BLACK CHERRY / The Game (Chapter 9)
Title: The Game (Chapter 8)
Fandom: BLACK CHERRY
Characters: Ryo x はるき
Genre: Romance, erotica
Table: One
Prompt: 039. Seek
Word Count: 2083
Rating: R-15
Summary: The rules of The Game were very simple.
Author's Notes: Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
The Game
Chapter Nine
(039. Seek)
Haruki had never felt so helpless before.
In less than forty-eight hours her whole world had turned completely upside down. One minute she was in bed with the man she loved, and the next he was a total stranger.
Since that mysterious girl arrived, she didn’t know what to think anymore. The clues were now too coincidental to be ignored, and she was beginning to feel trapped in a web too large for her to see. Was she an accidental victim? Or a target all along? More importantly, what was Ryou’s role in all of it?
After discovering who K.M. was, Haruki had tried to contact the mysterious girl, but to no avail. The unregistered number on her phone did not pick up her calls nor respond to her texts and voicemails. Communication seemed to be a one-way street, and she was now at the mercy of it.
Even if that girl turned out to be behind everything, Haruki was yet to figure out what the endgame was. Blackmail? In exchange for what? Revenge? At who and why? If it was simply to cause trouble the video would’ve been released by now. And yet to go out of the way to install a camera…
Haruki buried her head in her hands. None of it was making sense.
The sudden, harsh buzz of the doorbell sent her flinching. She rose from her bed, looking into the peephole.
Ryou. She lingered by the door, heartbeat escalating. What was she going to tell him? Until she learned the truth, would she lie and pretend nothing happened? Or tell him everything and seek the answers from him instead?
The cold surface of the door against her forehead was briefly soothing, providing some clarity. With a deep intake of breath she finally opened the door, her expressionless facade almost crumbling at the sight of him.
It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, but Ryou’s still silence on her doorway seemed to stretch on forever. Her ears strained to hear something from him, her lips raring to break the silence herself, but one wrong word was all it took to give everything away. His slate grey eyes scrutinized her face, wordlessly demanding the answers she’d avoided in the last two days.
Haruki swallowed before putting up a smile that convinced neither of them. “Hey.”
His shoulder brushed past hers as he stepped inside her apartment without waiting for her welcome. With a shaky sigh she turned around, eyeing his back on her while he perused the rest of her room. He wore a white shirt underneath a black cardigan and gray slacks, and even as he stood a fair distance from her his fragrance still reached her, making her chest tight with guilt and longing.
“I’m sorry I’ve been out of reach. I’ve been meaning to get back to you,” she began, practically feeling her heart in her throat.
He tilted his head to glance back at her, not fully facing her. “So why haven’t you?”
Do you know about the camera in the library? How many have been there before me? Who are you, really?
“Just been busy. I’ve had a lot on my mind.” Half-truths, one at a time.
Ryou finally faced her, hands in his pockets as he watched her again, letting the silence stretch until a thousand ants seemed to be crawling on her skin. It was already impossible to meet him in the eyes when she asked, “What am I to you?”
Regret flooded through her as soon as the question left her lips, and yet her pulse couldn’t escalate any higher in fear and anticipation of his answer. Almost at once, half of her body was already shutting down to prepare for the blow. Even after the last two days, all the confusion was nothing compared to the one question that had haunted her since the beginning. Maybe then it would all make sense. Maybe…
Within two strides, Ryou closed the distance between them. He shoved her to the wall, and the pain of the impact dissipated as soon as he crushed his mouth to hers. His kiss was long, hard, and hungry, and like a reflex she opened up to feed him. He yanked her shirt down until her left shoulder was bare for his teeth to graze. She hissed when he bit on her shoulder bone, her back arching as his arm seized her waist to pull her closer to him. His hot tongue flicked all the pain away, his lips following to gently kiss the indents. The warring sensations left her wet and yearning in seconds, more so when his mouth moved to her ear and hoarsely whispered, “Mine.”
His hand moved between her legs. She closed her eyes and softly cried at the first delightful intrusion, but he all but once stopped.
“Open your eyes and look at me,” he ordered.
She obliged him. His grey eyes smoldered almost black with greed, and as soon as his second finger entered her, it was all she could do not to scream.
He found the spot that made her knees instantly buckle. He grabbed the side of her face, holding her up, brushing his thumb over her parted lips.
“Not a single word from you in days,” he muttered, driving another inch deeper inside her. He shushed her whimper, nearing his face until his mouth was close enough again to taste.
“Make me wait again and I will make you bleed,” he warned, his voice low with promise. “Do you understand me, Haruki?”
She vehemently nodded. His fingers almost instantly left her, and she was weak and hollow all at once.
He took a step back, straightening his clothes. His eyes traveled down the disheveled state of her clothes before briefly locking on her mouth. A muscle in his jaw twitched.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, opening the door. He didn’t look at her again before leaving the room.
Haruki fell against the wall once more with a heavy breath. Frustration smothered her until trembling hands covered her face. She wiped away the tear that escaped down her cheek before promptly locking the door.
Faint shadows were already forming under Haruki’s eyes the next time she looked into the mirror.
Lack of sleep over the last few days had finally started to show. Even her face seemed sunken, or perhaps it was just the lighting in the girls’ room. It was hard to keep an appetite while the stress ate at her; she was yet to hear from the mysterious girl, whose last text was the clue about Prof. Mikura. The waiting game was agonizing, and with every waking hour she grew more paranoid at every glance thrown her way, every huddled group she passed by. Was the video finally out making rounds? Was she already the campus laughingstock? How long before the dean called for her expulsion?
“Hey, you’re letting the water run.”
Haruki looked up. The mysterious girl with long, black hair stood next to her in the mirror. She nearly jumped with surprise, and within the next blink the girl’s face was replaced by another stranger entirely.
“Sorry,” Haruki muttered, turning off the faucet and drying her hands. She gave her tired reflection a final appraisal before leaving the restroom, where the swarm of students down the hallway brought her back into focus. She clutched her books closer to her chest, trudging down the packed corridors to her next class.
“Haruki!”
Prof. Mikura caught up from behind, waving as he fell into step beside her. “Good to see you around. Where are you headed?”
“Third floor. I have class,” she answered, almost too hastily. There was something about him that made her uneasy, perhaps even more so at the strange, still unexplained connection he had to everything.
“So do I. On the same floor, actually,” he replied. “Let me walk with you upstairs.”
She halfheartedly assented in silence. They began heading for the third floor, his long strides effortlessly catching up with her even as she tried to be a few steps ahead of him.
“Have you taken up any electives yet?” he asked as they ascended the stairs. “I’m surprised you can quote Milton and not be in any of my classes.”
Haruki forced a smile. “Maybe it’s because I can, and that’s why I won’t need to.”
Prof. Mikura laughed, a low, hearty rumble in his throat. “Touché, Miss Shinjo. All the more reason to be my student next term, so you can put me in my place.”
She stopped in front of her classroom. “Well, I’m going in. See you around, Prof. Mikura.”
“Kei,” he corrected. “You don’t need to be so formal with me, remember?”
“And why is that, Prof. Mikura?” a deep voice behind her inquired.
Haruki turned around. Ryou stood in the doorway of his classroom, his steely, grey gaze fixed on Kei.
“Ah, Prof. Hirose,” Kei sang, dimples deepening into his cheeks. “I was just chatting with Miss Shinjo here. Is she a student of yours?”
“As a matter of fact, she is,” Ryou drawled without looking at her. “Get inside, Miss Shinjo.”
His voice was heavy with command. His expression gave away nothing, and yet he never seemed more angry in his life. What had she done this time?
“See you around, Haruki,” Kei crooned behind her. She barely managed to return his smile before glancing up at Ryou again, whose full attention was now on her. His gaze held no warmth at all.
She headed straight for her seat and did not look up for the rest of the period.
It was almost ten in the evening when Ryou filed the last paper on his desk. He fell against his chair with a creak, removing his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose. His body yearned for a hot shower and a soft bed, and yet his mind remained racing non-stop for the last few days.
Haruki was beginning to act strange. Unsurprising, but disappointing. Especially frustrating, now that there were less than five days to go before the game ended. Now he was stuck in the same boat as Kei, who remained at a standstill with his pet.
Ryou eyed his office door before rising. The halls were deathly silent at this time of the night as his footsteps echoed off the walls on his way to Kei’s office. The Literature professor was still in, typing on his laptop.
Kei smiled at him without looking. “Good evening, Ryou.”
Ryou leaned against the doorway and slipped a hand in his pocket. “What are you doing?”
“Just finishing a dissertation on Tennyson.”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
Kei continued typing with raised eyebrows. “You’ll have to be a little more specific, I’m afraid.”
“Haruki.”
Kei closed his laptop before finally looking up at him. “Ah.”
The word hung in the air, lingering, provoking Ryou. He did not give Kei the satisfaction and stood his ground.
Kei rested his chin on top of clasped hands. “She sat in my class the other day. I must say, she’s cuter in person.”
The hand inside Ryou’s pocket clenched. “She’s not your pet to play with.”
“Of course. I would never do such a thing.” The smile on Kei’s lips stretched like the Cheshire Cat’s, wide with amusement. “Though I did wonder if it was you who sent her my way. She would’ve made a nice gift. A hand-me-down, but lovely nonetheless.”
“She’s off-limits,” Ryou stated.
“Why? You’ll be done with her soon enough.” Kei leaned back, slowly tilting his chair. “I’ll tell you what. The game’s all yours. I’ll just take Haruki as a consolation prize.”
“Like hell you are,” Ryou snapped through gritted teeth. “You’re not laying a single finger on her, even after I’m done with her.”
“Don’t be selfish, hoarding all the prizes.” Kei pouted until his eyes lit up with malice. “Wait, unless you’re jealous?”
Ryou leaned away from the doorway. It was too late to rise to the occasion. Kei was already laughing.
“Well, how about that!” Kei clapped once. “Then again, who can blame you? That girl’s a wild one. Maybe I’ll pick her next term, who knows.”
“Do it and I’ll make sure you regret it,” Ryou growled with finality. “Stay away from her, Kei. She’s mine.”
The grin did not dissipate from Kei’s lips even as Ryou slammed the door behind him.
to be continued
Fandom: BLACK CHERRY
Characters: Ryo x はるき
Genre: Romance, erotica
Table: One
Prompt: 039. Seek
Word Count: 2083
Rating: R-15
Summary: The rules of The Game were very simple.
Author's Notes: Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
The Game
Chapter Nine
(039. Seek)
Haruki had never felt so helpless before.
In less than forty-eight hours her whole world had turned completely upside down. One minute she was in bed with the man she loved, and the next he was a total stranger.
Since that mysterious girl arrived, she didn’t know what to think anymore. The clues were now too coincidental to be ignored, and she was beginning to feel trapped in a web too large for her to see. Was she an accidental victim? Or a target all along? More importantly, what was Ryou’s role in all of it?
After discovering who K.M. was, Haruki had tried to contact the mysterious girl, but to no avail. The unregistered number on her phone did not pick up her calls nor respond to her texts and voicemails. Communication seemed to be a one-way street, and she was now at the mercy of it.
Even if that girl turned out to be behind everything, Haruki was yet to figure out what the endgame was. Blackmail? In exchange for what? Revenge? At who and why? If it was simply to cause trouble the video would’ve been released by now. And yet to go out of the way to install a camera…
Haruki buried her head in her hands. None of it was making sense.
The sudden, harsh buzz of the doorbell sent her flinching. She rose from her bed, looking into the peephole.
Ryou. She lingered by the door, heartbeat escalating. What was she going to tell him? Until she learned the truth, would she lie and pretend nothing happened? Or tell him everything and seek the answers from him instead?
The cold surface of the door against her forehead was briefly soothing, providing some clarity. With a deep intake of breath she finally opened the door, her expressionless facade almost crumbling at the sight of him.
It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, but Ryou’s still silence on her doorway seemed to stretch on forever. Her ears strained to hear something from him, her lips raring to break the silence herself, but one wrong word was all it took to give everything away. His slate grey eyes scrutinized her face, wordlessly demanding the answers she’d avoided in the last two days.
Haruki swallowed before putting up a smile that convinced neither of them. “Hey.”
His shoulder brushed past hers as he stepped inside her apartment without waiting for her welcome. With a shaky sigh she turned around, eyeing his back on her while he perused the rest of her room. He wore a white shirt underneath a black cardigan and gray slacks, and even as he stood a fair distance from her his fragrance still reached her, making her chest tight with guilt and longing.
“I’m sorry I’ve been out of reach. I’ve been meaning to get back to you,” she began, practically feeling her heart in her throat.
He tilted his head to glance back at her, not fully facing her. “So why haven’t you?”
Do you know about the camera in the library? How many have been there before me? Who are you, really?
“Just been busy. I’ve had a lot on my mind.” Half-truths, one at a time.
Ryou finally faced her, hands in his pockets as he watched her again, letting the silence stretch until a thousand ants seemed to be crawling on her skin. It was already impossible to meet him in the eyes when she asked, “What am I to you?”
Regret flooded through her as soon as the question left her lips, and yet her pulse couldn’t escalate any higher in fear and anticipation of his answer. Almost at once, half of her body was already shutting down to prepare for the blow. Even after the last two days, all the confusion was nothing compared to the one question that had haunted her since the beginning. Maybe then it would all make sense. Maybe…
Within two strides, Ryou closed the distance between them. He shoved her to the wall, and the pain of the impact dissipated as soon as he crushed his mouth to hers. His kiss was long, hard, and hungry, and like a reflex she opened up to feed him. He yanked her shirt down until her left shoulder was bare for his teeth to graze. She hissed when he bit on her shoulder bone, her back arching as his arm seized her waist to pull her closer to him. His hot tongue flicked all the pain away, his lips following to gently kiss the indents. The warring sensations left her wet and yearning in seconds, more so when his mouth moved to her ear and hoarsely whispered, “Mine.”
His hand moved between her legs. She closed her eyes and softly cried at the first delightful intrusion, but he all but once stopped.
“Open your eyes and look at me,” he ordered.
She obliged him. His grey eyes smoldered almost black with greed, and as soon as his second finger entered her, it was all she could do not to scream.
He found the spot that made her knees instantly buckle. He grabbed the side of her face, holding her up, brushing his thumb over her parted lips.
“Not a single word from you in days,” he muttered, driving another inch deeper inside her. He shushed her whimper, nearing his face until his mouth was close enough again to taste.
“Make me wait again and I will make you bleed,” he warned, his voice low with promise. “Do you understand me, Haruki?”
She vehemently nodded. His fingers almost instantly left her, and she was weak and hollow all at once.
He took a step back, straightening his clothes. His eyes traveled down the disheveled state of her clothes before briefly locking on her mouth. A muscle in his jaw twitched.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, opening the door. He didn’t look at her again before leaving the room.
Haruki fell against the wall once more with a heavy breath. Frustration smothered her until trembling hands covered her face. She wiped away the tear that escaped down her cheek before promptly locking the door.
Faint shadows were already forming under Haruki’s eyes the next time she looked into the mirror.
Lack of sleep over the last few days had finally started to show. Even her face seemed sunken, or perhaps it was just the lighting in the girls’ room. It was hard to keep an appetite while the stress ate at her; she was yet to hear from the mysterious girl, whose last text was the clue about Prof. Mikura. The waiting game was agonizing, and with every waking hour she grew more paranoid at every glance thrown her way, every huddled group she passed by. Was the video finally out making rounds? Was she already the campus laughingstock? How long before the dean called for her expulsion?
“Hey, you’re letting the water run.”
Haruki looked up. The mysterious girl with long, black hair stood next to her in the mirror. She nearly jumped with surprise, and within the next blink the girl’s face was replaced by another stranger entirely.
“Sorry,” Haruki muttered, turning off the faucet and drying her hands. She gave her tired reflection a final appraisal before leaving the restroom, where the swarm of students down the hallway brought her back into focus. She clutched her books closer to her chest, trudging down the packed corridors to her next class.
“Haruki!”
Prof. Mikura caught up from behind, waving as he fell into step beside her. “Good to see you around. Where are you headed?”
“Third floor. I have class,” she answered, almost too hastily. There was something about him that made her uneasy, perhaps even more so at the strange, still unexplained connection he had to everything.
“So do I. On the same floor, actually,” he replied. “Let me walk with you upstairs.”
She halfheartedly assented in silence. They began heading for the third floor, his long strides effortlessly catching up with her even as she tried to be a few steps ahead of him.
“Have you taken up any electives yet?” he asked as they ascended the stairs. “I’m surprised you can quote Milton and not be in any of my classes.”
Haruki forced a smile. “Maybe it’s because I can, and that’s why I won’t need to.”
Prof. Mikura laughed, a low, hearty rumble in his throat. “Touché, Miss Shinjo. All the more reason to be my student next term, so you can put me in my place.”
She stopped in front of her classroom. “Well, I’m going in. See you around, Prof. Mikura.”
“Kei,” he corrected. “You don’t need to be so formal with me, remember?”
“And why is that, Prof. Mikura?” a deep voice behind her inquired.
Haruki turned around. Ryou stood in the doorway of his classroom, his steely, grey gaze fixed on Kei.
“Ah, Prof. Hirose,” Kei sang, dimples deepening into his cheeks. “I was just chatting with Miss Shinjo here. Is she a student of yours?”
“As a matter of fact, she is,” Ryou drawled without looking at her. “Get inside, Miss Shinjo.”
His voice was heavy with command. His expression gave away nothing, and yet he never seemed more angry in his life. What had she done this time?
“See you around, Haruki,” Kei crooned behind her. She barely managed to return his smile before glancing up at Ryou again, whose full attention was now on her. His gaze held no warmth at all.
She headed straight for her seat and did not look up for the rest of the period.
It was almost ten in the evening when Ryou filed the last paper on his desk. He fell against his chair with a creak, removing his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose. His body yearned for a hot shower and a soft bed, and yet his mind remained racing non-stop for the last few days.
Haruki was beginning to act strange. Unsurprising, but disappointing. Especially frustrating, now that there were less than five days to go before the game ended. Now he was stuck in the same boat as Kei, who remained at a standstill with his pet.
Ryou eyed his office door before rising. The halls were deathly silent at this time of the night as his footsteps echoed off the walls on his way to Kei’s office. The Literature professor was still in, typing on his laptop.
Kei smiled at him without looking. “Good evening, Ryou.”
Ryou leaned against the doorway and slipped a hand in his pocket. “What are you doing?”
“Just finishing a dissertation on Tennyson.”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
Kei continued typing with raised eyebrows. “You’ll have to be a little more specific, I’m afraid.”
“Haruki.”
Kei closed his laptop before finally looking up at him. “Ah.”
The word hung in the air, lingering, provoking Ryou. He did not give Kei the satisfaction and stood his ground.
Kei rested his chin on top of clasped hands. “She sat in my class the other day. I must say, she’s cuter in person.”
The hand inside Ryou’s pocket clenched. “She’s not your pet to play with.”
“Of course. I would never do such a thing.” The smile on Kei’s lips stretched like the Cheshire Cat’s, wide with amusement. “Though I did wonder if it was you who sent her my way. She would’ve made a nice gift. A hand-me-down, but lovely nonetheless.”
“She’s off-limits,” Ryou stated.
“Why? You’ll be done with her soon enough.” Kei leaned back, slowly tilting his chair. “I’ll tell you what. The game’s all yours. I’ll just take Haruki as a consolation prize.”
“Like hell you are,” Ryou snapped through gritted teeth. “You’re not laying a single finger on her, even after I’m done with her.”
“Don’t be selfish, hoarding all the prizes.” Kei pouted until his eyes lit up with malice. “Wait, unless you’re jealous?”
Ryou leaned away from the doorway. It was too late to rise to the occasion. Kei was already laughing.
“Well, how about that!” Kei clapped once. “Then again, who can blame you? That girl’s a wild one. Maybe I’ll pick her next term, who knows.”
“Do it and I’ll make sure you regret it,” Ryou growled with finality. “Stay away from her, Kei. She’s mine.”
The grin did not dissipate from Kei’s lips even as Ryou slammed the door behind him.
to be continued