Takashi felt a bit jealous at how Asa doted over Hikari over the course of the next two days. She recovered well, much to Takashi's relief. He would have preferred that he could dote on her instead.
Her brother had recovered a day earlier than Hikari did, coming to visit and to speak with her. He had received news from the Human World that their mother was recovering as well in quarantine, but the outlook for it would be two weeks, if not more. Their father planned to stay with her until she could return home. Their uncle did return to the Demon World though to help with running the castle until their parents returned home.
It left Takashi with no idea when he would get to be alone with Hikari again with Asa, her brother, and her uncle around her. Not to mention her youngest brother, Kaze, who had been kept away from his family lest he get sick as well. Kaze had been overjoyed to see his sister when she had recovered. Takashi had gone with her to Kaze's rooms. Kaze only had eyes for Hikari though, demanding her attention for such a long time for cuddling, playing, and constant questions about where their parents were.
Takashi sat with them, not so much minding the toddler's devotion to his sister. He did have the blushing thought cross his mind that he did like the look of her caring for a child.
He kept thinking of the kiss she gave him, wanting her to do it again. Yet being alone with her had not been possible since the minute Asa took up Kurama's mantle in carrying for Hikari.
Kurama. Takashi could not find anything against him, nor did he think Kurama could find anything against him either. Kurama took charge of the castle for them, but often had Hikari and also Izo helping him with it. He had called on Hikari since this was her castle and territory in name, but her parents had not quite given her complete reins over it yet. According to Izo, they had planned to wait four and half more years, when he and Hikari were twenty-one. Then she would take full control herself.
Takashi wondered what would happen if she did not though. If she did not end up inheriting Alaric. If she were to take up the mantle of a higher calling, a higher ranking. That would mean Kaze would have to take over Alaric until she had a child, no a second child. The first child would inherit something higher. If it did. If it all played out the way Takashi's mind was now reeling.
Much to Takashi's disappointment, Hikari ended up excusing herself to go to bed early, saying she was still exhausted from her illness. He stayed up later with Izo, Kurama, and Asa, not really following the game they ended up playing that evening. He had not even realized he had lost nor that Izo had won the game until it was concluded.
When he retired to his own room to go to bed, he gasped at the sight of Hikari laying on his bed, clothed in her pajamas. She was sleeping on top of the sheets, arms wrapped around the pillow she also managed to lay her head on. She woke up groggily, blinking over at him as he shut the door.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her, leaning against the door to close it. Once it clicked shut, he dared not move his back away from it.
"Scared or shy?" she asked him, sitting on his twin bed. She had a coy, demure look playing in her eyes.
"I..." he tried to speak.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, letting them dangle, toes scuffing at the stone floor. She looked up at him expectantly. When he did not move, she rose up from the bed, closing the distance between the two of them.
"Both?" she teased confidently when she came to root herself right in front of him.
She brought her hands up to his shoulders and raised herself up to the balls of her feet. She kissed him once more. Not a short peck this time, but rather a long and full one. This time he had enough time and sense to kiss her back.
He gasped nervously as she slipped her tongue into his mouth playfully. He had no idea what to do or how to react to her.
She pulled away slowly, hands sliding down his arms to take his own in hers. She started to slowly back away, trying to pull him along with her. He flinched back, wanting to stay against the door. It felt like a wiser idea. In his reaction, he had let her hands go and rested them against the door behind him.
"What's wrong?" she asked. She sounded wounded. She had misread his reaction.
"It's not you," he rushed out soothing. "It's just..." he lapsed into silence, not sure what to say. She looked so tempting. He wanted her to keep kissing him anew.
"Have you ever done anything like this before?" she asked softly.
He felt his face flush as he shook his head. "No. Have you?" He hoped she would say no as well.
She smirked up at him teasingly. "If I did, would that bother you?" He met her eyes timidly. "Was that your first, no second kiss?"
"And what..." he tried to tease her back, but he could barely breathe, let alone talk. "Yes," he admitted.
She stepped back over to him, retaking his hands in hers. "No one wished for the prince of the Demon World to kiss her? That I find hard to believe." She kissed, a mere peck on the lips really. "Third one."
He closed his eyes, trying to will himself to behave himself. "They all seemed to prefer Shura," he admitted. He felt that jealousy and all other jealousies at his rival resurfaced. Women preferred him, his father preferred him. He also felt guilt rise up at the memory of how he got back at Shura in those moments of jealousy.
"We could just sleep then," she said, breaking him out of his pity party. She kissed him sweetly once more. "I have not done everything. Human boys and part demon boys at school are too intimidated at the thought... at the thought." She stepped away from him, saying. "If you want me to leave, open the door. If you want me to stay, go lay on the bed."
"I... you hardly expect me to sleep in my clothes, do you?" he managed to tease out.
"Move quickly then," she told him as she headed back to his bed. "I am still rather sleepy."
He got himself ready for bed quickly, changing his clothes intentionally in his bathroom. He felt frightened, but excited at the idea of sleeping next to her.
She lay on the side of his bed. He climbed into bed with her, scared at what she might do or try. He did not want to do anything they should not until they were mated.
Luckily, all she did once he laid down tensely beside her, was kiss him once more and lay her head down on his chest.
He could hardly sleep that night because every time she moved, he woke up. He hardly moved himself in hopes not to wake her up.
In the morning, she woke early before anyone else in the castle would be and snuck back into her room. Not before kissing him goodbye of course.
The next day he was near her as much as she seemed comfortable with. He kept trying to read her for annoyance with him, but he could not catch one.
At night, she snuck her way into his room. This time around, she was later than usual. He had already gotten himself dressed and ready for bed. She climbed into bed with him, excited smirk on her face. She raised her upper body over his, bringing a hand to rest on his chest as she kissed him.
He lay beneath her, too nervous to make a move lest it distract her. Her tongue slide into his mouth with ease. He liked it.
Her hand on his chest danced along his side, up and down, until it got to the bottom of his shirt. He panicked, his hand coming up to hers and stopping her.
She pulled her hand away and set it back down at the center of his chest. She kissed her way from his mouth, along his jaw, and brought her mouth above his ear. "We'll go as far as you want," she said.
He carefully pulled her face back to his mouth, kissing her again. He rolled her over onto her back, making her gasp in excitement. He shook as he kissed her, trying to keep himself under control. They were not mated yet. "Just sleeping then," he said. She looked disappointed up at him, but nodded.
They kept up the same routine over the course of the next two weeks. Kisses and laying side by side in his bed. Sleeping next to each other. She seemed to prefer to sleep against his chest while he lay down on his back. She seemed to want more from him, but once he told her he wanted to wait until matehood, she seemed excited, yet more patient with him at that idea.
What he enjoyed almost as much as the kisses was the conversations he was able to get out of her. She was taciturn at first, but more talkative as the nights went on. He felt like he could tell her anything and everything without any judgement on her part.
It was blissful two weeks, until her parents returned.