Feature Writer: Snekguy /
Feature Title: DEMON GATE 5 /
Copyright: © 2018 by Snekguy
Story Codes: MF, FemaleDom /
Synopsis: Satou is arranged to be married to the daughter of a neighboring landowner, but when he stumbles across a mysterious woman in the forest, he must find a way to balance the expectations of his family with his burgeoning desires /

Demon Gate 5

Chapter 5: Kiss From a Rose

“Are you feeling well, Satou?” his mother asked as he prodded at his food with his chopsticks. “You aren’t eating very much.”

Her voice snapped him out of his daydream, and he resumed his meal. He couldn’t tell her that the reason that he had lost his appetite was because he had dined on venison during his time on the mountain of course.

“I’m fine mother, I was just … distracted.”

“Those flowers that you picked,” his father said, gesturing to the bouquet that was now sitting in a vase in the middle of the table. “They don’t look any different from the ones that grow down in the valley.”

“No, these ones are … prettier,” Satou insisted. “I wanted only the best flowers for Lady Sasaki.”

“I’m so glad that you’ve taken such a liking to that girl,” his mother said, Satou grateful for the change of subject. “Such romance in the context of an arranged marriage is rare indeed. You should consider yourself lucky, Satou.”

“This is entirely hypothetical of course,” Satou began, avoiding his father’s gaze as he tried to conceal his nervousness. “But what would happen if … the Lady Sasaki … rejected my advances? What if she refused the marriage because she didn’t like me?”

“That won’t happen,” his mother insisted, “you have nothing to fear Satou. Lady Sasaki is an obedient girl, she has been reared well, by a good family. She is well mannered, dutiful, a proper lady through and through. No one in her position would dare to dishonor their parents and their shoen by refusing such a beneficial union. It would be unthinkable.”

He swallowed a mouthful of soup, trying not to look as guilty as he was starting to feel.

“Love plays no part in a marriage of this nature,” his father added sternly, “duty to family and to society must come before one’s own whims. Remember what I always tell you Satou, those who come together in passion…”

“ … stay together in tears,” Satou finished.

“Very good. Now finish your soup and get a good night’s rest. I want you working tomorrow, you’ll need your strength.”

“Yes father…”

---

“You seem even more distracted than usual today,” Nagao said, holding the fence post as Satou hammered it into the ground. They were repairing the fence that encircled the farm, used to deter scavengers and animals like deer that might try to eat their crops. The sun was already high, and Satou kept glancing up at the mountain, a kind of tension overcoming him. He longed to visit Higa again. The idea of her waiting around for him beside the pool, only for him not to show up, was maddening.

“I saw the Oni again,” he admitted, “I spoke to her this time.”

Nagao sighed with exasperation, standing up and wiping his brow.

“Will you heed no one’s advice, young Satou? I warned you not to go exploring beyond the sluice gate a second time, and you did exactly the opposite! If you were my son, I’d box your ears.”

“She’s not what you think!” he insisted, “she isn’t a vengeful monster that wants to destroy us. She’s kind, reasonable. She didn’t try to eat me, or trick me, or anything of the sort. She hasn’t caused any earthquakes or plagues. She’s just visiting the forest to hunt during the spring.”

“She is a yokai, a mystical creature,” Nagao said. “They are mischievous Satou. Just because she didn’t immediately try to eat you doesn’t mean that she won’t try something later! For all you know, she might cause a rock slide to crush the whole village, or she might conjure a blight that kills all the crops.”

“The Oni was kind to me, she fed me, she seems to want to teach me.”

“Teach you?” Nagao asked quizzically, “what does she want to teach you?”

“About her people and her culture, at least that’s what I think…”

He glanced longingly at the mountain again, Nagao shaking his head and muttering to himself as he retrieved another fence post from the pile.

“I know that look,” the old man grumbled, digging a furrow in the earth with the pointed end of the post. “I’ve seen it enough times to know that no amount of arguing is going to sway you. You’re smitten with her, aren’t you?”

“She’s like no one I’ve ever met before,” Satou admitted, “she treats me so differently to everybody else. She understands me. The way she acts, the way she talks … I can’t stop thinking about her. I dream about her.”

“Young love,” Nagao sighed, “as beautiful as it is destructive. You haven’t forgotten that you’re engaged to the Matsuyo girl, I assume? Let me guess, you don’t like her? She’s too demure for you, too prim and proper?”

“Nagao,” Satou began, “I-”

“Remember Satou, that as the heir to the shoen you have responsibilities and duties that go beyond your own happiness. Granted, being the lowly peasant that I am, I cannot imagine what it must be like to be compelled to marry someone that you don’t love. The lower classes of society might not get to enjoy the same luxuries and privileges as those at the top, but there is balance in all things, we enjoy freedoms that you do not. Do you have any idea what will happen if you refuse the Lady Matsuyo’s hand?”

“I don’t,” he admitted, “I have no plan. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what will happen. All I know is that when I met the Lady Sasaki, I felt nothing for her. I might as well have been engaged to a tree or a rock. But when I’m with Higa, the Oni girl, I feel alive in ways that I never have before. It’s like there’s a furnace burning inside me, like I can feel the blood coursing through my veins. Food tastes better, the world seems more colorful, and the thought of being without her makes my guts twist into a knot. What should I do, Nagao? How can this be wrong if it feels so right?”

“I remember when I met my wife,” he replied as he leaned on the post and stared into the distance, his eyes losing their focus as he dredged up old memories. “Nothing could have kept me from her. Your heart has switched places with your brain and it’s making the decisions now. You’re in the prime of youth, you’re experiencing all of these emotions and feelings for the first time. It’s like being drunk on sake, you feel like you could move a mountain if it meant winning her heart, like she’s worth risking everything for…”

Satou was surprised that Nagao understood how he felt. The old man was wise indeed, he had lived a long and fruitful life, accumulating so many experiences.

“You were never one to heed my advice before,” Nagao continued, “and you certainly won’t listen to me now. But I have to try to get through to you, Satou, I owe as much to your father. If you commit to this, if you go down this path, then you will put not only yourself but your entire family in a very difficult position. They have vouched for you, they have gambled their honor on the notion that you will be obedient and dutiful. The inhabitants of both our shoen are depending on this union to improve our quality of life, to elevate our position as a community.”

Satou began to speak, but Nagao cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“I know that you didn’t choose this, none of us can choose to whom we are born. But never the less, it is your duty to take care of your people. Do you understand that? Your father didn’t act impulsively, he didn’t get where he is today by chasing dreams. He did what was necessary, regardless of how he felt about it, and a result there are dozens of families here who live in peace and security under his guidance.”

“Will you tell him?” Satou asked, his eyes turned to the ground and his head bowed. He wasn’t accustomed to be being scolded by Nagao. The casual and friendly way in which he did it somehow made Satou feel worse than when his father subjected him to another one of his stern talks.

“I promised that I would keep your secret,” Nagao replied. “If I went back on my word, the spirits of my ancestors would rise from their graves and haunt me for tarnishing their good name.”

Satou breathed a sigh of relief, glancing back up the mountain again.

“She’s waiting for you, isn’t she?” Nagao asked, and Satou nodded. The old man rolled his eyes and held out his hand, gesturing for Satou to pass him the hammer. “Go on then, but it would be wise to return before your father comes looking for you. He won’t miss you for a few hours.”

“You mean it?” Satou asked, his expression brightening. “But … will you be alright on your own?”

“I’m not so old that I can’t repair a fence without your help,” he grumbled, “now off with you. I don’t agree with what you’re doing, but I know that you’ll do it anyway. The best I can hope for is that you’ll get over this girl and come to your senses in time for the wedding.”

“Thank you Nagao,” Satou exclaimed, practically hopping with excitement. He composed himself, then gave the man a more sincere bow to express his gratitude, Nagao waving for him to stand.

“I’m only an old farm hand, boy, I’m not worth such formalities. Now off you go, and take the forest path, lest someone see you.”

Satou nodded enthusiastically, jogging off in the direction of the dense woodland that surrounded the farm.

---

The ferns rustled as Satou pushed through them, arriving at the border of the clearing. He peeked between the trees, his heart racing, not just from his hurried climb but because he feared that he might have missed Higa. She had told him that she would only wait there for a short while.

He was relieved to see a massive puff of white, only her hair and her red shoulders visible from where he was standing. She was lounging in the water with her back to him, resting her elbows on the grassy shore. Satou could see her cloak and her clothing lying on the grass nearby, which meant that she must have shed them before entering the water. He watched her for a moment, wondering if it would be intruding to announce himself right now, but the snap of a twig alerted her to his presence.

She reached a hand over her shoulder and beckoned to him with her finger.

“Not peeking again, are you Satou? You took your time, I thought you might not be coming today.”

“I’m sorry,” he stammered, “I wanted to come sooner but I had some trouble sneaking away.”

“Oh, you’re being rebellious again today? Come join me, it’s a hot afternoon and the water is wonderfully cool.”

He hesitated, then emerged from between the trees, his face already reddening as he made his way over to her.

“It’s so nice to be able to bathe here” she sighed, leaning her head back and enjoying the spray from the waterfall. “It’s easy to work up a sweat while hunting, especially since it gets very hot and humid down at this altitude. I’m used to the snow-covered mountain tops, I’d never come down to the tree line if it wasn’t where the best game is found.”

He approached the edge of the pool and stopped beside her, Higa turning her head, looking up at him with a toothy grin that was becoming all too familiar. The water was crystal clear, there was nothing preventing him from copping an eyeful of her magnificent, red body. He averted his gaze, steam practically rising from his ears as she chuckled at him.

“Now now Satou, an Oni wouldn’t avert his eyes when faced with a beautiful woman. We go without clothing all the time, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Speaking of which, you can’t very well take a dip with yours on, can you?”

“Maybe I should just … stand at the water’s edge,” he mumbled.

“Nonsense, you worked up a sweat climbing the mountain, come and cool off for a while. You don’t have anything that I haven’t seen before.”

He considered for a moment, then did as she asked, walking a short distance behind her so that she couldn’t watch and shedding his clothes. He stripped down to his loincloth, not willing to go fully nude, and quickly slipped into the water a few feet to her left. He gasped as the cold liquid touched his feet, sliding down until he was sitting on the rocky bottom. The water reached his neck, while barely serving to cover Higa’s bosom, due to their difference in stature of course. At this angle the sun was reflecting off the surface of the pool, obscuring what lay beneath, and he felt a little more comfortable.

Higa was right, the water was pleasantly cold and the spray from the waterfall felt lovely against his face. It was nice to be able to wash off all of the sweat that he had accumulated during his hike, those heavy clothes didn’t do him any favors. He allowed himself to relax, sinking a little deeper, blowing bubbles as the water reached his mouth.

“That’s gonna chafe, you know,” Higa said as she gestured beneath the water at his loincloth. “Better let it dry in the sun for a while before you head back down the mountain.”

Satou didn’t reply, enjoying the peace and tranquility, enjoying being around Higa again. All of the tension that he had felt during his time away from her had evaporated the moment that he had laid eyes on her again, like surfacing for a gulp of air after holding his breath for a long time.

“What are you doing all the way over there?” Higa asked, making waves as she shuffled closer to him. Before he could escape, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him tightly against her body. Her nearest breast cascaded over his shoulder like it was trying to swallow him up, his body going as stiff as a board as he felt her smooth, wet skin against his own. Her flesh was so malleable, molding around him like a sack of grain, the weight of it threatening to push him beneath the surface.

She laughed at his expression, their cheeks now the same shade of red, loosening her grip a little.

“That’s better, you didn’t trek all the way up here only to sit so far away from me, right?”

His apprehension slowly melted away, his desire to be near her overpowering his social graces. It was everything that he had been taught not to do, and yet just the contact of her skin, the warmth of her body made him feel like he was floating on a cloud. He even dared to rest his head against the cushion of her breast, feeling it sink an inch or so into the red globe, its texture smoother and softer than even a silk kimono. He waited for her to push him away, to scold him for his unsolicited contact, but she never did. It was intoxicating. He felt blood rushing to his nethers, and he thanked his stars that he was still wearing his loincloth.

“There you go,” she said, ruffling his hair. “It’s called intimacy, it won’t kill you. You just need a little practice and you’ll get the hang of it. So have you told your dad that you don’t want to marry that posh girl yet?”

“N-No…” he admitted.

“What are you going to do about it? You’ll have to do something, right? You’ve made it clear that you don’t like her, are you just going to keep pretending that everything is fine?”

“I don’t know,” he grumbled, sinking deeper into the water and blowing bubbles again. “Everyone is depending on me to unite the two shoen. It’s all anyone ever talks about. My father keeps saying how proud he is of me for taking responsibility and being obedient, my mother won’t stop talking about married life, like she’s trying to give me advice. Whenever I walk past them, the villagers chatter and whisper, they’re as excited about the wedding as my mother is.”

“Sounds like a lot of pressure,” Higa said, clasping her hands behind her head as she leaned back. “You haven’t told anyone besides me how you’re feeling?”

“Only my friend Nagao knows about it, and about you.”

“Oh?” Higa asked, “what did he say about me?”

“He thinks you’re going to eat me, or cause a plague…”

“Figures,” she snickered. “I won’t bite,” she added, baring her sharp teeth. “Not unless you ask me nicely…”

“What do you think I should do?” Satou asked, looking up at her with wide eyes.

“Hard to say, Oni society is very different from yours. We wouldn’t ever find ourselves in that situation. But I can tell you that if someone tried to force me to do something that I didn’t want to do, I’d fight them tooth and nail.”

“I can’t fight my parents…”

“No, but you can tell them the truth. What’s the worst that could happen, and is that worse than spending the rest of your life with someone that you don’t love?”

“I don’t know that either,” he grumbled. “My father would be furious, my mother would be disappointed, my community might reject me. Maybe they would throw me out of the shoen to fend for myself in the wilderness.”

“Are you sure they’d react that badly? Even if you pissed them off, your parents would still love you, surely?”

“I can’t say for sure, but all my father seems to concern himself with is honor and duty and the family name.”

“Oni are expected to survive on their own in the wild from a young age,” she said as she draped an arm about his shoulders again. “It’s not that hard you know, especially down at this altitude. There’s plenty of game, fruits and vegetables growing wild, medicinal herbs that you can make use of. It they really do kick you out, I can teach you how to live off the land. You’ll be fine.”

“You’d really do that for me?” Satou asked.

“Of course, it wouldn’t be any trouble. If you lived with me for a month or two you’d pick it up in no time.”

The prospect certainly cheered him up a little. He didn’t want to leave his home of course, it was all that he had ever known, but he had no idea if his parents would go as far as to disown him or if his community would exile him. Suicide pacts between lovers who were not allowed to be married were not uncommon, nor was being denied inheritance for going against the wishes of one’s family. At least he had somewhere else to go if the worst was to happen.

“You need to learn to stick up for yourself,” she continued, “headbutt your dad if you have to. Assert your dominance.”

“I can’t headbutt my father,” he laughed.

“Well you’re going to have to do something, right? It seems cruel to me, forcing someone to marry when they don’t want to. You’re so young, you shouldn’t be shackled to a woman you don’t even like. You should be enjoying yourself, experimenting, messing around with girls.”

“Messing around?” Satou asked. Higa laughed at him, trapping him in a headlock and rubbing her knuckles against his scalp. He struggled, but it was futile, her muscles were like iron.

“You’re such a little … I don’t even know,” she chuckled, “you’re so sheltered it drives me crazy. I want to get you drunk off your lordly face and throw you into a brothel just to see what would happen. Nobody should be this innocent at your age.”

“Well you won’t find any brothels around here,” he said, straightening his hair as she released him. “So … have you ever…”

“Have I ever ‘messed around’? Yeah, plenty. My people aren’t like yours, we have a different concept of romance, we don’t have to wait around until we’re married.”

“Is there someone back at your village that you … like?”

“You’re asking if I have a lover? No, not officially.”

He tried to conceal his relief, Higa watching him out of the corner of her eye as he sat beside her in the water.

“You can ask about sex, you know,” she added. Satou nearly jumped out of his skin, averting his eyes and wringing his hands again. “Watch you don’t boil the water there, kid. You’re more than old enough, it’s normal to be curious. I suppose you haven’t had any exposure to it, do they teach you about it at all in your culture?”

“That’s … between a man and a wife,” he mumbled. “It wouldn’t be proper…”

“Yeah, maybe in your fantasy land. Do you think that everyone holds out until they’re married, even in your society? How many lords and ladies go around doing the nasty in secret before they’re auctioned off to whichever family has the most oxen? Most of them I’d bet.”

“Passion has no place in a marriage,” Satou insisted, repeating what his father had endlessly drilled into him.

She pulled him tight again, her breast pressing against his burning cheek.

“That’s nonsense. Come on, there’s nobody around to overhear us. You and your bride will be expected to consummate your marriage, right? Aren’t you curious about what it would feel like? What will happen?”

“I haven’t thought about doing that with her,” he replied.

“What about with me? You called me beautiful, right? You got a good eyeful of me without my clothes on. Was that the first time that you saw a girl in the nude?”

Satou couldn’t even think straight anymore, he felt like his brain was frying in his skull, like his rapidly beating heart was about to explode out of his chest. His mouth was dry, he felt drunk, all that he could focus on was the feeling of her massive body pressing against him. The smoothness of her skin, the way that her thigh was squashed against his, the way that her breast weighed down on his shoulder. He wanted to so badly to look at her, to drink in every contour of her figure, it was so tantalizingly close and bare. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it, he was almost afraid of her.

“I won’t be offended,” she said, leaning down close to him so that she could whisper in his ear. “It’s kind of flattering, you peeking at me from behind the trees, sending me love notes and picking me flowers. Come on little Satou, you can tell me, I won’t breathe a word of it to anyone else.”

His lips were sealed tightly, but as much as he wanted to be respectful, there was also a burning desire rising inside of him that he couldn’t suppress. He wanted her to know how he felt, even if it went against every taboo. Higa was the only person that he could tell the truth to, the only person who understood him, he found it almost impossible to lie to her.

“Yes,” he mumbled.

Higa laughed, her tone seductive rather than mocking, apparently amused by his reaction to her teasing.

“You look like you’re about to explode, Saitou. Do you even know enough about sex to fantasize about me?”

He didn’t reply, his hands clasped in his lap.

“You’ve probably never kissed anyone yet, right? That’s step one right there.”

He shook his head, and she chuckled again.

“Shall I teach you how?”

Satou was at the end of his rope, looking up at her, seeing those yellow eyes peering down at him expectantly. Her white hair framed her red face, blowing gently in the breeze, and he suddenly realized how full and plump her lips were. They were slightly darker than the surrounding skin, flushed, inviting.

“W-With you?”

“Yes with me, you see anyone else around? Maybe your wife will warm up to you if you give her a good kiss, what do you say?”

“Alright,” he said, nodding his head slightly as he swallowed. She grinned at him, then he flinched as he felt her cup his face with one of her large hands. Her skin was wet and cool against his hot cheek, and he stared up at her, waiting. She was so much taller than he was, he had to crane his neck to meet her gaze. Why did that make him feel so … shivery?

“Relax, you act like I’m going to wrench your head off. Start like this, hold her…”

His eyelids were fluttering, and it felt like there was a swarm of butterflies roiling in his stomach. What was happening to him? She drew closer, her puff of hair casting him into shadow, her eyes shining as they seemed to reflect the surface of the pool. He couldn’t peel his gaze away from them, like he was being hypnotized.

“Then you do it like this,” she whispered, her lips pressing against his. They were so soft, so full, like a ripe plum as she held him there for a moment. He didn’t know how to react, at least not at first, a wonderful shiver coursing down his spine as she slowly opened her lips. It was instinctual, he suddenly knew what to do, following her lead as something slippery and warm slid into his mouth. It was her tongue, its velvet texture and its metallic taste immediately blanking his mind, like pulses of white light were filling his head. He was so absorbed by her kiss that he couldn’t process anything else, like all of his senses had suddenly become hyperfocused on the new and exciting sensations that were assailing him, his eyes closing of their own accord.

Their tongues entwined, wet muscle sliding against wet muscle, he could feel every twitch and stroke as Higa moved with practiced grace. She was an artist, so measured and gentle despite her size, treating him like he was made of glass. Did this come naturally to her, or had she done this many times before? Her organ was so much larger than his, he felt like she was filling him up, the sheen of her saliva that coated it making it as slippery as a snail.

She pushed deeper, using the tip to stroke his inner cheeks, drawing shapes on the roof of his mouth like she was painting him from the inside. It tickled, and he shivered as she caught his lower lip between her teeth, tugging gently before resuming her explorations. He tried to meet her embrace, but she was so strong, and he was so inexperienced. He resigned to let her do as she pleased, leaning into her as her sordid kiss dragged on, her tongue dancing and roiling in his mouth.

She finally broke off with a wet smack, drawing back and watching him as he slowly opened his eyes, swaying drunkenly. He felt dizzy, somehow sapped of his strength, but it was one of the most wonderful things that he had ever experienced. A taste of heaven.

“And that’s how you kiss someone,” she added, unable to suppress her wide grin. “You alright there, Satou? Do you need a minute?”

“I … I didn’t think it would feel like that,” he mumbled, leaning against her again as she released his face and wrapped her arm around him. He was all tingly, his member now straining against the fabric of his loincloth, blood rushing in his ears as his heart throbbed in his chest.

“Well, it doesn’t always feel like that, but I think I’m pretty good at it. Amongst other things…”

He realized that he was resting his head on the side of her boob again, and one of his hands had snuck down below the water in an attempt to hold onto her. He pulled it away hastily, but then he felt her grip his wrist, guiding his hand around her waist. At least as far as he could reach around such a large body. If he hugged her with both arms, he doubted whether his hands would meet on the other side.

“You can touch me,” she said, “I’m touching you aren’t I?”

Satou burned with a blend of emotions that threatened to drive him crazy. He was ashamed and embarrassed, this wasn’t behavior befitting of his station. And yet at the same time he was more aroused than he had ever been, swimming with a desire for Higa that bordered on adoration.

His fingers brushed something firm, and Satou realized that he was touching the chiseled six-pack that he had so admired from afar. He couldn’t see it, all he could see was her red breast, but he could feel the hard muscles as they flexed beneath his hand.

He could no longer help himself, his heart thudding in his ears as he traced their contours, bulging muscles as hard as iron shifting beneath skin that was smooth like glass. The water made her slippery, frictionless, his hand gliding as he stroked her. Higa shifted her weight, apparently enjoying his clumsy explorations, her every subtle movement making her abs move and shift. They cut deep channels in her torso, cleanly separating each muscle, so perfect that if it was not for the warmth of her body he might have assumed that they were hewn from stone.

“I take it the women in your village aren’t built like me?” Higa chuckled.

“No,” he breathed, “I’ve never seen anybody like you…”

Again images flashed in his mind of his small, meek, fragile bride to be. What did she have under all those layers of fancy clothes? Nothing like this, that was for sure. Higa was strong and boisterous, not just in terms of her developed body, but in the way that she challenged him and teased him. She was fun, interacting with her was stimulating, she didn’t just bow her head and agree with everything that he said like some kind of slave. She had an energy to her, a vitality that was missing in all of the women that he had met up until now.

He slid his hand downwards, feeling the indent of her navel, her muscles like stones that had been smoothed by the flow of a river. Beneath it was a flush mound that contained more firm muscle, and his forearm brushed her thigh, so large and round that it must have been near the size of his torso.

“Getting a little low there, aren’t you?” Higa commented. He drew back his hand, mumbling an apology, fearing that he had crossed the line. She just laughed at him, messing up his hair again and pulling him tight, her bicep pushing against his cheek as she rested her heavy arm across his shoulder.

“What would your father say if he knew that his sheltered son was being led astray by an Oni temptress?”

“He wouldn’t be very happy about it,” Satou mumbled.

“You’re a lot of fun, you know,” Higa said. Satou perked up at that, his heart skipping a beat as she relaxed and let herself sink deeper into the water, laying her head on the grass. “It’s like my own personal kabuki play, we could call it ‘the drama of Satou’,” she added with a dramatic wave of her hand. “I find myself wondering what mischief you’ve gotten into today, whether your parents have discovered your secret yet. You have such a huge crush on me, it’s adorable…”

“Adorable like a little brother or a pet?” Satou asked hesitantly.

“Nah,” she replied, “adorable like it makes me want to indulge you. I’m your first crush, that’s obvious enough, and I’m in the perfect position to make it a great experience. Now I’ve stolen your first kiss, and I’m thinking to myself; should I be doing this? Am I humoring you because it’s what you want, or because it’s what ‘I’ want? You’re so young and naive, maybe I’m taking advantage of you…”

Satou felt a sudden surge of emotion, rising to his feet in the pool and sliding out from under her heavy arm. Higa watched him curiously as he reached out and took her cheeks in his hands. Her skin was like red velvet against his palms, and she blinked those yellow eyes at him, batting her snow-white lashes. He couldn’t help but sneak a hand into her hair, feeling the silky strands as he combed them with his fingers.

“Hold her…” he said, “then do it like this…”

He drew Higa towards him, pressing his lips against hers, hearing her giggle in surprise and amusement as he locked her in a kiss. He did his best to replicate what she had shown him, parting his lips as he slid his tongue into her mouth. Her familiar flavor set his senses aflame, the sensation of her slippery tongue sliding against his own making sparks fly in his head. Her lips were so smooth and plump, her tongue so agile, her warmth permeating him in the cold water.

Just like when she had asked him to headbutt her, he had to assert himself. He had to show her that he could be strong and confident, that he too possessed the traits that he so admired in her.

Their tongues coiled around one another like a pair of mating snakes, their embrace growing more passionate as it dragged on, Higa responding to him in ways that he had not expected. She was no longer merely teasing him, her slow, doting strokes felt more sincere now. She sank her fingers into his hair, holding him close to her, her claw-like nails pricking his scalp. He was slightly taller than her now, due to the fact that she was lounging in the pool, and he found that somehow encouraging.

He trapped her lip between his teeth and tugged on it gently, just as she had done with him, and he heard her chuckle through their kiss as she failed to suppress a smile.

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?” she laughed, Satou pausing to catch his breath as he brushed his forehead against hers.

“You’re not taking advantage of me,” he insisted, leaning in and picking up where they had left off. Higa was becoming more aggressive now, her tongue probing deeper than Satou could manage due to its exaggerated size, shivers running down his spine as he felt its satin surface glide across his palate and bulge his cheeks. Flesh on flesh … it was so raw, the sensations so harsh and unfiltered, intimacy like he had never known it.

“I want this,” he gasped as her tongue slid out of his mouth, linked to his lips by a thin strand of her saliva that glistened in the midday sun. “You can’t steal my kiss if I give it willingly…”

“I’m going to steal more than a kiss if you keep this up,” she mumbled, taking a handful of his hair as she rose from the pool. The water poured from her red shoulders in sheets, sliding down her muscular body as she pressed his naked back against the shore, maintaining their lurid kiss as she loomed over him. Satou’s eyes were tightly closed, but he felt the weight of her breasts as they came to rest on his chest, pressing him down and molding around him like melting wax. He felt the fluffy mass of her white hair as it fell about him, the fine strands tickling his skin as she cast him into darkness. Now he had to turn his face upwards, practically lying on the grass with his legs still submerged as she pinned him beneath her bulk. They stayed that way for what might have been minutes or seconds, he couldn’t tell anymore, all he could think about was Higa…

When she finally broke away, she left him red-faced and gasping, her taste still lingering on his lips as she slid back down into the water. When he recovered enough to open his eyes and get his bearings, she had submerged herself up to the neck, her alluring body once again hidden just out of sight. It was maddening.

She dunked her head for a few moments, her white hair floating on the surface like a giant, furry lily. When she emerged again, she splashed the cold water on her face with her hands, shaking her head like a wet dog.

“D-Did I do something wrong?” Satou asked, rubbing his arm nervously as he sat on the shore beside her.

“No, you did something right,” she replied. “I gotta cool off, or I might…”

Satou blushed again as she trailed off, the implication conjuring sordid images of her red, shining body moving atop his own. He willed his conspicuous erection to recede, resting his hands in his lap again in a futile attempt to conceal it.

“It’s not quite locking horns,” she said, “but it’s better than a poem.”

“You didn’t steal my first kiss,” Satou said, “you aren’t taking advantage of me. I wanted you to have it … I want ‘you’, and if you want me too then why shouldn’t do we this?”

“Do what?” Higa asked. “You don’t even know, do you?”

He shook his head, and she looked over her shoulder at him, attempting to slick back her mass of wet hair and failing.

“I guess that’s one of the things I like about you, I can’t question your motives. Most guys just want a quick roll in the furs with me, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But you … you wouldn’t even know what to do with me, you just know that you want me. I like that, it’s … innocent. But listen kid, I’m an Oni, you’re a human. A naive one at that. Even I don’t know exactly how this will work, it might not go the way that you expect.”

“I don’t care,” he blurted, “if my father refuses then … I’ll run away!”

Higa threw her head back and laughed again.

“You thought I was talking about marriage? I was talking about … never mind. See, this is what I mean, you’re so naive it hurts. But it’s cute, really cute.” She reached over and playfully pushed him into the water, Satou surfacing with a gasp. “Marriage is a bit premature, but I can show you a whole lot more than kissing. Would you like that?”

He nodded, and she shot him another toothy grin.

“I see that you took my advice to heart,” she added “you’re learning to assert yourself. I’ll make a little Oni out of you yet.”

She splashed him, and he splashed her back, the two laughing as they showered one another with water. When he tired, Satou drifted closer to her, sitting at her side as she wrapped an arm around him again. It seemed like the dynamics their relationship had changed, in a good way. He got the impression that she saw him differently now, less of a source of entertainment, and more … something else. He couldn’t believe that he had kissed her like that, the fresh memories of what they had done flashing through his mind. He could still feel her tongue moving inside his mouth, he could still taste her.

It had felt good to take initiative, it bolstered his confidence. If he could kiss an Oni, maybe he could stand up to his father too? He was certain now that he couldn’t marry Sasaki. If he did, he would spend the rest of his days pining for Higa.

“We should dry off,” she said, shifting as she began to climb out of the pool. Satou averted his eyes reflexively as the mass of red muscle rose from the water beside him, stepping onto the shore and making for her pile of discarded clothes. “I need to do some more hunting before the sun sets. Want to come along?”

“I do,” Satou sighed, “but I can’t be away for too long. If my father comes to check on me and notices that I’m missing, there will be hell to pay.”

“Alright, little Satou. Run off home then. You said that you could visit me at night, right?”

“I did,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the forest across the pool.

“Come see me tonight,” she said. “Think you can find my camp site again?”

“Probably,” Satou replied. He had visited it only once, but he had a pretty good idea of where it was in relation to the sluice gate.

“Consider it a test then,” she said as she dried herself off with her furry cloak, “come find me when the sun goes down. I’ll be waiting.”

---

“You took your time,” Nagao said, shielding his eyes from the rays of the setting sun as Satou emerged from the forest. He was coated in sweat, breathing hard, doubling over as he came to a stop beside the old man. Nagao waited for him to catch his breath, leaning on a recently planted fence post.

“So, did you have fun with your Oni friend?” Satou’s grin told him everything that he needed to know, and he shook his head in exasperation. “And here I was thinking that you’d get her out of your system, but now you look happier than ever. You’re lucky that you father hasn’t been back to fetch you yet. Here,” he said as he threw him the hammer. Satou caught it, standing and wiping his brow.

“Thanks Nagao, I got back as quickly as I could.”

“Well? Are you going to tell me what happened?” the old man asked as he readied the next post. Satou lifted the hammer and gave it a tap, driving the post into the earth.

“I think she likes me. She asked me to visit her camp site tonight, I’m going to slip away once my parents have fallen asleep and go to her.”

“Really? Well good luck to you, young Satou. It sounds like you’re in for quite the night. How … large is she exactly?”

“Maybe eight or nine feet,” he said as he gave the post another whack.

“I … see, quite the night indeed…”

“Satou!”

He turned, hearing someone calling his name from further up the terraces. It was his father, come to fetch him for supper no doubt. Satou exchanged a glance with Nagao, he had beaten his father by only a minute or two. If he had dawdled on his way back down the mountain then he would have been discovered.

“You look like you’ve been working hard,” his father said as he came to a stop beside the pair, appraising the fence. “You’ve certainly earned a break. Nagao, how are you?”

The old man bowed low, addressing Satou’s father in a formal manner.

“My family and I are well, thank you. Your son is a fine worker.”

“Good to hear, good to hear. Come Satou, your mother has prepared supper.”

“Yes, father,” Satou replied as he shared another glance with Nagao. The old man winked at him, ever faithful to his word, and Satou waved farewell as he followed his father up towards their house.

THE END OF CHAPTER FIVE