Daughter of Treason Ch. 01

"Oh." He seemed a bit put off at this, but at least his voice no longer held that panicked edge. "Um, are you okay?"

"What?" She followed his gaze to the bloodied tear in her long-sleeved tunic. "Oh. Yes, I'm fine; it's only a flesh wound."

"We should really dress that," he said earnestly.

"You just want me to take off my shirt."

Kei realized what she had said only moments after the words left her mouth. Almost simultaneously, both her and Shino's faces turned bright red, and a familiar flush flowed through her nether region at he thought. Wait, she thought, is it that I actually want him to see me without my shirt? But all this fled from her mind when he turned to leave. She wasn't certain why, but she really wanted him present.

"Wait!" she called. He froze, but didn't turn. He was tense, she could tell that much, and she was worried that she had actually embarrassed him. "Um, if it's not too much trouble, I would like some help dressing it." He turned and regarded her uncertainly, still defensive, prompting her to continue, "It's just that with only one hand, I don't think I could wrap it properly, much less tie it without help. Please?"

He hesitated for a few more moments before finally nodding. "Alright." He moved over to one of the other bunks where the bandages had last been used to retrieve the requisite supplies and, taking the opportunity to undress without being watched, Kei pulled the tunic over her head in one fluid motion.

When Shino turned back to her, he stopped dead and stared. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, she crossed her arms in front of her breasts, not that it did much good, ample as they were. Nonetheless, it seemed to do the trick; Shino shook himself and moved to her wounded side and began cleaning the knife wound. They sat in silence as he worked, and it wasn't long until his touch had her squirming and pressing her legs together. Though she tried to make herself focus on a point dead ahead, she kept catching glimpses of him out of the corner of her eye. Though he was far from bulky in either muscle or fat, he carried his 5' 4" frame with a grace typical of the fair folk, and his bronze skin had her wondering just what he looked like without his shirt. Between that and his angled features all framing those breathtaking golden eyes, she was hard-pressed to ignore the moisture rapidly accumulating between her legs, to say nothing of the elf beside her.

Shino, who was unaware of the effect he was having on her, was too busy focusing on the bandages wrapped around her Torso. "I'm almost done with your arm, but are you still hurt from the fight?" When she shook her head, he asked, "Then why do you still have bandages on?"

"Oh." She paused, trying to think how to explain. "Well, um, I don't have any bodices, and if I don't, erm, restrain myself somehow, any rapid movements can be rather painful."

"Oh!" Shino blushed. "That, uh, makes sense." He finished dressing the wound in silence, though he did so slowly. While Kei was busy wondering what Shino's clothes hid, the elf was taking in as much of the view as he could. Her petite 5' 2" body was well-proportioned, indeed. While following behind her back in Islandport, he had the opportunity to watch her ass sway enchantingly with each step, but now that she had no baggy tunic to hide it, he realized just how fine her figure really was: her breasts, though bound, were obviously quite large; he would probably need both hands just to form a dome over one breast. From there her figure narrowed, and as the bandages ended he could see her wonderfully tan skin with golden undertones before her hips widened where they held up her trousers. Her face was nicely framed by her short, straight black hair which so nicely framed her almond-shaped eyes. Almost always they held a sort of fierceness to them, but whenever they were alone, that intimidating aspect left, leaving something akin to vulnerability. Put all this together, and the only thing between Shino and a sudden tent pitched in his trousers was desperately reciting the spells he had just bought in his head. His new line of inquiry was not helping any.

When he finished, he did not stand. Thinking about all that flesh bouncing up and down had gotten a definite reaction out of him, and the only blessing was that, rather than forming a tent, the fabric was instead restraining his erection. For her part, Kei was content to just sit there; any movement she made caused this delightful friction between her legs, and she was worried that if she moved, she might let out a gasp. So they sat there for several minutes until, realizing that her libido would not subside, Kei said, "Um, Shino? If it's all right with you, I think I'd like to go to bed."

Sounding almost relieved, he said, "Oh, good idea." Once more, she felt somewhat disappointed but couldn't say why. "I'll go snuff out the lantern then, shall I?" At her nod, he stood and then walked over to the lamp, and walked quite oddly indeed.

Alarmed, she said, "Shino, are you alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

'Well,' she thought, 'that's an odd response.' "You're waling with a sort of limp. Are you hurt?"

"What? Um, no! I mean, yeah, I tweaked my leg a bit today, but it'll be fine tomorrow!"

His feigned cheer was obviously a mask for a lie, but whatever it was, she could tell he didn't want to talk about it. Letting the matter drop, she said, "Alright then. Thank you for helping me with my arm."

Just before he turned off the lantern, he gave her one of those smiles that warmed her heart. "Any time."

The light went out, and she heard his footsteps as he made his way back to his hammock. Wanting to say one last thing before sleep took her, she grabbed a blanket from the floor and snuggled up in it before saying, "Good night, Shino."

The smile in his voice was audible when he replied, "Good night, Kei."

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Kei's dreams were new but not entirely unpleasant that night. There were hands on her body, starting on her arm but rapidly moving elsewhere. It wasn't until they cupped her breasts, eliciting a gasp from her, that she realized she was naked. But rather than her usual embarrassment, this time she relished the feeling, and the hands were rewarding her for that well. They gently kneaded and massaged the flesh, making her writhe and moan for more before they finally pinched the nipples, drawing out yet another gasp. When they started sliding down her torso, she knew exactly where they were going; in several of the private moments she managed to secure growing up, her own hands had followed that exact path and, sure enough, ended up in the exact same place.

Her gasp turned to a moan as one set of fingers penetrated her dripping sex while the other moved farther upward, tracing maddening trails around, but never quite touching her clitoris. She gave another moan, bucking her hips to try to get some contact, only to find that the fingers were moving away. Frustrated, she grabbed one of the hands and yanked it back to where she wanted it to be, only to find that the hand's owner had moved around in front. The last thing she saw before she woke up were Shino's eyes staring into hers.

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Kei awoke with a gasp, one hand clutching a breast and the other insider her pants with her fingers inside her. Suppressing a groan of disappointment, her hands finished what the dream ones had begun; she thrust and pinched and tweaked and rubbed until, rubbing her clit furiously, she shivered in orgasm with a breathy sigh after a barely suppressed moan. Glancing into the darkness to her left where Shino slept, she wondered fearfully if he had somehow heard her. Dismissing the question as irrelevant, she moved on to the bigger one of, What is happening to me?

This and several other questions whirled about her mind until she drifted off to sleep once more.

<<<<<Malefactum malefactoribus beneficiumque bonis face>>>> >

Neither Shino nor Kei spoke about that particular incident, though they did continue to chat amiably a bit more than usual. Kei left the ship only once, and that was to buy some new clothes; she had been using rag tunics for work around the ship, and her one good one was now bloodstained. Besides, she always wanted a proper bodice, preferably one she could hide a knife in, as the bandages were a bit uncomfortable. However, aside from that one trip sponsored not by her share of the treasure but instead simple wages, she stayed on board until, four days later, Salty announced, "That's it, lads! Weigh anchor, for it's on t' Beacon City!"

<<<<<Malefactum malefactoribus beneficiumque bonis face>>>>>

Author's Note:

Thank you for all your comments and votes; An author always appreciates any comments on his or her work, and in this particular case that goes double. Feedback, positive or negative, would be and is received with the utmost gratitude.