It wasn't easy. Even in death, the demon was reluctant to surrender its tribute. Orihime clasped Marlon's arm in return with both her hands, fighting with all her strength to break free. The creature was dropping, slowly, and it was a gamble as to whether its spasms would release her or crush her.
"Nnnngh...!" Her fingers tightened.
The demon's roar turned into a gurgling whimper, and for just a moment, its fingers twitched. Marlon was able to yank her free, sending her colliding into his chest with a muffled grunt of impact. But once she was there, she clung to him, and clung tightly, gasping for breath. That had been so dangerous. He'd almost died! If anything had gone wrong...just one little thing!...Marlon would have surely been killed. It made her sick to think about it. So she held on for dear life, burying her face against his chest to treasure the feel of the heart beating within.
If she could have, she would have been content to just hold to him, and be held by him, for hours upon hours, even with the demon's rotting stench. She'd almost lost him. She'd almost lost everything. But he'd saved her against all odds, and her heart was overflowing. Fate must have truly favored the two of them to survive all of that, and still be together.
But as she heard the sound of heavy boots thudding against the ground, she knew they had to get up, fast, and get out. As awful as it was to be threatened with marriage to a demon, the demon had nonetheless protected the town from danger. The townsfolk wouldn't be too thrilled to find that their protector had been killed for the sake of one common girl.
"Marlon-san...can you stand? We have to go," she urged him gently, lifting her head to look at him. She placed a hand on his cheek. "We have to."
Orihime winced at the clearly visible pain on his face. She hated to do this to him, but the alternative if they didn't move was far worse. She slipped her hand free from his to put an arm around his waist, providing him a slim shoulder to lean on. Once they were safe, she'd take care of everything. They probably didn't even need to ride all that far, so long as they put a few miles between themselves and the town. On a motorcycle, that wouldn't take long at all.
"Let me drive," Orihime offered gently, bunching up her skirts so she could sling her leg over the bike without getting the fabric sucked into the engine or the wheel spokes. "Just hold onto me, okay, Marlon-san?"
Orihime smiled, somewhat apologetic, as she felt his weight rest against her. She wouldn't go too fast, then. They didn't really need to if they were to outrun people on foot. It would take them time to find mounts, and by then, she hoped to be long gone with Marlon.
Besides, she'd never driven before. She'd only observed Marlon do it countless times, but apparently that was good enough. The engine growled as she turned the key, softening into a purr, and then Orihime took her foot from the ground as they sped away.
Her heart was still pounding even as they left the town behind in a puff of dust. Eventually it would sink in just how close she'd come to being a demon's bride, but for now, all she could think about was finding a place they could be safe.
About an hour later, Orihime spotted an abandoned farmer's field. The plants had grown wild, and the weeds were threatening to choke them out. The house itself had been burned, now nothing more than a fractured black skeletal frame. The place had probably been raided by goblins long ago. It would make a good place to rest and hide for now. Slowing down the bike, she turned it toward the barn. It seemed to have survived the raid, probably because of the animals or grain that had once been inside.
Little remained, but there was still hay. It would have to do, at least until Marlon was feeling better.
She helped him off of the bike, clearing a space on the floor for him to lie down. She leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, before the petals of her hairpin broke away to form a gold dome above his body. At least she could still heal.
She kept the shield up perhaps a little longer than necessary, just to be sure he's all right. When she was at last satisfied with the clarity of his eyes, the evenness of his breathing, and the healthy color of his skin, she let the shield vanish. Heedless of the stains she'd put on the white dress, Orihime laid down beside him, curling up against his side with an arm draped around his middle.
"Better?" she asked softly, letting her head rest upon his shoulder.
"I'm definitely okay!" she laughed quietly, her joy almost childlike at the feel of his hand resting protectively on her head. "Definitely." She was going to ask him if he wanted to keep going further until they could reach another town with an inn, but it seemed pretty obvious that he wasn't going anywhere until he got some sleep. So she held him close to keep him warm.
"You were amazing, you know. You took down a demon all by yourself, with just a motorcycle and a knife! It was a huge surprise." But a very good one. She listened to the sound of his breathing, feeling the up and down movements of his stomach beneath her arm. It was comforting to her.
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"Nnnngh...!" Her fingers tightened.
The demon's roar turned into a gurgling whimper, and for just a moment, its fingers twitched. Marlon was able to yank her free, sending her colliding into his chest with a muffled grunt of impact. But once she was there, she clung to him, and clung tightly, gasping for breath. That had been so dangerous. He'd almost died! If anything had gone wrong...just one little thing!...Marlon would have surely been killed. It made her sick to think about it. So she held on for dear life, burying her face against his chest to treasure the feel of the heart beating within.
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But as she heard the sound of heavy boots thudding against the ground, she knew they had to get up, fast, and get out. As awful as it was to be threatened with marriage to a demon, the demon had nonetheless protected the town from danger. The townsfolk wouldn't be too thrilled to find that their protector had been killed for the sake of one common girl.
"Marlon-san...can you stand? We have to go," she urged him gently, lifting her head to look at him. She placed a hand on his cheek. "We have to."
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"Let me drive," Orihime offered gently, bunching up her skirts so she could sling her leg over the bike without getting the fabric sucked into the engine or the wheel spokes. "Just hold onto me, okay, Marlon-san?"
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Besides, she'd never driven before. She'd only observed Marlon do it countless times, but apparently that was good enough. The engine growled as she turned the key, softening into a purr, and then Orihime took her foot from the ground as they sped away.
Her heart was still pounding even as they left the town behind in a puff of dust. Eventually it would sink in just how close she'd come to being a demon's bride, but for now, all she could think about was finding a place they could be safe.
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Little remained, but there was still hay. It would have to do, at least until Marlon was feeling better.
She helped him off of the bike, clearing a space on the floor for him to lie down. She leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, before the petals of her hairpin broke away to form a gold dome above his body. At least she could still heal.
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"Better?" she asked softly, letting her head rest upon his shoulder.
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"You were amazing, you know. You took down a demon all by yourself, with just a motorcycle and a knife! It was a huge surprise." But a very good one. She listened to the sound of his breathing, feeling the up and down movements of his stomach beneath her arm. It was comforting to her.
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