Author's note: Yay! Well, I've finally broken the line of 40 000 words. I never thought this would continue so far… but I still haven't got a clue what my fic is about or where to go with it…and I'm sure the plot will come to me… sooner or later…
To Elena-Unduli: Thank you for your reviews! They made me smile madly, and it was close that my friends didn't send me to some closed mental institution, with soft walls. And sorry that it took this long to update…It's good to hear that you liked Gohda and Onikage, they are the two characters that I'm most insecure to write about…And about Onikage's move to come to the right side…shh, please keep it quiet… he hasn't understood it yet. He thinks he is still the most evil creature dwelling in the three dimensions….poor thing.
To Kill Caustic: Thank you for your review! It made me happy as bumble bee in the spring time. There will be more Ayame+Onikage... I'll promise that. AndI think it's great that youhave come to like Onikage+Ayame pairing. (Iam a big Rikimaru+Ayame shipper too, believe it or not). And about Gohda+Rikimaru, this pairing exsist here mainly because two things: 1. to get me some flames and 2. to make people see that even though Rikimaru+Ayame is awonderful pairing, you can write something really far off too...(I couldn't think weirder pairing than that).And don't get too worried, It'll stay there as minor pairing and I'll make it as non-graphic one as I can.
Warning: Still haven't found my dictionary… so please forgive me the bad language… I believe this is one of the crappiest chapters this far… and there is some yaoi hints once again.
Disclaimer: Still owning nothing of Tenchu….sadly
-Play time-
As the door has closed behind Emi's back, Ayame buried her head in her hands. She didn't want to see how the walls of her bedroom would slowly creep closer and closer until she would get crushed underneath them. The claustrophobia had come back, just like before… when her parents had died. Only this time she wasn't feeling practically sad or even enraged, just shocked and somehow…empty.
"Are you going to fucking cry again?" The deep voice boomed behind her back. "I didn't know you were such a cry baby…" The voice continued taunting her from her nearly emotionless state. Ayame had already forgotten that the man was there, which was quite an achievement on it's own, something in the man just screamed attention.
"No, I'm not!" Ayame declared in an enraged tone, hoping that she could make the man disappear somewhere to taunt someone else, like to a mountain top to insult the sky. It was shocking to notice how used to his presence she already was. He had followed her around so long that she was already getting edgy when he wasn't there.
"Maybe it was because, the feeling of safeness you have when he's around you. He is awfully big and warm, isn't he?" A little voice in her consciousness suggested, but Ayame suppressed it. She didn't want to be reminded that in away she had grown to like him.
"And who on earth are you anyway? And what bond-nonsense is everybody blabbering about?" Ayame asked forgetting that just two minutes earlier she had gained more than enough answers for one day. She would have glared him evilly but it was rather difficult in her current position.
"I'm Onikage, the demon shadow." The man stated as it should have told her everything.
"I didn't mean your name." Ayame said quietly. "Although it is quite fitting." she continued letting out a little laugh that had nothing to do with happiness. "I just meant it literally, I know you aren't human … but otherwise I have no clue."
A moment of silence the man let out a sigh that told that he wasn't really into this 'I'm-Ayame-and-I'm-a-human- who-and-what-are-you-game'.
"I'm what you lowlifes call a vampire." Onikage answered.
"Well that explains the death-pale complexion and hunger for blood." Ayame thought out loud, cursing herself for letting the situation that had supposed to be a verbal assault to transform to a nice afternoon tea discussion between an old couple.
The thought made her notice once again how his muscular arms were tied around her. He could have easily crushed Ayame with his strength, but instead he was holding her in an almost tender manner.
"No, Ayame don't think like that, concentrate." She mentally shook herself.
Trying to save the little of the original tone of the conversation Ayame asked in a coldest tone she could muster: "So what exactly are you doing in my room? Everybody already knows about you in this mansion, so you should be able to wander around the mansion just fine. I doubt anyone could stop you from doing that even if they wanted."
"It's because of our bond and your heat." The man said like that short answer would have cleared her question. She was feeling edgy again.
"Why was everyone in this bloody gate-way of a house talking with riddles?" She cursed mentally "Was it really that hard to give straight answers or was it a part of protocol in this twisted mansion?"
"What bond? And I'm not in a bloody heat, damn it!" Ayame shouted. Her time of the month was still weeks away, and she would have known if they had started beforehand, at least she would know it better than some tall, pale freak boy with fangs.
"Are you fucking kidding me wench? The man answered with a question. "Don't your little human brain tell you when you are in heat, and drawing the attention of every living-male in a to mile radius with you seducing scent! The only thing that has kept them away from you this long is the mark you carry." The man raged, and the arms around her got tighter, pulling her even closer against his chest. For some reason the action set a swarm butterflies fluttering in to her stomach.
"I don't even bother to answer that." Ayame mumbled…until she remembered something weird "What mark!" She demanded to know trying to turn around in his embrace, without much success.
"My mark." Onikage answered lowering his head to kiss the sensitive base of her neck.
"The bite marks." Ayame realized, but before she had a chance to inquire further information from the Man, he whispered in to her ear in a husky voice: "The Ask-and-answer-game is over. You got what you want… now it's my turn, and I want to play."
Before Ayame knew what was happening the man removed her from his lap, tossing her in her back to the bed and trapping her hands above her head and her legs under his own, in a similar way he had done last night. Lowering his head so close that their noses almost touched, Onikage looked her with those dangerously glowing red eyes of his.
"What do you think you are…? " Ayame started, but Onikage quieted her down with a long, heated kiss.
As the kiss broke Ayame opened her mouth to speak: "If you think…" she started with a breathless voice "…that you can do whatever you want, you are sadly mistaken."
The man answered to her question by ripping open the top half of her school uniform and removing her bra in a similar manner. The inhuman lust radiated from his eyes, making Ayame's heart flutter like a caged bird in her chest.
"No…" Ayame started in a weak voice, but Onikage interrupted her with another fiery kiss. First she tried to battle against it, but it didn't take too long before she melted into the kiss and answered it with equal passion and opened her mouth enough to let him explore it with his tongue.
"You are driving me insane, and I'm not going to take it anymore. I'm going to have my way with you tonight. You are going to submit to me voluntarily or I'm going to take you by force. It's your choice." The man stated in a husky voice as the kiss broke.
Ayame's eyes widened in shock, waking her momentarily from her lust. "You wouldn't ..." She started, but the devilish smirk that appeared to Onikage's face stopped her in the middle of the sentence. "He would do it and enjoy." Ayame realized.
"I like it both ways… but I've noticed that generally the rape is more painful, especially to the virgins like you." The man said studying her face with those glowing red eyes. "But if your head can't find the answer I can always ask the answer from your body." Man suggested and started to move his lips lower along her body.
The feather light touch of Onikage's lips was quickly driving the sanity out from her head and growing the nameless longing in her heart. His head was between her breasts as he stopped for a moment to ask in a husky voice: "So which one it is?"
"What is?" Ayame asked in a distant voice and gasped when his tongue moved to other one of her round breast to tease her nipple.
"Your answer…" The man reminded in an amused tone, before returning to his task.
"Yes." Ayame mumbled unable to remember the question let alone the options anymore. The sweet torture of his kisses and caresses had set her body on fire and everything even close of rational thinking had fled from her head ages ago.
"I'll take that as the first option." The man said and freed Ayame's hands to get rid of her remaining clothes, with speed and efficiency that would have impressed Ayame if she wouldn't have been sinking to the world of carnal pleasures.
His hands seemed to everywhere, moving from her hips to her thighs and then back up to her breast again. Ayame's own hands were wandering along his back to his neck, tracing the lines of his muscles. His body felt so hard, strong, exiting and so different compared to Ayame's own.
Ayame moaned in pleasure as the man moved on top of her to kiss the extremely sensitive bite mark on her neck.
The man pierced her neck with his fangs at the same time as he pushed his hard member inside of her. Ayame had to clench her teeth together to prevent herself from shouting out loud from the pain. The man slowed down to let her get used to this new sensation as he licked the blood from the bite mark in her head.
After a moment the pain slowly subsided and Ayame relaxed and started to answer with the man's movements with her own, first in a slow rhythm that gradually gained speed, until they finally found their release together.
Mimi barged to Emi's room without knocking, making Emi jump from surprise.
"He is here… in this house. We have to do something!" The petite witch shouted her eyes full of fear. There was only one person Emi could think of that could scare the younger witch, and that was the thousand-killer.
"Calm down Mimi, I already know and the matter is already been taken care of." Emi said and focused her attention back to the cards she had placed in a complex pattern on her table.
"You… what did you …?" Mimi said in a shocked voice examining Emi with her big sky blue eyes. "Don't tell me that you chained him on your own." Mimi said dressing her biggest fear into words.
Raising her piercing green eyes from the cards to the blond witch in her room, Emi wondered how much she should say to clear things up, but still keep the situation under control.
"No, I wasn't the one to chain him, but he is under the control of the human girl now, and he is wearing the silver medallion that binds him to the rules of the mansion. We can't hurt him even if we tried, believe me I already tried." Emi said and lowered her gaze back to the cards.
After a moment of silence Emi raised her gaze to study why the other witch was so unusually quiet and saw that Mimi had already gone.
"Well, I can't really blame her from freaking out after what I did, can I?" Emi thought amusedly and focused her attention back to her cards. It seemed that the shock was still laying heavily in the back her own mind too.
For the first time in her life she had made an error when she had tried to read the cards, not once but twice.
No matter how hard she tried to concentrate, the only meaning of the cards she could think of was that Matsunoshin would die and keep on living, but that made no sense at all.
Sighing Emi took the cards from the table and placed them back to deck. She would try again later.
Matsunoshin Gohda woke up, feeling like the younger ninja's would have used him as a target of kunai practise and then tossed him from a cliff. Even the soft bed he laid in felt like it was made of rock and nails, and every inch of his body ached. He was in one of the empty servant rooms in the eastern or the southern wing. The walls were pale green, like leaves in early spring.
Then it hit him. His last memory, before bed was a dark stone corridor in the east wing, and the way the after effects of the spell had tore open his half healed wounds, inflicting unbearable burning pain to radiate from his chest to all over his body.
He couldn't have gotten himself to bed in that condition, therefore someone must have carried him. That led to conclusion that someone was now aware of his curse.
"Please let it be one of the younger servants." Matsunoshin prayed to every God he could think of. Younger servants wouldn't doubt his words, let alone question his orders. In the worst case scenario the helpful soul was ether Rikimaru, Tatsumaru or one of the witch sisters. They wouldn't let him slip away without the third degree questioning. The mere though of all those unwanted questions, made him jump out of the bed.
"Not the best idea you've made." An irritated voice said Matsunoshin's own thoughts aloud, as the burning of his chest returned making him gasp air like fish out of the water. He had to lean to the wall for support, to prevent himself from doubling over.
Rikimaru stood in the doorway, hands crossed over his chest. His silver hair glowed eerily in the light of the fireplace. Shaking his head lightly he walked to Matsunoshin.
"I don't know where you think you are going punk, but now you will either go back to bed on your own or I will make you do it." Rikimaru said in a voice that left no room to arguments.
Matsunoshin wondered would he be able to speak his way out of this, but a single glance to Rikimaru's golden eye told him that it wouldn't be an option. He had wished to avoid this situation. He had already left his final farewells, and he was afraid that even the shear sight of the silver haired ninja might inspire him to selfish actions. Even now Matsunoshin could feel how a part of him wanted to hang in to a possibility of happiness, even if it would be just a moment.
"Those without future shouldn't harvest false dreams." Gohda thought trying to ignore the painful longing of his heart.
"So how is it going to be?" Rikimaru asked. "Either way you need rest, we have to get you to Luna, and you have to save your energy to the long years of hiding." He continued coming even closer. Now, Rikimaru was so close that Matsunoshin could feel the warmth that radiated from Rikimaru's body.
It took a moment before the full meaning of Rikimaru's words sank to Matsunoshin's mind.
"Years… he couldn't mean… was Rikimaru willing to ruin his future for him; a half-breed bastard without anything to give?" The thought made the mask of false feelings slip from his face for a moment, but then Matsunoshin remembered the unhappy reality.
"Rikimaru… I…You can't even know how happy you made me by saying those words, but I can't let you do that. I have a duty…" Matsunoshin started to explain, but Rikimaru interrupted him.
"Hell with your duties." Rikimaru almost shouted "I can't let you be killed, even if it would prevent the war. …I…" Rikimaru paused trying to find the right words. "If I'd do that, I wouldn't be able to live with my self …I…" Rikimaru's voice was getting desperate as he tried to explain feelings he couldn't even understand himself.
"I can't let you save me for nothing Rikimaru." Matsunoshin interrupted with a gentle voice. "I never told you about my curse of my blood, did I?" Matsunoshin asked more from himself than from Rikimaru. "As you know, my ancestors have frequently been blessed with great powers. It's even said that the magic runs in our family blood." Matsunoshin stopped for a moment to take a deep breath.
"For my curse also I have been granted those powers. I have enough power to shatter mountains, but my half-human body isn't strong enough vessel to hold the raging power inside me. In short, the powers are eating my body from the inside. At the best case scenario I would have from one to two years left to live, and I can't let you destroy your life for that." Matsunoshin said unable to meet Rikimaru's gaze.
The ninja was the first one to break the uncomfortable silence that had filled the room after Matsunoshin's confession.
"I…the year would be worth it… Hell, even few months would be worth it. " Rikimaru said in a silent voice, caressing Matsunoshin's face with his finger tips.
"I'm sorry Rikimaru, It can't never happen… not in this life." Matsunoshin whispered and raised his head to hastily press his lips to Rikimaru's. It was barely a kiss, but it was more than he had planned.
Before Rikimaru had time to recover from the shock or say anything, Matsunoshin used his final weapon in order to ensure that Rikimaru wouldn't do anything he might later regret.
"Rikimaru you have once sworn to obey my every command, and now I'm going to use that promise. In the name of the Lord of the North I command you: You will protect and obey my sister like you used to protect and obey me, until she orders otherwise." Matsunoshin said in a cold voice straightening to his full length.
"But I…" Rikimaru started before Matsunoshin interrupted him
"I am the law in this house, until my sister is officially crowned, and you will obey me!" Matsunoshin commanded, his eyes flaming.
"Yes, my Lord" Rikimaru said bowing down after a moment of silence.
"Now, leave me." Matsunoshin ordered in the coldest voice he could muster. He didn't think he had ever done anything so difficult in his whole life, than watched how Rikimaru walked out of the room and from his life.
"Why was it so painful to do the right thing?" Gohda thought wiping the moistness from his eyes to the ridiculously sized sleeve of his robe.
-The end of chapter thirteen –
Yup…and a short chappie again….sorry….