Saturday Evening

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Kino tore herself from the book, already about halfway through it, glancing down at Tanji who was reclining back against her chest. She had one arm looped around him and resting on his chest, his even breathing making her book rise and fall, but she’d gotten used to it. The feel of his heart beneath her arm was reassuring for some odd reason.

He’d finished his math easily, hardly trying, history now settled against his knees, the heavy book depressed into his stomach as his finger traced over the words. She was forcing him to actually read, instead of just photographing the pages with his perfect memory. He would do that and when tests or assignments came he’d skim his memory for something that looked right and twist the words just enough to not plagiarize. Heh, not anymore. Sure his method was getting him a passing grade, barely, but it was wrong. And it really annoyed his teachers when they suspected him of cheating but couldn’t prove it.

“Read it out loud to me,” Kino urged softly.

Tanji made a cute little noise in resistance, but gave in after a moment of Kino nudging, “In… Imperial,” he forced the word harshly, “China, Confucian philosophy, ‘specially its ethics, governed polit’cal, social, economic, and ed’cational relationships.”

Most of the words were slowed to painful articulation. One sentence, and he was frustrated beyond belief, no wonder literature class was quite often the one he got in trouble the most in. Frustration led to anger, and no doubt fellow classmates would torment him, adding up to fights.

Kino tried something. She nudged his book a little and read over his shoulder, out loud. True he could read, given enough time, but it also frustrated him. There was something else in the way. She honestly couldn’t believe no one had thought of this, done any sort of testing on him, and here it was the end of tenth grade. She knew he wouldn’t be able to speak back what she’d read, but he wrote it – even in his own sketchy and muddled handwriting – in his own words what she’d read. Granted there were words on the page she had to ask him to translate, but that could be solved easy by just making him type instead, because he could actually write exceptionally well, which surprised her.

“You’re an auditory learner, your strength is in listening and then writing to retrieve it from memory. I’m sure you’d qualify for a learning disability in visual learning. All our textbooks are at the library on tape, we’ll just get your instructors to realize you need to listen, not read it.”

“I can read,” Tanji’s tone was pouting.

“Yes you can read,” she kissed the top of his head, setting her book down to tug his hair tie loose and run her fingers through his hair. “And you have an extensive vocabulary, you just have a problem with translating what you see into learning, it’s a common problem. It doesn’t mean you’re any less intelligent. And I’m sure if you listened to lectures…”

“I’ve been listenin this week,” he flipped the page in the text, sighing. “I can see and ‘member, but not learn. I know words, but I can’t say ‘em. I can write, but I can’t write legibly. I can listen if I pay attention…”

“And you have a problem paying attention,” Kino hugged him.

“Itsa wonder I haven’t flunked out yet,” Tanji growled.

“It’s really stupid nobody’s noticed before and helped you,” she corrected gently, but with a tinge of something severe.

“Can I stop?” Tanji rubbed his eyes.

“Take a break,” she nudged him up off her, returning to her book, “then work on your literature.”

Tanji moaned all the way into the kitchen, raiding what had been left over from their dinner. Kino glanced at the clock… they had spent a great deal of time there on the couch, her reading and him studying. Perhaps he was burnt on homework. Hell, even Tanji only had so much energy, especially concerning things like schoolwork. She sighed and set her book down again, it could wait.

She stood and stretched, stifling a yawn, padding quietly to him. She slipped her hands gently over his cheeks and back into his hair, pulling him close. “On second thought, you can do literature tomorrow,” Kino brushed her lips against his, smiling when he brightened.

Tanji wrapped his arms around her slender waist and closed that minute distance between their lips, kissing sweetly. She pulled back, nudging his bangs out of his eyes to carefully push his headband back, thumbs so gently tracing over the jagan. Tanji shivered slightly, nuzzling against her neck and kissing the sensitive skin there.

“Want to watch a movie?” Kino asked softly.

“Hmmm… sure… Never Been Kissed?”

“I like that one,” she smiled and tore herself away from him, grasping his hand and tugging him back towards the couch, pausing to find the movie. Tanji wrapped his arm around her and leaned against her back. He felt tired… and she had to agree. It had been a nice day, but a really long one. Wandering around the mall with a hyperactive two year old and a half demon half Jujin who’s calling card was speed… it was exhausting for Kino.

She found the video and slipped it into the player, slipping away from him and back onto the couch where she had been a moment before. Tanji settled down in his same place, leaning back against her. They watched the movie quietly, Kino shifting every now and then to make sure Tanji was awake. Hell he was actually paying attention to the movie, she hadn’t believed anything could hold his attention that long, excepting herself of course. They sat watching the movie for a good hour, just enjoying it, cuddling and laughing.

The next time Kino wriggled to make sure he wasn’t sleeping, Tanji made a quite little noise and turned onto his stomach, resting his head on her chest and wrapping his arms around her. He was so adorable when he did that, so happy and calm, and so distant from what his defenses had created – that heartless deviant image.

“You’re quiet tonight,” Kino murmured, playfully nudging his bangs back and forth.

Tanji’s ruby eyes nearly crossed as he looked in mock irritation at what she was doing, making her giggle. “I was jus thinkin about things. How I want this weekend to never end.”

“I know,” she sighed, “trust me I know,” she ran her finger down the bridge of his nose.

“And I was thinkin about why I love you… and wonderin… why do you love me?”

“Will you tell me?” Kino asked softly, thinking about his question. She would answer him, she just really wanted to hear his reasons, and she needed a little time to put her feelings into words. This was trivial, probably unnecessary, but sometimes it made it even more special to hear the words.

“I love you for your warmth, for your smile, for the sound of your voice, for your brilliance, for that way you blush… for the way you calm me, how you make me happy, how you see through all my acts and release me to express my real feelings,” Tanji spoke very very slowly, taking great pains to say every word correctly, without slang or slurs. Kino listened, touched. Yes sometimes it was even more meaningful to hear the words spoken.

“I love you for being there when everyone else had given up on me, for showing me you really cared… for not letting me go. I love the way you care, how you care about rules, how you care about others. You put up with me, as disappointing and upsetting I can be sometimes…”

“Shhh,” Kino stopped him, running her thumb across his eyelid very gently. “Not everyone’s perfect.”

“I got so… many bad things…”

“You shouldn’t doubt yourself so much, you have a great many things that aren’t disappointing at all. I keep telling you this.”

“I’m difficult… don’t listen,” Tanji pouted.

“You worry because you aren’t perfect, so self-conscious and doubting, but anything else just wouldn’t be Tanji,” she tried to get her mind off how cute that pout was, trying to collect the last of her thoughts to answer his question. He had answered her so well. For all his doubts he really was so eloquent at expressing himself when he really tried.

“I love you because… you’re strong, you’re a comfort and a foundation. I love the way you look when you’re sleeping, and when you really smile, and how those things are reserved for so few special people. I love your loyalty and your devotion, your discipline in everything you care about. I love your reckless abandon sometimes… and your intensity. You have so much passion, so much energy… and okay… I kind of like your singing.”

Tanji couldn’t help but giggle at her sarcastically exasperated tone, stretching up to kiss her, caressing her face in both hands. Kino caught his hands and kissed each one on the palm, “And I love your hands… you have so many talents. And I mean that in a purely non-sexual way,” she scolded that mischievous glint in his eye, blushing at the silent insinuation.

“And I love the way you pout,” she kissed the tip of his nose, “the way you really mean it when you say you’re sorry, that honest regret and worry. Plus it’s just really cute.”

Tanji stifled another giggle, burrowing his face against her neck and kissing. They stayed in contented silence for another few minutes before Tanji lifted his head again, “Do you like this apartment?” he asked softly.

“It’s nice, but it’s so small I don’t see how Kesu’s whole family lives here.”

“With the new baby they’ll be violatin the safety law, only allowed ta have four in these apartments. So Kes says they gotta move before the baby’s born.”

“Well, they have a little time, even if it takes awhile to find a new place.”

“After the end of the school year, yeah, but Saya will wanna get the lil punks settled in a new place ‘fore the baby comes, stress an’ all. Unless Kesu just moves out,” Tanji shrugged.

“No, Saya needs him, and he does care about his mother, even if she is ‘only human’.”

“Exactly. Well Kes said when they move I can have this place.”

“Move out of the temple?” she blinked in a little surprise. “You think you could make it on your own? Sixteen and living here… alone?”

“Well, kinda hopin’ I wouldn’t be alone,” Tanji smiled softly, kissing her.

Kino blushed, she had to think practically about this, “We’re a little young…”

“Angel, even if Yotaka-san is alive inna couple months, the last thing she needs is more kids ta look after at the temple. We hurt more than we help, honestly. I can make it on my own, I make enough right now with half-ass commission work to pay the bills for this place, in fact I do. Think if I really applied myself to it. Hell Saya barely makes enough to feed them. And in lulls I have savings.”

“You’re being awful reasonable… what have you done with Tanji?” Kino eyed him warily. The boy was actually making sense.

Tanji smiled softly, loving her humor. “It’s a couple months from now at the least, but somethin ta think about.”

“Sounds like you’ve done all the thinking already,” Kino tried to sound irritated, failed.

“Kes an’ me have always thought this place was too small for them, ever since Akiko was born, and I’ve always loved stayin here too. Nice location, close to the temple and school, view ain’t the best but the bills are pretty cheap.”

“You really pay those?” Kino still couldn’t believe that.

“Once in awhile Saya can handle it herself, and normally I just slip the money to Kesy to pay them for her, sayin its from the temple or somethin. She tries so hard,” Tanji’s gaze wandered away like it did when he was thinking, or remembering.

“You really love Saya?” Kino asked very tenderly.

Tanji nodded, settling back down against her chest, “I dunno why, but we’re pretty close, like she kinda adopted me too or somethin.”

“You call her kaasan more than you do Yotaka.”

“Kaasan is just so… it’s jus not ‘nough to express what I feel for Yotaka-san… I can’t explain it,” Tanji fidgeted, the subject making him uncomfortable. “I never made myself very loveable…”

“Shhh,” Kino hugged him, kissing into his hair. “You’re very loveable.”

Tanji shifted a little higher, smiling as he kissed her sweetly, slipping his hand behind her head. His lips trailed along her jaw to her ear as she noticed Drew Barrymore getting into the Ferris wheel. It reminded her of nearly a week ago when they’d tried to watch Ever After in the common’s room at the temple. Kino had to wonder if they could ever get through a movie. Well, they’d gotten quite a bit farther with this one so far. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to bother him, or they might have actually gotten through the whole thing, because Tanji was definitely not going to pay attention to it now.

Kino giggled in reflex and tried to push Tanji off as he tickled her ear with a kiss. “Brat… watch the movie,” she scolded.

“Brat?” Tanji repeated, pulling back to blink at her, “Brat huh?” he attacked her neck with twice the ferocity, growling playfully.

“Okay I didn’t mean that!” she screeched and writhed.

“I was jus gonna kiss ya a bit…”

“Yeah like you’d ever just do that,” Kino rolled her eyes, squirming fruitlessly beneath him, pinned to the couch.

“… now ya got me playful,” Tanji snickered. Kino would have opted for the word excited, personally, but it was a nice euphemism.

“Can’t we ever watch a movie all the way through?” she giggled with a defeated sigh, stroking down his hair lovingly, going relaxed beneath him.

“What movie?” he muttered, nuzzling against her shoulder.

“I think you have some sort of problem,” Kino smiled.

“I’m obsessed with you… is it really that bad?” he blinked up at her before dipping his head to kiss at her chest, right where her shirt left the flesh exposed, nudging the fabric with little motions.

“Well, okay… not ‘that’ bad,” she admitted reluctantly.

Tanji’s quick little fingers had managed to work her shirt untucked without her noticing it, but she did notice when those fingers grazed along the bare flesh of her belly. Sneaky brat he was. “I could get help,” he stretched up, cradling her face in both hands as he kissed her, thoroughly and sweetly.

“No,” Kino breathed when he pulled away, brushing stray strands of hair back, “it’s not bad at all. I’m just not… used to the attention.”

Tanji smiled tenderly, brushing the tip of his nose against hers, “I’m new to this too, itoshii, so we’re even.”

“Not sure I’ll ever get used to it,” she whispered with a tone of worry.

“It’s kay… I won’t stop trying.”

She tilted her head to kiss him, burying her fingers into his hair. Tanji tucked his legs under him and gently pulled her to sit up, working to untuck her shirt completely, slowly lifting it over her head. Just when she’d comfortably settled herself into that position on his lap he tumbled backwards with a giggle and pulled her down with him.

“You’re something else Tanji,” she shook her head, blushing and kissing, fingers working along the tense muscles in his neck.

“Hmm yeah… I’m impossible, I know,” he lovingly nudged her hair back, traced along the curve of her ear, taking his time to admire.

Kino tilted her head into the touch, a little smile gracing her lips, her heart pulsing a little faster. She closed her eyes and just let herself enjoy the attention, settling against him, blocking out everything else. Time alone was rare… they had every right to enjoy what they had at that moment; peace, solitude, and privacy.

“Tanji… we’re on the couch,” she pulled away, sitting up slightly.

“I know where we are,” Tanji giggled, darting up and snapping her bra clasp open with a quick nipping motion.

“Tanji!!” Kino crossed her arms over her chest in reflex, forgetting she was supporting herself with her arms and falling back on top of him. Tanji wrapped his arms around her securely. “How the hell did you do that?”

“Instinct,” Tanji snickered, nibbling at her earlobe.

Kino slipped her arms from between them, discarding the now useless undergarment with a little frustrated noise. “You’re insatiable.”

“Yup,” he answered simply, running his hands up her back, massaging her shoulders in a way that made her moan quietly. She was definitely right about loving him for his hands.

She laid her head down on his shoulder, kissing at his neck and closing her eyes again, only this time half undressed. With Tanji around that figured. She tried to relax again to enjoy the massage, one hand working beneath his shirt to play over his stomach, a little finger nudging into his navel and making him wriggle beneath her. He uttered a little pleased whimper.

Kino let him half turn her onto her side, pressed between him and the couch back, watching as he slipped his shirt off and tossed it away. They were both so slender it wasn’t a hard thing to accomplish. She slipped her arm beneath his head as he cradled hers, letting it rest on his well muscled upper arm. Tanji rested his forehead against hers and gazed into her eyes, running his free hand down her back and pulling her knee up slightly to shift his leg between hers.

Her hand was still at his stomach and now slipped down, teasing caresses just beneath the waistband of his jeans. Tanji forced himself to stay still despite wanting to move to seek more of those darting touches. Instead he distracted himself by lovingly caressing her chest and neck, making a conscious effort to keep his hips still. He wanted more, but he also didn’t want to… what? Scare her? Embarrass her into stopping? It was hard to explain, and his mind was so hazed by wanting. Tanji felt ashamed by that, this sort of… insatiability. What did Kino think of him, always like this?

Kino seemed to perceive something, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and nuzzling her cheek against his. “You okay?”

Tanji checked the mental ‘gate’, no it was in place, no thoughts escaping. He pulled back a little from the embrace to gaze into her eyes, those pretty amber eyes he loved, had always loved. “I’m fine angel.”

“You’re not fine, Tanji,” Kino smiled softly, “You’re thinking about something.”

“Just how beautiful you are,” it was true, slightly… that was what he was thinking at the moment.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Kino brushed the tip of her nose against his.

Tanji lowered his eyes, guilty and caught. “I was just… I must seem like such a… hentai.”

Kino blushed, but giggled, actually giggled, kissing him sweetly. “I don’t think that at all. I mean really… you’re part Jujin.”

Tanji couldn’t help but laugh, hugging her close. They laid there like that for awhile, just enjoying the feel of one another, their bodies pressed that close together, half undressed, their heartbeats a pace too fast, an expectation running through them. She fought with herself a few times, granted, but with precious little time for just the two of them… why not enjoy it?

Her lips sought along his neck, the fourth kiss finding that exact place that made him shudder, moaning quietly against her shoulder. Tanji pulled her a little closer, callused fingers massaging the oh so soft skin of her back. She found herself sucking at that tender area, nipping slightly, pulling back to realize that was a mark that was going to stay awhile, definitely would be visible on Monday. Damn, maybe he had a turtleneck or something. Ah well, the school uniform’s jacket would hide most of it.

“I didn’t mean to do that,” Kino chewed on her lip.

Tanji caressed that gorgeously blushing cheek, brushing back her hair, “Trust me… it’s fine,” he murmured breathlessly, kissing her.

“Going… to get teased,” she gasped as he licked at her ear.

“It was worth it,” his voice throaty and rasping against her ear made her shiver, making quiet little pleased noises as he continued exploring the delicate sensory organ with his mouth.

Her fingers pressed harder into his shoulders, moaning unreserved as his hand cupped her breast and teased the nipple so deliciously between thumb and forefinger. He had small hands, granted, but she matched him perfectly, so perfectly even her breast cradled in his hand was as if they’d been made for one another.

Keeping his right arm supporting her head, he moved down, lavishing her neck with attention before continuing, replacing his hand with his mouth. Kino arched even further, her moans loud enough to echo in his sensitive ears, that alone making him tremble with want. Already she’d lost herself to the pleasure, letting it carry her away beyond reason, beyond sense, beyond practicality.

As he curled his tongue around the delicate nipple his hand slipped downward, cupping the clothed joining of her legs. The fingers at his shoulders gripped like a vice. Kino’s moan as he began a steady stroking rhythm was even louder this time, longer and shaky, thick with desire.

Tanji increased the pace of the rubbing, making her shudder from the burning friction. She drug one of her hands from grasping onto his shoulders and fought around his arm to undo the closure of her jeans. She wanted his hand against her flesh, not the cloth, that rough but so so talented hand. He waited until she’d kicked off her jeans, not even managing her panties before he continued. Kino couldn’t do anything but throw her head back and thrust up against it. It wasn’t flesh to flesh, but better than before, just a little closer. She was so wet it was almost like the panties weren’t there at all anyway.

He pulled back to watch her face, gorgeously smooth skin flushed brightly. Her angelic features were taut as she strained under the pleasure, releasing herself to it, thrusting her hips to seek more, needing more, urging him just a little faster, pressing just a little harder.

Suddenly her entire body went like a live wire, spine arching, every muscle tensing and releasing in an orgasmic shudder as she cried out, completely unreserved. To see her like that, beyond control and just surrendering to it, not even trying to quiet herself, it released Tanji to his own delicious orgasm. He pulled her close against him as he shivered, burrowing against her neck and letting her heat course over him.

Kino slowly focused on reality, glancing to see the movie had stopped and rewound itself. She tried desperately to concentrate enough to turn it off from that short distance, a bare outstretch of power made so difficult by the haze of pleasure surrounding her. Tanji was kissing idly at her neck, obviously not finished for the night. Hmmm, she didn’t really mind, his desire would just have to be overkilled if they were to get any amount of sleep.

“Bed,” she whispered, nuzzling against him.

“Hn,” Tanji acknowledged quietly, tearing himself up from the couch and slipping his arms beneath her, lifting her up.

Kino was still too lethargic to argue about being carried to the bedroom, Tanji making sure all the lights were turned off and the door was locked. He moved easily through the dark, laying her down. He removed his jeans and shorts, tossing them with other clothes he had to launder tomorrow. Joy… at least two hours eaten with that, he sighed as he slipped beneath the comforter beside Kino, cuddling up close to her warm and willowy frame. She lazily responded to his presence by turning on her side and burrowing into his chest.

Tanji kissed into her hair, nuzzling and loving the sweet scent of her as she curiously explored the sensitivity of his chest. She didn’t have to worry about exciting him again, he was already blatantly aroused, just giving her time to recover no doubt. He could be patient when he wanted to be.

He made a quiet noise of pleasure as her finger traced almost innocently over his skin, strong hand grasping her hip and pulling her even tighter to him. Okay, so maybe not –that- patient. Tanji maneuvered his fingers between her skin and her panties to push them down, pulling them off and tossing them in the vague direction of the laundry basket. He settled back down onto the bed at a slight angle, almost enough to be considered on top of her.

“What are you smiling at?” he asked softly, nuzzling against her jaw.

“Just thinking it’s good that… Kesu isn’t empathic,” Kino giggled.

Tanji snickered, “Honestly, he’d never be able to sleep here again… but he doesn’t care too terribly much. He’s letting go of humanity.”

“Will probably break his mother’s heart.”

“It breaks his heart every single day… his entire existence that she knows is a lie, nothing but something he made up.”

Kino lowered her eyes. She’d never really thought of that, how hard that had to be on the kitsune. Perhaps there was more to him than she’d thought, something much deeper. And he had seemed so… shallow to her. She hid what she was thinking, dragging herself back to reality, “You have… a very strange friend.”

“So do you, angel,” Tanji laughed, going back to nuzzling, kissing the underside of her chin, nipping playfully.

She was about to argue when his hand claimed that heated flesh again, exploring the moist folds of her sex with gentle caresses that left her breathless. He just loved doing that to her, make her abandon all reason. Tanji slipped the touches further, easing one finger within her, his eyes unfocused on what he could truly see, intent entirely on what he felt, how she responded, what made her really cry out.

Kino distantly heard herself begging for him to stop that sweet torture. She’d had that already, she wanted more than just those touches, even as exquisite as they were. Tanji listened, removing his hand and replacing it with something much more fulfilling. He met very little resistance as he slipped within her, silencing a groan against her shoulder she was just so hot.

She moaned in something close to pain as he pulled completely out of her, then had to bite her lip to keep her cry quiet as he slid up, not within, his length stroking against the outside of her sex. Her body shuddered, heart stammering and trying desperately to recover. He rubbed himself against her as he had with his hand, just a little more viciously perhaps, fingers clenching in the sheets as he braced himself, upper body a bare inch from hers, her nipples brushing against his chest now and again in the most teasing way for both of them.

Tanji took her to the edge of orgasm, keenly perceiving that moment when the intense pressure was just right before the breaking point, unable to bring itself to completion as he stopped moving completely. Kino veritably whimpered, thrusting her hips up towards him with abandon, desperate for the sensations to return and finish it.

He pulled back a little further, roughly grasping her waist and shoving forward with a single powerful thrust that planted his pulsing length completely within her. Kino’s body arched completely off the bed as they strained against one another, trembling through a mutual and monumental release.

Kino whimpered again, breathlessly, and much quieter this time when Tanji slipped away from her, tumbling over to his side of the bed and gathering his beautifully flushed angel to his chest. She smiled in pure contentment as she released her consciousness to the pure exhaustion, letting the slowing rhythm of their joined heartbeat lull her to a deep and comforting sleep. Once again Tanji didn’t argue in the least, surrendering as well to the dreams.

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