Mikan cried out, a high prolonged moan, as Natsume continued plunging his fingers in and out of her dripping -

"Pussy," he murmured into her ear, "that's what it's called. A pussy."

The west library was smaller and less accessible than the main; nobody ever came.

But Natsume promised Mikan she could be the first.

Skirts crumpled to her waist, Mikan kneeled on a plush armchair as Natsume fondled

and fingered her, standing behind her, a thick rod pressing insistently against her ass.

His hot breath tickled her ear as he licked and nibbled and teased. His body engulfed hers, and she was ready to lose herself in his touch.

How many orgasms had he granted her already those past couple of weeks? Six? Eight?

However as many Natsume had given her, he brought her once more to the edge.


"There goes the most compatible Match," another Match teased as Mikan and Natsume rode by.

Most of them were saddling up to ride into town, but having already visited in the past week, Natsume and Mikan were going to jaunt around the Northern Woods that surrounded the king's vast estate.

Though she blushed, Mikan fought past her bashfulness to shoot back, ¨We would have been even more compatible, Lady Emiko, if you'd given me the chance."

In a jealous fit, Lord Akio steered his grinning betrothed away from Mikan, before Mikan could successfully steal her away.

"Wow, flirting with another woman in front of your betrothed?" Natsume shook his head in mock disappointment. "How easily you forget me."

He pulled his reins so his horse shuffled lightly into hers, pushing her off the trail.

"Hey!" protested Mikan, steadying her horse. "I only say that as a joke because everyone knows you're the perfect one for me."

"What a flatterer you're becoming." Natsume leaned over, and Mikan met him halfway for a kiss.

Breaking apart, he issued his typical challenge: "Race?"

"Let's race," agreed Mikan, tightening her hold.

Natsume grinned at her, and she raised her eyebrows. Without saying another word, the two of them spurred their horses into an immediate sprint through the trees, across the stream, up the hill.

Once they were close to their goal, as he had the last few times they had ridden together, Natsume slowed, ready to enjoy the view - of Mikan's backside bouncing in those tight pants, her thighs gripping the saddle.

And as she had the last few times, Mikan won.

Breathing hard and beaming with glory, she turned her panting horse around to crow, "I won!"

"Yes, you sure did," Natsume said, hiding his smirk. But Mikan still saw it.

"Natsume, are you letting me win? You always slow down."

"My horse is unaccustomed to hills," he lied smoothly, "Besides, I just like to see you ride."

"Not as much as I like to see you lose," she gloated, his words in one ear and out the other.


"Hello, my favorite niece," greeted King Kazumi the Wise as Mikan bowed in front of him.

"Your only niece," corrected Mikan with a side smile.

"And possible heir to my throne."

"I still hope for a cousin," she teased. Every time her uncle was sighted with a woman, her House's hopes were raised. "You called for me?"

"Your parents write to me, inquiring about your status here."

"Ah, yes, I drafted a letter that I meant to send yesterday, but I forgot to finish it."

"Then I must remind you to send it soon, but you can do that later. How are you? Are you happy with your Match?"

Mikan had expected the question, but it was one of the reasons her letter remained unfinished. "I… I am happy with my Match, yes. I am satisfied with Lord Natsume."

King Kazumi nodded genially. "As you must imagine, my advisors deliberated over you and Lord Natsume as a Match for many months, given your history."

Mikan blushed, recalling how much he had teased her and his blunt attempts to seduce her. Now she understood him a lot better. "I am pleased to inform you that Natsume - Lord Natsume and I no longer have such a troubled history. We get along now."

"That's what I like to hear, the Matches working and the Council and I picking well." King Kazumi leaned back, as though the conversation cost him physical exertion. Maybe he was getting too old….

¨How… " The question had dangled on the tip of her tongue for weeks. "How did you pick Lord Natsume for me? Why were we Matched?"

Normally, the Council's Match choices were detailed in their meeting records, but King Kazumi tried to remember off the top of his head. "Both House Hyuuga and House Yukihara are held in high esteem, both noble with long, lustrous histories of glory and good deeds. And I'm not merely saying that because I am proud of my own house. Lady Kaoru ranked you as her first choice. Did you know that?"

"I did." Natsume's first and only choice.

"Well, and you are a bright, friendly, well-rounded girl. You were compatible with most of the other youths."

Mikan had suspected all that, but…

"But why was Natsume chosen for me?" Did the Council know something she didn't? Were… were they expecting him to do all those… things to her? Were they kinky like that?

"Oh, yes, I remember now. Lord Natsume wrote a most moving letter to the Council."

Mikan perked up; Natsume hadn't mentioned that. "A letter? He wrote a letter? About what?"

"Now, I don't recall the exact wording of it, but I remembered it was rather poetic and I remembered how it made me feel," he mused, his focus drifting as he lost himself in the memory.

"And how, Uncle?" Mikan moved closer, eager for any crumb of information. "How did it make you feel?"

"As though we all might have a chance to find love still."

King Kazumi smiled benevolently at his niece, but his expression betrayed no other clue. Showing deference to her king (and her elder), Mikan smiled back, but her thoughts were still on that mysterious letter.

Natsume told her many things; why hadn't he told her about that?

Before Mikan could dwell too long, her uncle dismissed her with a kiss on the top of her head and a pat on her hand. "Set a good example for the other Matches. I know we can always rely on you to be a good girl."


Her uncle's words rang in her head all throughout the evening, reminding her of that elusive letter and his expectations of her.

Be a good girl.

In her tub, she scrubbed her legs as though she could scrub the words out her mind. She was being a good girl, wasn't she? Slowly but surely, she familiarized herself with her Match, getting to know him and spending time with him.

It wasn't her fault Natsume's preferred pastime was always something sexual and often involved public places.

Mikan needed to relax. The warm bath she had decided to take was not helping as much as she thought.

And as Mikan now knew, there was one other thing she could try to ease her mind.

Placing her sponge on the small table, Mikan slid lower into the warm water, her legs spreading until eventually she had hooked one over the edge of the tub.

She had never touched herself before, but as Mikan's hands gently brushed her inner thigh, she remembered how Natsume's fingers felt: confident and powerful.

Rubbing her fingers over her (she still couldn't even think the word he had taught her), she tried to find that little nub that Natsume always touched, but was lost within her slippery folds.

Mikan gently pushed a finger inside her, and despite the wetness, the lone digit felt foreign, as intrusive and uncomfortable as the first time Natsume had penetrated her. Her fingers were not nearly as long nor as sturdy as Natsume's.

It wasn't the same.

Wriggling her lower half, she shifted and adjusted until she thought she found the right spot. But as she nudged her fingers inside of herself, she found her mind wandering and her body still sedated, so opposite the raging desire Natsume invoked within her.

Maybe she wasn't hitting the right spots.

There were many options: she could ask her friends, she could go to the library and find a book of anatomy, she could use a mirror; she didn't have to ask Natsume.

But Mikan wanted Natsume.

All at once, she realized she wasn't the graftifying pleasure of release, but rather physical intimacy of being with another person, her Match.

Stepping out of her tub, she toweled herself off before wrapping a robe around her.

It was a blessing that Matches slumbered next door to each other; Mikan couldn't imagine having to sneak her way across the castle for a mission like the one she was planning.

Looking both ways to see the hallway empty, she quickly tiptoed over to Natsume's door, knocking multiple times and announcing herself.

"Come in."

At first, his gaze raked over her, pleased, before turning back to his work, scribing on parchment.

Mikan approached. "Are you busy?"

"I'm corresponding with my parents. The duties never stop."

"No, they don't." Mikan leaned against his desk, absentmindedly rifling through his papers.

Natsume seemed unbothered, almost amused. "How can I help you?"

"I was wondering…. if you could lend me a little bit of your expertise." How could she say such a brazen request outright?

"Ah, in which subject?" Natsume crossed his arms and lounged back in his seat. "I speak four languages and I am well-versed in poetry and philosophy as you know. Politics, I excel in. However, I am terrible at music, I must admit."

"No, I seek your expertise in something more intimate."

He took in her wet hair and stood up quite eagerly. "If you require my assistance in bathing, I am quite an expert as I have been doing that my whole life." He was already taking off his clothing. She laughed, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder.

"One day," she promised, the blush rising in her cheeks, "but yes, I was in the bath, and I was…. attempting to pleasure myself when I realized I didn't know where anything was."

"You naughty girl." He smirked. "But never fear, your pleasure is something I'd be happy to teach."

In one smooth move, Natsume lifted her off the ground and placed her on the table, clearing away his papers. Mikan could feel her spirits lifting and her thighs tingling at the prospect of what was to come.

"As you know, foreplay is always necessary to get you in the mood," he started, pressing his mouth against hers sloppily: wet and open-mouthed with lots of tongue action. His hands slipped underneath her robe, feeling her skin, still heated from her bath. It didn't take long for Mikan to ache for more.

"There are a couple of paces to choose from. You could go slow and sensual," his hands snaked their way up to gently cup her breasts. "But I've found you like it a bit… rough."

Swiftly he bent his head and latched onto her nipple with his teeth. Instantly, she cried out. Abandoning the lesson momentarily, Natsume took his sweet time lavishing her with his tongue, her robe loosening around her.

"And now you're getting aroused," he noted, palming her wetness.

Mikan's legs parted for his hand to gain better access as she hummed to let him know she was listening.

"But if you really want to make sure," he teased as he took her own hand and led it down, expertly parting her folds, "you want to find your clitoris."

There it was.

In those few seconds, Mikan attempted to memorize the position of her fingers on her body, the exact location of her…

"Clit, we call it for short."

"Clit," she repeated, feeling the sparks shoot upwards through her body.

"You work that," he whispered, leaving her hand to move by itself, "and I'll work this."

As they had many times in the past week, Natsume's fingers slid into her.

"Then if you're doing this alone, you want to curl your fingers," he demonstrated, "like you're beckoning me to come please you."

His fingers stroking her walls, Mikan felt the increasingly familiar buzzing of arousal. Within moments, Natsume's fingers were much slippery and moved with much more ease. Mikan felt herself leak hotly with a particularly well-timed combo of her fingers and his.

"Do you like that?"

She hesitated, for just a second, before she could articulate her desires. "Slower."

"Slower?"

Mikan nodded shyly. "I want you to go slower."

Obeying her request, Natsume slowed to a leisurely pace, carefully gauging her reaction. It wasn't the promise of release; there was something immensely gratifying and strangely erotic about watching Natsume watch her be pleasured.

But...

Though Mikan knew she was aroused and could feel she was aroused, the seconds ticked by and she was no closer to climbing that promised peak. In fact, if anything, she was already starting to descend.

"Stop," she commanded, and his fingers stopped. After a moment, he pulled them out of her.

"Are you okay, Mikan?" Worry lightly creased his forehead, though Mikan knew him well enough that he concealed the depth of his emotion.

"I'm fine, I really am. I…."

Mikan didn't know if she wanted to go further, just have him fuck her, or if she wanted to take a break from it all. She huffed in frustration, but that small exhale concerned Natsume even more.

"Did I do something you didn't like?"

"No," she reassured, "I liked all that. It's just… I don't want to anymore."

"Okay," he agreed, straightening and fixing her robe. "What do you want to do? If you'd like, you can be alone."

As soon as those words left his mouth, she shook her head. She didn't want that.

Mikan peered up at him through her eyelashes. "Can I sleep here tonight?"

"Of course. Are you tired now?"

Mikan hopped down and made her way to Natsume's bed, which was identical to the one in her room, except for the copious amount of pillows and his scent embedded in the sheets. "No, but I'll wait for you to finish your writing."

"My parents can wait," he said, tidying the desk before following her over. "My beloved cannot."

Together they clambered in, Natsume extinguishing all but a single candle by the bedside. In the dark, Mikan felt much more comfortable, as though she were hiding. From what, she couldn't say.

Although Natsume wrapped the blanket snugly around the two of them, he was careful to keep his distance, lest his touch be unwanted. Her wet hair had dried to an acceptable dampness, and she supposed her robe could pass for a nightgown.

Mikan hadn't actually planned to go to sleep at the exact moment so the two lay there, blinking at each other in the shadows. Then she scooted closer to him until their knees touched and she could tuck her hands against his chest, between them.

"Are you sleepy? Answer me truthfully." In a way, she felt bad for disrupting his evening, for pushing her presence into his peace.

"No, but I wouldn't want to be doing anything else but holding you." Slowly, his arm wound itself around her waist, planting his hand on her back, rubbing it. Mikan relaxed into his touch, burying her head beneath his chin.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I just… I didn't want to anymore."

"You don't have to apologize. You're just listening to what your body wants. Nothing to be sorry about. Anytime you want to stop, we stop."

"Really?"

"Really. You're probably too overwhelmed by all this." The tight knot in Mikan's chest loosened as he properly named the sensation: overwhelmed. "Learning intimacy so fast. Poor, baby Mikan."

"I'm not a baby," she pouted, feeling at ease with him once more.

"You are my baby, all for me to spoil and love." He lay a kiss on the top of her head.

Mikan's heart thudded. Love.

She was happy with her Match, satisfied with and by Natsume, but did she love him?

Did he love her?

"My uncle told me you wrote a letter." Had he written her a love letter? Her fingers curled into his shirt as he continued to rub her back.

"A letter? I write many letters. To the king?"

"To the king and the Matching Council, yes. Before we were Matched."

"Ah, yes, that letter." His voice sounded pleased, hinting the contents of the letter were pleasant.

"What did you write?"

"I wrote about my imaginations of how I thought how soaking wet your pussy -

"No!" Mikan's hands reached up to cover Natsume's dirty mouth.

Eyes gleaming, he continued to mumble against her palm, "Slide right in with ease - "

"Hush! You wouldn't write that, at least not to my uncle of all people." King Kazumi was a bit… overprotective. Mikan's hand shifted so she could run her finger over Natsume's lips. "My uncle said it was rather poetic."

"You should read it yourself. When the time is right."

"What time is more right than now? Recite it to me." Her brows furrowed with determination as she felt suddenly invigorated.

"Awfully demanding, aren't you?"

"Please."

"Ah, that makes it so much better." Natsume shifted, drawing her back to his chest. "I don't remember it."

"Liar," she mumbled.

"I don't remember it word for word," he amended, "and such beautiful verses should only be recited in their entirety."

"Can you recite anything else for me?"

"Sure, take your pick of poetry. My storytelling needs a bit of work."

"Your favorite poem."

After Natsume's recitation, he deflected her request for another by asking her a question about her parents and the land she grew up in, and soon, they were deep in a discussion about their childhoods, their lives, their dreams.

Their whispers lasted through the night.