passed when he was suddenly jolted awake by a heavy pressure suddenly settling upon his torso. He blinked the blurry sleep away from his eyes, vaguely making out Chizuru's outline.

"Hehe…you fell asleep in your clothes?"

"Sorry." He smiled. "I didn't want to leave without ensuring you were okay and saying goodbye first."

Chizuru kissed him on the tip of his nose, leaning in close. "I'm glad you didn't leave just yet…"

Her breath was tinged with alcohol. As their eyes met, one pair full of drowsiness and the other shining with mischief.

"Um-" Sanosuke hummed, suddenly cut off by Chizuru's chaste kiss on his lips. Sweet, he thought as he licked his lips. Was he still dreaming?

"Don't leave." Chizuru pleaded again, leaving another dry kiss on his mouth. "You're sleepy, right? Let's go to bed."

"Chizuru," Sanosuke warned in a sluggish voice. "I can't…s'not a good idea."

"Why?" Chizuru whispered, her breath ghosting over his face warmly.

Sanosuke laughed ironically. "Because I'm still a little hungry." He chuckled at his silly joke, stopping short when he felt Chizuru shift her body weight on top of him as she sat up-

-and straddled him between her thighs instead.

A flash of hot heat shot up his body like lightning. "C-Chizuru…?" He warned seriously, trying to blink away his sleepiness so he could speak properly. He could see the drunken blush spread across her cheeks, and as much as he really wanted, he knew it wouldn't be proper.

Still, her thighs tightened around him with gentle force. "Stay?" Chizuru whined.

Sanosuke sighed as he looked up at her forlorn expression. "I really can't. You're tipsy. You don't even know what you're asking for."

"Then teach me?" Chizuru cried a little loudly, her face looking like a sulking child. "I know you are a bit older than I am but…this much is natural, right?" She tugged at his necktie as she spoke. "I even realize you're more experienced than I am with this sort of thing. You've probably even had a…g-girlfriend before…"

Sanosuke stayed silent, watching her face crumble into desperation with silent guilt.

"But aren't I your girlfriend now?" she implored.

He swallowed thickly, his adam's apple bobbing up and down. "Of course. I love you, Chizuru."

She smiled in relief, eyes glistening with tears. "I love you too." They kissed again, tongues tangling sensually.

They broke away panting. "...Show me how to touch you properly, as your lover."

He tightened his jaw, pausing for a long moment, Then, Sanosuke brought his larger hands to either side of her hips, gripping her supple skin tightly in his hands. Her frame was so small, but he could still feel the soft curve of her hips under his palms. He resisted the urge to let his hands roam.

"Okay. Start..." He used her hips to demonstrate a slow, rocking motion over his groin. She made an adorable noise that switched the final wall of reason within, as a heady need grew in his lower half. "...like this."

She was melting with embarrassment under the heat of his stare, but she couldn't look away from his intimate gaze, feeling her groin throb with unfamiliarity only heightened by knowing he was watching her every expression.

"L-Like this?" She echoed breathily, feeling confident enough now to rock her hips rhythmically on her own, placing her hands atop his as she moved. Sanosuke was in awe at the sight above him: his lovely Chizuru with hair still damp from the bath and dressed in her pink, two piece pajamas atop him, her hushed moans seductive in his ear. In no time he felt himself harden underneath her ministrations.

Sanosuke's pants suddenly felt too tight. "Oh…"

"…Is this o-kay?" Chizuru stuttered, her closed eyes opening to look at him with a gaze full of longing. She knew he was hard under his pants, and was frantically rubbing herself on it through her clothes, panting as she awaited his answer. "S-Sanosuke…?"

"Yeah, it's perfect, Chizuru." He raised a hand from her hips to caress her blushing cheek, letting her nuzzle into it as she continued to catch her rhythm. "You've already mastered it so well I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to hold out much longer like this, especially when you say my name like that…"

"Like what?"

Sanosuke threaded his fingers in her tousled brown hair, relishing the coolness of the wet strands. He gripped it in his fist tightly, making her groan. They held each other's eyes for a long time, trying to express something too scary to say aloud, and shatter this dream fantasy come to life.

She was blinking slowly as he stared back, her hips slowed down to an eventual halt. After a moment, Chizuru's face suddenly hardened with resolve and she leaned down to kiss him sweetly on the mouth, arms wriggling themselves around his neck for support.

There was nothing to stop him now. Sanosuke flipped them over carefully on the couch, so that her tiny frame was nestled beneath his towering stature and shadow. In this position, he was able to settle his heavy weight between her legs, knocking the breath from her lungs at the sudden pressure like a freight train nestled between her thighs. He caught her excited gasps in a few open-mouthed kisses.

"Do you even know how sexy you are?" He put a hand on her bent knee and pressed open her thigh, small gasps escaping as he moved his lower half into her, imitating how he intended to make love to her. "You have to get used to this feeling too. Do you like it?"

"Mmhm, aah…" Chizuru threw her head back as Sanosuke's head cradled itself into the crook of her neck, his hot breath ghosting over her skin and making her shiver with pleasure. The combined sensation was much more satisfying than her doing it herself, as she was struggling to hold back her cries of pleasure feeling him move expertly. She was so enraptured that half of her top was unbuttoned before she had even realized he was doing it.

"You're much better at this than I am…" She mumbled cloyingly.

Her hands threaded themselves in his red hair, gripping it to relieve her anxiety as she doubled down in her resolve, and didn't protest again as he unbuttoned her pajama shirt all the way down.

Sanosuke winked at her comment. "Last chance to take this all back, Chizuru. I don't think I'll be able to stop once you reveal yourself to me." He leaned in close and breathed in her ear, the hands and hips on her body pausing.

She swallowed back the last wave of doubtful nausea and stroked his scalp encouragingly. "No, I want to. P-please continue…" her final words came out muffled because Sanosuke had already harshly kissed her on the mouth. He sat up, careful to make sure her unbuttoned top wasn't sliding off her just yet.

He moved off her carefully to stand, and gave her a hand to lift her up as well. He let her stare curiously at his hard-on poking through his pants, her eyes alone making his throbbing reaction intensify. She needed to know what she had really said 'yes' to.

"It'll be better on the bed," he said softly, taking her hand tightly. "I want to make sure you're comfortable too, okay?"

"Okay…" Chizuru nodded, and without dropping his hand she pulled him along as she hit the lightswitch of the living room off, and strategically tiptoed them both in the dark hall to her bedroom door, highlighted in the blackness with a halo of light peeking through the door's bottom.

She opened the door, and Sanosuke immediately scooped her up in his arms bridal style to carry and lay her on her back softly on the bed. He sat up and under her shy gaze, began to undress himself first, down to his underwear, and then that came off too, the redden tip of his hardened member finally flung itself free. He hissed at the sensation of cool air on that hot skin. She watched with a curious fascination, hands gripping her blanket tensely, but she also felt proud to see him just as excited as she was. His cock was already slick with precum and he stroked himself in front of her a few times to slick it over entirely as she watched, before he nudged her over under the sheets so he could slide beside her.

He undressed her next, the bedroom lamp beside her bed illuminating her pale skin as he pushed her pajama top off of her shoulders to expose her breasts and let himself gently brush a thumb over her rosy pink nipple. She squealed, flinching a bit at the unexpected touch.

"You okay?"

"Aah, yeah I just…um, yes."

He pulled away, and started tugging on her pants, helping her slip her slim legs out, one by one, until his hand traced the outerlining of her underwear. Sanosuke made sure to keep his touch light, even as he let a finger slim under the seam to rub at her wetness slowly, encouraged by her sweet cries. He slid each finger under slowly until his whole hand was moving under the sheets rhythmically, finding her sweet spot and kneading at it until her hips were bucking back at his hand, asking for more. Satisfied that she was prepared and her body was at ease, he pulled his hand out and helped her slip the now wet fabric down her thighs to her knees. Chizuru slipped them off herself with ease, blinking back up at him as she kicked it off her body and under the sheets somewhere, so she could be completely nude.

Their hands found each other under the blanket and then pressed together on the pillow beside Chizuru's head as he shifted himself on top of her again.

"I'll make it feel as good as possible, Chizuru. I promise." He nestled himself at her wet entrance, rubbing the head of himself slowly against her in preparation. The feeling was even more incredible than he feared, and at that moment he knew there was no taking things back, no stopping. He was finally about to lay claim to the only person that's occupied his dreams for months. She was about to finally, and fully, belong to him. She'd never be able to escape him after this; there's no way he'd give up such an amazing privilege to any other man.

"I love you," Chizuru smiled, eyes wet with tears but she tried to meet his gaze anyway, interrupting his thoughts. She nudged against him as if she sensed his hesitation.

The last thread of hesitancy snapped, and he let himself fall into his fully realized dream. "I love you too…Chizuru."

Sorry for the long wait between chapters, I also did some restructuring and added a bit more prose in an additional chapter between 5 and 6, so if you're reading this while i'm currently writing it, you don't need to go back for it, and if you're reading this like in 2028 then it doesn't matter keep going lol. Thank u all for your sweet notes of encouragement! See u soon! ~SQ