endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 169

Vahn woke up a few minutes before the time when he could re-enter the orb. Looking to his right, he could see the small form of Tina cuddled up against his body, and he couldn't help but feel a protective instinct build up inside of him. He empathized with her since she had lost her father, and he also felt a melancholy in his heart whenever he thought about her mother. They had both treated him well in the past, and Vahn wished he could help the two of them find happiness in the future. Though he couldn't replace her father, Vahn wanted to help take care of the small cat girl that was supposed to be taking care of him.

Moving back her bangs with his hand, Vahn gave an affectionate kiss to Tina's forehead before he pulled out the orb and began thinking about what he could do to help Eva as well. He already had a plan in mind to help the original, but he wanted to be able to do something for the memory fragment as well. However, any solutions he came up with would be very selfish on his part, and even if he could preserve her memory, it wouldn't create a link between her and the original Eva.

Once the time for him to enter had arrived, Vahn focused his consciousness into the orb and opened his eyes in the black and white space contained within. The moment he arrived, Vahn felt the familiar presence of Eva next to him and, before he could say anything, she immediately took her preferred position on his stomach. Like before, she was wearing her black negligee as she looked down into his face with a moderately pleased expression.

She squinted her eyes a bit as she said, "Looks like you didn't keep me waiting for too long this time. I only had to wait a few extra days..." Before Vahn could say anything, Eva continued, "Don't say anything yet, let me just enjoy your warmth for now..." As she finished her words, Eva pressed herself against his body and just held him for a few minutes in silence.

After a bit of time had passed, Eva seemed to become a bit restless as she moved her face toward Vahn's neck and began her routine of kissing the same spot she always drew his blood. Though Vahn wasn't sure of the reason, Eva always drew blood from the left side of his neck and shoulder, perhaps due to the proximity of the area to his heart. Remembering that she 'wanted to enjoy his warmth', Vahn began putting effort into his [Heart of the Eternal] flame to make his body heat up rapidly.

In response, he could feel Eva's body temperature slowly begin to rise as a light layer of sweat began to cover her skin. Though Vahn had the urge to tease her or let his hands wander, he decided to just embrace her as she continued to suck his blood and kiss his neck. He noticed that she had started to mark his neck as she had done so previously, and it caused him a bit of discomfort whenever she would suck on his skin. He had seen his appearance after she performed that act previously, and had noticed several small bruises on his neck as a result of her actions.

After more than an hour, Eva finally stopped and sat up on his chest with a slightly enamored look in her eyes. She let her hands wander on his chest and abdomen as she seemed to be contemplating something. Vahn, instead of letting his hands and eyes wander, just continued to stare at her face with a gentle smile as he waited for her to speak. Since she spent nearly four years in this space since his last visit, Vahn knew she had a lot more time to work through matters than he did.

Her hands made their way to the buttons on his tunic, but she didn't make any effort to unfasten them. She just spent a few minutes in silent contemplation before she said, "Next time, I want to feel your body closer. You're already like a furnace, but I want to feel your skin against mine..." After her words ended, she crawled off his body before scooting to the side of the bed and sitting with her back to him. Vahn could see her aura flickering chaotically, but knew there was nothing he could do for her. Though they could hug, kiss, and do some other intimate actions, it was impossible for them to do anything remotely sexual. If she got too stimulated, space would destabilize and would most likely begin to collapse. Even now, Vahn could see the energy within the air had turned somewhat chaotic in the aftermath of their actions.