Two days after Ryukusa's disastrous encounter with the daughter of Susano-Oh, the one Jinyuu-onee-sama had named Kushinada, Akari was finally sleeping peacefully in the room she shared with Yui and her aniki.  Usually shared – Ryukusa was sleeping in the living room where she could be kept under observation.  The fight with Kurao Buso had been more intense than Akari had let on, her superior skills, her secret knowledge, and her dirty trick had had been instrumental in winning the day.  It had helped that Buso was not high in the hierarchy of Kuroukami's mandate; if he had been things might have turned out differently.  

When Yui slipped into the room, Akari woke instantly, though her breathing remained the same and she did not stir.  Her fingers traced the edge of jade mask under her pillow lightly, the reassuring presence of Nikne Kamuy whispering in his own sleep soothing.  She closed her eyes as Yui crawled into her bed, sitting rather than lying down.  The raised voices in the other room quieted, as Ryukusa took her people in hand, and Akari smiled to herself. 

The sound of Yui undressing was not unusual enough to keep Akari from slipping into a doze, but the lack of a sound following that caused her to waken fully once more.  When the sound continued to be absent, she waited patiently  for Yui to speak.  

“You are too good at your job to not be awake, Akari-sama.”  

“True.”  She remained where she was, however, her cheeks coloring slightly.  

“Aniki told me something today.”  That was different.  Informality from Yui?  “She says a lot of things, though.  But this was different.”

Akari took her fingers from the edge of the mask, afraid the pounding of her heart might waken the kamuy.  

Yui crawled across her futon to the shrine they had made.  It was small, and makeshift, but a shrine nonetheless.  Hidden beneath it was the object that Ryukusa had changed her arm into.  Nikne Kamuy has said it was the beginning of a legend, and that one day people might believe her arm had been cast off rather than cut off.  

Akari half-believed him.  

Soft pops resounded in the room a Yui conjured lightning to light the sicks of incense.  The Stone dragonette remained where she was, but her imagination could construct very well what she might see if she were to sit up and look.  Akari's tail tip curled around her ankle, but she did not move otherwise.  

Crawling back to the middle of her futon, Yui was, by the sound and echo of her voice, kneeling and facing Akari's back.  “Aniki says that she is your Precious Treasure.”  The sinking feeling those soft words created in Akari's belly was not entirely unexpected, but inevitable.  “She says that she will teach anyone who tries to hurt you a lesson they won't forget, just like for Kumatori-sama, or Jinyuu-sensei.  Or me.”  Why did the words make her heart feel so heavy?  Did it matter so much, this new-born friendship?  “She said Kurao Buso was an idiot to challenge you.”

Of course Ryukusa-aniki would say that.  Akari could even imagine the words coming from her lips, her soft laughter.  

“You told me you were jealous of me, when I helped heal aniki.”  

It was true; Akari had been helpless to assist, all her training meant to bind and control and hurt Ryukusa.  The wounds needed more than first aid, needed more than bandages.  They'd been caused by the Grass-Cutting-Sword, the dragon killing weapon.  Yui had somehow managed to help the wound stay clean, untainted by the death that evil weapon carried.  

“I am jealous of how close you are.  How much she trusts you.  The way you can let her tease you and not be affected by it.”  Not entirely true – aniki could make you feel like no one else would ever dare.  She had done so to Akari, not even half a day before.  When others were so afraid of her strength, her power.  While there were other Stone dragonnes and dragonettes....they weren't Ryukusa.  “You defeated my uncle, so very easily.  You must be incredibly strong, incredibly tough.  So tough that an oni-child like me couldn't hurt you, couldn't break you.”  

Akari held her breath, waiting for the challenge.  The claim on Ryukusa.  

“Aniki says she isn't the jealous type.”

The breath that was meant to refuse the challenge, to explain how she could not fight someone so important to Ryukusa's safety caught in Akari's throat.  Turning over, she looked up at Yui sitting seiza upon the futon, hands on her thighs, her glowing eyes meeting Akari's.  Her skin, more akin to a brick orange than oni-red, glowed faintly in the dark.  Sandalwood filled the air.

When Akari still did not speak, Yui did.  “Aniki says there isn't a reason I can't have something I want, sometimes.  And even if she is your Precious Treasure, she has a Special Treasure too....so....maybe I can have my own Precious Treasure to share with Ryuu Ryukusa.”  The tightness in Akari's chest, the confusion, the fear, all of it collapsed under the earnest, honest green-white light that spilled from Yui's eyes.  

Sliding out from under the covers, Akari knelt to face Yui.  Face her friend.  “I'm ashamed I did not say anything to you,” was her soft admission.  “Ryukusa said I should take care of you.  But you know what I feel for her.”  

“Yes.  You feel much more towards her than I do.”

“Yes.”

“But you care for me too.  You stood before my uncle, because I belong with you.  You both.”  

Akari looked down.  “Yes.”  

“You do not have to be gentle with me, Akari.”  

Carnelian eyes rose slowly, following the softly-smooth tomboy's contours, her small, firm breasts, her slightly round face.  Those slit pupiled, glowing eyes, the bronze horns with the spiral groove, the hair of the same light metallic color.  “I haven't....”

“I don't care.”  

And just like that, it was okay.  Everything was all right.  Akari rose, and took the naked half-oni into her arms, embraced her.  Held her tight, even squeezed.  Muscular arms slid under her own arms, around her waist, held  tight.  Squeezed back fearlessly.  The sensation of those small, firm breasts along her silk-covered ones, still moving, still breathing was incredible.  She squeezed more tightly, and was rewarded not with a gasp of pain or a wheeze of breath, but the tightening of powerful fingers along her back, and a warm, breathy, “Oh~” of pleasure.  

Her fingers slid up into the straight, short hair, pressed along the softness of scalp, gripped lightly.  Yui tilted her head slightly, lips parting as Akari delivered a soft, slow kiss.  Yui was warm, very warm.  Not the sleek coolness of Ryukusa's skin or touch.  It was a good thing.  A beautiful thing.  Akari started to tighten her grip, and stopped herself.  Yui broke the kiss, and looked at Akari seriously.  

“You won't hurt me, you stupid lizard.”  The words were spoken with warmth, though; there was no irritation, no annoyance.  

Akari took her at her word and KISSED Yui, her hand tightening fiercely against the back of Yui's head, her other arm wrapped about Yui's waist.  For all her tomboyish looks, Yui melted into the kiss, cried out softly into the kiss – a cry that was purely pleasure.  Their tongues met, tangled.  Yui clutched at Akari, held her tightly, tightly enough that it would have hurt almost anyone else.  

When that kiss was broken, Yui slipped free of Akari's embrace, and gently untied the light sleeping kimono.  Her hands slid the black and red silk from Akari's shoulders and she rose onto her knees, her mouth laying kisses along the smooth neck, the soft shoulder as she undressed the dragonette.  Akari went rigid and gasped with shock when Yui's teeth closed on her shoulder, the sharp fangs dimpling her skin.  It was not a soft love bite at all – it was hard, hard enough that she could have taken flesh and broken bone.  

But not from Akari.  

Akari ran her nails down Yui's back, hard, and Yui gasped softly, her teeth slipping free, arching away from Akari's body....but not in the agonized pain Akari half-expected.  Her eyes were wide and a look of elation graced her soft face.  The dragonette leaned into the oni-born, kissed the slope of her breasts....bit down on the softness, her tongue sliding over hardened nipple.  Another sharp gasp, and the young woman writhed before her....clutched at her, moved against her.  

Loved it. 

Finally, Akari gave in.  She kissed.  Bit.  Suckled.  Gripped.  Clawed.  Yui gasped.  Moaned.  Writhed.  Bucked.  

Finally her fingers traced sacred places, delicate places.  When Akari hesitated, Yui did not.  Her hand moved over Akari's, guided her.  Helped her explore moist flesh, hot petals.  Guided her to the delicate nub under its hood.  Demonstrated how sensitive it was.  Slowly helped her to find the open place below.  Urged her to slip those fingers inside.  Cried out when they did.  It was not until Yui groaned in desperation that Akari dared press harder, clutch.  PUSH.  Her reward was Yui's cry of pleasure, rather than a scream of pain.  The sensation of that slick tightness bearing down on her fingers, unyielding, untorn, was shocking.  

Beautiful.

By the time a climaxing, orgasmic Yui had squeezed, screamed into her shoulder, left nail marks on Akari's unbroken skin, Akari was drowning in wonder.  

Not too long after, she learned about a different sort of kissing, as Yui pressed her down, spread her legs, held her up and open.  Touched her fearlessly.  Used her teeth less-than-lightly.  Akari keened into her hands, the pleasure overwhelming, the sensations impossible and incredible.  

Finally they lay in a soft, sweaty bundle of limbs, breathing hard,sweat shimmering in the light of Yui's eyes.  Akari's tail was wound about Yui's leg, the tip stroking her ankle lightly.  Lovingly.  Yui's head was pillowed on Akari's shoulder.  

“Why didn't you put on your kimono after you came to bed?”

Yui's soft voice was heavy with sleep.  

“....jus' woulda got inna way....”  

Akari's hand slid through the soft locks as she drifted to sleep, fireworks dancing in her head, the bloodless futons merely a nest for the lovers.  Neither woke when Ryuu Ryukusa and Kumatori Kiki looked in on them.  Neither saw the satisfied smile of their protector as Kiki slammed the door shut in embarrassment.  

They didn't even stir. 

~XS