Chapter 32

Three days later, Akiko arrived home and had immediately made her way towards Aiden's room. She found him sitting with one leg over the other, some book in hand. He looked up at her curiously as she entered and moved to meet her.

Akiko saw that and felt relieved for the first time in hours. She tiredly pulled at her tie, slumped her aching shoulders, and unceremoniously fell into his embrace. Before he could even get a word in, her lips touched his own.

She let herself go, trusting him to hold onto her. And he did. Without needing any prompting, he scooped her up and carried her to his bed. She felt his weight bearing down on her, one hand expertly undoing the buttons to her shirt while the other slid up her skirt and cupped her sex.

Akiko lacked any kind of energy, and she's sure she made for a poor partner that night, but it didn't matter. He took care of everything. His strong arms easily and carefully did all the work for her. She didn't have to do a thing. His rock-hard cock entered her slowly, sensuously. It was a gentle, passionate fucking and was exactly what she needed.

Somehow, he knew that. An hour later and Akiko laid on his bed and fell asleep to one final soft orgasm bringing her a deep comfort.

She awoke much later to him stroking her cheek with a thumb as he hugged her. She wondered how long he laid there with her doing that.

"I didn't think you'd stay," She said sleepily. "You didn't have to, you know." It then came to her that this was actually his room and he wouldn't have had anywhere else to go.

He didn't appear to think of this, however. He just shrugged. "You like waking up like this."

It was only as he said it she realized it was true. "How do you know that?"

Aiden felt his lips form a smirk. How did he know? Akiko is a mother. A good one. But she is also a widow who loved and missed her husband. In his experience, every woman like that craved the warmth of others. They wanted to wake up next to their partner and cuddle, not wake up alone.  Widows often appreciated such gestures. Of course, it was a dangerous thing to do because they may read too much into it.

But Aiden simply liked fulfilling the desires of his lovers, nothing more or less. If there is one thing he took pride in, it's that. All women had these secret desires of theirs they wouldn't speak of, see. The sex itself can be good, but that alone won't fully satisfy them. And Aiden couldn't have that.

Other men were selfish, and Aiden certainly could be too. But his ego drove him to put that aside when it came to women. He felt the need to make their experience with him unforgettable.

Even if other men can fuck her just as well, could they make her feel the sense of safety, comfort, and appreciation he now saw in Akiko's eyes?

"Fine," She laughed. "Keep your secrets, then." A flash of guilt flashed across her eyes all of a sudden.

"Still feel like you're using me?" He asked.

Akiko was silent for a time. "It's probably silly to feel that way, isn't it?"

"I did already tell you it's okay."

She nodded, "I know that, logically. But you haven't even been here for a full week yet and the first thing I do after a tough day is run to your bed," She shook her head. "It's not right."

"Plenty of things aren't right in the world. This doesn't count."

"How can't it?"

"It's something we both enjoy, so it can't be wrong," He replied smoothly.

She offered an amused smile. "I thought you didn't care about sex."

"Well," He brought one of her hands to his lips. "You're a kinder lover than I've had before. Maybe that changes things."

Akiko felt her chest tighten at his words.

"Was Naoko..." Akiko hesitated to ask. "Rough?"  She wanted to swallow the question as soon as it got past her lips.

His expression quickly shifted. Became more controlled, measured. "She was selfish." Was all he said about it and Akiko didn't dare ask further. His face changed again. "You're different, though. Pleasuring you is a joy rather than a chore." His voice turned a touch deeper just then. "You make the sweetest cries."

Aaaaaand she was embarrassed. Akiko was a mature woman who should be far above blushing like a schoolgirl from just a bit of vulgarity, and yet here she was feeling like she was 16 again.  To think she, someone already in her 30's and the head of a large, well-known business, was having such a reaction from someone half her age...

She felt her dignity slowly slipping away. But to her credit, she recovered fast. "Have you talked to Akari recently?" Changing the subject, Akiko gently parted from his arms and rose from the bed.

Aiden's eyes followed her. The woman was tall and lithe, but with curves to die for and a face as pretty as any Angel's. Her hair, the same starlight color as her daughters', fell a bit past shoulder length and framed a pair of mesmerizingly blue eyes.

You couldn't blame any man for looking.

"She's been avoiding me." He informed her, recalling the poor girl stammering her words or missing a step whenever they encountered each other over the last few days.

"I'm sorry about that. Her powers are to blame for that," Akiko sighed, ringing a bell to summon her maids. "They've always gotten her into trouble, but its the only way she's able to come out of her shell."

Aiden's ears perked up at that. "Her powers?" He inquired.

"Yes. She can relive the experiences of her target. Every event they ever lived through, every emotion they ever felt, and every skill they ever learned. It'd be as if she experienced them herself. Even their personalities become her's for a short period of time."

Aiden had been told this by the girl herself that day but not in so much detail. "That must've been hard."

Akiko nodded. "It has been, " She admitted. "But as for you, please don't blame her. She must be regretting it now, I'd bet"

Aiden snorted. " That's an understatement." He said. "All the things I did to you back then, she must be either traumatized or in the midst of her sexual awakening."

The words alarmed Akiko. "You really think so?"

Aiden gave her a stare. "I'm not exactly the type of man women fall in love with, but..."

You are the type they have wet dreams about, Akiko finished for him.

She grew worried about her daughters. Young as they were, it wouldn't be surprising if they had their first lustful dreams with a man like Yuuji in their home. She didn't know what to do about it if so, either. Yuuji seemed like a man who wore sex well. He was the kind who every young woman would fantasize about. Now that he had mingled with her pure and innocent daughters, she couldn't guarantee that his mere presence wouldn't corrupt them.

"I'm sure it's fine." Aiden read her concerns and assured her. "I don't fuck underage women."

Akiko was only mildly assuaged. "Well...I suppose that's good enough for now. I'm sorry in advance if they get....curious."

Aiden snorted. "I'm not sure how to take that. Do you expect them to start trying to peek at me or something?"

Akiko blanched. " I hope not!" She said right as two primly dressed maids knocked and entered the room. "If they do, though, I'll allow you to clap their ears." The woman went on. She raised her arms so that her servants could put on her robes.

It didn't take long before she noticed the hands of her maids slowing down a touch. She refocused and saw them shooting furtive glances behind her. She realized that Yuuji had also risen from the bed and was making his way towards his closet.

Naked.

Utterly shameless!

Akiko again felt her cheeks warm as the man strode casually across the floor, his tall frame a marvel to see. All rippling muscle and raw sexual aggression. None of the women present were able to resist looking.

If there was anything that marred his otherwise perfect physique, it was the appearance of numerous scars at his back and shoulders. They weren't something Akiko had noticed their first time together but when she did she hesitated to ask. They must not carry good memories.

When he turned around a little gasp escaped from one of the young maids. Not simply because he was carelessly exposing himself, but because the man was rock-hard.

"Don't you have any shame at all?" Akiko asked. "Why is it like that?" She pointed towards his erect member and avoided his gaze.

In response, Aiden simply took a pair of pants and came up from behind the woman to grab a fistful of soft, toned ass. "Because of this." He gave a light squeeze.

Akiko jumped at the unexpected touch and was ready to die in mortification. She was instantly enraged he'd do something so bold, especially in front of her own employees!

She batted his arm away and leveled him with a harsh glare. "Just get dressed already!"

Aiden chuckled. "A bit hard to do with this guy raring to go." He brought himself closer. Akiko could feel his engorged cock poking at her. The two maids at her sides were beet-red and dead silent.

"Why don't you help calm him down?" His lips brushed against her ear, his voice a soft, seductive rumble.

Akiko was instantly wet, damn her. "Now?"

He trailed kisses down her neck, causing her breath to hitch. "Now."

His hands were at her shoulders, the pants discarded, slowly sliding her newly worn robe down till it was barely covering her at all. Her skin started to break out in goosebumps. She saw her maids backing away with looks of absolute scandal.

She hurried to dismiss them. "You two--" But Yuuji bit at her ear, making her break off.

"If they want, just let them watch."

***

Several hours later, Aiden was standing in the Solar of Akiko's estate. She had arranged for him to meet a specialist today who would be able to tell whether Naoko really had placed any spells on him. Akiko had said the entire estate was warded to prevent location spells from working but he couldnt stay inside forever. So it was best to check. It took a while for the man to answer their summons but he did show.

The specialist in question was an elderly male. He wasn't very tall, probably around 5'6, but he had a kind of aura that made him seem larger. He had slicked-back grey hair and wore traditional Chinese martial arts attire with a very stern expression on his aged, wrinkled face.

"Thank you for meeting us, Senior Tang." Akiko greeted him respectfully. To Aiden, she said, "Yuuji-san," She started, using honorifics Aiden hadn't heard use for him in a long time. "This is Alchemist Tang Tianhen, a powerhouse in both the fields of medicine and spell formations. "

Aiden's ears picked up a bit just then. He felt like he'd heard the name "Senior Tang" before but couldn't tell where it might've been mentioned.

He nodded absently and jerked his chin up at the man. Apparently, this was not good enough for Akiko because she quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry for any disrespect Yuuji might cause, Senior Tang. He's an uncivilized rogue, but he means no offense."

Aiden gave her a look. He turned back to this Tianhen bloke and shrugged. "I'm not one for formalities." He told him.

The old man didn't change his expression at all. He simply gazed at Aiden with a calm, hawk-like pair of eyes. "No offense taken. I also dislike such trivial matters." He walked past them to gaze out of a nearby window. "Take a seat, I'll examine you quickly"

Aiden did as he was told and took a seat on one of the chairs. He wasn't sure what to expect, really. He waited for Senior Tang to stop his admiration of the outside flowers and took a cookie from one of the silver trays atop a cart to his right.

He didn't even notice when the old man had moved, but suddenly he was at Aiden's side. He took two fingers and drew a certain pattern in the air. A faint blue radiance trailed after his fingers' movements. Before he knew it, Aiden felt pressure from all sides. It stung, like being out in the sun too long, but it quickly vanished.

In its place a strange warmth in the pit of his stomach grew hotter and hotter until he felt like a hole had been burned through him. Aiden's entire body became caked in sweat and just as he was about to scream out in pain, it, too, vanished. He was left huddled over clutching his stomach. Meanwhile, he heard a commotion.

"He's awake!" Someone exclaimed. "Somone call the Madame!" A series of shuffled ensued.

He wasn't sure how long it took but eventually the door opened and Akiko rushed in.

"Are you alright?"

Aiden was too shocked by the strange experience to answer immediately. After a few beats, he waved off her concern. "I'm fine." He noticed a change just then. The room was...

"Did you turn off the lights? Something's off." He frowned. He felt a sense of incongruity take hold. Then his gaze roamed over the window and that sense of wrongness became even stronger.

...The sky was dark.

"Fine?" Akiko repeated. "Yuuji, you've been here for hours. You're pale as marble!"

Her words stunned him. "What?!" He hissed. "Hours? That can't...I..." He was about to deny her claims. But the evidence was clear. He was thoroughly confused, not sure about what was going on at all.

"Senior Tang said you'd be fine, but you were burning up so much and weren't responding to anything. " Akiko explained. "I wanted to bring you to your room to rest, but he forbade us to move you until you came out of it. Are you sure you're okay?"

Aiden grew quietly disturbed. He could swear not even five minutes had passed from the time he first entered the room to now. But hours had gone by? He could scarcely believe it.

"What did he say about me?" He rasped, finding that his mouth was severely dry.  Akiko ordered a nearby servant to fetch him some water.

The woman smiled at him. "Well, it seems like you were worried over nothing. You're totally spell-free. It looks like Naoko isn't quite as insidious as you'd believed."

***

It was in the middle of the morning the next day.

"You thieving, traitorous bitch!" Naoko shrieked, her voice cutting through the entire estate like a banshee's cry.

Aiden and the rest of Akiko's family were having breakfast. The large window to the side that overlooked a field of flowers was blown in, the mangled body of a black-suited guard breaking through the glass and landing on the dining room table. It all transpired so fast that no one even had the time to register what was going on.

He heard Kanon scream while Akari seemed frozen in fear.

Akiko stood in a hurry, staring at her bodyguard with shock. Meanwhile, Naoko had entered. She dragged the body of another guard with her, the man having a hole in his chest where his heart should be.

Naoko casually tossed the man aside and glared at Akiko with complete and utter hatred.

"You dare hide him from me? My Yuuji?" The woman smiled. It vanished almost immediately, replaced by tears. "I thought we were friends. Why did you have to do this?" She released a snarl. "Now I have to kill you."

Akiko's face became a mask of terror. "N-Naoko, wait, calm down!" She backed away a step, her entire body shaking.

"Calm down? Calm down?!" Naoko barred her teeth. "After what you put me through, you expect me to remain calm?" She laughed. A long, crazed kind of laughter echoed. After several drawn-out seconds, the woman finally sobered. "Maybe if I take away someone you love, you'd understand how much pain you brought me."

Akiko's expression became horrified as she realized Naoko's intentions. She turned to her children, saying, "Run!" The word sounded as if it was ripped right from her throat.

Naoko reached Akari's frightened, motionless figure almost immediately after. Aiden felt the girl's eyes on him. There was accusation in them. Desperation. But he knew he couldn't help her, no matter how much she looked at him like that.

He sighed. Shit, he thought tiredly. I don't want to see this.

A few minutes later, as Akiko and her daughters were killed, Naoko finally turned her attention to him.

"I can smell her on you." Naoko hugged him. "That's okay. I'm here now. I won't let her touch you anymore."

Aiden was really fucking tired of her shit.

"Oh, shut the fuck up. I came here to get the hell away from you, you stupid psychotic bitch."

He won't bore you with how the rest of the conversation went, but suffice it to say he had a lot to unload that she didn't like.

"You're not my Yuuji, are you?"

He was dead before he could even answer.

*********

Author: Im finally back. No news other than you can find some character models over at this discord server for Aiden, Naoko, and the others if you're interested. Just something i threw together months ago but never mentioned till now cuz i wasnt updating for a long time. Anyway, here

https://discord.gg/kwQFZ5X2eR