Loving a Fantasy - Romantic Shorts

Give and Take - II

Aimoto was, as to be expected, unimpressed with Meridiana's answer to his question. When she'd refused to say more, he'd turned from her and continued about his way. She'd chosen to stay visible then, observing him as he moved from one cave to another. After the third, she realized his intent and offered a suggestion.

"Over the rise there is a large one," she said. "It faces the setting sun and is leeward," she explained. Aimoto glanced at her, but did not speak. He did, however, take her advice.

Smiling to herself, Meridiana followed in Aimoto's footsteps. His rage had seemed to calm somewhat as they moved about without words, but his emotion did not. He was all but brimming over with it – so much so, in fact, that she felt a rise in her temperature just by being near him.

The sigh of contentment was whispery, but loud enough for Aimoto to hear. As he stomped toward the cave she'd indicated, he grumbled in his mind. He had no need of friends – certainly not beautiful female ones.

The light of the day was fading now, though, and he at least was willing to admit that her assistance had paid off. The cave she'd directed him to was large enough for him to be comfortable, faced the sunset as it flashed oranges and reds over the sky, and would be mostly removed from the elements when the spring storms hit. So, while he was still angry, he was also thankful enough to turn to her and speak. His intended words were lost when he saw her, however.

"What are you doing?" he rumbled, his voice harsh in the silence of the cave. Oni had a tendency to frighten off much of the more skittish wildlife, and so no birds or other animals could be heard just then.

"I am making myself comfortable," Meridiana responded, continuing to remove her clothing. She preferred to sleep naked when the weather permitted. Tonight's late summer evening was perfect for it.

"You cannot mean to-" Aimoto replied, only to feel heat explode within his body as she fully disrobed. He swallowed as he looked at Meridiana, his eyes memorizing everything.

Aimoto had been with others before Himari, but none since. Though he had loved his wife, none of his partners had been as striking as his new 'friend'.  While she was not Oni, she might have been handcrafted to suit an Oni's desires. She appeared soft and womanly and Aimoto was taken aback at the passion he felt rise inside. He had not wanted for another since his wife passed.

"You are a temptress," Aimoto finally said, his gaze still trapped by her form as his mind ravished her over and again.

"I have been called worse," Meridiana countered, her tone dry. It was that which brought Aimoto's eyes up. Although she joked, he had heard a lacing of pain in the words. Stepping closer, he bent to look into her eyes.

"You were abandoned," he guessed and his heart thumped when he saw the surprise in her expression. She had not expected him to recognize it and, oddly, he was pleased that he had.

"How long ago?" he prodded, feeling something within him stir.

The woman looked away, hiding from him. But, he would not allow it. He was driven to know – pushed by something that was familiar.

He'd felt this way when Himari was hurting, too.

"Speak to me," he demanded, his voice gruff.

"Why do you rage?" she returned, coming back to look at him. Aimoto closed his eyes and then moved to sit, letting his frame fall against the wall of the cave, which was cool in the lingering heat of the summer.

"My wife died two years ago," he answered lowly. "Himari was-" he started, then stopped.

"You loved her deeply," the woman stated, her voice kind. Although she was still bare to him, his passion banked as his pain was uncovered. He nodded and set down his club, closing his eyes as his head fell back to the wall.

"My lover betrayed me," she said after a period of silence. Aimoto turned his head, noting that she was staring at the now darkening sky revealed by the cave's opening.

"I helped him, pushed him, ensured that he was world-renown," she continued softly. "And then, though I stayed until his dying breath, he turned his back on me." She sighed then and shook her head. "That was centuries ago," she admitted.

"There have been no others?" Aimoto asked.

"Oh," she said with a wry smile. "There were others," she answered. "I devoured men for decades in my hatred. I caused pain, hoping that it would somehow shift from me to those who suffered." She paused. "My heart healed, though."

"It did not," Aimoto disputed. Her eyes met his again as he shook his head. "You sought refuge in isolation so that you would not risk it again," he stated.

"How would you know, Aimoto?" she responded.

"Because I did the same," he answered immediately. "Only, that is not what my Himari would want for me and it is less than you deserve, to let another's duplicity hang about your shoulders like a cloak."

She smiled then. It was small, a light flicker really. But it was there and, though the day was now gone, Aimoto's Oni eyes could see well that hers reflected it.

"I am glad you came," she whispered. She put out a hand, delicate and soft in contrast to his own roughened skin. He took it, feeling as if a broken bone within him had been set: it was a  painful adjustment, but one that would cause healing.

"Tell me your name," Aimoto asked, not releasing her palm.

"Meridiana," she replied.

Aimoto nodded, noting that the name slipped into his mind much like her voice. He still loved Himari, but he knew that his time with her – his grief – was ending. This beautiful, lonely succubus would be the one to heal him and he would do the same for her. He was certain of it.

So, though his body was still raging with the banked need that her naked form caused, he did not partake or even attempt. Rather, he tugged her hand so that she would come closer. She moved as he bid, crawling into his lap and settling against him.

"You do not want-" Meridiana began, but Aimoto raised his hand and lifted her head.

"I do," he corrected. "For now," he continued. "Let us just talk."

Deep into the night, Aimoto and Meridiana spoke about their lives. They traded stories, thoughts, and emotions. Although Meridiana could feel Aimoto's passion for her and felt her own for him, they did not pursue it. Rather, they let the hours pass as they got to know one another.

As the first streaks of light from the rising sun began to spear through the sky, Aimoto and Meridiana fell asleep. She was wrapped in his thick arms, his forehead bent to her neck as their breathing evened and the world came alive. And, deep within a cave in the mountains, the two of them slipped into rest unlike that which either had experienced in years.