Addicting Taste - Tumblr Posts

I'm speechless......shit. Yeah, that's it. I run out of words on how to describe what i'm feeling right now.

Addicting Taste Chapter 5

Synopsis: Enishi Yukishiro was on a mission to execute his piece de la resistance. A plan to avenge his beloved sister. Until you showed up. Will you be a part of his downfall or will you try to save him?

Pairing: Enishi Yukishiro x reader

Genre: strangers to lovers, sunshine and sunshine protector, comedic relief, slow burn, a lot of fluff, smut (in premiere)

Word count: 8.9k+

A/N: This chapter was a ride. Parts of it were sitting in my drafts for the past few weeks and I'm happy that it's finally out. Breaking Up With Jesus by Reve is to blame for the way I wrote the smut. Hope the spice is to your liking ;)

Powered by Mackenyu’s outstanding portrayal of Enishi’s character in Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, I hereby present you a story ripped from the figments of my mind. I hope you’ll love the story as much as I do. Enjoy lovelies, Paula.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Dumplings. Oh, how delicious and soft they all look. Dozens upon dozens laid out ahead, waiting for you to dig in. You reached out for one and another one, and kept going until all you could feel on your tongue was their sweet taste. This was heaven.

As you were sitting on the ground chewing away multiple dumplings at once something caught your eyes. On the right, sitting on top of a pillar, sat a dumpling bigger than the palm of your hand. It looked so plump and you bet your last coin that it tasted delicious. Getting up from the ground you went over to try and grab it but each time you jumped after it the pillar rose higher.

“I’m gonna have you and you will taste amazing," you say struggling to reach for the dumpling.

Putting more force into it you jumped and you got the dumpling off the pillar, floating back down to the ground. This was it. The moment you’ve been waiting for. You lifted the delicacy to your mouth and placed your lips on it to taste it when…

The sound of what appeared to be a pot and a pan hit together woke you up from your dream. You rolled in bed trying to cover your ears with the duvet to stop any more of the noise coming in.

“WHO THE FUCK-“

“It’s time for training,” said a rather enthusiastic Enishi, putting the pots away moving to stand in front of your bed. You opened your eyes to look at him, staring daggers at him violently. No one had the privilege to wake you from your precious dreams. Not even the heavens above.

“Get. the. fuck. out. of. my. room.”

“Someone’s cranky," he said, signature smirk sitting proudly on his face.

Well of course you were cranky. You couldn't sleep after the whole encounter in his office. You made a pact with the devil without thinking it through and it came to bite you in the ass. When you got back to your room you sat on your bed trying to think of a plan of attack and you came up with nothing. You practiced a few basic moves you normally used to get them under control, staying up until the early hours of dawn. So it was no surprise that you were currently annoyed at him for waking you up so early in an idiotic way at that.

“Enishi, I swear to god—“

You didn’t get to finish because he leaned down and took your pillow from under your head in one swift move. The movement made your head fuzzy, letting it fall flat on the bed. He got up just as quickly and ran out of the room with your pillow under his arm.

“I’M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU,” you said as you got up and ran out after him.

You ran around the mansion hallways, closing in on the kitchen area. Stopping on opposite sides of the kitchen island you tried to block off his escape routes. Taking one quick left to fool you into reaching for him only to switch to the right, he successfully avoided your arms. Puffing out your chest in annoyance you took off after him again, following him to his office this time. He stopped in the middle of the room with nowhere to run, shifting to hold your pillow high so you wouldn't be able to reach it. You looked like a cat as you tried your hardest to jump after it.

Focusing too hard on getting back your precious pillow you jumped too high and lost your balance as you came back down. Before you could fall to the floor, strong arms wrapped around you, keeping you steady. Looking up, you saw Enishi’s face mere inches away from yours.

“You’ve got no space awareness at all do you?” he asked, a grin taking over his face. You really weren't in the mood for his antics today.

“Go fuck yourself," you say as you pushed him away. You made your way to the door and stopped when he called your name.

“You forgot your pillow—“ you cut him off whacking him over the head with it, storming back to your room. You had to get ready for the fight of your life.

—————————————————————————

This was it. The moment you would find out if the past weeks of training paid off or not. Nerves were taking over with every step you took. It wasn't too late to turn back and lock yourself in the comfort of your room. But you needed this. You needed to see if there was a chance for you to become the best without bringing her back.

Pushing open the doors to the terrace you stopped on the doorstep. Enishi was already there, stretching his arms, blue kimono resting on the back of a chair. Your hands got stuck on the doors as you thought it through again. You weren't ready, getting cold feet in the worst way possible.

Ah fuck. I can't do this.

Before you could turn around in defeat, a pair of eyes fixed on you. He picked up on your nerves from a mile away and flashed you a soft smile in hopes it would help. He knew this was a lot in such a short time, but he believed in you. He wanted you to get better and if you didn't do well today it wasn't that much of a big deal. You could always try again tomorrow.

His smile felt encouraging, giving you some hope that you could do something productive today. Taking a few deep breaths to slow down your accelerating heartbeat, you stepped away from the threshold of the cooking area, making your way to the middle of the garden. Reaching a few feet away from him you stretched your limbs, mind darting over the moves you practiced. Once you were done you straightened your back and took your place.

I didn't train so hard for nothing. I can do this. Let's beat his ass.

Enishi sensed an energy shift around you. You were ready to go, hands standing on the defensive, body angled for attack. He thought you changed so much in the last few weeks. When he met you that night at the precinct, you looked determined to skewer anyone who crossed you in the slightest. But there was this part of you that was afraid. Getting to know about your past made him understand why. You needed to get out of your head which is why he trained you this way. It only took a small push from his part to make you come out of your shell and he felt proud of what you accomplished so far.

He was proud of you.

Getting into a fighting stance of his own he watched as you started circling him. Your eyes narrowed in on him, preparing to read his moves. Just like he taught you.

"I won't go easy on you."

"I don't expect you to," you said and with that you launched yourself at him.

Lean muscles seared with force as your fist collided with his palm, slightly throwing him off balance. So your strength did get better. Latching his palm on your wrist he pulled you to him, pushing you down to the floor with his other hand. You landed on your hands and quickly hauled yourself back up.

"Your aim improved, but it's still not the best," he said as he charged at you. You ducked just in time, sneaking behind him to land a kick to his side. He reacted fast and turned, catching your leg just before it could hit him. He yanked on it getting you closer to him. You gripped his sturdy shoulders to balance yourself on your other leg.

"Hitting from the back is low, even for you," he said, fingers stroking your leg trying to throw you off balance. Little fucker.

"I wasn't planning on being civil today."

Pulling yourself up using his shoulders, you pushed off the ground and threw your other leg around his torso hanging to him like a koala. Twisting your body around his middle, you used all your force and tugged on your legs to pull him down as your hands reached for the ground. Your move caught him off guard and he almost hit the ground beside you if it wasn't for his annoying amount of balance. He turned his fall into a spin in the air landing in kneeling position, smirking at you. You threw your head back in frustration.

He's reading me too well. I have to change the strategy.

This time you let him come at you. His punches rained from all sides, moving relentlessly to land a blow on you, but you were just too fast for him. You noticed that he put a lot of strength into minimal movement and you used that to your advantage. Your small form proved to be a huge help as you darted around his robust body. He was getting frustrated with your tactic and you were enjoying every bit of it.

"Stop defending and attack!"

"Someone's getting impatient," you smirked. He was getting tired of swinging and that was exactly what you wanted.

He was going a little easy on you but his patience wore thin. He gave you the benefit of the doubt as he thought you were unprepared to take on him but you proved him wrong, pushing his buttons in the process.

Fast punches came your way and you caught every single one of them. The adrenaline that coursed through your body gave you inhuman strength as you pushed him backwards, making him stumble. You matched his pace and turned his own moves on him.

While your ego was filling up, his was slowly cracking. He came at you again, arms tightly clamping down on yours, throwing you off balance. You tried your hardest to get out of his hold but his grip wouldn't budge in the slightest. Locking them even tighter, he swung your arms and sent you flying to the other side of the garden. You landed on your shoulder, pain shooting down your arm. You got too cocky and it backfired on you.

Groaning to yourself, you got back up and rolled your shoulder backwards, wincing at the discomfort. You weren't going to back down, not when when you got this far.

Your marched back to him, slow steps turning into a full sprint. Jumping high enough, you brought your leg down into a kick, which he ducked. You dipped every time he tried to lay his hands on you, delivering a few quick punches to his abdomen that he failed to avoid.

You caught him by surprise as you ducked and swiped your leg behind his to throw him off his feet. Finally, he landed on his back accepting defeat, but not without latching a hand on your arm, tugging you down with him. Your body fell on top of his, arms securely wrapping around you. The feeling of his chest pressed flush to yours made your stomach flutter. You tried to steady your breathing that only picked up the more you gazed into his eyes.

"You did it," he exhaled. A smile took over his features as he looked at you.

"I did it," you said with a giggle as you laid your hand came to rest on top of his chest. His hand that was resting on your lower back trailed up to lightly grip your shoulder, causing you to wince. You suddenly remembered you were in pain. Worry flashed in his eyes as he checked you over, sitting you up.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," you tried to convince him but the frown on your face told him otherwise.

"Let me have a look."

"I said I'm fine- OUCH!" you cried as he touched your shoulder again and you flinched away in pain.

"Stop being so stubborn." He leaned over and took your arm in his, turning it around slowly to avoid causing you more pain. "It looks dislocated."

"What do you mean dislocated?" The adrenaline in your body started to wear off and the throbbing in your shoulder intensified, making you unable to hide it anymore.

"I can put it back, but it's going to hurt. Ready?" Your eyes snapped at him.

"You mean now? Hell no-" he pushed your shoulder back into place using your rambling as a distraction. You cried in pain holding onto it, forehead falling to rest on his shoulder.

"I hate you," you groaned, mumbling into his chest.

"I know you do," he chuckled, rubbing away at your shoulder to try and help with the pain.

"Is this a good moment to tell you we're going on your first mission?" You lifted your head, face beaming with excitement.

"You're joking."

"I'm dead serious. I think you're ready," he said as he got up and gave you a helping hand, gently pulling you to your feet. "I know you probably have a lot of questions, but I think it's best you go get some rest first."

“Okay. I'll swing by later," you said walking towards the kitchen.

"Put some ice on it," he shouted from behind you and you shot him a thumbs up with your good arm.

—————————————————————————

You tried to take a quick nap. Keyword: tried. No matter how hard you tried to sleep you couldn’t contain your excitement. It felt surreal that you were back in business so soon. My first mission here.

Deciding that it was no use to spend more time in bed, you got up and walked to the vanity table. You pulled out your pistols from the top drawer and ran your fingers on the golden rose crests that decorated the frame. They needed a little dusting off and tinkering, but they looked ready for some action. It’s been a while since I put these bad boys to good use.

The golden light filtering in through the window told you the sun was setting. You figured now was as good of a time to go over the plan with Enishi. You made your way to his office, stretching your shoulders to get rid of the previous strain from your combat session.

You thought back to the fight. As much as you improved, you felt like he did manage you a little, at least in some parts. Even if he did, he wouldn't admit it out loud if he wanted to keep his balls in the same place they are now. Anyhow, you were glad you got the opportunity to kick him off his high horse a tiny bit. He could be all "I am the god of martial arts" sometimes, but he knew when to tone it down.

You remembered the proud look on his face as he pulled you to the ground with him was enough to add ten years to your lifespan. There was something about it that made you feel confident in yourself and maybe that was what he wanted to accomplish. He seemed to have this empowering complex, always talking you out of your head when you needed it the most. It was like he knew what made you lock up and what made you open in such a short time and it kind of terrified you. He met the broken version of you all those years ago and now he knows the real you to a certain degree.

But you met him too. The present, real him. The Enishi that doesn't stray away from his goals, who does everything in his power to help people. You didn't want to admit it but he grew on you, latching onto you like a string of hearts. They are plants that need moderate care, often wallowing in sadness when they don't get enough sunlight or water. But looking at them makes you feel hope and warmth. As cold as the veins in their leaves appear to be, the green surrounding them embraces it in the shape of a heart. As weak as its stems look, they try their hardest to hold the hearts up so people can admire them and feel at peace. Enishi is like that too. You connected like the strings of the plant and you didn't want to untangle yourself from him just yet.

Your train of thought was cut short as you came to a halt in front of his office. Knocking on the door he beckoned you in. He was sat at his desk looking over maps and plans. The sleeves of his kimono were rolled up to his elbows, allowing you to see his arms, veins popping and twisting the more he moved his hand around. He looked deep in thought as his eyes were casted down on on the papers in his hands.

"How's your shoulder?" he asked without looking up from his work.

"Better. Thank you." You moved to stand next to him. "So... what's the plan for the mission?"

"There's a mafia playing at a casino in the city tomorrow night. They're called the Dao," he said as he pointed to a few wanted posters laying on the desk. "They're carrying the shipment we... failed to steal a few weeks ago," he continued.

Wait. The shipment I saw them loading off the docks that night?

"The plan is to go in and keep them distracted while the others load the goods onto our carriages. Once they're done we can leave quietly like we weren't even there in the first place." You nodded at all the information you were receiving, but you were failing to see what your role was supposed to be in this plan.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"You'll be inside with me. We're going to buy our way in to the usual poker game they host privately and play them a little."

"That's great actually."

"And why is that?" he prodded, eyebrow lifting in confusion at your sudden excitement.

"I'm great at poker," you confidently stated. He nearly laughed at you if it wasn't for the way you narrowed your eyes at him in a death stare.

"I guess we'll have to see if you are tomorrow."

—————————————————————————

Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough, finding you in a bit of a situation. You had no idea what to wear. The duffel bag you carried was basically your only wardrobe and your outfit choices were limited. Another issue was that you were going to a casino, which called for a little class and finesse.

After wafting through every outfit combination that was sprawled on your bed, you set on a shirt with a corset on top and a skirt matching your red corset. There was just a problem though. You needed help lacing up your corset. In the process of rethinking your outfit for the hundredth time, a soft knock echoed on the door.

“Come in.”

“I came to see if you’re ready,” he said, eyes going wide when he saw you. Your hair was made in an updo, long strands of hair cascading down your shoulders. The cotton shirt showed off your collar bones, while the velvet corset pushed your chest upwards, showing the tiniest sliver of cleavage but not too over-the top. It matched the ruby skirt that fell just a few inches above your knees. He thought you looked breathtaking.

“You have perfect timing. Could you help me lace up this thing?”

“I.. Yeah, sure," he breathed out.

He walked to your spot in front of the mirror and stopped behind you. Fixing your gaze through the mirror, you watched as he picked up the corset strings wrapping them around his slender fingers. He pulled on them until the corset looked tight enough on you but you motioned him to pull it tighter. He laced the rest of the strings up in a bow and smoothed a hand on the crisscross pattern, icy hand coming in contact with your warm back as you dragged in a shaky breath.

“You’re going like this?”

“I don’t really have anything else to wear.”

“Make sure you put a coat on.”

“But it’s a casino. I’m supposed to show off these goodies," you gestured to your chest as he tried his hardest to avert his eyes to somewhere else.

“Coat on or you’re staying here," he said and walked away, leaving you dumbfounded. What has gotten into him now?

The truth was that he thought you were showing a little too much. Once he was out of your room, he leaned on the wall besides the door and released a breath. You looked absolutely beautiful. But that was a sight he wanted to reserve for himself. You weren’t his. But he was damned if he would let anyone else see you like this tonight.

—————————————————————————

The carriage halted and Enishi stepped out first, holding a hand to you. He wore a white shirt under a blue qipao, intricate patterns reflecting in the dim light of the night. You took his hand and he helped you down from the carriage, fingers lingering on yours for a few moments before he let go.

"Is everyone in their places?" he asked Wu, who was driving your carriage. He nodded and left, hiding the carriage in the woods nearby.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

The casino was on the outskirts of Shanghai, which made escaping a possible mafia war easier. The outside of the building looked like a normal warehouse, but the inside was far from it. Carpeted floors in red and gold greeted you as you walked in, paving the way to the main area filled with sitting booths. A reception bar sat at the far end of the entrance, buzzing with customers. To the right was a corridor that was guarded by armed men. That must be the way to the poker rooms.

You made your way to the bar ordering a drink for you and Enishi, scouting the premises. How are we supposed to get in there without getting broken in half like a toothpick?

Your question was answered as a woman approached Enishi and beckoned him to follow her to the corner. Her blonde hair fell behind her back as she leaned her hand up on the wall, putting all her goodies on sight for him. He replicated her flirty gazes as he trailed a hand up her exposed arm.

Her black corset was laced tightly around her body, pushing her bulky breasts together. You looked down at your own, a little disappointed that you lacked in that area. The high slit on her purple skirt showed off her legs. She wore the tallest heels you've ever seen.

She looked so much more feminine than you and it made your confidence falter slightly. You didn't really care about looks before so why did it affect you so much right now?

You felt really self-conscious ever since you met Enishi. The loose clothes you used to lounge around in changed to tighter fitting clothes. They were better for training, that's what you told yourself. You fixed the bird's nest in your hair more frequently, braiding or putting it up in sophisticated styles. It made training easier, you told yourself again and again.

"Any chance you could get us in there?" you heard him ask the woman as she twirled her hair around her fingers.

"Depends on what you're willing to do for it," she said leaning further on the wall, flaunting her cleavage at him. Can she choke or something?

It wasn't strange that she found him attractive. Enishi was eye candy, holding himself like the gods sculpted him. Who wouldn't want to get a chance to explore the defined physique under his clothes?

He pulled out a handful of money bonded together and handed it to her discreetly. She took the money with a disappointed huff and went on her way to the men on guard. She whispered something to one of them and motioned you to follow her. Leading you down the long corridor she stopped showing you a door with the number 7 crested in golden. Well that was so hard.

After she left, Enishi turned to you seeing you look rather displeased.

"What?"

"Nothing." You leaned a hand on the wall and copied blondie's earlier position, hand on your hip as you batted your eyelashes at him. "Depends on what you're willing to do for it," you say mimicking her annoying voice. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

"Why are you laughing?"

"It looks like someone is jealous."

"Who? ME?! No. Not me. She can have you for all I care."

"Is that so?"

You nodded determined to show him you weren't affected in any way by the flirty exchange that took place earlier. Sparing you one more look he turned towards the door.

"Let's get this show rolling."

——————————————

The smell of opium hit you like a train, smoke hanging briskly in the confined air of the room. In the middle at a round table sat three men playing poker. You recognised them from the posters on Enishi's desk. The one in the middle was the boss of the Daos, the other two were his henchmen. Armed men sat behind them and around the room, busying themselves with their drinks.

There were no cards on the table yet which meant they just started the game. The dealer was a woman dressed just like the one you encountered at the bar. She looked scared as she mixed the cards, probably because she was here against her will. All heads turned to you as you walked in and sat down in the empty seat at the table.

"This is a private game," said a gruff voice from your right, belonging to the boss.

"This seat is empty, isn't it?" you asked, taking your coat off.

"What does a girl like you know about poker?" the one on your left asked after looking at you, licking his lips of the narcotics he smoked.

"You'd be surprised. Deal me in," you said confidently, hand held out for Enishi to hand you some money. He hesitated at first, but after seeing the determination on your face he sighed and dropped five thick stacks in your hand.

You shot the woman dealing the cards a look. She looked at the boss for approval and he nodded. A curious glint in his eyes told you he was curious about you and how far you could go. He had nothing to lose, especially with the amount of money sitting by your hands.

You quickly figured that the boss was the strongest player. His only flaw was that he bet everything knowing that his men would never go against him. He deemed you a weak player in the first dealings, but that was only because you were holding back on raising your bets on purpose, playing the weak damsel act to buy you some time.

Once you got your fourth card, you dealt all your money in, raising the bet double the amount. You smirked looking at the four cards in your hand, red hearts smiling back at you. A ten of hearts, a jack, a king and an ace. All you needed was a queen and you could play your hand in a royal flush, the highest card combination in the game.

"What's got you so happy, sweetheart?" asked the boss, confused at the smile pulling at your mouth.

"You'll see," you mumbled to yourself as you got your fifth card, completing your hand.

The dealer called the hands and the man on your right went first, placing his cards on the table. He had a lucky three of a kind as he turned to smirk at you. The other man in front of you showed his, grinning as he got a better hand than the other one, a strong full house thrown on the table. These guys were strong players despite having to yield in to their boss.

The boss took a long drag of smoke and smiled creepily at you. He placed down his cards, a straight flush of spades sitting idly on the table. He started reaching for the money in the middle before you cut him off with a look.

Enishi sat behind you, mouth slightly agape, until he took a look at your cards. "You're joking," you heard him mumble before you placed down your cards, a sheer of gasps erupting around the room.

"A ROYAL FLUSH?!" yelled the boss, the men sitting around the table just as surprised. You chuckled and turned to Enishi, a proud smirk taking over his features. You went all in and won against one of the most ruthless mafias in the country. He felt a little embarrassed for second guessing you without seeing you play.

You were about to reach for the earnings on the table as a man stumbled in the room.

"The shipment! It's gone," he said as he approached the boss. The earlier shock on his face was replaced by anger as he stood up to strangle the man, lifting him off the ground.

Enishi tapped on your shoulder, eyes motioning you towards the door. You had to get out of here now, whilst all the attention was on the man being choked. You made quick work of putting your coat on and got up quietly, reaching for the money in the middle of the table, before Enishi stopped you shaking his head. But I won them fair and square, you said with a look. We have to get out of here now, he pressed.

"How did this happen?" yelled the boss shaking the life out of the man. He pointed a trembling finger at you just as you were about to walk out of the door.

"Hold it right there," said the boss cocking his gun at you.

"This was an amazing game," you said with a hand on the door handle. "By the way, YOU SUCK," you yelled as Enishi pulled you down the corridor.

"Did you really have to?"

"The look on his face was priceless," you giggled. You came to a halt in the main area as everyone turned to look at you. The shouts of the boss were heard down the hall as the whole gang closed in on you.

"Don't let them get away."

There were about twenty armed men circling around you and there was only two of you, the only one actually armed being you. You reached for the pistols in the garter under your skirt, sitting back to back with Enishi.

We are so royally fucked.

—————————————

Guns were fired your way and you dodged them, shooting your pistols relentlessly. You managed to reduce the gang members to a half, while Enishi took to breaking limbs left and right.

You were shooting your gun at a taller guy when the clicks on your pistols locked and you realised you were out of ammo. He went to tackle you but you ducked before he could lay hands on you, going for a sweep, knocking his feet from under him. Another one got hold of your coat and you spun around taking it off your shoulders, using your arms to twist it in the man's hold. You pulled on it making him fall forward and you kicked him, projecting him into the bar island. Your coat ripped down the middle from the force. My only coat, gone. You served me well.

The guy got up from the floor and started throwing the glasses sitting on top of the bar at you. You barely dodged a cocktail glass aimed at your head, catching it mid-air. You sniffed the clear liquid recognising it to be vodka and you downed it in one go, throwing the glass behind you.

"That would've been a waste of good liquor." He sneered as he charged at you and you ran behind the bar taking hold of a beer bottle. When he got close you smashed it on his head rendering him unconscious.

Fire was opened again, this time towards you and you sunk to the floor taking cover behind the bar. Enishi joined you from the other side, reeling in next to you.

"What now?"

"We wait until they run out of bullets."

As if on cue the gunfire halted and you got up from your spots taking on the remaining members. Enishi slid over the bar landing a kick to someone's face mid-air. You took hold of a broom and used it like the bo staff you trained with.

Swaying the wooden stick around you cleared the path for him. Two goons jumped at you, trying to take your weapon. You were busy holding one of them off trying to shake his hands off the broom and failed to notice the chair heading straight to you.

"Miyu, watch out!" You turned just before it smashed into your back and dodged out of the way, letting the chair fall straight into the guy you were fighting off, both of them knocking into each other.

Enishi was fighting another pair. One of them pulled out a knife and tried to stab him. You intercepted the sneaky attack and caught his hand, kicking the knife away before yanking him towards your fist. He punched the other one and they both fell to the floor in sync.

You looked around at the mess you caused, trying to get your breath under control. The boss was nowhere to be found and you assumed he scurried off somewhere with the tail between his legs.

Spotting it among the pile of bodies, you went and picked up the shreds of your coat from the floor, smoothing a hand over it. Enishi took off his qipao and put it on your shoulders heading to the exit, without saying anything.

—————————————————————————

He didn’t speak a word on the way back. The only gestures he made were to direct Wu to take you back to the mansion. He didn't even look at you when you asked him about the mission. All he did was sit in complete silence, eyes closed in meditation, jaw clenched in irritation.

You went over everything that happened back at the casino. The blonde flirting with him, the poker game, the fight. Nothing stood out enough to be a problem and you certainly didn't do anything wrong, besides taunting and stealing off a mafia boss. Regardless, his silence was driving you crazy to say the least.

Why do I even care? I went and did my job and we finally got the weapons. What could possibly make him this mad?

You were snapped out of your thoughts as the carriage came to a halt in front of the mansion. Enishi quickly got off without sparing you a look, leaving the door open for you to get out yourself.

Wow. Fucking diva.

You stepped down from the carriage with the help of Wu and took off after him. You were determined to find out what made him this mad. His steps were fast like he wanted to get away from you but you weren't going to give him the satisfaction. You weren’t going to let him push you away again. He opened the door to his room and before he could close it shut you sneaked in.

He stopped in the middle of the dimly lit room, shoulders rolled in annoyance. You took in his room from your place by the door. His room seemed to be a mirror of yours, the only difference being that his was as dark as room décor could get. The cool light of the night washed the room in an even darker shade, currently reflecting its owners mood.

“Why are you here?”

“I want to know why you’re mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at you.”

“Cut the bullshit, Enishi. You haven’t said one word on the way back. Did I do something wrong?”

With a sigh he turned around to face you. His eyes were visible to you even in the heavy darkness. They seemed to drink you in with greed, debating on whether he should say something or keep the thoughts raging in his head quiet. He settled on the former, the adrenaline of the fight still pumping through his veins. If he didn't say anything now he knew he would regret it forever.

“You didn’t respect the plan,” he said taking a step towards you. “We were supposed to go in and get out,” another step, “not provoke a fight,” he stopped in front of you.

“Fuck the plan! We had them right in the palm of our hand. We got what we wanted, right? What else matters?”

“You! You matter,” he growled as he closed the distance between you, pinning you to the door. “You… drive me up the fucking wall,” he said as he settled both of his arms on either side of you.

“What?” you mumbled under your breath.

“I can’t take it anymore,” he exhaled and the next thing he did caught you by surprise. Warm lips landed on yours, moving with burning desire against your clueless ones. Your eyes widened in surprise and you froze, leaning a hand on the wall behind to keep you steady.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for so long,” he said as he pulled apart just enough for you to get a breath in, before he leaned in again, this time with much more hunger.

It was like your body caught on fire. You didn’t know what you were supposed to do so for the time being you settled on kissing him back. His hands moved from beside you to card through your hair, the other moving to sit at the base of your neck, pushing your face impossibly closer to his. His breaths were running wild across your skin as he moved down to your neck. Every kiss leaving his mouth was tightly sawn into your skin making your breaths heavier.

You craved and were afraid of his touch at the same time. Enishi could be both gentle and rough and you had no idea which one was sitting before you right now. Your mind was in constant tug of war between restraint and giving in to him. He didn’t let you wallow in your thoughts too much as a butterfly kiss to your collar bone brought you back to earth. He stopped and looked at you to make sure this was something you wanted too. Tracing your eyes to his, you saw the previous hunger in his eyes turned into sincere want. That was the only confirmation you needed to know as to which Enishi was with you right now, wasting no time in capturing his lips, a little rougher than he did.

Your mouths fought for dominance, none of you wanting to give in and submit to the other. The way his fingers worked to undo the corset he tied up for you just a few hours ago turned you on and you couldn’t wait anymore.

“Rip it off,” you whined.

“After I struggled so hard to tie it up—“

“Enishi, I don’t give two flying fucks. Rip it to fucking shreds.”

“Someone’s getting impatient,” he chuckled. Seeing you so worked up amused him. He didn’t want to make you wait any longer so he untangled his fingers from the strings and in one brisk move he pulled apart your corset, breaking it in two together with the white shirt underneath. The poor pieces of fabric fell to the floor, revealing your chest.

He revelled at the sight before him. You were exactly what he imagined in lewd fantasies at night, when his head was webbed with only thoughts of you. What set him on fire the most was that he knew you thought of him in that way too. Your eyes gave you away way too many times for him to not take notice of it. He just hid his a lot deeper so you wouldn't notice it. He failed to keep the thoughts away each time his hand found yours, or your waist, or your face.

You consumed him and you didn't even know it.

Tracing his hand down your arm made tingles dance all over your body. You couldn’t take his teasing anymore, not when you were this bare in front of him. If he's not going to move, I’ll do it myself.

With maddening frustration, you launched at his lips, capturing them wildly like they were the very essence of life. He responded to your attack with pleasure rolling off his vocal chords grunting into your mouth. Taking the opportunity, you pressed your hands on his clothed chest and ripped away at his shirt too, soft cotton turning into a mere rag as you pulled at it. Enishi was taken aback by your rawness and broke the kiss just enough to take another breath to be able to fight your mouth for his share of dominance.

He pulled you closer to get the skirt off of you just as you worked on his pants. You didn’t even notice you were already leaned back on his bed, spread wide for him to see all of you. Thoughts of every fantasy he had of you were spinning around in his head and he struggled to pick just one.

“Draw a picture it will last longer,” you say sitting up on your elbows.

“I’m gonna fuck this attitude out of you.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

The whole thing turned into another competition you both couldn’t get enough of. He wasn’t going to back down and neither were you. Most girls got shy whenever they saw this hunk of a man stand above them, ready to turn them to whimpering wrecks. But you weren’t most girls and you planned on showing him that.

He was spending too much time observing you and you were growing desperate. Deciding to take the reins, you sat up to mirror his kneeling position on the bed and laid your hands on his chest, pushing him backwards until he fell on his back. Straddling his lap, you leaned down to take in his gasps of surprise in a chaste kiss. A kiss so slow that it made his insides burn with lust.

“Miyu, stop fucking around,” he groaned between kisses.

“That’s what you were doing a minute ago,” you say smirking through the kiss. He responded by raking his hand through your scalp and gently pulling at it, drawing a moan from you.

“I love seeing you this needy for me," he said, biting down on your lip. "I haven’t even done anything to you yet and here you are, ready to pounce on me if I don’t give it to you.”

You were begging. All for someone who’s never touched you to do just that. Because you knew he would do it exactly the way you wanted.

Enishi was chaos. He was like a drug to you, a damn good one at that. Once you got a tang of it you kept wanting more. The more time you spent with him the wilder your delusions got and you realised you were addicted to his taste.

You continued the makeout session, rolling around in the bed, tongues fighting for power. You sat on his lap, skillfully pushing into him without a breath. Every time you came up for air he pulled your head back down to him. He was just as addicted to you.

“My turn,” he smirked taking your lips in his. His hands trailed down your shoulders to your chest and he held your breasts, softly squeezing them. It turned you on beyond repair and you couldn’t help the whines escaping your throat.

“What do you want me to do?” he whispered, lips stopping a few inches away, teasingly grazing yours.

“Anything,” you replied, moving your head up to catch them, failing as he moved away from you. You dropped your head on his pillows, feeling lightheaded from the anticipation. He could do whatever he wanted to you as long as he did something.

“I need words, Miyu.” The way he spoke your name made goosebumps raise on your arms. His voice alone managed to undo you.

“I want you to ruin me. Take me to God or to Satan for all I care.”

He didn’t waste any more time and took to trailing the most teasing kisses down your body, from the dip in your neck down to your navel. He savored every part of you like a priest chastising the Sunday mass. He preached your body like a prayer, prepared to sink you in the depths of his hell. He only knew sin and he was going to taint you in his darkness tonight.

His kisses got slower the closer he got to your throbbing core, the part that was aching for him the most. You couldn’t believe he was performing your wildest dreams. You made the mistake of rubbing your legs together to create some friction, wanting him to touch you already, only to have him pull your knees apart spreading you back out. He caressed your thighs, fingers running from the base of your knees all the way to your hips, missing your core by just a few inches. The waiting was driving you mad, turning you into a whining mess.

“Enishi, stop messing around.”

“I haven’t even started darling.”

Securing a hand around your torso, he dipped down to kiss your thighs the same way his hands caressed your legs. His kisses stopped just before your opening and he blew on it, making you shudder under his hold. With one more look at your face, he dove into you. He worked his skilled tongue inside your walls as you wrote your moans in his pillows, gripping the sheets tightly. The hand on your torso rubbed circles on your stomach adding to the ecstasy you were feeling. You surrendered your body to him, letting him worship you the only way he knew.

His strokes turned haste as you neared your release. You came fast and he devoured your juices like it was the nectar of the gods, leaving no drop go to waste. You were seeing stars, sweat sticking to your skin as the heat became too unbearable. The only light in the room came from the moon and as dim as it was it was blinding you, senses overwhelmed by the man at your feet. He came up to capture your lips, letting you taste yourself the way he tasted you. He wanted you to know how good you were and how much he wanted to savour you.

“Enishi…," you gripped his head and kissed him arduously. "Fuck me," you begged and that was enough to finally get him going.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” With a swift kiss he slid inside you, length stretching you out sore.

He pounded into you at the speed of light. You closed your eyes to get rid of the stars you were seeing, but he made you to look at him. He wanted watch as he broke you apart and put you back together.

“Be a good girl. You can take it.”

His praises made your body quiver as he annihilated your insides. He was a god in bed, toned body shining in the moonlight as he took you to heaven. But he was also a devil, his thrusts branding his name inside of you like a mark. The more he delved in the better the pleasure he gave you. He knew exactly how to make you feel just right and you felt a surge of energy taking over as you flipped your bodies.

"My turn," you said, wanting to make him beg for you like you begged for him. Calloused hands worked their way up your sides as you took his lips once more, sitting on top of his lap. Your hands were messing around in his hair, grabbing at it every time he bit your lip.

You chased the dips in his neck with sloppy kisses, hands digging into your sides. Your hands massaged and pulled at his hair, moans rolling off his tongues like music. Your touch felt divine, awakening his cold body like the first sunlight of spring. He wanted you to be the queen of his hell, to fall in and out of grace together.

"I need you," he grunted. He got so turned on by this savage part of you and he didn't want to admit it, but it made him so weak. He craved all of you, even if he had to swim in your ocean endlessly just to find every piece of you.

"Your wish is my command," you said, sinking down on him with a grunt, feeling him stretch you out again. Once you felt comfortable you started rolling your hips, a string of curses leaving his mouth.

You were taking your sweet time and he felt you going agonizingly slow. His hands gripped your hips to move you faster and faster until your rhythm grew frantic, leaning to support yourself by his shoulders. Your head was spinning as you felt yourself come close to your release for the second time tonight.

"Enishi," you whispered breathlessly.

"What do you need?" he asked, fingers grazing your ear softly.

"You," you say seizing his lips. Your pace picked up as your moans combined in each other's mouth. He was twitching inside you, sign he was close too.

He would do anything if he could have you on top like this all the time. He would let his pride go to shit if he could feel you like this again. To see your hair stick to your face, locks tangled over your shoulders. To have your hands grip him like he was your lifeline. To see your eyes lost in the abyss that is him as you come undone together, bodies intertwined drunk on a high, on top of his bed.

—————————————————————————

Warmth. That's what you were feeling right now. Muscular arms held you securely, gaze focused solely on you. One of his hands was stroked your hair in a gentle rhythm, head laid on his shoulder as you stared at the ceiling. A piece of your hair fell over your face and his hand moved to place it behind your ear, his husky voice breaking the comfortable silence.

"Why are your ears so small?" he asked poking fun at you, only to get kicked in the shins by your leg. "Okay, I deserved that."

You turned around and his eyes caught a glimpse of something behind your ear. A tattoo. His fingers smoothed over the skin, making out the word yume. And there he thought you couldn't surprise him more than you already did tonight. He reached for your hair to move it out of the way to get a better view at the inkwork. His eyes turned curious as he ran his hand over the mark.

"Yume," he whispers, just enough for you to sense the question on his tongue.

"It means dream. I got it done before I left Japan," you sighed.

"Why yume?"

"I didn't have any dreams for myself. I still don't. All I wanted was to find my parents and that felt like a good enough dream at the time," you said, eyes slightly tearing up at the memory of your parents.

"But as I got older it became something that drove me. I suddenly wanted to find a dream for myself just so I can give this life meaning."

Silence hung in the air again as he mulled over the information. He wanted to know more about what happened to your parents but this definitely wasn't the time to ask. You were too vulnerable right now and he didn't want to pry into your head more than you did it to yourself.

You got up from the bed, his shirt sitting snugly around you. Stretching your sore body, you headed towards his bathroom. You noticed that blue was a recurring aesthetic in the place. The finish on the sink was just like yours, the only difference being that it was dressed in dark motives. He bathroom had a shower in the corner, surrounded by black granite tiles and a glass wall.

"Any other tattoos I should know about?" You turned around to him. He had his arms behind his head, biceps flexing the more he leaned back. The duvet covered his lower part, chest fully exposed to you. You bit your lip as you looked at him.

"If you join me for a shower I might just tell you," you giggled, leaning against the frame of the bathroom door.

"You can say that again," he said as he got up from his bed and ran to you, picking you up in his arms.

"PUT ME DOWN YOU'RE SWEATY!"

"SO ARE YOU BUT YOU DONT HEAR ME YELLING ABOUT IT."

"You're so annoying," you said, linking your arms around his neck so you wouldn't fall.

"That's not what you were moaning a few hours ago, babe," he said walking towards the shower with you in his arms.

"Eww, don't call me babe."

"Sure... babe," he smirked.

"Oh, dear lord."

—————————————————————————

Thank you for reading! As always, comments, notes and reblogs are welcome :)

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Addicting Taste Chapter 6

Synopsis: Enishi Yukishiro was on a mission to execute his piece de la resistance. A plan to avenge his beloved sister. Until you showed up. Will you be a part of his downfall or will you try to save him?

Pairing: Enishi Yukishiro x reader

Genre: strangers to lovers, sunshine and sunshine protector, comedic relief, slow burn, tooth-rotting fluff

Word count: 8.8k+

A/N: Chapter 6 is finally here! This one was a ride to write. There is a lot of back and forth between Enishi and Miyu's povs and I hope you enjoy the little details plastered around. This is the last fluffy chapter you're gonna get for a while as we venture more into things.

Powered by Mackenyu’s outstanding portrayal of Enishi’s character in Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, I hereby present you a story ripped from the figments of my mind. I hope you’ll love the story as much as I do. Enjoy lovelies, Paula.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Bonus

You woke up fairly early. The clouds of dawn lighting up the dark blue of his room. The he in question was cuddled into the back of your neck, arms wrapped tightly around your body as if the smallest gust of wind would make you fly away if he let go. Turning your head around you smiled at him, a pout sitting on his face as he looked deep in sleep. He definitely hasn't slept this peacefully in a while, judging by the relaxed crease between his eyebrows that were usually knitted in a frown.

A few strands of damp hair fell over his eyes and you brushed them away, careful not to wake him. After the steamy shower you took together, you sat and talked for the rest of the night. About him, about you, about the world. You debated all kinds of topics, from small things you appreciate about nature to the way the world is so quick to judge people. He sat with his head supported by his arm, listening to you speak your thoughts no matter how ridiculous they sounded.

Last night

"I feel like everyone's rushing to live their life so much that they forget to actually live it," you said gazing at the ceiling.

"Why do you think that?" he inquired.

"Well, look at us. We're hellbent on fulfilling our plans without stopping at nothing. Don't you feel like there's something more out there for us?"

"Like what?"

"Like having a real job that doesn't involve killing. Or taking the time to smell the roses. Or," you stopped as you turned to look at him. You would've said something stupid like love, if it wasn't for the shit eating grin on his face.

"Or what?"

"I'm gonna stop talking if you keep laughing at me," you said annoyed, a chuckle escaping him. Then he suddenly seemed to be in deep thought, your words rolling around in his head as he tried to make sense of them.

He knew where you were coming from. You don't get to enjoy simple things in the rush of seeing revenge be done. He knew how you felt because he felt it too. There were times where he would venture into the village to help out just to feel like he was doing something for himself. He enjoyed doing it because he was helping people out and it made him feel like there was more to life than avenging Tomoe. But the joy was always short lived. The moment he stepped back onto the mansion grounds, he would be bombarded with countless information on the missions he was working on. As much as he wanted things to be different, he needed to stay on the path he chose. He had a duty to his sister first and foremost.

Truth be told, he didn't know what to tell you. He wanted to agree with you and yell at the top of his lungs that he was a free man who could do anything he wanted. Instead, he blamed the universe for the mess he was in, and he blamed himself for not being able to get out of it because it was easier than trying to change things.

"You know that's... not for people like us," he breathed out, a tinge of disappointment present in his voice.

"But you want it to be, don't you?"

"I don't have the luxury to say that," he said flopping onto his back. "If I could go back in time, maybe I would do things differently. But there's no way of knowing that."

"There is," you said making his head turn to you. "Present you has the luxury to change things."

"But present you has a duty to past you, so future you can be happy," he added.

"It doesn't have to be a responsibility to fulfill that duty. You've got a life full of unforeseen circumstances ahead of you. Wouldn't you want to give present you a shot at enjoying it?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "But what I do know is that's enough philosophical thinking for today."

His arms circled around you to pull you closer, a familiar scent of bamboo and jasmine overtaking your senses.

“Can I go sleep in my own bed?”

“Nope.” He snuggled into you. “You’re sleeping here with me tonight.”

————

You blushed at the memory. He was so easy to talk to which was weird considering how everyone else looks at him like he is the most intimidating person. But what he said stuck with you. He had a point. You had your own responsibility to find your parents, even if sometimes you just wanted to stop and do anything else but that. It was cowardly even feeling that way considering all you've done for the past decade was look for them in every hole of the earth. You owed it to yourself to see this through, just like he did with avenging his sister.

Your stomach grumbled bringing you out of your thoughts. You cursed at the fact that you had to sneak out of Enishi's room without waking him up. The hold he had on you tightened the more you moved. Taking a deep breath, you grabbed the hand circled around your torso and lifted it up slowly only to see that it wouldn't budge. His fingers dug into your side, molding into the shape of your ribs. You huffed a breath, moving some hair away from your face. Trying the hand on your other side, you picked it up and tucked it against his side, successfully uncurling the other one as well. You slid off the bed as quietly as possible, feet touching the cold hardwood floors. Lifting up the duvet to cover him, you turned around to leave when a hand on your wrist stopped you.

"Where are you going?" he said groggily, eyes still closed.

"I'm hungry," you whispered.

"Okay."

You wriggled your hand around as he wouldn't let go. He was sprawled across the side of the bed where you were just a few moments ago.

"Can you let go of my hand?"

"If you stay for five more minutes," he pulled on your hand to make you sit on edge of the bed. His head moved from the softness of his pillow to the plush of your thighs. You couldn't help the urge to rake your fingers through his hair. "I could get used to this," he mumbled sleepily, comforted by your massage that slowly lulled him back to sleep.

Little did you know, I could get used to this too.

————

November was making its presence known, the last leaves falling on the ground creating warm coloured piles of maroon and yellow. Sitting down in a chair on the terrace, you admired the sunrise, the morning air crisp on your skin. Birds were chirping in the trees around the garden announcing the arrival of a new day.

It wasn't long until Enishi joined you at the table. He draped a blanket over your exposed shoulders and sat a cup of tea in front of you, taking a seat to your right with a cup of tea of his own. It was little acts of service like these that made you look at him in a different light.

It felt nice, being in each other's presence in the early hours of the morning after spending time talking until the late hours of the night. At the memory of the previous night you felt warmth race to your cheeks. You were trying to convince yourself that it was all in the spur of the moment. That it was a mutual need to release pent up frustration. For you, it was also a need to say what was on your heart.

There was one thing that confused you the more you thought about it, his words replaying in your head.

"You! You matter. You drive me up the fucking wall."

Those words echoed in your head so many times and you couldn't make anything of them. He delivered them to you like a hard wax stamp on a letter, so breathless and emotional. Like he cared, beyond the care he was currently showing you. Once again he broke you out of your thoughts that were becoming too much.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, voice still as husky as it was a few hours ago when he clung to you to make you come back to bed.

"I was thinking about the lack of clothes in my wardrobe," you say sipping on your tea. “I kind of got my only coat, my favorite corset and my really good quality blouse ruined last night.”

“About that. How does a shopping spree in the city sound like?”

“In broad daylight? While the commander in chief’s men are probably still looking for us?”

“You have a point,” he thought hand on his chin. “What if we get disguised?”

“Like what? Grandma and grandpa?” you laughed.

“That’s not entirely a bad idea.”

“Maybe that could work. But I have nothing else to wear out.”

“Come with me,” he stood up and got a hold of your wrist pulling you off your seat.

He brought you back to his room and sat you down on his bed going to his wardrobe in the corner of the room. He pried open the dark oak doors, clothes all but piling on the floor from the release. There was material flying around, seemingly being stuffed inside rather messily.

“You’re a clean freak. Why is your closet like that?”

“As you can see I wear the same clothes all the time because I’m lazy in just that one aspect.” You got off the bed and went to look through what stood intact on the hangers. “Most of them are made from expensive materials and they’re—“

“A nuisance to clean,” you continued for him holding onto a golden kimono that was probably worth more than any garment your parents ever made.

“This is really fine satin so I see your issue. Too bad it’s sitting in this wardrobe gathering dust,” you sighed as you smoothed a hand down the sleeve decorated in dragon motives.

“It doesn’t have to sit in there. You can wear it,” he said taking the hanger and shoving it to you.

“Really?”

“You know more about clothes than I do so if you like something it’s yours to wear,” he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I am moving in here,” you stated, sinking down to the floor to cuddle all the material to your chest. A memory of your childhood days spent in your parents’ atelier came to you as you sniffed the smell of fabric around you.

Flashback

“Miyu, come out of hiding.”

Your mother was looking for you as you managed to hide away from her for a while. She was currently working on a dress for a really important customer that frequented the atelier. You were playing around in the material storage, going through all the different fabrics that hung off the shelves.

Lotus silk, golden satin and white cashmere popped out at you and you made a mental note to ask your mom if she could combine all of them into one. “The magic makers”, as your father called her hands, could design anything the clients asked, no matter how impossible their requests would sound. If the garment didn't exist she would create it from thin air, using only her inspiration. She never had a problem in delivering exactly what the clients wanted and you admired her hard work.

“I need a hand over here sweetheart,” called your father. You got up from your spot in the corner to make your way to the exit as you of the storage room. Your leg got tangled in the ribbons hanging off the corners of the shelves and you stumbled.

You fell to the floor, materials on the shelves on top of you. Your parents heard the ruckus and rushed over to see what happened only to see you laughing as ribbons got stuck in your hair. The only thing that could be seen among the sea of fabric was you small head. They wanted to scold you but they couldn’t help but laugh with you at the mess you caused.

You zoned out as you recalled the memory and the good days. Enishi saw you looked deep in thought as your face fell, the small trace of a tear making its way down your cheek. He knelt beside you on the floor and waved a hand in front of your face to make you snap out of it but it didn’t seem to work. He shook you by your shoulders and his words finally seemed to register in your ears.

“Miyu! Hey, you okay?”

“Huh, yeah.” You wiped away the few tears rolling down your face and put on your best smile.

“You sure? We can hold off shopping for a while if you don’t feel up to it.”

“No,” you said placing your hands on his that were still resting around your shoulders. “We have to go get some clothes before the cold comes.”

You didn’t even realise you used the word ‘we’ until it was already out of your mouth. He was the one who used it the most and it seemed to rub off on you the more time you spent together.

“Well then what do we wear?”

“Give me a second.”

You picked up a worn down cotton kimono and turned to him making quick work of taking off his usual blue one, leaving him in only his tank top.

“If you wanted me to get naked you could've just asked” he teased and you smacked his arm.

“Just shut up and turn around,” you gestured.

He did as you said and you placed the dark blue kimono on his shoulders, helping him get dressed. He turned around and you could feel him look at you as you tied up the strings at the front. The intensity of his gaze made a breath hitch in your throat. Being this close to him always made your heartbeat pick up speed and you hated it.

Once you finished, you smoothed a hand over the material and stepped back so you could see the look. The cotton kimono was the best thing you could ever pick for him. His gray hair added an old air to the overall look and you giggled.

“What’s so funny?” he deadpanned.

“You really do look the grandpa part you know,” you continued giggling.

He picked up another kimono, that was in a better condition than the one he was wearing. He put it over your shoulders, tucking the shirt you were wearing inside your pants, so he could tie it up. The beige satin sat comfortably on you.

“Now you can be the grandma to my grandpa.”

“That sounds cringe. No, thank you.”

“Can I do your hair?"

“What do you wanna do to my hair?”

He sat on the edge of his bed calling you over to sit down. You cocked an eyebrow at him, suspicious of his intentions, but you decided to see what he had in mind. You went and sat down on the floor, back pressed against the bed as his legs spread out around you. He let your hair down from the messy bun you quickly pulled it into and grabbed a comb to untangle the knots, brushing your hair so gently that it felt almost therapeutic. He separated your hair into three strands and started what you assumed to be a braid.

He can braid? Ah, wait. He had a sister. He probably did her hair a lot.

You smiled at thought. He definitely got the caring side from her. The more he showed you this other side of himself, the more you thought she did a great job raising him. They were just two kids against the world, trying to survive whatever life threw at them.

He gently tilted your head to sit on his thigh while he worked on your long hair. You played with your hands, unsure of what he was actually doing with your hair. From the way his hands worked around your difficult hair you could tell he was doing something more complicated than a braid.

“There,” he said patting down your hair.

You got up and went to the mirror next to his dresser, a gasp of shock coming out of your mouth. He braided your hair in a crown, with the longer pieces pulled into a normal braid. The smaller baby hairs sat untucked framing your ears and your cheekbones. The beige kimono added a vintage touch to your look and you looked like you worked the kitchen at some high esteemed mansion. Well, you did but not in that way.

“Do you like it?” he asked unsure of your reaction.

“I love it. Thank you,” you said, a blush creeping up on your cheeks.

“You look like…”

“A princess?”

“Like a grandma,” he chuckled. You went to smack him for the third time today as he dodged you around the room, laughter bouncing off the dark walls. There was only one thought bouncing around his mind.

You look beautiful. I just can't say it to you yet.

You got a hold of his kimono's collar and pulled him to you too harshly, ending up on top of his bed. His hands caged you and he tried to resist the urge to lean down and kiss you. Your eyes locked on each other's, unwilling to break away. His brown orbs bore into you, the blue outline around them reflecting with the light filtering in the room.

"We should go," you both started at the same time giggling at how in sync you were. He got up first lending you a hand to help you up too.

"Let's go."

—————————

You travelled with the farmer again. A convoy of black carriages heading into the city had the biggest 'capture me now' sign on them. Laying low was your best shot at staying under the radar for your short visit so you were thrilled the farmer could give you a ride.

You hope your disguises would work at least until it got darker. You found a handkerchief in Enishi's closet that you tied around your head so most of your features were covered. He had his glasses on and fixed his hair so it looked messier than it actually was. You could say you looked the old part.

The carriage came to a halt at the side of a bridge. You got off with the help of Enishi and thanked the farmer. He was going to be back after delivering his produce to the next market somewhere after the sun sets, which should give you enough time to find some clothes.

You looked around at the place, feeling a strange familiarity about it. It felt like you knew this place. You caught sight of a dusted sign that read the entry to the market in bold red letters.

“This is the famous Fabric Market?” you gasped. Your parents always talked about it being the fashion centre in these parts. There was no fabric or textile in the world that you wouldn’t be able to find in here.

“It is. You know it?”

“My parents used to talk about it a lot.”

“Let's see what we can find before nightfall.”

You whizzed through about a hundred stands filled with typical traditional Chinese clothing. The hanfus on the racks were way too showy and uncomfortably looking, while the qipaos were way too extravagant. The entourage you were currently rolling with required practical clothes you could fight in, not ball gowns. Besides, if you needed something like that you had Enishi's permission to raid his wardrobe.

Finally, you found a more western looking booth filled with cotton blouses and practical pants that were more your style. You went and picked out a few, the lady in charge looking at you weirdly. You smiled at her, bringing the bandana over your head closer to hide your face, while Enishi paid for the clothes.

"I hope that's not all you plan on getting," he pointed to the small bag in your hand.

"Am I supposed to get something else?"

"Are you sure you're a girl? How come you haven't gotten at least one dress?"

"I don't like dresses. They're not practical to fight in."

"I don't have any dresses for you to borrow in case we have a mission at a select event."

"Are you saying we have one?"

"Maybe?"

"What the hell! When were you going to tell me? A day before we were going?"

"That's the main reason I brought you here but I didn't think you wouldn't get anything remotely girly."

You hated dresses. You knew it was a crime to say that considering who your parents were. The biggest downside to being the daughter of a tailoring couple was having to dress up nicely. All. The. Fucking. Time. Be it you were studying with one of the maids, playing in the garden, being at the atelier. You had to look the part, ribbons in your hair and low heel pumps included.

Being a Hikari was both a blessing and a curse to say the least.

Suddenly, you were pushed into a store by Enishi. Looking around you wanted to puke. There were dresses upon stacks of dresses from the entrance to the far back, all kinds of materials piled up on each other. You turned around trying to leave but a strong arm on your shoulder stopped you and before you could say something the lady at the till came over to you.

"That's a very nice kimono you're wearing," she chirped.

If looks could torture Enishi would have been in immense pain right now. He was enjoying your suffering a whole lot right now, chuckling as you struggled to contain your rage. You settled for a silent fuck you mumbled through your teeth and plastered a polite smile on your face as you turned to back to the woman.

"Thank you," you chirped back to her in the same annoying tone.

"We have a selection that will probably suit your taste over to this side," she said as she dragged you along the store pointing to every piece she thought you would like.

She brought about thirty pieces in the small try on cabin. You tried on most of them on, sorting them in categorized piles on the floor, ranging from unfitting to ones you deemed illegal to even be woven. Some didn't even fit you as the bust sizes were way too big, the melons on your chest floating around in the breast cups. The others were way too flashy for your tastes or anyone elses. You didn't know how long you've been moping in the cabin until a slightly irritated Enishi called out to you from the other side.

"Miyu, come out of there and let me see at least one of them on you."

"But it looks awful," you huffed.

"I'm sure it doesn't look that bad."

You sighed and opened the door to the cabin, stepping outside to the space where he was sitting. His eyes shifted to you and you swore you saw his eyes bulge out of their sockets.

You were wearing a red qipao with a golden dragon running up the open slit of the dress. The silk material was flowy around your legs so it wouldn't restrict too much of your leg movement. On the other side of your bust a golden phoenix curled around your bust, a small stone sewn into its eye just above your chest. You liked the detail but it felt uncomfortable to sit in it like a mannequin.

"I told you it looks bad," you huffed getting ready to hide back inside the cabin.

"You look beautiful." You looked at him, sincerity pooling out from his eyes. He had a hand clasped on his mouth, the compliment most likely climbing out of his mouth against his will.

"She does indeed," said the woman walking closer to you. She twirled you around on each side to get a good look at you. "I knew you would like it. This is a handcrafted wedding qipao."

"A WHAT?" You and Enishi said at the same time. His ears were burning redder than the garment you were wearing.

"Are you not looking to get married? This is mostly a shop for wedding dresses. I also assumed you were a couple, despite your really poor attempt at an old couple disguise."

"We are leaving," you say turning to the cabin to gather your things and change out of the dress.

Enishi beckoned the lady over and asked her to pack the dress up. He didn't know why but he wanted to get it for you. Forgetting the whole wedding dress symbol, he loved the way it looked on you. It was made for you, no matter how much you tried to deny it. While waiting for the lady to pack up the dress, he spotted a coat on a mannequin behind the till. It was lined with white fur and the silk on top was woven with silver embroidery. It was exactly your style.

"Is that one for sale?"

"It is! You have good taste."

You went out before him, angry at his idiocy. The want to strangle him went beyond any murderous urge you ever had. Not only did he take you to try on dresses even after you told him how bad you hated them, but he failed to notice that it was a wedding dress store. He also managed to blow your covers in the process.

"Don't be mad at me... But I got you the dress."

"I will burn it."

"I paid good money for it. So if you won't wear it," he held the bag to you, "at least keep it. I also got you a coat so please just take it."

He awkwardly shifted on his feet, waggling the bag in front of you until you took it with a huff. You weren't going to waste money unnecessarily. At least you could revamp it into another dress with scraps from your old clothes. But he didn't need to know that.

————

The night was just about to set, lanterns hanging above the stone sidewalk to light up the market. The sweet sound of a guzheng being strummed filled your ears as you walked around some more. Three ladies sat on the floor in traditional clothes, playing their instruments. People stopped to look at them and you joined in to listen.

Enishi walked around the rest of the stalls on the street, keeping you in his sight. He stopped by a jewelry stand absentmindedly looking around.

"She's a pretty one that one," a woman spoke from behind the stand. He hummed at her not willing to make conversation but she continued pushing.

"Are you a couple?"

Why does everyone keep asking that?

"We're not." He looked around at the stuff on her stall spotting some handmade jewelry. Just when he was about to walk away, a pair of red bracelets called out to him. He picked them up inspecting the red string sitting around an intricate knot of a darker red shade.

"You have a good eye. Those are a symbol of the red string of fate."

"The witch in the village tried to sell me something like this too." He recalled the times he went into the village to help around or just to shop, only to have her pestering him with those bracelets.

"I don't know who that is but they were right in doing that. I can sense that something connects you and the girl over there."

He looked back at you to see you swaying along to the melody sung by the women on the instruments, clapping your hands along with the rest of the people gathered around. The lanterns above just turned on and they illuminated your face just enough for him to spot the soft smile on your lips. He swore he never saw anything more beautiful than the scene before his eyes.

"Destiny knows you will walk the path together, as much as both of you try to push against it. The path may stretch and tangle like the knot on the bracelets. But you will never stray away from each other."

It was true that he felt something for you. The last time he tried to decipher it he went berserk and lashed out on you, so he decided to keep them stored away in the farthest corner of his mind. But the more time he spent with you he found them struggling to get out of that box.

He felt giddy whenever you flashed him that smile, the real genuine one you normally gave him while you were training. He felt cared for whenever you left him half of the food you made for yourself, even if it was just some pudding made quickly because you craved it. He felt less lonely when you checked his office to see whether he was alive or not, staying to help him work on his maps or annoying him about the smallest things. As much as he tried to push these feeling away he knew they would keep coming. He might as well indulge in them and see where they could go.

"I'll take them," he said, pulling out his money only to get stopped by the lady.

"They're on the house," she said as she closed his fingers around the small bracelets. "You can pay for packaging though."

"Pack hers only."

He fiddled with the red ribbon on the box as he made his way back to you. He needed to find a good moment to give it to you. His already sat around his wrist. It was the perfect size, almost like it was made for him.

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” you turned around to him. “Wait. Are you not getting anything for yourself?”

“I’ve got everything I need,” he smiled.

————————————————

Sword fighting was both an art and a torture to learn, especially after spending a whole day shopping. Enishi insisted you start your training before the next mission so in case of anything you could defend yourself with something other than your gun.

He brought out a twin set of jian swords, the ones with the red tassel you held a couple days ago in his office. He showed you a few basic moves, from the normal slash cut to thrusting your sword forwards in a stable manner. He was not holding back on flaunting his strength, even if it was something as simple as doing a horizontal cut. He even taught you how to knock off your enemy with just the hilt, a small trick he deemed good to know in any situation.

The hard part was when you tried out the moves. You couldn’t balance the sword with both hands but he managed to do it so effortlessly with just one. It pissed you off that he was so good at everything.

He noticed you struggling so he placed his sword on the floor and moved to correct your posture. His hands reached out to sit on your hips, directing your body into a diagonal line. They moved to your shoulders to straighten your back, then lowering to your forearms to position the sword in a better hold. He stepped back and you looked at him expectantly, hoping you were doing it right this time. He nodded with a hum, a toothy smile breaking on your face.

Once you got a hold of some of the moves, you started sparring with him. Your muscles burned with the intensity of every move Enishi instructed you to use to block his hits. You didn't pay attention and he knocked the sword from your hand, tip of his blade sitting at your throat slightly lifting your chin. You gulped as he smirked at you. He was enjoying this a little too much.

You went back to sparring, trying to hit his sword only to get pushed back. You could tell he was only using half of his usual force but it still made it hard for you to try and respond to his attacks. Just holding the sword tired you out, not to talk about the need to put your energy into a swipe of the blade.

“Time-out. I need a minute.”

You laid down on the ground, muscles spasming a little too violently. There was no way you could keep up with him even if you practiced for decades.

“You okay?” he knelt down beside you and started massaging your limbs.

"Saw stars for a second. What are you doing?"

"You can't just lay down after intense physical effort. You could pass out or worse, get irreparable damage to your muscles."

"How do you know all this? Oh, wait. I forgot you're the sword master extraordinaire," you said at which he laughed.

"I know because I felt it on my own skin. I would be mad not to do something if I can help it."

"Well, I do appreciate the free massage." He lightly grazed the back of your knee, tickling you. "Enishi! Stop it!"

He continued tickling you until you got up and chased him around the garden. He found refuge from you by climbing up one of the trees, tongue poking out at you. The tree was too tall and sturdy to be climbed in your current exhausted condition.

"Get down from there."

"Nope."

"Enishi, stop being such a child."

"Teasing you is the highlight of my day."

"Oh, really? How would you like me to tease you by setting your precious maps on fire?"

"HEY! HEY! They haven't done anything wrong."

"But you have. Now get down from there AND LET ME SMACK YOU!"

“Definitely not.”

“I’m leaving.”

“To your room?”

“To Japan," you said as you showed him your middle finger.

——————————

Bubbles were softly popping around you as the warm water engulfed your sore body. You were finally taking a well deserved bath. The sword training drained you beyond your powers and you needed to recharge your batteries somehow. The peace and quiet in the foggy bathroom was pure serenity. However, it was disturbed pretty quickly when Enishi all but burst inside without knocking.

"Can you shoot long-range guns?"

Well that was out of the blue.

"Technically, yes. Practically, I wouldn't know until I tested the guns myself. Why?"

"I need an eye in the sky for our next mission. We're infiltrating the base of another mafia for information and a few more resources."

"I can go by the storage later and see what works," you said. He nodded and left for the door as you released a breath happy to be back in peace in quiet. That was until he came back in, this time a smirk plastered on his face.

"Mind if I join?"

"Get out."

"Are you sure?" he taunted coming closer to sit on the edge of the tub.

"Yes, now please get out. This is my me time—" he cut you off as he threw off his clothes and jumped in, splashing your face in the process. The water in the tub overflowed, spilling over the edge and wetting the small foot rug on the floor.

"Enishi. GET THE FUCK OUT!"

"But it's nice and warm and are those bubbles?" he popped a big bubble that was sitting on top of your knee.

"Oh, lord."

You leaned your head back on the edge of the tub and sank back in the water, trying to stretch your legs around Enishi's. He caught hold of them, spreading them around him. You cracked one eye open only to see that stupid smirk of his still on his lips.

"What are you plotting now, besides disrupting my peace?"

"Nothing."

His fingers said something else as they lightly massaged your calves. He was so good at this. The moment you felt his touch you would always relax. It was like a drug to you. His touches lingered around for hours and it made you crave more and more. And that wasn’t a good sign.

"You could've been an amazing masseur," you chuckled.

"I'd rather do it for people that really deserve it."

"Am I one of them?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

He did have a point. He was being really affectionate with you lately and it both confused and overwhelmed you. The night you slept together was imprinted not just on your mind. Your body wanted a repeat of it. Your kept fantasizing about him and you couldn't stop it no matter how hard you tried to push those shameless thoughts away. Plus, the fact that he was here, in close proximity to you, softly stroking your legs drove you crazy. And he seemed to take notice as you drew in a sharp breath the higher his hand hitched up your leg.

"Don't start," you said barely above a whisper.

"Start what?"

"You know damn well what."

You tried yanking your leg away only to get pulled closer to the middle of the tub. He moved to cage you in his space, hands firmly gripping your waist.

"I take it I'm bothering you?"

"N-no," you coughed, averting your gaze away from him. He rubbed circles into your sides, the water doing little to stop the shivers running up your spine. You hated how quick you turned to putty in his hands.

"Are you afraid of me, Miyu?"

"Of course not," you snapped your eyes back to him trying to read his intentions.

What kind of question is that? Why is he suddenly playing mind games?

He studied your face before leaning in to catch your lips in a kiss. It's been too long since he felt you this close and he wanted you closer. Your hands raked through his scalp, tugging at it as the kiss turned sloppy, rushed breaths turning the air steamier than it already was.

You leaned back in the tub dragging him on top of you. His hands took hold of the edge to support him so he wouldn't lean his whole weight on you, head craning down to devour you. Your nails clawed at his back to pull him closer to you and he obliged. One of his hands stroked down your thigh, looking for your entrance. Once he found it, he entered you, both of you unwilling to wait for foreplay.

The water moved around you, bubbles turning to foam from the force of his thrusts. You wanted to feel him even closer so you hoisted a leg around his waist, tugging him forwards. It threw him off balance, palms sliding off the edge of the bathtub. One of them quickly settled beside your head, while the other clutched onto the water tap. His hand wrapped around it, using it as a lever to push deeper into you. You were near your release, heartbeat pounding in your head, when you heard the screech of the water tap breaking off its hinges. The pressure of Enishi's hand was so strong that it broke the golden pipe attached to the bath tub. You pulled apart to look at the pipe sitting in his hand, eyes widened in shock.

"Did you just-"

"Yeah...," he exhaled eyes stuck on the golden item.

In one brisk move, he threw it backwards and you watched it hit the floor.

"I guess you're gonna be showering in my room for a while," he smirked leaning back to your lips.

Your bathtub time was cut short but you didn't really mind it. If it was like this you would have him barge in any time. He got up and stepped out of the tub, back muscles flexing as he picked up a towel from the pile on the sink. You found yourself drooling at the sight.

To be fair, I wouldn't mind another round.

He picked up his clothes from the floor and made a move for the door before you stopped him. You panicked as you remembered the broken water tap which meant you couldn't finish washing up. You called after him.

"Could you at least help me out?" you asked, making puppy eyes at him. The soreness from training and your earlier adventure left you too spent to move and your body was slowly pruning up from sitting in the tub for too long.

"Ah, so you want me here now," he taunted. He made a move to you once your puppy eyes turned murderous.

Picking up a bath robe he hung it on his shoulder as he walked to you. He waited for you to drain the rest of the water and then he wrapped it around your body. He placed a small kiss on your shoulder before picking you up from the tub. You couldn't help but lean your head on his shoulder. You looked up at him feeling nothing but grateful. It was moments like these that made you see him in a new light, and you realised he did it again. He made your heart flutter.

"Where to madame?"

"A shower could do considering you broke the water tap."

"Say no more," he said and started dashing to his own room down the hall as you laughed at him.

"If you haven't noticed we are naked. What if someone sees us?"

"I don't give two fucks."

"Does someone have a voyeurism kink?"

"I don't think you actually want to see what my kinks are, madame. Although, I do think yours are wilder than anything I could ever have in mind."

You're not wrong about that.

——————————

After you finished rinsing the leftover shampoo from your hair you went to the arms storage. It was a mess to say the least. Hundreds of weapons and cartridges were just laying around wherever there was space. You went through so much trouble to get them only for them to be tossed around all over the place.

You rolled up your sleeves and got to work, starting with the smallest pistols. You cleaned up a table for each category, from short to longer distance guns, setting the magazines under them in rows.

Once the bigger rifles were set on their hangers you cleaned a table to wipe the smaller ones. Enishi was passing by the arms storage and saw the door slightly open. He peeked in, leaning on the door frame as he watched you wipe the pistol parts in your hand until they were sparkling clean. You then checked the barrel and the magazine for any residue, swiftly reassembling the gun. You finished up and tested the hand grip, loading a few bullets and aiming the gun at a target on the wall. The shot echoed through the room, bullet hitting the target in the middle.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Enough to be at peace that you know what you're doing. What kind is that one?" he spoke up, walking closer to you.

"This is a dragon firearm. It's practical in short range but the aim is a bit off. It's more of a display gun," you smoothed a hand over the golden dragon carved on the muzzle. "Wanna give it a try?"

He was taken aback at your request as he was more of a blade person. The few times he held a gun were foggy in his mind. He wasn't even sure how it worked. You noticed his reluctance and stepped closer to him, taking his hand to place the firearm in it.

"It's easy. You just take a hold of the grip," you put his hand around the gun, "and set on the trigger. Then you aim," you moved his forearm, your own on top of his to direct it towards the target. You felt him tense under your hold, smirking as you leaned closer to his ear to whisper. "And you pull the trigger."

He fired the gun and the bullet ricocheted off to the side of the target. You laughed prying yourself away from him as he placed the gun down on the table.

"Now you know how I feel when you train me," you said unloading the pistol to wipe it again and store it away.

"Fair enough." He looked around to see the storage way cleaner than it would normally be. "You didn't have to do all this."

"It was no big deal. I was getting bored anyway," you shrugged. "Ah, I tested the rifles. Most of them are single shot weapons so they don't hold more than a single round of bullets. But," you picked up a shorter rifle, "this one should work. It's a bigger version of the normal Colt revolver."

You turned to him to see him look lost. The words you said went in through one ear and came out of the other as he was too busy admiring your gun knowledge. Waving a hand in front of his face you pulled him back to earth.

"You're amazing," he uttered breathlessly.

"What?"

"I mean at guns. With guns. Like a gunlord." He wasn't one to give compliments so it confused you a little.

"Uh, thank you."

"Briefing for the mission in my office later. Be there," he said making a quick beeline for the door, leaving you there dumbfounded.

———————————

You were stationed on top of a hill, hiding among the line of trees. The mafia base down below was heavily guarded, despite being just a couple of rusty barracks. You monitored both the base and the rest of the gang as they advanced down through the forest. You were in a spot easily noticeable for him, being able to signal if shit went sideways and there was a possibility of them being ambushed.

However, no one was covering you. Enishi made you carry a sword with you just in case you run out of bullets again, which happened a lot more recently. You were still no master at the weapon, having only had one training session with it, but you prayed it wouldn't come to using it because you would need a miracle to power through with it.

You joined your hands and called down to Enishi using the coos of an owl. It was a trick your father taught you. His head turned to you and you signaled the coast was clear. He beckoned his crew forwards to the middle barrack and entered while you scanned the area through the visor. You spotted a few men heading towards the barrack. Aiming, you waited for the wind to stop blowing and took the shot, taking out three of them.

It's been quite a while since the crew went inside. You spotted another quartet heading straight for the middle base and shot them down. A few more rows ran to inspect the commotion and you tried clearing them out as best you could, loading and unloading the magazine at lightning speed.

The crew came out with some weapons they stole and what looked like a hostage. You threw Enishi an okay sign that everything was good when a surprise blow came from behind you, throwing you against the bark of a nearby tree. Your dropped the gun during the hit and you saw it flying down the hill. Enishi bolted up the hill to get to you before it could be too late.

You quickly got up and got a hold of the sword attached to your back. You mentally thanked Enishi for the extra thoughtful gesture and got in a fighting stance. The man who pushed you was a brute, two heads taller than you. He must’ve been the guard dog of the base.

He launched at you with a sword of his own bringing the blade down on you, but you managed to duck and roll out of the way. You tried attacking but he was too fast. He moved to stab you and he might have succeeded if it wasn’t for Enishi stepping in between you, raising the sword you were holding to push the him away. He took hold of your sword running to fight off the brute. They struggled and he used the hilt of the sword to knock him out cold at least until you managed to get out of there.

You were looking down at the ground, head down in embarrasment and anger. You couldn’t protect yourself, needing Enishi to come to your rescue once again. He ran back to you checking you for any injuries, relieved to see only a minor cut on your cheek. He cupped your face to get a better look but you moved your head away from his hold.

“I’m fine,” you muttered. You picked up the gun from the bushes and slung it over your shoulder, heading towards the carriages.

You didn’t speak a word on the way back, staring out of the window as thoughts swirled in your head. You were mad at yourself for a lot of things, but especially for the fact that you couldn’t use another weapon or fight better. It felt like everything you learned for the past few weeks just evaporated.

All you wanted to do was lock yourself in your room away from everything but you were curious about the man they took as a hostage.

Most of the crew gathered down in the basement. The man was tied to a chair, his head lolling around as he slowly came to. There was something about his face, too familiar to forget and too strange to remember. His eyes focused on you and a sneer graced his ugly face.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon, kiddo."

The colour drained from your face. The last time you heard that nickname was back when your parents were still around. You stumbled to a nearby wall to lean on it as memories of the man flooded your mind. He used to be a really loyal customer of your parents, coming around at least a few times a week. He always called you that awful nickname, petting your head as you tried to keep your disgust inside. Him and your father would go behind the shop to discuss whilst his wife sat and talked with your mom. She was a rather annoying person, her high pitched voice scratching your ears worse than chalk on a board. Your mom never liked them.

He smirked at you and was about to continue speaking until Enishi came in. He felt something was off by the way you were clenching your fists by your side, eyes throwing daggers into the man tied on the chair.

"You look just like your mother. Well, she looks a little damaged now."

"What the fuck did you just say?"

"It's a surprise she's still alive after the torture we put her through. Your father was so keen to protect her even after being beaten up over and over."

"You have no right to talk about them," you yelled launching yourself at him. You punched his face hard, using all the pent up anger from all the years you spent looking for the people who took your parents away. They were under your nose the whole time. "They helped you and that bitch of your wife even when they had nothing themselves."

You punched him again and again, not caring about the scabs forming on your knuckles. Your blood mixed with his as it poured from his broken nose onto the concrete floor. All he could do was laugh as you hit his face repeatedly. You stopped as the glimmer of something red around his neck reflected off the lights. Your hand moved from his face to clasp the chain around his neck to get a better look.

Mom's necklace.

"That whore fought so hard to keep it around her neck. It looks better on mine, don't you think?" he smiled, blood smeared on his teeth.

You pulled the necklace harshly off his neck wanting to resume your earlier punching but Enishi pulled you away before you could kill him. He needed to get information from him, as much as he wanted to break his body apart and feed it to the wolves.

"You're not getting out of here alive. I'll make fucking sure of that," you spat as Enishi tried to drag you away.

"You're nothing but a whore just like her."

Enishi let go of you to land a punch of his own on the man's face, knocking him out cold again. He wasn't going to let anyone speak to you that way. He told Wu to keep an eye on him as he ran after you.

You ran up to your room, too many thoughts swimming in your head. You didn't hear Enishi calling after you as he tried to catch up to you. You locked yourself in your room and he knocked desperately on the door trying to talk to you. All he got in response was silence. He figured you needed some time to yourself. You heard him walk away and you finally broke down.

Mom was alive.

—————————————————————————

Thank you for reading! As always, comments, likes and reblogs are always welcome :)

---

The tension!!!!

Addicting Taste Chapter 7

Synopsis: Enishi Yukishiro was on a mission to execute his piece de la resistance. A plan to avenge his beloved sister. Until you showed up. Will you be a part of his downfall or will you try to save him?

Pairing: Enishi Yukishiro x reader

Genre: strangers to lovers, sunshine and sunshine protector, comedic relief, angst, slow burn, some fluff

Word count: 11.4k+

A/N: This chapter is probably the bane of my existence. All I'm going to say is that it's one of my favorites and I am so proud of it. I hope Enishi figures his feelings out sooner or later. Hope you like it. Enjoy lovelies, Paula.

Now Playing: run for the hills by Tate McRae

Previous

Anger, fear and pain.

That was all you could feel as you laid on the floor in front of your bed. They had a boxing match in your head, throwing different thoughts into the middle of the ring to see which one had the most impact and could come up on top to win.

The anger argued that you had every right to go back in the basement and rip the man's head off. To pull out his guts with your bare hands as he would watch in horror. But that was Barairo talking. That wasn't you. She yelled at you to let her out the minute you laid your hands on his collar to show him just as psychopathic you could get. You tried to keep her away as much as you could but the second your eyes laid on your mom's necklace around his neck you wanted to throw the door to her prison cell open wide and let her devour everything in her sight.

And you almost did. If it wasn't for Enishi's hand latching around your hand to ground you and bring back to earth. Your eyes found his, pleading for destruction only to get refused by a wary shake of his head. You suddenly felt self-conscious as you registered that all the eyes in the room were directed at you with a mix of confusion and pity, the feeling you hated the most in the world because that was the only thing present in people's eyes every time they looked at you. Whether it was begging for food on the street or fighting in the rings, it was always there, reminding you that you had no safe place to call yours in the world anymore. That everything you knew was gone and you only had yourself to blame.

The fear insisted that it was all because you couldn't do more to prevent any of this happening. Your parents disappearing. The massacre written in the walls of the place you called home. Not being able to finish the job when you had the chance at your feet. All because you were scared and weak. You couldn't fight for them just like you couldn't fight for yourself back there on the hill when Enishi had to step in and save you. Or back at the casino where you almost got injured fatally because you couldn't pay attention to the world around you.

You tried to put on your bravest front when you trained with him, masking all of that fear even when you felt insecure about your lack of skills. You tried your hardest in training, but whenever you went one step forwards, you would fall four steps behind when it came to the real thing. It was the fear that made you run away, trying to hide yourself away in hopes no one could find you. Even if it meant hiding yourself in the depths of your soul.

In the end, the pain was the only one that could win the fight. It was the only thing you felt as you laid on the cold wooden floors staring at the ceiling day and night, clasping your mother's necklace close to your chest. Time stopped for you in that basement. The hands on the clock ceased their ticking as you drowned the sound out with your cries or your fits of rage directed at things in the room. that would end up all over the floor. The jungle of thoughts in your head was making you lose yourself and the only thing keeping you from spiralling was the hope that you would hear something about your mom.

I need you, mom. I don't know what to do without you. Please come back to me. Please tell me what to do to find you.

You couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't train. You couldn't function at all. These thoughts seemed to be the only ones keeping you sane enough in the confines of your room.

The only times you did leave your room was to knock on Enishi's office door to ask if he had any new information about your mother, be it any small speck of a lead on her whereabouts, her state or if your father was alive too. But the answer was the same each time.

He won't talk.

Enishi hated the way you looked more broken each time you came by. He tried to get you out of your room. He would bring you food and leave it outside of your door at lunch only to find it still there by dinner. He tried to get you to train but you refused to even hear it. The light in your eyes dimmed the more you stayed locked in your room and he was running out of ideas to get the you he knew back.

He tried to make that son of a bitch talk but he just wouldn't budge, no matter what torture techniques he tried with him. He wanted to have something to give you whenever you came around to keep you with him longer but every time he tried changing the subject you would run away back to your room.

-----------

After two days of moping around in your room you finally decided to start training again. You needed to get better if you wanted to find your parents any time soon and strengthening your skills was the starting point.

Enishi saw your determination as you pulled him out of his office to train with you at random hours of the day or night. But he also saw that you were pushing yourself way too much. You wanted to get better but he wouldn't sit there and watch you hurt yourself like that willingly. So, whenever he refused training with you it was for the sake that you would take a break yourself. But you kept going. Whether it was raining or it was too cold to be outside you were there practicing with the sword until you got it right.

Last night it was raining heavily, the garden grounds turning to sloshy mud. But the storm inside of your heart was louder and more menacing than any rain mother nature could bring. Your clothes were soaked and stuck to you uncomfortably, hair wet like you just took a bath. With a solid grip on your sword you practiced thrusting until that one attack came out perfectly. You did it over and over, until the mud around you made it harder to continue.

-------

Waking up this morning was pure agony. You got a few hours of sleep from exhausting yourself enough to feel like you could fall asleep peacefully. It felt like the room was caving in on you and all you wanted to do was beg whatever force put you on this earth to take you back and leave you there if it meant that the throbbing in your body could stop, even for a little while. But you had to get up and go back to training because Enishi finally agreed to train with you again. It took a lot of convincing to get back to it together so you couldn't kick it away just because you didn't feel 100%.

The duvet around you was doing little to keep the warmth in as the room felt way too cold for your liking. You got out of bed with a groan, all of your muscles aching as you trudged to the bathroom with slow steps. Stopping in front of the mirror you took a look at yourself. If this was a zombie movie you would have gotten the lead role. The dark circles around your eyes looked like a raccoon's, a dark contrast to the paleness of your face. It scared you to look at yourself and the hollowness that consumed the light in your eyes.

You shook your head and turned on the tap, slapping some cold water on your face to make yourself look more alive. Your cheeks were weirdly warm under your cold palms but you brushed it off to be due to the sudden temperature change in the weather. With a bit of a struggle you managed to change out of your clothes and stepped outside of your messy room, making a mental note to clean it up after training.

You thought of stopping by the kitchen to put something in your system but you decided against it as you didn't really have an appetite. You drank some water but the liquid seemed to do more damage than aid your dry throat. Placing down the half drank glass of water in the sink you headed towards the garden. Opening the doors, you felt your lungs struggling to breathe in the chilly air.

Enishi was already there swinging around his sword to warm up. Sensing your presence behind him he turned around to you and scanned you quickly. He hasn't seen you in days and he could tell that something felt off about you today. Your shoulders were slumped over like you were in pain. Your eyes looked sunken in, worse than they were the last time he saw you. Not to mention that your normally rosy cheeks looked awfully pale for you to be anywhere near okay. Even your steps seemed slower. They weren't like your usual anxiety soaked steps whenever you came to train, but they were different. He wanted to ask you if you were doing okay but you beat him to it and changed the subject.

“Let’s-“ you started talking but your scratchy voice stopped you. Clearing your throat you tried that again trying to sound more convincing so you wouldn't raise any suspicions about your state.

“Let’s get this over with,” you said as you put on a fake smile. He took one more look at you and shook his head, moving to his place. He thought you would tell him if something was wrong but seeing as you were so hellbent on training he didn't prod any further.

He knew you practiced one move the most these days. A slash across the diagonal, good in any close combat. He wanted to see how you would use it against an opponent so you started sparring. He came at you slow at first to ease you back into training with another person. But the more you sparred he saw you were back to dodging his moves instead of attacking him. It confused him that you kept stepping back every time he came closer.

“You’re supposed to attack,” he said as a matter of fact.

“I know. I’m just trying to figure out a scheme of attack,” you lied.

You could barely keep yourself upright, legs feeling like lead every time you took a step. Dodging his hits took less energy than attacking him, but it still made you sweat more than you normally do during training. A fever was taking a hold of you and that was bad news. You didn’t know how much longer you could hide your predicament before he would take notice and bench you for an undetermined period and you didn't want that. But the sparring got to a point where it was way too intense, the cold air around you changing to an unbearable heatwave. Enishi continued to charge at you and you barely caught most of his hits. You felt like you were going to pass out if you didn't take a break.

One misplaced balance of your sword and Enishi was quick to notice something was wrong from the way you faltered when he swung from a closer distance. You took longer to lift the blade and tired out too easily when blocking his own. So he stepped back from you and put down his sword. You stopped and looked at him confused, hoping your body didn't give away too much about how shitty you were feeling. Straightening your back to look more stable than you felt inside at the moment, you tried to get your rapid breaths under control.

“Why are we stopping?” you panted.

Getting air in was a pain as less and less usable air travelled inside of your chest.

“You don’t feel well do you?” he asked, fixing you with his eyes in case you decided to lie to his face.

“I’m fine,” you said through gritted teeth. “I just want to get this move perfectly.”

He tilted his head at you looking for any signs you were lying and was surprised that he couldn't find any because it did seem like you were. He got pretty good at reading you in the month you already spent together and knew when to call it quits in annoying you or when you were overthinking. But right now it was hard to figure out what was going on in that head of yours. Your body looked ready to give out but your eyes were piercing through him telling him you were just too focused. He seemed to buy your doughnuts for now but he still looked a little worried.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take a break?”

“I’m sure.”

You looked too determined and he failed to see through that.

You resumed training, more forceful attacks coming your way. Enishi got too lost in thought to see that he was delivering blows a little too hard, like always. It was one of the things you liked about him the most: how focused he was on training. He would get really engrossed in it even if was just practice and usually you would be able to sense his attacks. But right now your senses were in overload.

You tried to hit back but the most you mustered was a slash that almost accidentally cut into his arm if it wasn't for his quick thinking to duck out of the way. He moved around you looking for your uncovered areas and you tried your hardest to spot him, breaths coming out heavier as you whirled around. Your swords clashed again and you almost had him when all of a sudden he went for a side cut from your left with his sword. You barely defended the hit by pushing your blade to catch his, the quickness of the move sending your vision spinning.

The exhaustion, the heat and the sweat clinging to your body overwhelmed you. You tried to push his sword once more before you leaned your weight on your sword for support, dark spots appearing in your clouded vision. You didn't even notice you were careening to the right until your blade screeched as it slid down the length of his all the way down to the hilt. Before you could hit the ground you heard the blades clang to the floor as strong arms secured around you to keep you upright. Your ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton unable to register that Enishi was frantically calling your name. A cold hand touching your cheek offered some relief from the warmth boiling your body. Your head fell on his shoulder and you looked up at him, eyes focusing enough to see the worry on his face. You could see his lips moving but none of the words made any sense until they finally made their way to your ears.

“I knew something was off,” he said looking down at you with a glint of guilt in his eyes.

“I’m fine,” you grunted regretting even speaking as it turned the mild headache you had into a drilling migraine. Your hand moved to hold your head as the pain only got worse.

"You're anything but fine right now."

The tone in his voice told you he was angry with you, probably for lying to his face that you were fine when you definitely weren't. And for continuing to train when he always told you that training without being in the mindset or the health for it was bad for you. But you refused to listen and look where that got you now.

"You're so fucking stubborn."

In a swift move, Enishi hooked one arm under your legs and secured the other around your back lifting you up to carry you back inside. He figured that staying outside in the cold would do you more worse than good. You wanted to protest but you didn't want to argue with him about your idiotic life choices right now, so you snuggled your head closer to the crook of his neck. that provided you some warmth as your body was now racked by chills. You felt like dozing off from the comfort of your temporary pillow until you felt the vibrations of his voice against your temple.

“Hey, stay awake. We’ve got to get your fever down a little before you sleep.”

You tried your hardest to keep your eyes open but the way he carried you lulled you to sleep and made you a little nauseous at the same time.

“Miyu, open your eyes,” he said sternly, picking up his pace.

“It makes me dizzy,” you croaked out annoyed at him.

“Then keep talking to me. Say anything, just don’t shut down just yet,” he asked you, concern too present in his voice for you not to notice it.

Why was he so worried? It wasn't like you would drop dead if you closed your eyes for a minute.

You tried to think of what to say that would be more than just rambling random words and you came empty-handed. That was until you looked up at him and you saw those crystal balls glistening in the dark hallway. His eyes.

“I like your eyes,” you said and he seemed to get a little taken aback by your confession as his steps slowed down.

Truthfully, it was something you didn’t want to tell him just yet. It was like your own little secret. You weren't one to fancy prolonged eye-contact with anyone or look people in the eye when they spoke. But you found yourself looking for his almost all the time. You admired the way they twinkled with every emotion he was feeling. Most of the time they blazed with anger at the world, consuming everything in their wake. But there were a few times where they twinkled with joy, whenever he talked about his sister or when he was spending time with you. There was something oddly comforting about them and they always put you at ease. Swallowing your pride for once you admitted to this secret out loud.

“What do you like about my eyes?” he asked, uncertainty behind his question.

If only you knew. I could write books and it still wouldn't be enough to describe what they make me feel.

“They’re dark and so full of pain. But they hold so much warmth in them. You don’t want to admit it but you’re not just a big bad mafia boss killing people for a living. You’re more than that, to me at least,” you said the last part in a mumble hoping he wouldn't hear it but he did, tensing slightly and halting his steps.

He looked down at your shivering form tucked safely in his arms. He had so much to say to you but he settled for a quick kiss on your burning forehead for the time being. It was the smallest peck, so soft you could have missed it if you didn't have your eyes open. It was his way of acknowledging the things you said and that you will talk more about it when it was time. But for now taking care of you was a priority.

In your dazed state you noticed he went past your room and he saw the confusion on your face.

"You're staying in my room for a while so I can make sure you're going to get better," he said as he pushed the doors to his room open, the warmth of his room surrounding your body. You whined in protest when he headed for the bathroom knowing exactly what he was thinking. You felt anything but ready for a shower right now.

He stepped inside and placed you on the floor an arm still around you in case you slid down to the floor. He turned on the water and let it get warm as he turned his attention back to you. You were gripping his tank top in a frenzy trying to hold yourself up against the bouts of nausea. He kept a hand around you to let you know he wasn't going anywhere and that you were safe in case anything happened.

"I know you don't want to take one right now," he said as he moved some hair away from your face. "But if you sleep this sweaty, you're just going to get worse."

You shook your head in his chest childishly but you knew there was no way to get out of it now. He wouldn't leave it alone until he saw you healthy enough to annoy again and you just had to accept his perusing.

"Just hold onto me and I'll do the rest, okay?"

Giving in to his pleas as he rubbed your back comfortingly, you nodded weakly. You hated how easily he got under your skin and knew everything that made you click in such a short time. Back rubbing was one of the things you loved and he always did it when he needed you to accept something that was for your own good.

He helped you undress discarding your sweat clad clothes to the floor. Once he took his own off too he helped you step into the shower. The warm water hit your body and the comfort made your knees weak. You remembered you haven't had a shower since your last one that was with him too, after your bathtub adventure before the mission. He still didn't replace the broken water tap and you had a feeling it was because he wanted you to shower in his room willingly without him whisking you away for other adventures. It was sneaky but you gave him credit for it being a smooth move to get closer to you.

He stepped in with you and checked to see if you were okay or ready to drop still.

"Let me know if it gets too much and I'll get you to bed, okay?"

You nodded and wrapped your arms around his torso with the little energy you had left. Your head laid flat to his chest where you could hear his heartbeat that seemed to be accelerating beyond a normal speed. He must have been panicking a little and you felt bad for putting him through all this trouble. You wanted to push him away and tell him to let you deal with the mess you caused yourself. He didn't need to take care of you like this, especially after you shut him out. You didn't think of his feelings at all and it made you feel even more guilty than you already did for everything else going wrong in your life.

But there he was, holding you close to him so gentle like you were made out of glass. He washed your hair, massaging your scalp softly to get rid of all the dirt that gathered there from your days spent training outside. It felt like he got rid of some of the dirt in your soul too. As cold as he was, he was the also the warmth you needed. You knew he cared even if he didn't show it a lot.

He tried to hurry, moving to wash the rest of your body as you looked ready to lay down on the floor of the shower cabin and just sleep there like it was a premium bed. He kept asking you things to keep you awake and talking even if all he received from you was a blabbering mess of mumbles.

Once you were cleaner than you have been before in your life, he turned off the water and wrapped you in a bathrobe. Leading you to the counter near the sink, he placed you on top of it while he dashed to his room to bring you some clothes. The warmth of the shower water was replaced by the cold marble surface that made your shivers return even worse than before, coming with a new wave of nausea. He started dressing you and you put your head on his shoulder, managing to only pull a blouse on you before he noticed the way you gripped his own that he threw on harshly before he came to you.

"What's wrong?"

You had your eyes shut tight trying to swallow whatever tried crawling up your sore throat.

"Miyu, look at me."

"I feel like I'm going to throw up-" you didn't even get to finish as the bile rose in your throat. You hopped off the counter and leaned over the toilet bowl emptying whatever your stomach gathered up. Enishi knelt down beside you a hand grabbing the hair out of your face while the other rubbed your back.

"What are you even throwing up? You haven't eaten anything in the past few days."

"My hopes and dreams."

He would have laughed at that if it wasn't for your head hanging above the toilet bowl. It amazed him how you still tried to ease the seriousness of the situation in your state.

When you were done you wiped your mouth on a spare towel and threw it in the corner, falling back into his chest. The shivers intensified as your whole body was now consumed by cold from all sides, the only source of warmth being the man beside you. He pulled you up from the floor, careful not to make you more woozy and took you to bed.

He placed you down on the mattress and tried to dry a bit of your hair and then let you lay down. You grabbed one of the blankets he put on the bed, wrapping your body like a burrito, while he covered you with the duvet. He had more blankets prepared in case you needed them and you made a mental note to thank him for the extra thought. The extra thoughts coming from him lately warmed you up inside because they were like little notes telling you he was there and ready to help with anything and you couldn't tell where all this care was coming from in the first place.

He got in bed next to you sitting against the headboard and you cuddled into his side, seeking his warmth. Your body couldn't produce enough heat even after the hottest shower you ever took and the fact that you were wrapped tightly in bundles. He shifted closer to you and carded a hand through your hair, which soothed your migraine.

"Do you need me to get you anything?"

You shook your head and grabbed onto his other hand pulling it on top of your stomach. He laced his fingers with yours. All you wanted was to have him next to you right now.

"I just need you here."

The last few days were hell to bear alone and it took ruining your health to notice that accepting help wasn't all that bad. Enishi was ready to help you no matter what you needed and you didn't know how to thank him. The way he cared for you was something akin to the care your parents gave you. As scary as it was to let yourself feel it you couldn't help but welcome it. Maybe a part of your chills didn't come from the cold but from the way he was acting towards you.

Emotions swirled around your head and everything suddenly felt too overwhelming. The muscles aching, the migraine, the pain that was numb for now but promised to return soon. You tried to hold the tears at bay but you couldn't. So you let them out unable to keep things bottled in anymore.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he cupped your face.

You tried to say something but all that came out was air through choked sobs.

"Miyu, what hurts? Talk to me."

"Everything," you cried out as you hid your face in his side.

You wanted to tell him every thing that hurt from the biggest to the smallest thing but you couldn't do more than tighten your grip around him. He moved to hug you, pulling you on top of his chest.

"I'm here. I've got you now," he whispered as he rubbed your back. "You're going to be okay."

--------

His heart stopped when he saw your eyes roll to the back of your head back there. He tried to keep the worry away but he couldn't help panicking a little when the familiarity of the scene hit him way too hard. A fraction of a vivid memory took him back to the day he lost his sister, a day he couldn't forget no matter how hard he tried.

The snow blanket that was forming around the woods made him smile. It wasn't long until he got back to the house and he could play in the snow with Tomoe. The recent times he went over to her place ended up in arguments and unwanted words thrown at each other all because he didn't want to accept that man for her. He was walking trouble in his eyes and Tomoe could yell at him all she wanted but it wouldn't change the disdain he felt for him. He hoped they could make up this time around and just forget about everything else.

Last time it snowed this much they made the biggest snowman. They placed him in front of the house and called him the guardian, decorating his face in an angry manner. His mouth was an intimidating sneer made from a few stones that matched the small twig eyebrows above his eyes. Tomoe forgot to pick up carrots but she used a sweet potato for his nose. It looked absolutely horrendous but it was their source of entertainment until the cold winter passed and the snowman melted with the coming of spring.

He went into town and picked up more sweet potatoes so she could boil some too. He almost made it to the house but stopped once he heard grunts nearby, followed by his sister's voice so he followed the sound, pushing away frozen tree branches until he reached the scene. His heart stopped at the sight.

Tomoe was holding tightly onto a man to protect him from the man he called trouble. The one she fell for, pushing her only family in the process. He slashed his sword across her back without a glint of regret in his eyes, crimson blood staining the white snow as she fell to the floor. He had the audacity to cradle her close to his body as he watched the light drain from her eyes.

He wanted to run to her and be the one holding her instead. He deserved to be the last one she saw before her eyes were consumed by darkness. But the fear kept him glued to the tree a few feet away, unable to move or do anything else but cry and blame himself that he couldn't do more.

He hoped he would never experience that feeling again but here he was, cradling you to his body like the world tried its hardest to take you away. Your cold scared him not because you looked the worst he'd ever seen you but because of how much pain you went through to get you in this state. He wasn't a fool. He knew this was the result of you closing yourself away from him and everyone else to process everything. You were living his worst nightmares all on your own and it made him want to burn the world. He knew he couldn't take your pain away and feel it for you even if he wished to.

He wanted you to talk to him. Tell him everything that hurt and ask him to fix it for you. Tell him that you needed him to hold the sky off your shoulders for a minute and he would hold it for as long as he could. But he couldn't push you. He knew better that help was best when it was accepted rather than forced. He just hoped you would ask for it and lean on him like you let him lean on you that rainy night in the garden. If you didn't find him in time he might have lost it completely and there would be no coming back from that.

He checked your temperature hourly, hand laid across your forehead hopeful that you would get better. Whenever it went up you would toss and turn around in your sleep, waking up abruptly to search for him in the dark. He tried to reassure you that everything was okay and that you had nothing to worry about as he went back to being your human pillow. Every time it happened you found his hand and held it close to your chest in a death grip until your hold would loosen telling him you fell back asleep.

The day turned into night and he didn't move an inch from his spot beside you. He just wanted to watch over you and keep you safe and warm, occasionally dozing off with you in his arms.

-------

You woke up to the smell of food. Sighing contently you opened your eyes and sat up slowly just as Enishi entered the room, a bowl and a mug of tea balanced carefully in his hold. He smiled seeing you awake.

"How did you sleep?" he asked as he placed everything on the nightstand to sit next to you.

"A little better. Is that for me?"

"Yes. It's porridge and some tea."

Porridge was the bane of your existence. As much as you knew it was what your body needed to get better you hated it with a burning passion. Your mother made it whenever you got sick and you always tried to convince the maids into eating it for you on the promise that you will stop being a trouble for them for at most a month. But they would always rat you out to your parents and you would get scolded for it.

"I want real food," you mumbled disappointedly. You puffed your cheeks and made puppy eyes at him to let you off this time but by the stern look on his face he wasn't buying your doughnuts anymore.

"You're getting real food when we're sure you can keep it down. For now it's this," he placed the bowl in your hands and waited for you to try it.

You took a spoonful and put it in your mouth only to grimace at the taste. This was anything but porridge.

"What the hell is this?"

"Hey, now. I know I'm not the greatest cook but you have to eat that whole bowl if you want real food."

He knew he botched the recipe but as bad as it tasted you needed the nutrients. You didn't eat anything in days and giving you a whole meal wasn't a good choice. He really didn't want to watch a rerun of your hopes and dreams spilling out through your guts again.

You sighed and ate a few more spoons until your stomach said it was enough and you handed him the bowl. He gave you the tea and you took a sip smiling at the taste as it was your favorite. At least he knew how to sweeten you. You placed it back on the nightstand and leaned back in bed.

"I have some stuff to work on in my office. If you need anything please call me. As big or small as it may seem."

He was coddling way you too much and it wasn't in his nature. You felt bad for keeping him away from his work. But he reassured you time and time again that it was okay to lean on him. Even if what went through your head wasn't a big deal. It came from a place of understanding and as much as he tried to hide it you could tell he went through the same thing.

You tried sleeping but every position you changed to seemed more uncomfortable than the previous. Each time you did fall asleep the thoughts that left you in pain for days on end would creep back into your mind and you would wake up looking for him. Deciding that enough was enough you decided to pay him a visit. Wrapping one of his chunkier kimonos around you, you stepped out of the comfort of the bed and went to his office. He sighed when he saw you come in like a lost puppy looking for its owner.

"You're supposed to be in bed."

"I was getting bored in there," you said as you walked to his couch and plopped yourself on it getting comfortable.

"Well, you're not going to find much fun here either."

You didn't really need any entertainment. You just didn't want to be alone and if you just sat there with him whilst he worked it was enough for you.

After a while, you dozed off on the couch to the sound of him scribbling away on paper. He heard your light snores and looked up from his maps to see you fast asleep, head nuzzled into the plush of the couch backrest with your knees pulled up to your chest. He smiled and shook his head at you walking to to your spot, He only now noticed that you were wrapped tightly in his kimono. It was a dark blue one he really liked because it was comfortable to wear. He thought you suited warmer colours until now when he saw you in blue. The material was big enough to be a blanket on your small form, falling over you so effortlessly. As if his aura rubbed off on you in a way that welcomed it rather than pushing it away like the other people he tried getting close to before. He knelt beside the couch and pulled it up to cover your exposed shoulder.

"You're so stubborn," he whispered.

He slid his arms behind your back and your legs and lifted you up to take you back to the warmth of his bed.

--------

The days passed by in a blur. You spent most of the time sleeping or annoying Enishi because he wouldn't let you do anything else. He benched you from cooking or training and it drove you insane.

It took about a week until he let you train again in a way that wasn't straining for you. Little by little you got your strength back and it showed in your sparring sessions. You could handle yourself better and it was all thanks to him and his incessant nagging telling you to rest and take it easy. As annoying as it was you had to accept his way of nursing you back to health.

You had a lot of time to think about everything, thoughts ranging from finding your mother to figuring out Enishi. His presence affected you in a multitude of ways lately. You contemplated his actions, his touches, his words. Every gesture he made towards you that you couldn't understand the reason of. It went beyond the sex drive you felt mutually and the thoughtless words said in the act.

It all started the night of the casino mission. You tried shaking off his words, convincing yourself it was just the lust talking for him and that it was the same in your case. But when you told him 'I need you' you said it with your whole being. And it seemed to change everything.

You started questioning if he felt the same things you did. If the hands carding through your hair or the late night conversations in the dark meant anything to him, because they meant everything to you. If they did, he was making a great job at hiding that because you spent the whole week analysing every single thing that happened to the both of you until you wanted to literally take a bite out of the wall.

As blind to the obvious as you were sometimes, you thought you could pinpoint where his feelings stood, but you often got side-tracked by the butterflies forming in your stomach while you watched him cook for you or tell you new facts about the swords you were training with. He did everything to turn you away from thinking too much and it felt like an avoidance tactic. You needed to talk about a lot of things sooner or later and you hoped it would be the first.

The next mission was nearing up and you shoved all of these thoughts under the rug for the time being. You needed to focus because it involved your mother. The man in the basement finally chirped after going days without basic necessities like food and sunlight. He gave Enishi a lead on your mother's whereabouts, restoring a little hope in your broken soul.

She was apparently working as a maid for a mafia he had ties with. They were throwing a ball to celebrate the birthday of their leader and she was going to be there. You took the information with a grain of salt because it seemed like it was too good to be true. You thought of the possibility that he just tried to lead you further away from finding her. But Enishi made everyone dig around and they found that the ball was truthfully being held tonight.

Enishi told you to stay put, insisting that it was only him who would go with the rest of the gang. You tried to convince him to let you come but he refused to hear it. So, like any kid getting told not to do something, you went and did the exact opposite, just getting dressed to kill.

You finished strapping your pistols to your thighs under the dress and looked in the mirror, smiling softly at the person starring back at you. She was so different from the person who came here a little over a month ago. She was so scared of herself, unable to let go of her past. But now she looked so confident in her own skin and so much more powerful. She was so much healthier too and back to herself that it made you proud. You blew a kiss to yourself in the mirror and winked at how pretty you looked. Confidence looked hella good on you.

Enishi told you about the mission a few days ago and you thought of every possible way to not let him leave in that carriage without you. It took a little prodding and the promise of a month full of desserts for the whole gang but you managed to coax Wu into keeping Enishi here as long as you needed to get ready.

Enishi was pacing around, mid-argument with his second in command as to why he wasn't moving the carriages. Wu just shook his head and kept his mouth sealed shut as part of your deal. Enishi stopped yelling once he heard the click of an all too familiar pair of heels and cursed himself for being so blind. He should have seen it coming from the way you gave in so easily and stopped trying to convince him to let you come.

Turning around to scold you his breath got stuck in his throat. You looked breathtaking. Your hair was down to the side, locks falling in wavy curls over your shoulders. You were wearing the red qipao dress he bought for you at the market even if you hated his guts for buying it for you. But the dress seemed to have some major adjustments that altered it a lot from the original.

The constricting part at the top was turned into an off-the-shoulder neckline and the small slit on the side run up higher almost to your hip. The bottom was full of flares from the same material in a darker burgundy. The sleeves were now made into gloves that ran all the way up to your elbows, fabric at the end looking like scraps from the corset you wore the night of the casino mission. Your mother's necklace sat around your neck, red stone bringing out your eyes.

"Close your mouth, dearest. A fly might fly in."

You were satisfied by his reaction that if fuelled your confidence beyond the normal levels.

"Is that what I think it is? Miyu?"

You followed his eyes and noticed he was staring at the very familiar golden material running around the bottom that you used to amplify the dragon embellished on the slit by adding a few pieces of material to the red flares.

"You said I could borrow anything from your closet," you scoffed.

"I said borrow, not cut up to pieces."

"Oh, come on. It looks less like a wedding dress now, doesn't it?"

You batted your eyelashes at him and he huffed an annoyed sigh. Letting Wu help you into the carriage you got comfortable and smiled back at him. You knew you were in deep shit for countless reasons, but the biggest being that you cut up the really expensive golden kimono in his wardrobe. It was gathering dust in there anyways. At least you put it to good use.

"Shall we go?"

As angry as he was at you he was glad to see that mischief smile back on your face. He was going to let you off. For now.

"You will be the death of me one day, Miyu Hikari," he grunted before he sauntered in the carriage next to you.

He let his eyes linger on you for a few more moments. He couldn't help but admire the alterations to the dress and how skillfully they were done. It was clear as daylight you were a Hikari. You had craftsmanship running in your blood as much as you didn't want to admit it.

"When did you even modify the dress?"

"I think you forgot that you had me on house arrest for like a week," you said playing with one of the ruffles on your dress.

"It wasn't house arrest."

"It was."

"It wasn't."

"Twas," you sung.

"Twasn't," he followed suit.

The both of you erupted into a fit of giggles. It was your turn to let your eyes wander over his outfit, unable to get enough of it from just one look.

"You know, you don't look too bad yourself."

"I let Wu style me. Don't know if that was a mistake or not considering he wears furs like he's the madame of the house."

"He did a good job."

Wu had an eye for fashion and you had to give him that because when you stepped out of the mansion you thought you were hallucinating. You only saw a broad back clad in what looked like a western suit. You recalled him saying he would never be caught dead in something like that. Thank god you didn't miss the show.

The wind was knocked out of you when he turned around and you got a full view of the outfit. He wore a full tailored black suit. The vest sat on top of a white shirt, hugging his body like it was made on order. It was the sluttiest thing a man could wear. A silver chain ran from the vest to the blazer, matching the silver earring in his ear. Thoughts that weren't exactly pristine passed through your mind and it took a huge amount of rationality to not act them out.

The thing that shocked you the most was that he wore a fucking tie. You knew he hated that tie by the way he fidgeted with it to loosen it around his neck. He most likely contemplated arson from the way he looked at Wu. But he definitely looked the mafia boss part now and it made your knees weak.

"Why didn't you stay back like I told you?"

"I think it's fair to say you already know I don't listen to orders. And this is about my mom," you fidgeted with the piece of fabric in your hand. "I've spent so many years searching for any trace of them and I can't just sit back when we might know where at least one of my parents is."

He put his hand over yours and pulled it to his leg, rubbing comforting circles on your knuckles to ease your nervousness. He was doing it again. Getting you out of your mind to focus back to the present.

"I know. I just didn't want you to come in case it was a false lead."

"Even if it is we will check it out together."

The carriage came to a halt. You heard excited chatter and music which meant you arrived at the venue for the ball.

"You ready?"

"Always."

-----------

The place was nothing like you've ever seen before. You've seen mansions that looked like castles before, when you used to work the paid assassin gig for the rich and powerful, but none of them came close to this one. The sculpted fountains outside should have been enough of a giveaway that this place was scalded in gold and money that was murdered and stolen for. No human being should be able to have this much wealth especially when it wasn't theirs to keep.

The event was on an invitation basis and you were surprised to see Enishi pull out one with your names on it handing it to the men standing guard at the doors. Once they gave you the okay they opened the doors to let you in and closed them back up. You walked in and realised you were on the first floor of the building. Walking further away from the horde of people around the entrance, you scouted the place. The architecture was really European, column walls lined on every side supporting the building. The artwork on the walls was the same, the running theme of naked people painted angelically to depict romance sneering at you, as if to say you didn't deserve romance too.

You sighed leaning over the stone railing as you scouted out the place. You had a perfect view of the ballroom and all the guests that pooled downstairs. Most of them were couples of all ages, dressed elegantly in such a way that flaunted their wealth. The men smoked expensive cigars while their women had their necks decorated in rubies of all shapes and colours. You couldn't lie that you felt a little out of place.

The minute you walked in with Enishi on your arm chatter ceased and all eyes were on you, well mostly the female ones seeking something to gossip about. They started picking apart your hairstyle, your dress, your face. The fact that the man at your side chose you as a plus one instead of one of them. They called him 'too handsome to be real' while fanning their faces and you would have agreed if it wasn't for the intense urge to poke your tongue out at them. But you had to behave like a lady, so you settled for throwing daggers with your eyes their way.

You didn't know why you suddenly felt so protective of the man at your right. The group eventually scurried off, possibly terrified of your facial expressions, and it was weird that the satisfaction you felt was good enough of a reason to justify your actions. Enishi saw the exchange and struggled to keep his laughter in.

"I suggest you to keep your claws hidden tonight."

You turned to face him, eyes narrowing onto his. What was that supposed to mean?

"Are you suggesting I'm jealous or something?"

"Maybe."

"Last time I checked we weren't a couple or anything," you said wrapping your arms around your chest.

He looked around before he pushed you to a wall behind you, hands firmly gripping yours. Playfulness and seriousness were dancing around in his eyes and you couldn't tell which one peered more into your eyes right now. He stood so close to you that you forgot how to breathe. His eyes darted between your own and your lips, leaning closer to your face. Stopping just a few inches off your lips you felt your patience running thin. All you wanted to do was close the distance between you. He closed his eyes and blew a breath that hit your lips.

"Don't fall for me, Miyu," he whispered loud enough for only you to hear.

I think it's a little too late for that.

You had enough of getting teased so you made a move for his lips. Your lips barely brushed his before he pulled away from you, signature smirk on his face.

"We're on enemy territory so keep an eye out."

With that he turned around and walked off, leaving you there nothing short of confused. You released a breath and leaned on the wall for support, the ghost of his touch still lingering on your arms.

He was back to leading you on and you couldn't tell if it was just an act this time or it was what he actually felt for you. He was cold again but this time it seemed different, like he was forcing it. The minute you both stepped out of the house he would turn into this other person that liked taunting you.

You slept together for so many times and it still seemed to be no strings attached for him. But it made you crave more than that. You couldn't deny that your feelings for him were real but you couldn't tell if they were strong enough to push for them when you knew deep down that this back and forth will never be something more than that. And that kinda felt like an arrow was shot straight through your heart.

Every time you kissed him ran through your mind. You wanted to find at least one that you could hang onto that was sincere. But most of them were fuelled by anger and hunger. You never kissed each other with real feelings and you felt like a fool for thinking it could ever be more than back and forth with him.

You shook the thoughts form your head and walked to catch up to him. If it was up to you you would've left after that stunt he pulled. But you were here for your mom first and foremost. These mind games could wait.

Making your way downstairs into the main room where everyone gathered you looked around for him but he was nowhere in sight, figuring you lost him in the big crowd.

Great. What am I supposed to do now?

The band started playing a slow song and you recognised it to be the one of the tunes for the Viennese waltz. A small smile cracked on your lips at the memory of your father teaching it to you. He would place you on his tiptoes and swing you around the living room while your mother sat and clapped for you as your audience. They taught you all kinds of dances to help you fit in easier with the higher status people.

Didn't think the mafia rolled with this much finesse.

The dancefloor cleared as everyone split into pairs and you found yourself alone in the middle. As much as you would have loved to dance you didn't feel like it. You were about to walk off until an arm pulled you back, making you collide with a sturdy chest. The familiar jasmine smell was enough to make you grunt in annoyance as you turned to the man before you. He held your hand as he stepped away to do a curtsy, moving your other hand to sit on his shoulders as he gripped the other one. You tried prying your hands off but the hold he had on you was way too firm. He wouldn't let you go unless he wanted to and he seemed hellbent on doing so.

"Let me go," you gritted out. A few pairs looked at you struggling and you both flashed your fake smiles telling them kindly to fuck off.

"The music already started so let's just do this."

"I don't want to do anything with you."

You looked away from him getting into your position as you started leading him, stepping forward with your left foot. He tried to take the lead away from you but you were better at this than he was, getting your uncoordinated waltz in rhythm with the music. He noticed the weight you stepped with from side to side and could feel the tension just from holding your waist.

"Why are you suddenly mad at me?"

"Because.."

Because you almost kissed me. Because the way you touch me makes me want to run for the hills. Because you're a coward and can't admit to your feelings. Because I hate you.

"Because what?"

You separated to do a spin and came back to him. His hands landed a little lighter on your waist this time around.

"I don't know I just am."

The swaying pairs around you faded to a blur as your bodies got closer and you spun together to the music, swaying left and right. The fact that he knew how to dance the waltz amazed you a little. He seemed to have a lot of tricks hidden up his sleeve.

There was no denying he liked the female attention. Even while he danced so close to you you could feel the lonely girls by the side of the dancefloor staring holes through the back of your head. You knew exactly how they felt because you couldn't help but swoon at his charms too. That was until you got too annoyed by his staring.

"Can you stop looking at my boobs?"

"It's not my fault they are up in my face."

"Jesus Christ."

Parting away from each other again, you lifted your palms to sit against each other. Your warm fingertips met his cold ones again as you circled each other. It took every ounce of self control in your being not to intertwine your fingers together. You were mad at how quickly you went from hating to appreciating him.

You went for the final waltz section of the dance and prayed for the music to end faster. He took the lead this time and you followed suit.

He kept his eyes on you the whole time trying to figure out what you were thinking in that little head of yours. The tension between you was suffocating. You were back to the normal push and pull, getting too close to keep his hands off of you, but too far to actually touch you. He didn't want to push you away or play pretend but he didn't know what else to do to keep his urges away. Staying away from you was better than being this close to you and not knowing what to do or say.

Getting too lost in his own thoughts he took a wrong step that made you lose your footing. You thought you were going to kiss the floor if it wasn't for his hands catching you. You were bent backwards with one of your hands fisted in the collar of his blazer. One of his arms wrapped around your torso and the other sat at the back of your neck supporting your head. Maybe it was the thrill of danger from all the eyes looking at you that you felt like you couldn't take your eyes off of his. He seemed so close yet so far, easy but so hard to get through.

The music ended and you stepped away from him thanking all gods for the late but welcome help. You needed a drink if you wanted to get through the night so you headed to the bar leaving him on the dancefloor.

---------------

You were on your fourth vodka cocktail when he joined you at the bar. You cursed your high tolerance to alcohol wishing to be tipsier than you felt so you could deal with him in a way that your conscience wouldn't scold you for.

"You should slow down on those."

"I can do whatever the fuck I want."

He didn't know where this attitude came from. He was a little annoyed by it but he brushed it off to be just one of your mood swings.

"Okay, so, what's holding us back from going in?"

"There's about ten armed guards on every floor."

"If that's a problem I think you're forgetting we took down a whole gang in that casino using our wits and wooden chairs."

"The problem is that once they see us coming they will sound the alarm to everyone else and we will be fucked. There's five mafias present and the last thing I want is a gang war."

"That's what you said last time and the Daos kinda went extinct the minute we got involved."

You had a point. But it was still too dangerous to go in through the front. He studied the map of the place countless times and knew there was a hidden staircase with access to all levels. It was typically the maids who had access to it. He looked around and spotted one at the far corner with a tray of finger foods in her hands.

"I will be right back. Behave yourself."

You would've smacked him if it wasn't for the crowd around you. Following him with your eyes through the sea of people you saw him approach a maid. What was he gonna do with a maid?

Your question was answered when you saw him plaster that playboy smirk on his face, leaning down to whisper in her ear. She giggled at whatever he told her and you gripped your glass tightly. The scene made your jaw clench even if you had no reason to feel like that.

Keep it together. We are not a couple. This is all just for show.

After more flirting, he came back and you threw the last contents in your glass down your throat. He dangled a set of keys in front of you and you looked at him confused.

"The maids have access to a hidden staircase at the back of the mansion. It leads to all levels including the top one where she said the rest of the maids are gathered up."

"Those open the doors to this secret magical staircase?"

"Yes."

Maybe you went a little too far with your sarcasm but it was the only way you could keep yourself from snapping at him. He only shook his head at you and lead the way.

You circled the entire mansion through the garden at the back. Whenever people passed by you, Enishi would hold your hand and smile to make it believable that you looked like a couple and that you weren't doing anything you shouldn't be doing. You played along leaning closer to him and smacking his chest as you laughed. It disgusted you, playing pretend like this when you wanted it to be real.

Once you were out of sight you looked for the staircase. You found it under a deep layer of wild vine and unlocked the doors, locking them after you entered. A few lanterns lined up the wall all the way to the top but it was still too dark to see anything. You went up first, lifting your dress up so you wouldn't step on it. The long ruffles covered the front part and you couldn't see where you were stepping. You got halfway up the stairs and placed your foot wrong on a step, stumbling backwards colliding with Enishi's chest for the second time tonight. One of his hands wrapped securely around your waist while the other gripped the railing.

"You should be more careful," he said breathlessly.

"I am-" you started but were cut off by the sound of guards patrolling at the top of the stairs.

Suddenly, you were pressed against the inner wall of the staircase, his body impossibly close to yours. The proximity made your heartbeat accelerated and you shut your eyes to take a few breaths in. The way his head dipped down to your neck gave you a thrilling sense of deja vu, reminding you of the night you hid in an alley from guards patrolling the city. You couldn't deny the attraction between you back then but you looked for every reason to do it now. Your hand laid on his chest and you could feel his rapid heartbeat under your finger tips. You opened your eyes and tilted your head at him.

If your body says it wants me why does your mind keep pushing me away?

His eyes turned from the top of the staircase to you laying on your lips again. He's gone too long without your taste and it was driving him crazy. All he wanted to do was kiss them sweetly until he drew blood. He thought just one taste would quench his thirst so he leaned down to you again. But this time, you didn't let him play with you.

The coast cleared and you pushed him away, making your way towards the top. You beckoned him over and checked the hallway to see it empty. He huffed and made his way to you.

"You take the ones on the left," he said.

"I'll take the ones on the right," you said at the same time.

You couldn't come to terms with anything and it pushed your buttons greatly. Shaking your head, you moved to the ones on the right without saying anything else. Wasting time you didn't have wasn't on your list right now. You needed to find your mom ASAP unless you wanted to piss off some blood-thirsty mafias by snooping around their palace.

Opening door after door you found either a guest room fixed up by a few maids or a storage space where they put cleaning supplies away. The next one you opened was a bathroom occupied by a couple who appeared to be making out or having a contest on who could eat the other's face off first. You couldn't really tell. They stopped their smooching to look at you startled.

"My bad. Uh... enjoy yourselves. Use protection," you yelled and closed the door leaning on it in embarrassment.

Enishi just closed the last door on his side and you looked at him hopeful only to have your hopes crushed when he shook his head.

"Only young maids on this side. What about you?"

"Loads of maids and I think I just cockblocked a couple."

He started laughing and you clamped a hand on his mouth reminding him no one needed to know you were there. You turned your attention back to the hallway. There was one last door to check on your side and you prayed to all gods she would be in there.

You moved to the door placing a shaky hand on the golden doorknob and you froze. You had no way of knowing if she was going to be behind that door or if something else would wait for you. You hoped you didn't come this far for nothing because if you did it would break you. Conscious of time ticking away, you drew in a shaky breath and tried to push through your hesitation and move your hand to open the door. But you couldn't open it.

Enishi saw you struggling. He knew how badly you wanted her to be inside that room. If she wasn't in there you were going to blame yourself for it even if it wasn't your fault. This was exactly why he didn't want you to come in the first place. He knew if there was nothing behind that door that it would break you. You hung with your teeth onto the little hope that the information you got from that asshole was true and he wished it was too.

He placed his hand on top of yours in reassurance and you looked at him. He was back to being his serious self, the Enishi who promised you he would help you get your parents back no matter what. With a deep breath, you both turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. Your breath got stuck in your throat at the sight before you.

"Miyu?"

No fucking way.

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