In The Dark

A figure stood, purple and priestly in raiment, her gaze settling on the distant carnival. As things had worked out, she'd needed to use the restroom and the portable blue boxes they had for the purpose at the festival offended her sensitive nose to such an extent she'd been driven to inquire at the local businesses. It wouldn't be hard, she reasoned, if she simply found something she wanted to buy. With the hurry she'd excused herself in, and right after presenting a sword to him too, she couldn't be sure her friend had followed her, but she would apologize later, such matters were emergencies and had to be taken care of with haste, since she'd have to presumably buy something first.
Stopping at the first brick store she saw that wasn't an obvious restaurant, she ran in to find herself, surrounded by lingerie.
Almost tripping over the door in her haste to escape, she slammed the door behind her and leaned hard against it as though trying to hold back some great force, a blush and panicked expression covering her face. "Goodness..." she exclaimed quietly, thinking next time she should read the sign before she went running into a building.

*

So he had followed her, she said, her demeanor settling until he indicated one of the windows she'd completely failed to notice until the present. Innocently enough, she looked up and emitted a brief squeak at the sheer immodesty of the garment, the red on her face returning as she closed her eyes. "Who would..." she began, before a brief knock on the door sent her scurrying to hide behind the other spirit. A woman, looking rather normal with her baggy jeans, stepped out on her cell phone, shooting the other a glare for having the door shut like that before walking off, continuing her conversation. The kami breathed a sigh of relief, still a bit nervous. "Takashou-sama... do you know of any stores in the area that do not sell food but sells something interesting? I am sorry I ran away like that but this is a matter of importance." Since the other had been on the earth longer than she had, she assumed he might know a place or two.

*

Blinking, the kami reflected on the other's never having been to this end of town. It seemed terribly clean, perhaps the atmosphere was wrong for... demons. She had a harder time thinking of him as a straight out devil now that she'd received permission from heaven to pursue a relationship with him. Thinking over how exactly she would go about getting commitment from a free spirit such as himself seemed like it would be difficult. She pushed her two pointer fingers together, looking at the ground. This was hopeless. She looked back up, her brown eyes filled with gladness for this time she could have with him thinking he'd ever like her before the inevitable end. "I agree," her eyes turned to the road to her immediate right, and she set out in that direction, further from the festival. The actual fireworks probably were going to be awhile, she told herself.

*

The blush returned in full force, she wondered if it would ever fade this time. He seemed so comfortable with her. Then again, in the past he hadn't thought much of shoving her to the cold sidewalk with the intent to draw her into allowing him to deflower her, so she could hardly say his casual manner was something new to her, but unlike last time she felt liked for her company and not for the lust she could slake.
Still not making eye contact, she tried to think of what type of thing she would want. Truthfully, she was satisfied with her meager possessions, but she did lack reading material other than the few scriptures she'd brought with her. "A bookstore perhaps..." she said, trailing off and looking up ahead. One store front had, hanging from the jutting canopy of its facade, a bunch of wind chimes made from colorful pieces of stained glass. These drew her as a fire draws a moth, and she stopped below a blue one with a frog in the middle of a circle on it, tapping it gently and listening to the nice music it made. "What is this?" she asked, not familiar with the concept of a wind chime.

*

"They are beautiful," she said slowly, her usual reflective tones amplified by the lack of speed. "Sometimes, I see people like your friend in the woods. Sometimes, I see humans with guns and swords and all manner of instruments of death. It was humans who invented the knife, the gunpowder, the cudgel. People here always ask me, can humanity be saved? Does humanity have the hope of light in them? Those people spend too much time looking at the guns and not enough time looking at the... wind chimes." Letting the little thing go, she turned to the larger wind chime the oni had rung before turning to him, a look on her face as though she'd come to a sudden realization. "Oh, I'm awfully sorry, Takashou-sama. I did not mean to preach to you. Hee hee, I guess it is what I do on Yochi, though. I had to preach a great many sermons to afford that sword." Soon she would turn and continue up the way, the gift shop not being what she was looking for.

*

Atilla wasn't so much surprised at the other's possession of money so much as she was surprised he would see fit to do a gift exchange. Honestly, she'd never thought about what kind of gift she'd want if she ever had to choose one, but no doubt the oni would need his money more than she did. "What do you do for money?" she'd ask offhandedly, the question one of curiosity, as the employment rate of demons in a human city would invariably be low. Her eyes dropped at the lie, though she didn't know it to be one. She felt touched that he would care for her safety, surely it was a wicked thing for her to stereotype him as a devil oni bent on her destruction.
Suddenly, a desire to give him a hug overcame her, mostly out of her own guilt for her previous stereotypes. Hardly had the question come from her mouth before she would shyly step up to the male and put her arms around him, listening for a heartbeat. Last time she'd laid her head there, she'd ended up with her face against the concrete, but things seemed different now. She trusted him.

*

A plant salesman, Atilla thought vaguely. Somehow she couldn't imagine someone who expressed a desire to roast people and things to be out somewhere tending a garden. She imagined him with a watering can and one of those big, floppy gardener's hats. It was ridiculous.
"Your heart is beating really fast," she said, the observation coming from experience reviving people. She didn't mean it as anything other than a mere observation, but wondered why his heart would be beating faster than normal. She knew him not to be nervous about anything like she was. Perhaps that lovely heat he always gave off had to be fueled by an equally high metabolism.
But these speculations faded when he put his arms around her, the gesture making her feel safer than she had the rest of her time in Yochi. Enjoying the feeling and liberated by the mandate of heaven, she smiled gently, looking up in the man's face before snuggling her head back into his chest, breathing a sigh of satisfaction.
*

The woman looked up once more, her chin against the male's chest as his hand went through the sandy strands of her hair, the wind stirring said strands briefly before she realized her head was now missing its customary hood. Not that such a thing bothered her, but it did expose her head and face. Once again, she lay her chin against his chest and looked up, one hand coming to rest on his chest. "A person like me?" she inquired, now curious as to how his first experience in this place was. If it was anything like hers it'd be no wonder he became so destructive.

*

Others had commented on her piety, some complimenting it, usually after she'd healed the speaker or a relative, some condemning it as pointless activity. The fact that this man she hugged had gone from calling her plans futile to actually complimenting her dedication to all that was good improved her outlook on her situation. Maybe people would begin to listen if she just persevered. The being like tempted her to look away, but she could hardly, seeing those entrancing, oddly colored eyes that had drawn her into this situation.
The kiss, that feeling across her lips again, the primal sentiments in her rising caused her to close her eyes and, not wanting it to end, put her arms around the demon's neck, pleading with her body in a small way for him to stay.


*

All of a sudden, she felt quite taken by the other, or rather in his possession with the decidedly dominant way she found him raising her by her seat without concern for her personal bubble. Her face burned its expected pinkish tone, partially from the passion of the kiss, partially from the indignity of the situation. The former overrode the latter, however, and as her eyes remained close she simply let the other work his way with her, concentrating on the rare and new sensations arising in her, that former feeling below her belly even...

*

The kami, her eyes only half open as she looked into his, hypnotized, found she'd missed the innuendo in the question entirely. To the pure all things are pure after all. "Get to what?" she breathed, her voice a gentle pant. She rested her head and one arm against his shoulder, her eyes closed in bliss and her entire body relaxing as she enjoyed the soft bites, breathing in the scent of his hair.

*

The kami blinked. Now that the contact was broken, she took a moment to push her fingers together and consider whether or not her conduct was appropriate, especially since they were in public. Recalling briefly that they were "dating", as they were, she could reconcile her brief slack of vigilance with the fact that they were a little past a relationship. The statement that he was dangerous... well, she was vaguely aware of such a danger, but since he'd taken the time to save her and seemed to care about her to an extent, she reasoned that he must have an inner light and provided she staid in line with Bleaus's will, such a light would prevent him from hurting her. "No, not many get to know us past our attempts to redeem them, but... I can be dangerous too, Takashou-sama. Let me show you."
Holding her hands out, and cupping them, she winced and began to chant slowly, not paying any notice to the other's proximity as this wasn't meant to be a dangerous spell. "Et lavi te aqua et emundavi sanguinem tuum ex te et unxi te oleo..."*
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, her hand began to fill with water. She grinned, looking up at him with a proud look in her eyes. "See? I can call elements too."

*Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.

The spirit smiled, drinking the water she'd generated, which caused her to recall her original purpose here. She'd quite forgotten about the call of nature until that pivotal moment. She bowed once again, thanking the oni for his compliment before looking around at the various storefronts around them. One in particular stood out because of its bright, vibrant primary shades: a candy shop.
Reaching for the other's hand, she would attempt to guide him towards the window in a manner a small child might, jabbing her finger in the window at a big, flat lollipop whose curled, yellow and blue spiral formed a circle bigger than her head. "Do you know what that is?" she inquired, genuinely curious. Such a colorful thing must be something good.

*

The kami blinked both in surprise that he'd noticed and in surprise of his generosity, not comprehending the price difference between a sword and two lollipops, but she wouldn't tarry for long. Bowing politely to excuse herself, she took a look over her shoulder, then scurried off to the back, pausing at the two doors. One was a person wearing a skirt, another was a person without a skirt. It seemed reasonable in her mind for her to pick the blue one without the dress, as she wore pants under her robes, not that the mistake would probably matter all that much. The store was deserted save the employees and the two spirits, as everyone was at the festival.
Finishing her business quickly, she washed her hands, wondering at the strange, neighboring fountains before coming back out and rejoining her date at the register.

*

Smiling, the woman took the bag, opening it as quickly as she could and putting the longer one in her mouth since it seemed it would fit better. The flavor flooded her mouth like a typhoon of sugar. She sucked almost involuntarily on the sweet, sweet stick, divining the flavors of artificial blueberry and banana and not knowing the names for them. Yes, nameless joys they were that only stayed on her tongue a brief time before traveling down her throat, making room for the next batch of taste, swirling into her mouth. The kami couldn't have been happier.
"The festival?" she answered around the candy, not removing it from her mouth. "It is fun around here, but if you would prefer to go, I would rather go where you want to be."
She punctuated her sentences with audible sucks, looking up at the oni and pushing the rod further in.

*

Finally withdrawing the lollipop with a final, puckering smack, she ran her tongue slowly up the length of the treat, exploring every stripe and pockmark with enthusiastic fervor before reaching the tip, slipping the entire thing into her mouth and sucking partially in the traditional manner, partially with her throat in an attempt to extract all the sugary goodness possible before she spoke again, drawing the candy out so the tip rested on her lip as she talked. "You are too kind. I think there may be some other stores to explore."
By now, the lollipop had melted considerably and she shoved the entire gooey mess back into her mouth, her eyes closing in bliss again at the sudden resumption of sensation in her taste buds. Only when her eyes reopened did she looked towards the door, her hand that wasn't occupied by the stick putting the bag into her satchel and reaching out for his, unaware of any ulterior motives he may have had when he glanced at her enjoying her tasty, tasty candy. Where had this been all of her life?

*

The kami sucked on, thinking it odd that her friend would burst out laughing like that. Perhaps there lay some funny memory of a store in his mind, she thought, letting him lead her out of the store. Looking up and down the street, she noticed the nearby stores. One store sold comic paraphernalia, one was a head shop, about three were restaurants, a bar stood on the corner, and a jewelry store lay a bit further off. None of them in this section seemed to hold the magnetic appeal to her that the candy shop had, she thought, smiling gently to herself. The jewelry store shone very impressively, and she couldn't help but wonder what beauty lay inside.
But she felt she should let her partner find the next shop. She'd found the last several after all, and she no longer needed to relieve herself, so they could take their time. "Mmmm..."

*

The lollipop seemed to be decreasing in mass and going limp, the center of the treat creamier than the hard outer shell. The dilemma of how temporary her good thing was took her attention away from the oni for a moment... that is, before he got that mischievous look on his face and she saw his hand rise and burst out into that hellfire she was so familiar with.
Her eyes grew wide and she softly whined, but hoped the other didn't catch the noise. Though she still liked him as a person, she still had a hard time overcoming her instinctive fear of what he actually was whenever he let his fire burn, that is, a demon and a predator. She couldn't help wondering if he had ever eaten a kami or an oni. He was a demon, so he'd probably eaten a human before, but it would likely be rude to ask. The thought of what would happen one day if he ever lost control...
Or maybe that's why she liked him.
The thought took her aback for a moment, but it seemed true. Most of the things that caused the dreaded feeling below her gut, the traits that ruined her resolve were tied to that very identity of his that she feared: the bright color of his hair, for only hunting creatures are colored so; the ominous crimson of his eyes; the ill-intentioned, prideful smirks; his complete ignorance of the heavenly protocols that had been drilled into her since her rebirth; the very fact that he had killed, himself the kinetic potential fire has for destruction personified... He's a cat even... echoed through her thoughts. These things played over and over in her head every time she thought of him.
Humans probably had a name for her condition, she thought, that is, being drawn to strange, obvious hazards against all reason.
"A quo enim quis superatus est huius et servus est..." she reminded herself briefly, under her breath before swallowing the remainder of her lollipop and speaking normally. "I cannot control it well, Takashou-sama. We would have to have it in a park away from some of these buildings."
Honestly, a match with him, even a practice one, would put her in mortal terror, but she viewed herself as his to an extent, so she would take reasonable measures to comply with any wishes he may have had.

*A man is a slave to whatever overcomes him.

The woman looked up and down the street. "We are not far from Gunshyne Bastion. There are many wide open spaces there, people are accustomed to gun fights."
One of her congregation members lived in the area and had complained of the gunfire that continued late into the night.
She wanted to take the opportunity to decline the offer of battle, but he seemed so enthusiastic about it. Plus, it would give her a chance to gauge how difficult killing him would actually be if she were so moved by the mandate of heaven. "We should go east and a little south and we should run into it... does it make you... happy that we should... spar?"

*A man is a slave to whatever overcomes him.

Quietly, the kami hugged the other, happy that they were making love and not war. If she was honest with herself, perhaps a battle wouldn't be all that bad, but she still held a bit of gratitude to the other for not making her go through with it. She felt sort of bad, though. She certainly couldn't avoid fighting forever, and the time might come where this oni might not be here to protect her, and what then?
"Thank you... Takashou-sama, but... I was wondering if you think you could teach me something about defending myself..."
If she could get a lesson without having to fight, it would be a win both ways.

*

The little mouse spirit nodded enthusiastically. They could definitely learn together some other time. Holding the empty lollipop stick up in her hand, she focused on the tip and, preparing to move, accidentally tripped. The way she flailed seemed something like a stabbing gesture towards the oni as she tried to reach him to prevent herself from going down. "Oh my..." she said very quickly and quietly, only a slightly more surprised version of her usual monotone.

*

The kami was able to regain her feet, thanks to the help of the other, but she was ignorant to the critical hit she'd scored until she heard her name mumbled.
There lay her friend, on the ground, curled up in obvious pain. It seemed something had hit him in his... sacred areas. She hardly noticed, the sight of someone curled up so put her in emergency room mode. One could almost see the exclamation point over her head as she instantaneously decided it must be something serious if it could put someone as tough as this oni on the ground, curled up.
Without a second thought or the slightest hint of shame, she would use her superior strength to move his arms out of the way and cup her hand around the aching organs, chanting, allowing the healing powers of Bleaus to flow into them. "Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano."

*It is to be prayed that the mind be sound in a sound body.

In that moment, feeling the other's hand on her head, the situation dawned on her. Her hands were cupped gently about this demon's testicles, his hand running through her hair. She didn't move at first, and didn't respond to the question, though she'd heard it. The only thing to change about her over the course of several seconds was the rapid redding of her face.
Quick, fast, and in a hurry, she whirled 180 degrees, not standing up, but bowing to the ground so low her nose almost touched her knees, her hands out in front of her, clasping her rosary as she cried out in the standard language, "Forgive me, Bleaus!"

*