Part Four: His Desire
The battle was over in mere minutes.
Despite his wife's worried gasps breezing by his ears, the young swordsman maintained a reserved composure and only tensed a bit; inwardly, he was preparing himself, determined to emerge victorious from the encounter. The earlier cries of alarm from the Heida siblings were loud enough to rouse the attention of other villagers, and now there was a small crowd watching the fight, wisely keeping their distance, but obviously very interested. When the Tengu was just a few feet shy of reaching its target, Kurando casually lowered his sword to the side and raised his other hand over his head while a deliberate, almost sly look furtively ignited in his crimson eyes. He partially closed his fist until only two fingers were up, and drew the duo down to eye-level as wisps of misty light began to surround his body, signaling his fusion with one of the mystical forms lingering inside him.
When the smoke cleared, he heard a few of the villagers gasping at the sight of his new form standing in place, a wild-looking ogre with a very unique appearance due to his dark skin and a black horn that was sticking up from his head of light purple hair. Intending to end the battle as quickly as possible, Kurando had fused with a mythological spirit named Jutendouji, an ogre warrior that had fierce fighting abilities and whose speed was remarkable, much faster than many other creatures. In addition to that, he also wielded a large sword, which he presently raised before him in firm, sturdy defense as the Tengu approached, and the monster shrieked in aggravation after colliding with the hard barrage. Due to that advantage, the young fusionist recovered first and forcefully shoved the gray-feathered bird away with the blunt of his weapon, and then tightened his grip on the handle before taking a step forward to battle.
It was no contest; as his spectators watched the action in wonder, Jutendouji soon overcame his opponent and left the creature lying on the ground, too bruised and injured from countless lacerations to survive for much longer. Excited cheers and praise rang around the winner as he regarded the fallen monster with caution, wanting to make sure it was down for good before he could declare the battle over and avert his attention elsewhere. When he nodded in assurance that the foe was dead, a few of the villagers surrounded the Tengu and murmured amongst themselves, discussing what to do with it – well, the animal was obviously large and could provide food for many. Their leader, in the meantime, stood back and allowed them to solve the small dilemma of their own wills, and was just about to return to his regular human form, when sudden movement surprised him and halted his motion.
Two small arms came from behind and surrounded his waist just then, startling the ogre, and since he wasn't expecting it, he instinctively stiffened while his senses rose up to high alert in apprehensive preparation. As he was reacting so, he felt a puff of breath warm his back, which caused the pale-haired warrior to tense up slightly more, but when he regained his right track of mind, he reasoned that it was merely his wife embracing him. Since his nature was wild and vastly different from civilization's practices, Jutendouji felt bewildered at the unusual contact, but a familiar sensation soon stirred within him, and his fighting intentions were quickly pushed aside. When the hold on him was released, he slowly turned around to face Anastasia, suddenly feeling eager to see her, although the creature was unsure why; his knowledge and perspective wasn't the same as Kurando's in the present form, after all.
He eyed the girl curiously and thoroughly looked her over, quickly noticing her attractive appeal in spite of the heavy clothing that covered her body and left only her legs bared to his sight – he would rather view all of her. At the rather enticing thought, a primal instinct roused to life in him, lingering around a particular nether region, but he was soon distracted by a strange sense of warmth that soothed his form, leaving him slightly bewildered. While it was slowly fading away, he turned his attention to the young brunette and noticed that her eyes were closed while pale blue light enveloped her petite frame, and then to his astonishment, he saw that her wounds were healing! When the young mage opened her eyes and smiled at him, Jutendouji felt surprisingly drawn to her in that instance and he willingly succumbed to the sensation, quickly leaning forward to grasp a firm hold of her arm with his free hand.
"Huh…?!" she gasped in surprise, jolting a bit. "U-um… are you still hurt? Do you need another curing spell? Maybe Arc Cure wasn't strong enough…"
She was speaking, but in a language that the wild creature didn't understand, so her words were meaningless to him; he just drew the girl closer to him and sniffed her curiously, wanting to identify her by that trait. Her scent carried a bit of familiarity, reminding him of the swordsman, who in the current time was allowing himself to get caught up in Jutendouji's exploration, as he was able to look at Anastasia through different eyes. Yet strangely, both were feeling the same thing: a strong endearing attachment to her; although, Kurando's was more affectionate and derived from emotion, while the other one simply wished to fulfill his carnal, physical desires. There was a faint voice informing Jutendouji that the fusionist in charge of the body was very fond of the attractive female standing before him, but from the ogre's perspective, he only knew to recognize her as his woman – his mate.
"K-Kurando? The battle's over… aren't you going to change back?"
At the name reference, he snapped back to his senses and nodded before releasing her and retracting a couple steps as misty light and smoke enveloped his form once again to conceal his transformation in privacy. A few minutes later, the brightness subsided and Kurando emerged as his normal self, and he immediately gazed forward at his wife, so engrossed in her that he barely noticed the noise that suddenly arose around him. Applause and gracious compliments came from the surrounding villagers, and a few went over to him; only then did he seem to realize their presence and the young Inugami leader acknowledged the praise with slight flush on his cheeks. He saw Anastasia lingering quietly in the background and he very much wanted to go next to her, but out of respectful courtesy for his friends and neighbors, he decided to patiently indulge them with his attention for the time being.
"Master Kurando! You were great!"
"That was a magnificent battle!"
"No, I was merely doing my duty," Kurando insisted humbly, and then bowed at the waist to emphasize his point. "As your leader, it's my job to protect everyone in this village." Especially my… especially Anastasia.
"Wow, you're really strong! Like Anastasia!" Shinta inserted enthusiastically, and the fusionist knew he was referring to the previous encounter, when she saved the young boy from the first Tengu that had attacked.
The dark-haired swordsman smiled at the reminder and snuck a look at his wife out of the corner of his eye. "Thank you. We won, because our hearts were strong."
"Did that wild man come from your fusion power, Master Kurando? Like Miss Saki's Kouenki form?"
The samurai responded to the last question with a simple, modest nod and continued listening to everyone's comments, but some time later, he felt that he'd waited long enough and politely spoke up, "Ah, if you all don't mind, please excuse me…"
The Russian girl looked at him in just then and caught his line of sight, her expression appearing surprised that he had suddenly dismissed the other villagers; he merely gazed back at her, albeit more intensely, meaningfully.
Complying with his request, the crowd parted to let him through and Kurando quickly strode over to his wife, stopping before her with concern clearly in his eyes as he asked her in a gentle tone, "Anastasia, are you all right?"
Her response was a simple nod, and then she returned the caring gesture; "Um, what about you? I saw that Tengu scratch you a few times…"
She was right – he had received a few injuries from the aerial creature, but they were very mild, nothing compared to the numerous red lines that had marred the smooth, delicate surface of her legs before the effects of her curing spell. "Don't worry; I'm fine, thanks to your healing spell. But nonetheless, I'd like to return home and rest for a bit. …Do you want to come as well?"
"Yes… I'll go with you, Kurando," she replied softly.
The dark-haired swordsman pivoted around, and after bidding his friends and neighbors farewell, he started walking away from the clearing, heading down the path that led back to Inugami Village, with Anastasia following closely.
"Aww, that's so sweet!" He heard one of the women remark behind him, and he flushed a little at hearing that, but then he suddenly felt a slender hand slip into his and intertwine with his fingers, to which he turned his head in surprised curiosity, still walking. He was met with a sweet smile from the brunette princess and slight shyness in her bright green eyes, but she grasped his hand firmly, and the young couple gazed at each other for a few minutes before she finally averted her attention to the setting ahead. Because of the domineering reason behind their lack of interaction in the past month, Kurando was relieved that his wife had been the one to break their too-long period of having no physical contact; he missed being around her. The pair idly strolled over to the house together in comfortable silence, enjoying the warmth beaming down from the sun, as well as the privacy – since most of the villagers were still back in the Forest of Wind – and so their pace was rather slow.
When they reached the front porch of their home, the samurai opened the door and made a gesture for his wife to go in first; her cheeks went a little pink at the chivalrous action, but of course, she willingly complied. Once inside, he followed her and they both wandered into the living room, where the Russian princess promptly collapsed onto the couch with a shaky sigh, that noise causing Kurando to sharply glance her way. He walked over and stopped next to the tired girl, slight worry in his expression as he reached out to place his hand on her shoulder; his action made her look up at him curiously, but then she smiled cheerfully to assure him of her well-being. Nodding in silent reply, the samurai retracted his arm and turned his attention to the clock on the wall, and after realizing the late afternoon hour, he remembered that his mother would be returning home in the evening to make dinner.
"So, um, where is your mom?" Anastasia piped up just then, as if reading his thoughts. "Didn't she come back from… the trip… with you?"
"Mother is visiting one of her friends right now, who lives over on the other side of the village," he told her, "She should be back in a couple of hours. Heh, she'll probably have heard about what happened by then."
His spouse blushed cutely at the reminder, but a smile graced her lips as she nodded in agreement.
"Well, in the meantime, I'm going to bathe," he informed her as he turned his head to glance toward the hallway. "I'd like to clean up from our fight in the forest."
"Okay," she replied, and then remarked candidly, "I'll do that too, a little later."
She must be tired after those battles. Kurando realized inwardly while he watched her adjust into a comfortable resting position, and suggested caringly as he was leaving, "If you're still feeling fatigued when I come back, I'll brew a pot of botanical tea for you, Anastasia."
He glanced at his younger companion and managed to catch her wide grin of relief, beaming with appreciation as she called to his retreating back in farewell, "That would be great… thanks!"
He nodded and proceeded up the stairs, stopping by the bedroom to retrieve clothes for his bath, and with the little bundle of garments in his arms, he returned back down to the first level and headed out through a side exit. The afternoon sun was slowly slipping away and taking the brightness from the sky in the process of succumbing to the arrival of night, but the small bathing facility was a short distance behind the house and the samurai made his way there with ease. Once at his destination, Kurando slid the screen door shut behind him and flicked on the light before he set his belongings down next to the large tub at the center, and then he went over to draw hot water from the pump. After pouring enough of the steaming liquid into the wooden container, the young man undressed within the privacy of the confined vicinity and stepped into the tub, uttering a sigh of contentment as he submerged himself inside.
The water eagerly enveloped his body upon entry, and he remained seated perfectly still for a few minutes, his eyes quickly closing so the owner could truly enjoy the tranquil environment before he began to cleanse himself. He soon began to bathe, but in spite of the relaxing mood, his mind started to wander and was soon filled with silent thoughts and inquiries regarding his current relationship with the princess, especially concerning the strange encounter earlier that afternoon. He wasn't completely sure what had between her and Jutendouji, since he was only partially aware of the fusion form's actions, but Kurando had definitely felt uneasy after he reverted back and regained control – was it possible that the ogre spirit lusted for his wife? If so, then that would undoubtedly put the fusionist in an odd dilemma; he himself certainly desired Anastasia, but he had sternly vowed to wait for her readiness, and now, there was a possible additional problem… or need, rather; that he had to deal with.
On the positive side, his main worry had finally been eased a bit, for he'd been beginning to wonder if his wife would ever want to be in physical contact with him again, but by her initiative embrace, she seemed to miss him as well. Yet that was just a small step, so he decided not to address the issue of intimacy until she had shown absolutely clear signs that she wanted to be with him that way, although he didn't know how she would actually go about doing that. He had utmost patience when it came to situations that concerned Anastasia, but if she took longer than another month to approach him, then he would have to shatter their barrier himself and seek her out to discuss the matter. The concerned husband hoped that he wouldn't increase the tension of their relationship if he had to somewhat-force her to face the problem, but certainly their marriage couldn't continue in such a frigid, uncomfortable manner.
He continued to bathe in silence, still thinking about the recent events, and after finishing the task, he stood up, shivering briefly from the surrounding cool air, and then reached out for his robe when all of a sudden, his ears caught a soft gasp. His senses instantly becoming alert, the samurai quickly whirled around and took a step back, turning his head to glance around the small facility while his arms were hastily raised, stopping before his chest in a defensive pose. Aside from not having his weapon on-hand, the young man felt a bit vulnerable due to his current state of undress, but just the same, he knew that it was no time to be modest; his eyes continued searching until something peculiar was noticed. The screen door across the room was open only a mere inch or two, but he distinctly remembered shutting it completely closed earlier, and so with that reminder mentally noted, Kurando began to stride toward the suspicious area.
"Who's there?" he demanded sternly, his voice cool and composed, but clearly authoritative.
He heard a faint cry of distress come from the other side, and then shuffling noises soon ensued as the mysterious strange was presumably making an escape, and the dark-haired swordsman momentarily considered giving chase. But because of his present nudity, he decided not to, and instead just went to close the screen door before retracting to drain the water out of the tub, and during that process, he grabbed his clothing, starting to feel quite cold by then. While dressing, he silently wondered who the unknown visitor could have been, since the bathhouse he was currently in belonged exclusively to the Inugami household and under normal circumstances, only his relatives were allowed to use it. After uttering a perplexed sigh, the young village leader quickly checked the room and then switched off the light and left the place, making his way back home under the shadowy veil of the night while paying full attention to his surroundings.
Fortunately, Kurando returned to the house without any trouble or unpleasant encounters, but he still felt bothered by the previous intrusion, and so he went into the living room in search of his wife, partially hoping to talk to her as a distraction. To his surprise, the couch she'd been sitting in earlier was empty and a small frown creased his brows at the discovery, although he then reasoned that she had probably just gone up to rest in their room instead of staying downstairs. He recalled his recent assurance that he would make herbal tea for her upon returning, but he wanted to ensure that she was awake before he did that, and so he proceeded down the hallway, intending to ascend to the second floor. The house was quiet, which led him to presume that his mother was still out at her friend's residence, but she would probably be back soon, and in the meantime, if Anastasia was indeed sleeping, then he would go into his study and look over some paperwork.
"Anastasia?" He called out questioningly when he neared their bedroom, and then accompanied that with a gentle knock on the shut door; there was a lock on it now, but he still wanted to try and prevent future awkward accidents from happening.
"…Kurando?"
Evidently, she was awake; "I'm back. Can I come in?"
"Sure…" came her soft, hesitant-sounding reply.
The young man turned the knob and pushed the tall frame inward to enter, and he found his spouse serenely sitting in bed with a book in her lap, while the lamp next to her was on and helpfully illuminating bright light. When Kurando glanced at her initially, he hadn't noticed anything unusual, but after he placed his clothes into the respective basket and turned to look at her again, he saw a couple of strange features, such as her cheeks appearing oddly flushed. And despite her appearance, the supposedly-reading girl seemed oddly breathless, as if she had been exercising right before his entrance or performing some other activity of the sort, and maybe even running up the stairs in a hurry, perhaps… His suspicions suddenly rose when he caught sight of a small leaf stuck in her hair that resembled those in the shrubs around the bathhouse, and he silently wondered what she had been up to during his absence.
"…You look a little out of breath." He noted with an edge of bewilderment in his voice. Could the spy have been… Anastasia? No, she doesn't have any reason to do such a thing. But then, why does she appear so flustered…?
Anastasia seemed startled by his observation, but she kept her head and eyes down facing the book, and he couldn't see her expression, though she did answer in a slightly unsteady voice, "M-maybe it's because I'm still tired…"
The unusual shakiness in her tone caused him to give her a peculiar look, and once again, he felt strongly compelled to know what she was doing before his return, but he trusted her, and wouldn't express disdain unless she was deliberately dishonest with him. "You didn't go outside, or hear anything while I was gone?"
She lifted her head and glanced at him with a split-second grimace that instantly vanished from her face almost as soon as it had appeared, but he could tell without a doubt that she was uneasy with the topic of his inquiries. "N-no."
He casually stepped closer to her and their eyes met; at the new distance, Kurando unmistakably identified the kind of leaf, and it confirmed his suspicions that she had indeed been outside and near the bathhouse, but he gave her one last chance to be truthful. "Are you certain?"
The brunette youth hesitated for a moment, and then she looked away while mumbling, "…Yes."
Disappointed in her response, he shook his head and remarked quietly, "…I've never known you to lie to me, Anastasia."
She turned her head back partially to glance at him and asked, "Wh-what do you mean…?"
He reached over and removed the leaf from her hair, then brought it down before her eyes; she paled at the sight, and instantly scooted backwards on the bed, apparently intent on getting away from him and his penetrating gaze. Her hasty action caused the book to slip out of her lap and fall to the floor with a light thump, but the princess didn't seem aware of that happening, and after she stopped moving, she raised the blanket up to her chin. Kurando frowned slightly at her retreat, a bit mystified at her rash reaction, but he merely cleared his throat and set the leaf on the nightstand before bending to take a seat on the mattress, hoping they could talk now – at least his wife stayed in her current spot. However, when he edged toward her, she visibly flinched and kept her profile facing away from him, but he stubbornly continued going until they were right next to each other and with her opposite side being the wall, she didn't exactly have the option of an easy escape.
But it wasn't his aim or intention to make her feel threatened, and so with a heavy sigh, the samurai initiated gently, "What's happening to us, Anastasia?"
"Uh, I, um… well, I'm not sure," she stammered nervously, and after a brief pause, she finally managed to articulate her plaguing displeasure; "But… I'm wondering why you've been acting so weird lately. It feels like you're… avoiding me."
His frown deepened slightly at the pang of sadness in her tone, but he felt obligated to admit reluctantly, "…You're right."
Surprise flickered over her expression. "I am? You really were avoiding me? …On purpose?"
He nodded slowly.
The corner of her mouth curled into a partial pout as she asked, "But why? Did I do something wrong…?"
"No, it's not your fault at all," he assured her immediately. "I… I was still feeling ashamed about walking in on you that morning, a few weeks ago, so I wanted to give you the space and privacy you deserve."
At his thoughtful consideration, the princess turned to fully face him, her tone completely earnest as she remarked, "Kurando, I think that new lock on the door is good enough… And, and I was a little embarrassed after you left that day, but… I knew it was an accident. You already said you were sorry, remember? You didn't have to avoid me…"
Yes, but… that wasn't my only reason, the young man thought to himself, but out loud and addressing his wife, he didn't tell her the aforementioned; "Forgive me. I know now that it was a poor decision, and I apologize. I won't choose that method anymore, I promise."
"Okay!" She grinned at him with the cheerful agreement, but then a faint blush colored her cheeks as she confessed in a soft tone, "I… I've really missed you when you were gone, Kurando."
Kurando flushed slightly as well, but inwardly, he was very pleased to hear that his yearning in the past month wasn't one-sided, and so he returned her pleasantry with a gentle smile while assuring her adamantly, "The feeling is mutual."
That issue dissolved, the couple sat in tranquility for a while, content with just being together; they were brought back to reality when the sound of door shutting suddenly occurred, coming from downstairs, and then a voice called out, "Kurando, Anastasia?"
"Mother has returned," he stated matter-of-factly, and then with a sliver of reluctance at the thought of leaving, he suggested, "Should we go downstairs now? We can help her prepare dinner. That is, if you're feeling up to it."
"I'm better," the girl assured him with an enthusiastic nod, "I'll sleep after I take a bath. Well, let's go!"
Their decision made, the pair left the bed and headed for the door in unison, but just as Anastasia had her hand on the small round knob, the young man stopped her with a gentle grasp of her arm, and she glanced at him inquiringly. Feeling a bit tentative about the inquiry that he wanted to ask, he spoke lightly, "Anastasia, before we leave… if you don't mind my asking, I have a question for you that might be a little personal."
Her expression looked nervous as if she knew what was coming, but nevertheless, she encouraged him adoringly, "Go ahead."
Even though they had come to an understanding, he still didn't know why his wife had been secretly spying on him earlier, and naturally, he questioned, "…Why were you watching me in the bathhouse? Or rather… why did you decide to do that?"
Her face turned a bit pink and she ducked her head in shy bashfulness before stammering her reply, "Well, I… I, um, kind of wanted to… to see what you… looked like…" she trailed off.
"O-oh." He realized with a start; she wanted to view him in such an intimate, personal manner? With that surprising new knowledge, did it mean that she might soon be ready to consummate their marriage…? It looked that way, but he didn't want to preemptively jump to conclusions, so he merely clarified, "That… so that was your reason? You were… curious?"
"Uh huh, but, um… is it okay? Can I… can I see you like… that? I mean, because we haven't even…"
Her timidity, albeit blatant honesty touched him, and Kurando considered her admission thoughtfully for a few moments, knowing that he had to handle the issue carefully; perhaps if she satisfied her curiosity, then she would feel more comfortable with the idea of intimacy. "…Anastasia."
His spouse slowly lifted her chin and bravely forged eye-contact with him. "Y-yeah?"
He smiled at her fondly, impressed with the strength of her will. "The next time you feel that… curiosity again, you can come to the bathhouse while I'm there and just knock on the panel. I… I will invite you in."
A deeper blush darkened her cheeks, but she gave him a small nod in response, and with that, the couple finally left the room, confident that they had overcome their first conflict; their relationship had begun to mend, and they were sure to be bound together stronger.
To Be Continued…