Shades of Time
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Gensomaden Saiyuki › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
53
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6,027
Reviews:
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Category:
Gensomaden Saiyuki › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
53
Views:
6,027
Reviews:
117
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Gensomaden Saiyuki, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Truth About Love
As it turned out, a group of not four but six, seven counting Hakuryuu, left the inn shortly after breakfast. Diablo had arrived just after dawn with his primary mate, Ai, who had decided it was too dangerous for him to go alone. Human and demon backup wasn’t the same as another dragon being present in her mind. Hakkai had to hide a smile when Diablo had informed them of this, taking in the female dragon’s mutinous expression and snapping red eyes he thought that she made a good primary mate for the dragon. Hakuryuu had taken to Ai immediately just as she had him.
Rei laughed a little at seeing the interaction.
“What’s amusing you so?” Hakkai asked, looking at her curiously.
“Just the dragons. Ai probably thinks Hakuryuu looks like one of her hatchlings since they have the same coloring.”
Hakkai studied the dragons, two in human form the other very much a dragon, holding what was apparently a conversation in their own language. Hakuryuu and Ai did indeed have the same coloring, he thought, looking at the long silver/white fall of the female dragon’s knee length hair. He wondered vaguely if Hakuryuu would perhaps be happier with other dragons. Almost as though in response to his thoughts, Hakuryuu flew from where he had been settled on Ai’s shoulder to Hakkai.
The trek to the cave took a bit longer than expected and for some unknown reason Gojyo ended up bringing up the rear with Ai. Well, the reason Gojyo was bringing up the rear was actually quite simple, he was enjoying watching Xan’s rear. He turned to look at the dragon when he heard a deep rumble come from her that could only be construed as a chuckle.
“What?”
“Odd creature you are,” she said, red eyes narrowing to study him closely. He could tell that human languages were not her forte and understood that it was very unusual for an elder dragon to deign another being as worthy to speak to in the first place.
“I don’t understand.”
“Human, youkai, understand not much. You wish love, yes?”
Gojyo stared at her in shock for a moment wondering how she had so accurately pegged something about him that no one else had ever guessed. Well, he supposed if anyone had guessed it would be Hakkai but he was too well mannered to say anything about it. She nodded before going on.
“You wish love but still afraid,” she said, eyeing him shrewdly. “Not loved as hatchling, Ai thinks.” She took his chin in her forefinger and thumb before turning his face to her so she could look at the scars on his cheek. “Stupid woman.”
Gojyo tried to jerk backward but found that he couldn’t break her grasp. “No. No she wasn’t. She just . . .”
“Was stupid. Saw only man’s fault in hatchling. Not see little one. Saw only selfish hurt,” she said, red eyes hard and angry before softening as one of her own clawed fingertips traced the scars.
“Could you have done it?” Gojyo said defensively. For some reason the scars on his cheek suddenly felt open and raw. “Could you have raised Diablo’s child from another female?”
Ai drew herself up proudly. “Ai has, Ai will,” she said, moving the shirt she wore off of one shoulder to show deep, ragged wounds that seemed to be fairly fresh. “Mala fought for eggs, died defending. Ai and others killed monsters. Hatchlings need mother, Ai is mother now.”
“But how can you just . . . never mind,” Gojyo said, pulling out a smoke and lighting it, letting the nicotine soothe his oddly frayed nerves. For some reason, talking to the dragon made him twitchy. Maybe it was because she was probing into areas he’d rather have left alone.
“Half boy not much understand demon side,” Ai said, sounding half exasperated and half amused.
Gojyo shot her an odd glance as they started walking to catch up with the rest of the group again. “What makes you say that?”
Ai chuckled a little. “Many one night females. No lovers. Many pieces tried but not fit. Half boy was searching.”
Gojyo goggled at her. “Searching for what, exactly?”
Ai shrugged and replied, “Mate,” as though it was the simplest answer in the world.
“Oh, no. HELL no. I don’t do forever,” Gojyo said, frowning at her before trying to stride away.
She caught his arm before he got more than a few steps away from her. “Bite female ever?” she asked. “Hard bite, here.” She moved her hand to indicate just above the swell of her left hip. “Male demon marks mate.”
Gojyo ducked his head and walked away from her. Couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be. It wasn’t like that. He went through women because he got bored or . . . something. His mind was scrambling for ways to explain that thought, that irrational thought that had been nagging at the back of his head since he was old enough to know what sex was. That strange craving in him. The weird thing that knew something hadn’t been right about the women he’d been with. His eyes went to Xan, his brain skittering away from the odd thing that had happened last night. At first he had thought it was one of those things that just happened during wild, kinky sex but now he wasn’t so sure.
Rei laughed a little at seeing the interaction.
“What’s amusing you so?” Hakkai asked, looking at her curiously.
“Just the dragons. Ai probably thinks Hakuryuu looks like one of her hatchlings since they have the same coloring.”
Hakkai studied the dragons, two in human form the other very much a dragon, holding what was apparently a conversation in their own language. Hakuryuu and Ai did indeed have the same coloring, he thought, looking at the long silver/white fall of the female dragon’s knee length hair. He wondered vaguely if Hakuryuu would perhaps be happier with other dragons. Almost as though in response to his thoughts, Hakuryuu flew from where he had been settled on Ai’s shoulder to Hakkai.
The trek to the cave took a bit longer than expected and for some unknown reason Gojyo ended up bringing up the rear with Ai. Well, the reason Gojyo was bringing up the rear was actually quite simple, he was enjoying watching Xan’s rear. He turned to look at the dragon when he heard a deep rumble come from her that could only be construed as a chuckle.
“What?”
“Odd creature you are,” she said, red eyes narrowing to study him closely. He could tell that human languages were not her forte and understood that it was very unusual for an elder dragon to deign another being as worthy to speak to in the first place.
“I don’t understand.”
“Human, youkai, understand not much. You wish love, yes?”
Gojyo stared at her in shock for a moment wondering how she had so accurately pegged something about him that no one else had ever guessed. Well, he supposed if anyone had guessed it would be Hakkai but he was too well mannered to say anything about it. She nodded before going on.
“You wish love but still afraid,” she said, eyeing him shrewdly. “Not loved as hatchling, Ai thinks.” She took his chin in her forefinger and thumb before turning his face to her so she could look at the scars on his cheek. “Stupid woman.”
Gojyo tried to jerk backward but found that he couldn’t break her grasp. “No. No she wasn’t. She just . . .”
“Was stupid. Saw only man’s fault in hatchling. Not see little one. Saw only selfish hurt,” she said, red eyes hard and angry before softening as one of her own clawed fingertips traced the scars.
“Could you have done it?” Gojyo said defensively. For some reason the scars on his cheek suddenly felt open and raw. “Could you have raised Diablo’s child from another female?”
Ai drew herself up proudly. “Ai has, Ai will,” she said, moving the shirt she wore off of one shoulder to show deep, ragged wounds that seemed to be fairly fresh. “Mala fought for eggs, died defending. Ai and others killed monsters. Hatchlings need mother, Ai is mother now.”
“But how can you just . . . never mind,” Gojyo said, pulling out a smoke and lighting it, letting the nicotine soothe his oddly frayed nerves. For some reason, talking to the dragon made him twitchy. Maybe it was because she was probing into areas he’d rather have left alone.
“Half boy not much understand demon side,” Ai said, sounding half exasperated and half amused.
Gojyo shot her an odd glance as they started walking to catch up with the rest of the group again. “What makes you say that?”
Ai chuckled a little. “Many one night females. No lovers. Many pieces tried but not fit. Half boy was searching.”
Gojyo goggled at her. “Searching for what, exactly?”
Ai shrugged and replied, “Mate,” as though it was the simplest answer in the world.
“Oh, no. HELL no. I don’t do forever,” Gojyo said, frowning at her before trying to stride away.
She caught his arm before he got more than a few steps away from her. “Bite female ever?” she asked. “Hard bite, here.” She moved her hand to indicate just above the swell of her left hip. “Male demon marks mate.”
Gojyo ducked his head and walked away from her. Couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be. It wasn’t like that. He went through women because he got bored or . . . something. His mind was scrambling for ways to explain that thought, that irrational thought that had been nagging at the back of his head since he was old enough to know what sex was. That strange craving in him. The weird thing that knew something hadn’t been right about the women he’d been with. His eyes went to Xan, his brain skittering away from the odd thing that had happened last night. At first he had thought it was one of those things that just happened during wild, kinky sex but now he wasn’t so sure.