Chapter Seven

"You know what you're to do?" Ryuukossei asked softly, his sensual voice thickened by tepid drizzle, turning the question into a veiled caress. It was vague and so ominous that Daisuke would have believed the menace to be imagined were it not for the dragon staring down at him with lazy burgundy eyes.

"Get the girl," Daisuke grunted, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "Kill the escort.

Ryuukossei's gaze lingered on the campfire for a moment. Watching with grim fascination as the feeble flames crackled and snapped in the drizzling rain, he folded his arms into his sleeves. "Remember, Daisuke," he warned as he leaned slightly forward, "I want her undamaged."

Daisuke snorted a laugh. "All this for a woman? She must be a pretty piece of ass."

Cocking his head sideways, Ryuukossei peered at Daisuke, as if the larger man's off color remark had been profoundly interesting. His lips twisted into an almost smirk. "Quite."

There was something sinister about the dragon's tone. Little more than a murmur, one that promised foul deeds as it lurked within purring syllables. Words filled with such foreboding that Daisuke nearly reconsidered their arrangement. An idea, no more than a fleeting notion, he crushed ruthlessly. No matter how much his instincts might rebel, there was no recourse but to move forward.

He snorted, feigning disinterest. His mannerisms were evasive and his tone carelessly prodded. It was all too obvious he was unused to playing games. "So you want her for yourself"

"Oh no, no, no," the dragon admonished, clasping his hands to his chest and lowering his voice to a placating whisper. "I want her for the good of my patron."

Glowering, Daisuke huffed and abandoned all pretense of subterfuge. "Just make sure I'm paid."

"Ah, a pure mercenary are we?" The dragon's eyes glittered at the snappish tone. Then just as quickly the humor faded, as if it never existed, and his eyes hardened in warning. "We have an agreement, one whose terms it behooves you to oblige."

Daisuke's expression darkened, but he said nothing. Lately he had grown accustomed to taking orders from superior youkai, as well as giving them to lesser. Such matters were his lot in life, at least for the time being.

Then without a further word, the dragon melted into the forest. Disappearing so utterly that there was nothing to prove he had ever even existed. Save for Daisuke's recollection and Daisuke spared little time with contemplation. Instead, he ordered his men to ride.

They were a ragtag band of outcast youkai. In another setting, lost in the not so distant past, they would have been stalwart soldiers and loyal vassals. Now they were little more than reluctant brigands and sullen vagrants. Scrambling to douse fires, they saddled horses as their women offered worried farewells.

None dared to complain, not even mildly, for Daisuke was a harsh master and did not suffer dissent. Only Keiji, riding beside him as usual, had the audacity to protest.

"Daisuke-sama," he began in obvious distaste. "This dragon-" he jabbed a thumb toward where the dragon had been standing and scowled. "I don't trust him."

"Neither do I." Daisuke sighed and covered his eyes with one hand. Grinding his teeth as if he meant to swallow the grim thoughts pervading his mind, Daisuke peered at the older youkai through splayed fingers. "Keiji, you are free to leave my company any time you wish."

Keiji steeled himself and shook his head. His dark hair was tussled from sleeping on the hard ground, but his green eyes were fierce. "Yes," he said softly, but firmly. I promised your father, he wanted to say. "What is a vassal without a lord?"

What's a lord without a house? Daisuke's thoughts countered Keiji's words, grim memories welling inside his soul. Images of hellish flame, putrid smoke, and broken bodies assailed his mind. A cacophony of roaring fire and broken screams while his father, his broken and wounded father, begged everyone to run, to flee, as he held back the invaders.

History would dub the invasion a preemptive strike; conveniently forgetting that the crushed territory had been guilty of nothing save for existing within a strategic locale. Sometimes Daisuke wondered bitterly why annihilation was preferable to negotiation.

He closed his eyes, shutting off his mind from turbulent memories and willing his thoughts to focus on what was truly important. He would restore his house, find his sisters, and then this nightmare would be forgotten. "Go or stay," he ordered curtly, then gentled his tone, "The choice is yours."

Not waiting for an answer, Daisuke spurred his horse across the muddy plains and toward the dense woods in the distance. Expectedly, Keiji muttered a curse and kept pace with his young, disposed lord, seething all the while.

Amayami perched in her saddle, shivering visibly as icy rain dribbled from her long hair and down inside her armor. Nearly an hour had passed since their escort had departed at the border. This left Touga, and his wandering hands, as her sole ally in a dangerously unstable territory.

She stiffened as he leaned into her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his lips to the hollow of her throat. His breath was warm and apologetic against her ear. "I should have brought the carriage."

She could feel his eyes, darkened amber with obvious desire, following the soft line of her neck and the tender curve of her breast. Staring at her with a gaze so heated, she almost believed he could undress her by will alone.

He lowered his head slightly to catch the lapel of her kosode between his teeth, causing the embroidered fabric to gape open a bit. Gripping the reins tightly, he commanded the pack animal to slow its frenetic pace to a leisurely gait and eventual stop before dropping them entirely.

Amayami looked back at him quizzically, attempting to ignore his advances. She was completely unaware that her lack of reaction only encouraged him further. If she had fallen into his arms, as many women before her had done, he would have taken what was his and been done with her. Unfortunately, she was too headstrong or too prideful or perhaps simply too naïve to understand that it was her resistance that made her utterly enticing.

"He needs to rest for while," Touga explained. His fingers brushed her hair, clumped and unlovely from the rain, away from the back of her neck. He pressed a kiss there, and then one to the space behind her pointed ear.

Amayami frowned and slid down from the saddle, her small feet sinking slightly into the muddied ground. She walked in a wide circle, purposely avoiding Touga's embrace, to gain a closer look at the creature.

Its heads were nodding, twin necks nearly sagging to the ground as its knees bent to lie on the ground. Amayami smiled faintly and ran her fingers through the beast's shaggy mane.

"What is he?" she asked, stifling a chuckle as one of the creature's heads lifted up to snuffle at her.

Touga almost smiled when the beast craned its second neck in her direction as the first one also vied heavily for her attention. She petted both heads in kind, pausing for a moment to scratch behind both sets of ears.

His lips twitched, feeling slightly envious as he watched her dote on the creature. He's a lucky bastard. "A pseudo-dragon crossbred with a oni horse," he answered in a matter of fact tone of voice.

She nodded, petting each head with affection, and then frowned thoughtfully. "It has two heads."

Touga smiled sheepishly and lightly tapped the creature's flank in a silent command to settle. "That, my lady," he began, becoming strangely befuddled as he met her gaze, "is something I cannot explain."

His words earned him a shy smile that broadened until tiny dimples appeared on her cheeks. Shallow, too rarely seen valleys that he, in a moment of absolute insanity, wished he could live forever.

His mouth was dry, too dry to speak, and he knew without looking his face was flushed. He simply stood there, enraptured and staring at her, as the thunder rumbled in the distance.

The undisguised lust in his gaze was enough to make Amayami shiver. She paled as her eyes, once serious and sinking, became scared and suspicious. Her expression shifted to its customarily pleasant, unreadable blankness, until she was protected through inapproachability.

Her stoic veneer began to waver, her walls crumbling from within. Dignity left her with only two recourses, to withdraw or to falter, and both were shades of defeat. A bit too quickly -not fast enough- she spun on her heel and pretended to be infinitely fascinated with the dragon. Piteously attempting to ignore Touga, the world, while the pang of loneliness was welling within her heart.

Strong hands fell to her hips, firm fingers gripped her armor and pulled her away from the dragon. She resisted as he turned her, heels digging into the mud. Touga hauled her against him, armor scraping armor as he kissed her hard. All his earlier tenderness, the concessions for her innocence, seemed to be forgotten. His hands roamed up her back, tangling in her hair as she stiffened and made faint protesting sounds low in her throat.

Torn between desire and confusion, she stilled beneath his scalding kisses and demanding hands. She refused to react as he moved his lips over the soft curve of her jaw, licking slow, heated lines before scraping his fangs gently over her tender flesh. His breath was warm in her ear as he whispered nonsensical flatteries; how beautiful she was, how much he wanted her. Endearments that were meant to entice only served to heighten her anxiety.

Her hands came up preventively between them, careless of the sharp spikes decorating their armor. Touga swallowed her protest with a hungry kiss and backed her into the dozing dragon. Mouth sealed over hers, he thrust his leg between her thighs, pressing against her as he lifted her to her tiptoes.

Amayami growled against his mouth, anger quickly replacing unease. Furious, not because of the liberties he took, but because she enjoyed them.

He broke the kiss suddenly, hands slipping from her hair, and touched his finger to her lips. Pressing gently, he parted her lips, his claw scraping her teeth as he pushed his finger into her mouth.

Her eyes locked with his and she experimentally licked the length of his finger. Tongue curling over the sensitive tip, she caught it between her teeth, her lips closing over the second knuckle before sucking gently.

As she began to suck harder, his breathing grew ragged until it became nothing more than muffled pants and smothered growls. Frantically, his free hand went to her hip as he pushed his leg higher, shifting her until their hips met. She was completely off balance and their armor made the position awkward, but regardless he clung to her almost desperately.

Touga tugged at the leather straps binding her armor, hands too frantic to worry with buckles. She bit him suddenly, hard enough to draw blood, inciting an involuntary hiss as he tried to jerk his hand away. But her grip was firm and she nursed the tiny wounds she made with her tongue before nipping at him again.

"Don't," Amayami said, sucking lightly before giving his finger a long parting lick, "ruin my armor."

The look in her eyes was almost enough to make him rethink ever referring to her as innocent. He stared hard, entranced by the smear of crimson on her lips. His blood. It screamed against her pallor, like a wanton splash of desire.

He licked her chin, and then kissed her hard enough that he felt her fangs. "I buy your armor," he growled into her mouth, his fingers curling under its polished surface. "I can do with it what I wish."

As the words left his mouth, he knew he had misspoken. Inwardly he cursed himself for reaffirming his intrinsic idiocy. Yet even as he mulled over his words, a thread of relief wove itself into his being. He sighed, a sound much like a growl, and realized his lapse was likely for the best.

He was not so uncouth as to rut with her on the muddied ground nor did he wish to take her violently. If matters had continued as they had, he was uncertain if he could have prevented either. Reluctantly he lowered her to the ground, withdrawing his knee when he was certain she stood steady on her feet.

Her eyes were blank, her expression blanker still, but it was the calm before the storm. He could feel her anger simmering just below the surface. Brusquely he spun on his heel, the edges of his rain soaked pelt striking her legs as he turned. He longed to say something, anything that would soften his words, but remained silent. His words were true; he did buy the armor, and thus much like the woman it protected, it did belong to him. His property to do with as he saw fit.

However, that piece of infallible logic was unable to explain his sudden uncertainty. It left him no room to consider his inability to watch the rain roll tear-like down her pale cheeks.

Behind him there was a sudden, muffled clatter, the sound of something heavy, not fallen, but thrown to the ground. It landed hard enough that his legs and ankles were sprayed with a thin shower of mud and water. Slowly, his eyes slid shut as he realized exactly what she had thrown. After all, it fit completely with her obstinate personality.

He turned on his heel and scowled at the armor lying in an inelegant heap at his feet. His scowl deepened as he prodded the discarded bundle lightly with his toe. Once again, he found himself torn between throttling her and kissing her senseless.

"Pick it up," he said softly and with the barest hint of anger. "Now."

Amayami raked a hand through her damp hair, a faint smirk on her lips. "It is yours to do with as you wish."

The smile that touched Touga's lips was wicked and almost cruel. He knew she was mocking him, twisting his words and actions to suit her whim. There was a challenge within her sardonic tones. One he would acknowledge.

Shoving her back against the dragon, he kissed her mercilessly, hard enough to break skin and draw blood. His hands moved up her back, his armor digging into her breasts as he fitted her against him. "As are you," he rasped in her ear. "My dear wife."

Touga steeled himself for her silent rage or perhaps a taste of her poisoned claws. Undoubtedly, a contemptuous smirk would have preceded both, as would the lashings of her mordant tongue. He expected to be riled by her usual willful, almost scathing retort.

Only to be stupefied when she pressed trembling lips against his brow. Almost of their own accord, his arms loosened, sliding down her spine to circle her tiny waist. He tangled a hand in her hair and pulled her close. All his thoughts of petty dominance fled as droplets, too warm to be rain, trembled down her cheeks.

Amayami's arms fell limply to her sides as he pressed soft kisses to her cheeks and forehead. She sagged against him, allowing him to wrap his arms fully around her. She was uncertain as he clutched at her, his hands digging into the silk of her kosode, exactly who was comforting whom.

For a moment she stood still in the circle of his arms, listening to the nonsense words he whispered into her hair. She stiffened, glowering at the pity tinged phrases. Growing more infuriated with each passing second. Amayami would suffer many things, but never something as lowly as pity.

"I belong to no one," she hissed, clicking her delicate seeming claws. "My dear husband."

Touga smiled, a slow, lazy grin that did not reach his eyes. Suddenly he lunged, reaching for her malevolently glowing hand, heedless that he was in the very real danger of making the same mistake twice. His hand closed in a bone-crushing grip, which, much to his surprise, caught nothing but air. She was simply gone, having moved faster than he could follow.

A split second later a sharp, stinging pain erupted through his left arm. Eyes narrowing, he glanced down and found himself bleeding from claw marks marring his bicep. The wound burned cold, numbing his arm, as her poison worked its way through his system.

"Oh, Inu no Taishou," she mock pouted, "you never cease to disappoint."

He spun in the direction of her voice, trying in vain to keep his composure. "I could kill you for this," he growled, gesturing to the growing stain of crimson on his sleeve.

Eyes on him, Amayami lifted her bloodied hand to her lips. She sucked each finger sensuously, her tongue flattening as it licked in smooth, wet lines. "You could try," she agreed, pausing to suck the end of her claw. "But it's just so-"

"Ordinary," Touga finished gruffly, guessing at her words. His fingers curled into fists, claws biting into his palms as he took a calming breath. Her actions, while they did anger him, also further inflamed him. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to drag her down the ground and-

Amayami chuckled, mistaking his mannerisms for fury, and took a gliding step toward him. Smirking, she leaned forward to trail a faintly glowing claw across his chest.

His armor sizzled and popped, spewing pungent fumes as it slowly melted. Smoke wafted through the air, creating a billowing veil between them.

"Boring," she whispered, half to herself, caught unawares by the strange gleam in his eyes.

She swallowed hard, her mind backpedaling as the bottom section of his armor snapped like a worn hinge and fell to the ground in a smoldering heap. Her breath hitched, but not from fear as she followed his gaze to the armor at his feet.

He breathed deeply, nostrils flaring as he exhaled, and kicked the armor hard enough that it flopped over. Grumbling, he realized his armor was ruined beyond repair.

Amayami stepped back and turned, starting back towards the dragon. His hand snagged her elbow, whipping her around, before she managed to take a single step. His sheer size had never been more evident as he scowled down at her, amber eyes darkening in a face stretched thin with desire.

He jerked her to him, wrapping his uninjured arm around her waist and sealed his mouth over hers. He kissed her hard, lips and tongue manipulating her mouth as his free hand peeled her kosode off one shoulder. His lips abandoned hers to press kisses down the side of her throat, creating red marks across her flesh.

He licked a long, warm line from her collarbone to the curve of her shoulder before lifting his head. "You ruined my armor."

Amayami raised a single brow as her lips thinned to a forbidding frown. "I buy your armor," she mocked as her claws sliced through the armor's pivotal support straps.

Touga winced as the rest of his armor clattered to the ground, but could not bring himself to be angry. Not when her eyes were positively beaming at him.

He kissed her again, this time with all the gentleness he could muster, occupying her attention as his hands discreetly fiddled with her obi ties. After a moment, his hands slipped into her parted kosode. His palms were callused and scratchy, but not unpleasant as they smoothed along her stomach and up her sides.

Sounds, no more than muffled gasps, bubbled pass her lips as she arched into him. He was either trying to kill her or drive her insane. It mattered little as to which for she was quite certain it was both.

She whimpered in protest, not caring that such pathetic sound came from her. Confusion tainted desire welled within her, casting her thoughts into turmoil.

She wanted him, wanted him to the point where she almost needed him. Yielding to him, granting him what was his by right was tantamount to defeat. "Touga," she rasped, voice tearful and thick.

With no small amount of reluctance, Touga ceased his soft kisses and gentle caresses. His hands slid down her sides, lingering for a moment over her curves, and fell to her hips. He was reluctant to withdraw from her entirely. Instead, he simply tilted his head back, offering the illusion of a withdrawal and watched, waiting to see if she would protest again.

Her eyes were tightly closed, brows knitted as if in pain. Touga paused, unsure and concerned, wondering if he had inadvertently harmed her. He did not believe so, but there were times she seemed as delicate as she was powerful.

Her eyes opened slowly, much to his relief, and were filled with a strange sort of certainty. Trembling, she pulled herself against him, clinging as if he were the last safe, sane thing in the world. "Don't stop," she whispered, pressing her lips firmly against his.

His lips were oddly still and unresponsive beneath hers. She kissed him again, tongue flicking over his lips as her hands slid down his body. Touching him where she had learned in their brief encounters that he liked to be touched.

A shudder ran through him as he shook his head. Ignoring his longing as he gently pushed her away and held her at arms length. No matter how much he wanted her, he knew, if he took her now, she would only hate him. "This isn't what you want," he said a bit more brusque than he intended.

Amayami flinched as if he struck her, but recovered quickly. "Since when do my wishes matter?" Her retort was flat, almost cold, despite the glimmer of hurt in her eyes.

Touga sighed, his resolve nearly faltering. He wanted to tell her always, but could not bring himself to lie. Instead he said nothing, merely turned on his heel. For a moment they stood in silence, and then he spared her a cold glance over his shoulder. "We're going."

Amayami glared daggers into his back as he gathered their discarded armor. Anger, confusion, and pain wove through her, each emotion more agonizing than the last. She breathed deep, trying to calm herself as she pulled her kosode closed and retied her obi.

Caught somewhere between fury and mortification, she stalked towards the dragon. Eyes forward but averted, she was purposely avoiding her husband's gaze. Feather-light fingers touched her face, tracing one of the crimson stripes on her cheek.

Touga's arm slipped around her shoulders. "Amayami," he murmured, burying his face in her hair. "I want to-"

What he wanted was never said, for action spoke before words and his mouth crushed down hard and hot against hers. His skin was warm through his soaked clothing, and as he pushed her up against the dragon, she felt the hardness of his body melding against hers.

Expecting his passion to intensify, Amayami was surprised when his mouth softened and nibbled softly at hers. His hand gently caressed her cheek and tucked a stray lock behind her ear.

"You're unlike anyone I've ever known," he murmured, inches from her face. "One moment you've made me so furious I want to kill you, and then the next.."

His lips found hers again, and this time hers parted of their own accord. For a moment, he hesitated, then his tongue slipped into her mouth. She moaned low in her throat, clinging to him as his hands slid down to cup her bottom, lifting her slightly from the ground.

He pulled his lips from hers and set her in the saddle. "'Maya," he said thickly, pressing a finger to her lips to silence her protests. "I want to do right by you."

Hand cupping his chin, she looked him thoughtfully in the eye. "It's rather late to make amends."

His soft laugh held no humor. "Perhaps, but there is no harm in trying."

Amayami looked away as he climbed up behind her, feeling an odd sort of shame. "Why do you call me that?" she snapped, hunching her shoulders in annoyance.

Touga leaned forward to retrieve the reins. "Call you what?" His brows lifted to his hairline and his lips rounded into an imperfect circle. He shrugged. "Why do you call me Inu no Taishou?"

Amayami gave him a dry, over the shoulder look. "Because you're an ass."

Touga jerked the reins once in silent command for the dragon to continue its journey. He grinned, flashing his glittering fangs. "That, my dear Lady, is your answer."

Amayami gaped at him, and then straightened her back, fuming. She could feel his chest rumbling against her back and knew he was laughing at her. He made a sharp nonsense sound, which only the dragon seemed to understand.

The creature lurched forward, slightly jostling her, and gradually gained speed. As the ground streaked by beneath them, Amayami glowered, even as a smile tugged at her lips.