A Peony Red Lantern

After a strange encounter during the middle of the night, Yata Misaki began to notice unusual things occurring in his life. He would fall in and out of consciousness, wake up in places he didn't know, and somehow, he could feel his own mind slowly disappear from within him… Fantasy; Hardcore smut; Dominant-uke action. SaruMi(?) (I guess it counts…)

Warnings: Dark themes ; Hardcore smut; Dominate-uke; Super slut OOC Misaki…but with good reason!

Note: I'm taking a creature from Japanese folklore and combining it with another mythical creature, and I'm changing them slightly around to accommodate for the fic's plot. This hasn't been fully edited/grammar checked/whatever, so I'll make changes along the way when I have time to look.

Disclaimer: All (y)our base (characters/K Project) are belong to GoHands/GoRa.

Side Note: I know I've been putting out a lot of dark drama-y stuff lately. But the next few will be lighter, more comical.

Oh, and I'm in the works of a sequel for my other fic, "My Life as a Shoujo Manga Protagonist"...it'll take a while though.

Through the Thick, Grey, Haze

"Thank you for all your hard work Yata! I'll see you on Friday!"

As the amber-eyed man untied and removed the apron from his waist, Misaki replied, "Osu! See you Friday, manager!"

The crow grabbed his skateboard and began to ride through the empty streets of Shizume City. Although the night's sky held a full, bright moon above, Yata was unable to see its glowing majesty through the thick haze that was surrounding him.

"What is with this fog tonight? I can barely see where I'm going," the vanguard of HOMRA mumbled to himself.

A man with great night vision, Misaki usually would be speeding back to his little apartment near the Red clansmen's home base. But with a foggy night such as this, he could not see beyond a few feet in front of him. As he looked down at his PDA, he noticed it was 3 AM. One of the crow's many jobs was to work part-time as a waiter at a small bar in the financial district of the city. Although he did not like having to work so late in the night, it still helped to cover some of his living expenses.

As he rode further out of the downtown district, the bright city lights began to lessen, and the roads were dimly lit by a few flickering street lamps overhead. However, within the grey haze ahead of him, there was a strange red light in the distance. The ruby-colored glow confused Yata as he moved closer. "What the hell is that?"

The fog, which was originally thick enough to be cut with a knife, dissipated quickly from the area until the crow was only able to see the light within the raven-colored night. When he stood twenty feet from the light, he noticed it was coming from a lantern in the shape of a flower of some sort. Scanning the area, Misaki saw that there was a dark figure standing behind the red light, holding the lantern. The dark figure was completely covered from head to toe in a dark mantle. The chestnut-haired man was unable to determine the age range or gender—or any other defining features for that matter.

Yata felt a chill run up his spine. Although he would rather die than tell anyone the truth, the vanguard hated ghost stories or anything related to supernatural beings. There was once a time when the Red clansmen listened to a spooky story told by Kanamoto RIkio. Misaki wanted nothing more than to run away in fear, but his pride forced him to stay, as Kusanagi teased the crow for appearing frightened.

The amber-eyed man flinched in surprise as he saw the shadowy presence began to approach him slowly. He could feel palpitations as it moved straight towards the Red clansman, without saying a word or making a sound. The only noise that rippled through the air was the tapping of wooden geta sandals against the pavement.

Misaki became stiff as a board as he stuttered, "Ummm…c-c-c-can I h-h-h-help you?"

Then the midnight-colored mantle began to slip from the figure's petite body. Yata gasped as he saw the form of a woman approaching him. Although her limbs were extremely thin, they were dressed with an exquisite silk kimono. Its outer layer was a sea of black, with waves of sakura blossoms flowing throughout the fabric. The bright pinks and reds of the petals gave life to the kimono, as they were intricately detailed. Beneath it was another layer that was pure white with golden stitching in the shape of butterflies. The two layers were held together with a sash covered in golden peacock feather patterns.

The way she was wearing the kimono was peculiar—at least for this day in age. It was as if she were a courtesan from olden days, as it hung loosely off her shoulders. It revealed her ghostly pale skin from her neck down to her chest. The sash was tied so the bow sat on front instead of behind. The lower half of the kimono flowed out, and as she walked, it revealed her milky-colored feet, seductively opening all the way up her thighs. The wooden geta sandals were at least four inches in height off the ground, but it appeared that the woman had no difficulty moving or balancing on them.

Above her slender neck was a face that could make any man stop in his tracks. Her beauty excelled even beyond the top models currently in the country. Even a look would seduce all that glimpsed at the stunning person in front of them—well everyone besides the crow. Misaki had a fear. A fear of women. Despite the world being populated by billions of them, the Red clansman could never get used to staring at one for more than a few seconds without feeling awkward, shy, or embarrassed.

The exposed skin would enamor even the most stoic of men, yet Yata could do nothing more but to quiver in panic. The crow's legs gave away and he fell quickly onto the floor. "W-w-w-what do you want?" he managed to squeak out.

Before he knew it, the woman was standing right in front of him, her eyes gazing deeply at the chestnut-haired man on the ground. Misaki scrambled to his feet and quickly averted his eyes, his cheeks stained with a rosy-pink color. "Gyahhh! D-d-d-don't come near me! Stay where you are!"

The little vanguard attempted to step onto his skateboard, ready to flee the area, when he felt two icy-cold hands grab his face and turn it in her direction. Yata was paralyzed in terror as he felt a bead of sweat drip down his face. Her dead-eyes appeared to gaze into his amber-colored ones, almost as if she were searching for something beyond the physical flesh within the crow.

After standing in absolute silence for about a minute—which felt like hours to the vanguard, Misaki noticed a smile begin to form on the thin pair of cherry-red lips, which were now inches from his face.

"I have finally found you."

Before Yata could say anything, he felt two arms wraps around his body. The woman's body was as cold as death, and he could see her icy breaths fill the night air as she spoke.

"W-w-w-what the hell are you doing!? Let go!" The two limbs that were holding onto the Red clansman were unusually strong for a woman. He could not break away from the pale, frozen body against his.

Suddenly, the woman began to transfigure into something…something not of this world. Her once beautiful body began to decay and wither away quickly. The crow's amber eyes widened in horror as he could only see a skeletal being gripping onto him.

"ARGHHHH!" Misaki screamed out in pain as he felt talon-like claws digging into the flesh on his back. Like a serpent ready to strike its prey, the skeleton swiftly moved its pointy fangs against Yata's warm, pink neck.

The little crow could do nothing more than shriek in agony as he felt the fangs sink deep into his flesh. He could feel something penetrating and surging throughout his body, though he couldn't explain what it was. All he knew was that it sent sharp, throbbing pains into his head. Misaki could have sworn his cranium was on the verge of exploding, as his body began to tremble violently. Something started to appear on the Red clansman's skin. It was as if a shining, golden tattoo was etched throughout his body. The tattoos appeared to be a string of symbols, like some foreign language being scribed onto the crow's body. The borders of the symbols were outlined in a blood-red color—Misaki's blood in fact. There were three different chains of the symbols that appeared to be tightly wrapping itself around the vanguard's body. It continued to pulse through the surface of his skin until finally surrounded his heart. The shining light disappeared…and so did the woman.

After a few minutes…an unsettling silence filled the air. The misty haze that had dissipated earlier from the area had returned. Yata's mind went completely blank before he collapsed and fell onto the cold pavement below.