Of Nights and Days [Private/Saemon]

[Hoshirei]

Dreaming wasn't always this terrible, was it? She was reliving that night once more, the night that she slaughtered all those evil men and women and completely destroyed their compound.
A strike across the face. Harsh words. Hands on her throat, all over her, keeping her still even as she thrashed, trying to get away. How long would the torture be this time? How long until they finished her punishment? Whispers of her coming death all around. The torture wouldn't end until she was broken again. She had just woken up from this nightmare, why were they trying to force her back.
"You're ours. No one can have you."
Pain, all she could feel as they tore into her flesh with nails and teeth.
"Yeah, you like it. Just like any other time."
No, she was tired of this! She was so done! Once closed eyes snapped open, glowing blue-gold eyes emphasizing her wrath. She screamed and lightning struck around the group of men on her, warning them to stop. Energy crackled and sizzled along her skin. They wouldn't stop, and all hell broke loose.

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

Mio sat up with a gasp, trying to center herself once more after that terrible dream-memory. Her breath quick as her blue eyes searched the room for any danger. A small pulse of chakra flared out, reaching for any other chakra and testing the danger associated with it. When she only felt her bedmate, Mio sighed and got herself out of bed.
That dream always seemed to haunt her recently. Perhaps it was because it was the anniversary of the event? That would make sense.
Covered in sweat, both from the dream and from the previous night's activities, Mio easily stepped into the shower and allowed the warm water to sooth her battered senses. Last night had been enjoyable, very enjoyable. A soft smile graced her lips as she hummed and cleaned her lithe body.
Short minutes later, she was out and dried off. A silk robe around her shoulders and hair hanging down, dry from a little manipulation of temperature. Yes, she had needed that shower. Now just to find where Saemon got off to...

 

[Hanone]

At first the very tall man had simply laid in the bed. He had been awake when his young lover woke with a start, sweating and nervous. She rose without a word and went for a shower which was fine. He was not the type to pry into her nightmares. He knew they were bad, she would mumble sometimes and she would wake much the same way.

Saemon had been seeing Mio for close to a year now. Her youthful body and exquisite face were a mark of open desire in public. He devoured her when they were alone, drinking in her body and essence and pleasing her well. Saemon had a lot of practice with his past; he knew how to touch a woman to make her shiver... to take his time and drive her to ecstasy. It was easier with a younger woman who wasn't used to the touch of other men, but he was also sure if she ever took another lover, left him, that she'd miss his touch. He could not be replaced in that department.

Grinning a little to himself, the man had roused from the bed, bare as the day he came screaming into the world and went for the kitchen. First a smoke, one he at least at the courtesy to open a window to release the smoke for, then coffee. He made it dark and harsh and he drank it plain. He was only beginning the drink when the water shut off. She would find him there, leaning back against the counter and nude, sipping on coffee.

As she would approach the kitchen, and he could smell the fresh shower scent of her hair, he spoke. His deep, gravely voice was a commanding, easily heard sort of voice. "Do you want something to eat?" He probably wouldn't cook, but if she wanted to, he'd take her somewhere for breakfast. It was probably only what, 6:30?

 

[Hoshirei]

There wasn't much of a place he could really be, could there? Her apartment wasn't that big. Oh, there's that smoke smell, he must be in the kitchen. She didn't smoke the things, but when the tobacco smell was mixed with Saemon's scent, it smelled rather pleasant, and felt somewhat like home, or at least somewhere safe. "Home" had never smelled all that pleasant. Mostly of sex and booze, sometimes with the acrid scent of vomit intertwined. How she hated that mixture, especially if it was left to sit there and stew like it had been in that god-forsaken compound.
No, no thinking of that. Now is time for being happy, content, not to dwell on the past.
She smiled easily at Saemon as she walked into the kitchen. How she loved his voice. The coffee smelled good, something she could appreciate as much as the next shinobi. "Hey there, sorry if I woke you up. Stupid nightmare again." Her bright white teeth seemed to glimmer in even the soft light of the apartment. Her wide smile showed off her slight fangs, something she associated with her biology as they had always been like that. "Breakfast sounds alright, though I could use coffee first."
Coming closer to the table, she noticed that he didn't have anything on. She made a point to search his body with her eyes, examining his neck closely. She didn't know why, but sometimes she got carried away while in the throws of passion and tended to bite. If she didn't have fangs, that wouldn't be much of a problem, but she had fangs. Mio walked ever closer as she did her search until she was leaning on her kitchen table, examining the worst of the bites.
"Looks like I didn't get too carried away with the love bites." she said as she kissed one purple mark. "Want me to heal them? Or would you rather walk around with them?" She gave him a merry wink as her blue eyes seemed to spark with mirth.

 

[Hanone]

The girl was sweet in her own ways. At night she would bite him ruthlessly, maybe she didn't realize how bitey she got, then in the morning she would heal them. Sometimes he left them. The one's on his legs or arms wouldn't bother him, but after being poked fun of by his brother one day for the ones on his neck, he never dropped the chance to get those removed from sight.

Smiling faintly, the six and a half foot man leaned back and poured Mio a cup of black coffee and held it out to her. Once she was close enough to touch, he tacked the smoldering cigarette in between his lips and used his now free hand to slip around her small waist and draw her to him where she could easily kiss his wound. Once she was rested up against his heavily scarred and muscled frame, he pressed the coffee into her hand lightly. "Yes, the neck ones, Aijin." He said, tipped his head to the side to allow her to take care of the ones she was nearest.

There were a few reasons he didn't like the neck ones actually, thoughts he reserved for the world once he left Mio's house. Instead he would bring his hand up to her hair and brush his fingers through the damp strands near her ear. "Do you work today?" He was already deciding where to take her for breakfast in the back of his mind. If she had to work then they'd go to 'The Biscuit', a nice cozy place that was close to the medical encampment area. The recent attack on the village had left the medical center in tatters. If they had time, he'd take her to "The Black Stone" which was a nice place in the better parts of town with killer breakfast steaks. He enjoyed food.

When Mio would take her coffee, Saemon could retrieve the cigarette once more, take a deep drag, then toss the remains into the sink where the water drips could kill it out. One of his terrible vices; leaving the butts everywhere.

 

[Hoshirei]

His arm around her waist kept the smile pinned to her countenance. She had figured that he'd want the neck ones healed, and luckily there weren't that many to heal. He must have been teased heavily by someone, probably his brother, when he had left them there at first. Mio took her mug from Saemon's hand and took a hearty sip, letting the warmth wash over her.
"I've said it time and again, though I'll say it one more time. You make the best coffee. No matter what I try I can never seem to get a black cup to taste this good."
The cup was set on the table and she moved through a few hand seals to take care of the love bites. Her healing energy always seemed to gently crackle due to her nature. Her gentle touches zinged with electricity, though some would say that it just made her more exotic and better to play with. Some men that had tried to play though, learned a hard lesson. Touch her wrong, and you'll be left with some nerve damage.
In a matter of moments, the marks were gone and so was the soft glow of healing jutsu. She had been thinking about if she had to work today. She'd been having rather frequent flashbacks at work lately. For some reason, she'd been getting all the poor victims of heavy domestic violence. Everywhere she turned, she saw one of her fellows from the compound, but when she'd look again, it was just one of her patients.
"They gave me a week off. Something about giving me a break from my past."
Mio shrugged gently and drank more of her coffee. Once it was finished, she took it over to the sink and fished the butt out. She put it in her "butt cup" and washed the coffee mug. If Saemon asked what she meant, she'd tell him, though that was his prerogative.

 

[Hanone]

The jounin sighed and closed his eyes, relaxing as her hands healed his neck marks. The feeling of the healing jutsu was wonderful to his body. He relished the feeling... which is actually one of the reasons he found himself attracted to medics to begin with. When his lover moved away from his touch to attend the clean up, he remained where he was, thinking about dark coffee. He liked that it pleased Mio. He had learned from his father how to make good, strong coffee and he had taught the secret to his brother. Maybe someday he would have a son and he would teach him too.. but that wouldn't be for a long time. Saemon was not about to have children in his position. He took medication to prevent it; a type of new seed sizzler he called it. The pill he took would mess with the potency or longevity of his 'little guys' so he had a minuscule chance of getting anyone pregnant.

Sae finished his cup and pushed away from his spot, coming up behind the dark haired girl. His long arms easily put his own drained mug into the sink as he reached around her. He lowered his frame quite a bit to be able to nestle his face into the crook of her shapely neck. She was, afterall, a whole foot shorter than him. While she was fishing out his cigarette butt, he bit lightly onto her skin. Hard enough to gently demand attention, though his slowly wandering hands made his thoughts that just as obvious. "It's almost my birthday." he muttered after letting her skin go. "It's almost been a year since we..." he trailed off, not really knowing the word. Mio was his lover, his darling. She was his dark raven and he cared for her so. But what they were was hardly an uncomplicated thing. Saemon was split into two parts. One part, a large part, belonged to Koho. She was fire, cruelty and chaos and something much deeper than lust and passion to him.

But Mio was no insignificant thing to him. She was troubled and damaged, but she was calmer and softer in a way Koho never was. When things were too hectic, he could come here and actually sleep. So a part of him belonged to her too. And as far as he knew, neither girl knew about the other. That was a whole 'nother can of worms he didn't want to ever open.

But Sae had never told either woman he loved them. He showed them affection, passion, care... he had felt the need to give Mio something though. Saemon wasn't a man with many finical weights. Over the years he had accumulated a small fortune, if he didn't say so himself. And so, approaching their 1 year anniversary of sorts, he had decided to get Mio something commissioned. Something expensive and unique. He knew a man from fire country who traveled from his home into wind country occasionally and had been lucky enough to get an order in and filled within the last month. He had thought to wait until his own birthday to present it, but this morning was good enough for him.

He parted from her, stepping away and out of the kitchen without a word. It was common practice for him to leave mid-thought or sentence and he never meant anything by it. Once he was back in Mio's bedroom, he pulled up his pack from the night before, slipping his black pants on first, then withdrew something from his bag. He held it out from two fingers and said toward the doorway, his voice gruff yet pleasant "Come here." If she appeared, she would be greeted by the item.

Spoiler

The metal was a odd alloy from some foreign mineral and gold. Both gems were crystal and the large dragon eye gemstone was made of inlaid, smooth sapphire. The man who made it was one of 4 men in the world he knew of that could make those particular gems and it was a rare piece of jewelry indeed. There was a tiny engraving near the top where the pendant hooked onto the chain it came on that read O.S.; his initials.

 

[Hoshirei]

Her smile had fallen slightly as she washed the mug in her hands. However, as she felt Saemon come up behind her, the smile returned. She felt him crouch a bit and his face in her neck. He had luckily chosen the side that her hair wasn't on. She continued through the washing as his hands wandered, the smile never leaving her lips. How glad she was to be done when he bit her. While on it's own, the bite wouldn't be enough to illicit a major reaction, though in concert with his hands it made her melt and lean into his muscular body that she happily worshiped in the still of the night. A soft moan escaped perfectly shaped lips and she pressed her body further back into his.
At mention of his birthday, Mio smiled. She had already been planning what to give him, though she was still working out the rest. His next words caused her to turn in his arms and kiss his lips softly. She knew that it was hard to describe what they were. "Yeah, hard to believe how far we came from when we first met again."
Mio's eyes followed Sae back toward the bedroom. After a few moments, she followed slowly, leaning up against the door frame for the guest bath. No way in hell was anyone going to be in her master bath without her utmost permission. Her bathroom was her safe haven, even more so than this apartment or even her bedroom. She had never been played with in any bathroom, for which she counted herself lucky. She couldn't see into the room, but she could hear him rustling through something, probably his pack. When he called, she came into the room and gasped at the pendant in his hands.
She reverently picked it up and looked at it in awe. "Oh, Sae! It's beautiful! Could you put it on for me?" She gave him a soft puppy dog look, her fangs worrying her lower lip. She really didn't know what it looked like, nor did it on purpose, but the effect could be devastating to an unassuming male.
If he did she would then launch herself into his arms, all full of giggles and kisses. It really was a good thing that she was a slight girl.

 

[Hanone]

Mio's pure delight pleased Sae enough to make him fully smile. It was a rare thing to see, but Mio probably missed it due to hurrying to turn around and have him slip the necklace around her neck, clasping the hook carefully as to not pull on her dark hair. As soon as she had it on, she turned in his arms and leaped up. Her excited kisses were welcomed and returned with slower, occasional ones. He was happy to keep her in his arms, even picked her up by the waist, each arm holding her tender but strongly. He started them back out of the room and into the livingroom where he finally put her down. His hands came up to cup her beautiful face and he kissed her deeply, letting the intimate touch linger for a time before parting once more.

"Come on, let's go get breakfast, Aijin." Once they would move outside, Saemon's behavior would shift. It always did. While he was always kind and even affectionate to Mio, he would no longer touch and cuddle her. He wouldn't even hold hands. He was a private man and kept his personal business behind closed doors. If Mio ever questioned it, he couldn't say. But with the gift he'd just given her, he was pretty sure she'd been happy for the rest of the day at least. He was glad he could wipe away some of her sorrows for a while.

Saemon made sure to put on his shirt, wraps and shoes from the other night before attempting to lead them out from the house to a small restaurant for breakfast. Since she wasn't going to work that whole week, he was able to take her to The Black Stone. It was always busy this time of the morning, but since Saemon was a regular there, he never had to wait very long before getting a table. But they wouldn't make it there. A bird was flying overhead, making a call. It was a cave bird and was used sometimes to signify certain members of the shinobi they were required by unique calls. This one was calling for Saemon's ANBU group. Mio couldn't know he was ANBU, that was a secret.

Apologetically, he dropped her off in front of the restaurant and took out a good amount of yen in which he held out to her. "I'm sorry, Mio. I have to go. I'm needed at work it seems. Please have a good breakfast and buy something nice today on me." There was easily enough yen to buy her food and some new clothing or something; something to keep her busy and her time occupied. "Can I come see you when I'm done?" He mentally ticked off his hours. If he would be needed for ANBU assignment, Muji would be staying with Koho and he'd have some free time for sleep afterwards. He didn't always come visit so soon after he'd spent the night last time, but he wanted to see her again.

 

[Hoshirei]

She had caught the slightest hint of his full smile as she turned, though the full thing had eluded her once more. When she was carried out of the room, she couldn't help but giggle softly. And his kiss, oh! How his kisses always seemed to make her feel like her nerves were all activated at once. At mention of breakfast, she quickly got dressed and gave Sae a quick kiss before they left the haven of her apartment.
Mio understood the difference of public and private. While there were times when she wished he would just hold her, normally in the midst of a flashback, she knew that it could be dangerous for both of them. However, he always seemed to know when she started "fazing out". Her coworkers told her that she would look wooden and movements looked forced. Her bright blue eyes looked empty and any sudden movement or noise would be cause for a shock, literally.
As they walked out of the house, she paused to set her trap wards before following him down to breakfast. She figured that he'd be taking her to his favorite restaurant, The Black Stone. Something must have caught his attention, because he had to leave. Must be a mission or something of the sort. Without fighting, she took the offered yen.
"Don't worry, Sae. I understand. No matter the fact that I'm supposed to be off, I can get called in on an emergency, so I get it. Stay safe, and of course you're welcome to come when you're done. I always enjoy seeing you. You know that."
Mio let him go with a smile.

 

[Hanone]

Work didn't take long. In fact he'd only been needed to take care of some paperwork before being let go for the rest of the day again. It was typical actually since his psychological reviews pegged him as unstable. He was actually surprised at this point that he was still with the ANBU squad and hadn't been removed yet. But he had proven himself time and time again when he was needed. His skills outweighed the danger of using him.

Of course his day off would have resulted in him coming back to see Mio but things didn't work out like that right away. Instead he received a notice, via a secret means that his red lady was waiting outside the Maw. He knew it was Muji's day to be with her, but he had a strange feeling about today. He followed his gut and found himself standing in the sun with her, watching her emotions rise and fall as they tended to and then... the bombshell news that threw him for a loop; she was leaving. He knew her and her heart. She was not planning to come back here. So there was only one thing to do; and that was to follow her. But not right away. He would need to tend to a few things first.

However all he could do that day was bring himself to a bar to pout. After several drinks and some less than savory company, Saemon had left the bar almost near 4 am.

It was somewhere around 4:35 in the morning when he found himself stinking of the loathed booze, smoke and the muggy scent of sweat that came from being in a place with too many dirty, unwashed people and was standing in front of Mio's front door. She would probably be asleep, or heaven's forbid at work if they had called her in and entered the house very quietly. He had a spare key and knew how to remove her security wards (ones he would put back up once he was inside) and made his way to the guest bedroom where he could use the shower. He knew how much her own bathroom was a private sanctuary and he was not welcome there, so the spare was for him when he needed one. There were a few bottles of things; some he'd brought and some nicer stuff she'd put in there for guests to use... not that he thought she had many visitors save himself.

Once he was in the other bedroom, he stripped himself of his still dirty clothes from the previous night and put himself into the shower stall. The water came out bitter cold at first, shocking his frame but soon turned to a soothing, almost painful hot that scorched away the dirt, grime and smell from his body. If Mio was there, she would probably wake from the sound. In the back of his mind he hoped if this was the case, he wouldn't startle her too much as she did frighten easily. But his thoughts were mostly taken up by a weary, tired feeling. He had so many things to decide in the next few days.. and so many things to confess to. Where did Koho leave him? She had probably already left the village and was on her way through the desert with Muji at her side... or inside of her depending on her mood and if they'd stopped for the night. And her sister, right? Someone he'd never met.

Bitterness welled up in the ironwilled man. Bitterness and a fear he couldn't squash. Why? Because he already knew what he would have to do. He was too rational and clear minded to be bogged down by false ideas. He would have to deal with everything right up front. He just feared for reaction. He was such a selfish man, wasn't he? "Fuck..." he muttered, his gravelly voice barely audible above the pounding artificial rain.


mft
wc: 660

 

[Hoshirei]

Contrary to what her bosses had said, they had indeed called her in shortly after noon. She had been there the entire day, counseling victims of a serial rapist. They had then allowed her to carry out his sentencing in her most brutal fashion. Apparently, they had been looking for this guy for years. Whenever a young girl went missing, they had tried to pin it on him, but had been unable to until a young shinobi had been captured. They had managed to subdue him after finding the place where he had hidden all of his "conquests".
She had taken her anger out on him most spectacularly. There was a reason her code name was Nightmare. If she had been allowed to leave her victims alive, they most certainly would have nightmares about the slight girl that glowed and crackled with power.
After a night of that, she was glad to be finally home. When she walked in, she couldn't help but accidentally slam the door which caused her to flinch and groan. Using that much of her powers in one night always left her with a rather large headache. The guards had given her her customary shot of 120 proof whiskey to dull the ache, but the alcohol burned through her system quickly and left her in a terrible amount of pain if she wasn't in her bath relaxing less than an hour later.
As she walked past the guest room, she heard the shower running. Sae must have gotten in late as well. She could have sworn she heard a gasp, so he must have gone in very recently, only cold water made him react like that. She wanted to go join him, but her head throbbed fiercely causing her to groan in pain and the lights in the apartment, all of them, flicker for a moment. The light directly above her broke as she fell to her knees.
Mio crawled over to her liquor cabinet and grabbed her strongest brew. The lights kept flickering before going dark before she could even open the bottle so that she could stem the pain, her world went dark, as did the lights.

 

[Hanone]

He'd noticed the lights flicker overhead sometime between rest and the beginning of his hair washing. He didn't think much of it; it wasn't the first time her house's lights had done this before. So he figured she was up or just getting home. She didn't come in, which suggested maybe she didn't want him here... or maybe she was tired. So he took his time. The shower went on long enough that the water from Mio's heating tank emptied and he was left with cold water. Even though it was a desert, down this deep there were wells and pockets of water to draw upon and it was cold.

Once the water was turned off, Saemon stepped out of the guest bathroom. He'd only just pulled a towel around his waist when he came out of the spare room, water dripping from his body like rain. He was going to head to her room, when he noticed her lying on the floor, a silled bottle of hard liquor next to her and glass spread out all over the place. Carefully, he approached her. She was passed out, she was still breathing, though obviously she had broken the glass. He wasn't sure how.

Feeling horrible for her, knowing something terrible must have happened to her that day, he didn't bother to wake her. Instead he brushed the glass away from her and lifted the petite female from the ground, cradling her to his damp body. He was already less wet by then and probably wouldn't bother her.

If she didn't rise, he would take her to her bedroom where he laid her down on her back. She was a volutile woman with issues that went deeper than he knew for certain. He knew she had a painful past and sometimes she would crash like this. He'd only known one of two other girls who had been through enough trauma to make them so broken. So he would sit beside her, would guard over her as she slept. Getting into her bed was a poor idea, so he wouldn't do that and startle her. He also wouldn't undress her or touch her. He would remain there, at her side until morning. Tired and distressed as he was, he was also very strong in body and mind. Staying up to watch over her was simply part of his duty to the raven haired girl.

 

[Hoshirei]

Mio wasn't sure how long she was passed out before she felt hands lifting her body. In his arms, she moaned slightly and her face scrunched up in the slight pain that was still there. She unconsciously wanted to latch onto the warmth that was holding her, but she couldn't really move. She felt her back land on her comfortable bed and a soft sigh escaped her lips. Sleep claimed her shortly thereafter.

An hour or so into the night, sleep was interrupted by a memory made dream. Once she was fully awake, she turned and saw Saemon guarding over her. Seeing him there made her heart ache with thankfulness and the blossoming love she felt for this man. She moved as silently as she could to sit beside him, moving to kiss his cheek as she did.
"Thank you for bringing me in here. I'm better now, so if you would like to sleep while I wash up, I'll join you in a few. Only if you so chose though."

She never did tell him, but she always slept easier with him beside her. The nightmares were less frequent and she always felt more refreshed. Of course, he didn't have to be in the same bed or room, but if he was close, sleep came easier.

Mio wouldn't wait for his answer, instead, she would quickly gather her sleeping clothes and step into her bathroom for a quick shower.

 

[Hanone]

Saemon didn't have to stay up long. His young lover rose from sleep swiftly and sat up at the edge of the bed. Her expression was open and not guarded, revealing her heart to him. It made him ache in another way seeing it; the ache of worry and pain. However, he concealed it from her, accepting her soft kiss. Her supple lips were so gentle, so different from his own rough skin, it made him sigh slightly.

When she moved up from the bed, Saemon watched her leave. He followed her with his tired eyes until she was out of sight and even then his eyes lingered on the door of the bathroom. Now that she was up, he couldn't sleep. He didn't want to sleep. He was dreaded what was to come, but putting it off wouldn't make it any better.

Finally he stood up, pulling his dull eyes away and stepped toward the bed. He stopped short and left the room for a moment to find his pants and leave his towel. Once he was partially clothed, he came back to her room and set himself up on her bed. With his legs crossed and his weight resting back on his hands, he waited for Mio to return. How he would go about saying what needed to be said was left to be seen.

While he waited for Mio, his mind traveled to the things he would need to do yet. He needed to resign from the ANBU corps. It wouldn't be much of a loss as he had become a paperpusher basically. And then he needed to supply a reason for leaving. He could be 'going after' Koho and Oni-chama, but it was unlikely that would be well-received.

 

[Hoshirei]

The shower came on and Mio relished in the warmth. As she washed the grime of the day off, she thought about everything that had happened in the past few months. It seemed like every single case she received was like her own past. Day after day, she was responsible for counseling the various abuse victims, and sometimes taking care of their abusers. It was just too much. Every time she talked to them, all she could see was herself and the others from the compound. Every abuser was the man that had "rescued" her because she would grow to be a fine woman in his tutelage.

Now more than ever, she just wanted to quit. She liked helping people, but having your own past shoved in your face like that was not helping her healing process like they thought it would. Her nightmares, flashbacks, and headaches were just getting worse and worse. With every use of her code name, the nightmare of the night she decimated the compound would flash back through her. She had never really had the opportunity to understand why she could do these things, or how to really control them, and that caused her to crash, and crash hard.

She decided that she needed to tell Saemon about it. Perhaps he could help her cope? She knew that ANBU code names weren't to be shared, even if you weren't a true ANBU, but something told her that he would get it and be able to help her stabilize once more. Mio quickly got out of the shower and dressed in her silky shorts/tank nightie. Taking a deep breath before she exited her bathroom, she solidified her resolve. The door opened, and she quickly climbed back onto her bed, back against the headboard.

"I have something that I feel that I need to share with you. I'm not exactly sure how to say it, but here it goes. Have you ever heard of the one that they call Nightmare?"

 

[Hanone]

She wasn't giving him the chance it seemed. That was fine actually. Part of him relaxed knowing it wasn't happening yet. And so as his raven haired lover came back to the bed and began to speak to him in a somber tone, Saemon shuffled about until he was facing her. His hands sought out her feet first since they were the closest part of her. His large hands slid over the tops of her small feet, caressing the skin with calloused hands. As her words fell upon him, he took a moment to reflect somewhat on what she had asked him.

His own addition to the ANBU team was a secret to all. Roku knew, others might suspect, but no one else save the steward and the sennin were privy to his inclusion into the team. Mio didn't know, but she did know he was older and well-knowledged. Lately he wasn't much of an ANBU. But he thought he'd heard of the title before at some point. Idly, Sae's hands slipped up her ankles then calves where he could massage the muscles lightly. If at any point she didn't want to be touched, she would be welcome to shoo his hands away. "I've heard the name before I believe."

The rest he could have said he left unsaid. What he had heard or that she could always speak to him about anything, yet he didn't say these things. He was not a man of many words afterall. But his eyes were attentive despite his lack of sleep. They sought out her eyes, dull blue to vibrant and would look into them easily. He had no problem looking into her eyes tonight.

 

[Hoshirei]

She focused on her lover's hands as the slowly rubbed her feet, ankles, then calves. His touch was helping her to be calm, and she never wanted to let him let go. However, she knew that she needed to continue.
"I'm Nightmare."

She said it, she finally told someone and Mio found that she couldn't stop.

"Sae, I'm so tired of having my past shoved in my face. You know they called me in today to counsel victims of a serial rapist, and then they had me go 'take care of the problem'. I hate it! I just want to leave it all behind me, but there's no way they would ever let me go. I've been hearing whispers about me in every corner and every shadow. No matter where I go, they're always saying how they only keep me on because they need a way to control me.

Sure, I destroyed an entire compound, but that doesn't mean I'm dangerous! I got into my file the other day and it said something about how they wanted to keep an eye on me. It said I was a demon! In the species line it said demon. Not demon-human hybrid, straight demon."

Mio curled tighter into her ball. "Sae, I'm afraid of what they'll do to me if that ever got out. I don't even know what it means for me. I feel out of control again, like they're controlling every aspect of my life. I'm so stressed."

Soft crackles flowed through her hair and the soft hum underneath her skin increased in intensity ever so slightly. She couldn't bring herself to look at Saemon any longer, if he reacted badly, she didn't want to see his face as he did it.

 

[Hanone]

Saemon listened to her. He wasn't all that surprised she was the codename; Nightmare though he hadn't known before this moment. As she spoke of her feelings and more of her stress and anger began to bubble to the surface, he continued to rub her legs tenderly. Her confessions, while tolling and harsh, were far from some of the worst things he'd done in his life. And he could understand how she felt in so many ways. He was distrusted, watched and his own file wasn't pretty. But there were aspects to what she said that dug deeply.

Sae knew a little about her past. She didn't share so much with him, not that she didn't want to, but that she maybe never was able to find the right words. How could he do anything but accept her at a time of desperation and pain?

Rape, death... she was so young yet. Only 18. And he knew then, just as she spoke the words that the village had pegged her as some otherworldly and terrible monster, he knew she could never accept Suna. Suna didn't love Mio, they didn't trust her. They would use her until she died or became so unstable they could simply lock her away where no one would find her. And she was still growing in strength, not yet at her peak like he was. If they didn't trust her now...

No, Suna didn't love Mio, but he...

As her body seemed to spark with energy, her body language pulled away and she looked away from him, he came up to his knees and rested one hand beside her body, the other slid up her thigh and hip, up to her waist where it stopped. "Mio, you're not a monster. What makes us useful is their control over us. You are such a good person, they want to make you feel like a horrible person. There are monsters out there, real ones. A lot of those people who run our world here are monsters, the worst kind. Sweetheart..."

His deep voice softened as his hand scooped around her back and made to slide her body close to his own, if she would allow it. "I know you're hurting right now. I don't want to make it worse. But I think this here, what you're saying gives me the strength to be honest with you." she was vulnerable, he risked hurting her far more, but what else could he do? How long did he have and would any other time be any better?

He didn't want to wait for her answer. He held her tightly so she couldn't easily run away before he could speak everything he needed to, to her. He would never hold her so firmly she couldn't escape him, but he... didn't want to let go of her. "Almost a year ago I was hired as a bodyguard. I have been skating from my regular shinobi work and... my work in the ANBU," telling her he was part of the branch was forbidden, but he didn't want to hife anything from her. "They don't trust me either. Suna thinks I'm unstable and since my father... was killed as a traitor, I am looked at with great distaste." He had never mentioned his father before, or his mother either really, other than she was alive. There was a pain in his eyes he couldn't mask when he spoke of him, yet he pursued the subject unhindered.

"So I took the contract work. It pays well. I was to watch over a princess living here in Suna. Part of the deal was to be with her day and night for days on an end. So near the first few months of yours and my relationship, when I would be gone for weeks at an end, it was with this job. The princess, I was surprised to find out, was once part of my genin team, the one I took on after becoming a jounin I think. My first genin team since you and the others were my second team. I was only 17 then and she was 14. We had become lovers for a short time back then, something that had stopped maybe 6 months in and after that team became chuunin. So I was surprised to see her, obviously I remembered her well."

He had to look away then, because he didn't want to say this part. His fingers gripped Mio a little tighter. "I'm not a simple man, Mio. And I hardly meant to hurt you." Exhale. "Koho and I became lovers again, about 7 months ago."

It was here he had to wait for her to respond. To push on without allowing her the chance to say anything would be unfair, though he greatly wanted to explain himself better. How it happened, how his feelings for Mio changed and grew.. but he was bare before her, revealing a secret to her that could hurt her terribly. He would not fight her if she tried to free herself from his touch.

 

[Hoshirei]

As soon as those first words came out of his mouth, Mio relaxed slightly. Saemon's hand on her waist was caressed gently by the crackling energy that had been building. She almost wanted to cry because of how tender he was being. It wasn't that he was never tender, but at the moment, she was still almost floored by it. His arm scooped her closer and Mio immediately leaned into his toned body. She could take his honesty, she just opened up to him after all. Sae's arms around her told her that he was a little afraid of her running out on him, but if she ran, he wouldn't stop her. Determined to hear him out and wait to make her decision, she listened closely to what he had to say.

ANBU? That made a lot of sense. Sure she got a lot of secret missions, but his in the past had been ridiculous. His dad was killed for betraying Suna? They look at him badly for the sins of his father? That's unfair- wait a minute, wasn't she just complaining of being treated like a monster? Her anger started to mount at the injustice they both had thrust upon them. Mio had to take a moment to control herself. She would not become Nightmare here, no matter how angry she might be at the system. The pain in Sae's eyes helped her to calm herself and stay lucid.

He moved into the explanation of the bodyguard work, and she could care less about the fact that he had previous relations with his mark. When he looked away from her, she could almost guess what he was going to say next. Mio took a few moments to study him and his body language before deciding that she didn't give a flying fuck, and said as much.

"Saemon, I couldn't give less of a damn. Even if you had hundreds of women on the side, I don't care. I'm just happy that you give me the attention and support I need." At the end of her little spiel, she maneuvered so that her face was hovering close to his neck. "I've never been the best at sharing emotions verbally, so I'm not going to." Mio moved once more to kiss him and if he let her, she would push all of her emotions for him into the kiss. She loved him, there was no way she could lie to herself, especially after they had just been so open to each other.

 

[Hanone]

A floodgate of relieve and adoration for the younger woman opened within Saemon. Her acceptance was nothing short of amazing to him, though his guilt for his situation was immense and would probably never fully leave, he was happy. He was a deep man, with strong emotions. He often kept them to himself, but with Mio, he now knew he could open himself to her. Something clicked as she came up to kiss him, a gesture he returned with pleasure. He'd been feeling it for her for some time, but now he knew the truth. And he would tell her. Soon.

With ease, he lowered them both to the bed, his one arm holding Mio and the other his own weight. He didn't break the contact with her, kissing her lips lovingly until he was settled over her and she was resting on her back. His single hand came up to brush through the long strands of dark hair and his mouth parted from hers, though he hovered fairly close to her face. Not a line on her skin; so young and flawless.

He greatly wished it could just stop there,, but he had things to continue on with in this matter. The happiness in his eyes remained, unable to vanish completely, but as usual his face was stoic and solemn. "I don't deserve you." he uttered, his bass voice rumbling his chest. "But, the rest of the truth here is... I want you to come with me. Koho has left the village, maybe permanently. It's my job still to follow her wherever she goes and that may mean leaving Suna forever." His eyes looked down her throat. He loved the way her neck looked. "It could mean I'm hunted and viewed rogue. And you would be too, though if it came to anything, I could just say you were forced to not return, that you were my captive. I would protect you."

Tell her, Saemon. Stop being nervous of those few words. Stop acting like a young, scared boy. You're asking her to leave her world, everything she knows so you can chase after your other girlfriend. "I love you, Mio."