~Chapter Nine~
Black Magic
Like gravity, like love,
You get up after you fall.
Like gravity, like love,
I'm not afraid anymore.
You get up after you fall; I ain't afraid no more.
Unpredictable fortune, my past,
Lights up my future, at last,
Ending my torture.
~Gravity, by Poets of the Fall
Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.
I closed my blue eyes and snuggled up against my boyfriend, to which he responded by wrapping me in his strong, protective arms and murmuring sweet words against my hair. My heart soared because it was as though there had been something vitally important missing from my life all of these years, something that was now within my reach.
And now, we were together, and we were happy. My mate loved me.
Sammy's P.O.V.
The rain was quiet, almost soft, as it trickled down the glass windowpanes of our hotel room and invaded the realms of my dreams. In contrast, thick bolts of yellow lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder rumbled in the distance. It screamed and roared against the hotel windows like lions – large, red Gryffindor lions. All of them were chasing after the small golden snitch, which eluded their grasping claws with ease. Poor little Harry Potter was probably soaked to the bone!
Another loud clap of thunder called to me, and my colorful dreams of the wizarding world and its fictional character drifted away as reality settled in. Nonetheless, my body remained in the same position as it had for the last eight hours, resting in the large, soft bed. I yawned quietly, covering my mouth in a pathetic attempt to stifle the sound. It dwindled into nothingness after a few seconds of luxurious stretching, however, and my ears were then able to detect the faint sound of snoring in my ear, which assured me that my boyfriend was still fast asleep.
I rolled over, so as to snuggle further into his warm embrace, and lazily thought to myself – This is nice…
After a brief moment of silence, I opened my blue eyes to stare up at him. Shigure was sleeping peacefully beneath the silk sheets and thick, red blanket. His long legs were entangled with my own, despite the fact that we were sharing an enormous bed, and his arms were wrapped firmly around my waist. Thus, it was impossible for me to move, with the exception of turning and adjusting my sleeping position. And, strangely enough, it did not bother me to share a bed with someone, even if that someone was hogging the blankets.
I playfully tugged on the blankets, curious as to how he would react, or if he would even wake up at my gentle insistence. Shigure remained sound asleep, but he frowned and growled lightly at me in warning. My lips twitched upwards into a smile at the sight of such fierce determination on his face; it appeared that he wasn't very willing to share the blankets with me. I giggled and rested my head against his chest, watching his facial expressions – determination, confusion, and happiness – whilst he traveled through the realms of sweet dreams. It was cute.
And, it appeared as though Shigure was more like a canine than most assumed him to be. At the moment, he was curled protectively around my smaller form, much like he had been during that night at the hotel, so many months ago. I smiled softly at him – even now, my boyfriend was seeking to comfort me in his sleep. It made me feel as though the world was effectively being kept on the other side of the door and that nothing could ever hurt me, so long as he was here to protect me.
"…where are you…?"
I grinned in amusement as my boyfriend growled once more at some invisible entity, irritated, and leaned forward to sniff at the air around him. His aquiline nose twitched faintly, as though searching for a particular scent. And upon finding it, he smiled. The older male nuzzled closer and placed a wet kiss on my neck, just below my ear. A loud, sleepy yawn escaped his lips, and he stretched his arms towards the headboard. There were a series of small popping noises, in which his back cracked, before he pulled me closer to his larger form.
One warm hand slowly made its way down my body and in between my aching legs. Shigure gently inserted a finger inside of me, curling the tip into my inner walls. I bit my lower lip, trying to quell the urge to moan and buck my hips against his hand. My insides squirmed and protested at the lack of movement, desperately screaming for stimulation, or release; however, my lips remained tightly sealed. I didn't want my boyfriend to know yet that we were both awake. Instead, I wanted to wait and see just how far the older male would go to rouse me from my supposed sleep.
But, oh! It was so hard to remain silent when he was slipping his fingers in and out of my vagina like that. He was thrusting them deep inside of me in an effort to elicit some sort of verbal response. No sound was made on my part, though, so he resorted to slipping his fingers upwards and playfully teasing my clit with his moist thumb and forefinger. That was my undoing.
In the end, I was unable to remain silent, and a small, desperate moan trickled over my parted lips. "Faster, faster…" I whimpered, pushing my hips into his hand. "Please, Shi-kun!"
Shigure smirked at my desperation and sensually purred, "Well, I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up, my little minx." Nonetheless, he complied by increasing the speed of his fingers.
I moaned again and writhed in ecstasy, crying out in pleasure as my boyfriend stroked me into release. Pink, red, and yellow stars began to appear at the edge of my vision. Every single one of them seemed to explode at the sheer intensity of the orgasm that rushed through my entire body like a tidal wave. The sensation was pleasurable – perhaps even more so than the orgasms from last night – but my muscles protested the resulting spasms that shot through my insides. It hurt, to say the least.
"Ouch…" I winced, squeezing my legs together to lessen the lingering pain.
"Oh, shit. I'm so sorry," Shigure murmured, gently stroking his hand through my tangled and sweaty hair. "I forgot that you would be rather sore this morning…" He sat up, rested his back against the headboard, and gathered me in his arms. "Does this help, my sweet?"
"Yeah," I responded softly and placed my head against his chest, listening to the soft thumping of his heartbeat under my ear. "It does…"
He hummed a sweet, wordless song in my hair and continued to stroke my blonde locks away from my face as he did so – the actions were oddly affectionate for someone that was so very determined to bed a young woman upon first sight. Nonetheless, it made me happy to know that the two of us were able to be with one another like this (in other words, naked and on a bed) and not feel the overwhelming need to make the situation sexual in nature.
Maybe we really can make this work, I mused. A small, hopeful fire had been burning in my heart during the events of last night and this morning; now, it roared to life, like a bonfire. I want to my happy ending to be this man, if at all possible…
Against my will, my eyelids fluttered shut at the repeated motions of his hands working through my hair. Another small yawn escaped the confines of my lips. The older male chuckled at the lazy sound, pressed a quick kiss to my cheek, and began to disentangle his hands from my hair. I protested with a small whine, disappointed – the gentle petting was coming to an end!
And I really, really liked being petted, dammit!
"Hush, my sweet," Shigure laughed, before letting his hands drift over my sides. "We have to leave in a little while, and something tells me that two of us won't be getting any privacy at my house." He pressed his hands into my backside and squeezed the tender flesh for emphasis.
Okay, then. Maybe I was wrong... I thought to myself, somewhat amused.
Still, I allowed his hands to wander over my body, relishing the feel of his naked flesh rubbing against my own. With a cheeky grin, I pressed my body into his larger form and playfully whispered, "I am yours to do with as you wish, love."
Gray eyes darkened with lust, but he simply declared, "Good…"
Shigure roughly squeezed my backside once more, before reaching up to pinch the tips of my pink nipples and watching with eager eyes as my back arched, giving him easier access to my breasts. He growled in approval at this submissive response and my posture, as it seemed to turn him on when he was placed in charge of the situation.
A haughty smirk flickered over his lips. He cupped my breasts in his hands, kneading the pale flesh with his talented fingers. Smirking, he placed his warm, wet mouth over my left nipple; obviously, my attentive boyfriend remembered that it was more sensitive than my right. And with a quick flick of his tongue and a scraping of teeth on flesh, the older male began to pleasure me.
At the same time, I reached down and grabbed his length in my hands. I stroked it in time with the playful nips and little love bites that my boyfriend placed on my chest. He moaned softly into the valley between my breasts – the shock of warm air rushing over the cold saliva dripping from the tips of my nipples was enough to elicit a moan on my behalf, as well. Our moans soon became louder and more desperate. Shigure rubbed me between my legs; in return, my hand continued to move over his twitching, weeping manhood. I stroked and pinched the lightly flushed skin. Then, I fisted my hand around his manhood, squeezing it gently with my fingers and awaiting the inevitable groan of pleasure that would burst forth from deep within his chest as he released his seed into my open palm.
He came in my hands, hard, and my instincts urged me to clean the mess with my tongue once again. I delicately licked at my palms and grinned at up him. The older male hissed at the sight, before muttering a curse and reaching forward. He grasped at my upper arms to pull me closer and slipped his tongue out from between his parted lips, so as to catch a bit of his seed that was trickling down my chin. Dark, gray eyes stared down at me lustfully, and he stroked a finger down my damp folds, before bringing to his mouth to lick at the juices that had gathered there.
Oh, God! The damn mutt was fucking taunting me! How dare he do such a thing…?
I quickly overcame my shock to insert my tongue through the small opening in his glistening lips. We kissed each other deeply, flicking our tongues over chins, teeth, and cheeks, as we rocked our bodies to the rhythm of a song known only to us. The two of us were locked in a tight, heated embrace, with our limbs intertwined and locked together. There was a reunion, a touching and stroking of warm flesh, one body pressed into another; there was also a symphony of soft moans, groans, and whimpers. We made love to the sound of our own music.
Time escaped us for remainder of that one blissful day. We were still forced to rejoin the rest of the world and its people only moments before dusk settled over the city like a black and blue storm cloud. I didn't really want to leave, though. But when it came time for us to finally check out of our room, I sighted the same desk clerk seated at the counter – thus, any thoughts about us staying another night quickly disappeared.
I darted through the front doors of the hotel, leaving my boyfriend to deal with the disconcerting man. It was a part of his job description to deal with creepy men that tried to proposition sex from his girlfriend, right? Right! And yes, I was aware that this particular duty was listed in the fine print, but that was just too damn bad! Shigure had wanted me to be his girlfriend, though, so he would just have to deal with it. Now that we were dating, he was obligated to protect me. So, there!
"Oh, Kami!" Shigure rejoined me a few moments later, laughter apparent in his gray eyes as he loudly barked, "You are such a little flirt! I cannot believe that you led him on like that, Sammy-chan!"
In my personal opinion, it was a little odd that my boyfriend was so delighted with the fact that my flirting was directed at another man. Shouldn't he have been worried I would leave him for someone else? I might be a slut, masquerading as a virgin in order to land herself a new boy toy, or something! Like that horrid Bella Swan! I mean, seriously. That poor little vampire never stood a chance…
Of course, I wasn't anything like the manipulative, fickle brunette. And I didn't want my boyfriend to break up with me. I was just curious as to why the situation didn't appear to bother him very much – if at all.
I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, feeling both irritated and confused. "Excuse me for trying to protect your secret, you stupid mutt!" I muttered with a dark scowl on my face.
He smiled and brushed his knuckled over my cheeks in thanks, murmuring, "I do appreciate the gesture, my darling witch, but you must understand – it was pretty funny to see you run away from that young man like a scared little girl."
"'That young man,'" I quoted him, using my fingers for extra emphasis, "is a perverted little creeper. His comments were weird enough, but there was also something about him that urged me to cast a teleportation spell and get the fuck outta there!"
My boyfriend frowned at the tight, worried expression on my face, before placing his hand over mine, squeezing it gently. "I was not aware that he frightened you so terribly much," he said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it, Shi-kun," I quietly responded, waving his words away with a hand. "We needed that room, and you were still stuck in your cursed form." I shrugged nonchalantly, smiled, and pointed out, "There was nothing else to be done about the situation."
"What about that man bothered you?" Shigure asked, and his eyes wandered curiously over my body, as though this would answer his questions. He frowned again, but this time, it was in anger. "Did he touch you…?"
Slowly, I shook my head in the negative and mumbled, "No, the desk clerk didn't touch me…" I shivered at the mere thought of his clammy hands running over my skin. Gross!
My boyfriend turned to stare at me with narrowed, gray eyes. He sighed, exasperated, and demanded, "What is it that has you so flustered, then?"
"I told you before, love, you needn't worry about it," I snapped up at him.
"Fine," he childishly muttered in response. "If you want to me to leave you alone..."
"Wait…" I caught his sleeve in my hand, tugging insistently on the soft, blue material. His expression was one of hurt, so I warily explained, "He just reminded me of someone that needs to be seen in the next week or so. That's all."
"I see…" Shigure murmured. The older male paused briefly at that, considering my words – and probably his own. "Might I inquire after who this particular individual is to you, my dear?"
I grimaced and said, "Unfortunately, this man is an acquaintance of mine. He expects me to pay him a visit, so that the two of us can settle a bit of business." My eyes drifted upwards, to his carefully blank face, before dipping back down to stare at our intertwined hands. "Or, so he claims."
"Ah, yes. That sounds delightfully suspicious," Shigure loudly exclaimed, "Now, would you be kind enough to tell me what the two of you will be discussing at this secret rendezvous of yours?"
His words were meant to be mocking, but not cruel in nature – the older male would never intentionally hurt my feelings. But that didn't make me feel any better about having to lie to him. Yes, it was more an omission on my part than anything else, but it was a lie nonetheless. It made me seriously sick to my stomach to do so. If I were being completely and brutally honest with myself, though, the entire situation made me sick to my stomach. Dealing with spirits, the undead, and demons on a regular basis – as well as their tricks and knack for finding loopholes – could certainly do that to a girl. I might be a strong, capable witch, but making deals with creatures with far more power and experience than me was not the easiest thing to do. It was actually really fucking scary!
Add to that the fact that Kazuya might not even be a real witch, and you have yourself a scene straight out of a horror movie, I grimly thought. Bile climbed up the back of my throat; it was seeking an escape. And the heroine always gets eaten, too! Dammit!
My noncommittal silence apparently provided the spark that he needed to catch on to the matter at hand. His gray eyes widened with sudden understanding, and he turned to stare at me, curious as to what could possibly be so important that it drove me to speak the lies directly to his face. I shook my head at him, warning him not to ask the questions burning in his eyes. But that did not deter him.
My boyfriend glanced across the street and quickly traveled down the crosswalk, gesturing for me to follow him. "This person is an individual capable of casting magic, isn't he?" Shigure mused.
The question was rhetorical, but I still chose to answer him, muttering, "Yes, Shigure. This man is also a magical entity." My fingers tightened nervously around the hand grasping mine. "And he's very, very powerful, too."
Shigure was serious, even as he condescendingly inquired, "Are you sure that it's such a good idea for you to attend this meeting? If he's that powerful, this man might wish to attack you, and you could get hurt."
My inner feminist promptly screeched: I am not Bella Swan, dammit! I'm a strong and fierce member of the Jackal Clan; thus, I am perfectly capable of defending myself!
"I'm still going," I said, determined, and with a fierce scowl on my lips. "And no, you may not help me or tag along, so you might as well keep your big nose out of it, Edward Cullen."
A warning glittered in the depths of my blue eyes; thankfully, the older male understood that this was not up for discussion. I was finally going to see the mysterious Fujioka Kazuya and settle the score between us. Dealing with his blood summons was the only way to appease the ancient creature, and it was the only way to effectively end our bond, too. I didn't need his protection anymore, nor did I want it. Shigure was my mate, and he was strong enough to protect me – if the time ever came that I couldn't protect me or mine, at least.
My thoughts drifted to the thought of having my own children for a brief moment, causing me to wonder if my boyfriend would ever want them. I wanted at least two children, to love and to hold and to call my own. Hopefully, Shigure wouldn't begrudge me that one small wish.
"On another note, we need to visit the estate on our way home," he grumbled, taking my hand and leading me down yet another side street. His attention was focused on something in the distance. "I need to speak with Akito."
I blanched at this bluntly spoken statement, stuttering, "Er, great…! Is there any particular reason for this unscheduled visit, love?" My thoughts instantly strayed to a powerful hypnotist, and his magic.
Gray eyes sparked with faint amusement, and Shigure laughed, "There's no need for you to worry so much. I would never ask Hatori to erase your memories, my darling." My boyfriend patted me gently on the head in reassurance. "Not in a million years."
A breath whistled through my chapped lips, to which he laughed uproariously again. I scowled at how very lax the older male was with the situation. My worries might have seemed petty to him, especially now that we were in a relationship and admittedly in love with one another, but they were warranted. I did not want to lose my new family, even if there was one still waiting for me back in the States. Granted, I loved my brother, and my father, and my best friends. But their love was no longer enough to keep me on this green earth. If Shigure was taken from me, I might very well fade away, like one of the heartbroken elves in The Lord of the Rings.
I still sympathized with Hatori for having to deal with such feelings, day after day. He'd spoken only briefly to me of his time with his mate, but it was enough for me to guess the nature of their visit with the head of the family. Something deep inside my heart told me that he was going to propose to her that day. But instead of having her at his side for the rest of their lives, the beautiful young nurse was stolen from his grasp by the very person that we were going to meet with this evening. And something told me that we were visiting the head of the family for on a similar expedition, though my boyfriend had yet to explain to me the real reason for this sudden, unexpected visit with Akito.
But, Shigure is not the type to willingly embrace the old ball and chain, so that's impossible. I chuckled dryly, and the smile that crept across my lips was somewhat bitter. It's just wishful thinking on my part…
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a small bell chiming overhead. The soft, cheerful sound shocked me into awareness. I instantly stared up at sky in bewilderment, only to find that the night sky had quickly shifted into a ceiling painted the color of the setting sun – red, orange, and yellow. It was an odd color choice, but it fit the eccentricity of the room, which was filled with hundreds of pants, shirts, skirts, and dresses. There was even a large selection of shoes in one corner of the small, quaint store.
I stared stupidly at the change in scenery and glanced around the room, shocked to find that there were countless aisles of revealing clothing. In fact, the clothing was so revealing in some instances that my mind drifted back to various clothing stores at the Mall of America, like Gucci, Hollister, Aeropostale, and Victoria's Secret. This clothing store in particular reminded me of a closet in a dollhouse – one that belonged to that tiny shopaholic, Barbie.
The door was shut at that moment, and the room was suddenly filled with questions, bright laughter, and congratulations. I blinked in surprise upon finding that my favorite snake, Ayame, had slithered into the room. My surprise quickly shifted into bland amusement as my boyfriend approached his childhood friend. The two spoke of them for a few moments, and it was then that the snake told us the happenings at our house. Apparently, the entire family was in an uproar when the two of us didn't return home last night, and most of them were now under the impression that we had eloped. That was probably his fault, too, come to think of it…
Nevertheless, Ayame was thrilled that we were in such a serious relationship, and he was even more amazed that his childhood friend was in love. The flamboyant snake embraced me – much to the annoyance of my boyfriend –and twirled the two of us around the room in a fast, dizzying dance. Then, Ayame proceeded to chatter incessantly about the impending wedding. I was not aware that there was going to be a wedding until that moment, however, and so it came as a bit of a surprise when he began planning the event on the spot.
"Oh, it will be such a magical event!" Ayame cheerfully exclaimed. His golden eyes were wide with excitement, and he was smiling so brightly that it hurt my eyes to stare directly at him. "I can honestly assure you, my dear, that this wedding is just what you'll need to truly become a woman~!"
"Right…" I muttered, and my right eye twitched in irritation at hearing those last words escape his pale lips. My breasts were developed, my hips were round, and my period was regular; in my opinion, I was already a woman – and a healthy one, at that.
The snake was oblivious to my quickly deteriorating mood, however, and continued, "Yes, it is a time of great change! You shall finally be rid of your maidenhood –"
Shigure snickered at his phrasing and turned to me with a lecherous smirk. "There's no need to worry about that, Aya." He winked at me, before proudly declaring, "I am quite certain that she was rid of that particular hindrance sometime last night."
Ayame gasped at the news and flailed his arms wildly in the air. He loudly cried, "This changes absolutely everything, Gure-san!" The snake immediately began to run around in wide circles, frantically searching through various bolts of fabric for a new color scheme.
"Yes, I suppose that only virgins wear white on their wedding day," Shigure mused, humming and tapping his lower lip in apparent thought. "Oh, well. I honestly couldn't have waited until our honeymoon to take her to my bed anyway…"
I scowled up at him, blushed, and quietly muttered, "It wasn't even your bed that we made love in, dumbass…"
Thankfully, Shigure didn't hear my words or see my flushed face. It was impossible for him to mock me mercilessly if he was unaware of my embarrassment at speaking such things aloud. I was still uneasy with discussing my private life with him, even if that private life included him.
I sighed in aggravation, thinking on the countless times that my omnipotent best friends had told me about the aftereffects of having sex. According to the redheaded twins, the embarrassment that resulted from hearing and saying such vulgar things would lessen dramatically after losing my virginity. And it would be much easier to talk about the details of my sex life with someone else because, well, my sex life would actually exist. I would be able to understand and discuss things like masturbation, foreplay, sex, and relationships without embarrassing myself in the process.
And I wouldn't just stare blankly at my friends during their random conversations of their sexual exploits and ask them stupid questions. For example, what was the purpose of those different flavored condoms? Or, what was a dildo, and why did it sound like a dodo? (That last one was Caleb's personal favorite.)
The embarrassment will lessen with experience… I snorted to myself, thinking: Yeah, right!
Even now, a dark blush was staining my cheeks, neck, and ears with hues of pink and red. I tried searching for a suitable distraction and focused on the shelves nearest me; unfortunately, every single one of them was graced with the same shirt. The thin, pink shirts were so small that a girl wouldn't even be able to wear a bra underneath them without restricting the oxygen flowing in and out of her lungs. Thus, it was clearly made with men – and sex – in mind.
My eyes drifted to the black words emblazoned on the front of the pink shirt: My Humps. I recognized the reference almost immediately, as those two words were also the title of a popular song amongst my peers about seven years ago. The damn phrase was printed on several pairs of matching thongs, too.
Shigure was staring at the same outfit with an incredibly interested (perverted) expression on his face; however, my cheeks were undoubtedly burning at the sight of such a frivolous thing. That horny mutt probably thought that he could convince me to model those skimpy ragas during our foreplay. And, if that was the case, he was lacking the basic intelligence needed to survive in this world. I absolutely refused to wear that butt floss!
I coughed into my fist to hide another loud, derisive snort. Well, that certainly answered that particular question. My embarrassment and naivety obviously remained, even if my virginity did not.
To make matters worse, the stupid snake was now spouting some poetic nonsense about me no longer being able to wear the color white at my wedding anymore, particularly if my special day was to be celebrated after the famed Labor Day. That additional reference to my lack of maidenhood was enough to send my thoughts spiraling downwards into the depths of black, crushing annoyance. Oh, it was really beginning to irk me that everyone expected me to marry the crazy man standing beside me!
Now, don't get me wrong! I loved my wonderful boyfriend with all of my heart. Shigure was a very smart, handsome, and funny man; he made me very happy, too. But this damn relationship between us was beginning to sound more like an arranged marriage than anything else, and my independent streak was attempting to crush that little thought with a flyswatter. I was going to marry a man in my own time, in my own way, and on my own terms. Thank you very much!
Nevertheless, I really wanted to marry him – to marry Shigure would be akin to living in my own personal fairytale. That story would have such a perfect ending, too! He was still my knight in shining, white armor, even if he was also a rather perverted Prince Charming. Of course, I hoped that this fairytale didn't turn into a reenactment of the movie, Shrek. I mean, honestly! Shigure wasn't meant to be an ogre, or a donkey, despite the fact that said donkey was capable of making such delicious waffles!
No, Shigure was meant to be a large, shaggy, black dog. He was meant to be my crazy friend, with a wide smile and a sense of humor that made me laugh, in spite of everything else that was happening around us. He was meant to be my precious boyfriend, with a gentle touch and lips as soft as satin. He was meant to be my trusted companion, too. And it was that stupid, selfish thought that stopped me in my tracks and kept me from diligently searching for a cure to the curse of the Sohma family. Instead, I deliberately ignored the fact that my friend, Hatori, had attempted to best the romantic restrictions placed upon him during his relationship with Kana. He could offer me valuable insight in regards to the curse, yet my only thought was on avoiding the dragon for as long as possible. I was merely trying to delay the inevitable cure because, well, it made me feel empty inside to think of my boyfriend as anything other than the man he was today.
It was almost as though his cursed canine form was a part of me, as well.
"Of course, it will be up to me – the great and charismatic Ayame – to make your wedding dress, as you must be at your most beautiful when you marry my best friend," Ayame declared with a wide, happy grin. He struck an idiot pose, pointing his finger in the air and laughing wildly in apparent glee.
I cocked my head to the side, surveying his lanky form with skeptical eyes. The snake didn't appear to be very muscular; thus, he probably wasn't an athlete. Additionally, Ayame was also wearing his standard clothing – it was long, red, and apparently of Chinese design. This meant that he would have great difficulty chasing after me. And he hadn't been able to catch me back at the house, either. In conclusion, I would proudly admit that my only thoughts were of fleeing the scene. My feet were going to be speeding through the front entrance of his precious clothing store at even the smallest sign of trouble. There was no way that the two perverted men were going to stick me in any strange lingerie, nor were they going to force me into any dresses. My hair was blonde and my eyes were blue, but I was not a goddamn Barbie doll. I was much too clumsy for that comparison to be made in regards to myself. Seriously, I could cut my fingers on a pair of children's safety scissors.
Golden eyes narrowed at me, apparently noting my wary expression and the tilting of my body towards the front door. "Don't even think about it, Sammy-chan," he warned, before gesturing vaguely behind him. "I have my own secret weapon, you know, and it is quite effective against flighty witches…"
I paused in consideration. There were many, many things in this world that had the capability of stopping a witch in her tracks. Like straightjackets and hellfire, for example. None of them were very easy to gain access to, though, especially if one were considered to be normal. And Ayame was definitely a normal person, in spite of his incredibly weird and twisted personality.
Oh, right… I remembered his affliction in that instant. Ayame is also cursed, and he transforms into a snake after touching someone of the opposite sex, or if he's feeling weak. I snorted, and amended my previous statements. Ayame is a normal human being – for the most part, at least.
Thus, Ayame was lying. The sly snake was obviously trying to convince me that he was capable of holding me hostage, insisting that any attempts at escaping his clutches were futile. And then, I would have to stay here and try on twenty seven dresses. My name, however, was not Jane. I wasn't going to stand here and pretend to enjoy the prospect of taking part in a wedding, even if it was my own.
Needless to say, I decided to call his bluff. I smiled sweetly at the older male, before offering him a mocking bow and a quick tip of my imaginary hat. Then, I began walking backwards, in the general direction of the front door – and my escape. The two men glanced at each other, nodded in silent agreement, and rushed towards me. I merely turned and bolted for the door, dodging the outstretched arms of my exasperated boyfriend with a loud, delighted cackle.
I could feel the raw energy rippling through my small form at the speed of lightning, and my blue tattoos were most assuredly glowing with power at that moment. So, it was easy enough for me to begin casting a teleportation spell. I opened my mouth and recited the words to the ancient spell, letting the power of the elements rush over my skin like the gentle touch of a lover.
"With the power of wind on my side, I take this chance to run and hide. None shall find me; none shall dare," I quietly muttered, "Oh, magic. I give myself to you without a care…"
I closed my mouth and inhaled sharply though my nose, preparing myself for the inevitable strain of reciting the remaining stanza, the feeling of my own magic tearing itself apart. It was more difficult for a witch to properly channel her magic if the spell was cast in an element that opposed her own, but the only power capable of granting a witch the gift of teleportation was the element of wind. In contrast, I specialized in earth and dark magic, the two types of magic that fueled the power to summon spirits, demons, and the undead – the latter of which included vampires. Essentially, I was a necromancer, and my power was used to call upon the forces of darkness. I was fighting against my very nature by requesting aid from the wind, an element commonly associated with prophets, seers, white witches, and healers.
"Give me wings, and –"
Another force suddenly slammed into my side. The strength of this spell effectively knocked the breath out of my lungs, causing me to falter in my spellcasting. The magic pulsing through my veins came to a sudden, screeching halt. My teleportation spell fizzled into nothingness; it drifted into the black void of the afterlife, along with a good deal of the energy that was previously stored in my tattoos, in case of an emergency. I was also unable to summon it again, as this unfamiliar power clearly belonged to a person of the opposite element – she worshipped the powers of the light. This young woman was a white witch, and she wielded the power of wind without words, gestures, or artifacts. The only assistance that she'd had in casting the spell of cold gales was a long, slender wand.
And that capability clearly belonged to a witch of considerable skill. How wonderful.
***Author's Note***
Say it with me, peeps! "I hate writer's block!"
In other words: I am so, so sorry that this is late. I wrote almost fifteen pages before scrapping it and starting from scratch. This is the result, and I'm quite proud of it, too. I hope you guys like it!
Please read and review, as always! :D
P.S. If you do review, please tell me who you think the mysterious white witch is, eh?
Hint: Japanese witches often have dealings with snakes and/or foxes.
