Through Thick and Thin | Benimaru

Chapter 14: The Gathering

Katsumi melted into the kiss, her body mainly being supported by Benimaru's arms which were wrapped around her waist. Her hands were flat against his chest and all she could think about in that moment was how fast her heart was beating and how soft his lips were. She felt him pull back slightly, to which she began to lean back as well, only to have him change his mind and pull her into another close-mouthed kiss.

To be honest, Benimaru was planning on only kissing her once, but he had waited for so long he couldn't hold back on the second one. When he began to pull back, he briefly opened his eyes, only to see that Katsumi's face was flushed red and her eyes were still shut. In that moment, he was enchanted again by her beauty and couldn't help but steal another kiss.

In surprise, Katsumi started to pull back, her dual-colored eyes half-lidded as she did so. Benimaru allowed her to fully get a grasp on the situation again before he mischievously stole yet another kiss with her body pressed against his. At this, she began to slap his chest in an attempt to force him to release her.

"I can't breathe!" Katsumi complained once she managed to push herself away. While she would've loved to kiss him more, she could only hold her breath for so long.

"You're supposed to breathe through your nose, Little Blue," Benimaru said with a chuckle. He gently rested their heads against another, her one white horn between his two black ones and against his forehead. His bright red, ruffled hair contrasted against her light blue, silky strands.

"Well, how was I supposed to know," Katsumi said childishly as she glared at him. She was attempted to ignore the burning of her face from their close proximity. Her glare intensified after a few seconds, causing Benimaru to pull away slightly in confusion and worry.

"Why're you looking at me like that?"

"Why do you know you're supposed to breathe from your nose?" She stared at him accusingly. "You've had another secret lover that I didn't know about even after saying how you waited so long, haven't you?"

"What, no!" Benimaru's eye's widened at the random accusation. "I've loved you for at least an entire decade. How would I have space in my heart to have another lover?" He flicked her on her head as a small scolding for the mindless question. Katsumi stared into his eyes, trying to judge for herself. When she was finally satisfied with the fact that he was telling the truth, her expression morphed back into a wide smile as she rubbed her face back and forth on his broad chest. Her arms were now wrapped around his waist as his rested at her lower back.

While Katsumi was happily snuggling into him, Benimaru looked up, only to feel a bit of guilt fill him up as his eyes fell on Rigur's figure. Rigur, who just got rejected by Katsumi, had seen their entire interaction. Yes, Rigur was his competition, but Benimaru still felt bad about how badly he probably just had his heart broken. The hobgoblin was staring straight at Katsumi, who hadn't even looked back at him once since she turned to Benimaru, before he lifted his gaze and met Benimaru's.

In some kind of acknowledgement, Benimaru nodded his head slightly in Rigur's direction. Despite it being dark, the moon was bright enough to see everything clearly. Rigur hesitated before returning the acknowledgement. Then, he spun stiffly on his heels and headed down the road where he had come from.

Hearing the retreating footsteps, Katsumi lifted her head, about to turn around. Benimaru stopped her by moving his right hand to the back of her head and his left hand to her upper back. Quickly, he pressed her back to him, immobilizing her slightly. He didn't want her to see Rigur in possibly the worst state that he had been in since Rigur had told the Kijin about the death of his brother. Rigur may have been a rival for Katsumi's affections at one point, but that didn't mean that Rigur wasn't a friend.