Author's Note: Hello! This is my first Amnesia fic, with hopefully more to come. I have a major project on it's final leg in the Voltage fandom, for the game Kissed By the Baddest Bidder as well as works coming up for Scandal in the Spotlight and Love Letter From Thief X.
Please enjoy and leave a review to tell me your thoughts!
Disclaimer: I own the idea of Setsuna and the story, but Otomate, Idea Factory, et al. own Amnesia.
Special Lessons
It had been several weeks since Kent had surprised Setsuna with the paperwork from her college. The opportunity to study abroad, to go with him to London, it was something she hadn't thought of initially. But the fact that he had, that he had thought so far in advance and was looking for a way for neither of them to be lonely. It made her smile in memory. However, her smile slowly vanished as she looked down at the workbook in front of her, resting ominously on her table. Her apartment never seemed more quiet than it did now as she tried to focus on the task at hand.
Kent had made her a workbook for every subject she needed to improve in. Which was nearly all but her actual psychology course. He had also come up with a basic English text for her to start practicing upon hearing that she hadn't done much with the language since leaving mandatory high school lessons behind.
"Those courses don't teach you how to really speak. I will create one of those for you as well. You will want to be able to actually understand people and converse with them. I'm doing the others, it makes sense we study this as well."
Logical as always.
With a sigh, Setsuna picked her pencil back up from where she'd abandoned it and opened the book back up to the first page, glaring at the first math problem in front of her. Her level was nowhere near what Kent was studying, but it was a far departure from the slacker style math she'd learned at her high school in the country. The level of difficulty was truly different when comparing Kyushu and Tokyo's educational systems. Smiling once more as she read the word problem, it was obvious that Kent had devised the problem, like others in the past, in terms of Ikki and his unfortunate lure with women.
If Person A on average dates one woman every three months and keeps with this pattern for fifty two months, taking a month off for new years events, how many relationships will have ended after said fifty two months?
It was a bit harsh, but it wasn't lying. Ikki's weird habit of dating for three months per woman was now well-known even to her. She had since seen him move on to his third girlfriend since she herself started dating Kent and could only shake her head at how casually he did it. She was perfectly fine with letting him do as he wished, so long as he stopped trying to tease Kent by making him jealous occasionally with his casual comments towards her. She liked Ikki's personality and thought he made a good friend for Kent, the casual and free spirit versus rigid logical man made a refreshing and fun foil when the three were together.
Eventually, she was able to focus and get through the first ten problems in the math workbook, but stopped here when she realized there were twenty more. The sun was casting an orange haze in her small apartment, signaling it was time for dinner. As she stood, she could hear her cell phone chime with the familiar notification of a text message being received.
"Kent?" she whispered, looking at the screen.
Setsuna,
I hope the workbooks haven't been too hard for you. They are at the level you should be at for each of your classes. If there is something you don't understand, please tell me and we can talk about the problem. When you're done with one, let me know and I will grade it.
Do you want to go out on a date this Saturday? It has been a while since we have had the chance to casually walk around and talk. I'm just about finished with my work at the university regarding the conference.
Kent
Reading his text made her happy. The fact he made an effort to ask for a date was a major improvement to the weeks when she'd initially forgotten her memories and they'd still been rocky in their new relationship. She was also happy to read that the fall out of him skipping on his important conference was now resolved. He hadn't been in trouble, necessarily, but the committee deciding if he went abroad for a year had been understanding of the circumstance. They hadn't been able to give him the opportunity this year, but wished him to apply for the following year. She only hoped his grading of her work was as understanding, though she knew chances of that were slim. She decided to respond with positivity, already looking forward to her next day off in four days.
The workbooks are really helpful, I've done some of them already. The English is a little bit harder. I'm finding it hard to talk when I'm just by myself.
I'm happy that you want to have a date Saturday. I would love to spend time with you!
Setsuna
Kent replied within just a few minutes.
I won't be able to walk you home tomorrow after your shift. If possible, I wonder of Sawa or Toma would be able to walk with you? Don't walk alone, please.
Have a good night.
Kent
Frowning, Setsuna realized that his text seemed a little off. He hadn't mentioned the workbooks and even the words on the screen seemed distracted. Hoping it hadn't been anything she said, she had no choice but to shrug it off and turn to the kitchen and cook her dinner.
Kent met Setsuna outside her apartment early Saturday afternoon, punctual as always to his proposed time of one o'clock the day before. When she came down, he smiled softly at the sight of her and easily took her hand. A warmth budded in her chest at how naturally he seemed to take signs of affection these days and she couldn't hold back as her smile grew larger. The night before, he'd called and asked her if he could plan the date as a surprise and after a moment's hesitation, she'd agreed. He seemed pleased with the trust she'd given him and they set off towards the shopping district.
Setsuna was completely surprised by Kent's idea for their date. It was all so… Normal. They walked around, even idly chit chatted about their work, and she had mentioned all the memories she'd managed to remember in the last week. Her stories involving Kuro would flash a regretful look across his eyes for a moment, but he smiled and commented on them. They weren't full of empty emotion or commentary, but nor were they full of cold logical detachment either. The topic was still sore for him, the death of Kuro and the resulting argument and hurtful words from her still fresh for both, but he seemed to truly enjoy stories of her memories. They'd stopped in a few shops; Kent had a sudden patience when it came to her trying on a dress but the flush on his cheeks as he turned away bashfully was telltale. Afterwards, they'd stopped at a cafe for a light lunch before he took her hand and silently led her on another walk. One that lead them back towards their neighborhoods.
"Kent? Are we done for the day already?"
He glanced down at her and gave her a small smile. "No, not quite. If you don't object to the idea, I'd like to continue our date at my house?"
Setsuna nodded, smiling. "Sure. I've been meaning to say hello to your parents again."
"They aren't home. My mother has a large caseload and my father is at a lecture in Kyoto. I will let them know you desire to see them again, however."
"Oh, okay."
The rest of their walk, past the park and the cemetery and through the residential area was a companionable silence. The pace matched hers, as he realized his own longer legs doubled her own steps some time ago. The calm atmosphere around them and in the weather did nothing to forewarn her of what waited for her when they got back to Kent's house.
"You want to do workbooks?" she asked, eyeing the offending items in his hand. He held two, both labeled English, between his fingers and watched her reaction with amusement.
"Of course. You have less than a year before you need to be fluent in the language and if you can't speak it, how do you expect to survive in London? Surely you don't expect to depend on me the entire time?"
Setsuna's eyes widened. She hadn't expected that at all, but… "No, that's not it."
"Then let's sit and begin. You said you were having trouble with the speaking portions of lessons?"
Resigned that their date was done and the more serious, typical side of Kent was emerging for the remainder of their time together, Setsuna smiled wryly.
"Yes," she nodded, sitting next to Kent and flipping open the pages.
"Show me with these phrases." He pointed to a set of sentences on the second page and gave her his full attention.
After a few minutes of Kent watching as she spoke, he held up a hand and indicated for her to stop.
"Overall, you can comprehend and you understand all the words you're reading and saying. Your mouth is having trouble with letters and combinations that aren't found in our own language. You'll need to practice constantly speaking in order to break the thick accent you'll have otherwise," he explained. He pointed at several words. "Words like this and these are your biggest problem."
"Oh, because they have these two letters?"
Kent nodded. "We don't have an equivalent in the Japanese language for forming these is harder and takes more practice. It isn't as natural. As a result, often translation will be altered and will constantly swap between the two." He wrote out several words and then, under them, the English equivalents.
Setsuna tried to sound out the new words, but found herself tripping on the mentioned consonants and mix of vowels. Next to her, she could hear him sigh and the sound of his clothing shifting. From the corner of her eye, she could see him take off his heavy, buckled jacket and drape it across the arm of the couch behind them.
"Setsuna, look here."
Turning, she was surprised when Kent took her chin between his fingers and forced her to look him in the eye. Green eyes sharp but still gentle, he stared deep in her own eyes and slowly brought her face closer to his.
"Stop me if you want. But I think I have a way to help you."
"Wha-mmph!"
They'd kissed many times since she'd been released from the hospital in August. There were times where he'd surprised her with a peck on the lips or looked down at her with tender eyes before slowly engaging her. Other times, she would feel the overwhelming urge and give him a quick press of her lips on his before pulling away, sometimes his cheek. She'd even given him something deeper the week before as they sat in the park after her shift. She'd checked their surroundings for people and, when she saw there weren't others around, she'd reached up with her small hand and cupped his cheek. The surprise was written on his face clear as day, but he'd reciprocated warmly.
This kiss was different. Languid, deep, and dizzying, Setsuna was surprised to find herself already panting as she opened her mouth wider and tangled her tongue with his. Unable to move her face away, and not really wanting to, Kent's fingers kept her in place and the only thing she was able to do was lean into the kiss and reciprocate. When she began to pant, needing larger amounts of air, Kent pulled away and and released her chin.
"Do you understand now?"
His voice was rough, deeper than usual and there was a flush on his cheeks as he gazed down at Setsuna.
Trying to catch her breath, she looked at him quizzically. "Understand?"
"How to move your mouth and tongue."
Setsuna furrowed her brow, trying to clear the fog he'd created in her mind and understand the words he was saying. Seeing her confusion, he smirked and leaned his chin on his hand. She had to resist the urge to gasp at the sight he made, he'd never really looked more masculine to her in the time she'd known him and she had the sudden urge to run her fingers through his hair before pulling him close again.
"I moved my mouth in the shapes of the words in your workbook. This here." He pointed to the phrase, Lauren loves to look at the lovely lake. "The letter L in the English language, along with the letter R, are things we don't really have. They become interchangeable quite often in many situations, but the shape is hard for us to form in our mouths. I offered a slightly exaggerated exercise, but is a good example of how to use your tongue."
"Seriously?" she asked, cocking her head.
"Why would I lie?"
"I just didn't expect that, of all things!"
Kent chuckled. "Did my lesson work?"
Taking a deep breath, Setsuna recited the line from the book, watching his face as she spoke the words. His eyes narrowed slightly and he sat up straight as she spoke.
"Better. But still needs work."
"Then you better show me until I get it," she said after a heartbeat. They both jerked their faces so that they were looking one another in the eye once more, the embarrassment of her words washing over them. But more than embarrassment, they both felt another emotion as they sized one another up.
Hesitant, hopeful and heady.
Setsuna prayed she hadn't said something that would offend or scare off Kent. While she was no expert on relationships, nothing like Ikki or even Mine, she certainly had more inklings than Kent and she hoped his inexperience coupled with his level mind wouldn't have him send her home for the night. She was surprised when he chuckled, the laughter coming deep from his throat and causing a smile to split his lips.
"Well, there's nothing else to it. I offered to teach you, I need to stick with my commitments and see it through to the end. Are you prepared? If you'll recall from the lecture this summer, I'm a hard teacher."
"Ken…"
Kent leaned forward and held her face between his hands. "Say it again?"
"Your name? ...Ken." Setsuna flushed as he sucked in a breath, she could feel the warm air from him as he breathed and saw the dilating of his pupils, his green eyes darkening. His reaction to her nervous nickname pleased him far more than she thought it would and it made her breathing hitch.
"Lauren loves to look at the lovely lake," he whispered in English, his lips dangerously close to hers. "Pay attention, Setsuna."
Kent's lips felt warm on hers, more than warm. Not quite fire, but so close, she felt like she might get burned. His kiss was hard, demanding her to open her lips to him once more and once she did, she immediately found herself reaching out to grasp his arms, shoulders, anything that belonged to him.
Setsuna could feel Kent move his mouth and tongue, pushing her and, if she concentrated hard enough, she could actually make out that he really was enunciating the phrase in her mouth. Panting into the kiss, she shifted her position and sat up on her knees, leaning in closer to Kent. After a moment, the kiss ended and he pulled away a fraction, back to his not-quite-touching hover in front of her.
"Say the phrase," he whispered. "Then show me what you've learned."
Setsuna blinked away the cloudy feeling that had begun to grow within her again and swallowed hard. "Lauren loves to look at the lovely lake." Her voice was barely a whisper, as her lips moved, they occasionally brushed against Kent's.
Trying hard to do what Kent demanded, she pressed her lips on his and, after a hesitant moment, she bit on his lip to make him open up. Immediately, his mouth opened from shock and the slight pain and Setsuna slipped her tongue inside. She was able to concentrate on the phrase Kent had shown her only once, her tongue moving to enunciate in the warmth of his mouth. In the second turn, it seemed that neither she nor Kent were able to keep with the lesson and their kiss went from educational farce to an outright heated tangle of tongues and fingers in hair and hot breath. Kent pulled Setsuna into his lap, swallowing her squeak of surprise as tried to readjust herself. Eventually, she settled her knees on either side of his hips and allowed him to tighten his hold on her hips and on the back of her neck. His fingers made trails from her skin to the hairs at the nape of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Behind her, she could feel him bend his knees, trapping her between his thighs and chest and making her sit closer to him than ever before.
"Ken?" she whispered, breaking away. Catching his eyes with hers, his normally clear eyes were hazy, pupils blown and hiding the normal green they held.
Kent let out a breath before bringing his lips to the curve of Setsuna's neck. She could feel his lips ghost over her skin as his spoke softly. "Recite the phrase, Setsuna." He left a faint trail of kisses, waiting for her to comply.
"Ngh," she tried to suppress a moan, biting on her lip. "Lauren loves… to look at the lovely l-lake." She couldn't hide the stutter in her voice, her mind fighting to focus on her words and not his body surrounding hers.
Jumping at the sensation of his teeth on her skin, Setsuna sucked in a breath and gripped Kent's shoulders. The stinging was followed by the gentle swipe of his tongue, making her squirm. Hands gripping her hips tighter, Kent prevented her from moving and pulled back. He rested his forehead on hers, breathing slightly labored.
"Not a good idea right now," he muttered, closing his eyes for a moment. "Your pronunciation is much better, but I'm worried that you'd stutter."
Setsuna couldn't keep the flush from her cheeks as Kent opened his eyes, a grin lighting his lips. The expression on his face was foreign to her, but she still could understand the meaning behind it. It sent a shiver down her spine and heat pooling in her belly. Leaning in so that her entire body molded to Kent's, she placed one hand on his chest and the other tangled in his hair. Lips only a millimeter away, Setsuna whispered.
"Lauren loves to look at the lovely lake." Every word enunciated brought her lips to brush against his and just as she finished her final word, she could have sworn she heard a growl from his throat. Unable to question, Setsuna found her lips being devoured by his, a surprised noise escaping her own throat.
Mesmerized by the firm grip and teasing circles Kent's thumbs made on her hips, she couldn't help but to shift once more in his lap. Immediately, she knew why he'd stopped her the first time, the bulge under her was very apparent, but he didn't stop her this time. Instead, he hissed into her mouth, taking her bottom lip between his teeth.
"Ken…"
"Setsuna," he released her lip, hovering his mouth over hers, not quite touching her. "Whatever you want, however far, that's what I'll do. No more."
Pursing her lips, she gave a slight roll of her hips, enjoying both the sensation that tingled in her veins and the unraveling look on Kent's face. Simultaneously, she worried how much he could handle. "Ken, I…"
"I'm fine," he said roughly, his voice thick.
Pulling her face back to his, he roughly pressed his lips against hers, as if willing any words she had to say away. Tongue prying her lips apart once more, she lost herself in the sensation of his lips, tongue, and teeth. The blossoming bruise on the juncture of her neck and shoulder throbbed, but it made the fingers she had in his hair tighten and her hips move of their own accord. Setsuna was barely surprised when Kent responded in kind with a gentle buck of his own hips upward. Instead of a surprised squeak, a breathy moan passed her lips and she repeated the action.
Kent broke their kiss first, burying his face in the crook of her neck, trying to control his heavy breathing. In kind, Setsuna panted quietly, resting her cheek on his soft blond hair. The hot air from his mouth sent her sensitive skin into a fit of gooseflesh along the nape.
"You've become a good student, Setsuna. Much better than when I first met you," Kent chuckled, leaving a peck on her neck before moving to look at her. "If you continue to practice, you'll be fluent in no time."
Setsuna flushed. "I don't think I could handle this all the time."
"Of course not," he pushed his glasses up his nose, raising a brow. "That would be inefficient." He paused. "This kind of study session would be best saved for tests."
"Tests? You're really going to give me tests?" Setsuna bit her lip, shoulders slumping.
Kent nodded solemnly. "Tests. I'd say I'll have to quiz you once a week. To make sure it's really rooted inside your brain."
Letting out a huff of air, she couldn't help but to grin and peck him on the lips. He looked at her with a confused cock of his head, brow raised in question. Instead of answering, she ran her hand through his hair affectionately.
"I'll do my best."
Leaning his forehead against hers, Kent reciprocated with a soft smile.
"I look forward to it."
A/N: Thank you for reading!