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It was the thrill of the chase that got him. Every time, whenever he heard her approach, his heartbeat would accelerate. His blood would warm in his veins. His skin would tingle and his mouth would open in a pleased smile.
He knew she hated that smile too. She was always so close to sneaking up on him, silent on those ridiculously tall shoes, approaching like a deadly shadow. But he always knew, always sensed the crackling of electricity in the air. He would turn to grin at her over his shoulder, loving the way her face would crease in annoyance, the way her eyes would darken in grim determination to catch him this time.
And the chase was on.
The members of the Arataki gang knew to step aside when Kujou Sara decided to chase their leader. If she had come with an armed guard, they would take care of it, distracting the soldiers while Itto made a run for it. At this point, Itto was pretty sure that everyone involved enjoyed the game of hide and seek that would follow. It had happened so often over the past weeks that everyone seemed to be playing a well-known role by now. Even the shogunate soldiers had stopped trying to help Sara in catching him, knowing they stood no chance against the best oni in Inazuma.
Today would be no different, Itto sensed. He leaned against the sun-warmed wall of the teahouse, arms crossed over his chest, listening to the sound of her shoes clacking on the pavement. She had a very distinct way of walking, military, determined, but also with a grace that belied her strength. She moved like one of those geishas he’d seen dancing once, all quiet, fluid strength.
She was with a few of her soldiers, not chattering with them because Kujou Sara didn’t indulge in mindless chatter. She walked purposefully in front of them and they followed. Itto knew she wasn’t mean or cruel. Beneath the steel interior, Sara had a gentler soul. She was a soldier through and through, however, bound by her oath and by her family name. She would squash any hint of softness in herself if it ever interfered with her work.
He shouldn’t have been in the city, but Granny Oni had sent Akira to the apothecary for some medicine for a sick child, and Itto hadn’t been able to resist the urge to follow him. He knew being in Inazuma City was dangerous, knew that soldiers were on the lookout for him so they could steal his Vision. But he hated the thought of hiding away, hated the thought of leaving a member of his gang on his own amidst people who didn’t like outcasts much. Although Granny Oni would scold him later for his recklessness, he knew she would also approve of his decision. She had raised him to take care of his people, after all, and Akira was nothing if not one of his people.
He had more or less expected to run into Sara in the city, though he had hoped to avoid any confrontation in such a public place. He sensed she would be more desperate to catch him here where people could watch her try. Letting him get away (not that she had let him get away in the past) could reflect badly on her.
And while he felt slightly bad for her, it didn’t mean he would allow her to take his Vision.
He touched the glass bauble at his neck, feeling its powers hum steadily. He needed his Vision to protect people. He couldn’t do it as effectively without it. He thought Sara would understand, but her devotion to the shogunate was all-encompassing. She’d kill him if it was ordered of her, no matter that they were old friends.
Sara and her entourage were almost at the teahouse. Itto straightened, uncrossed his arms, ready to bolt the second those bright yellow eyes alighted on him.
He saw the scene unfolding as if time had congealed around him. The painted tableau was utterly vivid, enough for him to see her turn her head in his direction, see the tiny widening of her eyes, see the lines of her body shift, see the pale sparks of electricity fizzle at her fingertips. He saw the other soldiers react too, half a second after her. He saw how the passersby noted the change in the air, how they glanced at each other in uncertainty.
The day was bright. The sun shone brilliantly. The sky was a lipid blue without a cloud in sight. A gentle breeze made the sakura tree behind Sara shiver, sending a few pink petals cascading down. They fell softly around her like puffy snowflakes.
He knew the second she was ready to chase him. Determination twisted her features. Her bow was in her hand, her Vision’s powers ready to be called forth.
The chase was on.
Itto gave her his best grin and bolted.
Down the street he went, shouting at people to move out of his way. He jumped over a pile of crates, slid around a corner, nearly fell off the tiny bridge spanning the rivulet that circled the city. He caught himself with a laugh. Behind him, he heard the clacking of her shoes as she gave chase. She was a head smaller than him but she was fast.
He turned another corner, moving away from the shopping district where most of the people were at this time of day. Shouts erupted at his passage as he sent carts flying and stalls crashing. A dog barked and a cat yowled as it threw itself out of his way. He managed to jump over a wheelbarrow full of smelly fishes, ignoring the fisherman’s indignant squawk.
As he ran, legs pumping, his heart beat a mad tempo in his chest. His blood sang at the thrill even as his nerves prickled, urging him to hurry, telling him she was getting closer. She never gave up, never slowed down.
As he ducked out of sight in a narrower street, he caught a glimpse of her determined expression. It spurred him down, sending him rushing into the maze of back alleys that made the poorer residential quarters of Inazuma City.
Here, the buildings grew closer. The lanes were narrower and unpaved. The ground underfoot was soft and muddy from yesterday’s rain. His running footsteps squelched and the mud seemed to suck at his sandals.
“Stop!” he heard her shout distinctly, her voice ringing clearly in the still summer air.
She didn’t even sound out of breath. Amazing.
His grin widened as he put on another burst of speed.
He knew this neighborhood well, had spent most of his childhood here. He knew the next narrow street would open into a small market square, which would in turn lead him to the–
He came face to face with a tall wooden fence. He skidded to a halt too late and slammed into the cheap wood hard enough to rattle it.
He only had time for a single shit that Sara was on him, throwing herself at him and pinning him hard against the fence. Her grip on him was like iron, unyielding and cold. Her eyes sparkled, not with anger or triumph, but with the slightest hint of amusement.
She also enjoyed the chase.
“You’re under arrest,” she said, barely out of breath despite chasing him all over the city.
He grinned, unable to stop himself. “Only if you manage to drag me back to your headquarters, Kujou Tengu.”
Her jaw worked. “Don’t make a scene, Itto. Come quietly. It’ll be easier for you in the long run. We might be willing to ignore your very long rap sheet if you cooperate.”
Itto scoffed. “By cooperating, you mean handing you my Vision without a peep, right?”
Her gaze didn’t waver, but the hard line of her jaw softened. “Yes. It’s for the greater good, Itto. Trust the shogun knows what she’s doing.”
Itto said nothing. No words could sway such devotion, not even his.
Little by little, she released her hold on him. With a sigh, he gathered her into his arms, resting his cheek on top of her sleek hair. She didn’t return the embrace right away, merely standing there instead. She believed in her shogun wholeheartedly, unwaveringly. But that didn’t mean she wished to cause pain to those whose Vision she took. She was stuck between her convictions and her loyalties, between him and her duty.
“I should hate you,” she murmured, voice tired. “I’m stupid for not hating you.”
“Nah, you’re not stupid. You simply can’t resist my charms and strength and good-looks–”
She muffled him with a kiss, smashing her lips against his hard enough for their teeth to clack painfully. She shoved him against the fence, making it creak loudly. Her mouth was hot and desperate, her kisses nothing more than bites his lips. He had no breath to talk or laugh. His mind whirled at her eagerness. He could only kiss her back with equal passion.
“Is there somewhere quiet we can go?” she demanded, breath hot against his ear.
The feeling of her strong, hard body against his was intoxicating. He could smell her light perfume, could smell the soap in her hair, could feel the fabric of her clothes. Every one of his senses was heightened by her nearness.
He nodded, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her in the direction where there used to be an abandoned shack in his childhood. She walked tall beside him, for once not pulling her arm free. She was just a tiny bit dishevelled, and the flush on her cheeks could be attributed to the chase.
He knew it wasn’t though. He knew he had put it there.
The shack was there, mercifully still standing despite rot having set in the wooden planks a long time ago. Sara shouldered the door open and shoved him in. The inside was full of old ropes, cracked barrels, and broken tools. The air was close and smelled of damp sacking. Through holes in the roof, tiny pinpricks of sunlight lit the otherwise murky interior.
Itto didn’t have more time to assess the place that Sara was kissing him again, small, sharp teeth digging into his lips. She gave him a shove until he tumbled over a coiled rope and was on him the second his ass touched the dirty floor. She straddled his hips, hands seizing his face, shoving her tongue into his mouth. He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her close so he could feel her body heat.
Normally, when his hands began to roam, she’d stop him or simply leave. This time, when his hands left her shoulders to slide down her back, she didn’t say anything. She was too busy stealing his breath in a wet, messy kiss. His head swirled, instincts going on autopilot.
Her back was strong, muscles rippling under his touch. Her perfectly pressed clothes were rough under his questing fingers. She allowed him to seize her hips, allowed him to buck into her in a way that tore a little moan out of her. Until now he hadn’t realised he’d gotten hard already. The way she sat straddling his hips, it was impossible she didn’t feel it.
He wanted to apologise for it, but she swallowed his words before they even left his mouth. She muttered something sounding like go on , and it was enough to fry his brain further.
It was the first time she was letting him take such liberties with her. They’d kissed, they’d patted each other roughly in a back alley or in the middle of a field, away from prying eyes. But there had never been that intensity between them, that desperate urge.
(Itto knew, at the back of his mind, this probably meant goodbye. She was allowing it because she would then sever the links that had grown between them to put work first. He mourned the fact nearly as much as he admired her determination.)
He was careful at first, trying to keep his mind focused as much as possible despite the swirl of lust threatening to take over. Her waist was narrow and firm under his palms, only muscle, no hint of plushness whatsoever. He liked how solid she felt, strong, capable. Her hips were bony and they fitted nicely in his hands. When he squeezed them, she made a pleased sound at the back of her throat. He did it again, then let his hands slide back to her butt. She gasped in his mouth and he tensed for a rebuttal.
Instead, when he didn’t move, she straightened to stare down at him. “What are you doing?” In the gloom, with the narrow shafts of sunlight falling around her form like a halo, she seemed to glow.
“Feasting my eyes,” Itto answered candidly. He grinned to hide the pang in his heart.
Her forehead creased in a frown. She opened her mouth to retort, closed it with a huff. “Don’t be a sap. It isn’t like you.”
The thing was, it was like him. He wanted to be a sap. In that moment, as they stared at each other, panting and flushed, all he could think about was how much he wished things were different. What if they had been born luckier, lucky enough to be together? What kind of future would they have had? Itto tried not to think about it, about a future filled with bliss and love and warmth and laughter, filled with companionship and children and friends.
This wasn’t for them, however. Never could be for them.
He reached out to trace the shape of her cheek. For half a second, her eyes softened. In the gloom, they were the shade of honey, dark gold.
He switched their position when he saw her mask falling back into place. He was on her then, kissing her like his life depended on it. Her arms sneaked around his neck and she hugged him tight to her, pressing her chest against his.
“Come on, we have to hurry,” she panted, turning her head away. She sneaked her hand between their bodies, fingers grasping at the laces of his trousers. He gasped at the feeling of her touch.
He wanted to stop her, tell her they didn’t have to hurry, that they could take their time. But it would be a lie and Arataki Itto wasn’t a liar. He could already feel the real world beating against the flimsy walls of the shed, encroaching on their little bubble of peace. If they didn’t hurry, her soldiers would start looking for her and Akira would start looking for Itto. They couldn’t be caught entangled here–it would ruin her reputation and it was the last thing Itto wanted for her.
He reached between the folds of her skirts, fingers trailing up the smooth skin of her strong thigh. Her muscles flexed under his touch. Her breath came out in a little gasp when he pushed his hand higher, inside her shorts, where she was hot and wet and soft. He’d never touched her there before and he watched in amazement the play of emotions on her face as he caressed her. She threw her head back, dark hair spilled on the dirty floor like the black wing of a raven. The flush on her face deepened and her eyes darkened with want.
Seeing that she seemed all right with this, he tentatively pushed one finger into her hole. She let out a hiss of pleasure, legs tensing slightly and hips bucking. Watching her was fascinating. Her chest heaved as she gasped, her firm breasts pressed tight against his own chest.
“Stop teasing me,” she growled when he crooked his finger inside her.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
Already two fingers seemed awfully tight. He scissored them, trying to be careful with his long claws. There was no pain in her expression however. She was awfully wet, his fingers making a squelching noise as he thrusted them as deep as they would go. He wanted to look at what he was doing, wanted to see her take him, but she kept him pinned in place with that intense gaze.
He felt her relax, her hot walls no longer threatening to tear off his fingers. She let out a moan that seemed to embarrass her, something shameless and utterly free. It was beautiful, the real side of Kujou Sara, not the usual cool mask she showed the world. In that single sound, he heard his childhood friend, the playful little girl she’d been when their lives had been far less complicated.
His heart shouldn’t be paining him this way.
He removed his fingers slowly and brought them to his mouth. Under her watchful, dark gaze, he licked her juices off, being careful not to let one single drop go to waste. He could tell she liked it by the way she bucked against him. He hadn’t even realised she’d undone his trousers and taken out his hard cock.
He kissed her then, gently. She bristled a little before kissing him back, a mere press of the lips, and he tried not to smile at the way she clung to him. Her fingers were buried deep in his hair and she’d wrapped one of her long, lean legs around his hips. She grinded against him, clearly urging him to go. Instead, he took his time exploring her mouth anew, relishing the taste of her. His hand wandered over her body, going to rest over her left breast. Her heart beat madly under his palm. He squeezed her, relishing the way her whole torso jerked and pressed closer. Her breast was firm and hot, and he wished there was more time so he could properly undress her and use his mouth to drive her crazy.
Maybe later, he told himself. Maybe once the shogun stops this madness about the Vision Hunt Decree, Sara and he can return to being friends.
But for the moment, there was no time.
He pulled away from the kiss to look down between their bodies. He was so hard it was starting to hurt. And he could tell she was eager too; her folds and hole were wet, and she growled at him to get on with it.
He could never say no to her. Still, he took his time. He seized his cock in his hand and guided the tip to her hole. He pushed in slowly, gasping at how tight she was. It took all of his willpower not to shove all the way in in one thrust. He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. Sara clung to him as he pushed in inch by inch, her fingernails digging into his naked back, breaths gasping and hot against his ear.
He let out a groan when his hips met hers. For a moment, all he could do was shake, muscles knotted with tension. She was squeezing him so tight he actually had to make an effort not to come on the spot.
“Itto, Itto.” Sara kept repeating his name like a mantra, like it was the only thing keeping her sane.
“I got you,” he said, holding her tight against him. He wished the moment could last forever, that they could bask in each other’s presence until the world came to an end.
She bucked her hips, shattering the peaceful moment with her urgency. Impossibly, his cock seemed to reach deeper inside her, to places that made her moan with need. She tightened around him, making his already tedious hold on sanity waver further. That pool of heat in his gut warmed even further, taking him one step further towards that height he desperately wished to reach.
He braced his hands on either side of her head. She stared up at him, eyes half-lidded, lashes wet, swollen lips parted. She was a vision of rough beauty, not quite yet lost to lust, never able to truly ever let go.
He grinned, unable to stop himself. He was pretty sure Sara loved him, and he’d seen it in a brief flash in her gaze.
Keeping his eyes fixed on hers, he pulled back slowly, relishing the drag of her walls on his cock and the way her eyelids fluttered. Her back bowed off the floor.
He pulled back until only the tip remained in her. Then, he thrusted back in in one go. She let out a scream, her head thrown back and her fingers digging sharply into his back. He didn’t feel the pain, didn’t feel anything but her tight heat squeezing around him.
After the first few thrusts, she clung to him even tighter, crying out each time he bottomed out. She’d wrapped both of her legs around his hips, heels digging into his lower back, urging him on.
She felt incredible around him, all wet, hot, sleek heat that seemed to suck him in with each thrust. He loved how she matched his fervour, jerking her hips to meet his thrusts, growling at him to move faster, to stop treating her like glass. He knew she wasn’t made of glass; his Sara was the toughest woman he knew. He grabbed her waist and shoved her down on his cock, grinning at her punched out moans. She took him so well, like she was made for him and only for him.
And she looked breathtaking taking him. Strands of hair stuck to her sweaty face. Her eyelashes were wet and her eyes were almost black with lust. The flush on her usually pale skin was gorgeous. Even in the throes of passion, she managed to remain somewhat composed.
It spurred him on, encouraged him to dig his knees better on the ground and thrust harder into her. With one well-aimed thrust, she came with a strangled shout. Her walls tightened impossibly hard on his cock and he fucked her through her orgasm until his overtook him. His senses exploded and distorted, until all he could feel and hear and smell and see was her her her . She kept repeating his name as he emptied himself deep inside her, her voice wet and choked.
When he was empty, he slumped on top of her, muscles suddenly lax and bones turned to water. He rested his head on her chest, listening to the drum of her heartbeat as it slowed. She combed her fingers through his hair, movements uncharacteristically gentle.
His high receded slowly, reluctantly. Itto wanted to cling to it. He wanted to remain wrapped in its warm and soft embrace. He wished time could stop just so Sara would keep petting his hair, so he could keep her in his arms.
“I have to go,” she declared after a while. “They will be looking for me.”
Itto knew it was the truth. He could imagine easily her soldiers scouring the streets of the city, wondering where she had run off to in her chase of that wayward oni. He didn’t think they would be worried for her, knowing how strong she was, but they certainly would want to know her whereabouts.
He raised himself on his elbows, looking down at her face. Though the flush had receded, the spark in her eyes remained. She trailed her finger over his cheek almost absentmindedly before averting her gaze.
“Yeah, I suppose they will.”
Itto winced as he pulled out of her. He adjusted his trousers while she fixed her clothes. She would have appeared businesslike if not for how dishevelled she was and the slight tremor in her hands.
She ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it down. “Thank you for this.”
Itto wasn’t sure he’d ever been thanked for sex before. It sounded very… cold, distant.
He got up, unable to match her cool disinterest. Still, he thought he did a good job at keeping his hands to himself even if he longed to reach for her to embrace her again. “Uh, yeah, you’re welcome.” The grin wouldn’t come.
Sara gave him a look. She was perfectly composed again, the perfect shogunate soldier. “Tomorrow, at dawn, let’s duel for your Vision.”
A duel at dawn, how fitting.
Itto’s lips quirked up in a crooked smile. “It’s a deal, then, Kujou Tengu.”
And she walked out.