Eros. (Benimaru Shinmon)

十三✾

"Alright get it together Inori-AH!" I thought to myself as I thinking about what happened with Benimaru. What the hell was he playing at! I did everything that would get him to leave me alone and possibly kick me out of Asakusa and he ended up kissing me. He stole my first kiss! I was saving that kiss for Konro!

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt Benimaru squeeze my hand. Slowly raising my head to look at his face, I saw a quizzical expression. Was he unconsciously squeezing my hand?

''C-Can you l-let go?'' I stammered as I tried to free my hand from his grip, but he held my hand tightly, not allowing me to get free from his grip. With my left hand, I attempted to grabbed my fingers and attempted to bend them to free myself, but it was futile.

''W-Why are you acting so weird?!'' I yelled with a tint of sadness in it. ''Let me go already!''

When he looked down at my hand and then back up at me, I felt his grip slightly loosen. That was when I took my chance and roughly yanked my hand from his grasp once I was inside, and stepped away from me. Just now I noticed tears rolling down my cheeks. I was crying.

''You're such a jerk!'' I exclaimed. "I told you that I want nothing to do with the place because YOU won't let me join the brigade and you come up to my house and kiss me! You made me feel lost and anxious!'' I choked on my own tears and wiped my eyes with the palms of my hands before continuing, "So what if Konro and I flirt, he was the only guy to ever treat me with kindness and the only person who came to check in on me and always ofter to help me out when he had time! He is a good guy and has always been that way since we both had been kids! But you, Benimaru, you were always so mean! You never cared about me so why now! CRAP! I was actually saving my first kiss for Konro! Why are you acting so weird?''

I deserved this answer, me leaving would get him and the brigade to focus on other things. Again, they could ask the local doctor to help with the wounds rather than me. I could possibly join other brigades and other fire force companies. And yet he just looked at me and remained silent. He couldn't answer me. I don't know if it was because he didn't know what to say, or how to say it.

''Enough,'' I murmured after taking a deep breath, once again wiping my tears. ''Get out of my house.

I turned around, and away from him and towards my bedroom that was only a few metres away.

I was only able to take a few steps away from him, but Benimaru walked at me and grabbed my wrist. Again, he backed me up against the door, he held my wrist tightly so I couldn't escape. He acted swiftly, before I could even get the chance to slap him across his handsome face, he grabbed my jaw, pressing his lips against mine.

All it took was one good kiss.

One kiss to make me realize what I'd been missing.

I felt those lips on mine, soft and gentle, as if he were trying to kiss every bit of loneliness from my body, as if he were reminding me how it felt to be cared for, as if he were trying to teach me that I deserved to be loved tenderly, like a treasure.

His body moved with our kiss, leaning into me. He was opening the walls of my heart and letting me in, brushing back that cold exterior and allowing the warmth, saying, I trust you, come here.

His hands touched my cheeks, my shoulders, my arms, my hips. He pulled me closer to him as his lips pressed into mine, a contradiction of motion that made my head spin. I could feel my knees weaken.

So this was it...huh? That's how he felt. Who would have thought that he would feel this way or even capable of feeling this way...I mean, when we were kids I did have a crush on him but when he was mean to me it took some time to sort my feelings out, and accept that they were unrequited. But I now knew what he felt the same way as I once did for him. It was no use denying his feelings right now considering it took him a lot of courage to accept them, so at this moment I accepted them and decided to acknowledge them.

But I wasn't going to react. I didn't want to acknowledge that this was okay. I didn't respond, but also didn't reject. My lips were soft, smooth and warm against his, but also soothing.

After few seconds, he pulled away, but kept close to me, I was still processing what the heck was happening right now. We were fighting for about a year, how was it that all this happened.

I still couldn't comprehend what just happened. Benimaru's cool breath was fanning my lips as his face was just an inch away from mine. His tic-tac-toe eyes looking deeply into my pupils. I saw sincerity in them. So that kiss..

''Benimaru..'' I muttered, not really sure what to say. ''Y-You..''

''Don't,'' he mumbled, snaking one arm around my waist, pulling me into an embrace. ''Leave Asakusa.''

His embrace was warm, and his big, strong arms seemed very protective when wrapped around my frail body. The world around me melted away as I squeezed him back, not wanting the moment to end. But since I didn't expect the kiss as well, this was all surprising. He had one arm around me, the other was hanging next to his body.

"Sexist asshole," I mumbled, and I felt Benimaru's chest vibrate when he chuckled.

"Glad I stole your first kiss before you could have given it to Konro," Benimaru claimed.

He released me from his hold and back away giving me some space. He then went to reach of my arm until we heard heaving coming closer to my home. I walked away from him and turned around to face my window just as the Noren was pushed to the side. I turned around and noticed Konro at the doorway, panting.

"Konro?" I asked. Konro looked between Benimaru and myself and tried to assess the situation, suspicious was clear in his eyes, but there was also something else.

"Beni," his voice sounded urgent, "There is an Infernal."

"Right before the festival," Benimaru complained as he walked out of my home without looking back, leaving me with my thoughts...just what is your game, Benimaru...