Shudders

Chapter 17 - The Sleepover

"I can! My sister taught me." Did he think she was weak or something? She wouldn't have been hired as a Keeper if she didn't have some knowledge on how to defend herself.

    The blond demon swung a fist towards her but stopped when she reflexively used her arm to block the hit. When he moved away, she stared at him shocked. He 'hmmed' at her action, rather surprised. "Well, you know how to block at least..." She didn't like that he was examining her for several seconds. What was he trying to find out?

    He stood up and began slowly circling her as he continued to examine her. She sat up in her seat and watched him suspiciously. Was he testing her? If so, she'll be ready the next time he swings at her again, most likely to see if she'll react the same way.

    She happened to peak down at his tail and noticed that the light wasn't behind him. But his tail looked longer than before. She heard a 'fwoosh' sound behind her and she ducked when a flame went flying over her head, missing her. The tail retracted back to its original length and Akai stopped circling her to stare at his Keeper in wonder. "Hmm..."

"Hmm?!" What was he hmming about? "Haven't I proven what I said yet? I know how to take care of myself."

    Akai shook his head and waved his finger. "Nuh uh. We're just getting started." He crouched down in front of her so that he was now looking up at her. She narrowed her eyes at him and scooted back a bit, he was up to something.

"Hit me."

    She widened her eyes. "Wait what?!"

    He didn't look like he was kidding. He tapped her knuckles then pointed at his left cheek while looking away. "I want you to hit me. I wanna see how hard you punch~."

    Why does he gotta say it like that? Especially when he winked afterward. Now he made it weird.

    With a blush, (Y/N) refused and scooted her chair away. "I'm not hitting you."

    Akai grabbed the chair and pulled it back towards him as he rolled his eyes. "Pssh stop being so nice. Just hit me. It's not wrong if I'm asking you to." He tapped his cheek again like before, but this time, he closed his eyes. "And don't be girly about it."

'Rude.' She thought. She hesitated about hitting him. She's only had to hit someone before when she was defending herself. Being asked to get hit was... pretty weird and it didn't feel right too. Nonetheless, she held up her fist and made a swing at his face. The punch felt hard to her but it was a meager tap to him. His head barely moved at the soft hit.

    He opened his eyes and gave her a 'really' look. "I said don't be girly."

"That wasn't girly! And I'm not hitting you again." She crossed her arms together and moved back in her seat. She already feels the guilt coming onto her for her 'girly' punch.

    Akai rolled his eyes again at his soft Keeper. He moved up and laid his arms and head on her lap. She was surprised but he closed his eyes again and tapped his cheek. "I'm not moving till you punch me again. This time, put some force into it."

"Akai!"

"Your lap is pretty comfy. I don't mind staying here for awhile~."

    She huffed and drew back her arm. She hated how stubborn he was. Before her fist could connect to his face, in the blink of an eye, he was suddenly hovering over her in the laid back chair with her arms pinned against her sides and his leg holding her's down. He was so fast that she was left trying to figure out what happened in between.

    The Keeper tried moving out of his hold but he held her down firmly against the chair. From how hard he was gripping her arm made her wince. He lowered his head close to hers and smirked, almost feeling her aghast breaths on his skin. "You're too slow."

    He released her and moved away. "We should fix that."

    (Y/N) sat up quickly and glared at the demon as an idea popped into his head. She should've known he would have lightning reflexes. She almost got whiplash from being in a sitting position to suddenly on her back in a matter of a millisecond. Watching him cook up a plan in that concerning mind of his made her suspicious to what he was thinking. By what does he mean 'fix'? Was he going to teach her how to fight better?

    As if he heard her thoughts, Akai stated what she was thinking. "Since I'm bored and you're here for however many hours and have proven to be weak, I'm gonna teach you how to fight like a demon. Think of it as a thank you for being a such a lovely Keeper~." He sweetly said with an obviously fake tone, stroking her chin in mock affection.

    She slapped his hand away and was gonna decline the offer but he pressed a finger against her lips before she could utter a word. "I'm not asking so get up."