CHAPTER 12: EMBRACE

It wasn't until another week later that Najenda assigned Sanfred on a mission. He went to a small town outside the Capital, along with Mine and Tatsumi. It was a simple mission, with a small-time drug dealer rising at an alarming rate.

Thanks to Night Raid, he was cut down even faster.

When the mission was over, Mine noticed that Sanfred had been quiet the entire time. As usual, she couldn't quite understand everything that was going through his head. It wasn't like he paid much mind when he killed people in the past. Even so, he still didn't strike Mine as someone who killed mindlessly. Instead, he killed for work, or in self-defense. He had also consistently shown care for her well-being, even when she was a captive.

"You doing okay?" she finally asked him, making sure that Tatsumi was riding the horse farther ahead out of hearing range.

"Wonderful," he answered with a grin. "You?"

"You seem distant," she brought up, ignoring his attempt to charm her.

"I'm not distant. I'm right here."

"Your body is," she agreed. "Your spirit, not so much. You think I don't know you well enough by now?"

"Maybe you know me too well." Sanfred slowed the horse down, sensing he wouldn't get off the hook that easily.

Mine matched his pace. "What then? Something happen back there?"

He nodded to confirm it. "We just completed a simple mission. And you seemed to enjoy yourself back there. But what you're involved with…"

"What we are involved with," she corrected him.

"This is going to grow bigger and bigger. Eventually, it's going to consume everything. There will be no way to escape once that happens." For some reason, Sanfred eyed Tatsumi as he was riding ahead. "People are dying, Mine. And we're going to be getting our hands very dirty."

"Too late for that," she said with a grin.

"You have powerful weapons," he explained. "Imperial Arms. But that means that in time, you'll incur more enemies. And they will raise the stakes, repeatedly… until they achieve powerful weapons to combat you."

"Us."

"Us." He sighed, realizing he wasn't accomplishing much with his warning. "Just want you to give it lots of thought. That's all."

"I will. I promise." She winked at him, hoping it would suffice, at least for the time being.

For now, Sanfred smiled back and then slapped the reins. They both rode hard to catch up to Tatsumi, and the rest of the ride back to base was without conversation.

Back at the hideout, things were quiet. It was midnight, and everyone was settling into bed. Only Mine had other thoughts in mind.

She had prepared for this night. Tonight, she was going to sleep in the bed with Sanfred. Despite how far they'd come along now, he had still been very passive at pushing for their romance. That was coming to an end tonight.

Mine was wearing her pink pajamas, but underneath she had some new red lingerie. She recalled that when she had on that red and black dress for a disguise in a previous mission, Sanfred had taken a liking to it. Hopefully, he would like what he saw tonight as well.

Once she arrived at the door to his room, Mine nearly chickened out. She turned away, almost convinced that Sanfred would be sound asleep anyway. After taking a nervous gulp, she gently rapped on the door.

After she nearly gave up, the door suddenly slid open, and Sanfred was standing several feet away. "About time," he said with a grin.

"Excuse me?" she asked, unsure of how to feel.

"I've been waiting for you."

That gave her slight goosebumps in exhilaration. "Well… you were always free to go visit my room, you know."

He waved both hands back and forth. "I've been super cautious. You know I can't sneak around this place. It's not like I've won over everyone's trust just yet."

"A good point, I suppose…" Mine held both her shoulders, feeling slightly chilly now from standing out in the hallway. "So… you gonna invite me inside?"

When she looked at his face, there was desire in his eyes. "Enter, Rosa," he told her.

As soon as she went inside, Mine noticed the two candles set up on each side of the room, freshly lit. "What's going on here?" she asked, looking at him suspiciously. "How did you know I was coming here tonight?"

"I didn't," he confessed. "I've been lighting them each night, waiting for you to come."

"You're insane." Her heart did a little dance.

"A little crazy, yes." He closed the door quietly and stood before her. Even though he was young, Sanfred stood nearly a foot taller than Mine. He was wearing long pants and his shirt was off, revealing scars from past battles.

For a moment, Mine thought back to the dream of the bull fight. The scars frightened her, temporarily distracting her from her lust. Naturally, her eyes were drawn to his neck, where she expected to see a mark. But there was nothing. "Wait," she said, walking over to him. "I need to check something."

"Oh… kay." Sanfred kept his arms down as he stood at ease.

She had to be sure. Mine reached for his neck and gently massaged it, searching for scars. It was still possible to miss some in the dimly lit room. However, his neck was clean.

"You think I'm up to something?" he inquired.

"No," she quickly shut that down. "It's just… your scars. They must have been painful to acquire."

"Not really," he assured her. "You worried for me or something?"

"Yes," she answered without hesitation.

"I can't tell you not to be," he replied. "But perhaps tonight, we can feel safe."

That was reasonable enough. She put both her arms down by her sides and stared at Sanfred, admiring him. Even if his lack of enthusiasm and passion in daily life frustrated her at times, it had the profound effect of soothing her concerns effortlessly.

After a few seconds, Sanfred walked over and pulled Mine against his chest. He reached down and placed both his hands by her side, then slid them down her hips. As he did, he revealed his tongue between his teeth, letting out a soft wince of pleasure. From there, he got his hands under her butt, then lifted her up.

"Whoa," Mine said in surprise, finally reaching out with her arms. She wrapped them around Sanfred's shoulders, while he carried her.

Sanfred slowly backed away and sat down on the bed, bringing Mine with him. She ended up on his lap and then he brought his mouth against her bare skin. "Now it's my turn to inspect your neck," he whispered. He did so with his teeth, pressing them against her skin.

Mine's entire body tensed up in excitement. There were goosebumps on her arms, but she enjoyed the feeling. The natural pleasure seemed to appear from every angle.

Next, Sanfred moved up to her cheek. He kissed her ear, then nibbled at it. It was like he was taking his time with every little detail. It made her think of how he handled himself in the kitchen. There was a natural knack he had for being thorough.

It wasn't long before Sanfred picked up the pace. He kissed Mine on the lips, then began to breathe heavily. She moaned a little, realizing that she was breathing loudly as well. They'd been this deep before, and every single time, Mine had called a halt. Maybe she was going to do it again, but she wanted to stop herself. This time, she felt ready to go all the way.

Even so, Sanfred took a pause to check on her. "You good?"

"Yeah," she replied.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"You're very beautiful," he said, in his most earnest voice. "Forgive my hesitation. I can hardly believe my luck."

Mine tensed up, trying not to screw up. "You… are… handsome." She wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I'm bad at giving compliments."

Instead, Sanfred smiled and took her hand. "I assure you the compliment was very well received." They kissed again, and that seemed to finally drown away the doubt from either of them.

Mine pounced on top of Sanfred, while he lied back on the bed. She kissed his lips, then moved around and kissed him on the neck, the ear, all over. Each motion seemed to fly by, without any thought necessary. She just kept on delivering blows of passion.

While that happened, Sanfred caressed her hips. He ended up against the bedframe, where he sat up. From there, he pulled Mine closer to him and began massaging her breasts.

She didn't wait for long. Almost immediately after, she unbuttoned her pajama shirt, revealing her red lingerie. It had taken her days to gather the courage to wear this outfit, but now that she was ready, she revealed it in moments.

"Whoa." Sanfred didn't know what else to say. But he knew what he wanted to do. He pulled her clothes aside and began to remove her pants next. She giggled and rolled over to help make it easier. Now she was just in the red lingerie, and Sanfred continued to stare in awe. "Such a beautiful choice, Rosa."

"You like it?" she asked, almost embarrassed just from uttering the words out loud.

"I love it," he acknowledged anyway. "Pity, I intend to remove it."

"That is expected," she added with a seductive grin.

Apparently, Sanfred wasn't kidding. He grabbed her passionately and brought her down on the bed next to him. They kissed some more, and then he kept her against his chest as he removed the bra first. They spent some time playing with her breasts before he made his way to the bikini. Once he had his fingers there, Mine was really getting worked up. Her breathing had reached a high pace, and she could barely hold back her moaning. Even then, Sanfred was cool and collected, keeping a steady pace with the work he was performing.

It wasn't long before Mine was incredibly eager to get a piece of Sanfred's parts. She reached down for his crotch numerous times, assuring him of her intentions. Eventually, he began to remove his belt and then the pants came right off. For the last bit of underwear, Mine removed it herself, and finally got to see his dick for herself. In truth, she had no way of knowing if it was a good size or not, but she knew without doubt that she liked what she saw.

Since she was taking some time to admire Sanfred's piece, he decided to resume the activities himself. He got his arms around Mine and set her down on the bed, giving her head the pillows to rest on. With a gentle push, he rolled her over on the side. With a controlled pull, he shifted the bikini down both her legs, removing it. From there, he propped her knee against his leg, revealing her under region.

Although the angle was difficult, Mine leaned over to try and watch. She was excited to think about how this would feel, considering she was already swarming with arousal.

In a continued theme, Sanfred never kept her waiting long. His next trick was to bring his face close to her vagina, and then he began to give her oral.

It was a strange sensation for a few seconds, but then she was ready to burst with joy. In all honesty, she hardly ever even touched herself before this day. To have so much in one night was just unbelievably hot.

And it didn't come to an end. Sanfred massaged her clit with his tongue for a while, and then he pushed it in deeper.

There was so much moisture coming from within Mine, and she was sure that Sanfred would have to take a break. But she recalled his lack of ability to taste and smell, which meant he would have an advantage when it came to giving oral.

Regardless of the circumstances, he kept at it until Mine climaxed. She felt her heart racing, as if she had just sprinted all the way to the Capital. By the time she had finished, she couldn't even see straight.

"Whoa." Sanfred's voice seemed to snap her back to reality just enough to help her relax again. "Looks like you were really in need of something to relieve the stress."

"Yes," she said in a high-pitched voice.

"Mind if I dip in?"

"Yes," she repeated. "I mean… no, I don't mind. Yes, I want you."

"I probably should have worded it better."

"Just come here." She grabbed both sides of his face and brought his face in for a kiss, not even caring where his mouth had been.

For the next act, Sanfred postured above Mine, pinning down both her wrists. He cautiously slid his dick inside her, knowing that it would still be a tough experience.

Right away, Mine felt the pain. It caught her off guard, and she considered calling a halt right on the spot. But she knew as well that the pain was normal, given that she was a virgin. And tonight, she wanted this so badly that the pain wasn't going to stop her.

"Ready?"

"Ready." She held the sheets with firm hands.

The thrusting came slow at first. And gradually, Sanfred increased the pace, paying close attention to Mine's breathing. While he did that, he also dipped his hands on her breasts and neck at random moments.

She was in pain, but she felt good anyway. As she focused on the joy of climaxing minutes before from the oral, she managed to keep her mind above the current pain. While she did that, a new sound emerged, as Sanfred breathed with heavy grunts of pleasure. That seemed to confirm he was reaching his own climax. Somehow, just hearing him express so much passion brought Mine to the next level as well. She climaxed loudly, moaning with joy as they completed their act.

A couple minutes after it was over, Sanfred moved aside to deal with the sheets. He was grinning madly, still glowing after such an exhilarating experience. Despite how hot things had been, he'd made sure to pull out before he climaxed, but that meant the sheets were dirty now. Not that either of them had any concern over it.

Unfortunately, the adrenaline was wearing off now, and Mine was in pain. "Ouch," she said with a weak voice.

"Sorry," Sanfred responded, immediately turning back to go check closely on her. "Worth it though?"

"Definitely," she confessed, even while wincing in pain. "I'm tougher than you think."

"Clearly." He worked on fixing the pillows a bit and then reset them at the bedframe, so he could sit up. Once he had figured things out, he urged Mine to pull up next to him. They both lied there together.

It felt like neither of them wanted to be the first to rise. Mine kept on looking up at Sanfred, and each time she did, he was looking back, as if to taunt her. She just stuck her tongue at him and didn't oblige his ego.

Finally, it was too much for Mine. She had to get up and move around a bit, although that hurt as well. "What did you do to me?" she asked humorously.

"Hopefully I gave you a hearty meal," he said, his voice trembling a bit after using up a lot of energy.

"It was a full course," she acknowledged. "It was perfect."

"Oh. Cool."

"Don't play coy," Mine said with a grin. "You were worried that I wouldn't enjoy it. You can't lie to me."

"I was concerned that you were too stuck up to acknowledge my worth," he explained. "But you continue to surprise me."

She didn't find her usual attitude in her initial response. "Then I would like to make the same inquiry. Was I a hot babe?"

"The very hottest," he replied.

Although she crossed her arms and glared at him, she ultimately nodded. "Good response."

With a satisfied nod, Sanfred beckoned her to come back to him. "I would like to request we do more, but I believe it would be best to end things on this high note, given that you are sore."

"I suppose since you are tired…" Even she couldn't play that with a straight face. "Seriously, I am done in. Can I sleep in here with you?"

"I was hoping that you would," he answered.

With that, she returned to the bed, pressing up against Sanfred. She smiled as she took his arm and covered herself with it, leaving the sheets down at the foot of the bed. There was one thing left to do, and she stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the past week. Each night, she had stared up just like this, telling herself that she was content with sleeping by herself at night. However, now that she was in bed with someone else, she found no reason to criticize it. It was a wonderful feeling.

She slept soundly that night. They both did.