http://fireismyblood.livejournal.com/ (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
fireismyblood.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tampered2007-05-13 10:29 pm
fireismyblood.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2007-05-13 10:29 pm
Log: Ongoing
When; Sunday
Rating; PG-13, some sexual situations.
Characters; Archer![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fireismyblood and Hotaru silence_bringer.
Summary; Archer and Hotaru meet again, this time while Hotaru is cursed. Archer finally admits he is not there to fight in the Holy Grail War.
Archer clutched his side as he limped along. He was bleeding badly from multiple wounds all over his body and his clothes were shredded. He knew that he was probably going to die. He had expended most of his mana fighting off the monsters underground. After coming to face with them in the forrest he thought he would be able to handle them, but there were far more underground.
There was something he needed to do first though, some place he had to be. The Opera House. He had apparently left Hotaru once already and he didn't think it fair to disapear on her again. Having her find his dead body might be cruel, but he thought just dying and disappearing on her would be worse. She had said something before about dying here being special but he couldn't remember.
As he landed on the Opera House roof he was bleeding so badly he could hardly tell where he was, so trying to recall what she had said was out of the question. As he collapsed on the ground he thought he should leave her some sort of message... he certainly had enough blood. What could he say? That he was sorry he couldn't get to know her? Maybe just saying he was sorry would have to do...
Perhaps it was fate, or more likely the simple fact that Hotaru spent nearly as much time on the roof as she did off of it. If not more so. Either way, the slight thumping impact and the stumbling gait did not go unnoticed to the slight figure who sat curled up in a carving on the other side of the roof, a cluster of kittens and pigeons flitting around her as she fed them. Head raising at the sound, Hotaru uncurled herself from her perch and stood up, brushing dark hair from her eyes as she stepped quietly across the roof, exploring and searching for the object or person that had produced the sound.
Rounding the corner, she gasped at seeing Archer's bloodied form, dropping to her knees beside him with a sigh of both worry and exasperation. The man was impossible, really. As much as she tried to be angry with him for leaving her, to tell herself that it was good riddance he didn't want much to do with her now, she always worried for him. Always wondered when and if she would see him next. With a shake of her head, she set to work healing his wounds, the soft gentle light emanating from her hands with an easy flowing motion.
Archer was sure now that he was dying, if not already dead. Through his hazy gaze he could see someone kneeling over him. He could tell it was a woman, and that she was quite beautiful. If he had to imagine what an angel would be like this would be it.
In fact, the angel looked a lot like Hotaru, only older. He wondered if perhaps angels just looked like the people you were thought most beautiful and this angel had kindly made Hotaru older in order to make Archer more comfortable.
"Hmph, it figures," Archer rasped. "I die and an angel looking like an older Hotaru appears."
She raised an eyebrow at him. Delirium wasn't uncommon in cases of large amounts of blood loss, so she could only assume that was part of it. At least... the angel part of it. The older part....well, that was a curse. Hence the reason why her white sweater was tighter, lower cut, showing off a good deal more of "enhanced assets" as it clung to her curves, long raven-black hair tumbling over her shoulders as she leaned over him. Thankfully for her, she had kept the last time this happened in mind, and made sure she had some suitably long enough skirts that with the added inches of height they still remained decent. Sitting back on her heels, she pulled his head into her lap with a sigh. "Archer, that's not funny."
Archer shut his eyes closed tightly and opened them again, his vision still blurry. He reached up and pressed his palms into his eyes and rubbed them. When he brought his hands away, his vision was much better. And the angel was still looking down at him.
She had to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Hotaru matured... not that the real Hotaru was unattractive, she was beautiful as well. This woman...
Slowly he reached up and traced his fingertips along her cheek and ran them through her hair.
"I don't make jokes," was his only reply.
Violet eyes widened, crimson spreading across pale cheeks at the slight touch of his fingertips against her face. "A...Archer...." Glancing away slightly, and biting her lip, she sighed before turning her attention back to the white-haired man who lay with his head pillowed on her lap. "Are...you feeling alright now?"
Archer could feel his strength returning, not unlike the last time he had died and found himself here. Although... Archer was still here. Is that what Hotaru had said would happen? That he couldn't leave. No, then why was older Hotaru here?
"I'm feeling much better," Archer said. "Seems to happen after I die. Is it okay if I lie here like this for a while? This is nice. I... I wanted to leave someone a message before I died. I wanted to apologize to her..."
She raised an eyebrow slightly. He must have still been delirious. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she stroked long fingers through his white hair, mentally taking note of the blood splattered across her once-white sweater. Oh well, it wasn't as though she couldn't just get another one. Cocking her head at him, she tried to keep him talking. "It's fine, Archer. Just rest. Would you like me to pass your message along to the girl?" She couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy, but it was to be expected wasn't it? Afterall, he obviously thought she was too much of a child to be anything interesting.
Archer's typically smug smile as a bit lazy as he nodded in agreement. He was feeling stronger and more alert now, but the stroking of his hair was distracting. Distracting in a very good way.
"Yes," he said. "Her name is Hotaru. She looks a lot like you only younger. She looks younger than she is even. I was going to tell her sorry for... for not being able to get to know her. I would have liked to but I had... other obligations. That's why I came here, I guess I left her once and I wanted her to... know I didn't just disappear again."
Her eyes widened, breath catching in her throat. She could feel her eyes tearing up as her fingers clenched momentarily in his hair. He...really cared. Even though he didn't love her, he...still cared. "Archer...." Hotaru bit her lip for a moment before she gave a gentle smile. "I'll make sure she gets the message, Archer." Leaning down, she pressed lips to his in a gentle kiss.
Archer's eyes widened as the woman leaned over and kissed him. He would have thought the angle would make it difficult but it surprisingly... didn't. The hand that had traced her cheek now moved to the back of her head as he kissed her back. Archer had now way of knowing how long it had been since he kissed someone like this but from his eagerness he guessed it was a while.
When his body began to crave things beyond just kissing Archer began to pull away. This crazy... he didn't even know this woman.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I appreciate the gesture but I don't know you at all. And... you look like her, I wouldn't want to kiss you just because of that..."
It took only a moment for the simple press of lips against lips to become something more as she leaned into his kiss, lips parting to deepen it with a whimper as he kissed her back. She honestly...hadn't thought she'd be like this again, this close to him again. And yet...maybe this time the City was actually granting dreams rather then taking them away.
She simply pulled back when he pulled away, studying him with a slightly sad gaze. Afterall, she probably just reminded him of someone else. That was the only way he would kiss her, right? "I....it's alright, Archer. I....understand."
“No, it's just that... if I were to give anyone a chance it would have been Hotaru. But I couldn't, even if I wanted to. I don't want to kiss you just because you look like an older version of her. She..."
Archer paused in his speech as he suddenly looked around and realized that if he was dead, wherever he went to when he died looked exactly like the roof of the Opera House. That didn't seem right to him...
"If I died, why am I still here?" he asked. "Why don't I have my memory back? What the hell is going on?"
"Archer....it's me. Hotaru. And you aren't dead, I healed you. Can you sit up?" She didn't move, just continued sitting there with his head in her lap, fingers running through his white hair, nails gently scratching his scalp.
Archer's eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. All of what he had said about Hotaru just then... but Hotaru, if it was her because it looked like her but not exactly, didn't dwell on that. Archer was thankful.
And he knew that he should get up, that it was a bad idea for him to lay here in her lap but it felt incredibly good. And her fingers running through his hair...
I can't be doing this, he told himself. I... I have a Master to find.
"I'm sure I can get up," he said, but he didn't actually get up. "Thank you for healing me... again."
A gentle smile, and she was brushing long black locks back over one shoulder, leaning down over him. "It was nothing, Archer. I'm just...glad you're ok." She wasn't really sure why he wasn't getting up, pushing her away and leaving. Not that she wanted him to. It was...nice to just sit like this, the comforting weight of his head in her lap.
"Hotaru what happened to... why are you... you look older," he said, hoping that she wouldn't take offense to the words. When he had previously mentioned her age she had... not responded well.
It was the truth though, she looked a lot older and.. filled out. His eyes couldn't help but glance at her chest and the way her sweater was straining.
"I got your sweater all bloody," he said, suddenly realizing she could probably tell he was staring at her chest. "I'm sorry."
Glancing down at herself, she shrugged. "I guess it's a curse. It happened once before, when you were here the last time. This time...it wasn't as surprising." Following his line of sight to her chest, she simply nodded. Thankfully for him, it seemed as though his other thoughts had passed her by. "It's....all right. It's just a sweater."
Archer pressed his lips together in thought. She seemed so sad and Archer hated that. He didn't know if she was always like this or just because of him. He didn't want her to be sad though.
"Hotaru, I need to explain something," he said. "I meant what I said earlier. It's not that I don't want to get to know you, but I can't. Hotaru I want you to understand that, please. You're not... anyone would be lucky to be with you."
His words might have been intended to make her feel better, but they didn't seem to have the desired effect. At least, not given the way her face fell, head dropping as eyes glanced away from him. "Maybe so.....but no one would want to be."
Archer closed his eyes and sighed. Nothing he ever said would probably make her feel better. He just wished that he didn't have to make her worse.
"That's not true Hotaru," he said, moving so that he was no longer in her lap. He reached out and tilted her chin up so she looking him in the eyes. "That's not true at all."
She sighed, pulling away slightly. Why did he have to keep doing that? Trying to cheer her up, offer her hope, and then take it away again. It hurt.... "Yes it is, Archer."
Archer didn't know what else to say. It was almost as if she didn't want to be cheered up.
"I still haven't found a Master," he said softly, trying to change the topic. "And I'm almost out of mana..."
Archer still had not tried to refill it himself, although the closer he got to running on the more he was afraid to try it. He had promised Hotaru that he would try, and he intended to follow through with it. The problem was that he was afraid that it would work. If there was a Master here in the city, he should have found it by now.
"Then recharge yourself, Archer. You can do it." Violet eyes locked calmly with his grey ones. She wanted him to do it, wanted him to try. Not only for the fact that he'd promised her, but because she needed him to understand that this was a chance for a new start. Even if not with her. Hotaru could tell he was running low on mana, and she knew perfectly well that if he didn't recharge himself, she'd do it for him. But that...would be contraindicative to what she wanted.
Archer held Hotaru's gaze for a moment before looking away, unable to face the accusation there. From what he had seen of Hotaru he doubted she was capable of being accusatory. He knew it was his own guilt that was seeing it.
"I'll try later," he said. "At a better time." The Servant didn't think he wanted anyone around when he tried it. If he tried now and couldn't it would crush Hotaru. If he tried now and could...
It would crush me.
She kept his gaze for a long moment before she nodded faintly, pushing herself to her feet and walking off to where the cluster of doves twittered and chirped. Reaching out, she scooped up one of them with ease, cradling the white creature to her chest, long tresses of black hair blowing slightly in the wind. "You aren't going to. ...Are you?"
Archer watched Hotaru walk away, unable to keep himself from admiring her new figure as she moved. Not that her younger figure wasn't nice, she was now just nice in a different way. He hated himself for feeling that way about her, frustrated that he couldn't act on feelings he thought they both wanted.
"Yes, I will," he said, standing up and brushing himself off. "I promised you I would and I mean it. I owe both of us that much at least."
Nodding slightly, she tossed the dove into the air, watching as white-feathered wings spread to catch the updrafts, soaring up into the clouds. "You don't...owe me anything, Archer. That's not why I do what I do."
Archer balled his fists in frustration, partly at himself and partly at Hotaru. This would be so much easier if she would just be mad at him and get it over with or... at least be something besides melancholy. He supposed there was nothing he could do about that now though. At least he had tried.
Right, he thought. Like that's made any difference.
"Please Hotaru," he said. "I at least owe you for the ruined sweater. Let me do something to make it up to you?"
Glancing back over her shoulder, she smiled slightly. "Well...if you insist, I guess a new sweater would be nice. But that's...really all I need." She had to try and put the past behind her. As much as she wanted to run into his arms, to just stay there permanently...he didn't want that. And she couldn't live in the past. At the very least....maybe they could be friends.
Hotaru's smile brought one to Archer's own lips. She really did look much prettier when she smiled, which was incredible considering how beautiful she looked normally.
"A new sweater sound fair," he told her. "Just... give me a moment."
Archer concentrated and activated his circuit, drawing on the small amount of mana he had left to repair his clothing. Fortunately that required hardly any mana at all, especially compared to the Noble Phantasms he normally created. Once that was done, Archer looked back to Hotaru.
"Is there someplace nearby we can clean up?" he asked. "We’re both covered in my blood."
Nodding, she led him across the roof to the iron spiral staircase she tended to use. Heading down through the corridors and pathways, she made her way to the small set of rooms she had claimed for her own. Leaning down the pet the cats that swarmed around her as she opened the door, she laughed and greeted each one by name with a pat on the head. "The bathroom's that way, you can get cleaned up there if you like, Archer."
Archer followed Hotaru down the staircase to the interior of the old Opera House. A small army of cats followed after her and she greated each one. He was amazed that one person could care so much about so many creatures and still think herself a monster. At least they seemed to make her happy, which made Archer happy as well.
"Thank you, I'll be back in just a moment," he told her. The bathroom was right where she said it was and he did the best job he could, washing away the blood from his face, hair, and clothes. When he was done, he returned to Hotaru.
"Okay, I'm all ready. Ahh, I don't really know what kind of clothing shops you need to go to though," he said.
His approach startled her slightly and she spun around, dark hair whirling around wide eyes before she realized it was just him. With a smile, she nodded and adjusted the too-tight white buttondown. The sleeves weren't really the problem, they just resembled 3/4-length ones now, with the cuffs turned up so as to look less awkward. As for the front....well, at least it was staying closed and covering things. Barely. She'd considered gluing shut that button that rested right between her breasts b/c it seemed determined to betray her, but so far it was staying in it's proper closed position. Which just left the top 2 or 3 unfastened, displaying a good deal more pale skin then she was used to, as well as the runic circle branded onto her skin right above her cleavage. Hotaru glanced away slightly, debating over wrapping a scarf around her neck to try and make things...less obvious. "It's..ok. I know a few places."
When Hotaru turned around, Archer couldn't help but stare. Her shift was obviously one that she owned prior to this current curse... although Archer didn't know if he could quite consider it a curse. The almost fragile looking girl she had been before had changed into something else entirely.
What had always been long legs for the girl's petite height seemed even more so now, the skirt she was wearing providing just enough of a glimpse to be incredibly tantalizing. The shirt that didn't want to stay closed displayed an impressive amount of cleavage and the fact that she obviously didn't intend to show that much made it that much better.
If Archer ever had any doubts about why he would have tried to be with this girl in some former part of his life, they were erased now. She was beautiful before, but the potential for more was stunning.
"Alright," he said, swallowing hard. "Let's head out then."
Seemingly oblivious to his gawking, she pulled a thin black shawl from the drawer, draping the embroidered silk around her shoulders. Black, like her hair. Like...most of her clothes, for that matter. Slipping small feet into simple black slippers, she nodded at him. "Ok." It had been a long time since she'd gone anywhere with Archer, and despite her slight trepidation, Hotaru couldn't help but feel a bit giddy at the prospect. If she hadn't known how he felt about getting close to her again, she might have been tempted to pretend it was a "date".
Archer frowned as Hotaru placed the black shawl over her shoulders, obscuring the view of her magnificent chest. Not only that, but it was black. Like her tights, like her skirt, like the clothes he had seen her in earlier. In fact, the white shirt was the only thing he had seen her wear that wasn't black or dark purple.
"You know," he said. "You might want to consider getting something that's... I don't know, not black? You should try it, you might like it. And what is wrong with these cats?!"
Archer looked down as several of the felines were meowing and rubbing up against his legs, a few even purring. One was even trying to dig its claws into his pants and climb up him.
She regarded him with somewhat of a confused expression, then glanced down at her outfit. Well sure, it was....black. But...she liked black. She'd always worn a lot of black. The tights, at least, coupled with the long sleeves, had been a way to hide the scars that she'd had before coming to the City, and that was a hard habit to break. Other then that.... "But I like black..." Broken out of her musings by his frustration, she giggled and scooped up the solid white cat that seemed intent on climbing up his leg. "They recognize you, is all. They missed their Daddy." Holding the feline up closer to her face, she nuzzled her nose against the damp pink one with a smile.
Their daddy? That's just great, he mused. Just something else I left behind that I don't remember...
Archer knelt down on the ground to pet one of the cats that was rubbing his leg and he was suddenly assaulted by all of them. He ran his fingers along the tops of their heads and gently rubbed their velvety ears, causing the animals to purr loudly.
"I wish I could remember you too," he murmured before straigtening up.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked.
Hotaru couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the man as he knelt to brush fingertips against soft fur. It wasn't only her that he'd forgotten. In a way...it had been an entire life. Waiting patiently for him to finish greeting them, she set the white cat on the floor and nodded, pulling the shawl tighter around her shoulders. "I'm ready."
Archer nodded to her, feeling a bit awkward about the whole thing. It was just buying her a sweater but at the same time... it was more than that. He could tell that they both knew it. Archer told himself that he wasn't going to get involved with this girl but here he was... he couldn't seem to stay away.
And he knew he really didn't want to.
"Ok." Leading the way -- since she knew the City much better then he did -- it wasn't long before she seemed to have forgotten the slightly melancholy mood she'd been in. Enjoying the light breeze, she'd shifted from simply walking to skipping every so often, twirling in the wind, long dark hair blowing around her like a pennant, silvery laughter tinkling over the air. She'd taken the way through Xanadu -- she loved the place, after all -- and with the shower of sakura petals that seemed to fall constantly from the huge tree, it was almost like a rain of pink snowflakes that she could spin around in, laughing as they caught in her hair and clothes. "Archer, isn't it pretty?"
Archer caught himself smiling as he followed Hotaru, taken in by the girl's pleasant mood. And the scenery was absolutely beautiful with the blossom's falling all around. More so than just because she was physically beautiful, he could see how he had been so attracted to her before. He could see how he would want to spend every moment making her this happy.
I wish I could, but I can't he reminded himself. Archer couldn't abandon his duty as a Servant and remain true to the little of himself that he remembered. It was all he knew of himself, he couldn't abandon it.
But I know I loved her at one point, he mused. I think I could again... isn't that remaining true to a part of myself?
Archer sighed, there were no easy answers to those questions.
"Yes Hotaru," he said, looking directly at her. "Very pretty indeed."
A smile broke across her face and she darted forward to grab his hand and pull him after her. "Archer! Come dance with me in the wind! It'll be fun!" The happy mood was infectious, and for the moment, just having fun was the only thing on her mind, and she wanted Archer to have fun as well.
Archer gave a surprised grunt as Hotaru grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to have fun right now. Forgetting who he was and that they couldn't be together could be bad for both of them. Archer didn't want to hurt Hotaru when he had to leave again.
But for all the reasons that ran though his mind that they should do this, he felt himself smiling and allowing her to pull him along. He took her hand and lifted above her head and then spun her around, chuckling as he did so.
This...well, if it wasn't heaven, then it was pretty close. Even if she knew they couldn't be together, that he didn't want her that way, it was still a breath of fresh air, a chance to just be together. Like she wanted. Twirling under his arm, she laughed and threw her other arm out to the side for balance, spinning up onto the tips of her toes like Rue had been showing her. She'd never really taken any ballet, but she'd always wanted to and since the chance had presented itself....well, she just hoped it wasn't too bad. "Archer, this is fun!"
Archer chuckled and nodded at Hotaru's comment. This was such a vast difference between the melancholy girl she had been just a few moments ago.
"Yes it is Hotaru," he said with a smile. "It's very fun. More fun than I remember having."
Without thinking, Archer wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. He felt her curves pressing against him and he leaned in and pressed his lips against her. The kiss was tender but purposeful, full of the longing that Archer hadn't realized he felt until just then.
Her eyes widened and her giggle of laughter was cut off by the insistent press of his lips against hers. The small and surprised gasp that issued forth never made it past her own lips as eyelids slipped closed and she leaned into the kiss. After a moment, she pulled back slightly, shaking her head.
Why....why is he doing this, after what he said....
As much as she wanted to believe it, Hotaru wasn't sure if she could. Afterall, hadn't he made it perfectly plain that he had no intentions of getting close to her again? That his only purpose was to find his elusive master? She felt tears prick in her eyes at the sudden thought that he was likely just going to apologize and say he hadn't meant to, that it didn't mean anything. That...would hurt. Looking up at him with a hesitant gaze, she cocked her head to the side.
"Archer.....why?"
"I... I wanted to kiss you like that once knowing it was you," he said, turning his head away so he didn't have to look her in the eyes.
"I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't help it. And I'm sorry if it hurt you but I'm not sorry I did it," he said.
The urge to kiss her again was almost overwhelming, but he refused to give in to it. He had already done enough damage, had already hurt her enough.
It wasn't the kiss that hurt. It was the look in his eyes. The look that told her that as much as he might want to kiss her again, he wasn't going to allow himself to. Because he was more afraid of losing the little he thought he had then by taking a chance on her. With a slight nod, she stared at the ground for a moment, willing the tears to stay back. And thankfully this time they did, remaining as nothing but a slight shine of moisture at the corners of her eyes as she shook her head and pasted a false smile across her face. "It's...ok, Archer. Don't worry about it."
Archer sighed, he knew that it wasn't really okay but he wasn't going to push the issue. He wished that he had waited a bit longer to kiss her though, not wanting to ruin the moment. It couldn't be helped though, the desire was overwhelming.
He reached up and brushed the tears. "C'mon, let's go find you a new sweater," he said. "After that we can come back and dance some more."
She stared at him for a moment before leaning forward to throw arms around his waist, cheek pressed up against his chest. "Ok..." And in the blink of an eye, the melancholy was once again replaced by that same childish innocence as she grinned impishly and ducked out of his arms to go tearing off down the path laughing. "I'll beat you there, Archer!" It seemed that despite her older appearance, inside she was still the same whimsical 16-yr old Hotaru.
Archer almost moaned as Hotaru pressed against him. It was so unfair for her to be this close to him and him not to be able to do anything about it, especially considering all the things his mind and body were telling him to do.
Before he could expand on those ideas though, Hotaru skipped away and began running away from him, calling out after him. It took Archer a moment to register what was going on before he head off after her.
“That's not fair," he called out. "I don't know where you're going!"
That was okay though, since Archer had no intention of winning. Trailing behind Hotaru was much more pleasant than being out ahead of her.
Calling back over her shoulder, she laughed. "Then don't be such a slowpoke!" Spinning around in a circle, she giggled before darting off down a side street. She wasn't really trying to lose him, but it had just been so long since she'd had an outing like this. And...it was Archer. Ducking down the alleyway, she scrambled her way up onto the fire escape and hunkered down silently, biting back giggles and just waiting.
Archer laughed and picked up the pace as Hotaru dashed around a corner, not wanting to lose the girl. He felt a slight twinge of guilt at enjoying himself so much but he brushed it aside. Right now he wasn't going to think on that. A few minutes pleasure would not hamper his search for his missing Master.
He turned the corner of the side street and stopped, Hotaru was nowhere to be found. Blinking he survyed the street.
"Hotaru?" he called out. "Hotaru where are you?"
Ever so carefully, she sidestepped around and over the iron railing of the fire escape, suppressing laughter as she reached behind herself to grab the railing, leaning forward to angle her body out from the rail, leaning over to stare down at the top of his head. Snickering, she took a deep breath and called his name. "Archer!"
Archer scowled as there was no immediate response. He would have altered his eyes to allow himself to see better but he didn't want to waste what little mana he had left.
He turned this way and that, surveying the street and trying to determine where she had gotten to. How fast and nimble was the girl?
Archer heard her shout his name and he looked up to see her leaning from a railing, looking down at him. If it was anyone but Hotaru, the Servant would have thought that she was trying to entice him to look up her skirt or something like that.
"Hotaru what are you..." before he could finish though, she release from the railing, falling straight down. Acting on instinct Archer moved to catch her as well as he could, the impact of her body in his arms though still caused him to tumble to the ground.
With a peal of laughter, she landed on him, knocking them both to the ground. Lifting her head, she peered through black fringe, violet eyes sparkling with amusement, hardly seeming to notice the rather...compromising position she'd put them in by tackling him to the ground. Propping elbows up on his chest, she rested her chin on her hands, leaning forward to study him with raised eyebrows. "Ne, are you having fun, Archer?"
Archer tilted his head up to look Hotaru in the eyes, wishing that she actually had a clue as to what she was doing to him. Her legs straddle his waist, hiking her skirt up and giving him an even better view of her long legs. If she shifted just a bit he could probably end up seeing even more. If that weren't enough, she was leaning forward, giving him a perfect view of her now enhanced chest.
Archer's breathing became labored and he swallowed hard before nodding in response to her question. As if he could not be having fun?
"Yes," he rasped, his mouth suddenly dry. He coughed in attempt to clear his throat. "I'm having a lot of fun Hotaru," he continued, grinning up at her. "Are you?"
She nodded, sitting up and stretching arms over her head before scooping up her long hair and twisting it into a knot at the base of her skull. Hotaru wasn't used to having her hair long, it seemed to get in the way, though she had to admit that it was fun to play with. Cocking her head at Archer, she grinned. "Ne Archer, do you like my hair better longer or shorter?"
Archer really wished that Hotaru would get off of him. Mainly because a large part of him really, really didn't want her to move. His mind was starting to wonder just how deserted this alley might be. As she leaned back her breasts seemed to strain even more at her shirt. With the teasing of her hair it was almost too much.
"I... I think I like it longer," he said. "It's very, ahhh..." Archer was about to say 'sexy' but caught himself just in time. "Attractive."
Her face shifted for a moment to a slightly worried expression and she leaned down, face very close to his. "Archer...are you ok?" Leaning forward a little more, she pressed her forehead against his. "You're really red...do you have a fever?"
Archer could feel Hotaru shift on him as she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his. Either she was going to have to get up off of him soon or things were going to get very interesting here in a moment. To make matters worse, she seemed to be completely oblivious to it all.
"Hotaru..." he said breathlessly. "I'm fine. It's just..."
Eyes like winter violets bored into the steel grey ones in front of them, long lashes fluttering slightly. "Just what, Archer?" She was a bit worried, she'd never seen him act quite like this before, and he certainly seemed very flushed and a bit warm. Hotaru hoped he wasn't getting sick, she wasn't sure if he'd let her take care of him if he did.
Archer thought for sure there was a very special place in hell reserved for people like him who took advantage of girls like Hotaru, but right now he couldn't help himself.
"Hotaru I want you," he growled before pulling her down into a kiss. Fire seemed to spread through his body when their lips met, this kiss different from the last as it was full of passion and lust.
He felt his stomach squirm and his loins burn. Sliding his hands up her legs he gripped them, moving upwards until they were along her thighs and under her skin. Archer reveled in the feel of her flesh.
Eyes shot open in surprise as he pulled her against him, lips crushing hers as his hands slid up her legs. A startled yelp of surprise vanished in a whimper at the feel of his touch, lips parting as she kissed him back, head spinning with the rush of emotions that surged through her, that had been suppressed since she'd seen him again on top of the Opera House.
Archer couldn't stop himself, his body was responding to his biological needs. A part of him wished that Hotaru would try and pull away, try to stop him. Archer knew he wasn't strong enough to stop on his own. If things continued though... for Archer it would just be sex, but for Hotaru he had a feeling it would be something far more.
His hands continued to move up under her skirt until his fingers were just shy of her firm backside. He could feel the heat of desire move through him and he almost trembled with need.
"We... I... shouldn't be doing this," he hissed as the kiss momentarily broke. Even as he said the words though his lips greedily met hers again and his tongue teased along her lips.
Whimpering, she kissed him back hungrily, pausing when he tried to talk her out of it. "B..but....you want it...." It had been so long, she'd all but forgotten how his touch felt, the way he could seem to set every nerve in her body on fire with a single touch. She didn't want to stop, even though some inner part of her was telling her that she should. That for him...it wouldn't be the same as it would be for her.
Archer gave a low moan against Hotaru's mouth as she kissed him back, amazed at how she knew just what to do to send his mind racing. He wanted this so badly.
"Hotaru," he rasped. "I don't want to hurt you. I really don't..."
Rejection hurt. Whether it was rejection of her feelings, or rejection of this, it still hurt all the same. Pulling back, ignoring the fact that that pesky button on her shirt had come undone, threatening to spill a great deal more Hotaru out of the shirt then it had already been doing, she regarded him with trembling lower lip and tear-filled eyes.
"Why.....what's wrong with me?!"
She wanted this, wanted him, but....it was more then just that. And it hurt, oh it hurt so much to realize that for him, it wouldn't be that way. It would be just the act, nothing more.
Archer growled in frustration and felt his body go lax. He closed his eyes tight and pressed his head back against the asphalt as he tried to make sense of what was going on. How could this girl be so mercurial.
"There is nothing wrong with you Hotaru. God look at you, you're gorgeous. You were gorgeous before this and you're gorgeous now," he said. "I want to have sex with you Hotaru and I want to love you. Both of those things can't happen right this moment though. Can't you see that this will only hurt you in the long run?"
A small fist impacted the center of his chest, tears of hurt and anger shining in her eyes. If he couldn't, if he wouldn't, then why DID he? Pushing herself up, she spun on her heel, long hair swirling around her as the glass in the streetlamps cracked, lights flickering wildly. "They why do you keep doing things like that?! You don't understand, it just makes it harder!"
The physical blow didn't hurt Archer at all, but the feelings and the intentions behind it did. He knew he had been hurting her but he still couldn't stop himself. He couldn't even blame Hotaru for leading him on, because she had done nothing of the sort.
"Hotaru wait!" Archer protested as he jumped up. A worried look crossed his features momentarily as he saw the street lamps flicker before he turned back to Hotaru.
"I keep doing it because you're so damn irresistible," he told her, resisting the urge to reach out and grab her by the shoulders. "But you love me and I can't remember you. Part of me wants to just get to know everything about you and part of me just wants to rip all your clothes off. But I can't act on the first part so I don't deserve the second. I want you Hotaru but I don't deserve you."
"It's not that you can't, it's that you won't!!" With a stamp of her foot and a crackling of electricity, the streetlamp's bulb exploded in a shower of sparks and glass, the ground at it's base twisting and cracking in response to surging power.
Archer flinched as her anger manifested itself. Apparently she didn't have the best control over her powers when she was angry. He balled his fists at his side. Why did she have to make it sound like he didn't want to?
"It's not like that and you know it," he said. "I already explained it to you. I can’t go against who I am and give up my search for a Master about as easily as you could suddenly stop loving me. If you know me so well can't you see that?"
"But I don't act as though loving you is the only part of me that exists!" Another shattered lightbulb, this one blowing with a spectacular flash, the post twisting as though a giant's fist had gripped it in an iron crunch. Electricity crackled through her hair, sending it flying out around her like a halo around her. And that was the part that hurt the most. She could see it in his eyes, she knew there was something there, something more. But he refused to acknowledge it, refused to even look at it. And in that way...he was refusing to acknowledge her.
"What do you want me to say?" Archer shouted, unable to control his temper anymore. "That I would rather forget this whole business of finding a Master and spend time with you? That I wish I could remember everything about you because it hurts to be around you and think that I'll never get that memory back? That I would rather go shopping for a new shirt for you than anything I've done so far? Because it's all true Hotaru, all of it. But wanting something and being able to follow through with it are two different things. And in case you've forgotten, being a Servant IS all that exists for me. Even if I'm not a Servant, it's the only thing I know!"
"Don't....don't say things like that, it...it hurts too much." And now, the tears finally came, spilling over and down her cheeks. It hurt so much, hearing him talk about how he wanted things to be like they were before, but he just couldn't let go of the one thing he clung to. He wasn't...willing to just let go. And trust that she'd catch him, that she'd give him a purpose, a life. Something to hold onto, and something to believe in. He wasn't able or willing to do that. And it hurt, because she had been so willing to start over, to put aside the hurt of his leaving her the first time and just.....be happy. "I haven't forgotten. I trust you.....but you don't trust me."
Archer didn't know if he could take anymore of this. He was tired of hurting Hotaru and tired of her accusations. He was tired of not knowing if she was right and wrong. Most of all he was tired of seeing Hotaru cry.
"Is that what you think?" he asked. "That I don't trust you?"
Part of him wanted to argue that it was unfair of her to ask him to trust her since he didn't really know her. That was a lie though, he knew she loved him and that should have been enough.
"Fine, we'll settle this. I'm going to try and replenish my mana," he declared.
"Fine, then. Do it." Perhaps a little harsher then she normally would have been, but she was hurting and angry. Stepping back slightly, she crossed slim arms over her chest and waited.
For all his bluster, Archer was hesitant to actually go through with it. No matter how this turned out some bad things were going to happen. Either he couldn't replenish his own mana and Hotaru was wrong and had to live with that or he could and Archer would have to live with never knowing his past.
He didn't know which one he wanted to happen.
Closing his eyes wasn't necessary but Archer did it anyways. He tested his magic circuits and felt them working before he slowly began to go through the process of trying to refill his mana.
He hadn't needed to do it in a long time but it was not something that you would forget. It only took the smallest bit of effort and he could feel the mana begin to fill him up.
Archer didn't bother filling himself up the rest of the way. There was no need, he had his answer now. He felt his body go slack as he hung his head. Archer would never know who he was.
Standing there, watching his face, Hotaru felt all of her anger and hurt melt away at the expression she saw there. He looked....so lost, so dejected, that she couldn't help but feel a flash of guilt. She was the one who had demanded that he try it, the one who had insisted that he had to. Not thinking about his feelings, or what the results would be. She'd just....wanted him to realize that there was so much more to him then just the Servant. But now....it seemed as though all she'd managed to do was make him feel horrible.
Archer didn't know what to say. This meant that he was now free to pursue the feelings he had for Hotaru, but at the cost of knowing his memories were gone for good.
Isn't that better than losing my memories and not being around Hotaru he asked himself. Either way, deep down Archer knew that the cost of his memories was a small price to pay for being able to pursue a real relationship with Hotaru.
It didn't make the pain of knowing he would never truly remember who he was hurt any less though.
"You were right," he said softly. "I'm not a Servant."
Rating; PG-13, some sexual situations.
Characters; Archer
fireismyblood and Hotaru silence_bringer.Summary; Archer and Hotaru meet again, this time while Hotaru is cursed. Archer finally admits he is not there to fight in the Holy Grail War.
Archer clutched his side as he limped along. He was bleeding badly from multiple wounds all over his body and his clothes were shredded. He knew that he was probably going to die. He had expended most of his mana fighting off the monsters underground. After coming to face with them in the forrest he thought he would be able to handle them, but there were far more underground.
There was something he needed to do first though, some place he had to be. The Opera House. He had apparently left Hotaru once already and he didn't think it fair to disapear on her again. Having her find his dead body might be cruel, but he thought just dying and disappearing on her would be worse. She had said something before about dying here being special but he couldn't remember.
As he landed on the Opera House roof he was bleeding so badly he could hardly tell where he was, so trying to recall what she had said was out of the question. As he collapsed on the ground he thought he should leave her some sort of message... he certainly had enough blood. What could he say? That he was sorry he couldn't get to know her? Maybe just saying he was sorry would have to do...
Perhaps it was fate, or more likely the simple fact that Hotaru spent nearly as much time on the roof as she did off of it. If not more so. Either way, the slight thumping impact and the stumbling gait did not go unnoticed to the slight figure who sat curled up in a carving on the other side of the roof, a cluster of kittens and pigeons flitting around her as she fed them. Head raising at the sound, Hotaru uncurled herself from her perch and stood up, brushing dark hair from her eyes as she stepped quietly across the roof, exploring and searching for the object or person that had produced the sound.
Rounding the corner, she gasped at seeing Archer's bloodied form, dropping to her knees beside him with a sigh of both worry and exasperation. The man was impossible, really. As much as she tried to be angry with him for leaving her, to tell herself that it was good riddance he didn't want much to do with her now, she always worried for him. Always wondered when and if she would see him next. With a shake of her head, she set to work healing his wounds, the soft gentle light emanating from her hands with an easy flowing motion.
Archer was sure now that he was dying, if not already dead. Through his hazy gaze he could see someone kneeling over him. He could tell it was a woman, and that she was quite beautiful. If he had to imagine what an angel would be like this would be it.
In fact, the angel looked a lot like Hotaru, only older. He wondered if perhaps angels just looked like the people you were thought most beautiful and this angel had kindly made Hotaru older in order to make Archer more comfortable.
"Hmph, it figures," Archer rasped. "I die and an angel looking like an older Hotaru appears."
She raised an eyebrow at him. Delirium wasn't uncommon in cases of large amounts of blood loss, so she could only assume that was part of it. At least... the angel part of it. The older part....well, that was a curse. Hence the reason why her white sweater was tighter, lower cut, showing off a good deal more of "enhanced assets" as it clung to her curves, long raven-black hair tumbling over her shoulders as she leaned over him. Thankfully for her, she had kept the last time this happened in mind, and made sure she had some suitably long enough skirts that with the added inches of height they still remained decent. Sitting back on her heels, she pulled his head into her lap with a sigh. "Archer, that's not funny."
Archer shut his eyes closed tightly and opened them again, his vision still blurry. He reached up and pressed his palms into his eyes and rubbed them. When he brought his hands away, his vision was much better. And the angel was still looking down at him.
She had to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Hotaru matured... not that the real Hotaru was unattractive, she was beautiful as well. This woman...
Slowly he reached up and traced his fingertips along her cheek and ran them through her hair.
"I don't make jokes," was his only reply.
Violet eyes widened, crimson spreading across pale cheeks at the slight touch of his fingertips against her face. "A...Archer...." Glancing away slightly, and biting her lip, she sighed before turning her attention back to the white-haired man who lay with his head pillowed on her lap. "Are...you feeling alright now?"
Archer could feel his strength returning, not unlike the last time he had died and found himself here. Although... Archer was still here. Is that what Hotaru had said would happen? That he couldn't leave. No, then why was older Hotaru here?
"I'm feeling much better," Archer said. "Seems to happen after I die. Is it okay if I lie here like this for a while? This is nice. I... I wanted to leave someone a message before I died. I wanted to apologize to her..."
She raised an eyebrow slightly. He must have still been delirious. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she stroked long fingers through his white hair, mentally taking note of the blood splattered across her once-white sweater. Oh well, it wasn't as though she couldn't just get another one. Cocking her head at him, she tried to keep him talking. "It's fine, Archer. Just rest. Would you like me to pass your message along to the girl?" She couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy, but it was to be expected wasn't it? Afterall, he obviously thought she was too much of a child to be anything interesting.
Archer's typically smug smile as a bit lazy as he nodded in agreement. He was feeling stronger and more alert now, but the stroking of his hair was distracting. Distracting in a very good way.
"Yes," he said. "Her name is Hotaru. She looks a lot like you only younger. She looks younger than she is even. I was going to tell her sorry for... for not being able to get to know her. I would have liked to but I had... other obligations. That's why I came here, I guess I left her once and I wanted her to... know I didn't just disappear again."
Her eyes widened, breath catching in her throat. She could feel her eyes tearing up as her fingers clenched momentarily in his hair. He...really cared. Even though he didn't love her, he...still cared. "Archer...." Hotaru bit her lip for a moment before she gave a gentle smile. "I'll make sure she gets the message, Archer." Leaning down, she pressed lips to his in a gentle kiss.
Archer's eyes widened as the woman leaned over and kissed him. He would have thought the angle would make it difficult but it surprisingly... didn't. The hand that had traced her cheek now moved to the back of her head as he kissed her back. Archer had now way of knowing how long it had been since he kissed someone like this but from his eagerness he guessed it was a while.
When his body began to crave things beyond just kissing Archer began to pull away. This crazy... he didn't even know this woman.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I appreciate the gesture but I don't know you at all. And... you look like her, I wouldn't want to kiss you just because of that..."
It took only a moment for the simple press of lips against lips to become something more as she leaned into his kiss, lips parting to deepen it with a whimper as he kissed her back. She honestly...hadn't thought she'd be like this again, this close to him again. And yet...maybe this time the City was actually granting dreams rather then taking them away.
She simply pulled back when he pulled away, studying him with a slightly sad gaze. Afterall, she probably just reminded him of someone else. That was the only way he would kiss her, right? "I....it's alright, Archer. I....understand."
“No, it's just that... if I were to give anyone a chance it would have been Hotaru. But I couldn't, even if I wanted to. I don't want to kiss you just because you look like an older version of her. She..."
Archer paused in his speech as he suddenly looked around and realized that if he was dead, wherever he went to when he died looked exactly like the roof of the Opera House. That didn't seem right to him...
"If I died, why am I still here?" he asked. "Why don't I have my memory back? What the hell is going on?"
"Archer....it's me. Hotaru. And you aren't dead, I healed you. Can you sit up?" She didn't move, just continued sitting there with his head in her lap, fingers running through his white hair, nails gently scratching his scalp.
Archer's eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. All of what he had said about Hotaru just then... but Hotaru, if it was her because it looked like her but not exactly, didn't dwell on that. Archer was thankful.
And he knew that he should get up, that it was a bad idea for him to lay here in her lap but it felt incredibly good. And her fingers running through his hair...
I can't be doing this, he told himself. I... I have a Master to find.
"I'm sure I can get up," he said, but he didn't actually get up. "Thank you for healing me... again."
A gentle smile, and she was brushing long black locks back over one shoulder, leaning down over him. "It was nothing, Archer. I'm just...glad you're ok." She wasn't really sure why he wasn't getting up, pushing her away and leaving. Not that she wanted him to. It was...nice to just sit like this, the comforting weight of his head in her lap.
"Hotaru what happened to... why are you... you look older," he said, hoping that she wouldn't take offense to the words. When he had previously mentioned her age she had... not responded well.
It was the truth though, she looked a lot older and.. filled out. His eyes couldn't help but glance at her chest and the way her sweater was straining.
"I got your sweater all bloody," he said, suddenly realizing she could probably tell he was staring at her chest. "I'm sorry."
Glancing down at herself, she shrugged. "I guess it's a curse. It happened once before, when you were here the last time. This time...it wasn't as surprising." Following his line of sight to her chest, she simply nodded. Thankfully for him, it seemed as though his other thoughts had passed her by. "It's....all right. It's just a sweater."
Archer pressed his lips together in thought. She seemed so sad and Archer hated that. He didn't know if she was always like this or just because of him. He didn't want her to be sad though.
"Hotaru, I need to explain something," he said. "I meant what I said earlier. It's not that I don't want to get to know you, but I can't. Hotaru I want you to understand that, please. You're not... anyone would be lucky to be with you."
His words might have been intended to make her feel better, but they didn't seem to have the desired effect. At least, not given the way her face fell, head dropping as eyes glanced away from him. "Maybe so.....but no one would want to be."
Archer closed his eyes and sighed. Nothing he ever said would probably make her feel better. He just wished that he didn't have to make her worse.
"That's not true Hotaru," he said, moving so that he was no longer in her lap. He reached out and tilted her chin up so she looking him in the eyes. "That's not true at all."
She sighed, pulling away slightly. Why did he have to keep doing that? Trying to cheer her up, offer her hope, and then take it away again. It hurt.... "Yes it is, Archer."
Archer didn't know what else to say. It was almost as if she didn't want to be cheered up.
"I still haven't found a Master," he said softly, trying to change the topic. "And I'm almost out of mana..."
Archer still had not tried to refill it himself, although the closer he got to running on the more he was afraid to try it. He had promised Hotaru that he would try, and he intended to follow through with it. The problem was that he was afraid that it would work. If there was a Master here in the city, he should have found it by now.
"Then recharge yourself, Archer. You can do it." Violet eyes locked calmly with his grey ones. She wanted him to do it, wanted him to try. Not only for the fact that he'd promised her, but because she needed him to understand that this was a chance for a new start. Even if not with her. Hotaru could tell he was running low on mana, and she knew perfectly well that if he didn't recharge himself, she'd do it for him. But that...would be contraindicative to what she wanted.
Archer held Hotaru's gaze for a moment before looking away, unable to face the accusation there. From what he had seen of Hotaru he doubted she was capable of being accusatory. He knew it was his own guilt that was seeing it.
"I'll try later," he said. "At a better time." The Servant didn't think he wanted anyone around when he tried it. If he tried now and couldn't it would crush Hotaru. If he tried now and could...
She kept his gaze for a long moment before she nodded faintly, pushing herself to her feet and walking off to where the cluster of doves twittered and chirped. Reaching out, she scooped up one of them with ease, cradling the white creature to her chest, long tresses of black hair blowing slightly in the wind. "You aren't going to. ...Are you?"
Archer watched Hotaru walk away, unable to keep himself from admiring her new figure as she moved. Not that her younger figure wasn't nice, she was now just nice in a different way. He hated himself for feeling that way about her, frustrated that he couldn't act on feelings he thought they both wanted.
"Yes, I will," he said, standing up and brushing himself off. "I promised you I would and I mean it. I owe both of us that much at least."
Nodding slightly, she tossed the dove into the air, watching as white-feathered wings spread to catch the updrafts, soaring up into the clouds. "You don't...owe me anything, Archer. That's not why I do what I do."
Archer balled his fists in frustration, partly at himself and partly at Hotaru. This would be so much easier if she would just be mad at him and get it over with or... at least be something besides melancholy. He supposed there was nothing he could do about that now though. At least he had tried.
Right, he thought. Like that's made any difference.
"Please Hotaru," he said. "I at least owe you for the ruined sweater. Let me do something to make it up to you?"
Glancing back over her shoulder, she smiled slightly. "Well...if you insist, I guess a new sweater would be nice. But that's...really all I need." She had to try and put the past behind her. As much as she wanted to run into his arms, to just stay there permanently...he didn't want that. And she couldn't live in the past. At the very least....maybe they could be friends.
Hotaru's smile brought one to Archer's own lips. She really did look much prettier when she smiled, which was incredible considering how beautiful she looked normally.
"A new sweater sound fair," he told her. "Just... give me a moment."
Archer concentrated and activated his circuit, drawing on the small amount of mana he had left to repair his clothing. Fortunately that required hardly any mana at all, especially compared to the Noble Phantasms he normally created. Once that was done, Archer looked back to Hotaru.
"Is there someplace nearby we can clean up?" he asked. "We’re both covered in my blood."
Nodding, she led him across the roof to the iron spiral staircase she tended to use. Heading down through the corridors and pathways, she made her way to the small set of rooms she had claimed for her own. Leaning down the pet the cats that swarmed around her as she opened the door, she laughed and greeted each one by name with a pat on the head. "The bathroom's that way, you can get cleaned up there if you like, Archer."
Archer followed Hotaru down the staircase to the interior of the old Opera House. A small army of cats followed after her and she greated each one. He was amazed that one person could care so much about so many creatures and still think herself a monster. At least they seemed to make her happy, which made Archer happy as well.
"Thank you, I'll be back in just a moment," he told her. The bathroom was right where she said it was and he did the best job he could, washing away the blood from his face, hair, and clothes. When he was done, he returned to Hotaru.
"Okay, I'm all ready. Ahh, I don't really know what kind of clothing shops you need to go to though," he said.
His approach startled her slightly and she spun around, dark hair whirling around wide eyes before she realized it was just him. With a smile, she nodded and adjusted the too-tight white buttondown. The sleeves weren't really the problem, they just resembled 3/4-length ones now, with the cuffs turned up so as to look less awkward. As for the front....well, at least it was staying closed and covering things. Barely. She'd considered gluing shut that button that rested right between her breasts b/c it seemed determined to betray her, but so far it was staying in it's proper closed position. Which just left the top 2 or 3 unfastened, displaying a good deal more pale skin then she was used to, as well as the runic circle branded onto her skin right above her cleavage. Hotaru glanced away slightly, debating over wrapping a scarf around her neck to try and make things...less obvious. "It's..ok. I know a few places."
When Hotaru turned around, Archer couldn't help but stare. Her shift was obviously one that she owned prior to this current curse... although Archer didn't know if he could quite consider it a curse. The almost fragile looking girl she had been before had changed into something else entirely.
What had always been long legs for the girl's petite height seemed even more so now, the skirt she was wearing providing just enough of a glimpse to be incredibly tantalizing. The shirt that didn't want to stay closed displayed an impressive amount of cleavage and the fact that she obviously didn't intend to show that much made it that much better.
If Archer ever had any doubts about why he would have tried to be with this girl in some former part of his life, they were erased now. She was beautiful before, but the potential for more was stunning.
"Alright," he said, swallowing hard. "Let's head out then."
Seemingly oblivious to his gawking, she pulled a thin black shawl from the drawer, draping the embroidered silk around her shoulders. Black, like her hair. Like...most of her clothes, for that matter. Slipping small feet into simple black slippers, she nodded at him. "Ok." It had been a long time since she'd gone anywhere with Archer, and despite her slight trepidation, Hotaru couldn't help but feel a bit giddy at the prospect. If she hadn't known how he felt about getting close to her again, she might have been tempted to pretend it was a "date".
Archer frowned as Hotaru placed the black shawl over her shoulders, obscuring the view of her magnificent chest. Not only that, but it was black. Like her tights, like her skirt, like the clothes he had seen her in earlier. In fact, the white shirt was the only thing he had seen her wear that wasn't black or dark purple.
"You know," he said. "You might want to consider getting something that's... I don't know, not black? You should try it, you might like it. And what is wrong with these cats?!"
Archer looked down as several of the felines were meowing and rubbing up against his legs, a few even purring. One was even trying to dig its claws into his pants and climb up him.
She regarded him with somewhat of a confused expression, then glanced down at her outfit. Well sure, it was....black. But...she liked black. She'd always worn a lot of black. The tights, at least, coupled with the long sleeves, had been a way to hide the scars that she'd had before coming to the City, and that was a hard habit to break. Other then that.... "But I like black..." Broken out of her musings by his frustration, she giggled and scooped up the solid white cat that seemed intent on climbing up his leg. "They recognize you, is all. They missed their Daddy." Holding the feline up closer to her face, she nuzzled her nose against the damp pink one with a smile.
Their daddy? That's just great, he mused. Just something else I left behind that I don't remember...
Archer knelt down on the ground to pet one of the cats that was rubbing his leg and he was suddenly assaulted by all of them. He ran his fingers along the tops of their heads and gently rubbed their velvety ears, causing the animals to purr loudly.
"I wish I could remember you too," he murmured before straigtening up.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked.
Hotaru couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the man as he knelt to brush fingertips against soft fur. It wasn't only her that he'd forgotten. In a way...it had been an entire life. Waiting patiently for him to finish greeting them, she set the white cat on the floor and nodded, pulling the shawl tighter around her shoulders. "I'm ready."
Archer nodded to her, feeling a bit awkward about the whole thing. It was just buying her a sweater but at the same time... it was more than that. He could tell that they both knew it. Archer told himself that he wasn't going to get involved with this girl but here he was... he couldn't seem to stay away.
And he knew he really didn't want to.
"Ok." Leading the way -- since she knew the City much better then he did -- it wasn't long before she seemed to have forgotten the slightly melancholy mood she'd been in. Enjoying the light breeze, she'd shifted from simply walking to skipping every so often, twirling in the wind, long dark hair blowing around her like a pennant, silvery laughter tinkling over the air. She'd taken the way through Xanadu -- she loved the place, after all -- and with the shower of sakura petals that seemed to fall constantly from the huge tree, it was almost like a rain of pink snowflakes that she could spin around in, laughing as they caught in her hair and clothes. "Archer, isn't it pretty?"
Archer caught himself smiling as he followed Hotaru, taken in by the girl's pleasant mood. And the scenery was absolutely beautiful with the blossom's falling all around. More so than just because she was physically beautiful, he could see how he had been so attracted to her before. He could see how he would want to spend every moment making her this happy.
I wish I could, but I can't he reminded himself. Archer couldn't abandon his duty as a Servant and remain true to the little of himself that he remembered. It was all he knew of himself, he couldn't abandon it.
But I know I loved her at one point, he mused. I think I could again... isn't that remaining true to a part of myself?
Archer sighed, there were no easy answers to those questions.
"Yes Hotaru," he said, looking directly at her. "Very pretty indeed."
A smile broke across her face and she darted forward to grab his hand and pull him after her. "Archer! Come dance with me in the wind! It'll be fun!" The happy mood was infectious, and for the moment, just having fun was the only thing on her mind, and she wanted Archer to have fun as well.
Archer gave a surprised grunt as Hotaru grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to have fun right now. Forgetting who he was and that they couldn't be together could be bad for both of them. Archer didn't want to hurt Hotaru when he had to leave again.
But for all the reasons that ran though his mind that they should do this, he felt himself smiling and allowing her to pull him along. He took her hand and lifted above her head and then spun her around, chuckling as he did so.
This...well, if it wasn't heaven, then it was pretty close. Even if she knew they couldn't be together, that he didn't want her that way, it was still a breath of fresh air, a chance to just be together. Like she wanted. Twirling under his arm, she laughed and threw her other arm out to the side for balance, spinning up onto the tips of her toes like Rue had been showing her. She'd never really taken any ballet, but she'd always wanted to and since the chance had presented itself....well, she just hoped it wasn't too bad. "Archer, this is fun!"
Archer chuckled and nodded at Hotaru's comment. This was such a vast difference between the melancholy girl she had been just a few moments ago.
"Yes it is Hotaru," he said with a smile. "It's very fun. More fun than I remember having."
Without thinking, Archer wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. He felt her curves pressing against him and he leaned in and pressed his lips against her. The kiss was tender but purposeful, full of the longing that Archer hadn't realized he felt until just then.
Her eyes widened and her giggle of laughter was cut off by the insistent press of his lips against hers. The small and surprised gasp that issued forth never made it past her own lips as eyelids slipped closed and she leaned into the kiss. After a moment, she pulled back slightly, shaking her head.
Why....why is he doing this, after what he said....
As much as she wanted to believe it, Hotaru wasn't sure if she could. Afterall, hadn't he made it perfectly plain that he had no intentions of getting close to her again? That his only purpose was to find his elusive master? She felt tears prick in her eyes at the sudden thought that he was likely just going to apologize and say he hadn't meant to, that it didn't mean anything. That...would hurt. Looking up at him with a hesitant gaze, she cocked her head to the side.
"Archer.....why?"
"I... I wanted to kiss you like that once knowing it was you," he said, turning his head away so he didn't have to look her in the eyes.
"I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't help it. And I'm sorry if it hurt you but I'm not sorry I did it," he said.
The urge to kiss her again was almost overwhelming, but he refused to give in to it. He had already done enough damage, had already hurt her enough.
It wasn't the kiss that hurt. It was the look in his eyes. The look that told her that as much as he might want to kiss her again, he wasn't going to allow himself to. Because he was more afraid of losing the little he thought he had then by taking a chance on her. With a slight nod, she stared at the ground for a moment, willing the tears to stay back. And thankfully this time they did, remaining as nothing but a slight shine of moisture at the corners of her eyes as she shook her head and pasted a false smile across her face. "It's...ok, Archer. Don't worry about it."
Archer sighed, he knew that it wasn't really okay but he wasn't going to push the issue. He wished that he had waited a bit longer to kiss her though, not wanting to ruin the moment. It couldn't be helped though, the desire was overwhelming.
He reached up and brushed the tears. "C'mon, let's go find you a new sweater," he said. "After that we can come back and dance some more."
She stared at him for a moment before leaning forward to throw arms around his waist, cheek pressed up against his chest. "Ok..." And in the blink of an eye, the melancholy was once again replaced by that same childish innocence as she grinned impishly and ducked out of his arms to go tearing off down the path laughing. "I'll beat you there, Archer!" It seemed that despite her older appearance, inside she was still the same whimsical 16-yr old Hotaru.
Archer almost moaned as Hotaru pressed against him. It was so unfair for her to be this close to him and him not to be able to do anything about it, especially considering all the things his mind and body were telling him to do.
Before he could expand on those ideas though, Hotaru skipped away and began running away from him, calling out after him. It took Archer a moment to register what was going on before he head off after her.
“That's not fair," he called out. "I don't know where you're going!"
That was okay though, since Archer had no intention of winning. Trailing behind Hotaru was much more pleasant than being out ahead of her.
Calling back over her shoulder, she laughed. "Then don't be such a slowpoke!" Spinning around in a circle, she giggled before darting off down a side street. She wasn't really trying to lose him, but it had just been so long since she'd had an outing like this. And...it was Archer. Ducking down the alleyway, she scrambled her way up onto the fire escape and hunkered down silently, biting back giggles and just waiting.
Archer laughed and picked up the pace as Hotaru dashed around a corner, not wanting to lose the girl. He felt a slight twinge of guilt at enjoying himself so much but he brushed it aside. Right now he wasn't going to think on that. A few minutes pleasure would not hamper his search for his missing Master.
He turned the corner of the side street and stopped, Hotaru was nowhere to be found. Blinking he survyed the street.
"Hotaru?" he called out. "Hotaru where are you?"
Ever so carefully, she sidestepped around and over the iron railing of the fire escape, suppressing laughter as she reached behind herself to grab the railing, leaning forward to angle her body out from the rail, leaning over to stare down at the top of his head. Snickering, she took a deep breath and called his name. "Archer!"
Archer scowled as there was no immediate response. He would have altered his eyes to allow himself to see better but he didn't want to waste what little mana he had left.
He turned this way and that, surveying the street and trying to determine where she had gotten to. How fast and nimble was the girl?
Archer heard her shout his name and he looked up to see her leaning from a railing, looking down at him. If it was anyone but Hotaru, the Servant would have thought that she was trying to entice him to look up her skirt or something like that.
"Hotaru what are you..." before he could finish though, she release from the railing, falling straight down. Acting on instinct Archer moved to catch her as well as he could, the impact of her body in his arms though still caused him to tumble to the ground.
With a peal of laughter, she landed on him, knocking them both to the ground. Lifting her head, she peered through black fringe, violet eyes sparkling with amusement, hardly seeming to notice the rather...compromising position she'd put them in by tackling him to the ground. Propping elbows up on his chest, she rested her chin on her hands, leaning forward to study him with raised eyebrows. "Ne, are you having fun, Archer?"
Archer tilted his head up to look Hotaru in the eyes, wishing that she actually had a clue as to what she was doing to him. Her legs straddle his waist, hiking her skirt up and giving him an even better view of her long legs. If she shifted just a bit he could probably end up seeing even more. If that weren't enough, she was leaning forward, giving him a perfect view of her now enhanced chest.
Archer's breathing became labored and he swallowed hard before nodding in response to her question. As if he could not be having fun?
"Yes," he rasped, his mouth suddenly dry. He coughed in attempt to clear his throat. "I'm having a lot of fun Hotaru," he continued, grinning up at her. "Are you?"
She nodded, sitting up and stretching arms over her head before scooping up her long hair and twisting it into a knot at the base of her skull. Hotaru wasn't used to having her hair long, it seemed to get in the way, though she had to admit that it was fun to play with. Cocking her head at Archer, she grinned. "Ne Archer, do you like my hair better longer or shorter?"
Archer really wished that Hotaru would get off of him. Mainly because a large part of him really, really didn't want her to move. His mind was starting to wonder just how deserted this alley might be. As she leaned back her breasts seemed to strain even more at her shirt. With the teasing of her hair it was almost too much.
"I... I think I like it longer," he said. "It's very, ahhh..." Archer was about to say 'sexy' but caught himself just in time. "Attractive."
Her face shifted for a moment to a slightly worried expression and she leaned down, face very close to his. "Archer...are you ok?" Leaning forward a little more, she pressed her forehead against his. "You're really red...do you have a fever?"
Archer could feel Hotaru shift on him as she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his. Either she was going to have to get up off of him soon or things were going to get very interesting here in a moment. To make matters worse, she seemed to be completely oblivious to it all.
"Hotaru..." he said breathlessly. "I'm fine. It's just..."
Eyes like winter violets bored into the steel grey ones in front of them, long lashes fluttering slightly. "Just what, Archer?" She was a bit worried, she'd never seen him act quite like this before, and he certainly seemed very flushed and a bit warm. Hotaru hoped he wasn't getting sick, she wasn't sure if he'd let her take care of him if he did.
Archer thought for sure there was a very special place in hell reserved for people like him who took advantage of girls like Hotaru, but right now he couldn't help himself.
"Hotaru I want you," he growled before pulling her down into a kiss. Fire seemed to spread through his body when their lips met, this kiss different from the last as it was full of passion and lust.
He felt his stomach squirm and his loins burn. Sliding his hands up her legs he gripped them, moving upwards until they were along her thighs and under her skin. Archer reveled in the feel of her flesh.
Eyes shot open in surprise as he pulled her against him, lips crushing hers as his hands slid up her legs. A startled yelp of surprise vanished in a whimper at the feel of his touch, lips parting as she kissed him back, head spinning with the rush of emotions that surged through her, that had been suppressed since she'd seen him again on top of the Opera House.
Archer couldn't stop himself, his body was responding to his biological needs. A part of him wished that Hotaru would try and pull away, try to stop him. Archer knew he wasn't strong enough to stop on his own. If things continued though... for Archer it would just be sex, but for Hotaru he had a feeling it would be something far more.
His hands continued to move up under her skirt until his fingers were just shy of her firm backside. He could feel the heat of desire move through him and he almost trembled with need.
"We... I... shouldn't be doing this," he hissed as the kiss momentarily broke. Even as he said the words though his lips greedily met hers again and his tongue teased along her lips.
Whimpering, she kissed him back hungrily, pausing when he tried to talk her out of it. "B..but....you want it...." It had been so long, she'd all but forgotten how his touch felt, the way he could seem to set every nerve in her body on fire with a single touch. She didn't want to stop, even though some inner part of her was telling her that she should. That for him...it wouldn't be the same as it would be for her.
Archer gave a low moan against Hotaru's mouth as she kissed him back, amazed at how she knew just what to do to send his mind racing. He wanted this so badly.
"Hotaru," he rasped. "I don't want to hurt you. I really don't..."
Rejection hurt. Whether it was rejection of her feelings, or rejection of this, it still hurt all the same. Pulling back, ignoring the fact that that pesky button on her shirt had come undone, threatening to spill a great deal more Hotaru out of the shirt then it had already been doing, she regarded him with trembling lower lip and tear-filled eyes.
"Why.....what's wrong with me?!"
She wanted this, wanted him, but....it was more then just that. And it hurt, oh it hurt so much to realize that for him, it wouldn't be that way. It would be just the act, nothing more.
Archer growled in frustration and felt his body go lax. He closed his eyes tight and pressed his head back against the asphalt as he tried to make sense of what was going on. How could this girl be so mercurial.
"There is nothing wrong with you Hotaru. God look at you, you're gorgeous. You were gorgeous before this and you're gorgeous now," he said. "I want to have sex with you Hotaru and I want to love you. Both of those things can't happen right this moment though. Can't you see that this will only hurt you in the long run?"
A small fist impacted the center of his chest, tears of hurt and anger shining in her eyes. If he couldn't, if he wouldn't, then why DID he? Pushing herself up, she spun on her heel, long hair swirling around her as the glass in the streetlamps cracked, lights flickering wildly. "They why do you keep doing things like that?! You don't understand, it just makes it harder!"
The physical blow didn't hurt Archer at all, but the feelings and the intentions behind it did. He knew he had been hurting her but he still couldn't stop himself. He couldn't even blame Hotaru for leading him on, because she had done nothing of the sort.
"Hotaru wait!" Archer protested as he jumped up. A worried look crossed his features momentarily as he saw the street lamps flicker before he turned back to Hotaru.
"I keep doing it because you're so damn irresistible," he told her, resisting the urge to reach out and grab her by the shoulders. "But you love me and I can't remember you. Part of me wants to just get to know everything about you and part of me just wants to rip all your clothes off. But I can't act on the first part so I don't deserve the second. I want you Hotaru but I don't deserve you."
"It's not that you can't, it's that you won't!!" With a stamp of her foot and a crackling of electricity, the streetlamp's bulb exploded in a shower of sparks and glass, the ground at it's base twisting and cracking in response to surging power.
Archer flinched as her anger manifested itself. Apparently she didn't have the best control over her powers when she was angry. He balled his fists at his side. Why did she have to make it sound like he didn't want to?
"It's not like that and you know it," he said. "I already explained it to you. I can’t go against who I am and give up my search for a Master about as easily as you could suddenly stop loving me. If you know me so well can't you see that?"
"But I don't act as though loving you is the only part of me that exists!" Another shattered lightbulb, this one blowing with a spectacular flash, the post twisting as though a giant's fist had gripped it in an iron crunch. Electricity crackled through her hair, sending it flying out around her like a halo around her. And that was the part that hurt the most. She could see it in his eyes, she knew there was something there, something more. But he refused to acknowledge it, refused to even look at it. And in that way...he was refusing to acknowledge her.
"What do you want me to say?" Archer shouted, unable to control his temper anymore. "That I would rather forget this whole business of finding a Master and spend time with you? That I wish I could remember everything about you because it hurts to be around you and think that I'll never get that memory back? That I would rather go shopping for a new shirt for you than anything I've done so far? Because it's all true Hotaru, all of it. But wanting something and being able to follow through with it are two different things. And in case you've forgotten, being a Servant IS all that exists for me. Even if I'm not a Servant, it's the only thing I know!"
"Don't....don't say things like that, it...it hurts too much." And now, the tears finally came, spilling over and down her cheeks. It hurt so much, hearing him talk about how he wanted things to be like they were before, but he just couldn't let go of the one thing he clung to. He wasn't...willing to just let go. And trust that she'd catch him, that she'd give him a purpose, a life. Something to hold onto, and something to believe in. He wasn't able or willing to do that. And it hurt, because she had been so willing to start over, to put aside the hurt of his leaving her the first time and just.....be happy. "I haven't forgotten. I trust you.....but you don't trust me."
Archer didn't know if he could take anymore of this. He was tired of hurting Hotaru and tired of her accusations. He was tired of not knowing if she was right and wrong. Most of all he was tired of seeing Hotaru cry.
"Is that what you think?" he asked. "That I don't trust you?"
Part of him wanted to argue that it was unfair of her to ask him to trust her since he didn't really know her. That was a lie though, he knew she loved him and that should have been enough.
"Fine, we'll settle this. I'm going to try and replenish my mana," he declared.
"Fine, then. Do it." Perhaps a little harsher then she normally would have been, but she was hurting and angry. Stepping back slightly, she crossed slim arms over her chest and waited.
For all his bluster, Archer was hesitant to actually go through with it. No matter how this turned out some bad things were going to happen. Either he couldn't replenish his own mana and Hotaru was wrong and had to live with that or he could and Archer would have to live with never knowing his past.
He didn't know which one he wanted to happen.
Closing his eyes wasn't necessary but Archer did it anyways. He tested his magic circuits and felt them working before he slowly began to go through the process of trying to refill his mana.
He hadn't needed to do it in a long time but it was not something that you would forget. It only took the smallest bit of effort and he could feel the mana begin to fill him up.
Archer didn't bother filling himself up the rest of the way. There was no need, he had his answer now. He felt his body go slack as he hung his head. Archer would never know who he was.
Standing there, watching his face, Hotaru felt all of her anger and hurt melt away at the expression she saw there. He looked....so lost, so dejected, that she couldn't help but feel a flash of guilt. She was the one who had demanded that he try it, the one who had insisted that he had to. Not thinking about his feelings, or what the results would be. She'd just....wanted him to realize that there was so much more to him then just the Servant. But now....it seemed as though all she'd managed to do was make him feel horrible.
Archer didn't know what to say. This meant that he was now free to pursue the feelings he had for Hotaru, but at the cost of knowing his memories were gone for good.
Isn't that better than losing my memories and not being around Hotaru he asked himself. Either way, deep down Archer knew that the cost of his memories was a small price to pay for being able to pursue a real relationship with Hotaru.
It didn't make the pain of knowing he would never truly remember who he was hurt any less though.
"You were right," he said softly. "I'm not a Servant."
no subject
Archer sagged against Hotaru, too weary to put up some form of macho toughness. He heard her words and knew that she meant them to be comforting but...
"I know," he said. "But that's not an easy thing. I just... I don't even know where to start. But Hotaru, I want to make some of those new memories with you..."
She frowned slightly, still holding on. "I never said it was easy, Archer. It's like when I was so sick, from the tea. And I didn't want to get better, because it hurt so much, but you said I needed to, even though it was hard."
She really didn't know what to say to make it better for him. Ignoring the blush that rose at his mention of wanting to make new memories with her, she instead contented herself with just trying to make him feel better.
Archer nodded, even though he really had no idea what Hotaru was talking about. It was just another example of something that he would never remember.
"How about," he said with a sigh as he straightened up. "We start making those new memories by getting you a new sweater."
A small smile quirked at the corner of his mouth and he gave her a wink. "I'll try and keep my hands off of you that long," he quipped, trying to lighten the situation.
no subject
Archer couldn't deny that Hotaru's blush and apparent innocence about all things sexual made it that much more alluring. He could tell that everything she had done earlier that had turned him on she had done inadvertently. She was just being herself. That didn’t make it any less effective though.
"So where is this shop that you were racing me to before you attacked me?" he asked.
Pausing, she chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully before pointing. "There it is!" Grabbing his hand, she led him over to the store, pushing open the heavy door.
Archer allowed Hotaru to pull him by the hand again, despite how foreign it felt to him. She may have done it a thousand times before but it was still very new to him. And while it may be foreign it wasn't unpleasant.
"So what kind of sweater are you looking for?" he asked, looking around the store. "Are you going to get one that fits you now or... how long before you change back to Loli Hotaru anyways?"
A flash of violet was all the warning he got before four small fingers planted themselves daintily in the center of his solar plexus. "I am NOT loli! I can't help that I look young, my body DIED when I was four!" It wasn't really real anger, not the sort that would do any damage. More just indignation at the term, especially for someone who was used to hearing it all the time.
Archer let out a soft "oomph" as Hotaru punched him in the stomach, although with his armor he was sure it hurt her more than it did him.
"Hey, I didn't say I didn't like how you looked," muttered Archer, rubbing where she had hit him.
Not missing the opportunity to get back at him, she spun around and leaned close, pressing her chest against his with an innocent look. "So does that mean that Archer likes little girls? That he likes me better when it looks almost illegal?"
Archer sputtered in indignation and tried to back away, as if removing himself a few steps would make her accusation any less embarrassing.
"No, it's not like that at all!" he growled, eyes narrowing at her. Archer knew she was messing with him but he couldn't think of a damned thing to say that would make what he said better.
She giggled, following him as he backed up, backing him up against the wall. Leaning forward, she took hold of the front of his jacket, tugging him down to whisper to him, lips mere millimeters from his. "Now we're even, Archer."
no subject
As she whispered the man felt a small blush creep to his cheeks at being outwitted by this girl. She had neatly backed him into this physical and metaphorical corner and there was nothing he could do about it.
“Hmph, you're not nearly as innocent as you seem to be," he murmured, trying hard not to sulk. "That's a lesson I won't soon forget."
She blinked guileless purple eyes up at him through dark bangs before pulling away and turning around, picking up a pile of things and darting into the dressing room. After a moment, she stuck her head out and cocked it to one side. "Ne Archer...should I get a new sweater, or would you rather I get something like this?"
Archer made a vow to himself to never, ever give Hotaru a hard time about how young she looked. It just wasn't worth it. Although in that school girl outfit Archer might argue that it was indeed worth it.
I'm such a pervert, he thought. And I don't think there's anything I can do about it.
"Just... a sweater is fine," he said, wiping a hand across his brow. Was it hot enough in here that he should be perspiring?
Giggling, she twirled around a bit, combing long fingers through night-black locks and making her way back into the dressing room. "Or maybe something like this?" As she twirled out again, obviously enjoying this.
Archer smiled at seeing Hotaru obviously enjoying herself. He was amazed at how his earlier bout of depression disappeared in the face of Hotaru enjoying herself. The dress she was modeling was her standard black, although he had to admit that it did go with her hair and complexion very well.
"That's not too bad," he said hesitantly, unsure if this was something he was supposed to be liking. "I kind of like that one."
Popping back out after a moment, she spun around, showing off the new jumper she'd picked out. "Ne, you like this one? It's not black....like you said." The burgundy and pink top with the off-shoulder sleeves and black lace and ribbon detailing, paired with the short maroon skirt seemed to offset her pale skin and deep violet eyes, long black hair hanging down her back in soft waves. "Does it look ok?"
no subject
If that weren't enough her porcelain like skin contrasted perfectly with the colors of the outfit, her cascading black hair looking so perfect Archer would have sworn the whole thing was made just for her.
"It looks amazing," he told her truthfully, biting his lip in an attempt to keep his mind on what she was asking and out of the gutter. "I like that one best so far."
"Really?" She glanced down, fingering the skirt's hem with a whistful look. "I wish I looked like this all the time....like other girls my age..." Flashing a smile at him, she tucked her hair behind one ear and turned to head back into the dressing room. "Tell me if you like the others, ok?"
Archer stood completely still as he watched Hotaru trail back into the dressing room, his fingers twitching slightly the only thing revealing that he was slightly nervous about anything. Glancing around he saw that no one was really paying them any attention.
Without hesitation Archer slipped in behind Hotaru and shut the door behind him. Before Hotaru could say anything he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to him, kissing her heatedly.
Damn it, he thought. Why can't I stop doing this to her?
Her startled bleat at his actions dissolved into a moan as his lips crushed hers, fingers finding their way into white hair as her back hit the wall. Almost automatically, she was pulling him close to her, deepening the kiss.
Archer took her moaning and deepening of the kiss as a sign of encouragement. His arms wrapped around her slim waist as his leg slid up between hers so she was straddling him. Her fingers in his hair felt wonderful and he moaned in response.
"Hotaru," he murmured. "I... really... don't want to stop this time."
Pulling back slightly, she gulped, expression worried, as though she wasn't sure what to do. "I.....I don't want to either, but......I don't.....I don't want it to be just....just...." She wasn't sure how to say what it was she wanted him to understand.
Archer bit his lip to prevent a whimper escaping as Hotaru pulled away from him. It was almost painful having her do it but he thought it was only fair, since he had done the same to her twice already today.
"Physical?" he finished for her. "I understand Hotaru." He sighed. "I really do."
"You understand, but....." She didn't want to finish it for him, she didn't know how. Hotaru knew what she wanted, knew what he wanted, but....would it be the same for both of them?
"We'll wait until it's... more special," he said, even though Archer didn't want to wait. He wanted Hotaru right here, right now. If Hotaru was in love with him though, he should wait until he was in love with her.
"It's just hard," he said. "When you look like this or when you're normal it's just... hard to stop myself."
Biting her lip, she nodded. "But....just because.....we can't....do that. It....doesn't mean you have to...stop yet." Truthfully, she didn't want him to stop. She wanted more, craved more. And even though she didn't want things to just have a surface meaning, she still wanted it.
Archer knew that he should have told Hotaru that they should stop, that it was too dangerous to continue because they might not be able to stop. But he wasn't going to do any of those things because he wanted this too badly.
"That's true," he said, a small grin forming on his mouth as he leaned forward to kiss along her neck. "We just... have... to... be... careful."
no subject
Archer gave a low growl as her fingers moved through his hair and her legs tightened around his waist. He couldn't help but wish he was free to remove her restrictive clothing, but what he had to work with was still wonderful.
He nibbled gently as he moved along her neck at to her ear, kissing its folds until he trailed along her jaw and pressed his lips against hers.
Whimpering, she sucked in a breath as his lips moved to her ear, biting back a moan as he kissed his way down her jaw before molding her lips to his in a kiss that totally belied any ideas he might have had about her innocence.
Archer's hands slid over Hotaru's hips and rested there, not trusting them to not wander where they shouldn't right now. The incredibly short skirt was almost too tempting, as was her chest that was pressed against him.
He gave a soft groan as she kissed him in return, his head swimming with pleasure. As oblivious as she may have been to how provocative she had been earlier there was no doubt in Archer's mind that Hotaru was experienced at this.
"Hotaru," he gasped. "I don't know, ngh, how much longer I can control myself if we don't tone it down a bit."
She might have heard what he said, but....that didn't necessarily mean she was listening. Or at least, it didn't seem like she was listening, as she shifted closer against him, lips hesitantly finding that one spot at the angle of his jaw, fingertips slipping under the collar of his armour.
Archer let out a loud gasp as Hotaru's lips found an intensely pleasurable stop on his jaw that even he wasn't aware existed. Things were definitely escalating faster than he had intended them to but he was to the point where he could no longer really be responsible for his actions. Hotaru just knew all the right things to get him going.
Archer shifted Hotaru on his leg, trying to find a better position to hold on to her for... better access. His hands slid down from her hips to her thighs, grabbing them so that he could pick her up. Archer stood up and moved back in an attempt to give himself more room to begin removing Hotaru's clothes when she nibbled his neck again and he lost his balance, stumbling back and crashing against the door.
And, in that often-fated way things go, said door flew open, spilling it's rather....interesting contents across the floor. With a yelp, Hotaru went sprawling across the floor, landing in a rather more compromising position considering Archer's face was now firmly planted in her cleavage. Face turning bright red, she did the only thing she could do. She froze.
Archer felt the door give way behind him but there was nothing he could do, Hotaru's legs were firmly wrapped around his waist and his hands were holding those legs. He rolled with the fall as much as he could.
Legs and arms went flying as they tumbled, finally coming to a halt. Archer had ended up on top of Hotaru, his face nestled between her breasts. For a split second Archer wondered just how long he could get away with remaining there before he realized that others would have obviously seen what was going on and it was more than embarrassing already.
His face tinged with crimson Archer reluctantly pushed himself up and off of Hotaru's wonderful breasts. The girl seemed incapable of moving at the moment so Archer grabbed her by the hand and hauled her upright. Her skirt would display far more than she wanted it to.
"Ahh, time to go," Archer sputtered, reaching into the dressing room and grabbing her sweater and the black dress she wore earlier. He stopped by the cash register and grabbed some paper out of the garbage.
"For this one and what she has on," he said. Not even waiting to hear the price he used his sorcery to convert the strips of paper into several hundred dollar bills and threw it at the woman working the register before dragging Hotaru out of the store.
no subject
No...don't let me have another attack. I...shouldn't have them anymore....
With a slight grimace, she closed her eyes, trying to force air into spasming lungs as she slid down to her knees on the pavement.
Archer stopped up short as he felt Hotaru fall down to the pavement. Startled, he dropped her clothes and kneeled down next to her, panic forming on his face.
"Hotaru, what's wrong?" he asked, even though he knew that she couldn't answer him. "I'm sorry Hotaru, just take it easy."
Oh god, what have I done? he thought, panic rising in him. What's wrong with her?
Not knowing what else to do, Archer tentatively reached out and began to gently rub her back. His concern didn't vanish when she shook her head, Archer was pretty sure Hotaru would have told him she was fine if she was dying. If she was already dead, could she die again?
"I'm sorry Hotaru," he said. "I didn't know. I won't do anything like that again."
It didn't take long for her to catch her breath, and she shook her head, reaching up to grab his hand. "It's....ok. Not....your fault, Archer." At least now, she could breathe again, though she was exhausted from the attack. Like always. "Tired...."
"C'mon," he said, helping her up. "We'll get you home."
Picking up the clothes that he dropped Archer handed them to her, brushed her dark hair out of beautiful violet eyes and leaned down to kiss the middle of her forehead.
"Here, hang on to these."
Without another word Archer turned his back to her and looked over his shoulder.
"C'mon," he said, reaching his arms out behind him and giving her a wink. "Up you go, I'll give you a ride home."
Hotaru nodded, slipping up to slide arms around his neck, pressing herself against his back so he could scoop her up. "Ok...."
Archer squatted down a bit and hefted Hotaru up onto his back, his hands grabbing her by the legs, his fingers remembering the feel of the soft flesh they had held in an entirely different manner not too long ago. Of course, the piggyback ride was entirely for her benefit and had nothing to do with Archer getting to place his hands on her incredible backside.
"Ahh, Hotaru... where do you live?" he asked.
"I live in a lot of places....sometimes with Rue-chan, sometimes with Poppa and Alessa-ne-san....used to live with you...." She snuggled up against the back of his neck, breath soft and warm against his ear, tightening her arms slightly. This was...nice.
Archer shook his head, not making any sense of what she was saying. He didn't know any of those people to begin with and her breathing against his ear wasn't helping at all.
"I don't know who those people are," he said. "What are some places near... where we used to live? Do you still have a room there?"
no subject
The warm glow of happiness and the sharp pangs of guilt and regret hit him at her confession of love. It made him feel good to know that she felt that way but at the same time he couldn't honestly return the sentiment.
Not yet anyways, he told himself.
Having a destination in hand Archer began to run, gathering up speed before he pushed off the ground and moved up to the rooftops of the buildings. It was a much more convenient way to travel, often leading in a more direct route than convention travel.
He knew where building 8 was and got there without much problem. Standing at the door of room 24 he hoped that it was the correct one. Since he didn't have a key he just kicked the door open. He would be able to repair it later.
"Hotaru," he said softly. "We're home."
"Itterashai...Archer." She didn't really think about the ramifications, it didn't matter right now. They were home. Together. where they belonged. And right now...she didn't want to let go of him.
Archer made his way to what he assumed was the bedroom. Despite a thin layer of dust on everything the apartment was rather clean. He was sure that all the random objects and decorations had meant something to him at one point, but it was almost like being in a stranger’s house. Almost, but not quite. Because he did feel comfortable here. Archer supposed this he wanted an apartment to be like.
Despite the temptation, Archer decided not to try and change Hotaru into any sort of sleeping clothes. Instead he settled on removing her shoes and tucking her under the covers.
“Sleep well Hotaru,” he whispered to her as he kissed her lightly on the forehead. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”