ACU PreStory: "Black Honey Ch 8: Beginnings & Interruptions" (Aoi x Uruha)
Title: Black Honey Ch 8: Beginnings & Interruptions
Pairings: Aoi x Uruha
Writer: black_prophet (Midsummer_Slave)
Genre: AU, Sci-Fi with Angst & Smut
Rating: R (Mentioned prostitution/murder/injury)
Warning: Rated R for prostitution, mentioned sex acts, violence, injury and murder, and smut.
Dedication: This is for onichick, because I still blame her. Also to thesilveramazon, because she's in pain and I want to make her feel better. And to all the readers who have been waiting!!
Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, claim to own The GazettE (though I do have several CDs & Concert DVDs and a LOT of pictures). They belong to themselves and each other. This fic and the world it is set in is completely the product of my imagination. I do all my own stunts writing. Please do not attempt these techniques at home. No Beta (sorry for mistakes, I try to spare you).
Previous Chapters: "Ch 1: Asking" "Ch 2: The Beauty & The Hunter" "Ch 3: First Sight" "Ch 4: Friendship, Ruin & A Promise" "Ch 5: Payment For Suffering & Tales Between Friends" "Ch 6: Reality In Dreams" "Ch 7: Awakening & Oaths" "Ch 8: Beginnings & Interruptions"
***
Healed. The word hummed through Aoi’s mind, bouncing off the edges of other thoughts and echoing in his brain like a shout in a cavern. He blinked, frowning faintly as it echoed back to him again. Kouyou was healed. His Uruha, his Beauty, was healed.
He could feel the lines of scar tissue, the faint map of the wounds, beneath his fingertips. But still, something in him refused to believe it, until he had seen it with his own eyes. Laila had already said that her gift was not so great, that it would take more work to seal all the red back behind golden skin, where it belonged.
In amusement, Kouyou watched the DarkKin’s eyes narrow in something that was a mix of disbelief and distrust. Disbelief that he was fully healed? A distrust in Laila’s gifts? Kouyou wasn’t sure, but he lifted his brows and widened his eyes, giving his mate a look that was -mostly- without contrived innocence.
Dark eyes narrowed even further, a low sound of disbelief rumbling in the other’s throat. “I do not trust that look.”
“What is not to trust?” Kouyou returned in a soft voice, his breath becoming slightly unsteady as he watched pale fingers slide out from under the cloth of his shirt once again. Panic gripped at his guts suddenly, as sharp and biting as the blade that had ravaged him two days past. ’Stay, please stay with me. Don’t leave, not now and not ever… I crave you.’
The flash of terror that flared in those golden eyes made Aoi halt, his fingertips lingering just beyond the edge of the clothing. Misreading the fear, he withdrew, freezing when the Arch’s hand shot out and caught his wrist. Tension made the muscles in his shoulders tighten, body poised leaning over the golden-haired one.
“Don’t.” Kouyou whispered. “Don’t go.”
“Go?” Aoi growled, tsking as he relaxed. “Trust me, Beauty, I have no intention of going anywhere.”
Kouyou considered him for a moment, most of the tension draining away from him even though he intended to hold on to it. Yuu hadn’t lied to him, not once. Each moment they’d been together, the DarkKin had been swearing to save and protect him, and not one moment had been a lie. Three days of truth, balanced against the lies that made up the rest of his life.
Licking his lips, the Arch shifted slightly. “So, what are your intentions?”
Patiently, Yuu returned the look. He didn’t answer the question, simply waited with a perfect stillness that would have done a statue proud.
Trust. Kouyou sighed, and released Yuu’s wrist with a faint nod.
“Better.” The DarkKin murmured, his fingertips sliding up to pluck loose the lowest button on the shirt. Shielded by only the thin barrier of fabric, the muscles in Kouyou’s stomach jumped and shivered, teased by his barely-there touch as the DarkKin freed another button.
Kouyou smiled faintly, fighting the shiver as he murmured a reply, soft but sarcastic. “So glad you approve.”
“Sharp tempered thing, aren’t you?” Aoi chuckled, freeing another button and nudging the two halves of the shirt out of the way. He paused to tilt his head to one side, admiring the uninterrupted view of soft-golden skin from the waist of Kouyou’s pants to his throat.
“I’ve never had it put quite so gently.” The Arch muttered, his tone a mix of teasing amusement and mocking doubt. ‘Sharp tempered indeed… What does that make you?’
Noting how Aoi’s eyes lingered on his starred stomach, the Arch felt a bolt of shame shoot through him. Lifting one hand, he splayed it over the injuries in an attempt to shield them, wondering if perhaps it was foolish for the striking DarkKin to overlook them.
“Ah-ah.” Aoi hissed in disapproval, giving the Arch the look he deserved. “Hiding from me? I think not, GoldenOne. I have seen you as they bled, you will not rob me of the right to see them healed.”
Kouyou couldn’t help the stubborn expression that flitted over his features, a pout his second reaction. “They’re ugly, the scars.”
“You are beautiful with your scars, my GoldenOne, they tell the story of a survivor. I found you that night, in the street; I know very well the depths of your courage.” Aoi reminded the suddenly-skittish male, shifting where he was crouched on his hands and knees, lowering his head until his black hair danced over golden skin. “I know how it hurt me -in a moment- to see the proud and beautiful creature I knew injured and near death. And yet? Still so strong, so endlessly proud and regal. Oh make no mistake, beauty, I would rather you had never been harmed at all. But you have survived, which is all we can do when something like this happens.”
Kouyou allowed the DarkKin to gently nudge aside one hand, and then let the other fall away until it was resting on the bed once more. With the shirt parted, he was left bare to Yuu’s gaze, and the older male seemed to savor every moment of it. Black eyes stroked lingering paths over each scar, committing them to memory.
Aoi took note of each of the silvery-white lines of the Kin’s injuries, and how they stood out against the otherwise-flawless gold, a permanent tale of his near-death. They made rage flavor the DarkKin’s thoughts, anger stirring low in his gut as he examined those scars. Marks that cut into his mate’s flesh and pride, marks he could have prevented. True enough, the one who had made them was dead, had been punished by Aoi’s own hand and then given over to hellhounds.
But still, he could not undo those lines.
Never again.
“You’re thinking too hard.” Kouyou murmured, his hand moving to trace along the DarkKin’s jaw.
“Sorry, Beauty.” Aoi smiled, bowing his head to brush his lips along each line. “I am so sorry, for these.”
“I don’t want apologies.” Kouyou replied, shaking his head. “However… If you want to make it up to me, you won’t stop doing that.”
“What, touching you?” Aoi laughed, his breath flowing over the golden skin in a warm rush and tempting a shiver out of the Arch. “Oh trust me, Beauty, there is no danger of that…”
A firm knock on the door made them both growl, and immediately two pairs of eyes shot to the door as one voice barked. “What!?”
Takeshi Laila stepped through the door and gave them a firmly disapproving look. “Don’t you bark at me, young men. I may be old, but I’m still well enough to teach you better with this cane of mine.”
Aoi sighed, lowering his body until he gently lay over Uruha’s form, face pressed gently against the silvery scars. I suppose this will have to wait.
**
Laila smiled -more to herself than anyone- as she settled into a chair in the small sitting area they had arranged in Uruha’s room. The sensual comfort of the place had not been altered, but the low lights were turned a little brighter and a serviceable chair brought in for her to sit on, facing the couch where her Kitten already sat. Aoi had been nearly glued to Kouyou’s side since her entry, only leaving him on the couch in favor of bringing in Laila’s chair.
“I’m not hurt anymore.” Kouyou argued softly. “I could have carried it.”
“That is not the point.” The DarkKin replied. “I want you to rest, and so you will rest. It costs me nothing to bring in the chair.”
“You’re coddling me.” Instantly the golden Kin pouted.
Aoi smirked, leaning over for a fierce kiss. “For now, yes. I expect you to accept it in good grace, my Beauty. I will coddle you, and when we are alone I will exhaust you, and then I will let you rest, and then we will train.”
Kouyou shivered at the idea of being ‘exhausted’, and then frowned as the rest of the words sank in. “Train?”
Aoi settled on the couch, pulling Kouyou closer to his side until they were pressed together like one being. “I never again wish to see you hurt, Kouyou. If the time comes that you face an enemy without me, I want him dead before I get there, and I want him to not have had the slightest chance to lay his hands on you.”
Staring up at Aoi as he settled into the DarkKin’s embrace, Kouyou smiled faintly to himself. ‘That suits me just fine… I’d rather not be trapped in bed for three days.’
‘Do not mistake me, love, you will still be trapped in bed for three days.’ Aoi replied in a purring tone, though his gaze was politely fixed on Laila. ‘But it will not be due to injury. We will be quite active, I assure you.’
Laila watched her golden kitten blush, and smiled faintly as she arched a challenging brow at the DarkKin that faced her with a patient expression. “Are you two quite finished?”
“Since you interrupted us before we could even start, I trust you know the answer to that question, Madam.” Aoi returned. “Now then, what did you wish to speak to us about?”
***
Next Chapter: "Ch 9: To A New Home"
OH MY GOD. So yeah, she's hysterical, ok? XD I'm sorry for this, but it is an unexpected update in the middle of November so I hope that appeases you guys! This is a relatively short chapter (indeed, the second shortest after Ch 1, and followed by Ch 6) but it's something! The good stuff will be next, I assure you. I hope you're all hanging in here with me. I love you all!
Pairings: Aoi x Uruha
Writer: black_prophet (Midsummer_Slave)
Genre: AU, Sci-Fi with Angst & Smut
Rating: R (Mentioned prostitution/murder/injury)
Warning: Rated R for prostitution, mentioned sex acts, violence, injury and murder, and smut.
Dedication: This is for onichick, because I still blame her. Also to thesilveramazon, because she's in pain and I want to make her feel better. And to all the readers who have been waiting!!
Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, claim to own The GazettE (though I do have several CDs & Concert DVDs and a LOT of pictures). They belong to themselves and each other. This fic and the world it is set in is completely the product of my imagination. I do all my own stunts writing. Please do not attempt these techniques at home. No Beta (sorry for mistakes, I try to spare you).
Previous Chapters: "Ch 1: Asking" "Ch 2: The Beauty & The Hunter" "Ch 3: First Sight" "Ch 4: Friendship, Ruin & A Promise" "Ch 5: Payment For Suffering & Tales Between Friends" "Ch 6: Reality In Dreams" "Ch 7: Awakening & Oaths" "Ch 8: Beginnings & Interruptions"
***
Healed. The word hummed through Aoi’s mind, bouncing off the edges of other thoughts and echoing in his brain like a shout in a cavern. He blinked, frowning faintly as it echoed back to him again. Kouyou was healed. His Uruha, his Beauty, was healed.
He could feel the lines of scar tissue, the faint map of the wounds, beneath his fingertips. But still, something in him refused to believe it, until he had seen it with his own eyes. Laila had already said that her gift was not so great, that it would take more work to seal all the red back behind golden skin, where it belonged.
In amusement, Kouyou watched the DarkKin’s eyes narrow in something that was a mix of disbelief and distrust. Disbelief that he was fully healed? A distrust in Laila’s gifts? Kouyou wasn’t sure, but he lifted his brows and widened his eyes, giving his mate a look that was -mostly- without contrived innocence.
Dark eyes narrowed even further, a low sound of disbelief rumbling in the other’s throat. “I do not trust that look.”
“What is not to trust?” Kouyou returned in a soft voice, his breath becoming slightly unsteady as he watched pale fingers slide out from under the cloth of his shirt once again. Panic gripped at his guts suddenly, as sharp and biting as the blade that had ravaged him two days past. ’Stay, please stay with me. Don’t leave, not now and not ever… I crave you.’
The flash of terror that flared in those golden eyes made Aoi halt, his fingertips lingering just beyond the edge of the clothing. Misreading the fear, he withdrew, freezing when the Arch’s hand shot out and caught his wrist. Tension made the muscles in his shoulders tighten, body poised leaning over the golden-haired one.
“Don’t.” Kouyou whispered. “Don’t go.”
“Go?” Aoi growled, tsking as he relaxed. “Trust me, Beauty, I have no intention of going anywhere.”
Kouyou considered him for a moment, most of the tension draining away from him even though he intended to hold on to it. Yuu hadn’t lied to him, not once. Each moment they’d been together, the DarkKin had been swearing to save and protect him, and not one moment had been a lie. Three days of truth, balanced against the lies that made up the rest of his life.
Licking his lips, the Arch shifted slightly. “So, what are your intentions?”
Patiently, Yuu returned the look. He didn’t answer the question, simply waited with a perfect stillness that would have done a statue proud.
Trust. Kouyou sighed, and released Yuu’s wrist with a faint nod.
“Better.” The DarkKin murmured, his fingertips sliding up to pluck loose the lowest button on the shirt. Shielded by only the thin barrier of fabric, the muscles in Kouyou’s stomach jumped and shivered, teased by his barely-there touch as the DarkKin freed another button.
Kouyou smiled faintly, fighting the shiver as he murmured a reply, soft but sarcastic. “So glad you approve.”
“Sharp tempered thing, aren’t you?” Aoi chuckled, freeing another button and nudging the two halves of the shirt out of the way. He paused to tilt his head to one side, admiring the uninterrupted view of soft-golden skin from the waist of Kouyou’s pants to his throat.
“I’ve never had it put quite so gently.” The Arch muttered, his tone a mix of teasing amusement and mocking doubt. ‘Sharp tempered indeed… What does that make you?’
Noting how Aoi’s eyes lingered on his starred stomach, the Arch felt a bolt of shame shoot through him. Lifting one hand, he splayed it over the injuries in an attempt to shield them, wondering if perhaps it was foolish for the striking DarkKin to overlook them.
“Ah-ah.” Aoi hissed in disapproval, giving the Arch the look he deserved. “Hiding from me? I think not, GoldenOne. I have seen you as they bled, you will not rob me of the right to see them healed.”
Kouyou couldn’t help the stubborn expression that flitted over his features, a pout his second reaction. “They’re ugly, the scars.”
“You are beautiful with your scars, my GoldenOne, they tell the story of a survivor. I found you that night, in the street; I know very well the depths of your courage.” Aoi reminded the suddenly-skittish male, shifting where he was crouched on his hands and knees, lowering his head until his black hair danced over golden skin. “I know how it hurt me -in a moment- to see the proud and beautiful creature I knew injured and near death. And yet? Still so strong, so endlessly proud and regal. Oh make no mistake, beauty, I would rather you had never been harmed at all. But you have survived, which is all we can do when something like this happens.”
Kouyou allowed the DarkKin to gently nudge aside one hand, and then let the other fall away until it was resting on the bed once more. With the shirt parted, he was left bare to Yuu’s gaze, and the older male seemed to savor every moment of it. Black eyes stroked lingering paths over each scar, committing them to memory.
Aoi took note of each of the silvery-white lines of the Kin’s injuries, and how they stood out against the otherwise-flawless gold, a permanent tale of his near-death. They made rage flavor the DarkKin’s thoughts, anger stirring low in his gut as he examined those scars. Marks that cut into his mate’s flesh and pride, marks he could have prevented. True enough, the one who had made them was dead, had been punished by Aoi’s own hand and then given over to hellhounds.
But still, he could not undo those lines.
Never again.
“You’re thinking too hard.” Kouyou murmured, his hand moving to trace along the DarkKin’s jaw.
“Sorry, Beauty.” Aoi smiled, bowing his head to brush his lips along each line. “I am so sorry, for these.”
“I don’t want apologies.” Kouyou replied, shaking his head. “However… If you want to make it up to me, you won’t stop doing that.”
“What, touching you?” Aoi laughed, his breath flowing over the golden skin in a warm rush and tempting a shiver out of the Arch. “Oh trust me, Beauty, there is no danger of that…”
A firm knock on the door made them both growl, and immediately two pairs of eyes shot to the door as one voice barked. “What!?”
Takeshi Laila stepped through the door and gave them a firmly disapproving look. “Don’t you bark at me, young men. I may be old, but I’m still well enough to teach you better with this cane of mine.”
Aoi sighed, lowering his body until he gently lay over Uruha’s form, face pressed gently against the silvery scars. I suppose this will have to wait.
**
Laila smiled -more to herself than anyone- as she settled into a chair in the small sitting area they had arranged in Uruha’s room. The sensual comfort of the place had not been altered, but the low lights were turned a little brighter and a serviceable chair brought in for her to sit on, facing the couch where her Kitten already sat. Aoi had been nearly glued to Kouyou’s side since her entry, only leaving him on the couch in favor of bringing in Laila’s chair.
“I’m not hurt anymore.” Kouyou argued softly. “I could have carried it.”
“That is not the point.” The DarkKin replied. “I want you to rest, and so you will rest. It costs me nothing to bring in the chair.”
“You’re coddling me.” Instantly the golden Kin pouted.
Aoi smirked, leaning over for a fierce kiss. “For now, yes. I expect you to accept it in good grace, my Beauty. I will coddle you, and when we are alone I will exhaust you, and then I will let you rest, and then we will train.”
Kouyou shivered at the idea of being ‘exhausted’, and then frowned as the rest of the words sank in. “Train?”
Aoi settled on the couch, pulling Kouyou closer to his side until they were pressed together like one being. “I never again wish to see you hurt, Kouyou. If the time comes that you face an enemy without me, I want him dead before I get there, and I want him to not have had the slightest chance to lay his hands on you.”
Staring up at Aoi as he settled into the DarkKin’s embrace, Kouyou smiled faintly to himself. ‘That suits me just fine… I’d rather not be trapped in bed for three days.’
‘Do not mistake me, love, you will still be trapped in bed for three days.’ Aoi replied in a purring tone, though his gaze was politely fixed on Laila. ‘But it will not be due to injury. We will be quite active, I assure you.’
Laila watched her golden kitten blush, and smiled faintly as she arched a challenging brow at the DarkKin that faced her with a patient expression. “Are you two quite finished?”
“Since you interrupted us before we could even start, I trust you know the answer to that question, Madam.” Aoi returned. “Now then, what did you wish to speak to us about?”
***
Next Chapter: "Ch 9: To A New Home"
OH MY GOD. So yeah, she's hysterical, ok? XD I'm sorry for this, but it is an unexpected update in the middle of November so I hope that appeases you guys! This is a relatively short chapter (indeed, the second shortest after Ch 1, and followed by Ch 6) but it's something! The good stuff will be next, I assure you. I hope you're all hanging in here with me. I love you all!