Disclaimer: I don't own Nana to Kaoru; the rights and ownership go to Amazume Ryuta. If I did, they would be a whole lot closer than they are now in the manga, if you know what I mean.

Author's Note: This is my first official fanfic for one of my favorite pairings ever. Not written solely by myself, but co-written by the lovely Michelle (my Kaoru).

The first part was written in a notebook but we decided to take it to roleplay. There are lots more where this one came from! I doubt there will be much of a reception, but I wanted to be the first to post in this category (which I personally requested).

Branded

December 12, 2012

Kaoru was worried.

Nana had been missing in action for a couple of days without a word, which was quite odd. Neither of them stayed away for that long, especially since their relationship had elevated from just partners to emotionally involved and entangled partners who partook in light BDSM as stress relief.

Kaoru swore he had watched an hour tick by before gathering the courage to send her a text to make sure we she was at the very least, alive. It actuality it had only been five minutes.

The clicks of his fingers on the keys of his cell phone were deafening.

"I've been worrying about you. Are you doing well?" He cleared the message before actually typing, "Hey. Where have you been?" No expression of longing, no lovey-dovey feelings…

Not a minute had passed before his phone chirped as it received her reply. He almost leapt out of his seat, not expecting a response so soon.

Her text read: "I don't feel too well so I'm hanging low. Took you long enough to check in on me."

He smiled wryly, imagining her lips pouting cutely. Those lips.

"Are you sick?" he replied.

A few seconds passed before a short buzz. "I wouldn't say that."

"… I wouldn't say cramps, unless it came early…"

Buzz. "You keep good track."

"Of course. It's part of my job."

There was silence on her end for over five minutes, so he decided to call. Something wasn't entirely right here—he blamed it on his anxiousness of not seeing her. He wasn't being possessive, was he?

Three rings.

"Jeez, Kaoru," Nana moaned out in greeting. "Can't a girl use the bathroom without her boyfriend sending out a search party? Impatient," she huffed with a soft chuckle.

"I've been bored out of my mind when not in class." He paused. "Are you hiding from me? I… our last breather there wasn't too much… was it?" Kaoru was always worried about these things; he never wanted to hurt her, to go a step too far. Nana figured he would know by now that she wasn't made of glass.

"Oh, no! No… it was," she swallowed loudly, remembering, "great. So great." Her eyes darted to the side, finding herself losing her grip on reality as she remembered the new way he had tied her up.

"Come over, then!" he pleaded quietly, snapping her out of her trance. "It's been too long." Whining was never attractive to Kaoru but he felt like a dog that had been put outside for too long without warmth and a good meal; he was starving for her.

Their sex lives that only just begun and he was insatiable, it appeared. She hardly minded–they were vanilla from time to time without problem–or even if they were in a rush.

"Fine," she gave in. She couldn't deny him for too long. "But you come here. I'm pretty sore."

"From the last time we–" he began, panic thick in his voice.

"No!" she groaned. "Kaoru, just come."

Kaoru had let himself in after the short walk over to Nana's apartment. Damn, did he miss them living next door to one another. He would take living with his mother again just to have them so close, just a wall away; or, better yet, he would love to live here with Nana or for them to find their own place, together. That felt like a distant dream, of a make-believe future he was only fooling himself with. Nana couldn't be as serious about their relationship as he was… could she? It had only been about a year officially, three years if their breathers marked the beginning of their relationship.

He found her standing in only a simple white robe in her bathroom, patting lightly on a gauze bandage on her neck. Nana winced a little, only jerking visibly when she noticed Kaoru's reflection in the mirror.

His eyes widened as he approached her, whirling her around to get a better look at the damage. "What is that? You arehurt!"

Nana shrugged, brushing him away with the swift wave of her hand. "It's nothing to worry over, Kaoru, please. It's only a little sore, but Tachibana-san said it goes away in a couple of days. This happened yesterday."

"Tachibana-san?" Kaoru asked, confused. He hadn't heard that name in a while, not since the summertime. Nearing his partner, he scrutinized her further. "You're not hurt?" he asked, skepticism thick in his voice.

They stood mostly at eye level now. Before he wouldn't be able to intimidate her with his strong reactions, being so small, but now… they were evenly matched.

"No," she smiled. "Far from it."

Kaoru's eyes were very focused on her, on her neck, and she couldn't help but blush; this secret was too big, but she wanted the surprise to be worth it.

Nana tried to burrow herself deeper into her robe. She wanted there to be a big payout, a grand reveal. She was a selfish creature by nature, she learned.

Her eyes darted to the side, away from his, as she bit her bottom lip. "I'm fine, Kaoru, I swear." Nana met his eyes again, giving him a small smile before kissing him quickly. "Did you finish your paper in the past couple of days? Tell me you did."

Kaoru nodded slowly. "Yeah, I did. I just wanted you to go over it and make sure it makes… sense… hey, are you sure you're okay? You're pretty red." He took his hand and held it to her forehead. "You weren't bitten by some sort of weird vampire fetishist or something, were you?"

"A what?" she asked. "Of course not!"

Though… she was red?

Nana glanced back to examine herself in the mirror. Oh, she was. Shoot. She was a terrible storyteller; her body gave her away readily at the first chance.

At least she had recently changed the bandage covering her neck. Before there had been a little blood showing through—oh, he would've flipped if he had seen it.

"It's not a bug bite, either, right? Those can be really bad." Kaoru was hell-bent on guessing whatever was under the bandage. Maybe if he guessed she would give in and show him what the big deal was.

"Not a bug bite. Not a bite of any kind," she shot back, giving him a wry smile as she inched closer to him. "Can we just drop it?"

Kaoru smiled as Nana bumped noses with him. He used the proximity to steal another kiss, just because he could.

"Mmm… not yet."

What could it possibly be? Curiosity and that cat be damned, he couldn't let this go. "Nothing animal related? No injuries at the zoo?" Kaoru was indeed grasping at straws, his mind working on overdrive as he thought of different scenarios that would leave her sore that didn't involve himself and a pair of handcuffs.

Nana furrowed her eyebrows at him, cocking her head to the side. "When have you known me to go to the zoo? Especially by myself?" she asked. "I could have… oh, burnt myself with a straightening iron."

That scenario could have worked if her hair wasn't already pin straight or if she even owned a straightening iron—or a curling iron, for that matter. She cleared her throat. "But, uh… nope. No zoos recently…" Nana finished, pulling her flimsy robe tighter around herself.

Kaoru shrugged, giving her a look that told her he didn't believe a word that was coming out of her mouth. He reached out a hand to finger the hair hanging close to the bandage.

"I don't think it could be a straightener. I've seen you after a shower. Hot wax, maybe? I know girls use wax to get rid of hair." He grinned, teasing her. "I can't imagine why that would be so close to your neck, unless you were using it on your face..."

Kaoru let the implication hang there, his frog-like grin at full capacity.

Nana frowned at him before quickly turning her head to the side. She grimaced at the twinge of pain, completely forgetting about her new addition. She tried to bounce back, to recover quickly before he saw that look. "I'm not hairy and you know it."

She poked his stomach before pushing him back a couple steps so they could move out of the bathroom's threshold. She walked over into her bedroom and flopped down on the bed, knowing he wasn't far behind. "Are you done with your guessing game now?"

Kaoru sat on the edge of her bed, near her head. "No, I have a couple more ideas." He held up fingers for each option as he listed them: "Bullet wound. Stray arrow. Rug burn. Alien implant. Am I getting closer?"

"You are so far away," she replied, sticking out her tongue childishly at him. She mimicked the way he had counted his ideas, holding up a finger for each guess. "I said I wasn't injured, so that rules out the first two guesses. Rug burn would be pretty impressive to get on my neck; also, I'd only get rug burn with you, so there goes that theory." As an afterthought, she added, "And you wish it had to do with aliens, hentai."

Kaoru shrugged and lay back across her, resting his head on her stomach. "I'm all out of ideas, then." He fiddled with the edge of Nana's robe. "But I'll stop for now, since I like you." He twirled the edge of her robe around his finger and tugged.

He was being cute and playful, and Nana found herself wanting to continue this little game they had already started. While her neck hadn't completely healed, she wanted to see the look on his face when he saw the markings underneath. Nana couldn't believe she was giving in so quickly, but it had already been a full day since it had been completed; she was sure some people were even more impatient and took the bandage off in shorter time. Right?

"Hey, Kaoru," she began, watching his fingers play with the hem of her robe. "What would be the hottest, or even the best, way to show you how much I… love you?"

Kaoru was trying to be naughty, attempting to get up her robe, but she knew a weakness of his. Nana ran her fingers through his—thankfully clean—hair and scratched gently in relaxed circles.

His fingers clenched a bit around the robe as he felt her fingers slide onto his scalp. Oh no, was she asking him questions now? Was he supposed to be thinking something? I wanted so badly to focus on her hands. "Uh, just do this? Forever?" He nuzzled her stomach. "Or, uh, I don't know... that's kind of a girly question."

"Come on, Kaoru," she urged softly, keeping her hand moving. "I can think of five other very specific things other than the answer I'm fishing for."

She forgot how useful this scalp-scratching technique was. If only she was the kind of girl that wanted material things. But no, she was a simple girl with selfish desires to be close to the person she loved.

Nana spoke a little louder now. "Maybe, uh, involving our… partnership?"

Their relationship was just like any other relationship; only Nana was less needy when it came to material possessions or going out on dates. Those things were nice, but she didn't need. Their partnership, on the other hand, was a bit different. It was like the yin to the yang, the shadow to their light side—the balance that was necessary in order to flourish and be maintained.

Kaoru's ears perked up when he heard Nana use the word "partnership".

He also recognized their relationship and partnership as two separate entities, but held both in high regard. When he began to think about the things submissives did in order to please their masters… well, there were brandings with tattoos, piercings…

"Hmm," Kaoru tried to think around Nana's gentle scratches. "You could brand yourself. Make it known that you belong to me and only me for the rest of your life." Kaoru's thoughts were fuzzy. "Kind of like how Tachibana-san did for sensei."

Nana stopped scratching his scalp, surprised at his quick conclusion. She bit her bottom lip, before letting out a shaky exhale. "Oh yeah?"

She wondered if he would finally put two and two together and realize that she had dropped a major clue earlier when she had mentioned Tachibana accompanied her, to advise her, the day previous.

"Yeah, body modification is big in the S&M community," Kaoru said, trying to cover up the whine that went along with her pulling her hand from his hair. He sat up, intending to give her a dirty look, but his eyes went straight to the bandage as the pieces fit together in his head. "...Nana?" He tried. "Is that... what I think it is?"

Nana worried her bottom lip even more. She didn't know why she was anxious; it was a kind of bubbly, giddy feeling that was swelling up in her chest. All she wanted was his approval, that she had done something right… that he appreciated her gesture of lifelong devotion, even. She wanted to be praised, to get a pat on the head, to be a good pet.

She cleared her throat, trying her hardest to keep eye contact with him. She was proud of her new addition and not afraid of the implications. "Y-Yeah."

Kaoru stared for a good minute, his mouth hanging open. He reached over tentatively and began to gently peel off the bandage. He could feel Nana biting her lip through his fingers, the strain it put on her neck. Slowly, he revealed the two English letters now permanently etched onto her skin.

His initials.

Kaoru continued to stare wordlessly.

"You could've asked me to peel that off, you know, that kind of hurt," Nana pouted, ignoring the fact that she was the submissive in this situation for just a moment. Despite that, she was pleased at his awe. "So… you like it?"

"S-Sorry," he mumbled, his eyes still stuck on her new body decor. "I..."

He halted, unsure of how to express his feelings. That was the problem with being a guy sometimes. What he really wanted to do was touch it, stroke it gently, and then decorate it with hickies.

"You're the best person in the world," Kaoru grinned, reaching over to hug her tightly, slightly choked up at her expression of loyalty to him.

"I got it done a couple of days ago, with Tachibana as my guide. She was positively enthralled to help me out with this." She scratched the back of his head, a sweet smile on her face. "As long as I put the salve on it that I was given it should be better by the end of the week, I was told."

Kaoru practically clung to her, his face buried in the shoulder of her robe. "Tachibana-san," he whispered, "I owe you a vital organ should you ever need one." He couldn't help but grin despite feeling the lump in his throat. "I never would have dreamed you'd want to go his far. Are you... are you going to use a necklace to cover it, like Tachibana-san does?"

The way that he was holding onto her was endearing; she could actually feel his appreciation. "I will. I haven't found a necklace yet, but since it's cooler out now I can get away with wearing a scarf."

Kaoru stilled suddenly, going stiff against her. "Wait. You said Tachibana-san advised you. Did you, uh, get anything else...?" He gulped loudly and pulled back, starring blatantly at her chest.

Nana rolled her eyes, a small smirk growing on her lips. "Baby steps, Kaoru. Clamps I'm… better with, now, but actual piercings would take a lot of persuading and a general lapse in judgment. My breasts are already in the way as it is," Nana teased. "Greedy. But… the tattoo. You're fine with it? You like it?"

Kaoru smiled. "Of course I do, Nana. This is... honestly the best gift I could ever get." He took her hand, gently caressing the back of it with his thumb. "Though I'm currently having trouble remembering when my birthday is."

"What does your birthday have to do with anything?"

"Just that you're completely blowing my mind and I can't think straight for how amazing and hot you are with this present? It has to be my birthday, there's no other explanation." Kaoru squeezed her hand, leaned over and kissed her with a grin. Now was as good a time as any to make his move.

Nana eagerly returned his kiss with equal fervor, breaking it only to murmur, "Hot?" before allowing herself to be swept away by the electricity between them. She wrapped her arms around him, splaying her fingers across his back.

"The hottest," Kaoru confirmed, leaning forward and pushing her back onto the bed. "You don't know how much I want to leave bruises around that tattoo. You'll have to hold me back before it heals." He ran a hand up her thigh and kissed her again.

"Show me," she breathed, already feeling the light-headedness of his kisses affecting her. Nana loved it when he took control and showed confidence he had in himself. She tested and teased him only to bring out this side of him. "Please… Master," she whispered, licking her lips. She knew how he reacted whenever she called him that; it turned her on even more to call him that, to give up ownership of her own being to him.

"Oh fuck," Kaoru hissed, those magic words working wonders on him. He pressed his mouth to her jaw and licked back down the spot under her ear, nipping at her skin as he went. Each kiss became more forceful as he went, turning from kisses to nips and finally into a bite just below her ear. "Brace yourself, Nana," he warned and he trailed down to the sensitive skin around the tattoo. He placed his lips over it and licked before sucking the skin passed his lips, and grazing it with his teeth. She was bad at holding him back; she didn't even attempt it.

Nana let out a loud gasp, hissing at the ache of his lips and teeth and tongue on the too-sensitive skin were her tattoo was. She couldn't help but marvel at the fact that, while it was painful, it felt enlivening that she could feel these things with him. For him. "Kaoru," she gasped again, moving her hands from his back to his stomach, slipping underneath the t-shirt he wore. "Take this off."

Kaoru grinned into her skin, the sound of her gasp making him shiver. As her hands slid under his shirt, he buried his face in her shoulder, breathing in her scent, the smell of the products she used heady and invigorating. He sat up then, pulling his shirt off in record time. He then reached down and undid the tie of her robe. "It's only fair this gets lost too," he said, tugging roughly at the garment.

She wriggled out of the robe and discarded it, tossing it in a random direction to be found at a later point in time. All she was left in was a near see-through slip of a nightgown that left hardly anything to the imagination. It had been a lazy day up until he came to see her.

Nana couldn't help but admire the view in front of her—all of those years of morning jogs and light exercise helped him tone up. She brought her index finger to trail down his chest, noticing him shudder slightly as she did so. The scrape of her nail was just enough to make him bite his lip and groan. She smiled.

"I like this, but I'm afraid it will have to go, too," he said, hooking a finger under the strap of the slip, letting it fall down her shoulder. Kaoru continued to shift it lower and lower, allowing her breasts to spill out of the offending garment.

Kaoru then pulled Nana's hand down the rest of his chest and stomach, to his belt, and helped her begin undoing it.

Nana got onto her knees so she could successfully maneuver herself out of her slip and undo his belt and pants' fly. She tugged at the layers playfully, shifting them down while smirking up at Kaoru. Gone were the days where she was a shy, stuttering virgin. Left only in her panties, she waited for him to make the next move. Gone were his pants and boxers.

He let himself take in Nana's near-naked form for a few seconds. "So fucking hot."

She blushed.

Kaoru took hold of her wrists and pulled her on top of him, then quickly grabbed her by the hips as they tumbled over to hold her steady. Sliding his hands from their grasp on her hips, Kaoru slipped his fingers under the waistband of her panties to peel them off. "These are also not useful to me right now."

"When are panties are actually useful for you?" she replied with a smirk. At the same, she pushed her breasts in his face as she straddled him. His hands gripping her hips were one of her favorite feelings in the world. She ground against him once for good measure, biting her bottom lip at the friction she created.

"If I think of a good answer, I'll let you know," he gasped out, his head snapping back as he bucked his hips up to meet hers in retaliation.

Kaoru groaned a little as she sunk back down onto his lap. He immediately reached for her hips again. He slid his hands up her back and around her shoulders, pulling her down on top of him. As soon as she was close enough, he leaned up to kiss her; he then slid his hand back down to her thighs, rubbing at the creases between her legs and her crotch, urging her to move again.

Nana arched against him, trying to get as close as humanly possible. She needed him closer, nearer, all around her; the dull throbbing between her legs was driving her crazy. She began moving against the hands that had shown her so many things she never could possibly have dreamt of. Kaoru pulled one of his hands back and slid it between them, seeking out one of Nana's nipples and pitching, gently at first and then working up to a full-on press between his thumb and index finger. He had always had an obsession with her breasts, and they were the usually first things he sought out-not that she minded.

"Kaoru…" she breathed, her eyes drooping shut as she focused on the pain-pleasure he was giving her. "Top?" she asked breathlessly, now finding herself grinding against him at a more frequent pace as a result of his attention.

"I... I think you should stay right where you are," he panted. "Ready?"

Nana nodded a few times, her mind hazy with lust. She sank down slowly onto his erection, letting out a low moan when he was completely inside of her. She kept her eyes closed, focusing on the feeling of him filling her completely. After adjusting, she rolled her hips experimentally. Kaoru met her with an even more powerful thrust, taking her by surprise. It began a power play between them, the push and the pull. Her breasts bounced with each thrust, swaying and heaving.

"Oh fuck, Nana, fuck," Kaoru gasped out, his mind no longer really able to process anything but her body enveloping him, her insides squeezing him, her thighs tight around his waist, her hands roaming.

He then grabbed her head and turned her neck so he could kiss and suck and lick at the sore skin around the tattoo. Bruises were already forming and the skin around the ink was so red. All Kaoru could think about was making it turn even more colors, marking her even more thoroughly.

Nana let out a choked gasp at the intermingling feelings of pleasure and pain wracking her body. Her orgasm was building, and that was the only thing she was sure of at this point. Kaoru was in control of the rhythm now—after a certain point she always found her mind going blank, like a rag doll completely swept away by a cumulation of sensations slamming her all at once. With each thrust, she let out a little gasp. Her neck was throbbing, but at that moment she didn't care; it felt too good to a masochist.

Kaoru nipped and bit at Nana's exposed neck, watching her skin turn redder and redder until heat practically rose from it. Her gasps were running through him like a current and he couldn't help but mouth her name against her neck each time she did it. Each time, he said it a little louder, feeling his voice growing with his oncoming orgasm. The sound started like a creak in the back of his throat and grew until he was moaning it against her skin.

Nana jerked, arching her back as she came with a shaky gasp as tremors wracked her entire body. The sound of her name on his lips was what pushed her over the edge. She tried to ride out the waves but found herself becoming less in tune with her limbs and more in tune with her pleasure. She locked up, seized with feeling.

Kaoru felt Nana tighten around him as she came. His body burned and shuddered as he came a few seconds later, riding out his orgasm with Nana still curled on top of him. He gasped against her neck, drawing in he air he'd been denying himself.

He let his muscles relax, though he kept his arms around her, not ready to let her go just yet. "Shit, Nana..." He laughed and nuzzled her sweaty shoulder lovingly.

Nana let her eyes slide shut, basking in the warmth and the post-orgasm haze. She was glad with her decision to get his initials tattooed on her neck; she was glad with the aftermath of the great reveal. Brushing her hair off of her back, overheated, she clutched onto him, still trying to catch her breath.

For now. Forever. They had come this far and had a lifetime ahead of them, just like this.