Femslash for a Sunday night. ♥
Title: Goodnight, Kanu
Pairing: Shiryuu/Kanu (Ikki Tousen)
Rating: R
Summary: Shiryuu knows that Kanu's heart belongs to someone else. She's just not sure it matters.
a/n ~ thanks to sumeragiskank for turning me on to boobs and panty shots. And happy belated birthday to venivincere. I wrote this in a couple of hours and gave it the fast and dirty edit. Love it for the girltouching, if nothing else. For those of you who are not familiar with the anime or manga, I'm including accompanying visual stimulation. How considerate am I? :D
Kanu slept lightly; she always had. Over the years, her sensitivity to sound, to noise - to the slightest disruption - had become merely another constant that she'd used in perfecting her ability to guard and serve the most important person in her life. Upon awakening that night, immediately alert and braced for any surprise, her first coherent thought had been of Gentoku Ryuubi.
She leaned over, touched the prim, folded edge of the blanket that covered Ryuubi's arms and tilted her head to catch the sleepy sigh on Ryuubi's lips. Forward in the darkness as she would never be in the bright light of day, Kanu smoothed Ryuubi's hair back to stroke the small, cold shell of her ear.
"Kan-san," Ryuubi murmured and there, in the shadow of such privacy, Kanu could smile.
She rose quietly, reaching for her yukata and glancing again at Ryuubi's still form while she belted her clothing and shook her hair back. Near the door, she glanced at the other futon where Ekitoku slept soundly and lifted her blade from the wall.
On the steps, Kanu listened carefully, feet light on the rough wood when she turned her gaze to the treetops and the moon just above. The wind was high; it rustled the tree's leaves and sent the smaller ones swaying. It whistled across the valley, eerie, haunting, though it offered no hint of rain. None of that, however, had been the reason Kanu had awakened. The sounds she'd heard - footsteps, rustling along the periphery of the grounds - had been too deliberate for an enemy and yet not purposeful enough to have been accidental.
Bare feet cold on the ground now, she held her weapon in a loose, passive grip and gazed out into the darkness of the woods. Whoever had called her out would appear soon enough, she knew. Otherwise, she would already be engaged in battle.
After a moment, she turned as though to return to the futon she shared with Ryuubi, and the voice that reached her halted her footsteps.
"What if I'd been a threat?"
Turning again, Kanu swept Shiryuu with a cursory glance and rested her blade against her shoulder. "Perhaps you are," she returned neutrally.
Stepping into the clearing, fingers linked behind her, Shiryuu appeared almost impossibly pale in the moonlight. Even her clothing appeared nearly colorless, hidden so effectively by her hair. She wore her blade strapped to her back; Kanu could see it easily.
"I didn't mean to wake you," Shiryuu told her, head tilted. She'd yet to open her eyes.
Kanu remained silent and still while the wind whipped around her. It lifted her hair, wrapped her yukata tight at her legs. Shiryuu smiled; Kanu never fell victim to her false sincerity.
"Call me a liar," she teased. "Go ahead."
"I don't need to," Kanu said and Shiryuu took a few steps forward. The wind made easy conversation impossible between them. At least, Shiryuu silently amended, the wind was one of two things that made easy conversation impossible between them. She was determined not to mention either. Kanu wasn't much for idle banter and the other obstacle she might mention was off-limits.
"Go back to bed, Kanu," she said, knowing she should have stayed away. This tension between them was something that Kanu was unable to perceive. There were only two things that mattered to her: her responsibilities as a toushi and Gentoku Ryuubi. The wind blew strands of her hair when she turned and her blade bounced against her back. Shiryuu opened her eyes.
"You came to me," Kanu reminded her, voice low.
When Shiryuu turned this time, Kanu was just behind her. This close, Shiryuu was hard-pressed to look away. "It was my mistake. Forget it."
When she looked away, Kanu gripped her arm and though it wasn't painful, Shiryuu recognized Kanu's unwillingness to play games. It would have been easy enough to pull free, but Shiryuu did not resist.
"Do you ever sleep?" Kanu asked.
Surprised, Shiryuu nodded. "Of course." And, as an afterthought, "I shouldn't have come."
"Something's troubling you," Kanu said, matter-of-fact. Shiryuu could see the goosebumps along her chest where her yukata had slipped and she didn't bother to conceal her fascination.
Gripping Kanu's forearm, Shiryuu met her gaze intently enough that Kanu colored faintly. She did not, however, look away. "Will you come with me?"
"Where?" Kanu asked, but Shiryuu was already leading her away.
"Not far," she promised. "I want to show you something."
Over the ground, past the clearing and into the forest beyond, Kanu followed silently. Amidst the trees and the soft, forest floor, it was soothing. Warmer. Inside the forest, they were safe from the wind.
After a few moments, Shiryuu stopped and though they were no longer touching, she didn't stray far. Head down, she seemed disinterested in witty banter and Kanu watched in silence as she flicked the catch at her shoulder and her sword slid free of its sheath to drop at Shiryuu's feet.
"Something's wrong," Kanu said. "What is it?"
Shoulders lifting in silent amusement, Shiryuu risked a sideways glance at Kanu. "Nothing that you would consider urgent."
Things had been good lately. Without the threat of Sousou looming over them, things had been relatively normal. Kanu had relaxed the rigid training schedule she'd labored under for months and had taken time to do those things that Ryuubi seemed to love so much. As odd as it had seemed at first, Kanu had grown to appreciate long, quiet hours spent with Ryuubi while she consumed novel after novel after novel. Every so often, she'd look up, eyes unfocused from reading too fast for too long and she'd smile so sweetly, so innocently. And Kanu would fall in love with her all over again. It was true that no one would ever consider her the romantic sort, but looking at Ryuubi, being around Ryuubi, Kanu had begun to understand the difference between love and obligation.
But it was Shiryuu she stood with now, not Ryuubi, and she frowned, embarrassed to have allowed her thoughts to wander when her comrade had sought her out in so secret a manner.
"Kanu," Shiryuu began suddenly, turning to face her and standing closer than was her habit. Her breath came faster, her heartbeat picked up. From far away, Kanu was hard to ignore. Up close, she was breathtaking. Her pretty, expressive eyes that gave away all that her careful expressions did not, the shape of her face, her lips - Shiryuu often wondered if Gentoku Ryuubi knew how lucky she'd been to receive Kanu's loyalty. Kanu's heart.
"Have things between you and Gentoku changed?"
Predictably, Kanu looked away, scowl firmly in place. "I don't know what-"
"Does she accept you?" Shiryuu clarified, stepping closer still to feel the thin fabric of Kanu's yukata against her knees. "Does she know what sort of love you feel for her?"
Biting her lip, brows drawn in obvious distress, Kanu maintained her silence. Shiryuu sighed and rested her head against Kanu's shoulder, though she made no further advances. "Kanu," she whispered, breath hot against Kanu's yukata.
"Why won't you tell her?" she asked, brave and desperate when she turned her head to press her lips to Kanu's collarbone. "Why do you torture yourself?"
Kanu didn't answer, didn't push her away - not that Shiryuu had anticipated that she would. Her question wasn't anything that she couldn't answer herself, she'd merely wanted to hear Kanu say it.
The truth was that Kanu was completely unaware that she was denying herself at all. From her perspective, she was doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing and nothing else mattered. Shiryuu often wondered if Kanu thought of anything other than destiny and honor and duty, even when she knew very well that she didn't. If Shiryuu were going to be completely honest, she would admit that those were the very things she admired about Kanu.
"Keep your secret," she said, slipping two fingers into Kanu's belt and tugging the fabric free. "I'll keep it for you."
Kanu exhaled and Shiryuu pressed closer. Prying Kanu's fingers away from her blade proved to be more of a task than getting her yukata open but when the blade clattered to the ground atop Shiryuu's, she had both hands free to do whatever she wished.
Gripping her shoulder, Kanu stared, wide-eyed, as Shiryuu slid both hands along her ribcage to rest just beneath her breasts. She caught her breath when Shiryuu pressed her mouth against the skin she'd bared just over Kanu's heart and she made no move to push Shiryuu away.
She touched Kanu's hair, kissed her neck before kneeling at Kanu's feet. Resting her hands at Kanu's hips, she rubbed her face against Kanu's modest white panties and closed her eyes. Stealing a moment to breathe her in, to touch her body, Shiryuu kissed her belly and nipped at her hipbone. Kanu sucked in a breath and grew perfectly still. Braver still, Shiryuu looked up at Kanu, tilting her head when Kanu's hair slid against her neck and shoulder. Whether or not Gentoku chose to acknowledge it, Kanu suppressed the sort of passion that most people would never experience in their lives. This was Kanu's dragon, this part of her that Gentoku was too naive to see. And Shiryuu would be the first to experience it.
Taking her hand, Shiryuu tugged and, after only a moment's hesitation, Kanu knelt beside her. She parted her lips, as though she intended to protest, and Shiryuu leaned forward to grip both her shoulders and press her mouth to Kanu's. It wasn't really a kiss - not at first - but then Kanu licked her lips and Shiryuu made some soft sound in the back of her throat and it become something new. Something undeniable and uncontrollable.
Touching Kanu's sides, her ribs, pushing the yukata off her shoulders to bare her arms, Shiryuu shifted closer, rising to her knees and tilting her head to deepen their kiss. Finally, finally, Kanu bunched the back of Shiryuu's vest in her hands and Shiryuu climbed into her lap to straddle her thighs.
She pulled back to stare down at Kanu, hesitating only for a moment before reaching behind her to grip the back of her vest and tug it over her head. Lips wet and full and pink, Kanu could only stare back as Shiryuu unfastened the buttons of her shirt.
Kanu wanted to say something - anything - Shiryuu could see it in her eyes, but she held her silence, for which Shiryuu was thankful. This wasn't about unrequited love or misplaced emotions. It was about something else entirely, something Sousou had coveted but had been entirely unable to evoke.
Shiryuu was not Sousou.
"I know you love her," she said, cupping her own breasts and arching her back. "I know what she is to you."
Swallowing, Kanu sat up a little straighter, unconcerned with her yukata, and took Shiryuu's hands in her own. "Just for tonight."
It wasn't a negotiation. Nodding once, Shiryuu leaned in to kiss her again, cautious when she touched Kanu now. Stroking the sides of her breasts with her thumbs, she moaned against Kanu's mouth when Kanu slid both hands up her thighs. She was slow, hesitant, stopping when the tips of her fingers disappeared beneath the edge of Shiryuu's skirt. It was give and take - play for play - and Shiryuu knew that Kanu would follow her lead.
Covering Kanu's nipples with her hands, Shiryuu broke the kiss to look into her eyes, squeezing carefully before bending her head to press soft kisses to the swell of her breasts. Kanu shifted beneath her, gripping her hips beneath her skirt. Her nipples were hard against Shiryuu's palms and she spread her knees restlessly. Knees digging into the ground beneath them, Shiryuu sucked one nipple between her lips, biting gently, and Kanu tipped her head back. She bit her lip to stifle the sound she might have made and Shiryuu leaned forward to hook one arm around her neck.
She kissed her neck - small, biting little kisses that proclaimed a moment's possession but would leave no telling marks - and rolled one nipple between her thumb and forefinger. Kanu squirmed, gasping quietly, and Shiryuu withdrew. She retreated slowly, easing onto her back to brace herself on her elbows and when Kanu could only stare - cheeks flushed and eyes half-closed - Shiryuu slid her feet along the ground to spread her legs.
She heard Kanu's swift intake of breath and she tilted her head, beckoning her closer. "Touch me," she murmured and Kanu leaned forward. With one hand on the ground and the other tentative at Shiryuu's belly, she moved closer still until she knelt between Shiryuu's legs. She was apprehensive, but Shiryuu could feel her curiosity, her carefully repressed desire and blatant interest.
Her hair was heavy and dark over Shiryuu's shoulders when Kanu bent to nuzzle at her breasts and when she cupped one and began to suck and kiss at the other, Shiryuu arched her back and hooked both legs around the backs of Kanu's thighs.
"Yes," she whispered, reaching between them to touch Kanu's belly and toy with the edges of her underwear. Kanu nudged further between her thighs, both hands on Shiryuu's breasts when she kissed her neck, her shoulder. She made no move to kiss Shiryuu's mouth and Shiryuu smiled, biting her lip when Kanu bit her shoulder. Kanu would reserve whatever reverence she intended to offer Gentoku, Shiryuu knew her too well to mistake her careful avoidance for anything else.
She moved then, sudden and insistent, rolling Kanu to her back and sprawling over her. She kissed her hard - fuck Gentoku Ryuubi - and slipped one hand into her panties, holding her immobile with the strength and weight of her own body. That Kanu could free herself if she so desired wasn't anything that Shiryuu deluded herself about, but the arch of her body and the slick heat between her legs gave Shiryuu every indication that even the purest sort of love could pale beside so intense a desire.
Kanu didn't fight her when she eased her panties down her thighs, over her knees and feet and she spread her legs for Shiryuu when she touched her again, panting and murmuring in that low, quiet voice that made Shiryuu crazy.
She sucked her nipples again, squeezing her breasts, lifting them to her lips to kiss and bite and when Kanu shifted, one foot resting against the back of Shiryuu's calf, she couldn't wait, couldn't tease any longer. She lifted Kanu's legs, pushing against the backs of her thighs to settle between them and she was barely aware of Kanu's hand in her hair when she spread her open to lick and suck at her.
Back arched, Kanu sucked in a breath and fisted both hands in Shiryuu's hair. Every line of her body pulled taut and when Shiryuu gripped her ass to hold her in place, she spread her legs wide. Digging her heels into the soft ground beneath them, Kanu trembled, attempting to anchor herself somehow while Shiryuu did just that with nothing more than her lips and her tongue.
Kanu was hot, slick - so wet that Shiryuu felt that she could sink into her, right then, right there - and when she curled her tongue inside her, Kanu stiffened. No longer did she bite her lips to stifle the sounds she made and, distantly, Shiryuu wondered if they might be discovered. She slipped one hand into her own panties, though, touching herself the way she wished Kanu would touch her, and knew she wouldn't care if they were.
Restless before her, so, so wet and open and ready for it, Kanu tightened her fingers in Shiryuu's hair and cried out roughly. Her voice broke and Shiryuu moaned against her, wanting so badly, in that moment, to be man enough to get Kanu on all fours to fuck her hard. It was easy to forget that Kanu would never, ever allow it. Very easy to forget when Kanu was so slippery against her mouth and crying out for someone who wasn't Shiryuu.
She dug her nails into Kanu's hip, wanting to lose herself in the feel and the taste of her, grunting when she brought herself with just the pads of two fingers - her own fingers.
Head bowed, she turned her head to wipe her mouth against her forearm and peered up at Kanu from between her legs. Face still flushed, leaves and twigs clinging to her hair, Kanu sat up a little. She was breathing hard still and she shifted to close her legs at the knee. She didn't look shy; she looked shocked.
"Kanu," Shiryuu began. Her voice was raspy.
But Kanu was already getting to her feet. Her legs trembled and she didn't meet Shiryuu's eyes, but she was all grace and dignity when she slipped into her yukata again. Belting it efficiently, she shook her hair out and smoothed it down again before bending to retrieve both her weapon and Shiryuu's.
Buttoning her shirt slowly, Shiryuu made no move to pick up her vest just as she made no move to rise to her feet. Standing over her, Kanu held out a hand for her though she didn't offer her a single word.
Shiryuu took her weapon and shook her head when Kanu continue to offer her a hand up.
"Goodnight, Kanu," she murmured.
Hesitating, Kanu stared down at her for a moment before turning to pick her way through the forest again. She left Shiryuu behind, sprawled among dead leaves and cool grass with her clothes in disarray and the taste of Kanu sticky on her tongue. She wasn't unaware and could, in fact, well imagine how Shiryuu must feel watching Kanu walk away. But then, she'd known what she was getting herself into. Just as Kanu had known.
Cleaning herself as best and as quickly and quietly as she could, Kanu padded across the floor of the room she shared with Ryuubi and Ekitoku. Her feet were cold, but clean, when she eased into her futon again. Taking a deep breath, she gazed into the darkness and could still smell the scent of the forest on her.
When Ryuubi shifted, moving closer beneath the heavy blankets they shared, her legs were cold against Kanu's. When Kanu turned her head, seeing easily into the darkness, she caught her breath.
Ryuubi was awake, too.
Pairing: Shiryuu/Kanu (Ikki Tousen)
Rating: R
Summary: Shiryuu knows that Kanu's heart belongs to someone else. She's just not sure it matters.
a/n ~ thanks to sumeragiskank for turning me on to boobs and panty shots. And happy belated birthday to venivincere. I wrote this in a couple of hours and gave it the fast and dirty edit. Love it for the girltouching, if nothing else. For those of you who are not familiar with the anime or manga, I'm including accompanying visual stimulation. How considerate am I? :D
Kanu slept lightly; she always had. Over the years, her sensitivity to sound, to noise - to the slightest disruption - had become merely another constant that she'd used in perfecting her ability to guard and serve the most important person in her life. Upon awakening that night, immediately alert and braced for any surprise, her first coherent thought had been of Gentoku Ryuubi.
She leaned over, touched the prim, folded edge of the blanket that covered Ryuubi's arms and tilted her head to catch the sleepy sigh on Ryuubi's lips. Forward in the darkness as she would never be in the bright light of day, Kanu smoothed Ryuubi's hair back to stroke the small, cold shell of her ear.
"Kan-san," Ryuubi murmured and there, in the shadow of such privacy, Kanu could smile.
She rose quietly, reaching for her yukata and glancing again at Ryuubi's still form while she belted her clothing and shook her hair back. Near the door, she glanced at the other futon where Ekitoku slept soundly and lifted her blade from the wall.
On the steps, Kanu listened carefully, feet light on the rough wood when she turned her gaze to the treetops and the moon just above. The wind was high; it rustled the tree's leaves and sent the smaller ones swaying. It whistled across the valley, eerie, haunting, though it offered no hint of rain. None of that, however, had been the reason Kanu had awakened. The sounds she'd heard - footsteps, rustling along the periphery of the grounds - had been too deliberate for an enemy and yet not purposeful enough to have been accidental.
Bare feet cold on the ground now, she held her weapon in a loose, passive grip and gazed out into the darkness of the woods. Whoever had called her out would appear soon enough, she knew. Otherwise, she would already be engaged in battle.
After a moment, she turned as though to return to the futon she shared with Ryuubi, and the voice that reached her halted her footsteps.
"What if I'd been a threat?"
Turning again, Kanu swept Shiryuu with a cursory glance and rested her blade against her shoulder. "Perhaps you are," she returned neutrally.
Stepping into the clearing, fingers linked behind her, Shiryuu appeared almost impossibly pale in the moonlight. Even her clothing appeared nearly colorless, hidden so effectively by her hair. She wore her blade strapped to her back; Kanu could see it easily.
"I didn't mean to wake you," Shiryuu told her, head tilted. She'd yet to open her eyes.
Kanu remained silent and still while the wind whipped around her. It lifted her hair, wrapped her yukata tight at her legs. Shiryuu smiled; Kanu never fell victim to her false sincerity.
"Call me a liar," she teased. "Go ahead."
"I don't need to," Kanu said and Shiryuu took a few steps forward. The wind made easy conversation impossible between them. At least, Shiryuu silently amended, the wind was one of two things that made easy conversation impossible between them. She was determined not to mention either. Kanu wasn't much for idle banter and the other obstacle she might mention was off-limits.
"Go back to bed, Kanu," she said, knowing she should have stayed away. This tension between them was something that Kanu was unable to perceive. There were only two things that mattered to her: her responsibilities as a toushi and Gentoku Ryuubi. The wind blew strands of her hair when she turned and her blade bounced against her back. Shiryuu opened her eyes.
"You came to me," Kanu reminded her, voice low.
When Shiryuu turned this time, Kanu was just behind her. This close, Shiryuu was hard-pressed to look away. "It was my mistake. Forget it."
When she looked away, Kanu gripped her arm and though it wasn't painful, Shiryuu recognized Kanu's unwillingness to play games. It would have been easy enough to pull free, but Shiryuu did not resist.
"Do you ever sleep?" Kanu asked.
Surprised, Shiryuu nodded. "Of course." And, as an afterthought, "I shouldn't have come."
"Something's troubling you," Kanu said, matter-of-fact. Shiryuu could see the goosebumps along her chest where her yukata had slipped and she didn't bother to conceal her fascination.
Gripping Kanu's forearm, Shiryuu met her gaze intently enough that Kanu colored faintly. She did not, however, look away. "Will you come with me?"
"Where?" Kanu asked, but Shiryuu was already leading her away.
"Not far," she promised. "I want to show you something."
Over the ground, past the clearing and into the forest beyond, Kanu followed silently. Amidst the trees and the soft, forest floor, it was soothing. Warmer. Inside the forest, they were safe from the wind.
After a few moments, Shiryuu stopped and though they were no longer touching, she didn't stray far. Head down, she seemed disinterested in witty banter and Kanu watched in silence as she flicked the catch at her shoulder and her sword slid free of its sheath to drop at Shiryuu's feet.
"Something's wrong," Kanu said. "What is it?"
Shoulders lifting in silent amusement, Shiryuu risked a sideways glance at Kanu. "Nothing that you would consider urgent."
Things had been good lately. Without the threat of Sousou looming over them, things had been relatively normal. Kanu had relaxed the rigid training schedule she'd labored under for months and had taken time to do those things that Ryuubi seemed to love so much. As odd as it had seemed at first, Kanu had grown to appreciate long, quiet hours spent with Ryuubi while she consumed novel after novel after novel. Every so often, she'd look up, eyes unfocused from reading too fast for too long and she'd smile so sweetly, so innocently. And Kanu would fall in love with her all over again. It was true that no one would ever consider her the romantic sort, but looking at Ryuubi, being around Ryuubi, Kanu had begun to understand the difference between love and obligation.
But it was Shiryuu she stood with now, not Ryuubi, and she frowned, embarrassed to have allowed her thoughts to wander when her comrade had sought her out in so secret a manner.
"Kanu," Shiryuu began suddenly, turning to face her and standing closer than was her habit. Her breath came faster, her heartbeat picked up. From far away, Kanu was hard to ignore. Up close, she was breathtaking. Her pretty, expressive eyes that gave away all that her careful expressions did not, the shape of her face, her lips - Shiryuu often wondered if Gentoku Ryuubi knew how lucky she'd been to receive Kanu's loyalty. Kanu's heart.
"Have things between you and Gentoku changed?"
Predictably, Kanu looked away, scowl firmly in place. "I don't know what-"
"Does she accept you?" Shiryuu clarified, stepping closer still to feel the thin fabric of Kanu's yukata against her knees. "Does she know what sort of love you feel for her?"
Biting her lip, brows drawn in obvious distress, Kanu maintained her silence. Shiryuu sighed and rested her head against Kanu's shoulder, though she made no further advances. "Kanu," she whispered, breath hot against Kanu's yukata.
"Why won't you tell her?" she asked, brave and desperate when she turned her head to press her lips to Kanu's collarbone. "Why do you torture yourself?"
Kanu didn't answer, didn't push her away - not that Shiryuu had anticipated that she would. Her question wasn't anything that she couldn't answer herself, she'd merely wanted to hear Kanu say it.
The truth was that Kanu was completely unaware that she was denying herself at all. From her perspective, she was doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing and nothing else mattered. Shiryuu often wondered if Kanu thought of anything other than destiny and honor and duty, even when she knew very well that she didn't. If Shiryuu were going to be completely honest, she would admit that those were the very things she admired about Kanu.
"Keep your secret," she said, slipping two fingers into Kanu's belt and tugging the fabric free. "I'll keep it for you."
Kanu exhaled and Shiryuu pressed closer. Prying Kanu's fingers away from her blade proved to be more of a task than getting her yukata open but when the blade clattered to the ground atop Shiryuu's, she had both hands free to do whatever she wished.
Gripping her shoulder, Kanu stared, wide-eyed, as Shiryuu slid both hands along her ribcage to rest just beneath her breasts. She caught her breath when Shiryuu pressed her mouth against the skin she'd bared just over Kanu's heart and she made no move to push Shiryuu away.
She touched Kanu's hair, kissed her neck before kneeling at Kanu's feet. Resting her hands at Kanu's hips, she rubbed her face against Kanu's modest white panties and closed her eyes. Stealing a moment to breathe her in, to touch her body, Shiryuu kissed her belly and nipped at her hipbone. Kanu sucked in a breath and grew perfectly still. Braver still, Shiryuu looked up at Kanu, tilting her head when Kanu's hair slid against her neck and shoulder. Whether or not Gentoku chose to acknowledge it, Kanu suppressed the sort of passion that most people would never experience in their lives. This was Kanu's dragon, this part of her that Gentoku was too naive to see. And Shiryuu would be the first to experience it.
Taking her hand, Shiryuu tugged and, after only a moment's hesitation, Kanu knelt beside her. She parted her lips, as though she intended to protest, and Shiryuu leaned forward to grip both her shoulders and press her mouth to Kanu's. It wasn't really a kiss - not at first - but then Kanu licked her lips and Shiryuu made some soft sound in the back of her throat and it become something new. Something undeniable and uncontrollable.
Touching Kanu's sides, her ribs, pushing the yukata off her shoulders to bare her arms, Shiryuu shifted closer, rising to her knees and tilting her head to deepen their kiss. Finally, finally, Kanu bunched the back of Shiryuu's vest in her hands and Shiryuu climbed into her lap to straddle her thighs.
She pulled back to stare down at Kanu, hesitating only for a moment before reaching behind her to grip the back of her vest and tug it over her head. Lips wet and full and pink, Kanu could only stare back as Shiryuu unfastened the buttons of her shirt.
Kanu wanted to say something - anything - Shiryuu could see it in her eyes, but she held her silence, for which Shiryuu was thankful. This wasn't about unrequited love or misplaced emotions. It was about something else entirely, something Sousou had coveted but had been entirely unable to evoke.
Shiryuu was not Sousou.
"I know you love her," she said, cupping her own breasts and arching her back. "I know what she is to you."
Swallowing, Kanu sat up a little straighter, unconcerned with her yukata, and took Shiryuu's hands in her own. "Just for tonight."
It wasn't a negotiation. Nodding once, Shiryuu leaned in to kiss her again, cautious when she touched Kanu now. Stroking the sides of her breasts with her thumbs, she moaned against Kanu's mouth when Kanu slid both hands up her thighs. She was slow, hesitant, stopping when the tips of her fingers disappeared beneath the edge of Shiryuu's skirt. It was give and take - play for play - and Shiryuu knew that Kanu would follow her lead.
Covering Kanu's nipples with her hands, Shiryuu broke the kiss to look into her eyes, squeezing carefully before bending her head to press soft kisses to the swell of her breasts. Kanu shifted beneath her, gripping her hips beneath her skirt. Her nipples were hard against Shiryuu's palms and she spread her knees restlessly. Knees digging into the ground beneath them, Shiryuu sucked one nipple between her lips, biting gently, and Kanu tipped her head back. She bit her lip to stifle the sound she might have made and Shiryuu leaned forward to hook one arm around her neck.
She kissed her neck - small, biting little kisses that proclaimed a moment's possession but would leave no telling marks - and rolled one nipple between her thumb and forefinger. Kanu squirmed, gasping quietly, and Shiryuu withdrew. She retreated slowly, easing onto her back to brace herself on her elbows and when Kanu could only stare - cheeks flushed and eyes half-closed - Shiryuu slid her feet along the ground to spread her legs.
She heard Kanu's swift intake of breath and she tilted her head, beckoning her closer. "Touch me," she murmured and Kanu leaned forward. With one hand on the ground and the other tentative at Shiryuu's belly, she moved closer still until she knelt between Shiryuu's legs. She was apprehensive, but Shiryuu could feel her curiosity, her carefully repressed desire and blatant interest.
Her hair was heavy and dark over Shiryuu's shoulders when Kanu bent to nuzzle at her breasts and when she cupped one and began to suck and kiss at the other, Shiryuu arched her back and hooked both legs around the backs of Kanu's thighs.
"Yes," she whispered, reaching between them to touch Kanu's belly and toy with the edges of her underwear. Kanu nudged further between her thighs, both hands on Shiryuu's breasts when she kissed her neck, her shoulder. She made no move to kiss Shiryuu's mouth and Shiryuu smiled, biting her lip when Kanu bit her shoulder. Kanu would reserve whatever reverence she intended to offer Gentoku, Shiryuu knew her too well to mistake her careful avoidance for anything else.
She moved then, sudden and insistent, rolling Kanu to her back and sprawling over her. She kissed her hard - fuck Gentoku Ryuubi - and slipped one hand into her panties, holding her immobile with the strength and weight of her own body. That Kanu could free herself if she so desired wasn't anything that Shiryuu deluded herself about, but the arch of her body and the slick heat between her legs gave Shiryuu every indication that even the purest sort of love could pale beside so intense a desire.
Kanu didn't fight her when she eased her panties down her thighs, over her knees and feet and she spread her legs for Shiryuu when she touched her again, panting and murmuring in that low, quiet voice that made Shiryuu crazy.
She sucked her nipples again, squeezing her breasts, lifting them to her lips to kiss and bite and when Kanu shifted, one foot resting against the back of Shiryuu's calf, she couldn't wait, couldn't tease any longer. She lifted Kanu's legs, pushing against the backs of her thighs to settle between them and she was barely aware of Kanu's hand in her hair when she spread her open to lick and suck at her.
Back arched, Kanu sucked in a breath and fisted both hands in Shiryuu's hair. Every line of her body pulled taut and when Shiryuu gripped her ass to hold her in place, she spread her legs wide. Digging her heels into the soft ground beneath them, Kanu trembled, attempting to anchor herself somehow while Shiryuu did just that with nothing more than her lips and her tongue.
Kanu was hot, slick - so wet that Shiryuu felt that she could sink into her, right then, right there - and when she curled her tongue inside her, Kanu stiffened. No longer did she bite her lips to stifle the sounds she made and, distantly, Shiryuu wondered if they might be discovered. She slipped one hand into her own panties, though, touching herself the way she wished Kanu would touch her, and knew she wouldn't care if they were.
Restless before her, so, so wet and open and ready for it, Kanu tightened her fingers in Shiryuu's hair and cried out roughly. Her voice broke and Shiryuu moaned against her, wanting so badly, in that moment, to be man enough to get Kanu on all fours to fuck her hard. It was easy to forget that Kanu would never, ever allow it. Very easy to forget when Kanu was so slippery against her mouth and crying out for someone who wasn't Shiryuu.
She dug her nails into Kanu's hip, wanting to lose herself in the feel and the taste of her, grunting when she brought herself with just the pads of two fingers - her own fingers.
Head bowed, she turned her head to wipe her mouth against her forearm and peered up at Kanu from between her legs. Face still flushed, leaves and twigs clinging to her hair, Kanu sat up a little. She was breathing hard still and she shifted to close her legs at the knee. She didn't look shy; she looked shocked.
"Kanu," Shiryuu began. Her voice was raspy.
But Kanu was already getting to her feet. Her legs trembled and she didn't meet Shiryuu's eyes, but she was all grace and dignity when she slipped into her yukata again. Belting it efficiently, she shook her hair out and smoothed it down again before bending to retrieve both her weapon and Shiryuu's.
Buttoning her shirt slowly, Shiryuu made no move to pick up her vest just as she made no move to rise to her feet. Standing over her, Kanu held out a hand for her though she didn't offer her a single word.
Shiryuu took her weapon and shook her head when Kanu continue to offer her a hand up.
"Goodnight, Kanu," she murmured.
Hesitating, Kanu stared down at her for a moment before turning to pick her way through the forest again. She left Shiryuu behind, sprawled among dead leaves and cool grass with her clothes in disarray and the taste of Kanu sticky on her tongue. She wasn't unaware and could, in fact, well imagine how Shiryuu must feel watching Kanu walk away. But then, she'd known what she was getting herself into. Just as Kanu had known.
Cleaning herself as best and as quickly and quietly as she could, Kanu padded across the floor of the room she shared with Ryuubi and Ekitoku. Her feet were cold, but clean, when she eased into her futon again. Taking a deep breath, she gazed into the darkness and could still smell the scent of the forest on her.
When Ryuubi shifted, moving closer beneath the heavy blankets they shared, her legs were cold against Kanu's. When Kanu turned her head, seeing easily into the darkness, she caught her breath.
Ryuubi was awake, too.