Chapter 10
Kotetsu felt her eyes burn with potential tears as her master's grip on the back of her neck tightened painfully.
"How dare you embarrass me like this! How dare you!" He slapped her hard across the face. "How dare you run away from your purpose!" He slapped her again, the resounding noise pleasing him only slightly. "You have been chosen to be a part of something, and you throw it in my face!" Again his hand connected with her face. "After all I have given you!" Another slap. "A roof over your head," slap " unchallengeable skills," slap "and lessons in life as well as intimacy!" Slap. "I let you live, even when you disobeyed my orders!" Slap. "I let you live!" Slap.
Kotetsu dropped to the ground when her master let go, his dominance rendering her useless. The sun beat down on her pale skin as she stared at the ground, her face red hot from her mistreatment. Her master paced the alleyway they were now in, his temper clearly breaking.
"Fuck you!" He kicked her hard in the ribs, causing her to tip over and lie in the dirt on her side like a pathetic, whimpering dog. He kicked her again and again. "You fucking whore!" He screamed his rage as he beat down on the girl, her dominated life disabling her fight for survival. "Rufus promised us millions! And you have jeopardised everything!" Kotetsu couldn't help but feel she was being wrongly blamed for everything, and it seemed that her master was blaming her for the whole team escaping, not just herself.
"Rufus is on his way sir." One of the master's minions popped his head around the corner, his eyes fearful as the master rounded on him.
"Tell him I shall be but a moment." Kotetsu could feel terror fill her as she felt her master's cruel gaze on her once again, his eyes burning through to her soul. "If you even think about pulling a stunt like this again, I will kill your little family, and make you watch. Even better! We could arrange another Arashi meeting, yes?" Kotetsu pulled herself to her knees and started to hug and grovel at her master's feet, her way of showing that she was completely dominated and sorry. "Pathetic!" he hissed, spitting on her as he marched off, knocking her onto the dusty ground with the force. She could hear him greeting Rufus in the distance, her heart sinking. She had known all along that this happiness would be short lived, but so short?
"Psst. Kotetsu." Kotetsu heard Cloud's voice coming from above her. She looked up to see him leaning over the roof of the building in front of her. He waved for her to climb up using the ladders to the left of her. She shook her head and watched as Cloud tilted his head, confusion set in his beautiful eyes. She gasped and winced as she struggled to stand, using her shaky hands to push her up onto her feet. "Kotetsu, I can't help you if you won't let me." She shook her head again, her eyes fixed on his. He would have been extremely proud of her progress had he not been in this troublesome situation.
And then she was gone, just like that, following after her master's beckoning call.
Kotetsu felt her heart break, shatter into a million teeny tiny pieces, but she had to protect her new family. She had to put them first. And if that meant being Rufus's sex slave for the rest of her pathetic life, then that was what was going to have to happen.
"There you are my little pet." Rufus patted her hair as if she were an animal, wiping away the blood from her chin when he noticed it. "It is a shame we have to be so cruel to you, but those who misbehave must be punished." Kotetsu felt her spirits drop further as she endured Rufus's almost baby-like talk. God she hated her life right now. "Well, if it isn't our little hero." Kotetsu turned in time to see Cloud land on the ground next to her, his sward drawn, his eyes stern.
"Fuck face." Cloud greeted as he nodded to Rufus. A small smile graced his lips.
"Cloud." Rufus sighed boredly. "Give it up already." Cloud raised his sward then, making Rufus fall back, his hands in the air, his expression surprisingly smug.
"Aranii soli." Kotetsu had tried to clasp her hands over her ears, but even the muffled version was enough send her into blackness.
Cloud jumped back as Kotetsu's leg flipped up to catch his face.
"Shit!" He felt himself panic as he tried to remember the sleep words. Kotetsu came at him, her moves calculated, her strength surprising. He blocked as she attacked, finding only a few seconds to place his sward back in its sheath on his back. Her foot connected with his chin then, his timing off by only a millisecond.
"Oussa- " her fist connected with his cheek, knocking him back. Cloud raised his game, catching her foot as it came for his head again, twisting it and making her spin in the air. She landed again like a cat, her lean muscles flexing as she readied her next onslaught. "Woossa Narii!" He caught Kotetsu as she flopped into his arms, her body limp and barely lifelike.
"How?" Sebastian screamed, his rage clearly evident. "How on earth did you know that?" Cloud smiled then, and Sebastian for the first time realised why Rufus had feared this man so much. Cloud seemed undefeatable. He held Kotetsu in his arms, as he walked through the group of men, his confidence defying them to try anything.
"It's alright Sebastian. We know where she is. It is just a matter of time before we retrieve her." Rufus had his hand across Sebastian's chest, holding him back from attacking Cloud from behind. A wise choice.
"Rufus. If you lay a finger on this girl, or even try to get her to go back to being whatever it is you think she is, I will find you and I will kill you." Rufus nodded his head in acknowledgement, but his smug smile was in place.
"It wouldn't be my fault if she came to me by choice, now, would it?" Cloud swore at Rufus then, causing his once proud smirk to fail a little. This was not over.
...
Cloud was getting used to chasing after the girl, her hourly attempts seeming to get more and more difficult to stop. But he was keeping up, which was a good thing, but he was so very, very tired. He had asked her to understand his need for sleep, but she would continue to try no matter what. And there was no way he could get Tifa to watch her, Kotetsu would easily escape. He sighed longingly as he stared out his window, the next few days' plans seeming to be quite hectic. They knew where Kotetsu was now, and didn't need to use their stupid trackers. He had informed Reno of the new revelation as soon as he had found out about it himself, and he found himself wondering how the red headed twat was sorting out the other five boys. Cloud's thoughts were interrupted as he felt a breeze flow in under his door.
"Here we go." Cloud walked over to his window and leaned out, Kotetsu's eyes meeting his so confidently for the second time since they had met. "Just turn round and get back inside." His warning tone made Kotetsu visibly flinch. He hated that. "You run. I catch. We go back." Kotetsu looked ahead into the dark streets, her eyes stinging. She hated this. Cloud didn't understand what her master was capable of, of the horrors he would make her do.
Cloud sighed as he slipped out of the window, hot in pursuit of the now frantically escaping girl. He caught up to her easily, her now tired and sore legs giving up on her, sending her crashing to the ground and dirtying herself in mud. Cloud picked her up, and placed her gently back onto her feet, his hand cupping her chin.
"Why don't you trust me?" Kotetsu was shocked, though not at what he had said. What bothered him the most was how hurt he had seemed.
"Not you." Cloud continued to look into her eyes, but she refused to look back, her confidence falling back and away again.
"Then what? What is it that is making you run off like this? Making you push me away?" Kotetsu felt her face heat up as she felt the need to cry come over her. Didn't he understand? She wanted to stay with him for as long as she could, but she was a murderer!
"You know what I am." Cloud nodded, and waited for her to continue, but apparently that was her argument.
"And? I don't care what you think you are or what you have done in the past." Kotetsu shook her head, frustration evident. Her lack of vocabulary was really pressing down on her, and Cloud could feel the thick tension descend on them.
"One word, your family dead." Cloud didn't really know now to reply to that.
She was right.
"I won't let that happen. I know your sleep word." Kotetsu looked at Cloud then, her different coloured eyes filled with fear and her expression perplexed. That's when she realised he hadn't used it to stop her escaping. But...why?
"You crazy." She pulled away from the blonde, now seemingly annoyed. "I kill you." Cloud scoffed.
"You can try. But I won't let you." Kotetsu felt insulted.
"You saw little. I get you before speak words." Cloud folded his arms, desperately trying to keep his confident and cocky pretence up.
"Really? I've met fiercer opponents. And I handled you fine earlier." Kotetsu rounded on him, obviously picking up on his playful tone.
"Don't make jokes." She pointed at herself, her eyes sharp but uncertain.
"Fun." Kotetsu relaxed a little, confused. "Don't make fun, not jokes. It sounds a bit better." Kotetsu's eyes dropped to the ground, a blush forming on her cheeks. She had lost due to technicality. Cloud took his moment to grab Kotetsu, and pulled her over his shoulders. He smiled in triumph, but then noticed that she was no longer struggling. "I..." Now it was Cloud's turn to struggle to find the words. There was something rather haunting about her lack of effort, the way she had just suddenly given up on everything. This couldn't be good...
It didn't take much time for Cloud to return to the inn, his mind racing with possibilities of what Kotetsu was thinking. He had no idea how to handle women, never mind women bred to have no understanding of life. He placed her carefully on the nearest seat, noting that the sun was now coming up. He disappeared behind the bar and brought back two glasses of water.
"Drink." Kotetsu looked a mess, not just her many wounds, but emotionally. Her hands shook as she reached over to lift the glass, her eyes never leaving the floor. Cloud ran a hand through his hair, lack of sleep getting to him a bit. He watched as she gulped down the liquid, a little of it dribbling down to her chin. He reached over and caught the drip with his gloved finger, the action obviously very new to the girl. She watched his hand as he pulled it back, and sat her glass down on the table, her water now finished. She wiped her face with her arm, catching the remaining water trail.
"If you not here, I kill family." Kotetsu scratched her nail on the table, an obvious distraction for her. Cloud sighed as he leaned over, a small smile on his face.
"Then we stick together?" Kotetsu looked up at him, but quickly shifted her eyes. "Don't do that." She flinched back as she stared at the floor again. "I mean, don't look away from me like that." Kotetsu hesitated as she steadied her gaze on his cheek, but avoided his eyes still. "Look at me." She complied, her pained expression clearly expecting to be punished. Cloud just smiled as he continued. "Everywhere I go, you go and vice versa. You'll never be without me so that I can be there if anything goes wrong." Kotetsu shifted her gaze back to the table, watching as she drew patterns on the wooden surface. He would really have to give her a pen and paper, see what it was that she was always drawing.
"I burden." Cloud shook his head and took Kotetsu's hand, making her look back up into his eyes. He could get used to that.
"Not at all. Now stop worrying about what's going to happen. We'll just take it one day at a time." He rubbed his thumb back and forth across her fingers, Kotetsu watching him, fascinated by the effects on her body from such a small action. "Can I now maybe get some sleep?" Kotetsu flushed as she stared back down at the floor, nodding curtly. "Good." He stood up from the table, but didn't let go of her hand as he urged her to do the same. "Come on then. You must be shattered." Kotetsu nodded, feeling she needed to say something, or even just reply in some way. She let Cloud lead the way, apparently having no intention of letting her go.
She followed him up the stairs, in some kind of trance as she watched their linked fingers, almost as if she were worrying that if she didn't watch him, he would simply disappear. She was so enthralled with their hands that she didn't even notice when he pushed her back gently, making her legs bump off of the bed, forcing her to sit. That was when she realised that they weren't in her room.
"You'll forgive me for not believing you when you say you're going to stop running. It would seem you will do anything to escape me." He smiled playfully as he began to undress, choosing to keep his boxers on for obvious reasons. Kotetsu tried her best to stop her mouth from hanging open, completely taken aback by the sudden intimacy of their situation. They were going to sleep together!
Cloud reached into his top drawer of his cupboard and pulled out a black t-shirt, pulling it over his head as his bare feet padded on the wooden floor, making his way back over to the bed. Kotetsu was already in her pyjamas, but they were still caked in mud from earlier.
"Go and get changed out of those mucky clothes, but I'm serious, don't go running off." He held his door open as he waited for Kotetsu to get up from the bed. She almost ran out, her blush portraying her feelings nicely. "I'll just be outside the door, so no fecking around." Kotetsu nodded her head as she clicked the door shut. She slid to the floor, completely surprised by her sudden embarrassment. She had seen her master and Rufus fully naked before, so why was Cloud in boxers so different. Why did it feel like he had almost killed her?
She quickly found a new set of pyjamas, and raced into them, falling onto the bed as she stumbled in her haste. She rushed to the door and opened it immediately, hoping that Cloud had kept to his word. And there he was, standing where he said he would be, his perfect smile in place.
"That was fast." He snickered, heading back into his room. Kotetsu wasn't sure what to do, her body refusing to move as she remained in her own doorway. "You coming?" Cloud's eyes sparkled as he held his door open again, his smile still in place. Kotetsu moved swiftly, her light footfalls emitting no sound at all, even in her rush to be at Cloud's side.
Cloud felt shivers of nervousness shoot through him, his confidence wavering slightly. What was he doing? He couldn't help but wonder if maybe he was overstepping a mark somewhere, but the part of him that was in control didn't seem to care much. He shut the door softly, and led Kotetsu over to his bed. He pulled back the covers before heading round to his own side, slipping in and urging Kotetsu to do the same. Her eyes held a certain amount of terror that had Cloud panicking slightly.
"Are you okay? Would you rather you slept in your room tonight? I just thought it would be easier for me to make sure you stay this way. I'm really tired and- " Kotetsu slipped under the covers, the scorching hot skin of her legs touching his slightly made him tense up. "I don't want you to feel like you have to do what I say. No one owns you." Cloud still however felt the need to justify his actions, and let Kotetsu know that he wasn't Sebastian, and never would be. Kotetsu just smiled and nodded.
"Like it here. Want to stay forever." Kotetsu turned to face Cloud, her eyes bright in the dark room. Cloud couldn't help brushing away the hair from her face, his smooth fingertips grazing her cheek softly. She closed her eyes and let a breath out, completely relaxed.
"I would like you to stay forever to." Cloud whispered as he pulled the covers up to the girl's shoulders, tucking her in. "And I will do everything in my power to make sure you can." Kotetsu smiled, her eyes opening again and locking with his. He continued to run his fingers through her hair as she stared back at him, his body aching for more. He pulled back then, aware of the potential problems that this would cause. "Goodnight." He whispered, repositioning himself so that he could pull Kotetsu into an embrace, though an awkward one at that. She complied, her arms resting against his chest and her legs just touching his. He'd have given anything to have been able to kiss her now.
"Good night Cloud." God he loved it when she said his name.
Hey everyone! Just wanted to say thanks so much for the reviews! And i know it seems to be moving on a little slowly, but things will be picking up soon hopefully, the plot seeming to be rolling out steadily. I'm really enjoying wirting this story actually, Kotetsu's awkwardness quite fun to play with. I hope Cloud is not too out of character, with his cheekiness in this chapter but i couldn't resist. but what can you do? XD
Well hope you enjoy it XD and thanks again for reading!