Candy

Sitting in the Inn, Yuya was deep in thought about the party she travelled with.

All of them were men, most of them her age she did happen to find attractive, even the younger ones not without their charms. She smiled, after many drunken nights with them she remembered things.

Similar things.

Sure she had kissed them, nearly all of them, not in a slutty sort of way but in a drunken, unknowing way. And yet…

And yet there were similarities between them, not so much in the way each of them kissed, but more so the taste.

No, that wasn't right, it wasn't the taste. None of them tasted the same; it was more that they each had a certain flavour.

Then, thinking again, she realised they all tasted like candy. Then she realised how each flavour was like a guidebook to each of their personalities.

Smiling, she remembered each one, and compared them.

Let's see, she thought. The first one she remembered was…

Kyoshiro.

A simple taste, during their third night after a bottle of sake, he leaned in and kissed her. It was clumsy and a little sloppy, but she stayed because the taste was sweet and soft, reminding her irresistibly of soft, warm nougat. It doesn't last for very long, but it left a nice aftertaste.

Benitora

The first night she spent in his company she, out of spite, robbed Kyo's sake and offered some to Benitora. They sat and drank, laughing as he showed her a trick by entwining string between his fingers and trapping her thumb in the middle of the strings. "I'll let ya go, for a kiss." He said slowly, still drunk and she, laughing, leaned in with a small, friendly kiss. Of course, he drove it deeper and more insistently, and she let it happen because of the distinct taste of red cola rock candy. Coated in sugar made the outside rough, but then the inside was a sweet and soft middle, which occasionally and annoyingly got stuck in her teeth.

Yukimura

Tipsy, that night was. Not quite drunk but most certainly not sober. He laced his words seductively and she felt her eyelids droop at a particularly salacious suggestion. He of course, made the first move, cupping her chin and reeling her in to that cheeky, ever smiling mouth. Her breath caught in her throat when she was reminded of the taste of rich, Belgian chocolate. Dark, seductive, beautifully subtle and marbled, laced with sweet white chocolate. But as most people find, Belgian chocolate is incredibly filling and can only be taken in small doses, she soon found she had enough and pulled away, gasping for air like a fish out of water.

Sasuke

Cuts on the boy's knees drew her attention. Ordering him to sit, she cleaned the wounds and bandaged up his knees, moving as softly as possible so as not to hurt him. Seeing his scowling face, she teased him like a younger brother and patted his silvery head, turning to press a small kiss to his cheek. He however, turned and accidentally found her lips against his. Shocked, she pulled away and started laughing as his scowl grew until his eyes were nearly completely hidden underneath his eyebrows. Turning, she licked her lower lip, surprised at the taste she remembered long ago, once when her brother brought her to the market and bought her some Rainbow Drops. They were small pieces of puffed corn, coloured the seven different hues of the rainbow, each with their distinctive sweet taste. They could be a little sour sometimes, but as a child, they were her very favourite sweets.

Bontenmaru

Technically, this one was not a kiss. While trying her best to retrieve her sandals from the bottom of a river where Kyo had thrown them, the current of the water forced her under. She fainted, only awoken by the feeling of someone giving her mouth-to-mouth. She tasted water, and then strangely she could taste toffee. Tough and hard toffee that melted in your mouth softly and slowly, with a sort of salty appeal. Pulling away, she blinked her eyes open, greeted by a smiling and very worried Bontenmaru, who helped her to her feet and gave her back her sandals.

Akira

This one, Yuya remembers so vividly. It was a dark night, and though Akira never specified, she could tell the man did not like the absence of light. Under the knowledge that he didn't need eyes to actually see, she brought him to the top of a hill, where the moon was full and at the most perfect angle that the whole hill was lit up. She explained how it wasn't completely dark, how the moon and stars were like forever burning candles, a story her brother told her when she was younger. The blonde man smiled and calmed, entwining his fingers in hers. Eventually, the leaned into each other for a kiss, and as their lips pressed together the man lost a small amount of control over his powers, so Yuya's lips went blissfully cold. The most wonderful taste of icy mint flowed into her mouth, a taste that lasted for hours, which refreshed, but was so very, very cold.

Shinrei

The man was beautifully graceful, and she could not help her eyes travel over him as he practiced late at night outside the Inn. He could dance, body moving fluidly with his weapon, flowing like a river, glistening silver under the moon. She clapped as he finished; he spun around, too absorbed in his movements to notice the woman there and as he caught sight of her, mock bowed at her applause. Then, offering her a hand, she joined him in a dance, slow and sultry, spinning as he held her hand above her head. As she spun back in he held her in a fluid embrace, pressing her to his chest and kissing the soft mouth, gaining entrance. It was as though a beautifully sweet watermelon lemonade filled her mouth, coloured a bright pink, bubbly but soft and sharp and fluid as it filled her senses. She drank until there was nothing left of the bottle, and went to sleep, the lingering sharp taste on the roof of her mouth.

Hotaru

Handsome, that was really the only word one could use to describe this man. Hotaru was completely and utterly gorgeous, but of course he would never let on, and his beauty was one that came with no effort at all. Most people thought the man an absolute moron, but to those who knew him knew he studied others with a critical eye, and by simply not caring about his surrounding was able to manipulate the others around him. Yuya unfortunately, only realised this after being so furious with the man's gormless expression decided to kiss him to achieve some sort of reaction, only to realise that was what he was trying to achieve all along. To see if someone could crack the illusion. This surprised her, and another thing that surprised her was the subtle taste of candyfloss. Light and airy, like sugar and cavities and sinfulness of eating it right down to the stick, but not caring at all. It melted in her fingers, stuck to the corners of her mouth, but she couldn't help herself. It was like eating the clouds.

Kyo

It was strange, that night. It could have been more desperation on her part, though. As she sat, looking at him wrapping bandages around his torso, she seemed to realise how truly dangerous he was, how it may just cost both their lives being in the same company. But she didn't care, her trust lay solely with him, and that was a bond she knew he would never, ever break. But she… she couldn't be so sure about herself really, after all… We could be dead tomorrow… And in a desperate attempt to vent her emotions, she allowed the tears to roll down her face at this sudden revelation. Saying this to him, he shook his head, staying silent, and wrapped an arm around her, drying her tears with his sleeve. Curled up against him, her fear played across her mind, until he whispered a soft "That's why we make the most of the time we have." And with this, softly kissed her. The warm feeling spread, her eyes rolled back at the taste, so perfect. He tasted of black liquorice, sour and sharp with a centre that simply melted in your mouth and fluttered in your heart. It was smokey, but it was perfect, and liquorice had always been Yuya's very favourite item of candy.

A/N: Yay finished! Please read and review thanks.