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「𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐲 ⇀ 𝑪. 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒐」

── ❝𝗜𝗧 𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗧' 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗘           𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗘 𝗜𝗧 𝗢𝗨𝗧           𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗘           𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗦𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛❞

     〡𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒐 𝑿 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓〡

◉ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅

𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦

𝐓𝐀𝐏𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 - 𝟎𝟎𝟏

[ 1. ]  [ 2. ] [ 3. ]

𝐓𝐀𝐏𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 - 𝟎𝟎𝟏

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A thick stack of files and papers fell heavily onto the table top, the furniture squeaking dangerously under the sudden weight.

The chair behind it scraped as it was pulled away from the table. The seat was then taken, the figure covered in shadows. Crossing one leg over the other, the tip of his brown leather shoe was the only item that could be seen in the dim lighting of the interrogation room.

"I've brought all these papers, but I doubt that you will need to look through them, zansu."

A woman hummed softly in agreement from the opposite end of the room. Her hands gripped tightly at her exposed upper arms; whether it was from nerves or the coldness of the room, the detective couldn't tell.

He placed a tape recorder onto the table, clicking a few of its switches before he cleared his throat. He glanced at his phone as he read out the date, sitting up straighter in his seat.

"This is Detective Iyami, and in front of me now, I have [Y/N] [L/N]. Now, you've already sworn the oath, correct?"

She nodded, a hushed 'yes' falling from her lips as her eyes focused on the few scattered pictures on the table in front of her. They were in black and white, but she remembered all the vivid colours the day those were taken.

"Then let's just jump into it. I need you to recount to me every single detail — from the minute you woke up to the minute you were brought here, to this room. Everything is crucial in this investigation. Especially if you wanna save their lives, okay, zansu?"

[Y/N] nodded again. The memories of what had happened over the past few months were swirling in her mind, images of their faces popping up in quick succession. One in particular seemed to linger before her eyes. Her heart stung for that brief moment.

"Well," taking a deep breath, she settled herself into her seat a little more comfortably, her heeled foot dangling over her knee. "The day this all started, I remember waking up in a dark room..."

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𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝐓𝐀𝐏𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 — 𝟎𝟎𝟏 '𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐍𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆'

𝟬:𝟬𝟭 ─●──────── ?:?? ◁ 𝗜𝗜 ▷

❀ | ⑤

╔═════ °• ♔ •° ═════╗ 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 ╚═════ °• ♔ •° ═════╝

You had received no answer, much to your chagrin, and you were left to pout moodily for the majority of the ride. Your father rambled on and on about how well maintained the forest was. You were sure no one was listening.

The sudden fork in the faded trail was either a good or bad thing, there was no in-between. Pausing in your tracks, your father seemed to contemplate on something rather deeply before turning to you both with a large, suspicious smile. Your hands moved back to your lap quickly.

"It seems that we must part ways here," he caught your glare, and it was then that you knew he wasn't going to back down on this.

"No, we don't need to do that," you began hotly.

"Two horses, two paths. Each of them lead through the forest and back to the stables. It's only natural that we would separate here." He tugged at his steed's reigns, starting down the right pathway. "I'll take the shorter route back; the flat earth allows my horse to run along it faster."

You couldn't get another word in as he promptly sped away, a small dust cloud kicking up beneath the horse's hooves. You were left with the tree's aged silence, the twittering of birds and rustle of leaves keeping you grounded to the present.

"...I don't mean to add to your anger, Princess," Karamatsu started, guiding his horse to the other path, "but I was hoping that we could get some time alone like this."

"And why would you want that?" You huffed. Your brow twitched a fraction as you saw your hands had already planted themselves back onto his torso as the animal moved.

"So that I am able to answer your questions." He turned his head back to you with a smile, the sunlight filtering through the trees illuminating his upper face brightly. You were getting sick of the world painting him to be some kind of ethereal being. He was a good-for-nothing prince. Nothing more.

"Then answer them," you snarled without thinking twice about it. He nodded in agreement, turning back to focus on navigating his way through the earthy terrain, watching out for the large tree roots breaking through the dirt.

"What was the point of those flowers?"

A small silence came over Karamatsu as he furrowed his thick brows, ordering his frantic thoughts together. He wanted to answer the honest truth, but he also knew that your temper was akin to very fragile glass — touch too hard, even just a gentle brush, and the results could be shattering. Or, it wouldn't fall apart, and you wouldn't be frustrated. For a moment, his mind wandered to his younger brother. Your personalities were quite similar.

"Originally, there wasn't a point to the flowers," his words were slow and cautious, carefully putting them together as he finally came to a decision.

"I had heard in the early hours of the morning that you still hadn't awoken, and so I took a stroll around your palace garden. I've never seen such beautifully groomed blossoms before. Truly a spectacle, and I expected nothing less of this flourishing kingdom.

"It was then that I saw the hyacinths. In my kingdom, these flowers are already rare to find, and so upon seeing their vibrant colour, I couldn't help but be reminded of you."

You blinked owlishly at the back of his head.

"Rare beauty. That was my first impression of you when I first stepped out of my carriage. And, despite what you may think, our exchange under the moon's gaze did not change my perspective of you, Princess."

You were in disbelief. He must be more delusional than you thought.

"I had wanted to give you the flowers as a token to your beauty, until the one who handed me the flowers told me something interesting: the flower's meaning. I knew then that I had to give them to you, and hoped that you would understand."

...

"... You still haven't answered my question." Karamatsu stilled at your flat tone. Devoid of emotion. It was unsettling, hearing it from you. "Why are you sorry?"

"Ah, because.." he sighed heavily. "Because ever since I stepped foot here, I've caused you nothing but distress and despair. I have a feeling that you felt this way ever since our engagement was announced, too."

The forest ambiance had grown quieter. It was as if the birds had never been there at all. The sun still shone down from above, rays of sunlight lighting the way forward. The pathway curved behind the frame of a tall, wise oak tree. You were unable to see beyond it. Whatever lay ahead of you was a mystery.

"So, I apologise, Princess [Y/N]. For not being the man you had been waiting for."

"I still don't get it."

"..Come again?"

"I don't get why you're apologising. To me."

Your fingers tightened around the fabric of his shirt. Even through the clothing, you could feel that he was warm, radiating a subtle heat against your hands. You concentrate on that, hoping the tightness in your throat would go away.

"What's the point in you apologising when you haven't —" you bit your tongue, quickly rephrasing your wording, "—when you know, that nothing's going to change? Why waste your time trying to appease me?"

Rounding the large trunk, the trees ahead of you began forming a kind of leafy archway, leading to an opening out of the forest.

"I've always believed that people can change, no matter who they are," Karamatsu responded firmly. "Even though it may not seem like, the changes a person can go through can bring out such wondrous beauty. I wish to see it, if you will allow me to."

Light beamed down on the both of you as you broke through the forest finally, blinding you for a moment. Rubbing at your eyes, you slowly opened them up, sucking in a sharp breath at the sight around you.

Dazzling, bright Cala lilies flowed like a white sea with the wind, fields of them stretching for miles, as far as the eye could see. Amongst them were clusters of daisies, small and dainty petals that seemed to dance to an unheard tune.

You had never seen this field before. Never had you seen such an abundance of flowers blooming so elegantly like this. It was a sight that made your eyes widen in an almost child-like wonder. A part of you wished to jump off of your seat and run into the field, dancing along with the flowers.

"I've never seen these flowers before!" Karamatsu exclaimed excitedly. He had stopped his horse altogether, admiring the view with you. You tore your gaze away to look at him, his wide smile spreading from cheek to cheek, and his eyes sparkling in awe. He was practically glowing.

"What are they?" He turned to you.

"Cala lilies."

"I never knew lilies could take such a shape." He suddenly shifted in his seat, carefully swinging a leg over the side of the horse and jumping down onto the pathway. You watched as he strolled over to the flowers, a finger delicately stroking at its petals.

Your hands began to feel clammy. Sometimes, you cursed yourself for your expansive knowledge. An image of a textbook filtered into your mind, and you bit at your lip out of habit.

White Cala lilies. Daisies, too.

It was all just a coincidence. It had to be.

After all, you were too far gone to be given the chance to change.

♔ | 𝐗𝐕𝐈

»»-----　♔　-----««

Ozo returned to find you kneeling in front of the oven, thick mittens held in your hands as you stared at the cupcakes on the other side of the door.

He watched you for a moment, admiring the way the golden glow of the oven's light stretched over your face, illuminating your eyes with a gentle fire and cheeks with a sweet honeydew.

He shook his head slightly. If he continued to stare at you, he'd probably have to go back into the bathroom again. His easy grin slipped back onto his mouth as he approached from behind, placing his arms around your shoulders and resting his cheek on the side of your head. You jumped at the sudden contact, hands catching his forearms for balance.

"How's it lookin' so far?" His voice lowered so as not to hurt your ears, the vibrations of his words running down your neck.

"Uh.. It'll take a while for them to, y'know, start rising properly, but they look good right now," you stumbled over your words. He hummed in reply, a silence falling over the both of you as you watched the oven with mild interest. The sudden thought of how domestic this whole scenario felt ran through your mind.

"Hey, [Y/N]?" Ozo began slowly. The elephant in the room was going to stomp all over him and kill him if he didn't address it soon. You gave a sound of acknowledgment, your body slightly relaxing into his hold.

"I just... I'm sorry about what happened before with the flour. And leaving you on the floor like... like you were. That was stupid of me. So.. sorry."

He cringed at how lame that whole apology was. He wouldn't be surprised if you didn't accept it and ended up hating him forever.

...Wait. He didn't want that. Maybe he should try again.

"Well, what I mean to say is—"

"It's okay, Ozo."

"I know it isn't, and that's why I wanted to— wait, huh?"

He moved his head back to stare at you, eyes full of bewilderment. Your cheeks were ablaze, but you looked him in the eye nonetheless, fully intending on discussing further.

"What happened earlier.. It's okay. I don't mind it. It was just us playing around, and then the rest was.. an accident. You didn't mean it," you smiled at him timidly, and once again, Ozo's eyes were locked to your pinkish skin.

"..And what if it wasn't an accident?"

Your eyes widened, breath stolen from you for a brief second. He was looking at you like that again. Like when he first saw you. Like when he played with your hair yesterday. Like when he sat beside you at the café. And when he first greeted you this morning...

You didn't register your body moving at first as it spun around on the ground to face him properly, but once you did, you made no move to stop yourself. All hesitancy was gone as you kneeled in front of him, hands clasping onto his shoulders as you raised your upper body to meet his.

The brush of your lips against one another felt electric, your heartbeat speeding up considerably, and even more so when you felt his own thud beneath your fingers.

And then, finally, your lips met in a sweet kiss.

It wasn't like any you had felt before. It just felt so good. Ozo's small whimper of surprise melted into a cute moan, his hands finally taking their place on your hips and pulling you onto his lap as you sat on the ground, lips moving sensually against each other.

He was inexperienced, you could tell that much, so you placed a hand on his cheek, tilting his head to one side as you took the reigns, guiding him to copy your actions.

A warm tingle ran up your spine as his thumbs rubbed circles on your hips, pressing harder as you took his lower lip between your teeth, nibbling at it gently before pulling away, the both of you panting heavily.

He looked gorgeous beneath you, with those cherry cheeks and half-lidded eyes, his hair askew and shirt opened to reveal his smooth neck and collar bones. And you looked just as beautiful as you always did, with those swollen parted lips and eyes staring at him, and only him.

"So.." Ozo spoke first, a grin slowly etching onto his face, "Does this mean you've made a decision?"

You scoffed in amusement, fingers reaching to the back of his head to twirl the smaller locks of hair around them.

"I don't know, you tell me." With a teasing smile — that still shook at the edges — you dove back in for another kiss, pressing a lot harder this time.

You tugged his head back as you prodded your tongue against him desperately, sighing a breathy groan as he easily allowed you access. Your tongue swirled around his immediately, suckling at his wet muscle and revelling in his raspy whines that emitted from his throat.

However, with a swift buck of his hips into you, Ozo gained control, figuring out what to do and instead pushing his tongue into your mouth, eagerly exploring your hot cavern. He wrapped his mouth around your tongue, tugging at it harshly before returning it and continuing to ravish your mouth.

You pressed your chest into his, your breasts pushing upwards and threatening to burst out of the top of the dress, whilst your hips squirmed against his.

Ozo gasped at the movement, suddenly pulling away from you, the thin string of saliva breaking as he moved back.

"W-Wait..." He panted, covering his mouth with the back of his palm. He appeared to be bashful, an expression that you secretly found adorable. "If you do that, then I'll have to leave you here again.. And I don't really wanna do that right now.."

Not entirely understanding what he meant, you nodded anyway. You needed a breather too from the sudden make-out, and opted to rest your forehead against his shoulder, tightening your hold around him as you hugged him. He returned the gesture, his fingers running along the upper hem of your dress, grazing along your skin.

"Are we.. together now?" Ozo murmured. Despite all this, he was still unsure. All of this was new to him, especially being in a relationship with the prettiest girl he had ever seen. And kissing you like that? As much as he enjoyed it, he was still hoping that this would turn into something more. Into something he had yet to experience.

You giggled quietly, massaging his scalp gently.

"Yes, we are. Do you want us to be together?"

"Oh god, yes," he breathed, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck and inhaling deeply. You smelt so nice, felt so amazing, you were just so stunning. He didn't want to let you go, his grip increasing around you.

You snuggled back into his arms, relaxing completely as you smiled. Sure, this all had moved a lot quicker than you had ever thought it would, but it just felt right. Your smile widened as you remembered Dayoko.

She was right. Maybe this was meant to be.

»»-----　♔　-----««

✧ Osomatsu - Consequences

"O-Okay, I'm sorry, please, I- Ah!" Your plea quickly merged into a desperate moan, the feeling of Osomatsu's wet muscle rubbing against your clit overwhelming you.

"I don't think you're being very sincere, babe," He muttered against your throbbing pussy, half-lidded eyes staring into your own.

"No, I-I am! I didn't mean to- Ah! Haa..." you were a moaning mess all over again. Your back arched as Osomatsu's tongue swept over your entrance again and again, a thumb teasingly circling your sensitive nub.

"Really?" He drawled, expression not changing in the slightest.

"Then beg."

And so you did as he began to eat you out relentlessly, not giving you a chance to even form a coherent sentence.

Your fingers tangled into his softer hair, tugging at them as a sign for him to stop. Yet he didn't. He ignored your actions, his grip on your thighs tightening as he pulled you closer to his mouth, hot and warm against your slit.

It was all too much for you. Overwhelming. Your body was on fire, your fingers hurt from clenching the sheets beneath you until your knuckles turned white. Your chest was heaving as you desperately tried to gasp for air, only for it to be ripped away from you as a moan forced its way out of your throat.

He was too much. And the bastard knew it.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you knew you deserved some kind of punishment. You knew the guy at the bar was flirting with you, and being a little tipsy as you were, you thought it was a good idea to flirt back. It's not like you were going to let it lead to anything; you just thought it was funny how the guy was so hooked onto you.

Clearly, though, you didn't think of the consequences. Not that you minded them.

Suddenly, you felt Osomatsu slip a finger into you, and then another, pumping in and out as he continued to suckle on your bundle of nerves. Your legs were thrown over his shoulders to give him better access, and you couldn't help but squeeze your thighs around his head.

Soon enough, you were begging again. Not for him to forgive you, though.

"Oso- Osomatsu.. Please, I- fuck-" your voice was broken and trembling, mind hazy from the lust that clouded over you. All you wanted now was sweet release.

"Please let me cum, please please, Osomatsu-!" You were almost screaming now, tears pooling in the corners of your eyes as the knot in your loins threatened to come undone.

The deep groan from Osomatsu that vibrated against your pussy was enough to make you spill, your body spasming as you came around Osomatsu's fingers. He continued to eat you out through your orgasm, licking and biting to coax more from you.

Your body finally went limp, breaths heavy from your mouth. Your hips were slowly let down onto the bed, Oso's hands retreating from your tired figure for a moment. A small smile crossed your lips, and you raised your arms blindly for Osomatsu to cuddle into.

"I don't think you were begging for what you supposed to be begging for, doll."

His serious tone made your eyes hesitantly open, looking over to see that he was unbuckling his belt, his brows furrowed in annoyance.

"You really think I'm going to let you off so easily?" He hovered over your form, his lips grazing over the sensitive area of your neck.

"Let me tell you something, princess." He suddenly wrapped his arms around your waist, hoisting you up off the bed and over his shoulder. You gasped, squeaking pathetically at the sudden movement.

"I'm gonna bend you over every flat surface in this damn house, and make sure you remember that you belong to me. You aren't gonna be walking straight for a fucking week, got that, babe?"