Butterfly Dreams

Author's Note

This story is set in an ancient parallel world and most of the supernatural and dwellings are Japanesque-based or influenced.

Disclaimer: I do not profess to know much about the Japanese myth, legend or culture beyond the casual anime/manga, so do take the details with a pinch of salt – much like Twilight's sparkly vampires!

Enjoy the read!

Chapter 01 Rei/Chou

The vampyre hissed as he pressed his body against her. Rei forced down a gulp as she tried hard not to breathe. But it proved difficult and she soon drew a sharp intake of air.

She recoiled automatically, expecting a putrid smell of rotten blood to ensue from the monster's mouth. But it smelled nothing like that. In fact, it smelled like lime and mango blossoms and everything she liked...

no! Control yourself!

Her inward voice protested.

She turned to look back at the vampyre, and only caught the pale sliver of his ear, his head pushed in at her neck, poised to strike it, sinking sharp teeth into her soft flesh and draining her blood and life out - except he wouldn't be able to. Her neck and every other part of her flesh that had arteries running through it, was covered by a stiff material, a combination of metal and toughened leather that would break even a vampyre's teeth.

It wouldn't stop a bite on every other part to compel her to keep still enough for him to tear the armour away though, as he had done to her ear. His curse of compulsion sizzled even now, through her veins, causing her to freeze in that position, sandwiched between the hard stone wall and the vampyre, her braids flung carelessly, proffering useless defence against him. He would rip her neck armour away and ...

The vampyre pulled back, studying her, with his mouth curled up in corners. His eyes glowed red in the dark, and pale hair glistened in what little of the moonlight that manage to filter in through the basement.

He cupped her face with one cold hand, while the other picked her spectacles off her face, throwing that very expensive accessory onto the hard-packed earth. Rei winced as she heard the glass shatter when it hit the ground.

"What a fine Oriental specimen you are. Such a waste to kill you. Perhaps," he leaned over to whisper in her ear, fruit and flower scent folding into his words, "Perhaps I'll suck just a bit of your blood. A puppet. I'll take your life and body every night, and heal you so that you'll tear again tomorrow night, and the night after and after that. Again and again and again." He licked her, rough tongue sliding from her chin to her temple. "You are a virgin. I can smell it rolling off you."

So this was what the scrolls meant by "the creatures are able to emulate victim's desires". Despite knowing that, the accuracy of his words still chilled her.

He was, in fact, already ready to take her. Rei could feel a bulge growing between her legs, pressing against her thigh.

"Maybe I like making love under the trees," she replied defiantly.

He chuckled, a low bass tone that reverbed through the hollowed room.

"Such sweet innocence."

A sharp-nailed finger traced the edge of the neck armour.

Rei shut her eyes, willing her body to move. And finally it did, snapping the curse harshly.

Her left hand swung her dagger, thrusting it into his neck up to its hilt.

The vampyre pulled back, laughing. "Silly girl. You think that will hurt me? I'll -"

Whatever it was he was trying to say was abruptly cut off as he stared at the splatter of blood on her face. He looked down to see the tip of a wooden stake sticking out of his chest. Black blood oozed where it would have been bright red in any living existence.

Vampyres have no beating heart, but such was the force by which was used to drive the stake in.

Rei wiped the blood with her other hand and pushed the dagger sideways, feeling the diamond crusted blade force grating through bone.

Detached from its body, the head fell with a thud and rolled away, stopping at a distance away. The body toppled onto Rei and she shouldered it away with a grimace. It joined the head on the ground.

"No, but that would," Rei quipped belatedly, and then thought about how silly she sounded.

She stepped over the remains, already beginning to turn to ash, to join her partner. He was pale, almost not breathing. One hand still stretched out where the stake had flown from. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead. His golden fox ears twitched as he always did when he was anxious.

Rei pushed his arm down. "Anything else?" She asked.

"All clear." He blinked then shook his head slowly.

He pulled her into his breast, embracing her tightly. "That was close."

"Well, lucky these foreigners didn't know that we hunt in pairs."

"Yes," he mumbled into her hair. "I don't want wish to push our luck though. Chou, I really care about you, you know."

"I know. You don't need to feel me up to show me that," Rei replied drily. "And I'm Rei now."

Hoku pulled back his hand, embarrassed. It was true, his fingers hand skimmed lightly over her back and was headed downwards to an area where 'partners' don't venture. He released her reluctantly and looked over her head. "I guess I better collect the proof." He pulled out a gourd from his belt and unstoppered it, bending over to collect some of the ashes.

Rei walked over to her spectacles and picked it up, cursing when she saw that one lens had dropped out, lying on the ground in fragments, while the other lens had a big crack across it. She dropped the glasses where it had been.

Looked like most of the money on the mission would be spent replacing it or she could not accomplish any future mission at all, having to walk around half blind.

The moon was out in full and its light illuminated the night brightly. They picked their way through weeds, overgrown vines and other detritus of the lawn of an abandoned estate.

She looked at her partner. Calmer now, Hoku's ears were still and his tail swished across his bare posterior almost contently. Like her, Hoku, was dressed in beaten metal and leather, with all the important areas covered up tightly, the material clinging to muscled torso, leaving little to imagination - except for the crescent-shaped hole at the small of his back that allowed for his tail and showed the cleft of toned glutes.

Moonlight glanced off his Flame Mark, seven filled red flames blooming like a lotus, indicating his warrior blood and indicative of high standing among the fox clans. Like the number of flames, in his full magnifestation, Hoku would have seven tails. She rubbed her own Flame Mark, painfully aware of the meaning behind the eight hollow petals - human foundling of the royal family and perhaps someday a companion of one of the princes. Never the consort and Lady, simply someone to relieve the sometimes insatiable needs of her Lord.

Rei's thoughts returned to the vampyre's threats of ravish and taunts of her virginity. And then of Hoku's wayward hands, with a slight blush.

Fornification between hunter partners was not unheard of. It was their work that usually caused it - Titillation from the excitement of hunting and the general lack of social companions. Sometimes offsprings were begotten, even with same gender partners.

Through sheer willpower

, Rei supposed.

Coitus with Hoku would not be disagreeable, she realised. He had that classic good look of a fox - golden hair, curling slightly above his shoulders, a long and narrow nose between intense amber eyes that burned with the power within him and the lithe physique of a fighter. Her heart beat slightly faster as her eyes traversed the length of his body, noting, especially, the outline of his manhood straining against the leather. It made

that

part of her throb.Yes, as a male, he appealed to her very well.

The vampyre had been on spot about her virginity, but wrong about her innocence, not that he would ever know it.

As they broke through the last row of shrubs and entered the common highway, Hoku caught her staring at him in a side glance and smiled.

"Why don't you take a companion?" Rei ventured.

Hoku's smile disappeared into a frown. "Why would I?" He asked.

"I know you have...needs."

"Well, I..." His words were left hanging in the air as he quickly stepped in front of Rei, daggers out. Seconds later, he eased back the blades into their sheaths and pulled out the gourd of ashes instead.

Rei peeked around him. A light was bobbing up and down in the distance.

The light bearer was the Observer for the region. His task was to keep his eyes peeled for monsters and demons and request for an extermination team from the Hunters' guild if things got out of hand. This usually meant that the safety of the occupants of the region he looked after was compromised or one too many people had disappeared.

Sometimes the Observer was human, sometimes he was one of the spirits.

The one that approached them was human. An elderly man, but she could see him leer at her, despite him probably having grandchildren of her age.

"Mistress Fox, the proof please," he asked as his tongue ran over his lips. His eyes never left her chest. Rei knew he must be starting at the shadow of her nipples, imagining all sorts of nasty things. To Rei's exasperation, his pants began to bunch up as a mound started to rise.

He wouldn't dare to accost her at least, since he thought her to be one of the foxes.

Hoku held out the gourd, but the observer ignored it until Rei took it from his hand and pushed it into the old man's hands.

The man caught her fingers just as she withdrew it, earning a growl from her partner.

"The token," his voice quivered as he slipped a wooden tag into that hand. Rei pulled away her hand and turned the token over, checking its authenticity. She nodded at Hoku who waved the Observer away.

The Observer backed away and soon vanished into the night.

"What a pervert," Rei murmured as Hoku spat in his direction.

The two hunters walked away, in the opposite direction, where they had sojourned three nights prior. It was a village with a small inn, and they would be able to rest before heading back to their home in the mountains, another week's journey.

Faint pink streaks had appeared in the sky before they left the highway to enter a smaller trading road which they followed for another two days. It was on the third day that they spotted a caravan coming towards them. Rei guessed that word had gotten out that the vampire problem had been taken care of.

Hoku gathered his cloak about him, pulling its hood low as the caravan passed by them. The traders did not spare them a glance. Many more followed through the hours, some coming from behind them.

As they neared the village, Hoku cast a glamour onto himself, tucking his ears and tail away from human eyes. He had rounded ears now, much like her own, and his eyes were muddy brown instead of the fierce gold.

"Do you like what you see?" he asked, humour restored. "I can show you more." He twirled a lock of hair around his finger.

Rei slapped his arm and smiled tiredly at him. They had been walking for at least four nights with little rest and her legs were ready to collapse beneath her.

The village was in a clearing beside a stream, fenced in by tall bamboo trees so that Rei could only see roofs of dwellings within it. When they had come, it was night time, and Rei didn't notice much. Now that she stood on the road looking at it, she saw that it was a very busy village. Carts and people came passing in and out of the village, through a wide opening in the bamboo tree fence.

As they passed under the roofed gate, Rei felt the ripple of a magical field bend to let her in. She looked at Hoku, but he hadn't any problem crossing it either. So the field was probably just to discourage wild animals, and not spirits and demons.

The noticeboard was in the square right after the gate. After scanning it, Rei confirmed that she had been right. Everyone now knew that the problem has been taken care of.

"There's a job," Rei declared as she stared closely at a bill.

Hoku groaned. "Why don't we just go home?" He nudged her slightly as he stood beside her to look at the bill. "It's nearly time for the festival."

"It's on the way, and we do need to replace the spectacles," she gestured at her eyes. They needed money, and she did not want to return to the clan and beg for some. It was not that they would not help her - she was almost a princess. It was her entitlement. But that would mean conceding defeat and hastening her fate as a mistress of some lord.

"Why don't we let Ichi fix your eyes?" Hoku asked. "And no," he made a face. "Exorcising an evil demon which has been eating women's souls? Do you have some fetish for demons or something?"

"Well, at least think over it?"

Hoku sighed and that was the end of the discussion.

The inn grounds that had been empty when they visited it now bustled with people. They were pushed this way and that by guests and inn hands, before they finally reached the entrance of the building.

Guards stopped them as they stood at the crowded entrance, before the raised wooden floor that marked the threshold to the interior of the building. A foot away, were counters facing the doorway, occupied by men and women. The guards pushed them to one of the counters.

"I can give you only one room," the man at the counter replied slowly as he squinted at them.

"We'll have it," Hoku replied, pushing a silver coin before Rei could protest. "There's a bath?"

"Yes, an alcove attached to the room. I will get the servants to heat up the water. Dinner will be served in the room as the sun sets." At the last sentence, he gave Hoku a wink. Probably hinting that two of them should wrap up their room activities by then.

Hoku cleared his throat as he blushed. "Thank you."

"We'll send your footwear after you. Keep your weapons sheathed," with that, he dismissed them.

Servants directed them to an area where they could take off their boots and wash their feet, whisking those away, and guided them over the threshold.

They padded barefooted on the pleasantly warm wooden floor, following a child who was barely ten. He was all smiles as he led them along the open corridors, flanked by flower bushes. Having been at the inn only for a short while at night and only at its eating area, the two of them had not seen the inn in its glory.

Already Rei could feel some soreness easing out of her feet.

Their room was fairly spacious, one of the many that faced a small stone garden inwardly. As the boy slid the paper door open, she risked some glances and saw some doors open with its occupants enjoying the view of the garden, while others not quite shut, and more than one with the guests participating in...activities.

She blushed as she ducked under the low doorway into the room. Delicate carvings from above it cast a silhouette of floral scenery onto the tatami-covered floor. The futon had been laid out on it, a single wide padded bedding that occupied half of the room. A blanket and two sets of yukata were placed folded on it. Across that, was another set of double doors, and these open to a small balcony with a squat wooden table and cushioned chair, hanging over the stream. Hoku was there, already leaning over the railings. His things were already deposited in the closed storage.

The alcove's doorway occupied the last side of the wall, an open concept with no doors. She was not surprised. She walked towards it.

Three steps led her from the bedding area into a sunken squarish room tiled with stones. The air was slightly humid with only slits on the walls above the ceiling to allow for any circulation of sorts. At the side was a stone slab with towels, bucket and soap resting on it. The wooden bath was in the centre of the room, already filled to its brim. The boy and another servant - a girl - were working on the coals beneath the wooden tub.

"Change the bedding to two small ones," she instructed the servants.

The boy paused from his duties and looked up at her. His cheek was now smudged with coal. "I'm sorry Mistress, there is no other type of bedding."

Hoku was shrugging and trying not to look too excited when she looked at him. "You should bath first," was all he said after the two children left, sliding the doors after them.

"Don't look," Rei warned, as she stripped her armour and clothes off her, dropping it at the alcove doorway.

"Alright," Hoku agreed, turning away to face the wardrobe.

Rei picked up one of the robes and went into the alcove.

She scooped some of the water out in the bucket, using up some to clean the grime of the mission off her hair and skin, before slipping into the tub. The hot water felt good.

There was rustling and thumps. Alarmed, Rei leaned out of the tub to see what was happening.

Hoku still had his back to her, except that now he was mostly naked. His armour and clothes laid crumpled at his feet When he started to pull down his loincloth, Rei drew back quickly.

Soon enough, he entered the alcove, with not a thread on him.

"Hoku!" she hissed, slouching lower so that her chin dipped into the water.

"It's not like you haven't seen me nude," he shrugged unapologetically. He started scrubbing himself with soap and the water inside the bucket.

He was right. They had grown up together, and she had seen him in all states of dressing (or undressing) , but not since they reached adolescence and her heart had never beat this fast.

"Move over," he ordered her, and dropped into the tub even as she started to protest. "No hogging of hot water, Mistress Fox," he said sternly.

It took them a few minutes to untangle their legs, at the end of which Rei had her back turned to him and legs folded up against her chest. Hoku was at the other end, with his legs splayed out so that she was between him. His feet nudged her hips.

"Hmm... Feels good," he leaned back with closed eyes, resting his back on the side of the wooden tub, elbows hanging over the edge.

"Heavens damn you," Rei said. "This is only big enough for one."

"Not at all, since we're both in it," Hoku refuted her.

They sat in that position in silence for the next few minutes before Hoku felt something touching the sole of his right foot. In fact, it was a gentle stroke, up and down his sole.

"You're going to make me lose control," Hoku whispered.

"Feels good?" Rei asked as she continued to stroke his sole.

"Hmm."

"You've always liked it."

"More..."

Rei stroked both his soles. "Feet fetish."

Hoku opened his eyes and sat up straight and ran one finger down her back. Rei jumped and squealed. "Back fetish," he grinned.

He gathered her in his arms and dragged her away from the edge of the tub, pressing her back to his chest. "Hoku!"

"I'm flaccid. If you don't believe me, you can touch it. I don't mind."

"Pervert."

"Not denying it." Hoku's arms resumed their original position and Rei let herself relax against him. It was more comfortable with her legs stretched out.

They left the tub when the water became tepid - Hoku first, and then Rei. She covered her eyes to his chuckles as he robed himself. Hoku turned to face the wardrobe again when Rei clambered out of the tub to dress herself.

Dinner was served shortly after.

"About the job," Rei started.

"No," Hoku frowned. "No way. I have a bad feeling about this." He took a meat bun and devoured it. "This is good, you should try it."

"But-"

"I've told you," Hoku picked up his bowl of rice and start shovelling rice into his mouth, only pausing when half of it was gone. Rei stared down at her bowl of soup. She had barely finished half. "I can't understand why you won't let Ichi fix your eyes. You're just being silly."

Rei sighed at the mention of Ichi's name. "I can't bother him, he's too busy."