Thank you all for your reviews, they brighten my day. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too.
Those Piercing Eyes of Red
Chapter 3
"...and crimson was her dress."
Two Weeks Earlier
"Did you know that sharks tan too? Some hammerheads swim near the ocean's surface since darker skin means better camouflage."
The sea breeze whistled through Gou's burgundy hair and gently raised the top layer of the golden sand. The beach lay peaceful and beautiful under the halo of the summer sun in the beginning of June. Sprawled, with his arms folded beneath his head, Rin reveled in its warmth, while light was pooling on the curves of his face.
"Why we're never taught about all the awesome stuff at school?"
Rin lifted an eyebrow at his sister's childish amazement and smiled self-pleased.
"You don't need them to teach you such things, you have me for that."
"You don't know everything, onii-chan!"
"About sharks, I do. Did you know that female blue sharks develop tough skin to protect them from male sharks?"
"Really?"
"Mhmm. Males bite females during mating rituals."
Rin glanced up at her, as her cute lips formed a circle of awe. A ray of sunlight twinkled in his eyes and, without a warning, he gently toppled Gou to the sandy ground. He leaned over her and shadowed the light away, while his trademark shark grin brightened up his face.
"Where are your thick fins, little lady? Huh?"
He poked her ribs playfully and Gou burst into cheery giggles. She had always been so easy to tickle.
"I have something for you."
He reached his black satchel and took out a package clumsily wrapped in pink and turquoise paper. Stars were gleaming within Gou's eyes while she eagerly unwrapped her mysterious present, revealing a strappy, floral dress.
"Oh I love it, thanks onii-chan!"
She beamed and hugged him tightly. Rin lay back on the beige, silken sand, this time pulling her down with him, secured in his fraternal embrace. A seagull soared far above the top of the palm trees, anxiously flying to meet its kin in the immense sky-blue. Rin closed his eyes, letting the humming of waves lull him to sleep.
"There's something I wanted to tell you, onii-chan..."
He interlaced his slim fingers with her long hair, softly toying with its ends.
"Mhmm..."
"I don't like those new boys you hang out with."
"The Samezuka guys? They are a cool gang and protect their members. I just join them for fun though, last night they set some bins on fire and the neighbourhood got stuffed with sirens and lights at three in the morning. You should have seen the locals' faces, it was hilarious."
"They are always looking for big trouble."
Rin cracked an eye open and looked down at Gou, amused. She was adorable, the way she clung on him and muttered her worries on his shirt.
"You just think that because captain Mikoshiba fancies you. I swear that beast blushed like a pansy when I introduced you to him."
She vehemently shook her head in disapproval and buried herself deeper in his chest. Her youthful reactions always made him chuckle.
"Don't worry, I won't ever let him touch you."
His whispering voice caressed her forehead, as his hand slipped below the hem of her school uniform.
"You're mine."
"Rin..."
Gou woke up flustered, with his name on her lips. She rubbed her temples, trying to repel memories old and bittersweet that came every night to haunt her. The thrumming sound of nature was filling the dimly-lit room, as raindrops pelted the sheet metal roofs. It was early morning. She slithered out of bed and groped for the red robe in the shadows. A hazy shade of dawn lightened up Seijuurou's empty office, as the grey world outside was slowly waking up. Gou tip toed to the main door and tested the rusty knob, mostly out of habit since she already knew the answer. The door was locked. Just like it had been every single day, for the past week.
The morning after Seijuurou's departure for Tokyo, when she had first realized the knob wouldn't turn despite her tries, she had gone ballistic. She had yelled and cried and bashed the door like a maniac, but to no avail. Sousuke had imprisoned her in those chambers and there was nothing she could do about it. It was as if she had been captured all over again and had to relive the nightmare of the first days. Only this time her captor was an iceberg and Gou had been left to squirm alone inside this jail he had built for her. Sousuke had stripped her of any feeble privileges she had been granted while painfully enduring Seijuurou's whims. He was keeping her locked during night time and whenever he wasn't around the abandoned facility. He was barely addressing to her and when he did, he was terse like a Spartan, his cold voice delivering orders and shutting down her complaints. And had she complained alot. She had hollered at his face, spat before his feet, even jabbed him repeatedly in the chest. But she had only been met by a body forged with concrete and a face made of ice.
When her direct attacks failed to break him, she decided to repay him with the silent treatment. She would blatantly turn her back on him whenever he approached or she wouldn't utter a word to him, refusing to even acknowledge his presence. And, of course, with every chance possible, she would defy his commands. In a rebel's fit, she stopped eating, scorning him and whatever he was providing her. If there was a way to initiate trouble within the gang, she would grab the opportunity like a rabid dog. Balances within Samezuka were getting fragile and even though her own safety was dangling by a thin thread, she was willing to risk everything as long as her actions induced more problems for Sousuke. Hence when she slapped Minami, after the cocky jerk had stood at her door frame badmouthing her brother, causing an uproar among Samezuka's aggressive males, she didn't flinch one bit.
And yet, Sousuke, like an unconquerable fortress, hadn't given in. He continued bringing her food every day and had been there every single time to gather the pieces of the mess she was creating. He had stepped in the last moment, saving her unrepentant ass and keeping Samezuka's wolves at bay. At nights, he wouldn't lay a single finger on her, even though the opportunities were parading in front of him like provocative floats. And when her ungrateful eyes would stare at him full of spite and disdain, his face wouldn't reflect those emotions. He would greet her with a stoic mask instead and let her boil in her own bitterness. This was her greatest torture. Because, once again, doubt had somehow crept inside her heart and particles of faith were being restored. Faith in the man she had sworn never to trust again. And this made her hate him even more.
Gou returned to Seijuurou's office and sank in the tattered sofa. A paper doggy bag from a popular diner chain was waiting on the desk, indicating that the bastard had paid her a visit while she was still asleep. At his thought, a chilling shudder crawled on her skin, all the way to her toes. She folded her bare legs close to her chest and rocked lightly back and forth, succumbing to a web of memories. Suddenly, the key turned inside the lock and Gou watched with suspicion under furrowed eyebrows as Sousuke silently walked in. Pellucid raindrops made his raven hair glisten. He cast a quick, inquiring glance at her, and when she snorted, averting her eyes with contempt, his attention swayed towards the untouched breakfast bag.
"You should eat at some point."
Gou just hugged her legs more tightly and spied on Sousuke through fallen burgundy bangs. Like a robot programmed for the task, he took out the contents of the bag and placed them on the desk; a cup of green tea and some noodle soup, both of them cold by now. He wouldn't show it, but her stubbornness was slowly riling him up. Her constant refusal of eating during the last days would eventually backfire, and with Seijuurou still having his plate full in Tokyo, it would result in just another anvil landing on his head. She excelled in arraying problems for him, she had proved that during the past week. His authority around the headquarters was already being questioned and, even though his intimidating character had fended his Samezuka brothers off during the incident with Minami, some of them had still bared their fangs.
"We'll let it slip this time, Yamazaki"
He could tell that Gou was experiencing wild pleasure out of all of this. Her silence was deafening, it screamed louder than words. Unfortunately for her, Rin's traits had visibly marked her character and Sousuke knew quite well how to push a few sensitive buttons.
"Why don't you put on something else?"
He creased the paper bag, his focus on stirring the cold soup unwavering. Besides, he didn't need to steal a glimpse. The intriguing image of her creamy legs, barely covered by that outrageous piece of crimson cloth, had been engraved in his mind the moment he entered the room.
"I'll wear whatever the hell I want."
"Really? And here was I thinking this dress is what captain Mikoshiba wanted you to wear."
Gou opened her mouth to shoot back his sarcasm, but she immediately swallowed down whatever she was about to say. Sousuke was right. Seijuuro wasn't there, in fact he hadn't been anywhere around her for the past week. Why she was still acting according to his appetite? Was his lingering presence so strong that his desires had overwritten her self-esteem? She hesitantly stood up, all the while sending leery glances to Sousuke's back. It would seem like she was bowing to his suggestion, but she couldn't suppress the sudden urge to shred that dress off her. Gou vanished in the darkness of the joint bedroom, only to reappear five minutes later. A white, floral dress , falling just above her knees, was hugging her feminine frame. Its hem swirled around her legs with each smooth step and the rosy petals on its pattern imitated the light blush on her cheeks.
This time, Sousuke couldn't help but gaze at her. He remembered that dress. He remembered the day Rin had dragged him to the stores when all he wanted was to chill out on the sunlit terrace.
"This shirt...hmm no, too dark for her. What do you think of this skirt?.. Wait no, that's too short, all the morons will be gawking...Perhaps a scarf...But I've got her one last time."
"What about that dress over there?"
Sousuke pointed at a lonely mannequin clad in an airy, floral gown. A clumsily handwritten sign was pinned above the neckline, indicating it was the last piece left. Rin's face beamed.
"Oh yeah! I saw that when we entered, it's perfect!"
"Heh, no you didn't."
It had been one size too large for petite Gou, yet they had bought it, all those years ago. Time had slipped by like grains of sand in an hourglass, yet that dress had remained the same. Perhaps a bit snug now around fully shaped feminine curves and a little frayed on the edges, but it was still there to root out memories buried deep within life's ashes. A life he once shared with Rin.
"You kept mumbling his name earlier."
Curled up at her corner on the sofa, Gou froze.
"I was just having a dream."
"Well..." Sousuke hesitated "...it didn't sound like just a dream."
Silence engulfed the room, making moments tick sluggishly and breaths halt in the throats. And then Gou, erecting her defenses, lashed out at him.
"Bastard, you have some nerve... You and the rest gang of jerks! Keeping me captive away from my brother all these days, bringing him up as an excuse to abuse me day and night. How can you even stand looking at your own faces in the mirror? After blaming him for every atrocity you carried out. Belittling him and threatening his life in front of me, while forbidding me to even spell out his name. And now?...Now you dare to dictate if I'm gonna think about him or not, you dare to interfere with his presence in my own dreams. I won't let you take that too away from me..."
Her suffering pounded on him like a torrential rain and, wordlessly, he sustained every droplet of it. Taking off his long jacket, he draped it over the single armchair before approaching the sofa with her disregarded breakfast in his hands. He placed the cup of tea and the, once steaming, bowl of noodle soup on the coffee table and calmly motioned at her.
"You have to eat."
With anger wrecking her strained nerves, Gou kicked forcefully the wooden table like a spoiled child. Noodles and tea were spilled around, soaking the already stained carpet.
"I don't freaking want to!"
Like brother, like sister.
"Well, you are going to clean it up." Sousuke's bleak voice couldn't be more irksome.
"Just like you were sent to clean up after my brother's 'mess' in Tokyo?"
Thick, dark brows blended together into a menacing scowl. She had his full attention.
"Watch your mouth."
"Come on, Sousuke. What have you been doing all this time in Tokyo? Weren't your orders to track him down?"
"I was on a different job."
"Your real orders..."
He scoffed.
"What do you know about how I work?"
"I know how gangs do. He was the problem and you were the fixer. Who would believe you'd forsake your bonds so easily and betray him?"
He grabbed her firmly by the arm and yanked her upwards. His face was joyless, his voice more glacial than ever. But the first flames of fury were already rekindled within those plains of teal.
"Betray him? Rin was the one that severed those bonds first. No one forced him, he chose to leave Samezuka and bite the hand that was feeding him."
She jerked her arm away from his strong grip. Red fingermarks were already shaping on her ivory skin.
"Samezuka never left him any choice, he was running away for his life!"
"And what made him run away for his life in the first place? Your exclusive memory is fascinating, I think you failed to remember a few details."
"I remember quite well. I remember the night in my apartment. I remember you showing them the way."
Sousuke breathed out his disappointment. He took a step back, turning around to leave since battling against a Matsuoka had always been a lost cause.
"You don't understand."
"Oh, there's one thing I do understand. I can finally see why he disappeared with Haru-chan. Why he chose him over you."
Something deep inside Sousuke snapped. In a sudden shift, he almost pounced on Gou like an eagle on his vulnerable prey. As he shamelessly invaded her personal space, the petite redhead got startled and lost her balance, falling back on the sofa's cushions. He was towering her in a heartbeat, those flames within his eyes now running wild.
"What's wrong with you, Gou?"
His voice was hoarse, as if it streamed from the inner recesses of his soul. His body, endless and rocklike, made no room for escape and Gou's heart was already drumming uncontrollably below her gown.
"Why you keep provoking me like this? You barely eat..."
His hand trailed up her neck.
"...you pick up fights with the boys..."
His face closed in on hers.
"..it's like you wake up every morning with sole purpose to test my limits..."
His fingers locked around her chin, forcing her to meet his smoldering gaze.
"What's your problem?"
"I'm caged..." she soughed and words flowed between them like a soft, rustling sound.
"It's for your safety."
"Bullshit."
She challenged him through clenched teeth. He snarled at her sass and , swiftly, pushed her arms up, trapping her wrists above her head within his solid grasp.
"I treat you with respect and this is what I get in return. Maybe I should become like them. Maybe you only respond to violence, after all."
His free hand violently ripped the top buttons of her dress, making her pearly mounds bounce lightly at the shock of the sudden exposure. Gou squirmed like an eel but he pressed himself against her, keeping her steady.
"Does this work for you now?!" he nearly barked at her face "Is this how you like it? Rough?"
Up to that point, Sousuke's plan had been to merely scare her. To teach the little Matsuoka brat a lesson. But when her bare leg encircled his waist and she lifted her pelvis up an inch to meet his crotch, the balances switched. Gou huffed in stubbornness, blowing a dark, cherry strand off her face, and he inhaled her warm breath, his lungs swelling with its sweetness. Years of unfulfilled lust were slowly overpowering him and his usually aloof face, now verged upon the threshold of lewd hunger. He rolled his hips against her core and felt her whole body tensing up below him. Her lips were slightly parted, suspense escaping them in soft pants and he brushed his own around the corner of her mouth, tickling the outline with his tongue. She trembled under his weight and when she didn't reciprocate further his advance, he glanced up at her.
And there it was again. That haunting gaze. Those piercing eyes of red overseeing his existence. Only this time, they emanated a bizarre mix of erotic longing and hidden fear. Warning alarms went off inside Sousuke's head , forcefully stirring him out of his haze. He pulled back and stared down at her aghast. Immediately, Gou covered the unfastened front of her gown with her hands, forming a protective shield above her nakedness. She angled her neck sideways, avoiding his stunned face.
That was his cue. He stood up and nervously raked his fingers through his raven hair. Gou sat up on the sofa , her palms restlessly rubbing her shoulders as she hugged herself.
"Listen, I'm...I'm not like..."
"...the rest?" She looked up , her eyes wide and wet. "Where had you been that morning, Sousuke-kun?... Where?"
A shot through the heart would have been a balm to the soul.
"Gou..."
"Just go."
He seemed rooted to his spot, his mind registering for the first time what his absence had caused.
"Leave already!"
Her angry plea sealed his guilt. Without a second thought, he turned on his heel and burst out of the office. The door shut behind him with a bang. Gou's heart leaped in her chest. She had developed somewhat of a phobia with sudden, loud bangs. They were frightening sounds when you didn't expect them. And they were so familiar.
The passing days seemed identical inside Gou's small flat. Dawn...fear...noun...fear...night...fear.
Repeat.
Haruka was gradually strengthening up, but all the pressure was gnawing Rin's soul in a slow, torturing pace. Until one morning, he zipped up his jacket, pulled on his hood and left the apartment without telling them a single word. With his cellphone switched off ever since his runaway and any contact with him being impossible, they helplessly waited for him the whole day. Gou biting off her nails in agony, Haruka lost in his silence more than ever. Like two kids grounded inside her kitchen.
He returned hours later, as the dusk was settling in. The key turned inside the lock with a click and a shadow of how Rin once had been, passed her doorstep. Earlier stress had vanished from his face, giving its place to sunken cheeks and hollow eyes. As if he had aged within a day.
"What have you done, onii-chan?"
He didn't answer and she tailed after him, tears edging at the corners of her eyes.
"Onii-chan?"
Rin stared blankly at Haruka instead.
"It's over."
The brunet shook his head.
"Idiot."
"What's going on?" Gou's eyes seesawed frantically between the two males.
"The cops won't be coming after you, for the time being. As far as your involvement is concerned, you were never there."
"At what cost?"
"You've also been cleared of a few past charges."
Rin continued emotionlessly, like a monotonous tune. Haruka's ocean blue gaze on him, his darkened crimson one on the tiled floor.
"Come Gou" the brunet grabbed her arm "let's get some clothes packed."
"Haru-chan, wait."
"Come."
She let the Iwatobi ace guide her away from the kitchen, leaving Rin alone in front of the white table, with his shoulders hanging low and his face buried away.
The three days that followed were a bane on burning coals. Members of Samezuka were getting seized inside their homes and several families had to flee the block of flats before the police paid them a visit. Rumours travelled fast on the streets, as arrests took place in various other parts of the city. Rin and Haruka kept two sacks ready below Gou's bed, patiently awaiting Mikoshiba's wrath to manifest itself.
"I'm scared, onii-chan."
"Don't be. They've been scouring the city looking for us, but they can't imagine I've been in the heart of their lair all along. Nobody in their right mind would hide away from Samezuka, within Samezuka itself. And obviously they don't expect to find Haru here as well."
"They didn't expect it at first. I haven't shown up in the streets for days. By now, they suspect we are together."
"Even so, with all these cops unleashed, they'll come here only when they'll have picked up the rocks everywhere else."
"So they will come" Gou sighed.
"That's why we are ready to hit the road any given moment." Rin tried to quell her anxiety. " Which reminds me.."
He took out an envelop from the inner pocket of his jacket and pushed it on the table before her.
"This is an one way ticket for a small town, three hours away from Tokyo."
Gou's irises dilated and she shook her head in disapproval.
"I'm not gonna be separated from you."
"It's dangerous to continue being around us." Rin took both her hands in his own and stroked them gently "Gou, ass soon as we leave, don't waste any time, use this ticket and get the hell out of this dump."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"No."
"You have to. Listen, Gou. Inside the envelop, there's also an address. Once you arrive, get there, and ask for Tachibana Makoto. He'll be waiting for you. With a little luck, we'll join you after a few days."
"They won't let me."
"They'll be too busy chasing us. But that's why you need to leave right away."
"We might need to do the same sooner than we thought. Tomorrow morning even." Haruka added bluntly and Rin nodded with a sigh, as he untwined his fingers from his sister's grasp.
Gou spent that evening surfing through the TV channels. Haruka would steal glances at the screen and unconsciously toy with Rin's scarlet hair, while the redhead snoozed peacefully on his lap. And when the night fell, there came a knock on the door.
"Hana?"
Gou answered her old classmate and next door neighbour with a wary smile. Hana's usually bright face looked now sulky and reluctant.
"I'm sorry Gou, but I didn't want any more problems."
"Problems? What are you..."
"They're coming."
That was when she heard them. Doors banging again and again, as a sudden uproar was unleashed on the lower floors and reverberated throughout the building. Dozens of heavy footsteps flooded the stairs, followed by the sounds of metallic objects clanging against the handrails.
"I'm sorry, Uozumi left me no choice...I'm sorry..."
Hana kept repeating before she withdrew in her flat and locked the door behind her. Swiftly, Gou battened her own door and returned to the narrow lounge, all the while trying to keep her growing panic under control.
"They're here!"
In an instant, Rin was jolted from his sleep and together with Haruka rushed like bolts to her bedroom. They slung their backpacks over their shoulders and tried to erase quickly every trace of theirs around.
"Haru, get in the closet, fast!"
Hidden in the back of the closet, an opening no more than one meter high lead to a secret passageway within the walls. It was a narrow crawlspace at first, but it eventually turned wider and ended up in a small hall of unused space just above the staircase. From there, you could carefully open one of the windows and find yourself on the spiral stairs of the old back alley. Whether a result of poor workmanship or a well concealed getaway, the mysterious passage had been the object of their gameplay for months, when the Matsuokas had first moved in during their early teenhood. In fact, it had been Rin the one who accidentally discovered that the walls were hollow and , with Sousuke's help, eventually removed enough bricks for them to childishly creep in and out of the flat.
Pausing the time for a moment, Rin pulled Gou tightly into his arms.
"Once they all leave to come after us, get your ticket and run away. We'll find you in a few days. Promise?"
She nodded within the crook of his neck, surrounded by that intimate scent she was unwilling to abandon. Reluctantly, Rin detached himself from her embrace and ducked his head through the opening. The last thing she saw was Haruka mouthing a soundless "thank you", before they both vanished from her sight.
The sudden, loud bang on the door made Gou's blood curdle. For the years to come, its thundering sound would echo in her dreams. As soon as she unlocked it, the door yielded under the pressure and younger Mikoshiba's borderline annoying spark poured into her flat.
"Gou-san, Gou-san! We didn't wake you, did we?"
Gou was backed up against the wall. An arm placed Momotarou in a headlock, dragging him away from her.
"Argh! Nii-san!"
"Go search inside, move!"
Mikoshiba Seijuuro's towering height cast a shadow all over her. His face hardly contained his bad temper.
"Sorry for coming unannounced, Gou-kun, but your brother has been rather naughty lately."
She opened her mouth to respond, but his bark muzzled her.
"Turn the place upside down , boys!"
Immediately, three Samezuka men followed their captain into the rest rooms. And then Sousuke's solemn face lingered at her doorstep. Seeing him there, with them, wasn't less than a shot through her heart.
"Gou..."
She didn't have time for this. She just turned her back on him and stuck with the rest intruders, trying to rain on their parade as much as possible. Her apartment was small and they combed through it like wildfire.
"Captain Mikoshiba, it doesn't look like they have been here."
"No track of them, nii-san. Zilch. Nada."
Seijuuro exhaled deeply. He had bet they'd find something.
"Well, in that case, let's..."
"Hold on a minute..." Sousuke's grave voice chimed in "...There's an opening on the wall, behind the closet. Check there too."
In that instant, Gou's world collapsed.
"No...No! You traitor...Traitor!"
"Traitor..." It was a word overflowing with venom, and for the past hours it circulated her mind, becoming her burdensome mantra. She had spent the day crawling in her own skin, shifting from crying to sleeping like a switch. As the night spread its sheet, the rain had become more intense. It wasn't the soft, sodden drops of morning she was hearing ; it was like walnuts were hitting the metallic roofs with force. Although, somehow, the rain called for her. The torrent striking the world outside seemed cathartic. Like it could wash away the impure thoughts numbing her mind whole day. Because, in the end, her body had deceived her and, despite Sousuke's threats, it had welcome him. Her brother's traitor. She was mad at him for sealing the doubt in her heart. The moment he had left, she had stripped off the floral gown as if it was drenched in poison, and had put back on the crimson dress he so despised. But, above all, she was furious with herself for letting her guard down like this.
Her door was unlocked. He never returned to shut her in. He had left her there, just like he had forgotten his jacket on the tattered armchair. Gou was dizzy. She needed to feel those raindrops pelting her face, soaking her body and cleansing her soul. This was her chance to break free. Even if that meant going out in the yard. Even if it was for a few minutes.
Night greeted her with a stormy wave and she welcomed it back with a smile. Everything had melted into a grey blur and she waded through the pools of rainwater barefoot. She felt a little light-headed and wobbled once or twice, but the excitement of wandering out in the night again, was too precious to pass up. All this however suddenly died out, when a blinding light blocked her way.
"Gou-san? What are you doing out here?"
Momotarou aimed his flashlight at her face, his golden eyes beaming under the hood of his orange raincoat.
"Nothing."
"Jeez, you're soaked to the bone. You shouldn't roam outside in this weather. Lucky you, I have a warm bed waiting in my room."
"No."
He chuckled.
"Oh, come on, Gou-san. What does nii-san have that I don't? I am funnier and way more gentle. And have I told you about my collection of stag beetles?"
He took a step towards her and she shoved him off with her hands. She staggered away from him, but before he managed to grab her, the world around her blackened and Gou collapsed like a paper doll. Momotarou rushed to her side shocked, when a strong grip on his flimsy raincoat, forcefully yanked him backwards.
"What the...Yamazaki-senpai?!"
The tall brunet loomed over him, his killing aura diffusing into the darkness.
"I swear I didn't touch her! I was on my patrol when she suddenly fainted!"
Sousuke didn't answer him. Instead, he carefully lifted Gou in his arms and carried her back to the office, leaving the young, startled Mikoshiba watching them in the distance. Inside her room, Sousuke switched on a flickering lamp and placed Gou on the bed's rough mattress. He picked up his long jacket from the armchair and covered her trembling body with it. Slowly regaining her consciousness, she looked at him with drowsy, weary eyes and all she could mutter through gritting teeth was one word; cold.
Sousuke browsed around him, unable to find something thicker than his jacket. He pondered over their situation for a moment and, deciding he had no better choice, took off his own soaked shirt. He lay by her side and cuddled her, letting the heat of his body radiate through her. Instinctively, she snuggled against the firmness of his muscular chest and his large hands kept rubbing her shoulders, as she was lulled to sleep.
In her dream, Gou was running towards the blazing sun. She reached out her arms and its glow grazed her little fingers, warming up her cold skin. It felt like bliss.
She woke up an hour later. Outside, the wind was howling like a beast through the fierce storm. She had to blink a few times before she realised that the pleasant light she was basking in during her sleep, was actually the warmth emanating from a naked, male body. That the sun in her dreams was Sousuke. He must have sensed her stirring in his arms, because he glanced down at her, cocking a curious, dark eyebrow.
"Did I pass out?"
"Yeah...You haven't been eating properly, weakness got you."
"I see..."
Recent memories of what had transpired the previous hours, slowly resurfaced in her mind's ocean. She had vanished into the raging rain on a whim, but he had been there to find her and guide her back. He had patiently remained by her side, shielding her away from the cold outside and the nightmares within. Gou bit her lower lip. Knowing she was fully awake now, Sousuke withdrew his arm that circled her shoulders. He made a move to slip away from the bed, when a soft hand on his broad chest stopped him.
"I should go."
"Stay."
Gou propped herself up on her elbow and slid a leg over him, straddling his groin. Sousuke swallowed hard. She let her gaze roam on the solid plains of his vigorous chest, before it settled on his godlike face. The glowing teal in his eyes shimmered unearthly within the room's darkness. He always had been so beautiful. Gou leaned down, but he averted his face.
"Why?"
"Because I won't be able to stop..." his hand gently trailed up her cheek and his fingers entwined with her burgundy hair " ...you look too much like him."
"Then don't."
That was it. His hand sneaked around her nape and pulled her down, his lips eagerly crashing against hers. And when he rolled them over until Gou was on her back, that crimson robe he so hated found the place where it had always belonged; with the dirt on the floor.
Thanks for reading. Next chapter is on its way.