Lady Aurora Nocturne, BB, Miyukino, and Kitty Lynne are awesome! I want to thank you all for being loyal readers and reviewers. It means a lot—I've been out of the fanfiction writing game for a while and I'd forgotten how freaking inspiring it is to have people review—ranting about the cliffhanger I wrote or speculating on what torture I shall inflict on the characters next. Or suggestions even! I do have the entire thing outlined, but that doesn't mean there's not room for improvement!
Art of Love
Chapter Four
"Miaka…"
Tonight her lover's voice was smooth and even,caressing her like a comforting wave,bringing inner warmth akin to drinking hot cocoa in the winter. A delicious shiver of sensation went down her spine, and she found herself melting helplessly against his warm chest.
His breath stirred her bangs, large yet elegant hands rising to cup her face, trembling slightly as he gently tilted her face towards his. A long moment passed before soft lips,quivering with barely restrained emotion, brushed hers.
Lips burning with need and frustration,Miaka rose up on her tip toes to press her mouth firmly against his, smiling as he froze with a stunned gasp. Pleased that she'd been able to surprise him,she lifted her hands to grasp his collar, dragging him down to her height as she kissed him again.
The hands cradling her face tightened and her lover let out a low moan, his hands sliding back into her loose hair and fisting possessively in the strands as he took control of the kiss. His sudden intensity startled Miaka, but she allowed him to continue as his lips left hers to search out the bare skin of her neck to leave a trail of searing kisses in his wake.
The room blurred and she found herself stumbling backwards onto a large silken bed, she and her lover's arms and legs intertwining beneath a curtain of soft hair.
Moments passed. The two of them had disrobed, though she wasn't sure how or when that had happened. The two of them undulated against one another, allowing the heat between them to build steadily. Hands stroked and grasped for purchase, committing the unique dips and curves of each other's bodies to memory. Long fingers trailed between her legs, discovering her hidden bud of pleasure and caressing her ever so gently, their owner learning very quickly just what pulled the sweet cries of delight from her lips. Penetrating eyes held her gaze as Miaka gasped for air, her lover's gentle yet commanding presence and velvet over steel body had turned her into a shuddering bundle of frayed nerves.
Satisfied at her response, her lover positioned himself against her, to finally take her after all his teasing. Miaka moaned, opening herself up to accept him—she was more than ready. There was a moment where her lover paused, pressed flush against her, his entire being quaking with want. Then, slowly, carefully, he slid inside. His motions were painstakingly controlled, as though afraid he was going to hurt her.
Miaka clutched herself to him tightly, her back arching and her hips lifting in an effort to seat him even deeper as he began to move. Turning his head he captured her lips in a searing kiss, his tongue darting into her mouth in desperation as his hips began their slow and powerful movement against her own.
Miaka was perfectly aware she was dreaming again, and she had absolutely no desire to wake up. Instead an intense desire to name her lover overcame her. She knew him. She knew she did, but his name was nothing more than a distant echo.
As she grasped for his name, the dream began to fade. Brows furrowing, she tried to hang onto it, wrapping her legs around her lover's waist and allowing him deeper access as he muffled a groan against her shoulder. Her insides were overheated, her center one scorching molten puddle of…
Her entire body quaked as her lover began to shudder with his own release. Shivering,Miaka gripped his shoulders, nails biting into his skin as...oh gods...as…
The hated alarm began to buzz.
No! No! Not now!
Rolling over with a groan, Miaka scowled at the clocks digital face as her hand shot out and turned it off, hoping that it hadn't startled either of her guests awake. She didn't want Tasuki or Chichiri running into her bedroom right now, and she hoped to Suzaku she hadn't already awakened them by making untoward noises in her sleep.
Sitting up, she took in her disheveled appearance in the full length mirror that stood in the corner of her room. Her hair was mussed and her cheeks were flushed. Somehow in her sleep she'd managed to work one arm out of her tank top, which was hiked up around her neck. She fixed it with a blush, and after making sure the rest of her clothes were where they were supposed to be, she stumbled her way into the hallway and down to the bathroom.
After relieving herself and splashing some water on her face, she decided a drink was in order and tip-toed towards the kitchen—all the while silently cursing the fact that she'd forgotten to replace the water cup in the bathroom.
Tasuki was sprawled out in his typical fashion, arms and legs akimbo as he slept. The sheets and blanket had ended up on the floor and Miaka was treated to the sight of her bandit Seishi's bare chest and chiseled abs as he breathed deeply in slumber. When they'd traveled together in Konan, she'd seen him shirtless many times, but that had been when he was a somewhat gangly teenager and she'd only had eyes for Tamahome. But now...she couldn't help but stare. Five years had broadened Tasuki's chest and the powerful muscles in his shoulders and arms had developed into fine works of art.
Miaka swallowed and shook her head, padding the rest of the way to the kitchen to get her water. That stupid dream had left her in a rather unfortunate state of arousal and the sight of Tasuki's amazingly defined pectorals was not helping the situation.
Ok, Miaka. Back to bed.
She'd almost made it back to her room when she collided with Chichiri as he exited the guest room. Luckily, she managed to hang onto her glass of water, thanks in part to the steadying hands that reached out to grab her automatically.
"Thanks," she whispered. "I didn't wake you did I?"
Chichiri's mask was back in place this morning as he shook his head cheerfully. "It's morning, no da! I'm always up early for morning prayers."
"Right." Miaka lightly rapped herself on the head with her knuckles in chagrin. She'd forgotten about that. Although now that she thought about it, she was curious how he always managed to get up so early every morning without an alarm. Did the man have super fine tuned circadian rhythms?
He sure did have finely tuned muscles.Unlike the rest of her Seishi, she had rarely seen Chichiri shirtless during their travels—mostly because the man was always the first up and the last down. Now, Miaka's eyes wandered across his torso, utterly fascinated at how his pale skin stretched over lean muscles as he moved.
As her thoughts ran away with her, Miaka realized she was staring and quickly averted her eyes. Self-consciously, she fixed the shoulder of her tank top that had fallen down.
Thankfully, Chichiri didn't seem to notice her staring. "Ano, Miaka, how do I get cleaned up?" He made a helpless gesture towards the bathroom. "Tamahome showed me the toilet thing and the sink, but he never did show me how to go about bathing, no da."
"Of course." She said, and lead the monk into the bathroom and to the tub/shower combination. She explained how the plug worked and demonstrated the knobs for him, adjusting the tap to where she generally liked it in order to give him a reference.
"Ah, now I see."
She dried her hands on a nearby towel. "I can understand where you were confused. This faucet is different from the sink. It's all one lever instead of two."
Chichiri nodded. "Thank you."
"Towels are in this cabinet," she said, opening it to display said towels and various toiletries. "Just be careful," she added. "The floor can get slippery when wet."
Chichiri smiled. "If I have trouble, I guess I'll have to count on you to save me, no da!"
Miaka blushed at the idea of having to save an injured naked Chichiri from the clutches of the bathtub and shower curtain...but that would never happen! Giggling at the absurdity of it, she said, "I never had to save you. You were always the one saving me."
Chichiri's masked face became serious—as serious as was possible for its fox-like features to get. "That's not true. You've saved me in more ways than you know. Even before we met." His voice was solemn as he admitted quietly, "After my fiancé and friend's deaths, the idea of your existence gave me a new purpose in life. Without that, I would not be the man you know. You saved my life, Miaka."
"But… that was way before I even entered the Universe of the Four Gods. How could I have done anything to help you then?" She asked.
"After Hikou and Kouran betrayed me, I spent a few years in a pretty dark place. I'd basically stopped believing that truly good people existed anymore. I couldn't take it, and I even tried to…"
As he trailed off, Miaka covered her mouth with a hand, silently filling in the rest. Chichiri had tried to kill himself? Eyes wide with horror and sorrow, she listened as her Seishi continued.
"Taitsukun found me then and the Nyan Nyan's nursed me back to health. I was angry and tried to leave, but Taiitsukun wouldn't let me until I heard her out. She said she'd teach me everything about using my powers if I stopped feeling sorry for myself and committed to my destiny as a Suzaku Seishi. Of course I needed some convincing—so Taiitsukun showed me the mirror of the future."
Miaka gasped. "She has one of those?"
Chichiri nodded, his lips quirking in a smile. "She showed me you. Or at least, images of what might be, no da. She was very clear that the future is always in flux, but I was able to see enough. Your courage and loyalty struck a chord in me, Miaka. The idea that Suzaku's chosen Priestess would be full of the qualities I had ceased to believe existed in anyone is the only thing that kept me going, na no da." He removed his mask, setting it on the countertop and fixing her with an intense look. "I thought if there was a chance that someone like that might exist, then I had to protect them. And when I met you, Miaka, I knew my life was justified. Your heart is the biggest and purist I've ever known. You repeatedly put yourself in danger to save your friends and kept giving even when you had nothing left to give."
"Ch-Chichiri!" Miaka breathed, looking away in embarrassment. "That's very flattering." Okay so if was more than flattering; she was honored that Chichiri would think so highly of her. Hadn't he been the one to scold her for being irresponsible so many years ago? She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, finding herself quite unable to give voice to the strong emotions that suddenly welled up at his admission. "You exaggerate though. I'm plenty selfish."
Chichiri reached out and tucked a stubborn piece of hair behind Miaka's ear, allowing his fingers to linger by the curve of her cheek. "Sometimes it's okay to be selfish."
Compelled by his soft voice, Miaka looked up, the action pressing her cheek into his hand. His eye narrowed, the mahogany color deepening as his pupil dilated. Miaka bit her lip, and shyly mirrored his gesture, raising a hand to brush lightly over his left cheek, just below his scar. He closed his eye and swallowed hard as she touched him.
"I wish you'd leave that thing off more frequently," she confessed. "I like being able to see what you're thinking."
"Which is exactly why I wear it." Chichiri's voice had deepened, and the fingers on her cheek twitched restlessly before he pulled away, opening his eye again to reveal a look of dark promise. Miaka's tummy performed a complicated series of somersaults as she realized just what he meant.
"You should go now, no da." He said gently, one hand gripping the doorknob with white knuckles.
Nodding, Miaka backed away before fleeing to the living room where Tasuki continued to sleep, oblivious to everything that had transpired.
She took the opportunity to start a pot of coffee in the kitchen before returning and seating herself on the floor, back resting against the couch as the sprawling bandit was taking up the entirety of the cushions. Knees drawn up to her chest, she tried her best to forget the fact that there was a very naked man in her shower right now.
Peaches. Why do I smell peaches?
Tasuki rubbed his face with a hand, trying to drag himself out of the deep sleep he'd fallen into. This couch thing in Miaka's world was better than the softest bed he'd ever slept on in Konan. He'd have to see if they could procure one for his room back at Mount Reikaku.
Memories of the past twenty-four hours assaulted him and he realized with a start that he wouldn't be living at Mount Reikaku anymore, or on the road with Chichiri. He'd be living on Mount Taikyoukou with Miaka.
Well, Miaka and all of his brother Seishi technically, but that small inconvenience couldn't hold a candle to the fact that once they summoned Suzaku a second time that he'd be able to see his beloved Priestess every day for the rest of his life. That thought alone made him sinfully happy, even if he would have to share her with everyone else.
Tasuki frowned. The more he thought about it, the more he disliked that particular detail. Ever since he'd met Miaka, a fierce sense of protectiveness had permeated his thoughts in regard to the beautiful brunette with the jewel-like eyes. He'd defended her feelings, and gotten his ass kicked by evil Tamahome for Suzaku's sake! And he hadn't even known her that long!
At the time he'd just written it off as the call of the Priestess to her Seishi, now, years later, Tasuki was able to identify those feelings as the beginning of his long fall off the short pier of love. Even after Miaka had gone back to her world, he hadn't been able to forget about her. Her face haunted his dreams, eventually turning into almost nightly erotic epics wherein he pleasured her until both of them were too exhausted to move.
He groaned sleepily, heat pooling in his loins. Seriously. Who the Hell had peaches? Assholes. Didn't they know that peaches reminded him of…
Eyes snapping open, Tasuki came face to face with the back of an auburn head, silky locks parted to expose a tantalizing expanse of a pale neck and shoulders. The heat in his gut suddenly sparked into a full blown fire at the sight. The number of times he'd imagined running his teeth along that skin as he tangled his fingers in that hair were too numerous to count.
Miaka?
Still half asleep, h reached out and grabbed his Miko around her shoulders, hauling her back towards himself to press his face into her hair. He breathed deep. A dopey grin crossed his face as his grip tightened.
Yep. She was real.
"Aiya!"
The unexpected screech ripped him the rest of the way into reality. Tasuki rolled forward in surprise, his legs becoming tangled in the sheet and blanket Miaka had provided for him last night as he tried to stand, then lost his balance.
He landed right on top of Miaka.
He lay still for a moment, his nose buried in her pleasant smelling hair, stunned by the sudden change in position. They lay length to length, his bare chest pressing her slight form into the carpet, one of his knees parting her legs in an intimate fashion. The arm he'd wrapped around her shoulders had ended up trapped beneath the Priestess, holding her waist and hips flush against his own. Realizing he might be crushing her, Tasuki immediately propped himself up at the elbow by her head with his free arm to avoid pressing on her with his full weight.
Miaka blinked up at him, green eyes huge in the dim predawn light. Her hands had escaped the blanket cloister and were resting half curled on each side of her head. Tasuki closed his eyes, pressing his face into her neck in an attempt to will the instantaneous rush of desire away.
Fuuuuuck. He was as hard as a rock. And he was pressed right up against her thigh.
The red flush gracing Miaka's cheeks told him she'd definitely noticed. Shyly, she looked away, her hands coming up to press gently against his chest.
Tasuki grunted, intending to roll off of her, but unable to do so as he was waylaid by the intricate tangle of sheets that had managed to wrap around both of them. He clenched his jaw, every little movement caused their bodies to brush together. He was practically sweating with the effort to not just give in and kiss her senseless.
The distinct sound of the water in the bathroom shutting off alerted them to the fact that Chichiri was almost done with his shower.
Tasuki sighed. Rolling suddenly, he switched places with Miaka so he was lying on his back and she was the one sprawled across him. Now that she was on top, her hair dangled in his face, taunting him just as badly as when he'd had her underneath him.
Surprised at the change, Miaka gasped, then laughed, her small body vibrating against his in a most pleasant way.
Now that his hands were free, Tasuki was finally able to disentangle the two of them from the sheet and blanket. "There. You're free to go." He said with a grin, flashing his prominent fangs at her.
Miaka scrambled up and away from him just as the door to the bathroom opened and a freshly showered Chichiri exited, wearing one of the pairs of loose sweat pants Keisuke had brought. "It's all yours, no da!" he chirped merrily.
"Dibs!" Miaka cried, dashing for her bedroom and popping back out a few seconds later with a small pile of clothes. "Sorry, Tasuki! I won't take long I promise!" And slammed the door.
Tasuki wasn't sure what to think of her sudden departure. It was apparent that she was as attracted to him as he was to her, but last night's revelation of Miaka's still being a virgin and her fear of disappointing them made her somewhat mixed signals make a lot more sense. She wanted to, but she was also scared.
Well I'll show her she doesn't have ta be afraid. Especially of me. Tasuki thought firmly, his lips twitching with a self-satisfied grin.
"Wipe that perverted smile off your face, no da."
But first, he was going to kill the Monk.
The shower didn't help much. Not when she knew that Chichiri and Tasuki were right on the other side of the door. What was wrong with her? Pheromones? It had to be pheromones or something. Either that or the whole second summoning idea had truly addled her brain. Sure, it'd been kind of fun joking with Nuriko and Tasuki last night, but she wasn't sure she could take having this kind of reaction to all of her Seishi. Her heart would surely give out and she'd die. Probably before summoning Suzaku.
After scrubbing herself to a shiny pink, Miaka dried off and dressed quickly, throwing her hair up into a simple ponytail. It was still too early to call anybody like she'd planned, how was she going to survive being alone with Chichiri and Tasuki until someone else came to rescue her?
Then again, as long as they were both in the room, she'd probably be safe. Even though Tasuki was likely to give her a leer or two like the night before, it would be nothing compared to what she'd experienced this morning.
She could handle a little flirting! No big deal!
Just as long as the both of them kept their hands to themselves everything would be fine.
"Bathrooms free!" she called, knowing that Chichiri would be able to teach Tasuki how to use the shower while she grabbed a few extra moments alone in her room.
Safe in her room, Miaka bought herself time by making her bed and straightening up. Things she normally avoided, but currently seemed much better than facing Chichiri alone again so soon after he'd given her that look. Just thinking about it made her heart pound funny, and after what had happened with Tasuki during the short time Chichiri had been in the shower, it wasn't wise to tempt fate.
Oh come on! The rational part of her brain chided her. You can do this. You traipsed all over Konan with these guys and were absolutely fine. Suck it up, Miaka! Get out there and just act like nothing's changed!
Right. Nothing's changed.
Except, of course, that everything had.
Scrounging up all her courage, Miaka made her way to the living room to find Chichiri, still in her brother's sweat pants, poking through the various cabinets—probably searching for potential breakfast items.
"I'd offer to make you something," She said, walking into the kitchen to stand behind him. "But we both know my cooking is awful."
To his credit, Chichiri managed not to wince. "That's ok, no da. I can wait." He turned abruptly and Miaka had to take a step back to avoid him accidently running into her. "In the meantime we can work on our strategy."
She cocked her head in question. "Strategy?"
"On how to find the others."
"I was wondering how we were going to go about that," she admitted. "Last time we had Taiitsukun's mirror and the scroll."
"This time we know who we're looking for. We just need to be able to know where to look." Chichiri explained. "I was thinking about what Taiitsukun said yesterday. If our energies call to one another, no da, then perhaps if you concentrate hard enough you can call them to you. Bring them into the area, you know?"
Miaka squared her shoulders in determination. "It's worth a try."
"Good! Let's try it now."
He directed her to sit on the floor, legs crossed and hands resting gently on her knees with palms up. Once he was satisfied, he took a seat directly across from her, same position, his knees nearly touching hers.
"Okay, Miaka, you've never had any experience sensing chi before today, correct?" At her nod, Chichiri continued, "So first I want you to focus on your breathing."
"Okay."
Miaka closed her eyes and focused on the steady rhythm of her breath. After a few moments her body relaxed and she became more aware of the beating of her heart. Chichiri seemed to sense this, because he spoke again, "Now focus on your pulse. Feel your own chi flowing along with your blood. Follow its ebb and flow."
Miaka's brow furrowed. Her pulse sounded in her ears and thrummed thoughout her body. Separating that feeling from the tingling of her chi was a little harder to do and she lost her concentration several times. Once she managed to find and hold onto it, Chichiri moved on.
"Now, focus on me."
She cracked an eye. "You?"
Chichiri's eyes remained closed. "As practice. This way you can get a feel for singling out one of the Seishi to be able to call them to you."
"Ah. I understand." Miaka closed her eyes again, but this time turned her thoughts towards Chichiri. Because he was sitting so close, she was able to feel him immediately. The unique energy signature that enveloped the monk was as distinct as a finger print, if not more so. It couldn't be seen but it was Chichiri without a doubt.
"Good. Now reach out to me with your chi." Miaka cracked an eye again, unsure how to comply with the direction. With a frown, she stretched her chi, using only her mind and found Chichiri's chi was as a tangible force. Softly she brushed along the edges of it, unsure how to proceed.
Chichiri's aura touched hers playfully, the sensation raising the hairs on Miaka's arms and neck. Involuntarily, she shivered and pulled back.
"Okay, now you know what I feel like. If you ever need to call me, focus on that feeling and I'll be able to use our link to come to you." The monk told her. "Now, think of one of the Seishi we haven't found—His Highness, for example. Focus on the way he made you feel, his gentleness and strength."
Miaka scrunched her face up in concentration, remembering the sound of Hotohori's voice and how she'd always marveled at how he could be so gentle and intense at the same time. The depth of his feelings for her had scared her when she was younger, but now the memory of his fervent words of love sent her heart aflutter.
The memory of his breath in her ear and the heavy weight of him pressing her into the bed sheet's rose unbidden and she let out a shaky breath. Even at his most passionate there'd always been a modicum of restraint belying his actions, as though he were afraid of hurting her.
Guilt consumed her for a moment. He'd been afraid of hurting her when she was the one who'd hurt him. At the time her feelings for Tamahome had drowned out the possibility of anything else, but now… Miaka swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, promising herself that when she did find Hotohori again that he would know of the depth of her feelings for him.
"And Chiriko and Mitsukake."
The image of the smallest Suzaku Seishi made her smile. Chiriko had always been so sweet to her. The younger boy had impressed and even intimidated Miaka at times because of his intelligence and she'd appreciated that he never let his smarts go to his head. He'd never treated her like she was stupid or acted like an insufferable know-it-all the way Yui sometimes could.
What would he be like now? Nuriko and Tamahome were the same age as they would have been in the book, but Taiitsukun had said some of the Seishi might be a different age. How would they recognize him if that were the case? Miaka certainly didn't look the same as she did when she was thirteen. The idea of anything other than loving Chiriko as a friend was, at the very least, unnatural.
I just have to trust in the power of Suzaku. Our connections are strong. We will find him and Hotohori and Mitsukake.
Mitsukake's face appeared in her mind's eye and Miaka held back a laugh at what a difference a haircut and shave had made for the man. Their first meeting hadn't gone so well, the scuffle had been pretty intense. Miaka still remembered him yanking the trout out of her hands with ease. Of course, she hadn't given in easily and had pummeled him with her tiny fists, pulling at his robes and screeching like a harpy at the loss of her meal—all of which Mitsukake had blithely ignored. She was sure he hadn't even had to try. His huge form had towered over her, her fists bouncing off of him like rain despite the fact he'd clearly been holding back.
After he'd revealed his identity and joined the Suzaku Seven, he'd seemed content to remain in the background, a silent and sturdy presence in contrast to her more flamboyant warriors. Though he'd always been there to help, she'd rarely sought him out for anything in particular. Now she deeply regretted it, and made a silent vow that once they found him again she would make a greater effort to get to know him.
A blush heated Miaka's cheeks as she remembered the requirements for the ceremony and that she would be getting to know him very well—in more ways than one. The thought of Mitsukake's large form, brought a feeling of uneasiness as well as curiosity regarding exactly how the mechanics of their extreme size difference and strength might work.
Stop. There will be time for that after you find them!
Spiritual energy swirled around Miaka now, building with the intensity of her emotions and longing for her missing Seishi. Her entire being tingled with the gathered chi.
"Now, Miaka. Let it go."
She did as Chichiri asked, sighing with relief as she released pent up energy. But the sudden loss also made her feel light-headed and weak. She slumped forward, catching herself with her hands, her head hanging so low she was almost resting it in Chichiri's lap.
She looked up at him through half-lidded green eyes. "Was that all right?"
"You did great," he assured her, hands gripping her upper arms to keep her from falling on her face.
Miaka's smile conveyed her thanks. The monk eased his grip, and began rubbing her arms in a soothing manner. Relaxing into his hands was all too easy, and before she knew it, a low moan had escaped her lips.
As if summoned by the sound, a boisterous voice broke the tranquility.
"What the hell is going on here?"
To be continued...
AN: Well. Chichiri did it again. He's managed to take over a lot of this chapter. Tasuki managed to gain a little bit of the spotlight too though! I've noticed about half of my readers are from the US and the other half are from the Philippines! I hope everyone is enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying working on it. I'm on vacation this week so it might be a while before chapter 5 is up, hopefully no more than two weeks.