edellin

Title: Following You
Author: Edellin
Rating/Warning: M for violence
Summary: Written for the AU challenge of the KakaSaku LJ community. My theme was witchcraft/wizardry. Witch Hunting. People say you can love someone that doesn't love you back, go to the deepest depth of hell for that someone. But can one love the man that captured her and decided she was going to be burnt alive? Can that man, who so easily labeled her as a lesser being, love her too?

It had been a year since she last saw him but to her it felt like decades away from the source of life. She inhaled the cold air and looked at the fire. She had been searching for him a whole month now but there was no sign. The only clue she had was that dream; it was an awful dream and she couldn't stop shaking every time she thought about it. It was a warning her deity sent her; she had to hurry to find him if she wanted to be with him again. The vision didn't tell her how she was going to lose him; it could be because of another woman, because of death, because of anything. They had already been separated because of the circumstances once. She couldn't stay back and let him leave her behind, leave her in his memories and move on. She knew that all those months he was traveling to get away from her, but he did it because he couldn't move on from what they had lived; however brief it was, it had made an impact on him. She wondered if he still felt betrayed because of what had happened.

She shook her head furiously. It didn't matter. Once she found him nothing would matter but him, her and their love. He was right to be angry but her actions were also justified. She was his prisoner who had tried in agony to escape or at least warn her people about the danger he was. If she hadn't, she would be dead. But even worse than being dead, she would have died empty.

She wouldn't know it, of course, but a woman that has never been in love is empty; even more a witch, whose whole being is ruled by emotions and powers the mind of a mortal cannot even imagine exist.

People hated her and her people because they didn't understand them; they couldn't comprehend what was happening inside them and felt envious of them, people like her, who knew. They were connected with the universe and the world around them. Whatever others said about them being demons or possessed by evil spirits was wrong. They were happy and blessed to be the few creatures on this world to know of the Truth.

The Truth couldn't be described by words; it was greater than anything a human could utter, think or comprehend. It was just the Truth and it didn't need to be anything more than that.

Others tried desperately to find proof of the existence of God. They claimed to have seen or even touched the avatars of their deities; stories of frenzied men and women who had seen the light and found the True religion. Sakura wouldn't disagree with the claims, and she would not openly attack the premise of these kinds of encounters. She was glad for those who had found enrichment amid the chaos of the world; whenever one finds the contentment of spiritual guidelines.

But what of faith?

What of fidelity and loyalty? Complete trust? Faith is not granted by tangible proof. It comes from the heart and soul. If a person needs proof of a God's existence, then the very notion of spirituality is diminished into sensuality and what is holy is reduced into what is logical.

Faith was like love; not the same but one felt them the same way. Otherwise why was she in love with the man that had wanted to kill her? People do not fall in love following logic; they just do. That's why people so different are together. They do not always make it but the experiences they gain are unique. No matter the pain, the sorrow, one should never regret loving someone. It is painful when love dies but it is also natural sometimes. It may even be necessary for some to go on and love again.

But some loves cannot be forgotten. The couples may not have ended up together but what they felt was so unique, so powerful, that it just could not be lost. It could be pushed aside, deliberately forgotten while the humans are awake, but it was there and it affected their whole lives. It was the love that hurt them the most because no other person than that one would make them repeat a feeling so strong, so pure and so important.

That's what Kakashi was to her. The absolute feeling of belonging, loving and existing for that brief moment he was hers. She had been in love before him and had tried to have an affair again so she wouldn't think of him anymore but it was impossible. Unlike her previous lovers, he had touched a spot inside her that no one else could. She wondered sometimes whether she would be able to live without him if they had experienced more than three weeks of being together, more than one night of being one. If they had lived years together and then they were separated. Or worse; he left her.

She shook her head again. Thoughts like that were not appropriate. The only thing that mattered was that she loved him and he loved her. That's why he left; because he had loved her while everyone and everything taught him to hate her and her people.

It was unfair that they had been raised in such different worlds, but at the same time it was necessary because they wouldn't have met and lived those amazing three weeks together. Sakura had vowed to never regret her time with him, even if he refused her in the end.

But she would do anything in her power to have him again. She was ready to follow him wherever he led her to prove to him how much she loved him. Only with him she would be complete.

Her life now had only him. After she left the village, she traveled and earned the basic money she needed offering her healing magic. Well, she wasn't getting paid every time. Sometimes it was enough to let her sleep somewhere or give her some food. Other times, she asked for nothing and just helped. She couldn't deny her services to someone in need. That was the reason she had her magic; to use it for others.

She looked at the big sky with the thousand stars. It was so beautiful and it soothed her to think that he was also looking at the same sky she was. And it terrified her at the same time because she couldn't be sure if he was looking at it alone.

She lay and let herself sleep for a few hours until dawn, wondering for one more time why she waited eleven months to search for him. Why did she waste all those months away from him? He had already proved his love, so it was logical for her to show him how much she loved him too. But she just left, waited and tried to forget him and now she was trying to make sure HE wouldn't forget her. The irony of Life.

She woke up sweating and crying. She took a big breath and tried to relax. Something had happened; something very bad. She didn't have time to lose. She hugged herself in an attempt to calm down. She couldn't allow him to forget her. She couldn't live knowing that she was his past while he was her past, present and future.

If it hadn't happened yet, it was really close to happening and she didn't have time to waste. Hesitantly, she took out of her pocket a magical crystal and looked at it doubtfully.

When she started that journey, she had vowed she wouldn't use magic but... right now she was thinking really hard how much easier it would be to find him. After all, it was magic that made her start searching for him frantically. The prophetic dream was magic.

She looked at the sky and squeezed the crystal.

I have to find him as soon as possible!

With that thought in mind, she activated the crystal and chanted in the ancient forgotten language the spell to show her where the magical cave where her friend Ino, a sear, lived and practiced her magic along with the rest of her family.

She didn't want to let her powers become an obstacle again in their lives but THAT was what she was. She was gifted with these powers by a creature she loved so much, in a unique way, unique like her feelings for Kakashi. She couldn't deny her religion and her nature. He shouldn't deny his nature, either. If she was going to be with him, he would have to accept her for who she really was; otherwise she knew she wouldn't be happy and would even start to resent Kakashi for making her lose her faith. And he wouldn't be at peace, knowing that she was a witch, resenting that and also resenting the wizard in him for being attracted to her magic.

She shook her head. She wasn't going to give up her faith, as she was not going to ask him to give up his. If he really loved her, he would have to respect her wishes and needs for divine guidance. He would have to respect her generally and not see her as a lesser being that he was with despite his will and logic, not see himself as half-breed.

She finished her spell and followed the path that the crystal showed in her mind. When she reached the entrance of the cave, she hesitated again for a moment, remembering her vow. She originally wanted to find him on her own, following her instincts and her logic but... but she needed to see him so much that there was no way she would let an opportunity like that pass her by; especially when everything around her was telling her she needed to hurry before it was too late.

The cave was dark and, for simple humans, terrifying. The magic was so strong here that it would be described as chilly by others but to wizards and witches, it was a bliss of power. She smiled at the thought. If there was one place for her to ask where he was, this would be it.

"Sakura?" a female voice asked from behind her and the pink haired witch turned to look at her smiling as she had realized who she was. She opened her arms and the girl jumped out of the shadows and hugged her excitedly. "I missed you so much!"

"Me too, Ino!" Sakura told her and hugged her tightly.

They let go of each other and held hands. "I haven't seen you for nearly year." she said and sighed.

Sakura nodded and looked down sadly. Ino, sensing her friend's distress, squeezed her hands and led her outside of the cave. Sakura looked at her but didn't say anything; just followed her friend to wherever she was taking her. She wanted to tell her what had happened this past year.

She hadn't revealed their story to anyone but she wanted someone to know, to comfort her, in case she was rejected. She needed Ino's help, after all, if she was going to find him using the cave and Ino's abilities.

"What happened?" her friend asked worried. "You know you can tell me anything." she reassured her, trying to be supportive and encourage her to open up to her. To the blond, it was clear that her pink-haired friend was suppressed by her own emotions. She needed someone to reveal them to, along with the other thing she came to ask from her. Then her eyes widened and she jumped up.

"Is he back?" she asked, frightened. "Don't tell me you let him use you again?" she accused her friend mortified.

"No!" Sakura said, disgusted. "I haven't seen him since he left. I don't really want to see him ever again." This seemed to make Ino relax and keep quiet for the rest of their walk.

They sat below a tree and the blond witch stared questioningly at her. She looked down and took a big breath. "A little after the last time we saw each other I was captured by a hunter."

Her eyes widened in surprise and she moved closer to her. "Then, how...?"

"How am I still alive?" she finished for her. Ino nodded and nodded for her to continue impatiently, eager to learn the rest of the story.

Sakura took a big breath. "The story is not so simple so I'm going to tell you what happened from the beginning."

Flashback

Sakura was running as fast as she could, trying desperately to find a place to hide. The possibility for that to happen was very small but she couldn't stop trying; giving in was admitting defeat. In this case defeat equaled her death and she was not willing to die yet.

Suddenly she stopped and looked behind her. She tried to listen where the hunter was as she let her magic flow inside her and searched for him. Strangely she couldn't find him. For him to be able to hide meant that he was using magic as well.

She held her breath and stretched her ears to listen for any sound that could inform her of his location.

Nothing; absolutely nothing. It was like the man had vanished into thin air, and yet she knew that he was around her, ready to strike and capture her. She felt her heartbeat quicken and nearly heard it in her ears.

She was afraid, desperate. This man that was searching for her had the necessary skills to find her and defeat her. He knew of magic and used it. She felt a wave of anger take over her.

Hypocrites! They burn us for our powers when they use exactly the same power to capture us!

There was no other explanation for him being undetectable; he had to know of magic and practice it. They may call that power divine and holy, in contrast to her satanic and diabolic energy, but she knew better. They were the same. If she was a sinner for having the gift, then so were they!

The only other explanation was that the man was a wizard, a strong one she had to admit, and he had joined the other side for his own selfish reasons. This was worse, actually, because it meant that her hunter was a traitor. He led his family, his brothers and sisters, to the pyre. He may even be someone she knew.

Her eyes widened when she realized that if that was true, then her whole village was in danger. They would burn them all alive. Panicked, she looked around and tried desperately to use her magic to find the man. But it was futile. His presence was so well hidden that she couldn't find him although she was using the energy of the forest.

She started moving again, running frantically. She had to reach the village and inform them of the danger they all were in.

The man was strong and she couldn't face him on her own but he would be dead once the wizards and witches from her village came looking for him.

As she relaxed at that thought and slowed down for a moment, she was captured. The man had been right behind her and was waiting patiently for her to lower her guards and think of something but him to strike and trap her. She fought, kicked and punched. She tried to use her magic but he had done something to her and she couldn't draw it.

She felt him come on top of her, pinning her as he grabbed her hands. She managed to see his face, or at least a part of it, before he put a cloth on her face.

He had silver hair. Then she fell into darkness.

XXX

She cracked her eyes open, feeling extremely uncomfortable. She needed a moment to realize where she was and why she felt so uncomfortable.

She was tied down and sleeping on the floor. There was a rope holding together her hands behind her back and that same rope was holding together her legs. She was tied down like an animal.

Enraged, she looked around to see where her captor was.

He was mocking her as he leisurely sat and watched her. She rolled so she could face him easier and studied his face. At least he wasn't someone from her village; or if he was, he had been away for many years because she had never seen him before.

But he was a magic user. The pendant he was wearing was enough proof of that. "Traitor." she murmured and closed her eyes for a moment, tiredly.

This seemed to agitate the man, for some reason, but he didn't voice his distress. Noticing his annoyance, she eyed him and smirked.

"This angers you?" she questioned and watched as, for a moment, his expression changed into one of annoyance and glared at her. His expression changed immediately into his previous calm and a little cavalier one. "You refuse to talk, huh?" she stated more than asked, "Yet, it is evident to me that deep inside you feel guilty for giving in your people."

"My people?" he queried and raised an eyebrow at her, clearly amused at her statement.

Sakura gazed at him confused. "Those who use magic, like you." she told him quietly after a pause.

"I do not use magic." he said through his teeth, the anger distinct in his voice. She relaxed at knowing that at least she could annoy him as he led her to her death.

"Then why couldn't I sense you at the forest?" she challenged him to answer "Or why are you wearing that?" she asked and showed with a movement of her head the pendant around his neck.

He just looked at her without answering. She smirked at him a little and she closed her eyes.

"Call it however you like; it is magic and if I am cursed for using it to heal and find my way when I am lost, then you are equally cursed for using it to kill us." she paused and rolled again so she wouldn't look at him. "Maybe even more than me, since I give life when you kill."

She was waiting for him to answer back, act in a way cruel and brutal. She wanted him to act like that so she could start hating him on a personal level but he did nothing; he just stayed silent and she felt his gaze on her back.

She was sore and tired. And uncomfortable. Why did he have to tie her like that? For a moment she wanted to ask him to untie her a bit, at least to have her tied in a way that she could sleep without feeling her skeleton on her back was going to crack, but her ego and pride didn't allow her to voice that request. So she slept feeling uncomfortable and annoyed.

She woke up again as she started feeling cold and looked around her once again. It was night and the sky was ebony black but the hunter was nowhere to be found. Surprised at that she tried to roll again so she could see the rest of the place they were occupying better.

Then she saw him, lightly sleeping next to a tree hugging his katana. His look was peaceful and serene; something that did not sit well with Sakura, who felt he should at least feel some shame for bringing her here and having her like that, tied like a pig ready to be put in the oven.

That was what was actually going to happen. She was going to get burned alive and be carried to her pyre like an animal, with no dignity and no friends to say goodbye.

She had heard of how the pyres were by some of the few witches and wizards that managed to escape but had been forced to see others of their kind be burned alive. Their screams still haunted them.

She felt tears in her eyes at the mental image; her screaming as flames consumed her, ate her skin while hunters around her laughed and celebrated her death. The extinction of another diabolic being; the avatar of Satan on earth.

She closed her eyes and let her tears run down her face. She didn't want to die. And certainly not like that. She gazed at the man as she let a sob escape her lips and she bit her bottom lip to prevent more coming out. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to sleep again as she was trembling from the cold, feeling extreme pain at her back and feeling an even stronger feeling of despair wash over her as she started thinking of all the dreams she wanted to do and she would never be able to achieve, all the small things she could do but never did, thinking that she could always do them the next day. Now she knew that tomorrow she wouldn't do them and she regretted not acting upon them when she had the time.

Somehow she slept again and she woke up when a hand shook her. It wasn't done harshly but also neither gently. She could only describe it as a shaking for her to wake up. She opened her eyes that ached a little after all the crying she had the previous night. He untied her and she let out a small cry as her body was free to be in a more natural position. She tried to move and get up but she found her body unresponsive to her commands, so she just lay down and took big breaths as she tried to readjust herself to the new position.

The man was watching her but didn't say anything to her that could explain her untying. He hesitantly put his hand on her back and pressed at the middle. He started rubbing her slowly and she found herself relaxing and feeling better at the new position she was in. But she was also angry.

Why did he let her sleep like that and the next morning free her? Why was he doing that now, like he was nice and cared for her well being? The obvious answer was that he didn't want her to burden him with her inability to move but that also didn't explain why he had her tied that way in the first place.

"Better?" he asked and she glared at him. He didn't glare back but instead continued his massage thing. It was better and she was getting relaxed but she didn't want to admit to him that she was indeed feeling better thanks to his help when, in the first place, she wouldn't need his help if he hadn't tied her down like that.

"Why are you so angry?" he questioned. His tone didn't hide mockery or arrogance. It sounded like sincere interest for her well being and it angered her to no end. She could accept and justify the mockery, the arrogance, the fake pretense but not the caring and the humility. She wanted to yell at him the obvious answer but she controlled her urges and instead took a breath to calm herself.

"Why, really?" she asked instead of giving a straight answer to her captor. Her tone was clearly sarcastic and he understood it but that didn't make him stop rubbing her back.

She waited for him to answer but when he didn't, she became even angrier. "I have been for a whole night in pain, humiliated, tied like an animal and I am going to be burned alive." she answered his question through her teeth and let out a sigh of frustration. "Are these reasons adequate for an explanation for my behavior?"

He looked at her and paused at his rubbing. Sakura slowly sat up and let another small cry of pain at the change of position. If she had her magic this pain would be gone in seconds but the man had something with him that was not allowing her to use her abilities.

"They are acceptable." he finally said as he lay her down once again and continued his ministrations.

"Even from a creature from hell? A demon with the form of a human that misleads others around her and makes them go astray from the way of living, God and the church that instructs the mere mortals to live?" she taunted him, knowing how he viewed her. She was not human in his eyes; she was lower than that.

Again, he didn't answer.

After an hour, they started walking. To make sure she wouldn't escape, he tied her with him using a rope. The tying this time was not so humiliating; he just tied her hands in front of her and held the other edge of the rope as he walked in front of her. They didn't converse at all, and that was how Sakura wanted it.

As she marched towards her grave, she calmed down and started thinking rationally. She glanced at the man's back and then at her hands. Despite how difficult, even impossible maybe, she had to give it a shot. She couldn't just walk without attempting at least once to escape.

It was how that would make all the difference. She needed to work slowly and carefully, make him loosen up with her, even start liking her perhaps so she could escape during a night and have enough time to hide somewhere. She also needed to inform her villagers of where she was and what she was planning to do; maybe they would send someone to help her survive.

But what was essential was that he wouldn't find out. She needed him to lose control with her, start acting the way he felt and not the way he thought he should act. How though?

Her lips slowly formed a smile as she gazed at his back again intently. He felt her gaze, she knew, since he tensed slightly but wasn't annoyed enough to look back at her. He was a man and all men wanted and never denied one thing: good sex.

That was how she was going to approach him; she was going to seduce him. But first, she needed to learn how much time she had to work and realize her plan. She could give it a shot; she had nothing to lose, after all, while he would lose everything if the other hunters learned he was involved with a witch; the one he had captured more or less.

In the end it was possible for her to get burned and him to regret it. It was going to be a fulfilling sight; him in pain and haunted by her screams because of the guilt, while his mistakes could never be amended because she would be dead, like the rest of his victims, and he would never be able to bring them back and give them what they stole without thinking for a second time.

It had been three days since she decided to seduce him but she still hadn't put her plan in action. She didn't know how to start. Although she wasn't a virgin, she didn't really have that much experience with men; especially men that were going to kill her and hated her for no other reason but the fact that she was who she was.

She hadn't even managed to talk to him, learn his name.

She took a big breath and glanced at his back as they were walking. He was in the front leading while she was following and tied to him with a rope. She sighed in frustration; at least she could sleep better since he never tied her down the way he did the first night. It was an improvement.

She had to start a conversation with him tonight. She had to learn when they would reach the place she was going to get burned in. Each minute she lost was a minute closer to her death. And she had decided she would not let him kill her that easily.

After hours of walking, they finally stopped and camped for the night. He got out of his back something for him to eat and sat back, not giving her any attention, except for tying her hands and legs. But the way he did this time allowed her to sit and look at him in a more comfortable position. He didn't give her food at night; only in the morning before they started walking.

She opened her mouth slightly and then closed it again; she had to be careful about the way she was going to approach the subject. Generally people called her hot tempered but in the situation she was in, there was no room for mistakes because the cost was huge.

"May I ask you something?" she asked in a shaky voice. She didn't want to sound weak but neither strong nor confident. It seemed, though, that it was more difficult to hide her anxiety and nervousness than she thought. She never really was good with hiding her emotions and her thoughts.

He looked at her, surprised that she talked to him. Hesitantly, he nodded and she took a big breath. The man probably considered her incapable of speaking and conversing like a normal human being so the fact that she initiated a conversation must have surprised the hunter.

"How much time do I have before...?" she looked down and then again at him uncomfortably "You know?"

"Before you return to the place you came from?" he asked, indicating hell. She narrowed slightly her eyes but didn't comment. She knew he was going to be sarcastic about it. She slowly nodded, confirming that this was what she wanted to know.

He smirked behind his mask and didn't answer her query, just stared at her and after a moment let a laugh. "You almost had me fooled, witch." he said after a moment.

She raised an eyebrow curiously at him, not understanding what he meant, what kind of insult he was throwing at her. "You believe I don't care that I am going to get burned alive?" she asked, shocked after he continued to look at her mockingly and let some laughs as well.

He didn't answer, just sat back once again and shook his head, ready to start ignoring her again.

"If you were me, wouldn't you want to know how much time you have before you are going to get killed?" she asked incredulously and she tightened her fists. She was ready to yell at him but bit her tongue so she wouldn't say anything reckless.

"I could never be you." he answered a bit angrily, not ignoring her anymore or hiding behind an invisible mask of irony. This time she smirked, at least he was showing his true colors now.

"Why?" she looked at him challengingly. "Because your books say that killing someone who has different beliefs is acceptable? Because you using magic to capture me to lead me to my pyre is holy?"

"It's not the same." he hissed at her and she smiled at him, ironically. "I do not use the power of the devil to hide my true nature or make others stray away from the right path. You are the emblem of temptation. You promise a paradise to simple humans but you lead them to their eternal damnation."

"Do you truly believe that, hunter?" she questioned him. "Do you really think that my power and yours are so much different?"

He didn't answer, which showed Sakura that he wasn't sure about the answer. He had doubts but the way he was raised did not allow him to voice them and let them grow. That was the prison of all those religious obsessed people; they would never be free from what they had been taught.

"When you return to your home, read your books once more." she said and turned him her back. She let out a sigh, irritated. This was not going well.

"Why?" he suddenly asked and the confusion and wonder were clear in his tone.

She turned her head to look at him; he had moved closer to her without her noticing. "To remember what you believe in." she finally told him and turned her back at him once again.

They didn't speak again and he moved to his previous seat. In the end, she received no answer to her question; she only made sure that he was an ass. Although he played it religious and the follower of God's will, he knew nothing of faith and his faith.

There was no way she was going to succeed; she could be handed to her executioner tomorrow for all she knew. They may have even started preparing her pyre and she was just going to have a painful death in less than a day.

She looked at the sky and let some tears escape. This was pathetic of her, she knew, but she felt so sad and desperate. She didn't want to die and she certainly didn't want to have such a painful death. She had always hated physical pain, scars and violence.

She hated the situation she was in and just wanted for it to end. She wanted to go home.

But she would never get to see her house or her friends again. She was going to see some strangers that saw her as an animal, worthy of all the pain they can cause her, that were going to see and perceive her burning like a festival, a celebration, a victory for their side.

She never hurt anyone with her magic; on the other hand, she was a healer. The worst thing she had done with her magic was experiment while she was still learning with animals. Most of the people that were burned hadn't done anything wrong. She knew that there were forms of magic that were dark and hurtful but these were so few.

Weren't there people, humans, who did cruel and hideous crimes? They didn't kill every human just because some acted like that. She looked at the man and grimaced as she tried to swallow a choke. Why didn't they think that? She was just seventeen and it seemed logical to her, so how could these old, mature and experienced in life men not think of it too?

She should hate him for taking her away from her home, her family, but she found herself unable to. He was also imprisoned in his life with few chances of escaping. His cell was his mind and way of thinking and he needed to try a lot to get out of that.

She had to admit he had some chances since he thought enough to have some doubts about what he did, but meanwhile he didn't have the courage to accept these doubts and choose for himself what he wanted to believe in. Even if he one day he did accept his inner thoughts and feelings about his profession, she would be long gone by then.

She let more tears escape and sniffled as she rolled on her left.

XXX

He was tense after what he had experienced the previous night; not only did she say weird stuff during their small oral interaction but during the night, when she thought he was sleeping and didn't watch her, she cried.

Why? Why did she cry and look so human?

He glanced at her sleeping form for a moment before his eyes returned to the rising sun. She wasn't supposed to be sad about it or care.

Right?

She was a demon camouflaged in human skin. The only emotion she was capable of feeling was hate.

Yet, she seemed so fragile the previous night as she had bit her lips so she wouldn't make any noise. Or when she trembled from the overpowering despair she seemed to feel; he actually pitied her.

Had he made a mistake? Had he taken a wrong person?

Although she had admitted that she used magic, maybe her magic was like his abilities, God blessed. Perhaps like him, she was gifted with this kind of power to free the world from evil.

It wasn't the first time he felt like that. During the first night he had tied her down a little too hard and she looked so miserable, that he had felt guilty for putting her in that position. Then she let out that small cry when he released her that he started rubbing her back to make her feel better.

He looked at the small form again, seeing the young female for the first time carefully; she had a nice body, curvy and with good analogies. A pretty face. She was beautiful, he noted.

Her colors were exquisite. He had never met another woman with pink hair and green eyes. It was a sexy antithesis, he had to admit to himself. If things were different, he would have been very interested in her. Not just the body but also the personality; he liked women who fought and spoke their minds, even if that was not common. Most men wanted a wife that was obedient but he liked free spirits that had opinions and defended them.

She also seemed to know a lot of stuff. Otherwise, why did she tell him to read the books again? Could she be bluffing or had she really read them and wanted him to read something particular again?

He shook his head lightly and got up. Leisurely, he moved closer to her and examined her more carefully. She did have a pretty face.

A nice chest; tight, not too big, not too small. Perfect size.

And her skin seemed so smooth and warm, he was tempted to touch her just to see if it really was like that. He contemplated about it but finally his logic overruled his urges.

She suddenly moved and rolled over. Her face now was next to his knees and he could feel her warmth because of the close distance. He took a big breath and tried to move away but her expression made him stay still. She had a pained look on her face and slightly opened her mouth letting out a moan. He perceived it more like a moan of pain rather than pleasure but that sound coming out of her mouth made him imagine what he could do to her to make her moan for pleasure for him.

These thoughts were inappropriate, though. He was not supposed to touch her and have fun with her; no matter how interesting it could be. He wasn't supposed to run his hands on her body lightly and make her whimper at his mere touch.

No, flames were going to kiss her skin and eventually make her scream, not his hands.

How did he come to think of her like that? It wasn't right and it should never happen again. He got up and moved away. He would let her sleep for an hour or two and then they would continue their journey so the witch would return to where she belonged to and no perverted thoughts would become an obstacle in that.

Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know her name.