Tasogare Akatsuki 'Dusk to Dawn'

Chapter 1 Secrets of a City



Chapter 1 Secrets of a City

Grim R.

 

Darkness prevailed. Innocent people slept unaware
of the nocturnal life of the city, and shadows played across the ominous sky.

 

In the light polluted city below the horizon, a simple
widow lay open. The wind tussled the curtains, and the blotted starlight
filtered into the dark room.

 

There was a girl watching the rise and fall of
the night. Her raven hair framed her
pale features, and the girls hazel eye were plastered to the sea of stars.

 

She was not alone. The girl shared the bed with a
man.

 

But they didn’t stir. She laid in silence hoping
that he would believe her false state of sleep. She couldn’t sleep, she never
even thought of giving in to the temptation of rest, till she knew he had too.
Really sleeping in his presence could
be dangerous, could be regretful.

 

But he wasn’t tired tonight. No. Tonight was one
of those nights, and he could sense
she wasn’t sleeping; her breathing wasn’t calm, but frantic. He could tell she
was nervous and uneasy, and he liked it. So through the blankets he reached,
his cold fingers twitching, yearning. Her twinges of fear excited him.

 

Slowly and
gently he caressed the pale, small of her back. Just one, soft stroke along the
columns of her spine. Instinctually she shuddered, and that was her undoing.

 

“I thought you were asleep?” His deep whisper
pierced the heated silence. Clamping her eyes shut, she criticized herself
inside, and regretted her every movement.

 

She couldn’t keep up the act, he knew she would
be lying; he didn’t like it when she lied. And to her poor exhausted body, she
wanted him to be kind. Even if it was scary and forceful, it was better for him
to be kind than angry. When he was angry he left bruises on her skin, but when
he was kind he left bruises on her soul.

 

But she was
young, naïve, and scared of the pain. She took in little consideration, that
the bashes at her soul ended up doing the most damage.

 

Reacting to her
silence, he fingered her back, tracing the curves of her spine, and smiling at
her shuddering body.

 

“Kiri?”
Whispering her name in more of a threat than a question. Kiri trembled
silently, choking on her swollen panicked throat.

 

Now his hand
reached out clasping her shoulder and he sat up forcing her to lie still on her
back. He stared at her with fierce emotion, prodding her eyes and searching for
some hidden response. Kiri’s lips parted and quivered, and forcefully she
smiled at him. His eyes were intense. In a frail, weak tone, words passed her
parched lips.

 

“Please Naraku,
not tonight.” Naraku smiled viciously, but he was not happy. And through his
lustful smirk, false innocence was heard.

 

“But Kiri,
don’t you love me?” She fought back tears, but her eyes were still moist. She was
silent in her reply.

 

He leaned
closer to her, his long waves of ebony hair surrounding their faces. Animal
instinct pulsed through his amethyst eyes, and slowly their hue turned deeper,
redder. With a face of unreadable emotion, Naraku advanced on her, so close she
could feel his warm breath caresses her cheeks.

 

“Say that you
love me.” Naraku's voice was deep, as it lustfully growled in the back of his
throat. His eyes sparkled sadistically, and Kiri breathed heavily in the return
of his stare. And before she knew it, he pounced.

 

Naraku forced
himself upon her, ravishing her lips in a bruising kiss.

 

Kiri didn’t
like it, but she didn’t stop it. He was now completely over her chest,
straddling her to the bed with one fist and his knees. While deepening the
kiss, he searched her hair and body with his one free hand.

 

Soon Naraku
licked Kiri’s lips hungrily, begging for entrance. She unwillingly opened her
mouth, anything to keep him happy.

 

His tongue
slipped along the sides of her mouth, almost choking her as she gasped for air.
Once Kiri regained normal breathing and relaxed a bit, she shyly brushed her
own tongue against his.

 

Naraku’s mouth
was strangely warm and welcoming, and he tasted like strong liquor.

 

Roaming hands
moved across her body, and she cringed motionlessly as he kneaded her breasts.

 

This was always
the awkward part. As his passions grew, it was hard for Kiri not to be swept
away with it too. Naraku was not an unattractive man. Kiri had admired his
beauty from the first time she saw him, and he did have his moments of pure
love and kindness. So though he scared her throughout her existence,
controlling everything about her, and doing what he wanted of her; moments like
this she forgot the pain, she forgot the fear, and somehow gave in to this sin
of pleasure.

 

As Kiri lay on
the bed, intoxicated from Naraku’s ministrations, he left her swollen lips to
trail tiny bits and kisses down her neck toward her chest. Kiri lay still,
staring at the ceiling. Naraku suckled at her breasts and took great pleasure
in the softness of her skin, as his own arousal grew.

 

Kiri looked
dead and motionless, she had slowly wakened from the drug that was Naraku’s
kiss, and reality was getting to her. Her eyes were pools of sadness, windows
to her evortuortured soul. Naraku was preoccupied with his own sadistic
pleasure, and she let him have his way with her.

 

Kiri’s
depressed, indifferent eyes, looked around the bedroom, as Naraku moaned into
her chest. It was dark and cold. The walls were covered with posters of rock
bands, paintings of nature, and even a portrait she had painted of Naraku. It
was a simple ile ile of his face and neck, and it had been painted some time
ago, right after they first were together. He had been passionate and sweet
then, seeking her out and making it clear that she was the only girl he wanted.
He was still like that, but now it was…different. Kiri had painted the picture
out of admiration of his features, them being proud and dark, and his mystery
had enticed her from the beginning.

 

This all so
simple declaration of love, that was a painting, preceded Kiri finding his true
colors. Naraku’s wild passionate obsession, his mad jealousy, and his forceful
blows. But there was no escaping it now, there never had, and never would be a
way out.

 

Only hope
existed now.

 

Kiri was
unresponsive to Naraku’s cars ans and fondles. Breaking the contact of his
tongues to her naval, He looked up at her. Naraku was obviously enjoying this, but
he was angered to find her staring off in the direction of her painting. He
loved that picture, he felt it was the best portrayal of himself ever put on
paper, but if it was going to distract his lover at a time like this, he would
burn it all together.

 

In attempts to
regain his lover’s attention, Naraku glided slowly up her body, ever watching
her eyes. When he came to her chest Naraku teasingly licked her pink nipple.

 

No moan, no
shudder, no anything came from Kiri in response.

 

Angry and
frustrated, Naraku leaned over Kiri's face, intercepting her stare, and
forcefully straddled her shoulders with his fists. She looked up at him in
surprise, and he searched her eyes for answers.

 

“What were you
looking at?” Kiri seemed shocked at his question, and became hesitant when she
sensed the anger starting to pool into his voice. She was not sure what to say,
so she was honest.

 

“The..th..the
pictures.” Her breathing grew uneasy as her nervousness showed. Naraku’s breath
was heavy, as he sighed it plumed across her face.

 

He took most of
his weight of her shoulders, and moved so he could sit leaning over her. He
looked as if he was considering her ans and and he gazed in the direction of
his portrait. Kiri was relieved that he seemed to have calmed down, but then
she noticed how heavy his breath was, nostrils flaring on every exhale.

 

Naraku looked
down at her, his stare penetrating her pools of sadness. He slightly opened his
mouth as if he were about to say something, but instead closed it and
backhanded her across the face.

 

“So my own
portrait is more interesting then I am?” Kiri’s hands were at her cheek,
rubbing and soothing the bruised skin. Scared and shocked, she sat up from
beneath him, so he was perched over her knees. Tears threatened her heated eyes,
and her lips tightened in anger.

 

Kiri made no
reply.

 

“Well?” Naraku
asked her accusingly. Kiri's lips trembling, and her self-control dying, she
yelled out in desperation before she had a chance stop herself.

 

“At least it
doesn’t hit me!” She covered her mouth
in realization of what she'd done, and the tears began to roll. Looking at him
in complete terror, Kiri was unsure what he would do. Sometimes he yelled and
then nothing, sometimes he hit her once then slept, and sometimes he womakemake
a demonstration of mistakes like
this.

 

Naraku had been
sitting still, staring at her, and obviously considering his next move. Then in
one fluid motion he quickly reached out and tried to grab one of her slender
wrists. pul pulled back out of fear, and almost completely tumbled of the bed.

 

Landing on her
back, she desperately scrambled to her feet, trying to dodge any clasp or blow
he might deal.

 

Kiri stood up
and saw that Naraku had fallen on his stomach in the process of trying to grab her
before she fell of the bed. As fast as she could, Kiri turned and tried to run,
and Naraku got to his knees.

 

In an animal
like bound, he lunged at Kiri, tackling her to the ground and holding together
her legs. He desperately tried to pull her under him, by clawing at her thighs.
But before he could get a good grip on her leg, she frantically lashed out, and
kicked him in face.

 

Mostly stunned
but not hurt, Naraku released Kiri’s legs, and she bounded from the bedroom.

 

Entering the
living room of the apartment, she looked around for the door; it was hard to
see in the dark. Kiri heard Naraku stir in the next room, and made no
hesitation to find the front door.
Stumbling frantically, knocking over miscellaneous items, and fingering
the wall, she finally found the knob and unlocked the door. Opening it she
practically fell into the outside hall.

 

She was only
wearing her black cotton panties, but she didn’t care. Right as Kiri closed and
locked the door behind her, she heard Naraku’s heavy, thumping, footsteps head
for the door.

 

Seizing her
opportunity she ran half-naked down the apartment building hallway.

 

‘What am I doing?’ Kiri asked her self. ‘Now when he finds me he’s going to kill
me……But what if I get away this time? No... I can never get away, he always
finds me, or a way to bring me back.’

 

Frantic
thoughts flowed through her mind as Kiri descended the 3 flights of stairs. She
ran as fast as she could, jumping two, three steps at a time. Naraku's footstep
sounding from above flights, only gave her more motivation, more adrenaline.

 

Kiri leaped
down the last five steps, and ran for the front door to the building. She
passed Max, the night watcher, without a greeting, and only received a, “Why
hello mis..What the?” As she ran through the door, her body exposed.

 

She jumped down
the front steps, and almost slipped on the wet ground. It was icy cold and the
sidewalk stung her feet.

 

Scared shitless
and not sure where to go now, Kiri stood on the streookiooking around her
environment.

 

It was 12:30 at
night, and when three 20 something guys in a Mustang convertible saw a scared,
half-naked woman standing on the sidewalk almost crying, they decided to pull
up to the curb, and prolong their arrival at Club Meth. The men were Babylons,
members of the Elite, and had just departed from the other hottest club
downtown Medusas. So being already drunk, they tormented the girl.

 

“Hey baby, what
happened?” Yelled out the driver of the Mustang. Kiri realized their existence
and covered her breasts with her arms, and stared at them blushing.

 

“Aren’t you
cold?” Added the driver. The man in the passenger seat pointed at Kiri’s chest,
“Of course she is, look at her tits.”
Kiri looked down to see her stiffened nipples, and desperately tried to
cover herself better. The man in the back seat joined in on the teasing.

 

“Of course he’s
looking at her tits, where else would he be looking?”

 

The driver
replied suavely. “How about those skimpy panties.” The three continued like this,
as if Kiri couldn’t hear them. She was practically to tears, but didn’t know
where to go, and DEFINETLY didn’t want to go back inside. The three men turned
away from each other and back to Kiri.

 

“Hey, ya know,
we could use some company, and you look pretty fun and wild.” The man in the
passenger seat emphasized this statement with a jesting chuckle, but his laugh
was cut short, and his eyes widened as he stared at something behind Kiri. He
patted the guy in the back seat on the shoulder, not breaking his stare, and
soon the three men all were scared of the thing behind her.

 

“Shit, Naraku.”
The driver pulled out from the curb and swiftly drove away. Hearing this Kiri
looked back over her shoulder, and saw that Naraku stood right behind her. He
had managed to put on some pants before leaving the apartment, and he stood
there, bcheschested, staring at the street.

 

Kiri looked at
him. She couldn’t control herself. Hot tears spilled from her eyes and she
lunged at Naraku, enveloping him in her arms. Naraku looked down at her,
shocked that she would search for comfort in him after all that had happened
tonight.

 

Slowly he felt
his anger and frustration for this woman he loved ebb away. In soothing
caresses he wrapped his own arms around her shoulders, looking down upon her,
and gently rubbing her back.

 

Shielding her
with his arms, Naraku led the cold and whimpering Kiri inside.

 

They walked
together silent, except for Kiri's uneasy breathing. She soothed her own tears,
and look at Naraku as he led her blindly back to their home. Except for his
slow caresses down her bare back, he was motionless, staring out before him.
His embrace was comforting, but Kiri still felt a sense of unease and danger.
Did he really forgive her? Os hes he only waiting to return to the privacy of
their apartment to put her in her place?

 

She didn't
know, and that was the scary part, to love him but not trust him.

 

But before she
could finish her ever-questioning thoughts, they had entered their home. The
lights were out, and the place still in shambles; papers on the floor, and the
chair she had knocked over lying helpless and forgotten on the floor. Without
letting go of Kiri's shivering body, Naraku closed the door.

 

And without
words he led her to their bedroom, to finish what he had started.

 

A glowing
sliver of the moon shown out as a silver silhouette against purple skies. A
city of sin slept, as its nocturnal inhabitants still roamed free. And far
below the dawn-tinted horizon, a muffled cry pain could be heard, and then followed
by the words of a brokeart.art.

 

"I love
you."