All warnings were given first chapter… please refer to it!
The Crow
(Second Arc: The witch from the Eastern lands)
(Part 14)
XxxxxXxxxxX
…
The cold wind blew through the opened window in his room, rustling slightly at the heavy curtains before Clow had it closed with a thought. He might not be partial to the elements, but his precious other half was still vulnerable.
He picked her delicate body from the ground, noticing with some amusement how fetchingly red her cheeks were.
"Let us put you to bed, my dear" The words were uttered against her drowsy face as he settled the young woman in his arms – she felt exhausted, utterly drained from the day's ordeal – he could feel echoes of her excitement even now, and that brought a smile to his face.
Clow set a steady pace to her rooms, torches lighting in front of him in ready attention, chasing the incessant shadows that seemed to cling onto him given any opportunity.
The darkness crooned a dispassionate note, but grew stronger when given light. Clow ignored the call of darkness, letting his magic rest and swoon in Violet's presence.
"Mmm Clow…" She moaned against his shoulder, making the sorcerer still for a moment. When she said nothing more, Clow continued with the same pace as before.
He willed magic to open her chambers, and was about to deposit her on the futon when Violet latched with a tight, unrelenting grip on his arms.
"You have to let go, my darling girl" The sorcerer urged softly, actually equally against letting go as she was.
"Don't wanna… Stay with you please" Violet only clung piteously tighter. The sorcerer felt he should put more of a fight, Clow chuckled under his breath, a protest ready in him… but he was tired of fighting and well… what is he but a servant to her whims?
So he eyed her – and thought of his large bed, where he could nestle her protectively, and there would be enough space not to test his willpower too much. Plus provide an unmeasurable ammount of fun coming next morning.
"Alright, you win this one my dear"
…
The way back to her own room was spent in thought.
'Did I spend the night in his room?!' Her brain screamed indignantly, the propriety of the situation being called into question at the same time. On another hand, there was this wiggly, wobbly ball of fuzz that clogged any rational thought from making itself known for longer than a few seconds.
Of course she was angry that Clow, the one who took it upon himself to protect her and help her find a way back home, was shamelessly trying to seduce her. It made her feel insecure and quite frankly, terrified.
The only thing stopping Violet from running away from the situation, was the fact that she, for some unfathomable reason, trusted that mad, twisted sorcerer. She trusted he wouldn't take more than she was willing to give, and trusted he'd respect her boundaries…
He wouldn't pressure her in anyway – unless her 'master' started making sensual passes at her like he started last night, following up with the madness this morning.
Once she set them and made them clear - boundaries were necessary.
"That git… I am in big trouble, aren't I" The witch questioned her door when she reached it, tracing a couple of golden flower decals with the tip of a finger. She pulled the door to the right, closing it behind her.
'I should be way more offended than I am' Violet scowled inwardly, irritated at the way her palms would sweat, and the higher rate her heart would beat. A very becoming blush now permanently painted her cheeks, and the morning couldn't get more awkward if she tried.
...
"I said I'd wait for you… I just didn't say how quietly"
...
'Am I really surprised?' The green eyed young woman reflected, remembering with clarity the different way Clow looked at her, how he seemed infinitely more gentle with her than with anyone else. His eyes were always following her, and his smile actually reached them.
'No, I already knew something was up…' Clow's tactile approach to her personally, as if his hands couldn't spend a day without finding her skin – and Violet could not, would not, dare deny that she feels the same way.
But even admitting Clow's rather blunt and crude approach was shocking, it also served as an eye opener. 'I never believed he'd want someone like me!' the witch admitted to herself with a sigh, wincing as years of abuse and low self-esteem reared up with ugly consequences.
Violet stepped into her room shaking her head, and made way to the trunk where her clothes were kept. Though she still wore the clothes from the night before – never having taken the prospective bath, thus never changing into her nightclothes – the witch was hesitant in wearing her rumpled dress another day without a good washing.
The smell of his bed sheets still clung to her dress, mixing with the musk of her sweat and driving Violet's hormones into a raging crusade, slowing whisking her daft – faint traces of herbal tea, foreign spices, parchment, ink and magic.
The desire in his eyes when he caught her spying on him was so wanton, so sensual. It caused heat to course in her veins, a carnal hunger to ignite in her stomach and wild fantasies to spring in her mind.
All it took for this strengthened lust to awake in Violet was for her to close her eyes and rest her head against her trunk, all strength leaving her legs.
…
The scene she caught in the bath was replayed, but this time, she was sat astride his lap, slowly riding him as she licked the masculine column of his neck, smoldering blue eyes watching her with uncontrollable desire.
Her hands would find his soaked hair, fingers curling around the raven colored strands and pulling his head back, until she had unlimited access to his jaw and lips.
"You feel glorious, my dear one, my Violet" He'd whisper, say her name so ardently it sounded more like a prayer.
Pressure would build between them, the air charged with wild burst of magic as their pleasure reached a peak. Violet trembled on top of him as a wave of completion was finally set inside her, like a firework, spreading from deep within – she couldn't control how the explosion made her curl forward into her lover, desperately seeking contact as the almost painful experience prolonged by his contact.
Her limbs would jerk, she'd call out to him, pleading, begging for him to join her in the abandon of a well consummated love before she couldn't take it anymore – her heart was swollen so much, it was ready to burst. "Please, please…"
…
The cool wooden trunk felt like a relief against her burning forehead.
"I'm such a pervert…" Violet mumbled against the inanimate object, wrapping her arms around it as she recovered from the daydream. The intensity surprised her, even more so because this time, she did want it to come true. "Better get ready soon…" the witch trailed off, thinking forlomly of the trying day ahead.
With the tantalizing scene from the night before, whatever whacky scheme Clow is cooking and this particular daydream, Violet would have a hard time meeting the sorcerer's eyes. And he's bound to notice it.
'Aw hell'
…
"Wang…" Clow called with narrowed eyes, a very displeased frown downed on his face. His mother's repentant prisoner came slinking from the corridor, entering the sorcerer's rooms slowly and with his head down.
'Good' He thought darkly 'The stunt he pulled yesterday was too dangerous'
In more ways than one…
A lot of self-control was necessary not to drag Violet into the bath with him.
Her eyes appeared almost black with how wide her retinas were blown. She was watching him, cataloging him, he could feel the sheer lust coursing through their bond the moment she stepped into the Spring – there was a caress, following the path her curious, hungry eyes followed, and Clow put on a show just for her.
'It is about time she stops denying what we feel' the sorcerer thought, a daunt task indeed.
It should have been dragged out for as long as possible.
The last thing Clow wants is to cause Violet conflict. So he's hiding a couple of very essential things from her.
Like the fact their very souls were connected in a bond made of ether and light, and that it grows stronger everyday they spend in close proximity. There is absolutely no helping it – even if for some obscure reason Clow denied the bond, it wouldn't go away because who can erase the other half of themselves?
He's also never told her he can't see her. Not for lack of trust, because he was absolutely convinced that Violet's loyalty belonged to him just as his belonged to her – What he didn't trust was everyone else.
Like Yuuko implied… Aside from being an anomaly, a magic user from another universe, thus a powerful tool in the right hands - Clow Reed, the one whose prescience escalated into the realms of gods themselves, could not see her.
If any of his enemies, and even some allies, caught wind of this blatant weakness in his defenses, it would be bad.
Clow faced difficult choices when he accepted Violet in his life. He knew very well from the beginning what everything would entail. He realized the handicap as it was, was ready for it even.
But just as he had his options, so did Violet.
The sorcerer did not want to cause her anguish – and that's what going to happen should they acknowledge their relationship in a deeper way. He was content with flirting; the touches left him bereft, but steady, and the dreams wrenched from the bond were reasonably pleasant if not frustrating.
How is Violet going to feel when she indubitably had to chose? Leave or Stay - Because Clow was keeping to his word, he'd help her return home even if it killed him inside.
The whole travel to China thing?
He felt the need to come, associating the urge with a vision he shared with Yuuko – they'd need special gems, a ruby and an aquamarine, and together they'd conquer the borders of reality.
…
Sitting on top of silken pillows. The merchant will charge little for them considering how precious they become. The red one and the aqua colored one. He was close to completing that part of his mission.
…
And now this development… Seeing his other half so raw, seeing the nude desire bubble in her and spill into him, knowing that she wants him as much as he wants her…
Everyone has limits.
And Clow Reed just reached his.
Damned be his heart when he had to see Violet go if she never chose to stay… better to have loved and lost, to never finding love at all – as the saying goes. He hoped she'd also be alright.
'If only I could follow her' But everyone has limits. What would his choice be when the time came? He could follow Violet, or he could stay and continue his previous plans just as easily.
"Master…?" Wang Hyu-en didn't stammer, but the nervousness and fear in his eyes offered a grim sort of satisfaction to the displeased sorcerer.
"Never do something like that again. You were out of bounds and have caused my apprentice great distress" The enslaved spirit shrunk in chastisement, bowing so low his forehead touched the ground.
"Please, forgive this meddlesome fool…" Wang groveled, growing increasingly desperate as the sorcerer had yet to remove his weighting gaze from him.
"Dismissed" Clow allowed at last, when he felt Wang Hyu-en understood just how pissed off he was. Wang was almost at the door when Clow spoke softly, so softly that the spirit had to strain his ears to hear. "But thank you, old friend"
'Thank you for spurring me into taking matters into my own hands'
As soon as Wang was gone, the smile that curled on Clow's face could only be read as positively devious.
Violet proved that what she feels goes leagues beyond platonic. Clow felt she deserved to be shown the same courtesy.
XxxxXxxxX
"We are going to Tianjin today" Clow Reed told Violet as they left the house and greeted a relatively calm street. He offered the witch a hand, smiling sweetly at her. Violet blushed bright red, but accepted the hand being offered as she didn't want to get lost in the throng of people.
"To see the fair's administrative office?" the witch questioned, falling into step beside Clow, letting him guide them swiftly. She did notice how shy women were, and how many of them were dressed in beautiful designed, local appropriate outfits – but ended up shrugging it off.
"Amongst other things, yes" the master sorcerer nodded, tugging at Violet's hand until he had her arm draped over his so snuggly the green eyed young woman would have a hard time pulling off. Clow smiled her scowl away, patting at the hand curled beneath his. "Let me guide you through one of the wonders brought up to us by one of my good friends"
His blue eyes sparkled fondly, Violet's cheeks couldn't get any redder at this point – the man's glee was delicious to regard, all bright and warm. So to avoid further embarrassment, her eyes sought after the hustle of the street they passed by.
'Will wonders ever cease?' Violet gaped silently at the beauty of the place around her. The buildings were peculiar, beautiful in their exotic way – colorful draperies, red and gold almost everywhere. The smells of food and spieces assaulted her nose, making the witch remember all the nice food she's had for dinner and breakfast, tasting China's culinary for the first time.
"What wonders are we talking about?" Violet found herself asking daringly, sufficiently curious – weren't they going to Tianjin or something?
Seeing the confusion written in the way her brows furrowed, Clow started to explain.
"While my house is in Beijing and we will be staying there for the remainder of this trip, Tianjin is another city southeast from here and not somewhere we can get on foot, carriage or any normal means… at least if we want to arrive today" he told the witch, expertly manipulating them to a slightly busy crossroads.
"Then how will we get there?" She was paying attention to his words at the same time as she looked at the prosaic, but strangely comely image of life happening around her. "If we're teleporting again I'd rather not…" Violet winced, remembering the ill revolting of her stomach when she experienced Clow's version of 'teleportation'.
Her companion chuckled warmly. The fine hairs on the back of her head rose in tandem, attraction rolling down her spine.
"Nothing like that. An old friend of mine earned the moniker of Traveling Witch. She has a knack with magical tunneling and jumping short distances instantly, and has developed a series of corridors that connect the all the major cities in Asia, branching into Europe and one even in New York" Clow answered, making the witch think once more on the rarity that is hearing the sorcerer talk about his friends.
Violet has not forgotten Su Yung – Clow's ex. 'Why do I feel so bitter?' The young woman eyed her companion suspiciously 'And why does he feel so fussy?'
Deciding not to ask if she wasn't going to like the answer, the green eyed witch let sleeping dragons lie. Besides, it's not her place to feel jealous of Clow – though there was this burning hatred at the mere thought of the sorcerer in another woman's arms.
"That sounds incredibly useful" Violet allowed gracefully, proud of herself for being so level with her reaction. Clow raised an eyebrow at her, amusement rolling off of him in waves.
"Indeed" Clow said lowly, voice casting an incredible influence in her respiratory system, for her breath hitched at the unexpected deep purr he used to communicate "All we have to do is find a crossroad or a passageway, so hold on tight" They were standing smack in the middle of one.
Violet blinked, the sorcerer pulled her forward one step. A gargantuan tunnel sprung in front of them…
…
On the plus side, it didn't take long for Clow to convince the Administrative office that he should be given a stall, why yes, he'd pay to rent the space up front.
The rest of the day was spent exploring Tianjin and all the delights hidden in it.
…
Yuuko felt one of her tunnels being used.
There is only one person who'd know how to use them beside her.
"Why did I not see this coming? Clow is in Tianjin?" The raven haired witch wondered with a growing sense of horror. She wasn't as powerful a diviner as Clow, but their bond meant she was able to easily keep tabs on him… But she couldn't see him move, not until he used her pathways…
'He's supposed to be in his house near Cambridge, catering to that menagerie of his and playing host to a disaster… how did he end in Beijing, going to Tianjin?'
It could only mean that the foolish sorcerer is walking around with a damn time bomb!
XxxxXxxxX
TBC~
Final notes:
Tianjin, or Tientsin was a major step of China in giving Europe land concessions. It actually started in 1860, but since this story passes in the year 1856, I thought we would see some signs of foreign market flourishing in Tianjin, mostly because this particular segment of history is filled with Piracy and conspiracies... (at least according to the internet)
Listened to this at least 10x while writing these last few parts: Bizarre Love Triangle – New Order (1986 version) – though there is a "newer" version, Bizarre Love Triangle – Frente.. Which is girly and sweet and will give you cavities from just listening to it.