Garden of Thanatos

Seo Akira: The Gluttonous Girl

When he awoke, Shiki found himself in his bed. It was early morning, about 6AM if he had to guess. He was dressed in his regular pajamas, and Hisui had yet to come to waken him, although the open window was evidence that she had come in before.

Shiki reached for his glasses on the dresser next to his bed and put them on. Even though his eyesight was perfect and he did not have to worry about seeing the lines in this world, he still wore them, possibly out of habit. In any case, Kohaku had told him that she preferred his look with his glasses, and so he continued to wear them.

Just as he started to get out of bed, the door opened and Hisui entered.

"Oh, Shiki-sama, how long have you been up?"

"Oh, good morning, Hisui. I actually woke up just now."

"I apologize for not being able to be there when you awoke."

Hisui averted her eyes embarrassedly.

"It's okay. Did Kohaku-san carry me to my room last night?"

"Yes, after we... washed you, nee-san brought to you your room and put your pajamas on you. I hope you slept well?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, and I'll be sure to thank Kohaku-san when I see her at breakfast. Speaking of which, is that ready?"

"No, but I'll be sure to tell nee-san to start cooking right away. If there's nothing else, then, excuse me."

Hisui turned around and left. Shiki decided that he would take a bath before going downstairs to greet Kohaku and have breakfast.

And like that, yet another day in this dreamworld began.

***

Breakfast went as usual that morning - the three of them ate together at a small circular table at the dining room. Things were cheerful, but with literally nothing happening outside the mansion, there was nothing to talk about. And that was when Shiki found his restlessness growing again.

After breakfast, once again, there was nothing to do. Shiki let the girls go off to do their work - whatever they did to spend there time, he honestly had no clue. There was no work that needed to be done that he knew of. As for himself, he went to the porch outside as he so often did and sat down on the chair, just looking, breathing, thinking.

By now, he had already explored every inch of the mansion and its grounds. That wasn't an exaggeration; after the first few years, he had decided to kill some of the endless time that he had by literally walking over every part of this world that he could. The front gate was closed permanently, and along with the 2-story high brick walls that surrounded the property, formed the outlines of this world, the barrier that he could never cross. Within it was surprisingly large, and besides the front lawn and path that was well over 30 meters long, the grounds contained a small forest, more fields of grass, several gardens that Kohaku took care of, and a servant's shack that was no longer being used.

But that was it. Shiki had been to every single last place in this world. Even the seasons and weather didn't change. In a state of perpetual spring, the grass and leaves remained as green as ever, even without rain. Flowers continued to bloom forever in the gardens, although the various vegetables and roots never produced anything.

And that was why Shiki was growing restless and had been for the past... he didn't know how many years. The only distraction he could have was with the maids. But he often found himself filled with guilt. He was taking advantage of them, their hospitability. He didn't know for sure, but it seemed that he was the only one who was lucid, only one who realized the absurdity and horror of this endless dreamworld. But even as the one with the most knowledge, the most responsibility, he would take them regularly.

It seemed like it was bound to happen again today. He continued to sit in the chair in the porch, his boredom continuing to grow. Already, he had been sitting there for over 2 hours. Lunch would be soon. Maybe if he held on until then, he could stop his urges.

No, he realized. He failed. Shiki began to get up, preparing to kill his boredom, his restlessness, by finding one of the girls. At this point, he didn't really care which one it was.

Wait.

What?

Something caught Shiki's eye as he was getting up. Flowers had always been blossoming around the porch, tracing around the area where the stony ground met the grass of the fields. And in one corner, a blue flower, one that he couldn't recognize, was starting to die. Its petals wilted and dried, it was already not even worthy to put in a vase.

In all his years and explorations in this world, he had never seen anything like it.

Just then, one of the maids that Shiki had been about to go find found him instead.

"Shiki-sama, you have a guest."

In surprise, Shiki quickly twisted his head to face Hisui. What was going on? A guest? How could that be possible? Was there actually a world outside of this mansion?

Without replying, Shiki darted up and ran to the front gate. Like he had the first few years in his existence here, he tried to open it, rattling it against its hinges. No good. He tried to climb it, something he had done before as well. But as usual, he found himself unable to go over the top, an invisible, imperceptible barrier stopping him.

Maybe Hisui had been playing a trick on him? If that was the case, it was probably Kohaku playing as her younger twin sister. All that she needed to do was put on some contacts and change her dress, after all. Dejected, Shiki turned around and slowly went back to the mansion, entering through the front door and into the lobby.

There, he froze. Kohaku-san was there, and Hisui hadn't been lying. A second woman - or rather, girl - stood next to her. Her dark, slightly purple hair was short, reaching down to the top of her neck and barely longer than his own. She was clad in a white and blue sailor uniform, the blue bandanna and the blue skirt down below her knees contrasting the white blouse. She was much shorter than his maids, and her lower body looked a bit more plump, although still relatively slender It belonged to someone 3 years younger than he. Of course, Shiki didn't know that. In fact, he didn't even recognize her.

"Oh, Shiki-san, there you are!"

Smiling up at him with her deep blue eyes, the new girl greeted him. Shiki just stared back in bewilderment.

"Who... wha..."

For a bit, that was all he could do, while letting out short confused sounds.

"Now, Shiki-san, you shouldn't be so rude to Akira-sama! She came all the way here to visit you, so you should greet her kindly!"

Kohaku wagged her finger at him, berating him. Akira. The name was... familiar to him. He still didn't recognize her or the name, but there was something there, something that made him feel as if he had heard the name attached to her face before.

"A-, Akira, is it? Umm... wel, welcome."

Shiki blushed and managed to blurt out. He felt no need to hide his confusion, as he knew he couldn't fake knowing her. However, Akira met this by frowning, obviously unhappy.

"You always used to call me Akira-chan, Shiki-san. I knew that you had likely forgotten about me, but I was hoping that you'd at least remember that..."

"I'm, I'm sorry, Akira-chan. But... wait! How did you know that! And where did you come from? You know about this world!?"

Shiki suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and questioned her, spouting off questions like a machinegun.

SMACK!

Shiki grabbed the top of his head where Kohaku had slapped at it with the top of a broom.

"Again, Shiki-san, that's no way to treat a guest! Really, interrogating her like that... Come on, Akira-sama, you should unpack and get settled into your new room."

Kohaku went behind Akira and picked up her suitcase, which Shiki noticed for the first time.

"Wait, Akira, you're moving in here?"

"Yes, Shiki-san, I'll be staying here. As Kohaku-san said, though, I really should unpack, so maybe you can come to my room in a bit?"

And with that, both she and Kohaku disappeared up the stairs, to the west wing of the house. Shiki stood dumbfounded for a while, rubbing the growing swelling on his head.

***

About half an hour later, Shiki went to Akira's room, having gotten the location from Hisui. When he knocked on the door and announced his identity, Akira, sitting on her bed with her legs dangling over, welcomed him in. The first thing he did was to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, Akira-chan, for... acting the way that I had, and... and for not remembering you. But I still don't. I feel like I might have known you some time long ago, but right now, the only people I can distinctly remember are myself, Hisui, and Kohaku-san."

"It's okay, Shiki-san. As I said, I knew that you'd be like this. You've been in this world for a long time."

Akira smiled up at him, not a hint of disapproval in her voice.

"About that... so, how do you know about this world? How did you get here?"

Shiki asked, a lot more calmly than he had in the lobby just a while ago.

"To be honest, I don't know."

Akira's smile was replaced with a look of confusion.

"All I can remember are my memories with you outside of this world, and all I know about this world is that you've been here, alone, with Hisui-san and Kohaku-san for a long time."

"I see. So, you're like me... or rather, like all of us, unable to know more about this world other than that there is something wrong... I wonder, though, why you came here, all of a sudden."

Shiki started pacing the room, frustrated at having found no answers from the newcomer.

"Well... Shiki-san, I do kind of know why I'm here... at least, I have an inkling."

Akira spoke after staying silent for a while. Shiki turned his head at her in surprise and stopped walking. He noticed that Akira was averting her eyes.

"Really? What is it? Any clue might be able to help us."

"It's because you've been growing more and more bored of this life, and, um, it's, it's..."

Akira fell silent once again.

"Well? Akira-chan, please, I've been stuck here for so long, I want to know why you've suddenly appeared."

"It's because I love you, Shiki-san!"

Akira finally blurted out. Shiki could notice Akira's ears slightly reddening. He, too, felt himself blush at her sudden confession.

"Oh."

He didn't really know what to say to that. Akira continued to look away, still fully embarrassed from what she said.

"I'm, I'm sorry for saying it all of a sudden, but it's true... and I somehow feel like that's the reason that I came here. You... since you don't really remember me, I'm know you mustn't be quite sure how to react, but..."

"Akira-chan."

Shiki interrupted her with her name, at which Akira reflexively looked up. This was just in time to notice that he had walked over to her and was kneeling down in front of her on his knee.

"It's okay, Akira-chan."

Shiki lightly took ahold of her chin with his right hand, directing his face into hers for a light kiss on the lips.

"I'm sure I'll have adequate opportunity to get to know you a bit better here."

Shiki kissed her once again, and started to run his hands down her arms and her sides. Akira, frozen for a bit, responded to this by putting her hands on his chest and pushing away.

"No, please, you shouldn't, Shiki-san."

Shiki first looked back at her, confused. But then came realization. Then embarrassment.

"Oh god... I'm sorry, Akira-chan... I shouldn't have... that was... that was too forward of me... I shouldn't have assumed..."

Shiki continued to apologize. No, Akira wasn't one of his maids, and his sudden and unilateral action, even to someone who had confessed her love for him, was painfully rude. But that wasn't the problem.

"No, Shiki-san, it's not that... really, it's okay. It's just that, Kohaku-san is going to get us for lunch pretty soon, and to be honest, I'm quite hungry."

At that moment, Kohaku burst into the room, happily announcing to them that lunch was ready. Shiki found it odd that she didn't react at all to his being there. Perhaps Hisui told her, he thought.

***

Lunch was mostly the same as usual. The fourth seat that was around the circular table was filled for the first time, and Kohaku spent a lot of time making small talk with Akira. Through this, Shiki was able to patch together much of who Akira was. At 15, she was 3 years younger than he. She attended the Asagami Women's Academy as a 3rd year of their middle school. The name Asagami seemed familiar to him for some reason, but once again, Shiki couldn't quite put a finger on why. Akira's main interest seemed to be in drawing doujinshi, and she had brought a bunch of her equipment with her in her bag, she revealed. He also gathered that eating was another big hobby of hers, as she gulped down several helpings of Kohaku's very well cooked lunch and even finished a third of a cherry pie for dessert.

Kohaku mentioned that they should have a welcoming party for Akira that evening, to which everyone agreed. But it was when Kohaku mentioned the existence of alcoholic beverages for that party that Akira's eyes really lit up. The line of questioning reversed as she started asking Kohaku about the types of drinks that were in the mansion. Shiki could see her practically explode when it was revealed that the basement of the mansion held quite an extensive wine cellar. Shiki had gone down there once a long time ago during his exploration, but he had completely forgotten about it at this point.

And so, after lunch was finished, Kohaku took Akira with Shiki in tow down to the cellar. The guest of honor would be the one to choose the bottle or bottles to be drunk that night.

"Well, here we are."

Kohaku spoke as she turned on the lights in the wine cellar. Just one light illuminated the rows and rows of shelves before them. The room was enormous, even bigger than their sizable dining hall, and it was packed like the archives of an old school library with wine racks, each about as tall as Shiki himself.

"Whoa..."

"Wow..."

Both Shiki and Akira stood in awe. Shiki had been here before, and in fact, had reacted the same way before, but his fuzzy memory had failed to record the sheer magnificence of it. Akira, on the other hand, was seeing it for the first time, and reacted like a giddy schoolboy in a chocolate factory - immediately, she began walking down the aisles, grabbing a flashlight that was hanging in the entranceway, inspecting the bottles for vintage and type.

"Wait, Akira-chan!"

Shiki followed her into the maze.

"Well, I'll leave you two to explore."

Kohaku spoke to his back before turning around and going back to the main cellar and up the stairs. Shiki was a bit worried that he might lose Akira, but the dimness of the room and the light of the flashlight made her easy to track down.

The two spent what seemed like hours in there, looking at every bottle that caught Akira's eye. Shiki couldn't figure it out, but it seemed that she had discovered some sort of system behind the ordering and organization of the bottles of wine. The vintage numbers in particular were meaningless to him, as he didn't even know what year it was - although Akira kept insisting it was only 2000. Every once in a while, Akira would hand him a bottle for them to take, which he would place at the entranceway to the wine cellar before coming back to join her. The pile grew quite large, and Shiki grew a bit annoyed at the thought of having to make multiple trips to bring all of them upstairs.

"Akira-chan, don't you think that's enough? I think we already have over a dozen... surely you don't think the four of us could finish even a quarter of that tonight?"

"Yes, but... well, you're right, Shiki-san. I guess I did go a bit overboard. But this cellar, these bottles...! It's really like a dream come true! If only you guys had your own brewery...!"

"Heh, ask Kohaku-san. Maybe we even have one of those, too."

"No, I already asked her... but really, this is more than enough, Shiki-san. Here, let's just take this as the last one."

Akira handed him one more bottle. But before he turned around to put it with the others, a thought popped into Shiki's head.

"Hey, why don't we drink some of this one right now, just the two of us?"

"What? No, that's for tonight..."

"Come on, it'll be okay - we have so many bottles already. Plus, don't you want to taste it? That's the whole reason you love wine so much, isn't it?"

"Well... but we don't have any glasses..."

"Here."

Shiki pulled open the cork and handed it to her. Akira grabbed it a bit tentatively and looked at him for approval as she slowly brought it to her lips. Seeing only his smile, she decided to relinquish.

"Well, why not. I'm the special guest, after all!"

With that, she quickly tilted back her head and took down a gulp.

"Ah, it's great, as good as I expected!"

Akira said smiling, handing the bottle back to Shiki. The darkness made it difficult, but he could see a light film of red on her lips.

"Really? To be honest, I'm not sure if I've ever had wine before..."

He, too, took a quick gulp.

And he almost almost spit the whole thing out. That is to say, he did spit it out, coughing and spraying the red liquid all over Akira's hair and face.

"*cough* *cough* how, how do you drink something like that!!?"

The harshness of the taste still in his mouth, Shiki complained before realizing what he had done.

"Oh god, I'm sorry, Akira-chan... I'm finding myself apologizing to you all the time..."

Shiki took a corner of his white button-down shirt and tried to wipe her off. However, smiling, Akira stopped him.

"No, you'll stain it, Shiki-san. Instead..."

With that, Akira licked her lips and, using her hand, started bringing the wine on other parts of her face to her mouth.

Immediately, this floated the image of Kohaku from yesterday into Shiki's mind. And unable to control it, he found himself starting to get turned on and his penis beginning to grow.

"Akira-chan..."

Dropping the bottle and grabbing her wrists, Shiki brought his lips to Akira's surprised face and began to lick off his mess directly. In contrast to the clean smashing noise of the bottle of wine on the hard stone floor, the flashlight that dropped from Akira's hand made a dull thud.

"Mmm... you know, this way, it doesn't taste so bad..."

Shiki continued this, even as Akira began to struggle against him.

"No... Shiki-san... don't..."

Akira fought back, but he was too strong. She eventually found herself pushed up against one of the racks that was against the wall, at which point her struggles stopped.

It was also at this point that Shiki backed off and stared into her now teary eyes.

"Akira-chan... what's the matter... didn't you say you loved me?"

"Ye- yes, Shiki-san... it's true, but... and I don't mind doing this with you, but... if you continue, we'll end up breaking more bottles of wine!"

At this, Shiki couldn't help but laugh. The flashlight on the ground was still lit and pointed at them, and the light bouncing off the glass illuminated her genuinely scared face.

"Is that what you're worried about? Really? Are you telling the truth?"

"Yes! Don't laugh at me, Shiki-san! Almost every single one of these is priceless! To waste them would be... would simply be criminal!"

Akira grew a bit angry at not being taken seriously.

"Come on, Akira-chan... there are so many of them here... Plus, I'll bet you that come tomorrow, every single one of these bottles, even the one we just broke and the ones we'll drink tonight, will be back here. That's just how this world works."

"Re-really?"

Akira's face lit up once again. Not only would that solve her problem, but the prospect of what Shiki had said had some greater, more exciting, implications.

"Tell you what, if that's not the case tomorrow, I'll make it up to you in some other way."

With that, Shiki stole her lips before she could reply and picked her up off of the floor by her hips. Surprised at first by the sudden kiss, Akira responded quite quickly and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his back. Along with that, the flat part of a wine rack on her back was enough to support her weight. The action also brought her skirt up to her waist, revealing her naked lower half that was pushed up against his erection through his pants.

"My, my, Akira-chan, you weren't wearing any panties?"

Shiki broke off their kiss to speak and started to unbutton and unzip his pants.

"Heh, that's right, Shiki-san. To be honest, I was quite sure that something like this would happen after lunch. Although, I didn't realize that it would be down here in the cellar..."

Akira smiled at the look of confusion this caused in Shiki's face. It was one thing to kind of guess at it at a date or something, but to be sure of it and without even knowing that they would be down in the cellar? In fact, if Shiki hadn't suggested drinking the wine to her and ended up spraying her face with the wine, this likely wouldn't have happened. So Shiki was understandably confused at the confidence with which Akira said such a strange statement.

Well, it didn't really matter at this point anyway. He succeeded in getting his pants and boxers down to his knees, and without any warning, lowered Akira's body onto his erect member.

"Aaah! Shiki-san!"

Akira responded in surprise at the sudden insertion. She was tight, even more than Kohaku. Only the head went in easily, and Akira's weight could only cause her to slowly slide down the length of his penis. Shiki could see her wince slightly in pain.

"Akira-chan... could it be... that this is your first time?"

"Hah, hah, y, yes, Shiki-san, you're my first..."

Akira panted and replied.

"I'm finding myself apologizing to you again... I'm sorry, Akira-chan... for being acting so suddenly... I really am so selfish..."

"It's, ah, okay. I told you, I love you. Oh! And, hah, I want to do these kinds of things with you."

Akira tightened her legs that were around his back, speeding up her descent and forcing him all the way into her.

"Oh! Akira-chan! Are, are you okay?"

Shiki felt about to explode from the intense pleasure this caused.

"I'm fine, ah, Shiki-san. It feels... it feels incredible having you fill me up. But please, start moving... it'll make us both feel even better..."

Slowly, cautiously, Shiki began to move his hips, pulling himself out just a little before pushing in, forcing her body against the rack. Akira hugged him more tightly, forcing his face into her neck, which he licked and nibbled on lightly. With each thrust, he could hear the bottles of wine rattle a bit in their cubbyholes, as well as Akira's small squeals of pleasure into his ear.

"Ah! Oh, Shiki-san, ah, faster!"

She whispered. Shiki gladly complied, speeding up his pace. He, too, started to feel overcome by the pleasure. Akira was incredibly tight, and he felt as if he could feel every fold and curvature of her insides. Moving his hands away from her full hips, he placed them under her white blouse through the opening at her waist. In contrast to his maids', her chest was smooth and taught, almost completely flat. He lightly massaged and ran his hands over her breasts before zeroing in on her nipples and pinching them, causing Akira to squeal even more.

As Shiki moved faster and faster, both the rattling of glass on wood and Akira's moans increased in volume and abundance. He was moving her entire body violently back and forth, up and down now, and moving along with it was the rack that still supported most of her weight.

Smash! Splash!

Finally, one bottle was offset from its cozy place between the planks of wood and fell onto the floor, breaking into a million sharp pieces.

"Oh..."

Akira couldn't help but woefully look at the shattered remains and the clear liquid seeping into the cracks of the floor.

"A-Akira-chan, I told you, uh! Not to worry about it!"

Shiki proceeded to move faster, as fast as his body would allow him to, causing Akira to forget about her worries and quickly wrap her hands around her mouth to keep from screaming. Even if she had, it might not have been audible over the sounds of all the bottles rattling in their cubbyholes, which was nearly deafening at this point. Those sounds were soon accompanied by those of more bottles falling to the floor and breaking.

All this was barely audible to Shiki, who was fully immersed in Akira now, the friction and her tightness making his brain shut down and think of only one thing. He could vaguely perceive the smashing noises in the back of his mind, but what really caught him was the smell, the literally intoxicating scent of the dozens of bottles of wine that lay broken on the floor. Mixing with the already pleasant smell of Akira's body shoved up against his own, it all proved to be too much for his brain.

"Mmm! Shiki-san, I'm coming! I'm coming!"

Akira shouted into his ear, having reached her own threshold. She could feel the pleasurable pressure in her loins grow and grow, finally reaching the limit and spreading about her entire body. It was... slow, but intense, more so than she could have possibly imagined. She tightened her arms around Shiki and held him close and let out a soft, very extended moan that sent vibrations through her neck and his face. Shiki hadn't stopped or slowed his movements at all, and even as the fierce orgasm continued to slowly burn through her body, she could feel the pleasure increasing for just a moment at each thrust.

"M, me too, Akira-chan... oh god!"

Shiki whispered, hungrily sucking and licking on her neck. He wondered if Akira could even hear him, as she was lost in her own world and had been for quite a bit. Regardless, what he said was true, and he came, filling up her tight vessel with his semen. He continued to thrust just as quickly while he continued to ejaculate, forcing whatever semen that didn't go into her womb to drip and fall onto the floor. The intense friction that continued throughout his orgasm only took his pleasure higher.

It took a while before either of the two stopped coming, their motions causing more rattling and smashing noises to resonate throughout the cellar. Finally, both came back down at about the same time, Shiki stopping his movements and Akira relaxing her muscles to droop onto the wine rack. Shiki's penis was still hard inside of her, but when the thrusting stopped, it began to deflate. Soon enough, he could pick her up and extricate her from his penis easily, causing Akira to put her feet back down on the ground and stand on her own accord.

"Hah, hah, Shiki-san..."

Akira, still out of breath, leaned back on the rack and looked up at him, her blue eyes meeting his own. Then, without a thought, she went on her tip toes to hold his face and to kiss his lips, before falling back down again.

"Hah, that was... tiring... maybe you should lose some weight, Akira-chan."

Shiki teased, smiling.

"Wh-what! How can you be so mean at a time like this!?"

Akira became upset immediately, breaking the hold of the afterglow. Shiki responded by leaning down to kiss her, just as she had to him. This was surprising, but she began to return the kiss. Opening their mouths simultaneously - almost as if they were controlled by one mind - they pushed and wrapped their tongues back and forth along each other. Breathing through their noses, both could smell the now pungent scent of the wine that had saturated the room. Perhaps it was the alcohol in the air, but it made Shiki light-headed, forcing him to push away and breathe deep breaths through his mouth.

"So, was it as good as you expected?"

Shiki asked, smiling.

"It was... better, Shiki-san. You were, you were really amazing."

Akira said, blushing and averting her eyes.

"You too, Akira-chan... I'm so glad that you came here."

Shiki ran his hand through her purple hair, messing it around a bit. It was damp from the wine that he had spit on her before, as well as the sweat that she had expelled throughout their activity.

Embarrassed, Akira continued to look away. She started to notice the fluids that were dripping from her vagina and riding down her legs, which she reached down and wiped away.

"We really created quite a mess here, didn't we?"

"Yeah, I'm going to have to get a new pair of pants... this one's soaked from all the wine. And I think both of us could use a bath before our dinner party."

Shiki brought attention to his pants and boxers that were now at his ankles, soaked with the wine that had splashed about.

"Oh! Shiki-san, what are you gonna do, you can't put those on now... I know, wait here; I'll go upstairs and get some clothes for you."

They both walked over to the entranceway, where Akira, taking a few bottles from the pile there, went back to the main house, while Shiki carefully took off the clothes from his lower body. Even ignoring the wetness, the pants and boxers were embedded with little bits of glass, making them pretty much unwearable in the future.

"Ah, what a shame... but, whatever."

Shiki muttered as he waited for Akira, who came back pretty quickly with fresh pairs of pants and boxers.

"Remember, you told me that those bottles of wine we broke will come back! If they don't, I'm don't know WHAT you'll have to do to make it up to me!"

Akira made sure to remind him of this as they carried the remainder of the pile up to the kitchen, causing him to crack a small smile.

***

Dinner was a lot like lunch, the main difference being, of course, the presence of wine for each of members of the household. Kohaku's food was excellent as usual, and Shiki was once again shocked by Akira's voraciousness. Her hunger for wine seemed to surpass hers for food, and he was pretty sure that she had downed an entire bottle's worth by the time dessert rolled around. He had barely finished his one glass.

To help maintain the idea of a party, they decided to eat the dessert, a tall cake that Kohaku had prepared, in the living room, accompanied by a cart full of the spirits that she had mentioned at lunch. Pretty soon, all were a bit tipsy, with Akira eagerly pouring more shots of vodka, rum, gin, whiskey, whatever they had, to serve to others. Even after her performance at the dinner table, she was the one who ended up drinking a disproportionate amount of what she poured, Hisui having passed out after just her third glass and neither Kohaku nor Shiki able to keep up.

"Wow, Kohaku-san! The stuff you have here are really top notch! I'm, um, I'm really, um, what was the word again? Impressed! That's it!"

Akira practically yelled out, having lost her ability to control the volume of her voice.

"Um, thank you, thank you."

Kohaku said shyly, a little embarrassed, more about Akira's boisterousness than about herself. Her cheeks were starting to get red, matching her hair, and she felt a bit more drunk than she felt she should be. She held and stroked her little sister who looked just as red, but who had been asleep for a good while now.

"I'm so sorry about Hisui-chan. She really is weak to alcohol - it's funny, even though we're twins. Actually, I'm really sorry about this, but I think I better carry her up to her room now - at this rate, I'm afraid I'll join her pretty soon as well."

"It's fine, Kohaku-san! Just make sure to return and join us soon!"

Akira shouted once again as Kohaku excused herself.

"But, I'm really surprised, Akira-chan. You really enjoy drinking. As just a middle schooler... I didn't realize you were such a delinquent!"

Shiki said, leaning back onto the couch with a glass of whiskey in hand.

"Oh, don't be like that, Shiki-san. The fact is, and I told you this before a long time ago, I used to live in a brewery that my family ran... and my father would always let me sample a bit of each batch. And we also used to drink sake and other stuff to help keep warm during the winters. That's why I'm so strong to alcohol."

Akira said, even as her own glass of whiskey was tilting all over the place, threatening to spill and stain the couch she shared with Shiki.

"In fact, how about we have a drinking contest? I'll show you! Even though I'm much smaller than you, I bet I could beat you, Shiki-san!"

Normally, Shiki would have refused to play such a ridiculous game, but his alcohol-soaked brain somehow made it sound like a good idea. In fact, with Akira having drunk about twice as much as he had, and with her looking to be at most three quarters his size, he was confident that he could win at this point. And for some reason, winning against Akira seemed very important to him.

"Alright, you're on! But, I've never played a game like this... how are we gonna do this?"

Akira explained the basic rules, the idea being that each would take turns drinking a shot of rum or vodka, and whoever had to stop at fewer shots would lose. Or, if anyone passed out, that person would be the loser. Shiki understood it as basically a game of chicken.

And so they began, Akira gulping down the first shot quickly, with Shiki matching it, although it took him several tries to finish his shot - the burning of the throat caused by the 80 proof drinks was still unbearable for him, and the taste wasn't particularly pleasant either. It went to two, three, four, even five shots each, Akira gulping down hers very quickly, and laughing at Shiki each time he struggled to try to match her. In the middle of this, Kohaku came back and watched, happily joining Akira's heckling.

Akira had to pour about three or four shots for her 6th, as most of it ended up on the table and floor. Shiki could see that the immense amount of alcohol she consumed that night was finally getting to her, but it did nothing to give him confidence, because he had his doubts that he could drink any more, either.

When Akira gulped down her sixth shot and smiled right back at him, Shiki's heart began to sink. Not wanting to create any more of a mess, he had Kohaku pour his shot, although he was still unsure on whether or not he could drink it. He decided that the only chance he had was if he could force himself to swallow it all in one go as Akira had. Tilting his head back, he let the entire contents of the shot glass empty into his mouth.

And, as they say, it was deja vu all over again.

The spiced rum that was supposed to go down his throat instead came back out where it came, sending out a translucent brown spray from his mouth and onto the table. Somewhere in his muddled mind, Shiki was thankful that he wasn't facing Akira this time, and that Kohaku was sitting far enough away.

"Oh god... okaaaay, Akiiira-chan... yoouu wiin..."

Shiki slurred out, now knowing for sure that he had reached his limits.

"Hahahaha, I win, Shiki-san! I told you! You can't beat me! No one can!"

Akira laughed giddily while pouring another shot for herself in celebration.

"Uuumm, Akira-chaaan... are you sure you can drink anoootheer?"

Without reply, Akira gulped down another shot and smiled at him.

"See? I'm perfectly fine!?"

She then promptly fainted, falling back onto the soft padding of the sofa. Shiki tried to get to her, but he couldn't even manage to shift his weight correctly to beat Kohaku.

"I think, I think she's fine, Shiki-san. Just had too much to drink. I should bring her up to bed. And you, too, Shiki-san. You might not be passed out like her, but you're not in such a great shape right now."

Kohaku said, not a single bit of worry in her voice or face.

"Y-yeah, you're riight, Kohaku-san. I'm, I'm sorry, but, um, could you help me go back to my room? I'm not sure I'll even be able to find it at this point."

"Hehehe, of course."

Kohaku giggled, and, as she agreed, took Shiki back to his room on the second floor, letting him support his weight on her on the way. After she was sure that Shiki was comfortably settled in his bed, she returned to the living room, where Akira was still quietly sleeping on the couch where she had blacked out. Kohaku gently picked up the smaller girl in order to bring her to her new room into which she had just moved in that morning.

And like that, another day ended for the inhabitants of this dreamworld.

***

Akira awoke to find herself in her bed. It was still dark outside, although the room was lit softly by a small lamp on the dresser next to the bed. It wasn't the light that woke her, but rather, the feeling of ticklishness and warmth on her chest and torso. Her head was still spinning a bit from the alcohol, but it was something that she could deal with. What she had a harder time dealing with was the source of the warmth and ticklishness.

"Argh... Ko-Kohaku-san?"

Akira looked down on her body to see that she was completely naked and lying on the covers of her bed, and that straddling her at her waist was Kohaku, just as nude. The maid's dark red patch of pubic hair was up against her own hairless crotch, and she was gently running her fingers all over her body.

"Oh, Akira-sama, you're awake."

Kohaku said, not stopping her light caressing.

"Wh, wh, wh, what are you doing, Kohaku-san?"

Completely shocked, Akira found herself unable to move.

"Don't you know? I'm your servant here in the Tohno Mansion, and as such, it's my job to serve you at night as well."

Kohaku leaned down and took one of Akira's nipples in her mouth and began to nibble on it, causing a little squeal from the younger girl.

"Mmm...! Don't... Kohaku-san... I don't want this..."

"Oh, really? But your body seems to be saying differently."

Kohaku shifted so that she was straddling one of Akira's legs and moved her hand down between them, letting the wet sloshing noises make her point. With expert movements she pinched, pet, stimulated her clitoris, causing Akira to start squirming about.

"Plus, if you don't let me do this, I won't teach you how to please Shiki-san even more."

At this, Akira bolted open her eyes.

"What!?"

"Oh yes, you had sex together this afternoon, didn't you? I'm sure it was great, but... I'm also sure Shiki-san wouldn't mind if you learned a bit from the experience I have."

Kohaku bit down hard on her nipple, making Akira shut her eyes again and jump in both pain and pleasure.

"After all, Hisui-chan and I have been doing those kinds of things with Shiki-san for many many years."

Kohaku moved her mouth over to Akira's other nipple and started to move her fingers faster, applying sharp, pointed pressure onto her clitoris.

"We know exactly... what Shiki-san likes..."

Trying to suppress her moans, Akira moved one of her hands to Kohaku's head and clawed at her red hair, holding it in place against her smooth chest. Her other hand clawed just as fiercely at the blanket on which she was lying. She knew that she close to coming.

"And I'll... teach them to you..."

With a muffled voice, Kohaku spoke with Akira's nipple still forcibly pushed into her mouth.

"I take it you don't have any complaints?"

"Yes! Kohaku-san! Yeeeesss!!!"

Akira screamed as the pleasure washed through her body and sent it into wild, random convulsions. With Akira's hand still keeping her head in place, Kohaku sucked eagerly on her nipple, and she stopped moving her hand to let the little girl ride out her orgasm. Finally, after locking up for a few seconds, Akira relaxed, letting her slightly sweaty body come to rest comfortably on the blanket. She looked up eagerly at her amber-eyed maid.

"Hah, yes, yes, Kohaku-san... please, teach me."

Akira spoke while trying to catch her breath.

"Huhuhu, good, Akira-sama, I'm so glad that you see it my way..."

Kohaku smiled a devious smile and giggled.

Neither of them would be getting much sleep that night.

----------
I spent a lot more time describing non-sex stuff in this story than in my other stories, but surprisingly enough, even with two sex scenes (both admittedly a bit short), it's not my longest. At about 7000 words, it's a good 900 words less than Snooping Around Pays Off, which was pretty much all sex from start to finish.

Here, I introduce Seo Akira - her last name, Seo, isn't actually mentioned anywhere in the story - a character who first appeared in Plus-Disc, and then again in Kagetsu Tohya. Like Shiki, she has some unique ability, which is hinted at in the story, and if you already know what it is, it should be very obvious where I'm making a reference to that. I haven't read Plus-Disc, but according to Kagetsu Tohya, she indeed is quite a glutton (she eats three quarters of a cherry pie during lunch while she's talking with Shiki), and she does love alcohol, having really grown up in a brewery. Perhaps I exaggerated her character a bit too much, but I think that's what makes it more entertaining.

Here's what she looks like:
http://img9.imagepile.net/view.php?file=91842kagetsutohyaseoakira02.jpg

I also talk a bit more about this dreamworld that comes from the Flower of Thanatos sidestory from Kagetsu Tohya. I guess you can now see why I named this fanfiction Garden of Thanatos. I'm hoping to play around a bit more with the boundaries of this world, see what I can make happen.

As always, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave a review. But if you don't have the time, could you at least leave a 1-through-5 rating? It shouldn't take more than a second, and it's on the right, just below where the story ends.

All comments, complaints, hatemail, can be directed to haruha.raharu[at]gmail.com