Ikigai (Hiei x OC)

*LOVE AND MORI*

The sound of the crickets growing louder pulled Airi out of her dream. It had been a good dream, and as the sweetness of it melted away, it was replaced by the sanctity of Hiei's stomach gently rising and falling below her. Her hand, between his head and the pillow, was numb, but she didn't mind - she would rather lose it completely than wake him. She let his breath carry her, beginning to nod off again before realizing that it was late afternoon and she had not made a bit of progress on the work Genkai assigned her.

Patiently, she waited for him to stir. It was impossible for her to reconcile how much she'd missed the feeling of his skin against her own. His warmth - that radiating, beautiful warmth, surrounded her fully. Her right cheek lay against his chest, and the view out of the window completed the moment of utter perfection. The sun, just starting to retire for the day, had fallen between the tree branches and shone on them like an ethereal spotlight. Casting its golden glow across the room, it seemed to sink right into her. If she could have chosen a time in her life to freeze forever, it would have been this one.

His arms, which had fallen to his sides as he drifted to sleep, slid around her back, and a soft exhale escaped her. Filled with unparalleled happiness, she pressed tiny kisses on his cheek, his jaw, his neck. Feeling the corner of his mouth tug into a small smile, she kissed that, too.

Being this close to him, she could sense something troubled him, and credited it to a bad dream. He had been so content when he'd last been awake. Knowing he probably wouldn't want to talk about it, she inched up his body until her lips were on his. His fingers twisted themselves in her hair, and she started to kiss him with a clear message.

He received it, and asked, "Are you sure?"

She broke away from him to nod, getting lost in his fiery eyes, which were striking, reflecting the resplendent sunlight. They pulled her in as he rolled over her, kissing her softly and unbuttoning her pants. He slid them off slowly, like he was in a daze. It was not his usual energy – something about him had changed.

Lips moved up her body, brushing lightly against each of her nipples before finding their home. His mouth on hers was delicate. Adoring. In the past, he'd made her feel desired, ravished, impassioned, desperate... but never this. Never loved.

Tears trickled uninvited down her the sides of her face, and she hoped he wouldn't notice. It would be a tragedy to stop this. Without pausing the kiss or opening his eyes, his thumbs wiped them away, and new ones took their place. Her heart pounded as he reached down to position himself, the intensity of the intimacy making her nervous. Somehow, it felt like this was their first time.

His arms slid beneath her, pressing his chest to hers. At the same time his tongue breached her lips, he entered her, and finally, she was full of him again. A chill ran through her, settling in her stomach, which fluttered uncontrollably.

"Oh, Hiei," she whispered, lips to his ear.

His hips moved slowly, every stroke a masterpiece, his breath calm and purposeful. He left a sweet kiss on her face, absorbing another tear that had fallen from the corner of her eye. This was not sex, not as she knew it. It was spiritual; his feelings made physical. She untied the cloth around his forehead, letting it drop to the bed below.

He buried his head in her neck, the tickle of his hair on her face making her smile. She ran her hands over his back, fingertips relishing the movement of his muscles as they supported him above her. Her hips fell into a rhythm with his, helping him get deeper. The vibration of a moan on her neck had her fingers digging into him, and his clenched beneath her. They held on to one another as tightly as two people could.

She was breathless, addicted to the feeling of him needing her as much as she needed him. The room around her, magnificent in its orange blaze, paled in comparison to the splendor of his affection. His wards dropped, and she let hers crumble, their energies dancing around each another before merging into one. She felt everything he did, and he her. They both gasped, the shared sensation overpowering. How lucky they were, to experience this.