Chereads / Vanishing Embers / Chapter 16 - Mourning

Chapter 16 - Mourning

Lorian clasped her hands together, placing her head and hands together on the side of the bed.

(God... Please... bring her back to me,)

Lorian felt guilty. Perhaps if she had realized earlier that she loved Aisha, then they could have spent more time together.

God... She had to believe that Aisha would come back. She had to. She wouldn't know what she would do without her. Aisha had ruined her forever. Cuddles and hugs would never feel the same for her ever again. They would all just remind her of Aisha, and her adorable, cuddly little body.

She would never life the same way if she died.

.

(Please... please let me see her again.)

It had been so long by now... It was already dark, and panic began to fill Lorian's heart, afraid she might never...

.

Aisha opened the door to the little house, and she was flung onto her back, into the snow, Lorian wrapping her arms around the fey girl's small waist as she tackled her into the snow.

"H-hey mistress."

"You're back..." Lorian cried, muffled in Aisha's stomach.

"Yeah... I am."

Lorian got up and pulled Aisha into a kiss, but Aisha was unusually... unreceptive.

Lorian pulled away slowly and looked at the fey girl, the look on her face distant, as if she was deep in thought.

.

"What happened?"

"..."

"Was he... your father or something? Did you lose someone important??"

Aisha offered a weak smile, that quickly faded.

"No... That didn't happen. The only person important to me is you..."

"Then what did? Why aren't you happy??"

"I... I won. I killed him."

Aisha buried her head into Lorian's shoulder. She didn't know what was wrong.

.

.

.

It had been a few days, and the girls were back to their regular routine of cuddling, hugging, and... well, that was it. There was one difference though...

.

"Don't leeeeave..." Aisha whined.

Lorian giggled as Aisha latched onto her waist with her hands, her legs dragging behind her.

"I have to go to school!"

"Don't go... stay here and cuddle with me."

"You could come with me!"

"But I don't want toooo..!"

Lorian giggled again. She didn't know what had happened, but Aisha was now acting all clingy and lazy. It was adorable. For the past few days, she would beg Lorian to not leave the bed, and she would jump her when she came back from the university, burying her little head into her breasts or stomach. Lorian, of course, would return her affections with cuddles and headpats and kisses, and Aisha would melt in her hands, mewling and purring as her affections were returned tenfold.

.

It was really cute, but... Lorian was worried. Aisha hadn't left the house at all, and when Lorian asked, she would get all whiny and playful and cute. But today she would steel herself, and make her go.

"You're coming with me, and that's final."

"Mwistwessss.... mmmm.... donwanna."

"Come on. Get dressed."

.

"NNuuuu..."

"Aisha, you can't keep doing this..."

.

Lorian left the bed, starting to get dressed and leaving the girl to roll around playfully in the bed, getting tangled up in the bedsheets defiantly, as she looked at her mistress with pleading eyes. Lorian was tempted to indulge her, but she held firm, propping her hands on her waist and staring at the girl with an expectant look, as she stood in the doorframe, waiting.

Eventually Aisha yielded, starting to feel the warmth leave the bedsheets. She bounded out of bed and hugged Lorian's side, rubbing her cheek into the girl's soft tummy. She smiled down at Aisha, laughing softly as the fey's ears started to switch and tickle the underside of her arms.

"H-hey! Get dressed!" She laughed. "T-that tickles! Aishaaaa!"

.

.

Eventually Lorian pried Aisha away from her, and rushed into the living room to wait for the fully dressed girl. It took a while, but after some reluctant shuffling and pouting, Aisha emerged from their bedroom, wearing a white button up shirt and a pair of black pants. Lorian smiled at the memory of buying the little outfit for her. She had been so reluctant to even try on the clothes, much less let Lorian buy them for her, but Lorian had invaded her changing room and forced the girl to put them on. The red look on her face sent heat into Lorian's chest, and brought a smile to her lips.

.

Aisha's expression lit up when she saw Lorian, and she rushed over to hug her on the couch. Lorian returned the hug with a kiss on the head, and she ran her arms over Aisha's. The girl was quite muscular... but she was still so short and huggable.

"Pet me! Pet me!" Aisha said excitedly. "Tell me that I'm a good girl!"

"You want me to praise you?" Lorian teased, as she raised a hand to affectionately stroke Aisha's ears. The girl beamed and nodded enthusiastically in response. "Praise you for putting on your clothes?"

Aisha looked down sheepishly, and her face turned a little pink. She felt a little silly, but she still wanted love from her mistress. She had already sacrificed her pride a long time ago. "Well... Yes?"

Lorian giggled, sending vibrations through Aisha's head. "Of course." She cooed. "Anything for my good girl. I love you sooo much... You're so adorable, and so fluffy, and you've got such nice, strong, arms... Mmmmm... but there is one thing..."

"Wuh? What? What's the thing?" Aisha cried desperately, wanting to be a good girl for her mistress.

"You've got a disobedient streak in you." Lorian chided. "Remember when I first bought you, and you tried to tie all my clothes together in a knot?"

Aisha turned red at the memory. "T-that was before!" She stammered. "I-I'm a good girl now!"

"Are you sure?" Lorian teased.

"Yes! Yes!"

"Then go put a coat on! We're going to be late."

.

Lorian quickly got up from the couch, heading to the doorway and putting her boots on, Aisha's head landing on the couch with a "fwump." She had been conned! The shutting of the door quickly alerted Aisha to the fact that Lorian had left, and Aisha scrambled to the front door to follow her, not wanting to be left behind. As she was putting on her boots, she felt around on the counter absentmindedly for a coat.

Aisha froze as her hand gripped the black fabric belonging to a massive coat. The only coat she had... was the one owned by Xelos. Not only did it not fit, but it also... brought up unpleasant memories. Everything that she had taken from him did.

She glanced at the book on the kitchen counter, which sat completely untouched. She hadn't even opened it.

She didn't know why she felt so unsettled whenever she looked at anything that came from him. He was dead. She had killed him. He was gone, so why did she still feel such... uncertainty?

That feeling had tormented her for the past week. She tried to hide the feeling by burying herself in Lorian's affections. But that was starting to make her feel bad too. She was begging her to do something she didn't want to do.

"Hey! I'm waaaaiiting!" Lorian called from outdoors.

Aisha shook her head, dispelling the thoughts from her head.

.

.

.

Fen put her hands over her face in second-hand embarrassment, hiding the deep shade of red that was on her face. Her ears twitched erratically, as if she was being bombarded with explosions, the animal-eared girl trying to block out the sounds and sights that assaulted her senses.

"Mistress! Wahh!!" Aisha cried, squirming around.

The sound of loud kissing could be heard all over the college campus as Lorian pressed little kisses all over Aisha's body, starting from her tummy and slowly getting higher up Aisha's body. The wet smacks were accompanied by giggles, Lorian shaking in delightful mirth as she relished the adorable reactions that she elicit from her little kitten. For a while, the kisses and squeamish words filled the grassy area, but then, there was complete silence. Fen uncovered her face, but then quickly looked away, as the sight that greeted her was the two girls locked in a deep, affectionate kiss.

.

At some point, the two girls has flipped places, Lorian now on her back while Aisha laid on her, small little hands greedily running over her mistress's body. Lorian, meanwhile, seemed to be loving the attention, moaning and breathing heavily as her legs wrapped around Aisha's waist, locking her in - as if the girl would ever voluntarily remove herself from the embrace -

.

Fen tried to place as much distance as possible between her and the two lovers, scooting over away from them. Akasha giggled next to her, and placed her head in her lap, taking advantage of her hands being occupied.

"Wha!-" Fen sputtered, taking her hands off her face.

.

"Look at them. They're so happy. Don't you want what they have?" Akasha teased. "They're soooo happy. Look at Aisha. She looks like she's going to melt... Imagine how goood that would feel."

.

Fen looked at Aisha and blushed, the look in the girl's eyes totally vacant, rolling back into her head as Lorian's kisses enveloped her mind. Fen swore she could almost see pink little hearts in her irises.

Akasha pulled herself up, wrapping her arms around Fen's neck, to whisper seductively into one of Fen's ears.

"I could make you just as happy as her..." She whispered. "I could make you my pet."

.

Fen eyes furrowed, as she processed Akasha's actions and words. "What are you- The humes can see us- Get off!"

Fen vainly tried to remove the disguised succubus on her lap, grabbing her arms and trying to pry her off, but Akasha's grip was strong on her waist, and Fen didn't really want to hurt her. She sighed, defeated, and Akasha giggled, nuzzling into Fen's side in comfort.

"You know, our time at the university is almost over." She said softly, gazing wistfully at the tall, modern buildings that made up the school.

"Indeed, it is." Fen sighed.

"Why don't you just go on a date with me one time? Before we have to part ways?"

"You know why I cannot." Fen sighed.

.

"You don't trust me?" Akasha pouted.

.

"I do not."

"Wahhhh! You're so mean. After I told you my secret too!"

"It was not difficult to figure you were Daemon. And temptress, too."

"mmm. I'll get you sometime."

.

"I did not leave the shackles of the Vayura to become your pet."

"I would treat you well..." Akasha replied, teasingly.

(You will be mine, Fen!)

.

Fen looked around for an opportunity to get away from her companion, standing up and making her way to Lorian and Aisha, ejecting Akasha from her lap.

The thin woman yelped as her body was unceremoniously dumped onto the grass. "Hey!"

.

The two girls were no longer kissing, instead, laying down on the ground, Aisha buried comfortably in Lorian's neck. The girls looked quite content, Lorian stroking down Aisha's head lovingly, whispering affectionate words.

.

"You are looking much better." She said to Lorian. "We were worried for your- Can you stop doing that for one second!?"

"Oh, sorry Fen!" Lorian apologized, looking sheepishly at her friend. "I'm just so happy, now that my adorable little sweet-"

"Stop doing that."

"Ah, sorry."

"Ugh. You know, it has been a year."

"Mhm. A year since I bought her."

"Why have we not seen her around?"

"It's... complicated." Lorian said quietly, her smile twitching. "It's not up to me to tell, anyways."

"..." Fen was silent, curious about her friend, but not sure if she should pry fur-

"Hey, hey! Aisha!" Akasha said excitedly, putting her hands on top of Aisha's side and pressing down with all her weight. "Tell us, tell us!"

Aisha put on an annoyed expression, swatting away Akasha's hands and burying herself deeper into her mistress. "Lemme cuddle." She grumbled. "Mistress can tell you if she wants, I don't care."

"Alright!"

.

Akasha moved over to sit next to Lorian, pressing her thighs next to her head and showing her a bit of friendly affection. Aisha's expression darkened, but nobody noticed, too enraptured by the story as Lorian began to tell Fen and Akasha what she knew about Aisha's training.

.

.

"And then she just came back." Lorian finished. "It was only like thirty minutes."

"Were you victorious?" Fen asked.

Aisha didn't bother responding, instead clutching her mistress tighter, silently begging for more pets and scritches, which Lorian began to give her, cooing affectionate words.

.

Lorian giggled and stroked Aisha's head, eliciting a delighted mewl.

.

"Sorry, she's been so clingy this past week! She doesn't want to talk to anyone else."

"mmnnn." Aisha mumbled, as Fen gave her a curious look.

.

"Do you not think this behavior is... unordinary?" She suggested.

"Huh?" Lorian said in surprise. "I-I guess, but... look at her! She's so adorable, and she begs for kisses, and she just melts in my arms when I pet her..."

"It seems like she mourns for her mentor."

"What? He tried to kill her!"

"The loss of someone close is always difficult. It is even more difficult if you do not know what to feel. I have... experienced this before."

"I guess..."

"She buries her sorrow in you."

"Huh?"

"She does not wish to think about her mentor. So she turns to you."

.

Lorian thought for a moment. It would explain why she had been so distant and clingy... She stroked Aisha's ears lovingly, eliciting a pleased murmur.

.

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

.

Fen just sighed, thinking for a few seconds before ultimately, turning to Aisha, raising a hand and waving it in front of Aisha's face. The girl didn't even respond, too busy mewling and nuzzling into her beloved mistress.

"Look at her." Fen muttered. "She can't face reality. Or rather... she doesn't want to. She is buried in you. She doesn't hear or see anything else. Blinded and deafened by her own doing."

.

Lorian looked down at her girlfriend with a worried expression.

"...I guess you're right. She does seem... it's like she's on drugs, or something."

.

"She is." Fen sighed. "You are her drug. You are her escape from reality. Because now... you are all she has."

.

Lorian paused for a second, biting her lip. She wanted Fen to be wrong. She wanted to deny it. But she was right. Aisha was... she had no life outside of herself. And as long as she was there for her, she would have no desire to do so.

.

It was something that she had always really known. She just never really wanted to acknowledge it. 

"What should I do?" She whispered.

.

"It is best that you give her time to sort her feelings."

Lorian's face filled with apprehension. "Does that mean..."

"...It really does not please me to say this, but... it might mean... time away from each other."

.

"...For how long?"

"I do not know."

Lorian looked worriedly at the girl cuddled up to her breast. Perhaps taking a break and not cuddling for a while was for the best... But... she didn't want to. And Aisha didn't want to either.

.

"...Aisha?" Lorian whispered, to the almost brain-dead girl in her arms, drooling and breathing mindlessly.

"mmmnnn." She groaned into her chest.

.

"Oh..." She whispered, her voice breaking. "What am I going to do with you?"