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heyyallitsbethfanfic · 1 month

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I Hate Everything About You (Why Do I Love You?) WARNING: THIS IS AN 18+ FIC

(obviously, this is several years past the current canon of SAO, everyone is 18 or above.)

(also please remember i am asexual. i aint got a clue about this stuff lol)

A squadron of rainbow colored soldiers rematerialized in a dingy bar. After 3 hours of playing a mission, the members got cocky and had lost all their progress to another squad, spawning back at the “nicest” base they could call their own. The girl in green, with aqua hair smacked a raven-headed femboy in the back of the head.

“Nice goin’ there dumbass. Glad in a shooter I’m stuck with an idiot who fights with a glowstick.”

The boy recoiled slightly, but there was a genuine anger in his eyes.

“Yeah? And I’m glad that while I’m actually damaging my opponents, my cover fire is missing every shot. Glad my sniper can’t hit a stationary target 3 yards away.”

“Oh really? Still more effective range than your short-sword there.” A smirk filled her lips. “It’s about as worthless as the dagger in your skirt.”

“That’s rich coming from you Sinon. Must be embarrassing to have the smallest chest in a group of girls all younger than you.”

The girl huffed and bit back. Kirito knew he’d touched a nerve, Sinon had been shooting death glares at Silica ever since she hit a growth spurt in the past month.

“Infact, it must be the worst to be you- you’ve gotta wear bikini armor to get half the attention the *boy* in the group gets.”

“Oh yeah, the girly-boy begging for the attention of every big buff guy in the bars. At least you know you’re a fuckin fa-”

“Um guys. Let’s be honest, it was my fault, I kept pushing further than I should’ve at my level. You should quit fighting. Maybe we should swap over to ALO to unwind.” Asuna tried to diffuse the situation by interjecting. She had seen the two have their spats in the past, but this was the most heated they’d ever been. It was similar to how Liz and Asuna fought over Kirito before they settled on a poly solution.

“Asuna, it’s not your fault at all. Sinon’s probably right, I was off my game today.” Kirito sighed and threw his head back on the couch, already regretting what he said. “We probably do need a break. I guess too much grinding was getting to us. Sorry Sinon.”

“Yeah this type of game just fuels my rage.” Liz was fidgeting in her seat, clearly fed up with the game’s punishing deaths.

“Yeah it can be fun, but we keep burning ourselves out.” Silica pouted, and Liz pet her head.

“Let’s take a break, and meet on ALO in like an hour, sound good?”

The squad all agreed to Asuna’s suggestion, and began logging out, until it was just Sinon and Kirito left.

“Glad you came to your senses Kirito, I can’t keep carrying you on these missions.” She teased, now in a playful manner, giggling through it. Kirito looked up at her from her seat, then stood up to meet her face, her bright purple eyes cutting into the teal expanse in Sinon’s. He cradled his hand under her chin with his thumb meeting her bottom lip.

“You never know when to shut up do you?”

Sinon could feel herself blushing at the deep rough voice coming from Kirito’s throat. She tried to push it down, choosing to just hit back.

“You’re gonna have to make me shut up yourself.”

A devilish smile found itself on Kirito’s feminine face, and Sinon could feel the heat inside her building as Kirito bared his teeth.

“Oh is that so? Well I know a damn good way to do that…”

Sinon’s legs were jelly. She was practically melting in his hands, resting her head against his palm. And it was in that moment she remembered that today Kirito had been diving from her place.

She’d meet that energy in the real world.

…

Sinon’s eyes fluttered open beneath the visor of her amusphere. Her view was obscured, but she could feel the heat of her visitor’s body beside hers in bed. It was awkward sharing a bed with a guy you weren’t dating, but it was his best option when he had to travel far from his home for work. It didn’t help that every night she slept alongside him had been some of the best nights of sleep she ever had. She pulled off the headset and retrieved her glasses on the bedside table. As she turned back, she was met with the face of Kirito just inches from hers.

“BAH-”

She instinctively grabbed her pillow and smacked him in the head with it.

“Jerk- you know better than to scare me like that-”

Kirito could only laugh at the girl’s furious pillow strike.

“Hehe sorry. I just like lookin at these visor marks on your face.”

His slender fingers traced the lines on her face where the amusphere had sat, causing Sinon’s cheeks to blush a bright crimson.

“God you weirdo…”

“Tsk. Says the girl who blushes when I call her worthless.”

Sinon’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped.

“What, you thought I didn’t notice? Every time you were a ‘bad girl’ or a ‘heartless bitch’ I saw a flash of red riiiiiight here-”

He booped her nose and laughed.

“Why do you think I kept arguing with you? You light up like a Christmas tree.”

“I-I… shut up jeez… don’t embarrass me like that…”

“What? The masochists got a shy side huh?”

“D-dont say it like that!!!”

“Heh. Maybe you’d have to ‘shut me up’ like what you just wanted huh?”

Sinon’s eyes drifted to the side. She had dug herself into this hole, and now, she felt like hers was about to get wrecked.

“So Princess~” the word dripped with malice coming off his tongue “Would you like me to make good on that word?”

Sinon couldn’t meet his eyes as she spoke out the weakest and softest “Yes.”

“Yes what?”

Sinon’s eyes shot up at Kirito, looking down with mock hatred, he was clearly getting into this little roleplay she’d unintentionally set up.

“Answer me. Yes WHAT?”

Despite his feminine figure both in game and in real life, his voice was commanding.

“... yes sir…”

“Better. That’s a good girl.”

His soft hand rubbed against the girl’s head, tossling her hair. Then it sharply gripped the back of her head pulling her into him. She closed her eyes.

Their lips locked in battle, fighting against the other. His lips were uneven and split, scarred. Her lips were chapped and rough. And yet, they linked like they had been made for eachother, like interlocking pieces of a puzzle. In spite of the roleplayed hate and roughness, Sinon took note of Kirito’s gentleness. He had forced her into him, dragging her on top of him, but his grip was lost instantly, and it faded into a caress of her hair. His fingers were nimble, curling locks between them. His touch made her feel homesick. There was a tender love behind each movement. Every movement was a praise of her. His tongue fought against her lips before she welcomed it, wrapping her own around his, desperately craving more. She moaned out her pleasure, sounding more like a kitten’s mew than a girl starved for affection. Kirito pulled away from her, robbing her of all she wanted, and laughed. Sinon felt a pressure beneath her, and the feeling of a bulge in Kirito’s pants hitting her inner thigh.

“You’re such a good girl.”

His hands met her sides, brushing against her before moving to the hem of her top. Her hands met his and she helped as he stripped her, revealing her silky pale skin beneath and a light blue bra. Her shoulders were speckled with freckles and acne scars. He smiled warmly at the sight, and his cheeks flushed.

“Right. Kirito is easy to tease too. He’s just playing tough…”

He gently swirled his finger around her navel, before she took his hand in hers and lifted it to her chest.

“I… I know what you said earlier… hopefully you still like them…” Sinon wanted to disappear. She hadn’t realized how deep those comments really could cut. “How much have I hurt him?...”

“Shino. Honey…” Kirito’s eyes were kind as he broke character. “As soon as I said what I said, I regret it. You’re gorgeous Shino, every inch of you deserves worship.” He leaned his head in to kiss her forehead. “Don’t take the words of an idiot who was trying to get a rise from you.”

“This jerk. Always knowing the right thing to say…”

“I think… I think I love you, Kazuto. I… I just tried deflecting with insults and. God I hope I didn’t say anything that hurt you.”

“It’s okay. We both said things we didn’t mean. I probably made it worse by trying to banter back at you. And I never meant any harm by my words. But I know one thing that I mean deep in my heart. I love you Shino.”

They pulled eachother into another embrace. As Kirito kissed Sinon he slipped his hands behind her back and undid her bra, the tiny blue cloth falling to the side. Sinon instinctively blocked Kirito’s sight of them with her arms. Kirito gently pulled her arms to the side, revealing the gorgeous sight beneath. Two perky mounds sat on her chest, with a field of freckles adorning them. Her areolas were a bright pink, contrasting starkly with her porcelain skin beside them, and in the middle of both were two slits hiding her inverted nipples.

“You’re beautiful Sinon. You don’t need to hide away.”

“Y-yeah but… I feel like you’re a bit overdressed.”

Kirito looked down at himself and realized he had been unfair to the poor girl. He hefted his shirt over his head in one movement, tossing it to the side. Sinon eyed his body and took note of every little detail. He was somewhat muscular, but he was skinny. He’d spent countless years trapped in that body unable to move a muscle, and it clearly took its toll. His body looked like a battlefield, scars littered his tanned skin. Multiple faint lines adorned his abdomen, knife scars, just like the one on his cheek. Two different puncture wounds from where he’d been hit by the Death Guns. Countless faint marks littered him, from surgeries and tests and vitality sensors.

Sinon pressed her hand against his stomach, and looked to him with eyes that said “Life has been rough for us huh?” Kirito smiled down at her with a small smile that said “But we’re still here. Together.”

Kirito pulled her on top of him again, and locked his lips against one of her breasts. He effortlessly cupped the other in his free hand and gently massaged it. Sinon purred out another soft moan. Kirito gently swirled his tongue around her nipple, coaxing it out where he could softly bite against it. Sinon’s mind was filled with pure bliss at the sensation. She had consistently struggled with sensory overload during her life, but now all those sensations were doing nothing but awakening a primal heat in her. One that begged to be taken and used.

Despite the bliss, she pulled herself away from Kirito and rolled off of him. Kirito was about to object, but his protest was quickly stopped by the sight of Sinon stripping off her leggings, with her panties the same light blue that adorned her top. Kirito took the hint and pulled off his shorts as well.

“Well big guy, arent ya gonna help me with these?” Sinon gestured down at herself, inviting Kirito to assist her intimately. He sat up and guided his hands along her sides, a soft ticklish sensation. He met her waist and gently pulled down her panties, his face now directly in line with a neat black bush trimmed in the shape of a heart.

“Fuck right- That’s embarrassing. I shave there in patterns like stars and stuff since I thought nobody would see.” “Nono it’s cute. It fits you so well… And the heart is perfect.”

He wasted no time in pulling her into him again, his nose brushing against her soft hair as his tongue met her lower lips. His grip was tight on her bubbly ass, his fingernails lightly digging into her soft flesh.

“F-fuck… Kirito…”

Her breathing was heavy as he feasted on her. She had to grab tight on his hair to keep steady as he spiralled his tongue around her clit.

“Fuck- wait Kirito stop- I’m actually gonna cum- stop-”

Kirito pulled away from her.

“Everything okay Sinon? I mean- I wanna make you cum but if you’re uncomfortable-”

“Nono- that’s not it don’t worry. It’s just… I wanna cum from this.” She knelt down and gently rubbed the fabric of Kirito’s black briefs with the palm of her hand. It lightly twitched from the sensation of her touch. Sinon giggled to herself. It was both stiff to rub against, but it still felt so soft beneath the fabric. She laid down infront of his crotch, her face resting right on top of his lap. She absentmindedly smelled his musk and her mind flashed with thoughts of everything this beast will do to her. She was just a cat in heat, and she wanted to throw herself right into the hyena before her. She nuzzled her face against the bulge, intoxicated by the smell of sweat and precum. She couldn’t resist her urges any longer and practically ripped the briefs off of Kirito.

Her eyes went wide at the sight of the tower before her. She’d imagined it before, on some of her more lonely nights, but with his frame she always pictured something at best half his actual size. His member stood tall looking to be around 8 inches, and it certainly wasn’t slouching for girth either.

“J-jeez Kazuto how do ya even hide this away in briefs like this-”

“Well there’s a reason I don’t wear panties and skirts.”

“Hmmmmm- we’ll have to try that later. But for now-”

She shyly bobbed her head down. She kissed the very tip of her partner’s cock and was met with a salty-sweet gift of precum dribbling out. She giggled and smiled up at Kirito, who was blushing and hiding his face away. She relaxed herself and readied herself. She stuck out her tongue and lightly brushed it against his member from tip to it’s base. She could feel Kirito’s whole body shiver. She kissed the base of his shaft and slowly worked her way back up, peppering him with subtle lipstick marks. She circled her tongue around the tip, causing Kirito to moan out in pleasure.“Hehehe. He sounds even more girly than me~”

She smiled and slowly worked her whole mouth around the tip. She was more than content to lick it and bob up and down on it like this- but she wanted more. She slowly worked her way down, taking inch after inch, until he nearly gagged her. She couldn’t get to the base just yet- so she did the best she could, working her magic against his dick, gently gliding her mouth up and down and up and down. With each bounce, she would try to get him to squirm and moan out. Sometimes she’d gently nibble against him or massage him with her tongue. But he seemed so sensitive- he was shaking and softly saying her name on repeat under his breath.

“So cute~”

She picked up the pace, trying to go as fast as she could without taking him in her throat accidentally. Kirito screamed out in pleasure, gripping her sheets and bucking his hips. “Shino- shino please stop- I cant-”

Sinon pulled away and wiped her mouth against her wrist.

“S-sorry I know you were having fun but I- I wanna make sure you get the pleasure you want.”

“O-OH! Right right of course”

Sinon was flustered red, having momentarily forgotten her deepest desire, to get fucked by her best friend.

“Wait shit… do we have any birth control? I completely forgot…”

Sinon buried her head in her hands in shame.

“I can’t believe I just got both of us so close and we might not even be able to finish since I don’t have any pills-”

Kirito retrieved his pants from the floor and pulled a pink condom wrapper out of his back pocket.

“Well- I was gonna visit Asuna after we hung out today- but it seems like I needed to punish a bad girl first-” he cooed out.

“Gosh you’re such a dork… And I love that about you…”

Sinon snatched the condom out of Kirito’s hand, and bit the wrapper open and wasted no time in sliding it over Kirito’s waiting cock. Kirito whistled slightly.

“Heh, you did that like a pro- I wouldn’t have taken you for someone with that much experience~”

“Sh-shut up… you’re my first…”

“Awww I’m honored~”

Kirito pushed Sinon onto her back, pinning her arms down effortlessly.

“I’m glad I’m so special, princess~”

“Goddddd you’re so weirddddd”

“Heh. I love you too, Sinon.”

The two met eachother with a kiss, as Kirito gently slid his cock against the entrance of Sinon’s pussy, teasing her with the sensations. The object of her desire so close yet so far. Sinon pulled out of their kiss, a trail of saliva keeping their tongues linked momentarily.

“Please Kirito. Take me… Make me yours.”

That was all Kirito needed to hear. He slowly worked himself in, and Sinon gripped onto his wrists for support. She gritted her teeth as he filled her up. Before long, his tip was kissing the entrance to her womb. Kirito waited for her breathing to steady.

“Hey, I know it can be tough the first time, it was for me too. I’ll be gentle, I’m here for you.”

Sinon smiled and pulled him into another kiss. Kirito slowly started thrusting into Sinon. Her insides were slick with his saliva and her wetness, as her tight hole gripped hard against him. It was a sensation foreign to Kirito, his times with Asuna and Liz hadn’t been as tight against him, but the feeling was divine in it’s own right. The subtle mix of pleasure and pain swirling into a horny mess within him. He could barely control his impulses, and picked up his speed. “F-fuck Kazuto-”

“I love you Shino-”

“I love you too Kaz-”

The star crossed soldiers made out as Kirito went full force, dramatically speeding up. A chorus of plaps, moans, gasps and “f-fuck-”s filled Sinon’s apartment as Kirito’s member filled up Sinon, molding her insides to his shape, marking her as his and his alone.

“K-Kaz, I’m gonna cum-”

“I-I’m close too-” “L-let’s do it together-”

Sinon blushed as she said something so lame. She wanted it though. She wanted to be close to Kirito. She wanted to be his best friend, his lover, his partner, his wife.

Sinon bit her tongue as she came in pleasure, huffing out a stifled moan, while Kirito shuddered and panted out as he filled the reservoir in the condom. Sinon’s fluids leaked out, dripping onto the bed beneath her. She felt the heat of Kirito’s cum inside her, with a secret wish that there was no condom separating them. Kirito exhaustedly laid on top of Sinon, panting out quiet “I love you”s. Sinon gently pet his hair, just as he had done for her.

…

Kirito and Sinon logged into ALO, only they took far longer than anyone else had taken to get in.

“Jeez you two- did you do, like, a whole mission in GGO before joining us?” Liz complained.

“Sorry about that guys- we just ran out to get lunch- and Sinon just got stuffed and didn’t wanna move-”

Sinon glared at him.

“Yeah you stuffed me alright- dick.”

“Yeah sorry for being late- lunch is on me and Kirito the next time we all meet up-”

She smiled and ran to go join up with Asuna, Silica, Liz and Leafa, incredibly thankful that she was running on her virtual legs- she probably wouldn’t be walking IRL for a day or two-

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asunayuukixox-archive · 5 years

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Kirito is trans and you can pry that from my cold dead hands

#it's basically canon PLEASE #kawahara i am BEGGING you give us a bit more trans kirito please i would give you my father for it #sao #sword art online #kirito #kazuto kirigaya #kirigaya kazuto

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flyingcookierambles · 4 years

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hguroahgouahrgo try infinite dendro im bEGGING

i keep seeing ppl be like "infinite dendro is just another sao" bc the anime came out and altho i havent watched the anime yet, since im on vol 3 rn, im like sobbing in my corner like no plz at least have the decency to compare it to log horizon or something. sao is like. dumb power fantasy. edgy loner wolf dude. log horizon was like. actual mmo stats and game mechanics! teamwork! guilds of mmo players and npcs working together! a real world where you can build things!!! log horizon is/was so gooooddd (;_;)

and like. infinite dendro's whole appeal is the ability to be a fantasy life where you can create things. and growth and stuff that's represented by your embryos. and like late spoilers but in log horizon they learned that to make actual good food you need to actually cook and not go thru the menu like you're just playing a video game. they worked their way up to making an actual working steamboat and then had this whole political arc w/ the npcs in a nearby country abt like. rights and economic trade and stuff. and like.

slight spoilers for volume 2 and 3, but in infinite dendro the country of dryfe is populated by artists and tradesmen players. like. ppl that are engineering students irl literally got together in guilds and made working mechas in the game. theres apparently a manga godframe grandmarshall that was made by a player in-game w/ a Painter/artist job skills. theres geopolitics that happen between the different countries and wars and histories and stuff. its a slower light novel than other mainstream vrmmo/isekai stories, but the world building is so good. arrrrrrghghghg

also im like so confused by comments (maybe not in tumblr specifically, but i’ve seen them on kitsu and twitter) that are like. "this game'll never work since players would just kill all the npcs and stuff bc npc permadeath" and im just like??? am i the only person to treat npcs in skyrim and stuff decently? geez whats wrong w/ you ppl? try? not killing?

sorry for the rando rant about this isekai video game anime lol but like srsly im so annoyed by ppl who judge an entire franchise by like 1 or 2 episodes of a show that's like. what. 12 or 15 episodes?? uuuuuuuuuuuuu YOU’VE ONLY SEEN LIKE WHAT. 30 MINUTES TO ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO OF THIS 11 NOVEL SERIES? THAT’S ON GOING??? HOW CAN YOU JUDGE IT SO EASILY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S PRACTICALLY COMMON SENSE THAT BOOKS ARE BETTER THAN SCREEN ADAPTATIONS AND THERE’S A TON OF WORLD BUILDING AND EXPOSITION THAT BOOKS HAVE THE FREEDOM TO GO ON ABOUT IN SOME EXTRA PARAGRAPHS OR TWO THAT I’M SURE THAT ADAPTATIONS ALWAYS LEAVE OUT.

(whispers also high school me did actually read the sao light novels too when they were on like. baka tsuki in 2014. up to around half way thru alicization, years before the alicization arc’s novels were even officially in english. and like. they all revolved around how cool kirito was and like i dont really remember much about if they did do any world building, even in arcs where players could have even a fraction of the creative freedom that the log horizon/dendro games give their players, in like the first sao/aicrad arc. where you were supposed to have a real second life and stuff. and ppl got trapped there for 2 whole years. like. idk. liz's a swordsmith. asuna. has cooking skills?? meh not much else. it just went “let's not explore the game features or anything abt fun world building. instead have this emo loner high schooler. look at how cool he is.” bluhhh. at least ray's an average, well adjusted college dude who can work w/ others. shiroe's also a decent guy who's just really good at math and multitasking.

i think theres some sao side novels abt other players that were trapped in aincrad and like. that would be. so much more interesting. then kirito stuff. like. the whole orphanage for the kids who were playing sao and got trapped? average ppl who made livelihoods in 2 years like liz or agil who opened shops and just wanted to live their lives and stuff? like an anthology series abt players making. idk. therapy groups, publishing books to deal w/ their shit, and creative arts guilds, going abt their lives would be soooooo much more interesting to me world building-wise.

also, the geo-political stuff? afaik, it’s non existent in sao. maybe the closest that you can get is the uhhh. race wars? (yeah wow that’s actually really awful when you put it that way holy shit thanks sao abridged) that whole conflict in alo is maybe the closest you can get to fractions and guilds and stuff fighting.

but log horizon? elder tale has the HALF Gaia project, where the game is literally just a scaled down version of earth w/ post apocalyptic ruins of the “modern world” thats why the whole akihabara thing exists. then, it created an actual history of npcs and their countries and empires and spawned them around the world. and then, to add to the npc’s geo-politics, we also have the players’ geo-politics in terms of servers. the main cast is in akihabara. iirc, the light novel ended w/ the akihabara players in an alliance w/ the npc country/federation/city state thing the eastern league of free cities. they’re in some war against other players from minami city.

and then infinite dendrogram vol 3 comes in with this treat about geopolitics and world building that i’m sure that you would never see in sao:

(i’ve copy and pasted the text from the screenshots, and also some not from the screenshots for further context and put it on a seperate text post if you need it. click this -> https://flyingcookierambles.tumblr.com/post/190389803125/the-text-id-from-the-screenshots-if-you-need-it anyways this rant’s getting quite long so i’ll end it here)

but yeah. i’m sure that you would never see anything like this in sao, so seriously. please. IM BEGGING. GIVE INFINITE DENDROGRAM (the light novel at least) A TRY. IF YOU LIKE VRMMO/ISEKAI/FANTASY LIGHT NOVELS AND LOVE WORLD BUILDING, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON’T JUST BRUSH IT OFF AS “OH, JUST ANOTHER SAO” OR “IT’S REALLY BORING” BECAUSE I WILL CRAWL INTO A CORNER AND FUCKING CRY IF I HAVE TO SEE ANOTHER COMMENT ABOUT THE DENDRO ANIME BEING COMPARED TO SAO. I SWEAR THIS WILL JUST TURN OUT TO BE ANOTHER CASE OF “THE BOOKS ARE BETTER THAN THE MOVIE” AND PLEASE DONT LUMP ALL VRMMO ANIME/MANGA/WHATEVER TOGETHER. I AM BEGGING YOU. AT LEAST HAVE THE DECENCY TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE “OH JUST ANOTHER VRMMO TRYING TO BE LOG HORIZON/MAOYUU/[SOMETHING THAT IS BETTER THAN SAO]”

#gummytruck rambles #rant lol #books #a book review i guess #not really but ill put this tag here to lump it together w/ my other book stuff #infinite dendrogram #sao #log horizon #slightly salty #ok im actually really salty

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sabraeal · 7 years

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Prompt: Obi and Shirayuki stumble across a village where the people speak in riddles and shed their clothing from dark until dawn in a trance-like state. Shirayuki has to figure out what is going on because now Obi is running around naked with them

Lyrias has not brought tribute for months.

“Is that odd?” Shirayuki asks when they stop at mid-day, lettingEpona rest. She wanders some steps off before she speaks, splashing her facewith the cool water from the pool. Although her stout-hearted mare has come totolerate Zen and much of his entourage, she has never quite warmed to Obi. Evennow she shies in the clearing, feeling his presence.

Obi, tucked firmly into a willow’s shade, replies, “What doyou think?”

She ducks her head, flushing. His tone is as conversationalas it usually is, but it is hard not to imagine impatience coloring his words,to hear clipped edges in his accent. She thinks to apologize, to explain howeasy it is to forget, but she knowsthat he would like that even less.

“I doubt Izana would suffer disrespect from his tenants,”she says instead. “He is fair, but not merciful.”

He turns one of his wicked blades in his hand, long fingersdeftly moving in a way that had she tried, would have resulted in significantlyfewer digits. “Few of his kind are.”

“Even fewer I would call fair,” she says with some measureof censure, “save of face.”

He grins at that. “True enough, Miss.”

The days grow shorter and colder as they wind their waynorth. They follow good practice at Shirayuki’s insistence and keep the riverto the west of them. Obi doesn’t protest so much a whine, mouth set in a petulant pout, calling it a useless human superstition. It’sserved her well all these years and she sees no reason to abandon it. Itclearly makes him restless, edgy, but since Tanbarun that has been the rulerather than the exception. She doesn’t precisely disregard him, but she’slearned often enough to take a sidhe’s word with a grain of salt.

One noon she comes to rest by the river’s side, and when shedraws Epona to drink, it is frozen.

“Is that –?” She stops herself, takes a moment to rephrase.“This isn’t normal.”

“No, Miss,” he says, closer than she expects and worryinglyserious. “It isn’t.”

They come to the village late in the evening, the sunalready setting behind the trees. Frost sets the brown grass white, and as theywalk toward the light, it’s as if Shirayuki is walking on glass for the way ittinkles beneath her. She might as well have bells on.

Obi, of course, makes no sound.

He’s tense, his shoulders a hard, forbidding line besidehers. His muddled magic buzzes in her ear, rattling with agitation like teeth in a skull. Folk take one look at the both of them – two hooded figures, onedark, one light – and close their doors. A mother catches the gold glint of Obi’sgaze and hurries her children inside, mouth a worried line.

They act as if heis the threat, but Shirayuki feels something deeper, something darker press against her skin here. Thedanger here does not come from without, but within.

“Mistress!” calls out a sandy-haired boy, breaking throughthe thinning crowd. “Your cloak is Cunning green, is it not?”

She’s surprised he can pick out the hue in the dying light. “Yes.I am kept by the court of Clarines.”

His eyes grow wide. “Come with me then, lady. There’s othersyou should talk to.”

The boy’s name is Kirito, and his uncle is the Cunning Manof this village.

“One of them, at least,” he explains eagerly. “He has a fewstudents under him here.”

A few turns out tobe an understatement; there’s no less than ten students that make up hispractice. Shirayuki’s never seen such a thing, not even when she lived closerto the city.

“He’s gone missing,” says his most senior apprentice, Suzu.He’s a handful of years older than her, with hooded eyes that give him analmost laconic air even as he imparts this dire news. “A month ago, I’d reckon.We’ve been trying to hold things together since then.”

“It’s like trying to build a house with balsa and bootlace,”one of the others volunteers, a girl Obi’s age that calls herself Yuzuri. “It’sjust not enough, not to keep up with as much as it’s spreading.”

“And there’s no physical reason for it?” Shirayuki asks,gaze sweeping around the sickroom. Three dozen able-bodied men and women lay onits floor, packed side-to-side, making no sound save for the harsh noise oftheir breath. “No grain left to wet, or rot in the well?”

Suzu shakes his head. “No, they just drop right in thefields like this, and only rise when the sun sets. If we get one to talk, it’sall in riddle and questions.”

“Riddles and questions?” Shirayuki stares at the endlessfield of patients. She does not need to turn to know how Obi is looking at her. “Do you mind if I try something?”

Shirayuki kneels at a patient’s side, trying hard not totouch. She doubts its communicable, but there’s no need to risk exposure.

“Tell me,” she says, voice level and stern, “what happenedto you.”

The man merely stares at the beams of the ceiling, unseeing.She notes that his pupils are blown; it is almost certainly a trance of somemeasure.

“Sir,” she begins again, “what has happened?”

“What is it you wish you could divine, cunning-child?” heasks, voice sing-song and cruel. “Do you wish to dance the mummer’s steps? Can you keep up, cunning-child?”

Her gaze flicks to Obi; seeing the way the muscle in his jawjumps. So it is as she thought.

Ah, how cursed it can be to be right.

“Do you –” Shirayuki hesitates, mulling the words around inher mouth. “You know what this is.”

Obi leans back against the sill of the window. Yuzuri foundthem a room to sleep in for the night, though it only had one proper bed. Whenhe’d balked at sharing, she’d found Obi a straw-stuffed mat to roll out on thefloor. Even now he eyed it warily; she doubted he’d do much but pretend tosleep until he could sneak out to the roof.

“I think we both do,” His gaze slants toward her. His eyesglow oddly in the moonlight, and his magic feels different tonight, thicker.The thousand layers jitter against each other, like dissonant chimes in thewind.

“Geasa.” It sits heavily between them. He must have knownshe suspected, even if they had never spoken of it. “Like yours.”

His mouth splits in a knife slash of a smile. “No, Miss,” hesays, amused, “not like mine. But a geas nonetheless.”

“Do you know what it is?”

His eyebrows lift in a mild sort of surprise. “Besides tolay abed all day and dance naked in the moon’s light?”

She flushes. Of course he would latch onto that part. “I mean its purpose. Or it’smaker?”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Miss, but I’m no help withsuch things.” His mouth cocks at a corner. “I’m not like you, Miss. I’m afraid I’m just cursed.”

Shirayuki wakes when the moon is high, light spilling through the windows as if it’s day. Something sits wrong in her belly, makes her wake nervous and full of dread, her hands shaking where they fist in the coverlet. She wants to tell herself it’s merely her imagination, merely the remnants of a dream, but she knows better now, now that she’s been beneath the mounds and felt the kiss of eternal summer –

She rolls over to see that Obi’s mat is bare.

That should not set her heart pounding in her chest. There are a thousand reasons he may not be in bed – namely because she does not believe he sleeps unless it might cause her some small inconvenience – but his absence makes the pit in her belly clench. Something is wrong, she can feel it; more than just the wrongness the geas has laid over the village. Something is wrong with him.

The scent of his magic still lingers in the room, metallic and heavy. She doesn’t know how he bears so many geasa; whenever she brushes against them it is as if she is being weighed down with a hundred heavy chains, all hungry to squeeze the life from her. Even still they are layered delicately, like a house of cards, all purposeful, and if another were to be added on by a less deft hand –

She needs to find him.

She does not have to go far.

For a man who is usually so stealthy, his trail is easy to follow. She finds a glove just outside their door, and then another, a boot at the door…

It keeps going until she finds his belt in a bed of pansies, a few steps further his shirt –

“Obi!” she shrieks, rushing to him. His hands are already at the waist of his trousers. She’s too late to stop him, but just in time to see him pull just so at the closures so that the buttons spring free at once.

He was not joking all those months ago when he said small clothes ruined the line of his trouser.

“O-oh,” she gasps, desperate to look anywhere else. She had not – oh my –

He slides his hands under the material, working it down over his hips, and –

“Obi!” She grasps at his wrists, tries to pull his hands away, but his arms are steel. So is the rest of him, she notices, pressed so close to him. How had she never noticed this all the times she had stitched him back together?

“Obi, please, stop!” she begs, breathless. The movements of his arms drag her against him, and she feels it press into her belly – “What are you doing?”

Well, that was foolish.

“My lady,” he growls, his hands closing on her own wrists, holding them behind his back. One eyebrow arches, and his mouth cants in such a familiar way. “What would you like me to be doing?”

She tries to make words, but they fail her with him so close, with the scent of him – not his geasa, but him – filling her nose. “I –”

He bends, and she has no time to react before his mouth seals over hers, before heat thunders through her veins to throb between her legs. This is not – she does not – she has never –

Her hands curl against the muscles of his back; he is so strong, so much stronger than her, and she is helpless when his tongue swipes over the inside of her mouth, when it slides so tauntingly over her own. She can taste his magic on her tongue; copper and pine for before, the honeyed taste of Izana’s bonds, and – and –

A bitter bite of cold.

She pulls back. He lets her.

“Obi?” she says against his lips, her eyes only just open, meeting the dark sliver of his own gaze.

“Miss,” he rumbles, and she feels it through her palms, feels it where his hands rest on either side of her hips.

And then she feels cold all down her front and –

His pants drop into the grass. She valiantly refrains from looking at – at what is now so very hard to miss.

With one last grin, he lurches past her, going to join the other revelers, and she – she watches him leave. She’s only human.

The chill still lingers on her tongue. Time to fix this.

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