Red

AUTHOR: Angelhart
GENRE: dark/angst/hurt/comfort
STORY: one shot
STATUS: complete
RATING: M (warning this story contains adult content)
DISCLAIMER: Kamisama Hajimemashita (Kamisama Kiss) ©2008 Julietta Suzuki/Hakusensha – Viz Media – TMS Entertainment
All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

I've wanted to write a darker KamiHaji fic focused on the Tomoe x Nanami relationship. I think the OAD episodes that are out now, perfectly show Tomoe's dark nature like the manga revealed compared to the colorful episodes of season 1 and 2.

Read at your own risk, for this story is a look inside the mind of the kitsune youkai as he was 500 years ago before he met Mikage.

Struck by mixed emotions Tomoe is not feeling like himself. In attempts of gaining back his former youkai self he however finds himself still thinking about the one thing he desired and allowed to slip away.

His world had been red as long as he remembered it.

Red as the hair of his demon partner in crime. Red as the blood spilled around them as the demon swung his bat or when he wielded his sword. Red as the lights in the district he so often visited. To find solitude, comfort – if only for a moment – for his restless soul. Red as the walls that were surrounding him now. Red as the beams that were part of the ceiling above his head.

Red as the two hairpins that were sticking out of the knot on the head of the female kitsune who was serving him so nicely. He was watching the bobbing of her head between his legs with fascination, yet he couldn't rid himself of the bored expression that was stuck upon his face.

He had sought out the demons who had thought of him dead and had spoken badly of him. Who had called him weak. Who had questioned his skill as a demon. Who had doubted his supreme reign. He had shown them. Sending them to the underworld with one sweep of his sword. And the humans who had hunted him with their pitchforks had met their end as well. Their blood and organs now coloring the ground. The red liquid polluting the soil on which they had fallen. He had stepped upon them like the feeble worms they were. Bones that snapped so easily with barely any pressure. Flesh that parted so easily of the brittle skeleton structure.

He had sought out the thrills that used to entertain him. And when they didn't slake his need he had found himself here. Another thrill he thoroughly enjoyed. Yet somehow this also still left him with a yearning that he couldn't seem to squelch. And it didn't take long before the feline raised her head and her eyes looked at him questionably. The object of her affection still soft in her hands.

He looked into the green eyes and found him wanting them to be brown. "Go on," he spoke coldly and he watched her lower her head again and felt the warmth of her mouth enveloping him once more. He moved his left leg, bending it more at the knee and spreading it more outward to give her even better access to him. Her determination was astounding as she redoubled her efforts. He felt the strong suction of her mouth as if she was trying to drain the life right out of him with the act. And the thought amused him for maybe he was already drained of life. Maybe he had not been revived at all and he was already dead.

He could practically hear the loud laughter of his demon comrade when he would come to learn of his impotence. And maybe he could laugh with him, albeit painfully. His thoughts wondered back to that moment he had become bedridden. Forced to submit to the hands of humans and their care. Maybe they had not revived him, but poisoned him. Maybe she had poisoned him…

To heal him, to only make him suffer. To take life pleasures away from him. For his red colorful life had suddenly become dull. He had no appetite for food, kills and sex…

No… that was not it…

He recalled that moment when he had felt all healed again. Somehow even stronger than ever. And his blood had boiled with lust and excitement as he had formed that plan in his head to take that delicate flower that had watched over him in the night. And when he had seen her leave the mansion she had arranged, unknown, the perfect setting for his plan. And he had not been impotent at all when he had stalked her in the night. Each footstep that had brought him closer to her, had also made him harder.

And then… without executing with his plan… just like that… he had let her go…

He moved his right hand to his head and stroked as if there was a painful throb.

Why had he done that? She had been there. Ripe for the taking. Untouched. Pure like the petals of Sakura blossoms. He could have had his fun with her. It could be her, serving him like this.

He watched the red hairpins sway back and forth in the brown knot. Tried to succumb to the feel of the hot tongue swirling around his cock. He sat himself a bit more straight to have a better view.

No… She wouldn't. She would bite him. And he could already imagine the pressure of those blunt teeth upon him. The defiant look in her eyes before she would bite down. Strangely the thought aroused him. And the reaction did not remain unnoticed.

Tsukune raised her head and he noticed her smile seductively at him. Her soft pink tongue licking her lips. Obviously pleased that she finally got what she had been aiming for.

But those eyes. Green like the grass his feet had felt when he had followed that young flower. They bothered him. And he placed a firm hand on her head and pressed her down, forcing her to focus her attention not on his face, but on that other part of his body. Her jaw had to be hurting right now, but he couldn't really care. And she didn't complain as she took him in her mouth again.

He allowed his thoughts to wonder off once more. How would it be with her? He had laid with humans before. They were fun to play with. They were easily subdued and if careful you could keep them alive long enough to get your fill. Their compatibility had to be more than just a coincidence. It was as if nature had assigned them to be their playthings. To become a demon's source of entertainment. And if you played your game well enough there were plenty of orifices to enjoy and to take pleasure from.

He closed his eyes and filled his head with the fantasy that surfaced. Hunting her down in that forest he had last seen her disappear in and finding her conveniently alone. And she would search for an escape route, of course. And maybe he would even let her. Give her that feel of hope that she could actually run away. And he wouldn't need to run after her. He would follow the sweet scent of her and her unsteady footsteps pressed in the earth's soil. Broken twigs on the ground and a lock of hair caught in between branches as if the forest had tried to capture her for him. And his fingers would peel it free, bring those broken strands to his nose to breathe her in before he would continue his pursuit.

He would be able to hear the rapid heartbeat like the wings of a trapped little bird. Her raged breathing when he would close in. And there in a clearing he would find her. Fallen to the ground, tripped, and trying to get up to flee and run again. Her head turning swiftly as she would hear that branch cracking underneath his feet, like he meant to. And yes… those eyes… those brown doe eyes… they would look at him. Widening in fear and realization that the game was over. Only it wouldn't be.

The game would then just begin.

"Tomoe-sama~"

The hand touching his face pulled him out of his fantasy. A rude awakening and his eyes scolded the female kitsune for doing so. At least she didn't smell of other men, like last time. Her scent reaching his sensitive nose when she rubbed her face underneath his chin to appeal to him and as an apologize for displeasing him.

Her right hand was stroking him and he realized the fantasy combined with her ministrations had been enough to get him hard. He smirked. So much for impotence

Slowly she released him and he saw her removing her obi, revealing her body to him. Perk young breasts with nipples that were already protruding. A flat stomach and curvy hips that moved to straddle him. He however stopped her before she could lower herself onto him.

"Tomoe-sama?"

She was even more surprised when he pushed her off him. Rather roughly by the sound of her hitting the floor. She looked up and blinked in astonishment.

No. That position wouldn't do. When he had caught her gaze again, he somehow felt even nauseated. Strangely repulsed. Not for her flesh, but because of his own stupidity. He could have had her. The human female. Somehow that girl, though weak in nature made him do things that were unnatural to him. She had slipped through his fingers once again. He had allowed her to.

Now… now he wouldn't. Not anymore. And in his fantasy where she was scrambling to her feet in that forest clearing he had seen that dawning onto her. And those green eyes that had stared at him affectionately in this reality did not hold that gaze. And he wanted to capture that moment, for it would be almost as if he would be capturing her for real. His true nature now once again in command. To take what he wanted. To be unwavered by a mere touch or a simple gaze.

And in this reality like in his fantasy he moved to kneel and turned the female in front of him. Forcing her on her hands and knees. His hands moving the robes to clear his path as he sat behind her. With one hand he steadied a hip as he brought the other to his mouth and gave a long lick from palm to fingers, just before he reached out with it.

Wetness met his touch and he reveled in the feel. Would she be? Would the thrill of the hunt – with the hint of the outcome taunting her – arouse her as much as it did him? Would his cupping fingers meet the same wetness there? Or would she be repulsed by him and be dry?

The woman in front of him moaned due to his attentions. Her hips pushing against his stroking hand. He gave her a slap and she stilled. She was not in control. Not anymore…

This time. The next time… She would not escape him.

"Yukiji…"

The name left his lips and a sharp canine was exposed in the grin as he chuckled. Tsukune had turned her head to look at him. Green eyes staring at him. Maybe confused by the name that he had let out.

He took hold of her neck and forced her to turn her head again, making her face the screen that was in front of her once more. She would not ruin his imaginary conquest. She was here to indulge his fantasy. To tend to his needs. And right now, he needed her submissive.

There was surprised yelp from her when he took hold of the knot of hair on her head. Pulling the red pins free he let it fall over her shoulders and back.

Brown. Not quite the same color, but it would have to do and he moved his fingers through the tresses. Then placing a palm between her shoulder blades he pushed her down so her upper body was pressed against the matting and her rear was elevated.

He closed his eyes in the forward thrust and envisioned Sakura petals falling upon their bodies from the blossoming trees surrounding them. And the whimper in that other reality was a scream in the one fantasy he was living now as he would breach that purity and would defile it with his presence.

Red.

The wetness coating him would be red as he would plunder that what he had finally captured. And he would plunder it again and again, as much as her body could handle or as long as his body could manage.

Taking a firm hold on the body in front of him, not allowing it to move, he pulled almost out before he thrust forward again and repeated the movement until his hips had found a rhythm of hard deep thrusts. Opening his eyes to view the reality he was actually in, he licked his lips. Taking hold of the strands of hair within his reach and enjoying the silky feel of them on his fingers.

He ignored the sound of his name that was uttered from the woman's lips who's body he was using. The tone, the voice, all wrong. He blocked it out until his mind was able to get the alteration right in his fantasy after recalling all memories of the lovely voice who spoke to him in the night and who so defiantly called out to him to reveal to her his true intentions.

That sweet voice calling out his name as he plundered her hot depts. Her whimpering beneath him. Eyes staring when she would turn her head to get a glimpse of him.

Yes…, he would say, you are finally mine now.

She would not squander her fleeting life in the arms of a human man, an insect. She would not wither away like a brittle flower susceptible to the flow of time. He had plucked it and would enjoy its beauty and everything it had to offer before he would destroy it. Strip it of its silken petal layers until the very core would be exposed. And then… devour it.

Red.

There had been red in the kimono she had been wearing on that rainy day. The image of her haunting him. Pleasantly. Annoyingly.

Red was the liquid that was released as his sharp nails broke skin of the one he was so desperately holding. Fingers clutching tightly, pulling her back to meet his brute thrusts. That familiar hunger inside of him that burned somehow even stronger than ever.

The gasp that left the woman's lips was also echoing in his imaginary forest. And spurred him on to drive more deeply.

Yes… this was what he craved. This was what he needed. He felt the desire to laugh almost manically. Yet he found himself grunting and panting as if exhausted.

Pitiful.

His previous self would have laughed when witnessing this.

He wound an arm around the woman and pulled her towards him even more. Her curvy rear cushioning his pelvis so pleasantly and he clung to her possessively.

"Oh, Tomoe-sama," she sang and she pushed even more against him.

"Oh, Tomoe-sama," his vision moaned and he released a feral growl against the skin he bared as he pulled on the kimono that still covered shoulders and neck. He wanted to bite that succulent flesh. To place markings on the skin that would bruise and taint her. And if he would allow her to live long enough for them to heal he would do it all over again.

But reality cleared his mind before he could get lost in the hallucination. The scent of alcohol filling his nose. And he opened his eyes to see a bottle of sake tipped over and now spilling all over the floor.

The beverage he had left untouched – that had been a first! – was now clearing his head, instead of drowning him with pleasant illusion. And he realized then that he was drunk on something else.

Red

Red as the fire inside of him that he needed to quench. Yet as the master of flames he found this one to be consuming, one he found himself not being the master of. But he tried nonetheless. The woman on the receiving end of his plowing releasing whimpers and cries at the jarring thrusts of his hips.

At the involuntary clenching of her inner muscles he slaked over her body, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Holding her tightly he pushed through the tightness until he felt his own oncoming release.

He moved back to lean on his feet and was moving with desperation now. Throwing his head back he was blinded by the lantern that hung upon the ceiling of the room.

Red.

Deep red as the rush of blood through his system. The feel and light blinding him as he spilled himself in the tight still clenching sheath.

He pushed her forward and she rolled onto her side. Her kimono hung open and he eyed her heaving chest for a moment. Soft breasts that would fit his hands perfectly. A vision that would normally evoked new lust in him. But he rose to his feet and rearranged his own clothing. Pulling them up and reached for the obi that was lying close to the futon.

Her hand reached out to him and her voice called his name. Disappointment on her face when he gave her one last glance.

He needed more than this. More distraction. This was not like him.

He noticed a bottle of sake on a small table and grabbed it. Placing it at his lips he drank like a man dying of thirst. The liquid burning inside his chest, but at least it felt like it was extinguishing that flame. But the effect lasted only seconds. The tightness in his chest now even more present and his shoulders sagged if in defeat.

This was not like him…

From the corners of his eyes he watched the red light of the lantern above his head. The flame of the candle within it dancing. His eyes narrowed to slits and his tail swished anxiously as he thought of the right remedy for this strange illness that he suffered. Sometimes you just had to fight fire with fire and he knew just the guy who would be interesting to watch and turn the night sky red.

He dropped the empty bottle carelessly and ignored the feline that called his name once more. Tonight he would set the world aflame. At least a small part of it. They would all tremble in fear like they used to. And he would watch them burn as the redness of flame would consume them.

Like it was consuming him.

A/N: If you haven't guessed, this fic takes place after he was rescued by Nanami and he stalked her in the woods, but in hesitation let her go. We know he is haunted by her image and his own contradicting behavior when it comes to dealing with her.

I had a day off and I found myself writing this thing and I couldn't stop. It is darker than what I usually write, but it is easy to forget what kind of dangerous youkai Tomoe actually was before he was altered by both Mikage and Namani's influence. And although we see glimpses of his past in the manga and anime series, I wanted to dig a little deeper.

His feelings for Nanami are even often romanticized, but to be realistic: the past Tomoe had no romantic interest in her at first. He only wanted to use her for his own pleasure. The inevitable outcome for Nanami would have been death.

I hope you all liked this little and different fic. And reviews are always welcome ^_^