A Demon's Lapse

Nora was adding the finishing touches to her hair and makeup. She remembered what the makeup artist taught her and was able to replicate the look surprisingly well. The last thing she wanted was for Mr. Kimura to see that she was crying, and even worse, ask her why. She put her hair in a ponytail with some strands hanging on the sides of her face. Knock! Knock!

"Yes," she asked.

It was Matsuda and he said, "Miss, it's time."

Why did it feel like she was going to an execution more than a dinner? She was tired of this rollercoaster with Mr. Kimura; they seemed to be getting along but then he returned to his old self after the Hong Kong incident.

Slowly opening the door, she followed him. He led her to a deck at the back of the house that overlooked the ocean. The sun beamed out softly on the horizon, close to saying goodbye for the day. The clouds above reflected the light casting a pink-purple hue below. It was so beautiful. A table for two had been set up. It was candle-lit and a delicious-looking feast had been placed on it. Kiyohira stood, leaning forward on the railing watching the waves. As soon as Nora had appeared he turned around to look at her. His expression was the same as always, stoic. Nora looked down, unable to endure his potent gaze, and bowed. He was dressed nicely as well. He wore a nice suit, unlike the other ones he wore, this one was meant for special occasions.

Matsuda pulled out a chair for her and beckoned her to sit down. She sat down and Kiyohira joined her.

Nora felt awkward just sitting there so she decided to break the ice, "Umm, thank you for this dress and the jewelry, I promise I won't ruin it before I give it back."

"Give it back? You don't like it," he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes, I'm just borrowing this stuff, right," she said.

"I'm giving you these things. I don't want them back."

"Oh, well thank you, but I can't keep all this, it's too much!"

"Why can't you just be grateful? Must everything be an argument with you?!"

Nora went quiet. She didn't want to ruin the evening, "You're right, I'm sorry. Let's just start over." Kiyohira just grumbled.

"Thank you for doing all this. To be honest, I'm not sure why you would. I thought you were angry with me," she said, realizing that she sounded rude. Kiyohira frowned. "I'm sorry! I am," she said, turning her gaze downward. She hoped she didn't screw everything up.

The silence was interrupted by Kiyohira, clearing his throat and saying, "Ahem, I admit, I may have been a bit harsh yesterday. Matsuda told me that you were the one to apprehend Nakano." She looked up at him. Was he thanking her?

"I helped a little bit," she answered. She hated praise or acknowledgment. Kiyohira chuckled. There went that expression of his again, the one that made Nora feel warm inside. The staff had prepared a delicious meal that Nora had dug into. The two had their dinner in peace. She was nervous that things would turn sour at any minute though. She did her best to stay on his good side.

After they finished eating, Nora walked over to the railing to watch the sunset. She blurted, "Rosie would love this view." The thought made her sad. Kiyohira joined her. He looked over at her sad expression and something came over him. It was guilt. "Sorry, I just spoke out of turn. This is just such a beautiful sight and my sister would do anything to see something like this," she said.

"Why do you love her so much?" he asked. Nora was taken aback with the question.

She turned to him and said, "She's my sister! She's all I have in this world! She raised and took care of me!"

Kiyohira scoffed. Family meant nothing but strife to him. He didn't understand how anyone could have a loving relationship with them.

Nora frowned, "I'm sorry that my love for my sister doesn't meet your approval! You may not understand what love is but just because you don't have it doesn't mean you get to take your bitterness out on everyone else!" Kiyohira became angry and she didn't care. No one came between Rosie and her.

Nora struck a deep chord within him. She was right. She turned back to look at the horizon where the sun had disappeared into. She waited for an angry response from him but instead, he just walked away. Before he entered the house, she stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Let me go," he said, without turning to look at her.

"Wait, I'm sorry," she said. She remembered the photo album she came across in the old house.

"What happened to her?" Nora asked. She let go of his arm and he stood there, confused.

He turned to her and said, "To whom?"

Nora looked him in the eyes, "Haru, your mother?"

Nora saw his familiar angry expression return at the sound of the words she had just uttered.

"How did you know her name?" he said slowly approaching her. She told him about the photo book.

"I-I just wanted to know, you looked so happy with her. What happened? Why did you change?" she stuttered as he trapped her against the railing.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, little girl! My patience with you has just about run out! I shouldn't have ever honoured your little demands! I'm going to lock you up in your old room for good," he said, threateningly.

Nora didn't back down, however, and replied, "So that's what you do when confronted with the truth? You simply lock it away? Hide everything that you don't like?"

Kiyohira was red with anger. There they were once again face-to-face in a stalemate. She could feel him fuming as he breathed loudly. Then suddenly, he grabbed her and kissed her. It all happened so fast that she didn't register what had happened. He kissed her deeply and passionately and at first she wanted to pull away but she was too caught up in the moment. He slowly pulled away and Nora looked down, exhaling gently. She was at a loss for words as he stared into her eyes intently. He was going to kiss her again but she put her hands on his muscular chest.

She bit her lip, afraid of what was to come, "Wait, there's something you should know about me. I'm transgender. I was born a boy."

Nora wasn't sure if she did the right thing in outing herself to such a dangerous man. This was something she always feared; she may have well signed her death sentence. At first Kiyohira had a confused look, then shock, and ultimately anger.

"I'm sorry," said Nora, as tears welled up in her eyes. Not knowing what to do, she quickly ran into the house, back to her room. She ran to the bed and panicked. This would surely not end well for her. She thought that the worst had passed during her time here but she had never felt fear like she did in that moment.

As she sat on the edge of the bed, crying with her face in her hands, she heard the door open and saw Kiyohira standing there.

She shot up, "I'm so sorry! I never meant to lie to you! I'll never overstep again. Send me back to my old room but please don't hurt--" Before she could finish her sentence, he scooped her into his arms and kissed her again, shoving his powerful tongue down her throat. Nora's eyes widened. It was both a scary and erotic experience.

"Wait, d-don't you hate me," she asked while she tried to pull away.

"Shut up," he growled as he began to devour her. He ran his rough hands through her long, silky hair, undoing her ponytail.

Still in shock, all Nora did was stand there and surrender to Kiyohira's kiss. She delicately placed her hands on his hard chest. He flung her onto the bed. Her small frame was pinned under his larger body. He pulled back and they stared at each other. He stared lustfully at her while she gazed at him nervously, breathing heavy. It was as if he were an apex predator preparing to devour his meal. She rested both hands over her heart as she lay there, demure and vulnerable. He kissed her again.