fic: A Joyful Sermon Unto You

[bonnefois]

Title: A Joyful Sermon Unto You
Series: Ace Attorney
Character/pairing: Nahyuta/Ema
Rating: NC-17
Word count: 16528
Summary: Ema asks a question during that eight hour sermon that changes up their relationship. Good thing Khura'in doesn't have a no fraternization policy.
Author's note: this prompt at the kink meme.

Set during 6-3. And the koans mentioned here are 100% real, though in some cases I paraphrased or changed them to fit the world.

The title comes from Nahyuta's quote from 3-5.

Thanks to OblivionIsAtHand for the beta.



Ema had left her heels off at the door to his prayer room. Her bag, and lab coat had been removed as well. Though the latter was due to getting blood and other viscera on it while working.

He turned away. Her lab coat helped hide away her curves. It helped balance the crackling sense of something between them that dips into frigid mountain waterfalls and meditation were doing little to soothe.

He sat cross legged, and fixed her with a cold stare as she entered.

"Detective Skye."

"Yeah, that's some chilly reception. Nice to see you, too."

"You missed a very key point of evidence today, and I am very disappointed in your conduct upon the stand," he said.

She crossed rolled her eyes. "I didn't see it! The lighting was abysmal there, and I was afraid the whole place was going to collapse. The whole place was freezing and I'm still catching up with the whole language. Give me a break already."

"Mere excuses. As I explained to you, the court of Khura'in is very different," he said.

"Yeah, you told me as I was on the plane to a land I had never been. I thought at least you would translate for me more. I didn't expect.."

She took a deep breath and continued. "You said I'd be checking out forensics and now I'm knee deep in some kind of weird thing where lawyers get executed? I did not sign up for this."

He couldn't even ask himself what were you thinking, bringing a foreigner here, where Ga'ran could know about her? He knew very well he hadn't thought of the consequences. He'd wanted her to remain by his side, and couldn't bring himself to say goodbye in that moment. He'd been so impetuous, he barely recognized the person he became around her.

Where was the prosecutor who separated himself from anyone, looking only to the fate, and role he had to play? His continued meager existence was only to protect the law and his family, and yet, around her he began to dream of something more.

Something more which could not be.

He closed his eyes. Focus, om mani padme hum. The words spread out in his mind, but they offered no calm, or distraction from her. The art of meditation meant he would simply watch the detritus of his thoughts pass by, as like a river.

But when it came to her, the thoughts remained. Hopeful, impossible, and overwhelming.

Everything he could not have.

"Hello, did you fall asleep over there?"

He opened his eyes. "I was thinking."

"So punish me, make me do paperwork. It's not like it broke the entire case. I didn't even try and destroy your case on the stand this time. Unless you called me up here for another reason...."

She crossed her arms under her breasts. His gaze only flickered a moment, to follow her movement. Immediately he looked away, before his mind fell to carnality. Whatever her bait was, he didn't take it.

He noted her puffed out cheeks, the disappointment that he had refused the banter, this dance of flirting and coming closer, and for what? He had a role, he had his fate, and Ema was not a part of it. The Queen's inflection as she'd said Ema's name, like a question still left him dizzy with his sheer hubris. To think--he'd brought a foreign detective over to the sacred courts of Khura'in.

He wasn't himself. These weren't things Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, servant of the law and the queen who held the law in her claws would do.

Now Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, rebel and son of the hated Dhurke Sahdmadhi, would have flaunted a beautiful foreign detective in front of the Queen. The rebel he once was would've torn down everything in such a foolish matter. Had something of the past remained? He did not know. But when he looked at her, he felt--something. Addictive and warm in ways he thought never possible. Not for him.

And even though he'd accepted his life, he'd moved on to being nothing but the guardian of the law, the sacrifice that would spare Rayfa and his mother's life, something remained within him. She had ignited something beyond his power, and all his well-prepared lines, the mask he had taken on for the queen were thawing.

"Are you going to punish me, or am I just going to watch you meditate?" Ema said crossly.

"I hardly thought you'd be asking for a punishment, Detective Skye..."

The inflection--even flirting--stole in there before he could rein himself in. Something about her made him lose all sense of reason, control and even immediacy. The thought of a role, of death and the law was somehow far off when a sweet-smelling girl whose green eyes lit up when she talked about science was close to him.

Ema smirked. "Hey, you knew what you were getting into when you picked me to work with you. You're so thorough with cases, there's no way you didn't look up my history with other prosecutors."

She twisted her brown hair in her hands. "And you still worked with me anyways. You even asked for me personally. I found that out later."

"I wanted to learn about forensics, and you were the most talented of the entire precinct."

"Heh, if that was the only reason, then I wouldn't be here, now would I?"

She glanced down at nails for a moment. He could read only that there was some kind of internal struggle. She decided, and took one step closer. "You know what the rumor is?"

He shook his head. "I do not stoop to the level of rumors."

She continued on, as if he hadn't spoken.

"Everyone thinks you have the hots for me. Everyone in L.A., and several of the Khura'inese guards, too, and even the lawyers. Maybe they didn't put it in those terms and instead said polite things like 'grown fond' or 'taken a liking to' but I know what they mean. Everyone in the precinct and beyond is talking about us. Every single time I meet somebody they keep bringing up. Guards, lawyers, even the Magister was talking about it after the case. I overheard him when I was finishing out the paperwork."

He did not respond. Even though much of American slang was still a mystery to him, this one translated into Khura'inese almost perfectly. The exact Khura'inese idiom went something like: to be heated for someone. It usually was in regards to blushing, though in some cases it could mean sexual desire. Of course this was the direct dictionary version and lacked some nuance, given that heated also could mean 'summer' thus the saying 'a summer love.' (A summer love could also refer to a fling, and even a particular act of coitus. It was a rather risque saying because of this.)

If strangers could see, then he truly had left his back open to the queen to be stabbed.

She continued on, "I'm starting to think they're right. You compliment me so much, you wanted me to come with you. You didn't even bring yourself to come down hard on me during the case before this one. Granted, I totally deserved it. Though I was right in the end..."

She counted out on her fingers his moments of weakness concerning her, as if she were presenting evidence.

But when she looked to him for confirmation, a smug look in her eyes almost like a lawyer's, he gave her none.

"You have no idea what I am capable of," he said flatly.

"That's right, I don't. Apollo always pulls these things in cases, where he reads some tell and somehow it reveals some big thing on the stand. Except I can't get the hang of it, because I can't figure out a damn thing about you. Part of it pisses me off. ...And part of me thinks it's hot as hell," she said.

He flinched as if she'd taken him down a notch on the stand, and she had before, oh she had before. His self control was in shambles. Again, the thoughts of his rebellion came: He'd brought a foreign detective with him, rebelled in the face of his fate, and for what? Because being around her and seeing that beautiful smile made him feel like he was alive? Because her hair smelled like citrus and wildflowers and the way her face lit up when she talked about science? That her own rebellion, and unwavering pursuit of her dreams made him remember what it was to go against the queen, and have a dream of his own?

No, it could not be. He turned away. He forced his thoughts to go on to a sutra he'd memorized at a young age. The repetition was comforting. He could lose his thoughts--the rebellion--in the spaces. If he said any one word enough times, he would believe it.

He could let go, and accept this was a fool's errand. He could...

"Sit down, we will start upon sutra sixty-eight of the chronicles of the Holy Mother. Those of discipline of the protectors of the law."

"Nice, I'm sure this will teach me my lesson," Ema said flatly.

But even as his lips formed the words, he could not lose himself in that numbness he had known, not when she was so near. He stared down at the glove that covered the dark dragon tattoo over his hand. What would the him of the past have done? He already knew, and yet he asked the person he had buried to try and save his sister--his mother. Already he had signed his father's death warrant to do so, with only the faint comfort that it was what he would've wanted. Dhurke could protect himself, for a while. He wasn't a pawn to Queen Ga'ran's whims like his poor mother, and Princess Rayfa.

That younger version of him, the one who had so boldly taken on the queen would've kissed her. He would've kissed her long ago, and not worried about what the queen could do. It wouldn't have been a question of whether one kiss would lead to an execution, or another facet of the spider's web Ga'ran had trapped him into.

Because the past version of him believed the bonds of fate could be broken. He now knew better.

He'd been a fool, then. Too full of hope and the folly of youth to realize just what he'd done by diving into the prosecutor's office.

But even though he'd thrown that all away, an ember still lingered. And the closer she came, Nahyuta knew he would be engulfed. She licked her lips, he lost his place within the sutra. The spaces were all filled with her.

He closed the book a moment and tried to center himself. But her presence was still so near, so magnetic that he couldn't simply meditate this away.

Perhaps he was a fool, and perhaps just being near her reminded him that the rebel he had once been was not buried as deeply as he believed.

And so, the law is what keeps us in order. Without it, we would fall into chaos and a thousand hells. Those that keep the law hold the keys to the divine, and must take the utmost responsibility.

He'd personally made this translation to a more modern variety of Khura'in. He hoped before he died that he could finish this translation as well. Nahyuta had no illusions that Queen Ga'ran would allow him to go down in history as a hero, or allow him any last happiness. At least bringing the words of the Holy Mother to the modern language would be the one unblemished mark upon his record.

(And they would say, Fitting to the son of that demon Dhurke Sahdmadhi.)

And the furlough of the law is love. Love is the bough that holds up the heavens.....

He stared at the words. He'd recited them so many times, and yet their meaning only now showed through. To him, it meant that it would be his fate to give up everything for his family, for the country. After all, what could be a more noble love?

But as he lifted his gaze and met her eyes, another meaning came to him.

He quickly shifted the scroll. But he did not immediately begin to speak again. He cleared his throat. "Yes, then..."

"Prosecutor Sahdmadhi, Is it over already? You just started. Really, I thought you'd last longer. You promised me eight hours."

"You sound disappointed," he said.

"I don't understand it, but your voice is nice to listen to."

He closed his eyes. He couldn't stop this. From the moment he'd brought her along, it had whirled out of control. No, it had started much earlier. From the second he turned from his fate at the smile of a green-eyed girl.

He closed the scroll. "...if it were true, what would you do?" he said.

She tapped her lower lip thoughtfully. "If what were true? We covered a lot of territory here. Religion? I'm not really that sort, but I'd study more and figure out how science plays into that. It'd be pretty hard to prove with evidence, but I can buy that these figures existed at one point... The whole magic parts sound pretty unscientific. And I can't believe in the concept of a 'hell.' Even if I wish they did so certain people could go there."

"No. If what you said then....if that were true, what would you do?"

He couldn't even bring himself to say the words. His heart beat so fast as he waited for her response.

"Oh! I'd kiss you, like I've been wanting to this whole time. Seriously, I thought you'd get the hint! I thought about undoing my top, but it seemed overkill. Also, it's cold here."

She slowly got on her hands and knees and came closer to him. He took in a startled breath as she closed in.

"So, is it true?" Her lips curled into a sensual smirk. Just the sight of her, hands and knees, was to the brink of tearing away the very last of his self control.

"...Yes."

"Good," she said.

A summer love had never been a more fitting metaphor. He felt such warmth inside him, like he'd forgotten he could feel. He cupped her cheeks and felt everything, as if he'd touched into another world he couldn't fathom. Her hair tickled against his knuckles, her curves pressed against him, pushing him into a deeper heat.

She pulled away, and he was left dazed by the scent of her, the taste of her. "Wow, you're a way better kisser than I expected from a monk."

"You have some very strange ideas about the clergy," he said.

"Yeah, the kind we got are like celibate old men who go around lecturing people on stupid things like daring to have sex. And some of them are closet perverts, too.."

"How putrid. Was that why you asked so much about the clergy when you came here?"

"You heard? W-what--like learning stuff too," she said. "Plus it was related to the case."

"About religion? I would gladly give you a sermon," he said.

"I can think of better things for you to do with your lips," she said.

She caught up his lips. The warmth of her skin was a sort of paradise he had never imagined could be his.

"You've got really pretty eyes. And I'm seriously jealous of your eyelashes. I bet they aren't even falsies."

"Falsies?"

She brushed her fingers against the edges of his eyelashes. He blinked in surprise at her sudden movement.

"Eeeh, I knew it. Everything about you is real."

"Not everything," he said softly.

"Oh, is your hair dyed?" she said playfully.

"No. I get it from my...mother."

"Huh, good to know. So you resemble your mother more?"

"Yes...both in personality and looks."

"Good to know. You've got plenty more secrets to tell me," Ema said softly.

He cupped her cheeks. She nearly pushed him over from his seated position. She laughed against his lips, and that made it even more an exquisite moment. He steadied himself, floating in a sense of dreamy awe.

She pushed him to the ground in a breathless second. He suddenly shifted and had her pinned to the floor. She let out a sharp moan against him.

He drew back.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, it's just--Jeez, you're tall."

"Mmn...."

"Like really tall. You could easily pin me down, I think."

"Yes... There is still your Divine Punishment to be dealt with," he said.

"Kinky. So what does this entail exactly? Are you going to tie up my wrists? Because I'm down for that."

"I will go back to reading the sutras."

She gave him an annoyed glance. "That's all? Come on, make it creative."

He lifted one eyebrow. "You presume so much. I thought you enjoyed my voice?" he said, unable to keep the playfulness out of his voice.

"Calling me out here to be alone with you for eight hours...it almost sounded like you had some naughty plan for me," she said.

"Naughty? Hmmm..."

"How was I supposed to read that, huh?"

He leaned in, and said softly against her skin,"I never said you'd be clothed when I read these sutras to you."

She shivered in pleasure, and arched more of herself to be kissed. He obliged, with one gentle caress at her throat. Not enough to leave a mark, but enough to momentarily sate his need to touch her.

"Now that's more like it. I always keep extra pairs of handcuffs, you know. Part of the job." She broke into a big smile. "I'm starting to like where this is going. And then? What comes next?" she said eagerly.

"We will have a little scientific experiment about arousal."

"Scientific experiment? This sounds better and better. Doing it scientifically is the best, you know. Scientists do it scientifically," She laughed to herself. He didn't quite get the entire context and framework, though he got the gist of what she was saying.

She slowly, teasingly started to pull off her buttons. She stared him down, with such raw arousal that keeping control grew more difficult. She tossed the vest away and undid the white blouse beneath until it was little but some underclothing beneath--lacy and form fitting to her breasts. He traced the edges of the cups with his fingers. She bit her lips, with growing anticipation.

"You need help there? Have you even ever encountered one of these before? I don't know if Khura'inese women have bras like this."

"No."

"That's both an answer and not an answer," Ema said.

He slipped behind her back and found the clasp. The bra fell away. Then, it was the belt that was taken off, and her capris eased out of, stepped out of. When she lay naked before him, he slipped her hands into the handcuffs as gently as he could imagine.

Not touching her was a trial that should garner him enlightenment by sheer force of will, should he manage to resist. But, oh, his palm would fit perfectly in the curve of her waist. Her nipples were bright red, and turned hard from the cold, and he could touch her so easily. Her skin was so pristine, so beautiful, like marble. And her parted legs spoke of the sweetest paradise on earth he could imagine.

She arched her back as he moved closer. His hands ghosted over her, never quite touching. She let out a little shivery moan at his nearness. For a shameful moment, he felt a little bit of egoism that he'd managed to make her so undone without even a single touch.

"My, my, Detective Skye. You're so eager. Let us begin..."

He spoke against her skin the sacred words he had memorized within his monk training. She shuddered, and squirmed, but he wouldn't come closer, wouldn't give her what she wanted.

At least, not yet.

He leaned in and spoke soft words against her skin. His own desire overcame him and he grazed his fingertips down her waist. Yet his minor break in self-control was quite a wondrous thing as she shuddered beneath his touch. Her gaze was upon him now, eager and desperate in ways he had never believed he could have--that he was worthy of having.

Not surprising, Ema 's self control was lacking.

"P-Prosecutor Sahdmadhi, please!"

"Do you know my name?" he said.

"Yes..I saw it on the transfer papers," she said softly.

"Good," he said. He leaned in, until his breath brushed over her neck. "Remember it well."

"You going to make me scream it later?"

"Later? No...there is only now. Nothing exists but this second. Each future moment will too be the present when it comes. By that...we are infinite in this moment."

"Yeah, yeah, philosophy...does this mean I'm going to have to wait forever for you to touch me?"

There were many things he could say. Of the experiment, of the fact that his self control had been pushed so far by not touching her every second since he met her, that the force of magnetism and passion between them is so powerful, his entire world has titled upon its axis.

But instead, he gives her forever in that second. He rested his palm against her waist, and slowly let the heat seep into her skin. His fingertips brushed up her waist, towards her thighs. She squirmed and tried the force him down, to more sensitive areas. He continued on his his recitation, as if he had not noticed at all her rising desperation.

He read a historical sutra, one with a specific beat. It was of the conquests of Lady Kee'ra. He slipped his hand between her thighs and traced down the sensitive inner skin there. Even his own experiment was compromised. He couldn't stop touching her, couldn't stop wanting her.

"Come on! I'm starting to see why this is called a punishment. Please, don't tease me anymore. You're not going to let me come? That's cruel!"

"No, it is not that. You will come in due time. Have you forgotten about the little experiment already?"

"I think you're the one who forgot about the experiment. Maybe there's not enough blood in your head?"

Nahyuta's breath caught. The scroll was laid over his lap, the only shield to hide his arousal. But, from Ema's smile, he knew she knew. He looked through the words to regain his equilibrium, but they blended on the page. There was nothing in his mind but her. Her magnetism, her gravity destroyed years of monk training to refine and strengthen his mind. Truly, human lust was a stronger force than he ever imagined.

"No. I simply had to modify it. After all, I have a beautiful woman near me. One who keeps making such lascivious comments It would be quite rude for me to ignore her requests."

"Oh, you going to tell me what a bad girl I am? What kind of hell am I going to, huh? You probably are going to compare me to some tempting demon or something in a long winded sermon that I only half understand and has me running to encyclopedias which are inevitable outdated because it's like all the clocks stopped in this place decades ago."

"I would do no such thing. Hell is reserved for putrid murderers and those who cut in line when buying burgers."

"So, I'm in the clear? Technically, I made one little mistake. That's what, an A? An A minus? That means you should go light on me. Or maybe I should say go harder on me..."

"Not yet." He went down, away from her thighs and instead brushed against her knee.

Ema squirmed. "Oh, come on...."

When he shifted, he accidentally brushed his erection against her thigh. Her reaction was palatable. A smirk, her body so welcome and inviting....All he would have to do was shift a little more and their bodies would mesh and meld. A perfect union for a time.

"You look like you could use some help there," Ema said.

Of course, his body responded. He'd kept himself in check during the trials and investigations. The courts of law were not a place for untamed lusts.

And yet, there'd been a thousand times he had been tested. When the wind caught her hair while she was climbing up those sacred stairs. She brushed it back with delicate fingers, completely unaware at how alluring she was in that moment.

And also: her supple, bent body as she took in evidence, even her hands as she devoured Snackoo over and over. Her pink tongue slipped out, to make a crass gesture, along with an eye roll for emphasis.

It was a miracle he had kept away from her as long as he had.

His hand slipped between her thighs. He began to stroke upwards until she let out a long breath. She let out a soft moan as he moved upwards, until he grazed the heat and wetness of her.

"A-are you teasing me again?"

"You'd forfeit the experiment?"

"We could modify i-it to i-include new data! I-I mean, the original p-plan is already but....."

"Hmm..fine. However, you come first," he said.

"I'm not gonna argue there," she said.

He parted her legs enough to push his fingers deep inside her. She was slick and soft, with a deep warmth against his skin. His only knowledge was that from books. He'd assumed there would be more awkwardness, pain, yet passion seemed to dull those edges. It was such a primal, raw urge that somehow he knew this language of love at each first touch.

He moved to be closer to her, until his erection pressed against her hip. She let out a little gasp at the pressure. "Oh, god."

Ema let out a long groan as he thrust his fingers inside her. Her breaths came faster and faster as he moved inside her. So far, he saw no hint of pain or mistake in his part, yet he had to make sure.

Nahyuta came to a slow stop for a moment.

"Hey, now."

"I merely paused for a moment. Please speak up if I make a misstep, or hurt you," he said.

"Truuust me, you're doing fine. I wouldn't mind waking up sore from you, you know. Mmmmn. I've been thinking about your hands. How they'd feel. And man, you do not disappoint."

"My hands, you say?"

He thrust his long fingers in deeper and harder amid her growing cries of pleasure. Her hips bucked, and she clenched tight about him as each breath came faster and faster. It seemed, he'd have to be careful where they came together if merely using his fingers would elicit such a response.

"God, you feel amazing, and it's just your fingers so far...C-can't even imagine what it'd be like when...""

She clenched her body around him and gave out a little cry that grew more desperate. She was on the edge

He bent down to bury his face between her legs. Her cries grew in pitch at the first brush of his tongue. What a sensual experience, her very core against him, the heat and wetness gave way to his tongue. This more sensual experience than he could have ever imagined, and the pulsing knub of her clitoris there, he could feel her grow more undone, more aroused. He could taste her pleasure. Though the meaning was lost, he spoke a sutra with his tongue. The hum of his voice left her wordlessly crying out his name.

He continued with his fingers, his tongue at once. Her breath came out fluttering, gasping. She laid back with a flushed face and heaving chest. He licked his lips and tasted her.

He drew back a moment and breathed across her thighs, and spoke. "Within Italy, and Greece, there are marble statues. They have such exquisite beauty that it feels impossible that a body could be so lovingly crafted."

As he spoke, he continued to brushed her clitoris with his hand, even as he pushed deeper inside her.

"The skin looks delicate, the hands expertly chiseled, the fabric of robes even masterfully made. ...this is how I feel about you."

She shuddered, and made a series of small whimpers. He could feel the quick intense throb of her clitoris against him, as rapid and intense as a heartbeat.

Strange, his readings cited most women required much more attention to reach this state. Either it was outdated, or Ema was exceptional. Given how she excelled at many other things, he would not be surprised if it was the latter.

"Oh, fuuck. Fucking fuck, oh my God."

He slowly pulled his fingers out from her. They were slick, and covered with her juices.

"Hmm. The experiment was compromised, but we did gather some interesting data," he said.

"How the hell do you make the word 'data' so hot?" She shook her head. "Really, you're too much. Come on, give me a taste already. You haven't even come yet. Though I could feel you hard against me then...it was so incredibly hot."

"Soon, but not quite yet," he said.

"Bet I can make you give in. Take this for your data."

Ema arched her back. Her lips parted, legs parted. She slowly licked those red lips he'd kissed only minutes ago. "Come on," she said.

"You're very tempting..."

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you're still pretending this is a punishment? Hey--You could come on me," Ema said.

"Upon you?"

"Yeah, that'd be an awful punishment for me, I'd totally hate it. It'd definitely teach me never to miss a blood stain again," Ema said cheerfully.

Truthfully, he was at his limit. Anymore displays like this and he'd end up orgasming right there.

His penis throbbed, thick and ready. He undid his pants, and gripped the base. He started from there, near his balls and went all the way up to the sensitive head.

Even though her hands were bound, she lifted up her arm.

"Don't hurt yourself, now."

"I'm not going to sprain my hand with a handjob!"

"I should hope not."

"And if I do, well, it'll be worth it."

From this angle, she could only close her delicate and graceful hand about the head. She moved up, to run her thumb down the sensitive underside.

"I really should have some lotion for this. Hope it doesn't chafe," she said.

"N-no....It is......go...good."

"Good enough to get somebody as silver-tongued as you tongue-tied," she said smugly.

His breath caught as her fingers slid down his throbbing penis. He was so close, so close. She'd barely even begun and yet the touch of her was alighting every nerve inside him.

"It doesn't….ah… This doesn't hurt you…?"

"It's not ideal, but I'll be fine. You won't last long with the way I'm working you, anyways."

And she was right, as so many other times. Her grip was firm, yet gentle as she moved up and down, up and down the entire length of him.

She licked her lips. "Sooner or later, you're going in my mouth… and other places. Preferably sooner."

"E-Ema… I'm…"

Her gaze met his, and she smiled. "Go ahead and come. You already held out so long so I could go first. Just try not to not get any in my eyes, okay?"

His breath came in gasps as all the nerves in his body seemed to set off at once, like fireworks.

Ema licked her lips, and watched with awe as he finally achieved climax. White splatters of come landed over her stomach, breasts and thighs. Like he'd marked her. As he laid beside her, in those moments he knew a perfect calm, broken only by the memory of the mythology of the sky and land caught in coitus, until they were pushed apart.

It was like his best moments of meditation as he came to lie beside her, only sweeter than he could have ever known.

Ema stretched beside him. She had a mischievous smile over her rosy, kissable lips. "Oh, dang, that was a great punishment. I'll totally not mess up anymore cases to get some more of that. Can you undo my hands? It's totally my turn again. You know, if you'd undid them earlier, I could've helped you out there more."

"You were the one who asked them to be bound," he said.

"Yeah, it was hot, but now I really need to get a feel of you."

"I rather like you in this position..."

She let out a groan. "Come on. If you're going to keep me like this, at least go all the way. It's cold in here, and I seriously need more of that dick. Damn, I had no idea you were that big. I can't wait to get a ride on that."

Given that he had chosen not to pursue love, Nahyuta hadn't put much thought into the size of his penis. But her compliment made egotism he had sought to squelch rise in him. One night and hundreds upon thousands of hours of training were all undone.

"Then I shall keep you warm," he said softly.

"Really, some punishment. Here I thought you'd dock my pay or something. They give out amazing orgasms as punishments?"

"You wish to have a true Divine Punishment?"

"Crap! Uh, ignore that! My sassy mouth is always getting me in trouble..."

"Is it, now? I could suggest something else you could do with that mouth."

He gently turned her head, so that their lips could meet. What a perfect union it was, the heat and intense feeling of their skin together. She let out a desperate moan tried to grind against him. He broke away before he went too far, and undid the handcuffs. As he pulled away, he saw her smirk. In seconds she gripped his collar and kissed him hard. Her tongue teased across his lips. It was intense and intoxicating. All he wanted was more.

She let go only for a moment to take a breath. "If I'd known a 'Divine Punishment' would be so much fun, I would've been a lot more eager to come here. Got a free towel or something to wipe me off? If not, I'll use your monk robes," she said.

"Yes, within my bags."

"Heh, you always keep your towel handy," she said.

She stretched. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. She was so brilliant and gorgeous and bold in ways he had never imagined anyone could be.

"Is your apartment close? Or do you have a house or a room or whatever prosecutors over here have? I'd hate to have to trek out into the cold..."

"My residence adjoins my prayer chambers, which are only a room away from my prosecutor's office," he said.

"Good, I don't have to get dressed again," she said.

Ema got up, and draped her clothes over her arm.

"You're about to walk into prosecutor's room. The windows are always wide open, so truth may come in."

"Thanks, flashing everyone in Khura'in would've been a mood killer."

He removed his frock coat and rested it across her shoulders. "Pull it close, no one will see."

She buried her face in the high collar as she snuck past the windows.

"You've got to give me one of these. A shirt, something. It's an American tradition to give your girl your hoodie, you know?"

"My drawers are there. Help yourself," he said.

She gave him a wicked smile. "I've already been in your drawers."

At his blank expression, she went on.

"Slang for underwear," she said.

"Oh, now I understand."

"Yeah, the joke's no longer funny when I have to explain it," Ema said.

As he closed the door behind him, she pulled the frock coat off and left it on the floor. Her body was so soft against his, so much he couldn't even focus on how his clothes had been so carelessly left aside.

"I've been trying and trying for you to get the message," Ema said softly.

"You have?"

"You didn't even realize? My thirst was getting embarrassing," Ema said.

"I asked if you wanted to get anything to eat with me, and have some coffee and you didn't even join me."

"Coffee is a means of flirting in your culture?"

"Yeah, you invite somebody in after a date. It's not about the coffee. Then when I asked you if you were interested in Netflix and Chill, you just talked about Downtown Abbey."

He furrowed his brow. "You try and flirt with people by asking them to watch television?"

"It's not about the television, it's about being alone with somebody. What do you do in Khura'in? Exchange prayer books?"

He moved closer, and whispered something in Khura'inese. She shuddered as his lips brushed her ear.

"I think I recognized bed, and that other word was used in the last case and it meant 'broken' then. Is that you telling me you'd take me so hard you broke the bed?"

"They will need to fix the bed when the night is done would be a more literal translation. There is a variation that speaks of the floor being cracked as well from the night's ardor. A further one mentions more furniture being harmed during the process."

"Wow. Khura'inese pick up lines aren't fucking around. Sheesh, you could probably get me off just talking alone."

"...The basis of science is discovery and repeated experimentation. You have posed a hypothesis. We attempted, but the data was inconclusive. Now, shall we try again?"

He took her wrists and pinned her to the bed. Slowly, he whispered sutras against her neck. She began to grind against him. He allowed it, as he spoke in such an ancient language she surely could not know the meaning.

"Okay, keep talking, but I'm going to need to feel you this time. Look, Snackoos aren't the only thing I can't just stop with. Get it? Hey, let go a second, I need more condoms."

Ema threw the covers back and dug through her bag."Thank God I got a big box. At the rate we're going, I'm hoping it'll last the whole trip here. Does Khura'in even have anything like this? And do they even come in your size, because damn?"

"No, the contraceptive measures were hit with the regulations passed banning indecency and things deemed "putrid" by the Queen."

"Yikes, glad I stocked up," Ema said.

Finally, she pulled out a box, and held it up. "Got these just in case. Looks like my hunch was right."

He'd remembered her sudden dash into the pharmacy. He'd been looking at strange brightly colored things that looked like flowers--Ema said they were loofas--when she came back flush-faced, but cheerful.

It all made sense now, as she crawled on her hands and knees with a foil wrapper in her mouth. The mere sight of her, eager and playful left him wide-eyed and aching. Even though he'd just found release, he knew it wouldn't be long until he was hard again.

She ripped the foil and licked her palm palms with that sensual, pink tongue. "Ready for round two?"

All he could do was nod in that moment. Words wouldn't come, none of them would do justice to describe how beautiful she was.

She took base of his penis in her grip. The touch sent a shock through his system. He took a sharp intake of breath. She slowly went down to the base. His breath caught at the sheer pleasure of her touch.

"You know, scientifically, most guys can't get it up again right away. Not unless they're younger or really going through a dry spell. But I think I can help you along."

She looked up flirtily at him as she took his penis in her mouth. The first touch of her tongue across the sensitive underside of the tip made him think that yes, her scientific hypothesis was certainly correct.

Her grip was firm at the base, and moving swiftly upwards. She eagerly took him in her mouth, and sucked him hard.

The heat of her mouth was intense. She drew back with a moan and gave a sudden desperate kiss and nuzzle to his thigh.

"God, you're huge. Oh--fuuuck, this is hot."

He stroked back her hair as she took him in her mouth again. He began to hum, and bob her head ever so slightly. Her hypothesis was correct.

She pulled away, and let him drop from her mouth. Yet, she still kept a firm grip at the base of his erection. She slipped the condom on him, with a small smile.

"Ha. You shouldn't be surprised I like to keep things in my mouth. This is me after all. You wouldn't believe how many Snackoos I can fit in my mouth. I can show you later if you want…"

She playfully stuck out her tongue. And it was such a contrast: alluring and yet--adorable. Every moment with her made him feel desperately alive in a way that no one else had.

"I can't wait anymore. I want to feel you inside me, okay?"

They shifted, with him lying back, and she climbed up onto him. His penis throbbed at the feel of her so close, the way her soft thighs grazed his own. Ema let out a long shuddering gasp that turned into a whimper as their bodies met completely. He had never felt anything of this magnitude. How had he, of all people, stumbled into this small quarter of paradise? Her face was sheer ecstasy as she took all of him inside her. He gripped her hips at the first thrust.

His hands were at the curve of her hips, and held her steady and tight. Their bodies were fitted together as deep as he could go. He hadn't settled into a rhythm of movement, still too stuck in the awe of her body around him and on top of him. She took him by the wrist and guided him between her legs, back to her clitoris. "I want to feel you do it."

He started slow, to not hurt her, but Ema soon forced the pace to increase. It was such an intense feeling rising within him. He had never quite felt anything like it, nor could he have even dreamed of such a thing.

Her back was arched, and her mouth open in sheer pleasure as she rode him hard enough that the sheets of his futon came loose beneath her gyrations. She clenched tight. He wouldn't last long at this rate. Nor did she seem to want to.

But oh, the heat, the closeness was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. She leaned in to kiss him suddenly, desperately. He lost his grip on her clitoris, and reached to touch her again. Ema wrapped both her arms about him and threw her head back in a moan. Her breasts pushed against him, soft and perfect.

He could tell from those parted lips, the look in her eyes that they would come crashing down together soon.

"Oh, oh...Nahyuta..."

"Go on....come. I've got you."

"Go as hard as you can," she said, her voice so soft he barely heard. But oh, he obeyed. He clutched her tight, and again thrusting within her. His mind was a cacophony of desire. Her nearness, her breath, the way she surrounded him and rode him with such unabashed heat and passion.

She buried her face against him as the last arcs of climax came over them both. His was sudden and bright, warmth and calm through his entire body. Hers lasted longer. He stroked her hair as he waited for her.

It was overwhelming, a happiness overload. He had barely felt a moment's peace within these years in his forced servitude to Ga'ran. Before her, that was. Even meditation and sleep only offered temporary respites.

And suddenly, his body felt so new and alive beneath her. The sudden rush of good feelings almost left him feeling guilty. What right did he have to happiness, let alone with a beautiful, brilliant foreign girl?

But such thoughts were lost in the scent of her hair, in the way her soft, sweet curves captivated him. And in that, he could almost fool himself into believing that someone like him deserved her, deserved this.

That happiness could be lasting, and most of all, his.

She pushed her hair out of her face. "Obviously they make monks way differently over here. I didn't even know I could come that hard. Fuuckk, I'm still feeling the aftershocks of that."

She leaned up on one elbow, and suddenly frowned. Not in anger, it seemed, but concentration at a far off thought.

"I can't believe I seduced a monk. I spent all this time going 'what are you even thinking? He's a monk. He won't even notice, also you're being an idiot.' And I still did it."

He leaned in to kiss her."I am glad you did. Trust me, even if I do not yet understand certain aspects of your culture, I certainly felt something between us."

She slipped her arms about one of his. "It's official, I'm calling dibs on you. This whole night has been hot as hell and you're just--way too sexy and intelligent for me to let go. You've gotta be my boyfriend now."

He hadn't thought of tomorrow. It'd just been so sudden. Her listing out the evidence of his feelings, that kiss. Everything else had been completely carnal. He hardly knew anything of love. His life had been that of rebellion--and protecting the law. There had hardly been a single moment for himself in this war that could not be won against the queen. Since the queen had made him her puppet, his fate had become chains around him dragging him deeper and deeper.

She propped herself up on one elbow. "So, what do you say?"

"There are many complications..."

"Yeah, living on separate continents sure makes things difficult. But you travel all the time. And if I'm working with you, I'll never be far. I'm putting myself out here, okay? I really like you. I mean, it's ridiculous. A monk and a scientist. But this chemistry...." She reached out and twisted the end of his braid in her fingers. "...Is amazing."

Separate countries was the least important of the issues, but with her this close all the problems faded away into blind hope.

He leaned in and kissed her, more gently this time. "You being mine...is a thought I can hardly fathom. It is taking much thought to even piece together the idea that I could be happy together with you."

"Is it really that hard to believe? I mean, you've got a lot going for you."

He didn't respond to that.

"So, I take it as a yes?" Ema said.

To turn his back on his fate was unthinkable, and yet he could not turn away from her. To guard the law, or to guard her? His guilt would always be there in this lifetime, waiting for him like an unwelcome shadow.

Without a single thought more, he leaned in to kiss her softly. "I will fight for you, for this...Whatever it takes."

She smiled. She didn't know how literal this was. Not mere distances, or differences in culture, but the ruler of the country of Khura'in--the woman who owned his very being, everything of him.

This was an unthinkable rebellion. He could only hope this tiny bit of selfishness would not cause pain to what was left of his family...and her.

"And I don't feel like sharing you with anybody, either. Call me selfish, but I want you all to myself. None of this 'I don't just want to laaaabel it' or 'We're just hanging out.' I know, it's fast, but hear me out, I'm really feeling some chemistry here."

She twirled the end of his braid around her fingers. "Really, you're ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?"

"Ridiculously intelligent and handsome and fascinating and I keep wondering how are you even real? I mean sure you piss me off sometimes but so does everyone else. And I probably shouldn't say this, but I could fall in love with you so easily. And I don't fall in love every day, you know."

She let out a sigh. "I probably fucked up there. Look, if that was too soon--Just blame it on the orgasms. I'm always messing up my relationships because I blurt out things. Like talking about work on a date I picked up from an app. Or talking about my last failed date while I'm in bed with my current boyfriend. I'm sensing a theme here. Wait, are you mad?"

"No. I am simply still trying to take in everything which has happened tonight."

"And still letting the blood flow back to your brain, I see," Ema said teasingly.

She curled up under the covers. He buried his face against her hair. He'd ached to have her close, but he hadn't even dreamed that she could share his feelings--and his bed. He had only read of such pleasures, such as how to please a woman. He could hardly believe a fate like this could be his.

(He'd read some in his monk studies, but it wasn't until he met her that he studied quite a bit harder upon the subject.)

He buried his face against her, and breathed her in.

"You like my shampoo? I'll let you use it. Though you'd probably use up the entire bottle with all that hair... That's okay. You're pretty enough that I'll let you."

He gently let his hands brush through her hair. He could do this. He could touch her, and know her in ways he couldn't have even ever imagined.

Simply falling asleep was unthinkable. She was so warm against him, like hope. Everything about her was a miracle. How could something like this have happened to someone with a fate such as I? I cannot tell if this is a mercy from the Holy Mother or a punishment, but I could not pull away from her anymore than I could stop breathing.

"You know, all those great after sex feelings? Your body is releasing dopamine and serotonin, and all that good stuff."

Ema looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. "Sex is just our bodies trying to trick us into pairing up and procreating. Sex is like...the bait in the trap. You know, like in a cartoon and they put a basket trap and treats inside?"

He stared blankly at that.

"Right. Mountainous country, not a lot of television. But bear with me. It's like when I showed you Animal Crossing while we were on a layover, and you stepped on the x and fell into a pit trap, because I put a piece of furniture there and you didn't realize it was a trap and not a fossil. Then I laughed so hard as you flailed around, I almost fell out of the airport seat."

"Ah, that," he said.

"Carbs also help produce serotonin. Which was why I always have some Snackoos on hand. Now if only I could figure out a way to combine Snackoos and sex, I'd be set."

"That doesn't seem too difficult a feat," he said.

"You think? There's a chance of crumbs in bed, but science is all about repeated experiments. we'll just have to figure out a way. Also, love at first sight is pure bullcrap. And pure science. It's pheromones! It's your body saying oh, this person would be a great mate. All those feelings are you literally becoming addicted to that person."

"So meeting you was fate after all..."

"How did you get fate out of that? This is science we're talking about," Ema said. Her voice was filled with exasperation.

"We were born on different continents. A minor change and we would have never met. And yet, despite everything, we did. What are the chances of that?"

Ema chewed on her lip thoughtfully. "I mean, the sheer rate of even being born is 400 trillion to one...the chance of us meeting...Oh hell, I don't know. Probably less than that."

She puffed out her cheeks. "I'll have you know, science sneaking math in the back door was what kept me from my dreams for so long."

"And the chance that as you put it, our DNA would align, like it was foretold in the stars."

"That's not how I put it, but go on," Ema said.

"If I'd been assigned Prosecutor Blackquill instead, or if you'd not stopped in to check out forensics, or even if you'd gone to another precinct, we never would've met. Kind of makes you think."

Ema laughed.

"My pillow talk game is too strong. I'm even holding back about forensics. Apparently people find it 'disgusting' and a 'turn off' to talk about that. Like the fact that there's forensic scientists out there studying corpses to figure out the exact kinds of flies speeding up decomposition! Or the fact that cases can literally be solved by the kind of maggots infesting them. It's interesting, but I'm glad I work solving crimes and not in the stinky bug division. Oh, right. People don't want to hear that kind of dirty talk. Not the kind that involves processing corpses."

"Go on; I find your expertise fascinating."

She glanced up at him. "You aren't grossed out?"

"I am a keeper of the law. To process such cases every day requires a strong stomach."

She buried her face in his shoulder. Her voice was muffled.

"I could not hear you."

"I said, it's a boyfriend."

But he'd definitely heard not an H sound, but B. He didn't press the issue.

He pulled away from her embrace, and rose to pour something from the carafe from the side of the bed.

"Do you need a drink?"

"Yeah, I should. I used my mouth a ton, and only half of it was witty comebacks. Can you even get dehydrated from sucking cock? Probably. I'll have to google it later."

She came to the edge of the bed, and hung her legs off the side. She finished the rest of the carafe, and wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand.

"This is some seriously good water."

"Pure from the springs of Mount Poni Poni."

She set the carafe back at the stand by the bed. "Dasani can eat its heart out."

He bent down, and pulled up one of her packages of Snackoos. It'd fallen away from her lab coat as she came in, and had been temporarily abandoned in their passion.

"You wanted to try combining these.... Would the afterglow suffice?"

He wrapped them in covers at the edge of the bed, where the crumbs could easily be brushed away. He cradled her across his lap. The bag crinkled as he reached in. He handed one to her, then tried one himself. Crunchy and crisp, with a strong chocolate taste. The texture was rough against his tongue. He tried a second bite to try and see just how Ema was so obsessed. His first thought he couldn't quite see how she was so captivated. But the third made him start to see as the chocolate taste melded together over his tongue.

Ema let out a happy moan. "I'll call it this experiment a scientific success. Also, you're awesome just for thinking it up. Seriously."

"I'll remember that next time you require a Divine Punishment for insubordination and come up with yet another nickname."

"Just for that, I'm calling you Sir Crunchy," Ema said. She took another bite of her Snackoos.

"Sir Crunchy? Wouldn't that be a compliment, considering how you love your treats?"

"Hey, I don't come up with my best comebacks when I've been fucked this hard.--munch--munch--Besides, like I said: you knew what you were getting into with me."

He chuckled. "Yes, I certainly thought I knew then."

"So, I'm a little too exhausted to go for another round, but I could go for a morning one."

At his lack of response, her cheeks puffed out. "It'd be rude to kick your girlfriend out of bed, you know."

There could be scandal, controversy, the wrath of the queen. But he could also wake up with her. And Ema's magnetism made him forget about all the reasons why he shouldn't come closer.

"Please stay," he said softly.

She smiled, and curled up against him. "Gladly."

*

He woke up first. She was nestled in the crook of his arm. The temptation to simply stay and find some excuse to skip his routine was strong--almost overpowering. He'd said yes to her temptation so many times, and each time it became more difficult to say no.

When his morning prayers had ended, he left towards the marketplace. The early sellers who fed the earliest rising monks had already set up their stalls. With the pink light of dawn edging across the mountains, he sorted through the goods with her in mind. Her palate definitely tended towards sweeter things. Khura'in, like many Asian countries, didn't have an abundance of sweets, and what ones they had were seasonal. But, he still managed to find something he hoped would please her.

When he returned, she still slept. He let her rest a little longer. He drew her a bath, and heated it with stones cooked upon the hearth. He filled it with herbs, until the steam rose up fragrant and strong. It was almost seven by the time he came back to the bed. She looked so peaceful as she slept. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Good morning, love. I wish I could let you sleep...but there is much to do before the flight later."

Ema let stretched and let out a long yawn. She smiled as she caught sight of him. "Good morning, handsome."

"I brought you food, and I have brought in your luggage. I was not sure which you needed."

"Oh, you're a godsend! I seriously didn't want to have to walk all the way over there. And I know we swapped a lot of spit last night, but it'd be weird sharing a toothbrush."

"I've also prepared a bath for you," he said.

"Ooh, thanks. I'm sure I need it after how hard we went last night."

She stepped out from the blankets. In daylight, she was even more beautiful. Curvaceous, with tangled hair and such brightness in her eyes, her soul. It grew hard to focus on the task at hand, and not how it would feel to have those long legs wrapped about his hips.

As a monk, he should turn his gaze from all egoism. Relationships were not banned, but to lose sight of one's fate would not do. But, he leaned in and got a little more intoxicated with her. He managed to fight his sudden burst of lust and show her instead to the adjoining bathroom.

The basin was made of stone, surrounded by wood at all sides. Fragrant steam rose up from the heated stones he'd heated before dawn in the fireplace. The mirror was etched in gold with a sutra. Love is the bough that holds up the heavens.

Ema bent down over the water. He could not quite keep enough self control to keep his eyes away from how her breasts swayed at the movement.

"What's the floating stuff?" Ema said.

"It is a medicated bath. It's a Khura'inese tradition to put herbs within the bathwater for health and rejuvenation. The water is gathered from the purest springs at the edge of Mount Poni Poni, and heated with stones."

"Smells good. Though it kind of feels like I decided to make a hippie bath bomb involving tea bags."

Ema tested the water with one foot.

She glanced over her should, and smiled suggestively at him. "Are you going to be joining me?"

Despite his growing arousal, Nahyuta shook his head. "I've already bathed."

She glanced over her shoulder, and gave him a suggestive smile. "Two baths and you'll be twice as clean."

"My hair takes hours to dry," he said.

"Okay, you win. Though you could pin it up... Who am I kidding? I'd climb all over you until you were completely soaked," Ema said.

"Help me in, would you? I wouldn't want to slip," she said with a pointed sweetness. He'd quite figured out that such sweetness was either sarcasm or seduction with her, or both.

His resolve began to falter as his fingers intertwined with hers. She reminded him of the sculptures in Europe, a water nymph caught with an enigmatic smile as she slipped one finger into the tub.

"Thank you, Prosecutor Sahdmadhi."

"...When I am alone, you may use my name."

"How is it pronounced? Nahyuta, like a hard nah? Sort of like when someone asks if I want to go see the Gavinners?"

He chuckled softly. "That's one way of putting it. Please move up a little.I'll help you wash your hair."

He tied his hair up in a messy bun, and sat on the edge of the tub.

"You're changing your mind?"

He poured some of the creamy looking white liquid on his palm and gently worked it through her hair. He then caught her hair up in a bun, and pinned it with a barrette.

He buried his face against her neck, and kissed her there.

"Heh, I thought so. You're totally tempted."

"Tempted? Perhaps." He sat on the edge of the tub. "I didn't think happiness would ever be in my fate, until I met you."

"You always go on about 'fate' this and 'fate' that. Honestly! You make your own fate," she said.

"You have the heart of a rebel within you."

So did he, once.

"That's a nice way of putting it. Most people just call me a bitch," she said.

He mentally went back through that. "A female dog?"

"They don't have the concept of bitches here? You know, high maintenance woman giving orders, not taking shit and a bit cranky at people's bullshit...."

"Women like that get elected to high places," Nahyuta said.

"Maybe Khura'in has the right idea after all. At least for some things," Ema said.

"Perhaps."

He would step into the water with her if he continued at this rate. There is still much to do. You cannot let yourself drown in lust, in her body. Satorha, calm yourself.

"I...will return in a moment."

"Forget something--or taking care of yourself? I mean, you don't have to do that alone. I won't leave you with blue balls."

"No...it is something else."

He tried to catch his breath as he dug through the urn of his belongings. He was still on the precipice of complete arousal, his penis half hard. He hadn't even finished his morning sutras because somehow they all became her name. And then his mind would go to the night before, and his mind would wander.

It was an amateur mistake, and yet he kept making it about her.

Nahyuta came back with a dark clay dish covered with some kind of baked goods, and a glass of water.

"Oh, I'm parched. Thank you."

She gulped it down so fast that ice cold drops landed on her breasts. He couldn't look away. She was hypnotic, magnetic, and luring him closer.

"Delicious. What's this called?"

She tried to repeat the word as he spoke, but could not quite grasp it.. She tried again, only to become tongue tied.

She let out a sigh. "Guess I can't learn it in one try."

"You're doing better than most considering you had little preparation time. You must be a fast learner."

Ema brightened at this. "You think? Well, I do with science. Not math so much. I don't know about languages. German was pretty interesting, though."

Just a simple compliment and her entire demeanor would change. Mantras hadn't worked, no matter how much he recited om padme mani hum his body still was filled with desire. His mind shifted to impossibilities and koans.

She glanced up at him.

"I can't even figure out what you're thinking. It's like you've completely spaced out."

"What I'm thinking about? It is A koan. Such as: 'If you find the Holy Mother, kill her immediately.'"

She puffed out her cheeks. "Finding out actually makes me more confused, somehow!"

"Koans are meant to make one think--and be enlightened. It is a reminder not to think too much upon the putrid world around us. And also to keep my minds from falling into too much carnality."

He formed a mudra with his hands. "There is one that goes, two monks passed a beautiful woman. The second became preoccupied with the amount of familiarity which the first monk had greeted her. He spoke to him, 'have you forgotten your vows?' the second replied, 'I left her there, and yet you are still carrying her.'"

"So what you're saying is you were distracted by my boobs so you thought weird paradoxes instead? You know, you don't have to force yourself to think of other things. It's okay for you to touch them. You have boyfriend boob touching rights. Go ahead, be my guest."

He leaned in, and lifted her chin to catch her in a lingering kiss. "Now... Does that answer your question? I have an extremely beautiful woman near me. I confess, I could not think of much else, even as I tried to think of koans."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're hard to read?"

He chuckled. "Yes, my father said this of me many times. I got it from my mother, among many other things."

"Oh, are we going to meet them today? Not to be rude or anything, but can we wait? I'm still learning a lot about Khura'inese culture. It'd completely suck to accidentally offend them somehow. Just, let me learn enough that I don't accidentally insult your mother when I'm just trying to say hi," Ema said.

"That is... fine." He cleared his throat, and glanced away. "It would be best to...wait."

Thankfully, she hadn't noticed his sudden mood shift. She sank beneath the water and washed out the mixture he'd put on her hair. She looked like a mermaid as she rose, no--a siren.

She stood up suddenly. Water dripped from her breasts into the water below.

She stepped out of the wood-rimmed, stone bathtub. Ema was glorious. He'd never appreciated the female form as much in his life, nor would he again. This was the peak, the pinnacle. No other woman had ever reached her level within his mind. And surely, no other ever would.

"Need a pick me up after yesterday? Losing's always tough," she said.

"The only thing that matters is the souls of the dead finding peace. That is the only winning that counts with me."

"Then...How about celebrating a soul laid to rest?" she said softly.

He couldn't focus this away, as she reached up and pressed her curvy body against his. Droplets of water spilled onto his frock coat. He let out a soft groan. The shape of her had become a gravitational pull on its own, a sun in which he could only orbit.

"Every moment with you is a celebration," he said softly.

"I'll remind you that when you're giving me a tongue lashing for messing up next time," Ema said.

"It was my duty as a prosecutor to reprimand you. That is the role fate has given me."

"I'm sure you can find something better to do with your lips."

He kissed her salty lips, and lifted her up. It mattered little at the steady drops of water that trailed past them upon the floor. Her eyes widened eagerly as he laid her down.

"You know, I could get used to this," she said.

Me too, he thought, but did not dare say. If he spoke aloud, he might wake up from this long dream he must be caught within. That was the only explanation how he'd touched such happiness and not have it burst within his hands, like a bubble.

She dried off as he watched. Her playful smirk made him realize it was a show, a striptease just for him. After she hung it up near the water, she headed not to get dressed, but back towards the bed.

Ema laid with her legs bent. She kicked them playfully as he watched. Every curve of her was distracting, desirable. His hand would fit there so well, in the angle of her thigh, across her buttocks and to rest on her lower back.

"So, when's our flight? Do I have to hurry up and pack?'

"Tomorrow. The paperwork has been settled. I had hoped to show you some of the sights of Khura'in before we leave," he said.

She dug into her bag, and pulled out a bag of Snackoos.

He smiled. "Don't eat too much. You still have a traditional Khura'inese breakfast to enjoy."

She pushed a bag to him. "Here, have some. I'm regaining strength. You should, too."

"Most assuredly, breakfast won't be served upon the highest mountains of Poni Poni," he said dryly.

She held up a foil packet between her fingers, and lifted her eyebrows playfully. Oh.

She smiled brightly up at him. "I hope you can keep up. It's been a real long dry spell for me. Besides, you just keep turning me on."

"Most assuredly, I shall strive to live up to your expectations."

"This right here is going to be my new morning pick me up," Ema said.

Her wet hair fell across the bed as she laid back, ready for him. He started not at her lips, but somewhere about her navel. She squirmed at the brush of his lips. Her legs parted more, and her gaze was intense, direct as he met her gaze.

It was so easy to slip into her and forget everything he had ever known. A new condom, a new morning. She let out a little whimper as he moved to cover her.

"Did I hurt you?" he said softly.

"No. You're just so tall, and so big."

He moved to keep the brunt of his weight off her, but Ema wrapped her legs about him, and kept them tight together. Her nails dug deep into his back with every thrust. The bells of the noon prayers were drowned out by her cries of utmost pleasure. What egotism, this feeling! The blasphemy that every teaching was wrong and his body in hers was its own kind of awakening, enlightenment.

And the very fact he could elicit such utter ecstasy in a woman. A kiss, a stroke, even just a sutra said between her thighs and she wouldn't even be able to speak. And not any woman, Ema Skye. What a blessing that he had managed to be alive in the same time as her, and through every difficulty, meet. What a mercy that she wanted to be with him.

In this bedroom all thoughts of the Queen, of the state of Khura'in, and his family were gone. It all circled back to her, and only her.

The more he touched her, the more the guilt was drowned out. What a powerful woman she was to destroy twenty-five years of sadness with only a kiss.

*

He guided her all through Teh'mpul Temple, and pointed out such things as the books of sutras, the midday prayers and the sound of the bells.

She brushed against him several times. At first she thought it was merely that she was trying to pass by, and moved to let he through, but soon he realized her intentions when she outright gripped his cuff, and gave him a petulant look. He stared down at her hand. It would be so tempting to simply touch her, right there before the rest of the monks.

It did not apply within Khura'in, but within other courts there was the concept of Double Jeopardy. One could not be tried twice for the same crime. According to Ema, they'd already been judged as being together long before that night.

And yet--the Queen still had spies everywhere. Every citizen was a potential hazard and knife in his back. Queen Ga'ran already wondered what this could be. Even the talk of improving the law--the most innocent explanation for his muddled motives--was a rebellion against her.

He quickly looked away, before the sight of her wore away what little self-control he had left.

"You know, I think I figured out a tell. Could it be when you look away so suddenly like that, you're actually completely aroused?"

Her voice echoed aroused over and over. Monks in orange robes looked up from their prayer. The bells suddenly stopped. Even the colorful prayer flags, and the wind seemed to still in that moment. She hid, red-cheeked behind his back.

"...Perhaps a temple is not the best place to make such loud declarations," he said.

"Sheesh. How was I supposed to know it had such good acoustics?"

"It is, as you would say, 'simple science,'" he said.

She pointed an accusatory finger at him, like she was one of those lawyers in court. "Don't you use my own science against me!"

Her hand brushed his on the walk back. He drew his arm away before she could touch him again.

"What, they don't have holding hands over here? Want me to teach you how? It's pretty simple," Ema said.

"In Khura'in, it would be best if we were not so public. I cannot tell why you right now. But it is to shield you."

"From what? Palm sweat? Sure it's a little awkward, but it's worth it in the end."

"Once we are overseas again, then we can be more open. It is only a day, and even then, only until we reach my prosecutor's office."

Ema tilted her head. "So, there's a no fraternization clause over here, that's what you're saying? Or is it that affectionate gestures in general are banned over here?"

He looked back to see if any guards were near. "It would be best if the queen did not know about us," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

She puffed out her cheeks in utter petulance. "Sheesh! I didn't know she was such a prude!"

"Mind your sharp tongue, Detective Ema Skye! The queen has supreme power over life and death. She has the final say in all cases, and is the...authority of the law. This is a monarchy. To insult the queen is to risk death itself."

She gasped and clutched her cheek. "I-I...I guess that's one hell of a foot in mouth moment. I didn't mean..."

He smiled, just a little. "I've done worse to her and lived to tell. Now, come. I have much more to show you."

He couldn't take her hand like this, but she followed close to him. And every time her eyes widened in wonder at the beautiful architecture of his country, he felt a little bit of pride well up in him. Ever since he met her, one of his most deep longings was to find a way to impress her the way she had impressed him.

Being able to meet her expectations--and even surpass them--was intoxicating. Even more, to share every first moment of Khura'in with her was a treasure which he would never forget.

The world was so vast, and full of loveliness. Rome, Paris, the deep forests of Germany...he would see each and every one of them with her, and more--he promised himself this then. And this is one he promise he would find a way to keep.

Even if he had to defy the Queen to stay by her side.

*

The caves to the waterfall where Maya had trained were empty, even of guards. Ema kept close enough that he could not tell if it was lingering discontent from what he had revealed about Queen Ga'ran, or if she truly had a fear of the dark.

"These waterfalls were where the Holy Mother herself trained, and gained enlightenment."

Ema dipped her fingers into the water, and suddenly drew back. "Ugh, it's freezing!"

"You are surprised that a mountain spring is cold?"

"Don't look at me like that! I knew it'd be cold, but I didn't expect to get frostbite in seconds!"

She began to rub her hands together. They had already begun to turn red from the chill.

He chuckled. "Monks take her journey, and meditate beneath them for hours. I managed nineteen during my training, though I was young and a bit more impetuous then."

Ema laughed. "Wild younger Nahyuta? Did you have a mohawk and listen to hardcore foreign music."

No, I tried to overthrow the queen, he thought. He couldn't bring himself to form the words, and name the wordless pain within him.

"Fine, be hot and mysterious for all I care," Ema said. She puffed out her cheeks.

Ema glanced back, and then smiled at him. "No one's around here."

"Yes. It is a sacred place. Not many set foot here, unless they are a part of the clergy, or are training. And all the clergy is readying for the one o'clock prayers. Even the trainees."

Her knuckles brushed his hand. "Now, warm me up already."

She slipped her hand in his.

Such a simple gesture. And yet, as he wrapped her fingers in his, he felt like he'd found more euphoria and meaning to life than all nineteen hours within that freezing waterfall.

*

He ducked into the tea house. Ema didn't have to bend, not with her small--even adorable--stature. She only came up to his shoulder. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, yet the room still remained somewhat dark.

The elderly proprietress burst into a smile as he came closer. Her face was lined with craggy lines, mostly around her lips and eyes, that spoke of a life of happiness. Her robes were extra thick, and lined with several layers, including a hint of yak fur at her nape.

He put his hands together, bowed, and lapsed into Khura'inese.

"Ahh~ Is this the foreign girl you brought back with you that everyone is talking about?"

"Auhn'tie, she is a accomplished detective who is here to help me lay to rest the souls of the dead."

She chuckled. "How nostalgic, your mother and father once said the same thing. Simply working on a case, simply here to find a bit of nourishment. Of course, they were married mere months later. But that was a long time ago."

All he could do was nod. The thought of his parents--and how he had been forced to betray his father to save his mother and sister was still a hot coal to his skin, a wound which was never allowed to heal. Ema had distracted him from the abject tragedy, and yet small reminders were everywhere.

Even in a tea house.

Ema looked from one to another. Obviously curiosity was eating up at her. It would likely be mere seconds before she burst out.

He counted them. She lasted almost ten.

She leaned in. "What was that all about?" she said in a hushed tone.

"Auhn'tie had some questions about the trip," he said.

She narrowed her eyes. "The trip, huh."

She turned her gaze to the neat rows of prices written above them.

"Oh, wait, that was your family? Crap, my hair isn't a mess, is it?" Ema quickly reached up to finger comb through her hair.

"No. It's a traditional form of respecting an elder. It's common in several parts of Asia, not just Khura'in," he said.

"Phew, I thought for a moment I'd blown meeting your family without even knowing it." She flipped another page of the menu and sighed. "I can't read a thing on the menu. I thought I was doing well, but I guess I have a lot more to learn."

"You are doing quite well, especially considering that you just began a mere few weeks ago," he said.

Ema glanced down at the table. "I guess. I hate not excelling at things. I guess it's the curse of being a Gifted Child."

He pointed up to each meal, and slowly translated them for her.

"So that last part is 'tea?'"

"te'eah, yes," he said.

"And that's the--"

"Magatah'man."

She scrunched up her nose. "I hate not getting things easily. I spent so much time passing classes easily without needing to study that I didn't know what to do with myself when I hit college and things started to get difficult. I was so used to being told I was the gifted kid that when I started falling behind, I just froze. Then I would get into this spiral of freezing whenever I did bad at anything because it proved I really wasn't talented or smart at all."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "It was really bad for a while. But I finally got where I am now."

"You are doing quite well. It's a very difficult language, one which hasn't been updated for thousands of years. In fact, some have said Khura'inese is the hardest language to learn in the world. At least the written form."

"Lucky me," Ema said ruefully.

Her foot brushed against his under the table.

Hidden from view, Ema slipped her hand in his. He traced his thumb across the back of her hand. Amazing, how such a small gesture could change everything within him, until he was made new.

All those years of training now kept him steady. As Auhn'tie hummed to herself and readied the hot water, he was able to act perfectly calm. As if she was simply a coworker, completely unnoteworthy, and not the gravity which held him in place, and the only happiness he had known in years.

"So, what do you suggest?" she said.

"Our Jasmine tea is some of the freshest and most flavorful of the world. And I would know. And the Magatah'man is an exquisite treat, not to be missed."

"I'll give that a try, then."

The fragrant sent of tea and baking goods filled the air. Underneath the table, her hand intertwined in his. Hidden away from the world, they found their own kind of intimacy. But back in the modern world, they would be just another two people. Within those crowds, he would not have to wonder which would spill his secrets to the Queen.

He could only treasure each second he spent with Ema. There was only now, only the infinite. She lifted the tea to those beautiful pink lips--lips he'd kissed and fucked thoroughly both last night and this morning.

Oh, how he wished he could keep this moment forever. Pristine, and free from all shadows. He would capture each glance, each kiss, in a jar like fireflies and keep them safe against his heart. But all he had was the fragility of memory to keep every beloved detail of her.

*

He left Ema to pack her things. Even this short absence left him jittery, even anxious. Though he tried to center his mind, calm would not come.

He'd get this over quick, and ensure her safety out of this country. You saw the guards as you passed. She could not have sent them in that short of time. Ema was safe when you left mere minutes ago. Nothing has changed.

He had stood within these grand halls of the throne room many a time. Then, it had been with numbness and resignation. Now, his heart thundered within his chest as the Queen approached.

He bowed as the Queen came before him. She was framed by the gold of the throne, and her magnificent headdress. Her masked, gray-clad guards flanked her.

He gave a quick glance around the room. None of her personal guard were missing. The deep worry within him did not quiet, even at that fact. A detail that did not escape her sharp eyes.

"We wonder--why the wandering eye, dear Yuty?"

"I am admiring the fealty of your guards," he said.

She chuckled. "Oh, you have a way with words."

"But this is not about that. You lost the case. This is the second lost case within Khura'in's courts in decades. We allowed the sniveling fool who lost the first time to live, for he was useful and oh so devoted. But, We wonder....what is your pitiful excuse this time?"

She lifted her sleeve. He knew beneath it were claws, just like beneath her coy, sweet tone was nothing but poison.

In a previous life, before her, his head would have been bowed, as if in prayer. His responses without be robotic and monosyllabic. He would count the seconds until he could leave her presence and no longer feel the breath of the hangman at his throat.

This time, only one was true. He met her, and stone melded to skin.

"I read the last rites, and the soul has moved on. That is my role as a prosecutor," Nahyuta said as evenly as he could manage.

His brows furrowed as she looked over him. Her deep red lips thinned as she pursed them into a thin line of displeasure.

Her voice grew bitter and cold. "How good it is that little Yuty has his comfort while the entire law system of Khura'in is tarnished with losses and the country falls into shambles with foreigners coming in to humiliate us."

Any weakness and she would strike. Nahyuta felt like a rabbit in the sights of a snake.
Yet he kept his chin lifted as he took the onslaught.

"But what is to be expected? We were merciful and gave yet another chance to the child of tainted blood, just as the Holy Mother commands. We have done our duty. The mercy will soon end."

He could say nothing in his defense. He accepted it. He expected a blow, a punishment, but none came.

"My guards tell me your little foreign whore is already packing up. Back to America so soon? Let me guess...More rebel activity already? Oh, Yuty....you should stay and see the sights of Khura'in."

He would have preferred a strike, or the bite of a leather whip to his back. The implicit threat in her tone left him feeling cold. Of course, happiness couldn't last.

"Yes, my Queen. Those that defy the law of the Queen must surely be judged and punished." He recited it woodenly, without feeling. His expression was blank.

"Yuty...You seem happy, could it be that new girl you brought?"

Had she too, seen through his mask. He could not defend himself. Everyone had always said he was unreadable, yet when it came to Ema, everyone heard in it the way he said her name, in his every smile.

The Queen took a step closer. "We don't like being lied to, little Yuty. And you are a child of the father of lies."

She cupped his face. Her claws brushed against his cheeks. "Go on. We are merciful. We will allow you to return your foreign whore to the land she came from. But We expect you to return and clean up this mess you've made afterwards. Remember your vows, and your fate."

"Y-Yes, my queen."

"You are dismissed."

*

Nahyuta locked the door behind him. His heart beat faster as he came through empty rooms. There was no rubble, no bullets from an attack, no burns or blood. The rugs were intact, the framed lines of gilded sutras and the Holy Mother left unsullied.

Still, it wasn't until he saw her that he finally knew peace.

Ema sat on his futon, eating the last of the Snackoos she'd packed. She broke into a big smile when she saw him.

"There you are--"

He climbed onto the bed and wrapped his arms about her, and rested his head against her. Relief, sweet relief. She still lived. Whatever Queen Ga'ran's threats were, nothing had happened to his dear, sweet, Ema.

"Missed me?"

More than he could say. He missed her like the deserts missed rain, like a drowning man missed air. He held her close and stroked her hair. She still lived. She still lived.

Ema chuckled. "I didn't think you'd be a clingy boyfriend."

He reluctantly stepped away from her. "We must go," he said.

She looked up at him, her face full of confusion. "Heey, I didn't mean to offend you or anything. Wait--We're leaving early?"

"No, it's not that. Due to upcoming storms, we must leave immediately."

"Oh, airport stuff? Good thing I didn't put off packing. I figured I'd just get it done and maybe spend some time with you after that. Are you all packed, too?"

He nodded.

What Queen Ga'ran said was all too true. He was oh so fluent in lies. But it wasn't his father who taught him. She was the one who made him learn the language of falsehoods.

*

Rain pelted the windows. All the way on the ride towards the airport, Nahyuta kept glancing back to see if they were followed. He saw no vehicles, yet even the driver could be the spy of the queen.

It wasn't until they had handed in their tickets that Nahyuta's shoulders started to relax. The vast, white airport had many large windows. All the more to see the dark clouds that had rolled in.

"You weren't kidding about the storms," Ema said.

She rested her head against him. "Ugh, we've got hours of delays because of it."

Yet, they were safe here for the moment. Queen Ga'ran would not cause an international scene. The threat was enough in her eyes.

Nahyuta, however, simply rested his head against hers. As much as he had wanted to show her Khura'in, the Queen's wrath hadn't been a sight he wanted to share with Ema. But, for now, the weight had lifted, and he was as close to free as he would ever know.

A month ago, he had readied himself to go overseas to bring back insurgents. If I catch my father, and am forced to prosecute him, I will never know happiness again. He had accepted his fate, as if he were walking towards the gallows.

Then, in a sudden act of fate, she had crossed paths with him. Had he not been there in that moment, had he not stopped to see the latest developments in forensics, and speak to Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth, he never would've met her.

He would have remained just as rigidly devoted to his fate, and this act of rebellion within him never would've occurred. He'd taken this gambit to keep her by his side, and even managed to win her over somehow. Her brazen action had pushed his plans faster than intended. Not that he minded too much.

And yet--as much as he wanted to bask in the sunlight that was time spent around her, to step into the springtime of her kiss, the life of each moment spent with her--his fate loomed. A dark shadow spreading, a spider's web.

He was foolish.

You seem happy, could it be that new girl you brought? the queen had said, as he finished the case off. Those words chilled him to his very soul.

Somehow, he'd managed to still get Ema away from Khura'in. His daring move showed no bad consequences yet. Though the inevitable thought of tomorrow was sharp.

As much as he knew of the danger that could come, he pushed it aside. For now, he was going back to America. For now, the hangman's noose was not around his neck.

He closed his eyes.

"What's wrong? Did that last restaurant not agree with you?"

He shook his head. "No... it is nothing. Do not concern yourself with me."

"Don't be weird, Nahyuta. You're my boyfriend. Of course I'm going to worry about you."

He didn't respond. How many times now had the queen interrogated him, taunted him, only to be met with the blank stare? It infuriated her all the more, because Nahyuta had grown up to resemble his mother.

Ema reached for her Snackoos. "Ugh, you're so damn hard to read. Throw me a bone here! Helloo, I'm your girlfriend, remember?"

Several bites later, she let out a long sigh. "Hey, listen. I'm a forensic scientist. I will figure you out eventually. Science may or may not be involved."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! I'll figure out everything. Even how you get your hair like that," she said.

"That's a simple. I simply--"

He listed off his daily ritual.

"No wonder you're up before dawn with a routine like that. And I thought my 12 step Korean skin care regimen was something."

She balled up her empty bag of Snackoos, and glanced down the long hallway.

"Well, time for more food. You coming, or you too busy brooding?"

"When it comes to food, the answer is always yes," he said.

"I knew I dated you for a reason. You're a guy after my own heart, Nahyuta."

What a coincidence. She already had captured his heart from the very first meeting.

Ema stopped at every food stall along the way. For each, she would pass on a bite of whatever she had. From a warm pretzel split in half, to cotton candy. Her latest find was a cone of ice cream.

Her lips were lined in white ice cream. His mind went back to the hedonistic, even orgiastic night within the prayer chamber. He'd never thought she would be so daring, but it was things like this which captivated him completely. Her brilliance, her wit and sharpness, her smile--and yes, of course her curvy, beautiful body.

He should be pulling away. He should be practicing the way to say goodbye. But instead, the drew closer. He leaned in to kiss her, and tasted sweetness in his mouth. Even her lips had turned slightly cold from the treat. What a glimpse of paradise was her lips against his.

"Hey! I almost dropped my ice cream cone. If you wanted a taste so badly, you could've just asked."

"...My apologies. I could not resist the your lips at that moment."

She smiled up at im. "It's nice that you're able to be more open like this, and trust me, I'm not telling you to stop--but we'll get thrown out if we get too hot in public," Ema said.

"I shall have to study your culture more. From studying your 'love stories' I assumed this was common place."

"Yeah, watching romantic comedies for anything nearing reality isn't a great idea. Especially since the ones in the nineties all have people rushing onto the plane to get their love back. You do that now and you're lucky if you only get arrested."

She shook her head. "If keep at it, we'll get someone telling us to go get a room. Which is fine with me, except our flight is going to be here soon and we'd probably miss it with the way we go on...You really have a lot of stamina. Oh, that reminds me!"

She held out her hand. "You promised."

Within the courtroom there would certainly be recordings, and spies from the queen. Within Khura'in, the possibility of spies was increased by thousands. But here, within an airport in another country, they were simply another couple.

He took her hand, and they walked down the hallway past food stalls and overpriced shops, like any normal two people in love. And for that moment he could almost as if he could have a fate that included something like this. Domesticity, even happiness.

Could he protect the law and her as well? The sutra rang in his mind. And the furlough of the law is love. Love is the bough that holds up the heavens.....

Nothing was certain, except the fact he adored her thoroughly, and would fight as hard as he could to keep her by his side. Her fingers between his was a declaration of war not just on the Queen, but to the person she had turned him into.

Somewhere, deep within it all, the Nahyuta Sahdmadhi who had been a part of the Defiant Dragons still existed. Locked in ice, past the glove that wore the Queen's emblem. Yet the man who had kissed Ema last night was not the Queen's pawn. It was a dizzying and incredible feeling that he too could know happiness and freedom with her, outside of Queen Ga'ran's control.

No... Despite the Queen's warning, the heart of a rebel still beat within him. And he could not give her up so easily. He would find a way, somehow.

And thoughts of fate were pushed aside as she pointed down towards the kiosks. She seemed oh so determined to sample every single food store in the entire airport, and he would be right there by her side.