A/N: Well then, enough of beguiling my evenings with other tasks- isn't it about time I wrote for you again?
Enjoy yourselves with this one. ;)
{pssst- sorry for the late update- even I am angry about it. A small part of it was, I wasn't feeling inspired enough to write. The other part of it is that I just started driving, and have been busy with practicing and classes and what not. Also, I'm so close to getting my GED (General Education Diploma) so that has kept me busy with pre tests and review packets. Oh, and I'm helping a friend with moving out of their house.
The biggest dilemma I've faced? I re-wrote this chapter like five hundred times! Because part of it didn't save, and then I wanted to change it A LOT, and so I spent all of my free time (free time = the time I should be using to sleep at night -_-) editing, over and over, just editing, adding stuff in, taking stuff out... GAAAAHHHH! I just wanted it to be perfect okay?! My writing can't have flaws, I will not permit it to be less than satisfactory and I simply cannot disappoint my readers! That would be a nightmare. SO- anyway, that's why the update is so god damn late and I really do feel bad about it}
"I do not trust people who don't love themselves and yet tell me, 'I love you.' There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt." ― Maya Angelou
[WARNING: pretty much the gist of this chapter is very much M-rated. For, you know, sexy Tora, and stuff... and stuff...]
Chapter Thirty. It's Foreign, But Not Fleeting
He had given her the ultimate shock.
'I love you.'
Those words- sounding so foreign, so ridiculous coming from him- were still ringing in her ears, and her eyes widened when she focused her mind on taking their meaning into consideration.
But this sort of situation- was completely unthinkable. Akari knew he wasn't one to give tender loving care to someone- he was one to manipulate, use people to his personal advantage, and then dispose of them.
Wasn't he?
Maybe he wasn't a hundred percent evil through and through, he... had his good moments. He was still human after all, and showed a little emotion on rare occasions- however- there was no way he, being who he is and acting how he acts, could fall in love.
"Ahh... Uhhh..." Came her oh-so-intelligent response.
Tora stared at her in all seriousness, searching her face for her first initial reaction to words he had never, not even to the one other interest he had ever had (Ayuzawa), said before.
The look on her face was clear enough, he could see.
She didn't believe him.
"..." He pulled away from her after seeing what little response she gave, turning and leaning against the wall, but still staring at her intensely. "Why is such a thing coming from me so hard to believe?"
Really, in the past as well, when he tried to express his feelings towards Ayuzawa, (it was not an 'I love you', but still it was something along the lines of a confession) she had reacted in disbelief as well. Was it that difficult to grasp? He could be affectionate if he wanted to. He, being himself, could do anything, if he wanted to.
Akari, who's face had colored, mouth dropped open because of his surprising confession, tried her best to compose herself now. Staring at him, she stood up a little straighter. "...Well... it's just, it doesn't fit your character, for you to say something like that..."
Tora stared at her for a long time, as if contemplating something. Then, he tilted his head a little bit, eyebrows rising in a questioning look. "If I'm correct in understanding this, doesn't the entire concept of love make people act unlike themselves?"
Akari opened her mouth, and closed it, having nothing to say to that. During the silence filling the air, Tora was looking at her with a smoldering gaze, his lids lowered and his eyes blazing. She simply stood there, allowing different thoughts to fly through her head and different emotions to awaken inside of her.
Was she glad he had told her that he loves her? Well, of course she was! So long as he truly meant it... So the real massive question here that was bothering her was, did he mean it? Knowing him, it was unlikely. She somehow could not picture him settling down into a healthy, honest relationship with just one woman.
But wait, was that even what he was asking of her? She was jumping to conclusions now. Maybe a normal relationship isn't what he had in mind. Maybe he just thought he loved her- and he just had to say it to her, to see where things went from there.
If she were to really think about it, there is the possibility that he's just experimenting, testing these new waters with her. Maybe she was simply his outlet for using deeper emotional feelings, since he never got them out any other way. A test- this could be a just some test- since he had never understood anything about love and being loved, he could just be 'trying it out' with her, or something. There was no way he actually had developed such strong feelings for her...
If this really was a game of his then, a test, or simply something to keep him from being bored- then he had reached all new levels of despicable.
"You're impossible!" Was all she could express at the moment, rather loudly, with her face heating up in frustration the more she thought about things.
He regarded her with a very sarcastic expression. "I am?"
She was frantically shaking her head from side to side now, trying to erase from her mind that serious face he had made while confessing. She was going out of her mind- she must be going crazy- that didn't- his words couldn't have held any true meaning. Why was he doing this to her? It was ridiculous, not to mention unfair. "You're..."
"Growing impatient?" The blonde filled in the blank for her with a sigh. He had a rather dull, bored expression in his eyes now.
"Like I said, impossible! Just impossible... and-" She glanced up at him, searching for more words to distract herself with. She had to keep talking, for she feared what would happen when she stopped. He was starting to look at her strangely.
"Handsome?" He smirked, leaning away from the wall and facing her now.
"Idiotic." She quickly included.
It was obvious her reactions were ceasing to be a source of amusement for him. Now he was feeling a bit insulted, not to mention growing annoyed.
"And here I thought I was so charming..." He took a step towards her, not even blinking when she took a step back.
"Bothersome, is the word I'd use." A sense of unease filled her when she saw the way he was staring at her now. He took another slow step forward, and she was about to step back again, until-
Tora reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her around and letting her back hit the wall he had just been leaning against. She lost all words quickly on her tongue as she stared over to the hand that held her firmly between him and the wall.
"Your lack of a proper response is irritating," He drawled, holding her arm all the more tightly when she squirmed uncomfortably. "as is your misplaced opinion of me. You still think, after all that you've seen and heard, that I am that much of an uncaring, impossible man?"
His voice held an edge to it, and there was a challenge in his tone, as if he dared her to respond to that. He pressed closer to her, grabbing her chin with his free hand and making her look up at him- though she glanced away before their eyes could meet.
"Stop trying to confuse me! BAKA!" She couldn't help but go on the defensive. "What is it that I'm supposed to say now? I can't answer properly at all if I don't know if you're being serious, or simply teasing me for the sake of your own entertainment."
"You've had first-hand experience with me for quite some time now," He reminded her, one eyebrow arching slightly while he spoke. "Shouldn't you be able to tell the difference?"
Her eyes flew up to meet with his, and the sudden contact was like the abrupt crash of silver-blue waves meeting a golden shore. He startled slightly, not fully expecting the fury that was clearly shown in her gaze.
"You are many things, Tora Igarashi: wealthy heir, business man, student council president... and among a whole list of others- actor." Her eyes narrowed. "No matter how many experiences I have with you or how much I observe you, it really doesn't matter. You, with the acting talent equivalent to a professional, could easily fool me still. And, unfortunately, I had to learn that the hard way at first- but now I know better."
Tora was quiet for a moment after she spoke, staring at her with a widened gaze.
"Are you referring to the incident where I told you that I'd grown bored of you?"
Akari didn't answer him- though she didn't need to. The way she was glaring at him was enough for him to figure it out. Plus, his hunches were always correct.
Shortly after a pause in conversation, his surprise from the fact that she was still reflecting on that had faded and his famous smirk appeared on his face.
"It is true, I could simply be acting again, lying to you. It wouldn't be hard for me to fool you. However," He pulled her hand tighter to him. "right now that is not my intention."
He competed with her intense stare, her eyes meeting his with a certain gaze of mixed emotions. Seeing that look on her face made him grin widely, baring his fangs. He just loved seeing such a look on her face! Defiance, stubborn anger... these qualities about her always kept things fresh and intriguing.
"You are just too much." He chuckled darkly, not waiting for her to respond before pressing her into the wall even further and stepping closer. "You caught my interest, and so now I can't let you go. And, that is what my intention is- to keep you as my prize."
Akari blinked, listening to him and regarding his words if only for a short moment. "Your prize?" Her gaze hardened. "Are you trying to mock me?"
Though Tora was thoroughly enjoying the angry look on her face, he was still something of a gentleman."Not even a little bit." He cut in smoothly, inclining his head towards her a bit more. "I can assure you, my words aren't meant to mock you, not even slightly. I am very serious."
She simply scowled, not accepting his persuasions. Watching the way she strained against his grip on her, Tora suddenly lost that side of him that was more polite, and began again delighting in the sense of power he had over her. He gave a malicious smile. "Ah, you're truly entertaining- struggling won't do you any good."
"Shut up and let me go so that I can get away to clear my head, baka tiger!" She grumbled.
"Do you never learn? I just told you I won't let you go."
As soon as she opened her mouth to produce a snappy comeback, she closed it in surprise when his face suddenly lowered directly in front of her own.
"Now that I've confessed, I have no choice but to convince you that my feelings are legitimate." His eyes narrowed as he looked at her with an arrogant tilt of his chin and a slight smile. "I'm sure you know by now that I hate losing. I plan to win you over, and I'd like to think that task is already on its way to being completed."
Akari's face reddened at such a comment. Was he purposely trying to aggravate her? He sounded so sure of himself- it was maddening. "Just shut up already!" She brought her free hand up to push on his chest, but he only grabbed it in his other hand and inched even closer, pinning both of her wrists up against the wall. They were now standing toe-to-toe, his body pressing up just barely against hers.
A heated gaze, (whether angry, or lustful, or annoyed, it was hard to tell- his expression was hard to attach a specific emotion to) looked her over thoroughly, glancing across her face, over her lips for a few long moments, and then his eyes traveled further down. Easing down her neck, examining her clothed chest, and then lower still, down over her stomach, along her waist- he took all of her in, and simply grew more irritated the longer he looked- after all, the clothes got in the way of all the good stuff. It was rather annoying.
"Maybe I should show you... just how impossible I can be when I'm actually trying." He murmured dangerously, a sly smile slipping onto his face as ill-mannered thoughts began to fill his mind.
With those words, he smirked again at her pointless struggling and flushed face, abruptly wrapped one arm around her waist, and pulled her to him- leaning in to quickly steal her lips.
Akari's acrimonious cries were muffled as his lips built up a pressure very suddenly against her own. Tora was kissing her slower and more meaningfully than usual, taking his sweet time running his tongue from her lower lip, to the upper, then finally to the edge of her lips- prodding more insistently and gaining quick entry with his forceful efforts. His tongue pressed at her own to wake it up, and in an act of lively defiance she tried to jerk her head back- though he easily brought his other hand up and held the back of her head- making sure to keep their mouths connected so that he could eventually get hers to tangle and press with his own, eliciting warm feelings of lust which began welling deep within the both of them.
One minute passed. Then two. It was verging on three now, the need for air was coming on quick, though every time she tried to pull away, Tora would not permit it. Both of her hands were placed on his chest now, occasionally clinging tightly to his shirt, and then trying feebly to push him away. He was relentless- it was as if he was on the brink of starvation, and he had finally found something to fulfill his hungry needs.
Finally, when Tora himself needed to break for air, he pulled away slowly and inhaled, licking along her bottom lip, before letting their wet mouths separate completely. He wasted absolutely no time in moving on from there- leaning down, he began his attack on the luscious pale skin of her neck, sucking lightly at first, and then harshly on all the sensitive areas. With a particular little bite, he had her gasping at the treatment. Akari's mind was still unable to recuperate after that kiss- the lack of oxygen had made her light-headed, which didn't exactly give her an advantage here.
Tora smirked again. Seducing women into submission was something he was very practiced at. It simply took a little more effort with this girl in particular. Sticking his tongue in her mouth and kissing her for that long surely had done the trick, and he knew for a fact that her neck was a weakness-
"Let- let go Igarashi!" She managed to gasp out in one quick, barely audible breath, surprising him as the sound reverberated against his lips at her throat.
Tora growled lowly. Stubborn, this one. As she always was. "You just aren't listening, are you?" He moved up and nipped her ear a bit too harshly, a punishment for her refusal to him.
Akari gasped loudly. In all honesty... she wanted to relax against his touch and accept it, but if it wasn't real then it wasn't worth it and... it couldn't possibly be real, because she had deduced that this man was incapable of love. After all, how could he love her when, she was sure, despite the prideful and arrogant way he acted, that he didn't fully even love himself? Didn't love anyone? He was cold, and lived a selfish life. He didn't know what love was, couldn't possibly, and that much was obvious.
She shook her head away from him, just long enough to pull back and give him a glare. "No, you aren't listening! I don't want this!"
He gave her an incredulous look. "Now who's the one saying impossible things?"
Grinning when she went silent, he leaned in close to her ear again, his lips nudging the shell of it as he whispered; "The more obedient you are, the better the experience will be." Just as he said that, his hand sneaked down to her thigh, giving it a light, enticing squeeze.
Wriggling even more now, she pressed her head up against his chest, trying to successfully avoid his lips. She tried to catch his attention with her words. "Wait a minute! We've been disregarding what's important! Igarashi!"
Tora growled. The hardness alive and swelling inside his pants was not making it easy for him to stay patient with her- and if he couldn't stay patient with her, he would surely end up just shoving himself inside of her already and ripping her apart completely without a care. To make matters even more disagreeable for him, she was still struggling against him, which not only further agitated his aching need, but also meant he had to continue to focus on keeping her pressed up against him.
Akari spoke quickly, suddenly all too aware of the bulge pressing up against the bottom of her shirt. "Don't go and act as if those three words you said to me earlier... hold no meaning. If you really loved me this wouldn't be just sex- and you wouldn't be forcing me into it like this. People shouldn't just throw their love around so freely. You don't say words like that, that hold so much meaning to them, unless you truly, deeply care for someone!"
His eyes narrowed at her words. She really didn't realize how cruel she was being, and it was only going to make things worse for her. "That's right. You don't." He said rather pointedly.
"...Nani?" She asked quietly, calming herself just long enough to contemplate his agreeance with her words.
She jolted as he shoved her even harder against the wall, and with her head now pulled off of his chest, she blinked up at him- watching how his golden bangs swayed over the right side of his face, his mouth drew up in a firm line, and his eyelids lowered as he regarded her with a gaze that burned.
I don't recall ever feeling such emotions. I've only ever liked one other woman before, but it was never anything like this... He grit his teeth in annoyance at the words he couldn't say aloud, and pressed her into the wall even harder. She winced, but he ignored it.
"It's not an easy thing to express or understand. But I don't think it's wrong to say that my interest in you has turned into more than just simple interest." His tone was firm and he spoke with much conviction. "I'm telling you that I care for you, and see you as something more than I did when we first met. You were supposed to be just another conquest, but I realize now what a waste that would be for the both of us." His eyes narrowed considerably, until they were nothing but harsh, golden slits. "I want more than that."
Akari stood, shocked and baffled by both his words, and the reverent tone he was using. Tora watched quietly as shining silver, icy blue, stared up at him, and for the life of him he couldn't possibly figure out what she was thinking.
Eventually, after a pause, she spoke; "...If you did have such feelings for me, you'd let me go instead of forcing me like this. You'd consider my feelings, and respect them. You need to treat me like a woman, not an animal that needs to be restrained."
He stared at her for a few seconds, a solemn look on his face and his eyes unreadable as they blinked a few times. His face was a mask that hid all his emotions, a look that was serious and blank. In a light ruffling of clothing, he slowly moved, releasing his tight grip on her and stepping back.
Tora stared at her a moment longer, watching her while she said nothing. What could she say? What was there left to say? All she could do was silently stare back at him, awed by his actions, and wondering what he was going to do next.
Closing his eyes he sighed, then, turning around he began to walk away. "I'm going to bed."
He opened the door to his office widely, pausing for a split second with his back to her, and then in one swift step he was out the door and it slammed shut behind him.
"...Stupid tiger..."
Akari turned around, leaning back against the wall again. Her fists clenched at her sides and she allowed her hair to fall over her shoulders as her chin tucked in and she bowed her head low. Now, she was left alone with nothing but her own thoughts and emotions.
She really wasn't expecting him to actually give in like that, as he never before had let up on his assaults. In fact, she could clearly imagine him doing things his own way this time again- moving her across the room, pressing her down on his desk, he would have his way with her, refusing to listen to her.
But the reality was this- he had actually backed off. So... did this mean...
Her gaze wavered as she stared down at the floor. She really wanted to believe it. She wanted to think he loved her. She wanted so badly for him to tell her he loves her again, and to know that he truly meant it. If only her doubts would just disappear.
But look at the facts! Her brain told her insistently. Well, yeah, he certainly wasn't treating her like a quick lay. He had even left the room for her, because he was trying to respect her now. Akari's face suddenly went up in a flaming blush. So then... what if he did honestly love her, then?
"...BAKA! Baka tiger! Bastard! Lunatic! BAAAAKA!" She squinted her eyes shut, yelling in vain and pressing her hands to her head as it shook back and forth.
She wasn't expecting anything like this to ever happen! He was taking this all so seriously... too seriously- like it really was something important. But, what the hell?! How was she supposed to react to this so suddenly?! For him to hold back when he could just have his way with her- well that was honestly a big step. This was Tora Igarashi she was talking about! Womanizing playboy, rich bastard, selfish demon... and... and...
And even though she knew all of that about him, Akari just couldn't help herself, she couldn't. Rejecting him was becoming painful for her. After all, she... probably loved him too. But it wasn't something easy, it only seemed to get more difficult. He was possessive which brought out an ugly jealousy hiding within him, he disregarded her feelings whenever he wanted something from her, he forced himself on her on plenty occasions, he was wild and quite unpredictable in nature- you could never know what was going on behind that smirk on his face, you never knew what he was planning next until it was too late. He was arrogant, which made him think as if he owned anything and everything. He even acted as if he owned her, treating her more like an object than a person.
That's just what I get though, for making the mistake of falling for a devilish tiger...
Yes- such a devil he was. The Igarashi heir was daunting, charming, and talented. He was also cleverly gifted at deceiving people, never emotionally attached himself to anything, and never showed signs of any weakness. He appeared to be a god among commoners, an image of untarnished perfection on the outside... while on the inside, he was the devil leading a life of lies and strategic mayhem.
But all those things aside...
There were other, better things about him that maybe only she herself got to see. He... could be tender, sometimes. He could take off his mask, if only for the briefest of moments, and show an entirely different side of himself. He really was only human, and maybe even... a lonely one. Sometimes she's seen nothing in his eyes at all- sometimes, he just looks empty. Empty, and bored, and tired of being who he has to be.
Those few times before, when he occasionally opened up to her, she could see that he wasn't as perfect as he liked people to think. He even knew that for himself, and that only made him try harder to cover it up. Perhaps, he hated his life. After all, he was constantly acting, playing his role perfectly, and he never got a break. He didn't even know who he was anymore, she could see it just by glancing at him.
Was she too hard on him? Had she always been too hard on him? No, not always, she reminded herself. The times when he made simple but meaningful gestures towards her- she would thank him, smile at him, and find more space for him in her heart. Though he was subtle about his kind actions, acting as if they were nothing, she noticed them for what they were every time. He really wasn't such a bad guy, he had simply played the villain for far too long.
Pushing off of the wall, Akari opened her eyes, which were shining with a determined light. She had to talk to him again. And this time, she would give him a chance to explain to her his feelings.
The office door was closed behind her and she was soon hurrying down the many hallways.
Right turn, straight for a bit, left past the staircase...
Down another hall... and another...
She panted lightly, now going at a rather fast pace. Why she was in such a hurry, she really had no idea. She just felt this great rush of adrenaline, and it kept her going until she finally reached that pair of big white double doors.
The shiny handles on each door glinted at her, as if daring her to enter. Well, she knew she couldn't do that anyway, he always locked-
Akari blinked, noticing something now that she had looked properly. A crack- there was a sliver of a crack there. One of the doors was opened, if only the slightest bit. Reaching forward, she grabbed onto the handle-
If she were to be honest, she was completely unsure of what she was going to do once she was facing him once more. But, maybe she'd just... ask him about his feelings, or apologize for not listening earlier. She'd figure it out once she saw his face.
Sucking in a deep breath, she pushed the door forward, entering his bedroom. "...Tora."
Golden eyes met her own gaze right away and her heart sped up inside of her chest. Sometimes, those eyes were cold or empty. Sometimes, they were filled with the fake light of a forced laugh as he acted graceful and charismatic in front of important strangers. Most of the time, they were completely unreadable, or were actively taunting her. But she thought she could see through his mask, if only a little bit. And his gaze burned hers like the sun.
He was standing far across the room, beside what looked to be his very own private bar. A tall glass was in his hand, deep garnet liquid filling it nearly to the brim. He turned his body slightly more towards her, setting his drink on the counter and leaning back against it casually.
Though he looked surprised by her intrusion, he quickly covered that up with a lazy smirk. "Came to share a drink with me?"
Akari ignored it- the way he taunted her, the hint of bitterness in his tone, the look on his face that clearly said he wasn't happy with her coming into his room unannounced and confronting him again- the look that said he'd had enough of her for one night. She just ignored it. Because suddenly, she knew exactly what she wanted to do now that she was facing him again.
She didn't know if she closed the door behind her, nor did she care. Her body had already started moving as she became completely unaware of everything else around her, blocking it all out. Without even a single word she started taking quick-paced steps towards him, crossing the room as fast as she could in order to reach him. Tora remained standing where he was, watching her approach him with a sneer curling at his lips. That sneer turned slowly into an inquisitive glare as she abruptly came to a stop directly in front of him.
His mouth opened to ask her what the hell she was doing, when she escalated to the tips of her toes, reached up, placed a hand behind his neck, and brought him down to meet her own parted lips.
After he had left Akari alone in his office, Tora had gone immediately to his room. Naturally, his feet took him to the bar, and after grabbing from the shelf one of the most bitter wines he had in his collection, he took his sweet time intoxicating himself in order to forget about his stupid, idiotic emotions.
He was only on his second glass when the girl he had made the mistake of expressing his feelings to walked right into his room.
God, has this woman no boundaries? He had thought upon the sight of her, standing there at his door so suddenly. He just wanted to be left to his drinking.
So, he was going to tell her to leave, becoming even more upset as she walked right up to him without any explanation for her intrusion. Yes, he was going to make her leave, get angry and say something probably very rude and spiteful. But then she had done something he was not expecting.
Warm hands reached out and pulled him down, and then warm lips found there way to his. For a moment, Tora was frozen in shock. She had actually forced a kiss on him.
And she was still doing it. She didn't make any move to break away, she wouldn't release her hold on him even slightly.
Tora, still in the lingering stages of shock, looked at her with wide eyes, watching the way her eyes fluttered shut, the way her hair messily framed her face. For a moment, he wondered just what on earth she was thinking by doing this, but then, it suddenly didn't matter to him as she reached up with both her hands, and ran them through his hair, tugging him more firmly against her lips. Whatever she was thinking, he certainly liked where she was going with this.
He kissed her back now, his mouth pressing all too willingly against hers while he reached out, wrapping his arms around her petite frame, pulling her closer to him.
He enjoyed the feel of embracing her while he kissed her- maybe because the feeling of her smaller body pressed against his larger one made him feel self-superior. He liked to elicit little gasps from her when he bit her lip and pressed his hips against stomach, and he loved feeling her shiver when he grazed a hand down along her lower back, keeping his hand placed teasingly just above her ass.
His erection was back again (it had never really calmed down completely in the first place) and in his eagerness, he mumbled a sound of pleasure against her lips and shoved his tongue quickly inside her mouth, allowing the taste of the wine on his tongue to soak onto her taste buds.
Akari winced slightly at such a bitter taste, stumbling backwards as he pressed himself forward. The hard-on poking her in the stomach was making her feel a bit awkward, but also turned her on at the same time. With flushing cheeks, she carefully pulled her lips away, disentangling their tongues from one another. She looked up at him with a hazy glaze in her eyes, and he pulled back only slightly, gripping her upper arms and staring down at her with a deep, lustful gaze.
A sly smile made its way onto Tora's face then. "We should close the door."
Akari blushed even more than she already was. "Uhh... why?"
Tora simply chuckled in answer, pulling back from her, intending to go close the door- but she stopped him by grabbing hold of his sleeve. He looked at her, eyebrows raised in question.
"Wait... kiss me again." She murmured, tugging on his sleeve a little until he turned back, grabbed her hip to pull her forward, and leaned down to give her another satisfying kiss. She moaned lightly when he licked over her lips, simply prodding them, but doing nothing more than simply that.
This time when he pulled away, he looked down at her with an arrogant smirk. "Glad to know you enjoy it when I kiss you."
Akari blinked, not thinking before she spoke. "Well it's helping me forget about when Orochi- er-" She stopped herself just barely, but even so, the damage had been done.
A pregnant silence filled the room quickly, while the two of them just stared at each other, both wide-eyed after hearing what she had said.
After a moment's pause, calmly, too calmly, Tora asked her a dangerous question.
"What happened with Orochi?" His tone was low and serious now.
Unfortunately for Akari, there was no escaping this confrontation. If she answered him and lied, he'd surely see through it, or just continue making her uncomfortable with more questions. If she answered truthfully, there were bound to be bad results. And if she didn't answer, well, silence was an answer in and of itself, so again... bad results. Either way, she was in a very unlucky position.
Tora's eyes narrowed at her expression- it was as if she was afraid to answer the question. Looking much like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, she opened her mouth the slightest bit, but no words came.
He took a step back, and she simply blinked at him. His eyes zeroed in on her, his stare calm, controlled, passive. "Tell me what happened."
That was a demand, no matter how you heard it. Surely it wasn't a question, and his tone said it was more than just a suggestion. She had to answer him but- she wasn't quite sure of what to say. He seemed to be a highly possessive person, so of course she was worried about telling him what happened with Orochi. She knew there would be consequences, and since Orochi wasn't here and she was, most likely she would be the one receiving them.
A heavy sigh from him allowed her momentarily distract herself from answering. She glanced up at his face, and saw that he was staring at her still, though his expression was different now. Instead of being the empty, calm mask it was moments before, it was now filled with emotion. Eyes of gold shone with impatient jealousy, and his jaw was clenched to the point where it almost looked painful.
"Five seconds."
Akari stared blankly still, trying to process. "What."
"It's how long you have to give me an explanation." Tora crossed his arms over his chest, looking rather intimidating in that stance, though he probably knew that, and that was probably the point.
Cursing under her breath, she looked away from him and closed her eyes. "This- this is stupid!"
He smirked at her. "If you refuse to answer me now, we'll just skip the countdown and get right to the part where I force the answer out of you." His lips made room to show the sharp canine glinting with the rest of his teeth. "Better hurry, before I fuck you senseless."
Akari's eyes nearly popped out of her head at his words. "NANI? Don't say things like that! Just- just hold on! This is completely-"
"Time starts now."
Her mouth dropped open, and she watched him as he leisurely walked around her, towards the door left open across the room. "Tora, this isn't fair-"
"Five." He said clearly upon reaching the door, and he carefully moved a hand against it, clicking it shut.
"Stop it! I'm not doing your stupid countdown and, and I'm not having sex with you either!"
Hand slipping into his pocket, he brought out a key. "Four."
She bit her lip in worried agitation as she watched what he was doing. "I don't... you... you need to just stop overreacting. Nothing really happened anyway-"
"Three." He already had the key in the lock, and with a twist of his hand, she knew her fate was sealed.
It would seem she had no choice now. "Orochi, he- I was at his estate and we- that is to say, he..." She grew red suddenly just thinking about it. Red in anger, that is. Clenching her fists, she hissed. "That damn bastard..." And on account of her rising temper, she lost another precious second.
Tora had turned around now, and was staring right at her with a smoldering gaze. "Two." He said lowly.
Akari took a few bold steps towards him, hoping to beat him to the end of the countdown as she waved her hands in the air to get his attention. "Okay, okay! All he did was kiss me dammit! He just- he pushed me down suddenly, and it's not like I could do anything because it had already happened so fast, before I could really notice!"
Tora was quickly upon her- the speed and strength in his movements randomly overwhelming her. She didn't even know when he had reached out and how he had gotten her across the room so fast... but one moment, she was standing a few paces in front of him, and the next-
He flung her onto the bed, giving her just enough time to land with a clumsy, light bounce before he was hovering over her. The mattress sunk beneath both of their weight just the slightest bit, and Tora's knees created indents in the soft fabric of the sheets where they planted themselves on either side of her sprawled legs.
His eyes had a fierce look in them as he growled at her. "Your time is up."
Almost angrily then he kissed her, slamming one hand into the sheets beside her head and settling the other on her shoulder to pin her down. He had leaned down without warning, licking his lips and then pressing them to her own in an urgent, fervent, overpowering smash of mouth-to-mouth. The way he kissed was always exceptional, of course, but this particular time was rougher than most, and he certainly wasn't holding back one bit. Beneath him, Akari squirmed and mumbled incoherently- not exactly kissing him back, which only made him put more of his unrelenting effort into it.
"Mmm... Mmph..." She tried to get words out, making the mistake of opening her mouth ever so slightly. Seeing his opening, Tora took his chance.
A devious tongue slipped between sore lips, pushing its way into her mouth and then twirling around in circles, encouraging her own tongue to join in. It was a bit outlandish, well, maybe not for someone like him with all his experience, but he brought the wet muscle into his own mouth at some point and sucked, eliciting a whimpered moan from her, finally. With a confident smirk on his face, he pressed his lips more firmly to hers. Noses grazed, lips mashed, and tongues began to tango- the moaning and desperate inhales through the nose of the girl beneath him became the music for the dance that was their kiss.
At some point, during all her squirming she bucked up against him, which finally got him to pull back with a hissing groan at the contact. A certain part of him was calling for attention now more than ever- it pressed against the fabric of his pants and oh god, how he hated the feeling of a confined erection. He'd really have to take care of that, very soon.
During his moment of uncomfortable tension, Akari tried to prop herself up and gain her breath. Quickly though, he noticed, and shoved her back down with just the press of his hand. After that, the fire was back in his eyes and he tilted his chin to look at the troublesome piece of clothing concealing her chest. One of his hands got straight to work, hurriedly working at each annoying button in his way.
"Hey!" Akari reached up with her own hand, grabbing his before he could unbutton it all the way. "Just what are you trying to do?!"
His eyes flew up to meet hers. "I should think that's fairly obvious."
Her blush was proof that, yes, it was obvious. "But I explained to you what happened, didn't I? So you can't just-"
"I said before I fuck you." He corrected her. "I never said I wouldn't."
She looked shocked, about ready to try slapping him in the face. But he took both of her hands now in one of his and put her arms up above her head, rendering her unable to do so. Throwing her a mischievous glance, he then ducked low to kiss his way down her collarbone and to her partially uncovered chest. His length grew even more when he heard the way she tried to withhold her moans as he started to nip at the skin- the strangled sound coming from deep within her throat made him shiver with anticipation for even more. More, more, more, he always wanted more from her! He wanted to hear her yelling out, not simple little whimpers. Lust, love, everything- he wanted all of it.
He grinned wickedly to himself. He was such a shamelessly selfish man.
"Akari."
Her eyes snapped open, (huh? since when had she closed them?) at the sound of his husky voice calling her name in such a way. He said it passionately, as if he... wanted her.
He let his mouth travel from her neck down to her naval, placing slow, tantalizing kisses as he went. Tora murmured his satisfaction against her skin at hearing the sounds she was making now- and the way her body squirmed beneath his own touch made his chest swell with pride.
Reaching up, he suddenly tangled a hand in her cinnamon locks and pushed her head back, before moving his face up and marking her along the throat. Sucking at her fair skin until the marks were dark and all too visible, he leaned up to examine his work and growled possessively when he saw his very own label spread across her skin. She was his, and his alone. Although...
He thought about Orochi kissing her, and ground his teeth in anger.
"Even with these..." He traced a light touch along the fresh love bites along her neck. "I don't feel as if it's enough." A glint passed across his eyes as he glanced down at her flushed cheeks, bright, wide eyes, and the rapid rise and fall of her chest.
"Lecherous tiger..." Akari moaned lightly as he reached down, moved his hand past her shirt and underneath her bra, and pinched one of her raised nipples between his forefinger and thumb. "Ah! Geh... I think it's plenty that you've gone and violated my body with a bunch of hickeys!"
The golden-eyed young man chuckled. "No. It's not enough." His eyes suddenly shined with a particularly evil look in them while he grinned at her. "I wonder, how else could I violate you?"
His hand pulled out of her bra and settled at the buttons of her shirt once more. While he busied that hand with unbuttoning, his other hand reached down to his pants and unzipped them quickly.
Akari's lips twitched in a little smirk of her own. With his hands busy now, she had her own hands free- and so she quickly reached up, tugging at the collar of his shirt. The first three buttons were undone with just the quick work of her fingers.
A single, perfect golden eyebrow arched high as this caught his attention. "Taking some initiative, are we?"
Sitting up as much as she could, Akari continued to undo the buttons on his black dress shirt, and retaliated to his remark with a snide one of her own; "Would you rather keep your shirt on for this?"
Tora found himself grinning at her, and grabbed her hands as soon as she had finished with his shirt. She looked up at him, staring at him with shining, icy blue eyes while he gently but firmly pressed one of her hands past his now-opened shirt, to the muscles of his stomach. He allowed her remaining hand to grab onto his shoulder.
"Do more yourself then. I'll let you." He said simply, staring right at her. It was almost a challenge, nearly a demand, but this time, not quite so. It was more like... he was only asking her to do it. Like he wanted something from her.
Akari, being the far less experienced of the two, almost wanted to pull away- as she did not know how to take charge in this sort of situation. But the feel of his warm skin beneath her hand was enough to make it travel on its own, feeling for more. She moved her palm up his stomach towards his chest, shivering at the fact that where ever she touched him, his muscles would clench and she could practically feel the strength surging through him beneath the surface of his smooth skin.
Tora watched with a hooded gaze, lips parting and tongue slipping out to lick his lips in need while he stared at her. The feel of her hands, he had missed that more than he had originally thought. They were dainty, but he did not forget just what they could do to him... where they went across his skin, a light trail of warmth seemed to always follow, and it spread everywhere, completely covering him. He had first realized this back at the party held at her estate- that night, when they were alone on the second floor, she had run her hands across his clothed chest, over his shoulders... and he felt warm and comfortable underneath her touch. He didn't even know why he had asked her to touch him then, but he was glad he did, because it made him feel... strangely peaceful.
Akari's hand had reached higher now, her fingertips tickling his collarbone. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent of his skin- that faint but intoxicating aroma of expensive cologne, and the left-over smell of fresh laundry that lingered on his clothing, mixing with the bitter-sweet smell of his wine-scented breath ruffling her hair.
How could someone possibly smell so wonderful? She thought to herself, burying her nose in his neck and inhaling deeply.
Tora wasn't prepared for her face hiding in the hollow of his throat, and he sucked in a quick breath, reaching down towards her again and placing his hands on her hips. Her lips and hot breath brushed the skin just beneath his chin, and it was driving him mad. A certain part of him jumped in excitement, and he decided right then that he couldn't stand this anymore.
He pushed her against the bed once more, a low growling building up in his throat. Her shirt was off in no more than a second, and her bra soon followed, the clasp coming undone easily by his nimble fingers. Quickly his hands skimmed down across her bare skin, until they reached the rim of her dress pants. He was fast in pulling the zipper down and unbuttoning them, but after that he cursed aloud as he tried to pull her pants off of her legs and they got caught slightly- no matter how skilled he was, it was still an annoying, bothersome task to accomplish for anyone, even him.
"Why couldn't you have worn a damn skirt to dinner? When we're done here, I'm replacing your entire wardrobe with clothing that gives me better access to you." He muttered, ignoring her noise of protest as he finally tugged her slacks completely off her body, leaving her clad in only her underwear.
His lips pursed as his eyes observed the satin garment covering her womanhood. It was sheer, dark blue, and had a tiny little black bow placed at the center of the elastic rim. Mm...
"Nnnngh!" A sudden tug on his anatomy had him forgetting momentarily about the underwear and stretching his neck back, letting out a half-growling, half-groaning type of sound. He peeked down at Akari, and sure enough, she had yanked down his pants and had a hand wrapped firmly around the bulge in his linen boxers.
She looked up at him.
And smiled.
Tora balked, eyes widening slightly at that look on her face. Wasn't he the one who was supposed to be doing that? Perhaps he was rubbing off on her a bit too much...
"Shit!" He shouted this time, due to the fact that she had given his clothed member another harsh tug, her fingers pumping him in one quick, smooth movement.
"I can see why you like to tease me so much," Akari commented, releasing his length long enough for him to pant and move his head forward again- he gazed down at her, giving her an unwavering, lustful stare. "It's fun to watch people squirm."
His lips quirked, and slowly, very slowly, he licked them. Opening his mouth then, he spoke three quick words.
"Yes, it is."
Before she could react, her panties came off next, he didn't even blink, just ripped them right off her body. Now that he had full access, he moved a knee in between her legs, spreading them apart for him to fit his hips forward towards her wet entrance.
He stole a quick glance down at Akari's face, and a smile played at his lips when he realized she was unconsciously drinking him in with her own heated gaze. No doubt, she wanted this like he did. Swinging his hips slightly forward, he caught her eye when he bumped against her, and flashed her a sly smile.
"Expecting me to do everything myself?" He mused, chuckling lowly when he saw the scowl that crossed her lovely features.
"You want me to..."
In one smooth move, he yanked his boxers down, grabbed her by the hips, and pulled her forward while pushing into her. Leaning down, he whispered in he ear; "Hmm. I was only joking."
"Che!" She blushed, face burning up as the color filled her cheeks in deep hues. Looking up at his exhilarating, sharp gaze, she huffed out a response. "Wha- what are you doing now?"
"Nothing you won't enjoy." He murmured attractively, the promises of pleasure glinting in his gaze.
Akari was fully prepared, after blinking a few times, to reprimand him for being so idiotic- but this time when she looked up at him, she caught it- that... that look in his eyes. That desire, that want... with a little bit of something more. It was so prominently etched onto his face that it made her wonder where he'd been hiding it for so long... or maybe she had simply been ignorant to it.
"T-Tora!" Akari yelped when she was practically thrown against the headboard, he thrust in so hard. "Guh... ahh..."
He ducked down, face nearing hers until their lips met and parted, and a kiss formed. While their limbs tangled and mouths played together, her hands ran through his hair, greedily pulling him closer.
Tora, kissing her harshly, almost sloppily, in fact, (he was in deep need- never had he gone so long without sex) pressed into her hard, grinding their hips beautifully before he pulled back out, and then did it a second time. Still very much into the kiss though, which by now had turned into a lust-driven make-out session, he allowed the fingers of his hand not now propping himself up to trail along the soft skin of her bare stomach. A low moan escaped his throat and vibrated through his lips and against her mouth when her tongue skid along the edge of his own, and she sucked it lightly, pulling it further into her mouth.
Ah, he had always known it. What a little temptress... was she even aware of it?
Inhaling as much as he could through his nose, he soon found that he was completely out of breath, and in annoyance yanked his lips away from the beauty below him. Her eyes, bright and shining, blinked up at him almost innocently while they both panted, and slowly her hands slid out of his mused hair and settled themselves around his neck while his thrusts picked up pace, getting faster, harder, longer. He grit his teeth and hissed at the feeling, and he adjusted his angle- one of his arms moved to support one of her thighs and the other cradled her hip against him. He knew he had done the right thing when suddenly she cried out, releasing a sound that made his cock quiver inside of her.
She felt so fucking great! She gripped him tight, overwhelming that one part of his anatomy with an all-encompassing warmth... a warmth even her hands could not bring to him. He honestly was never going so long without having sex with her ever again...
In a sudden movement, Akari reached up, grabbed onto his shoulders with both hands, and pulled herself forward quickly right after he had pulled out- the action caused loud gasps to elicit from the both of them, as she took him in again in one swift go.
She panted, resting her head against his shoulder as she winced- she was still unable to get used to his large size that was filling her up, it was nearly too much. "Aaahh... To...Tora..."
"Damn..." He muttered thickly in a quick breath as he pulled himself out again, panted, and then sheathed himself fully inside of her clear up to the shaft. and she began bucking each time he did that, and each movement from her caused the tight grip of her walls around his cock to only tighten more- she was nearly suffocating him, though in the best of ways possible.
Golden eyes clashed with a silvery gaze he was all too used to staring into now, and he smirked right before reaching down, and grabbing hold of one of her breasts.
"Hmm, soft..." He murmured while pressing his thumb on the nipple and lowering his gaze to give her a seductive stare.
And with those words, he pulled out and slammed back into her, causing jittering fireworks to flow between both of their bodies, lighting a fire that swam through their veins.
It was all too easy for him to pick up an even quicker rhythm. Even sooner than he could pick up the pace, he had found just the right angle once more, and was pounding Akari in just that certain spot in such a way that her moans were quickly filling up the silent room, and increasing in volume. A beautiful melody was created between her sweet moans and his low grunts, and each of them eventually closed their eyes to the sounds, reveling in the moments of building ecstasy. As they moved together, they each became completely oblivious to the world around them- they were only in tune with each other. Akari's heart sped up as she tried her best to meet his thrusts- each of them were a panting, sweating mess- exerting as much effort as they could to work towards the end of this rising high that they each equally anticipated.
In the midst of their passion, Akari opened her eyes again and stared up at him with clear and glassy, watery eyes.
"Mmm... Nnn... T-Tora... I- I'm gonna- it's just... almost-"
"Nnn... do you like it, Akari-san~?" He taunted her with a smooth tone, working persistently towards that building release.
"Ahh! Mmmm... don't get so... cocky... b-ba -aah!- ka!" She wriggled beneath him, gasping and trying to insult him while his thrusting and the way he was now lapping at her nipple caused her eyes to roll to the back of her head and her grip on him to tighten.
He bit lightly on the pick bud, chuckling against her chest. "So stubborn..."
Moving away from her chest, Tora smiled lightly and ran his fingers through her hair. Akari moved her head forwards a little, opening her eyes in order to see get a good look at him.
He looked stunning, always did, even now- especially now. His blonde hair was tousled, bangs swaying along the side of his face and matching the movement of his thrusting. His face, handsome features and all, was drawn up into a look of concentration, and one or two drops of perspiration were taking their time sliding down his temple. Her eyes traveled lower on him, grazing past his wide expanse of shoulders, down the bareness and coiled muscles of his arms, over and across his clenching and un-clenching stomach muscles- he had a beautiful body, lean instead of bulky, muscly but not overly-defined... his six-pack caught her eye, and she hummed appreciatively at the view.
"-Gah!"
She blinked back up to his face after he gasped sharply, and her own jaw dropped open to release a similar, but higher-pitched sound when she felt the intensity he had just witnessed- it was burning, the tension was too much, yet it was still growing steadily now. It was... so close...
"Tora!" She keened, back arching; like the last time they had done this, it was at this point in the act where she grew embarrassingly loud and basically lost all of her senses to that one overwhelming feeling that was so close to being released deep inside of her.
Tora wrapped an arm quickly underneath her back, yanking her up to where he was, right after he had pulled out again- and then he thrusted in against her as he pulled her upwards-
"Akari..."
Tora slowly pulled out of her, moving back to survey his work. The Igarashi heir glanced at the woman he just did, and couldn't help but grin.
Akari laid out, breathless across his bed, legs parted and sprawled, chest moving heavily up and down, skin quivering, eyes closed and mouth opened still in the way it had been open when she had witnessed perfect euphoria along with Tora a few moments ago.
Maybe it was his possessive side taking over, or this feeling that he had taken to assuming was love, which was constantly and annoyingly dancing inside of him, but he found himself wishing to enjoy the hazy afterglow with her as well now.
"Akari."
Though she felt absolutely drained and incapable of movement, and her legs, back, and inner thighs ached slightly, Akari moaned and did her best to sit up when she heard his smooth, deep tone calling to her. Blinking her eyes open, she met his gaze and saw that he was smirking at her. Well, that's certainly nothing new. Although... there was, at the moment, a barely notable softness in his eyes that she could see if she looked really, really closely. As said, it was barely notable.
"Stay here tonight." He prompted firmly.
His voice was husky and warm, and the sound of his breathing was still quite loud, she could hear it clearly... in... out... in... hmm, that steady sound calmed her somehow.
Turning over, she moved her naked body underneath the blankets and sheets and curled up on the huge bed. "Don't spoon me in my sleep. I don't want to wake up hearing you complain about your arm being numb."
Tora laughed loudly, rolling over onto his back beside her. "I don't cuddle, Michiyo-san."
"Quit being formal, Igarashi-kun. We just had sex." She mumbled, already starting to drift off to sleep, a small smile on her face.
Tora propped himself up on his elbow, looking over at her bare back. With a smirk on his face, he reached over and lifted the blanket up more, making sure that it covered her completely.
Love was something so completely foreign to him. And yet, this feeling that he assumed must be it, wasn't fleeting, like most things he felt were. Therefore, he couldn't grow bored of it as he could grow bored of all other things- because it was persistent enough to never leave him, and it was something so new to him that it made him want to find out more.
He couldn't help but wonder- just how long was this annoying lack of control over his emotions going to last? Did he actually love Akari?
Tora looked over at her- it seemed she was fast asleep already. He lifted the sheets and covered himself, lying on his back in the darkness of his room, beside her. He turned his head slightly, glancing over at her for a mere moment. A strange twinge inside his chest caused him to look away and close his eyes. He made a face, gritting his teeth at whatever feeling was making him like this... love? Was that it?
Suddenly annoyed, he let out a troubled sigh.
"Lavish temptress, even in her sleep..."
Mumbling those words, he turned on his side, grabbed her, and pulled her up against his chest. Soon after he had her in his arms, he placed his chin in the crook of her shoulder, and quickly fell asleep.
A/N: The amount of times I re-wrote this is ridiculous.
Well, as of late, I've been wondering just where it is I'll be taking this story. And, whilst sipping tea in a sophisticated manner like the posh young lady that I am (not), I came to thinking that it needs something sexy in there, to give it excitement right before I calm things down in order to keep the plot moving forward.
As I took a thoughtful sip of my tea -which, it turns out, was really actually coffee- (but tea makes me sound like I'm a suave, dignified author with probably some sort of dark and complicated past hiding beneath my urbane manners and rectangular spectacles) I decided upon it then. A little excitement could go a long way, no? And with a character like Tora, I can fabricate oh so easily, a tempting gift of a chapter.
Oh, also there's that crazy fact that in the last chapter our tiger expressed his love to Akari. I definitely had to work with that somehow- it was driving me completely bonkers for a while though.
Anywho, I do so hope that this chapter was highly satisfactory. If it wasn't- well fuck.
^_^ that's all for now, peasants!
CK :*
p.s- I update now within the span of two weeks rather than one; I had to extend my window of updating because my life has been getting steadily more UGH. I'm busy all the damn time! Fuuuu-
on top of that, it's getting increasingly harder to find my happy place so that I can write chaptahs *blows loud raspberry* :P