Five Years Later
Kaito Tanaka stood at the edge of the riverbank, the same spot where everything had begun, watching the water catch the first light of his eighteenth birthday. The boy who'd approached Aria Voss at thirteen was gone—replaced by a young man forged in rifts and resolve. Six feet tall, corded muscle from endless training, black hair tied back, scars tracing faint mana-veins on his forearms that glowed dimly under stress. He wasn't mana-born, but he'd carved strength from the world's edges.
The past five years flashed as he waited for her, system tab flickering at 20% bond depth with Aria—solid friends, Affection tier, D-Class Ember simmering in his veins. No more, no less. They'd built it slow, earned through fire and trust.
**The Years Unraveled**
That first river talk bloomed into routine. Aria tested him relentlessly: fetch rift crystals without shattering, shadow her on patrols dodging guild eyes, spar till bruises bloomed. He learned her fire's rhythm—wild bursts tamed by will. She saw his grit, the mana-less kid who outlasted novices. Recognition hardened to trust.
Rifts worsened yearly. Goblins raided farms; Kaito's crew—Renn the sling-crack shot, Bram the pathfinder, Tavi the quick messenger—formed Hollow Watch, guarding edges for coppers. Aria joined covertly, her flames covering retreats. Bond ticked: 5%... 10%. Shared campfires revealed cracks—her father's gambling debts binding her to guild, her fire too "unruly" for elite circles. Kaito shared Earth fragments as tales, earning laughs. 15%.
Town strained: tithes quadrupled, mage quarter expanded. Toren's carpentry boomed enchanting knockoffs; Lira's herbs became rift salves. Mina, fifteen now, teased Kaito's "fire friend." Festival failure faded; Kaito's embers (F-Class flickers scaling to D at 20%) saved Renn from a wolf pack, cementing crew loyalty.
Aria's guild demoted her to solo scout—punishment for "commoner ties." Kaito portered officially, friends covering. Affection deepened through fights: her shielding him from claws, him binding her burns. Hugs post-battle, hands lingering as friends. Stolen talks turned personal—she vented guild snubs, he admitted reincarnation isolation. Bond capped at 20%: friends, fierce allies, unspoken tension humming. No kisses, no more—maturity lock held firm.
Rifts peaked last year—B-Class breach. Kaito's embers cauterized wounds; Aria's inferno cleared paths. Guild noticed the "mana-less anomaly." Whispers grew.
Now, eighteen. Cake waited at home, family celebrating. But Aria first.
***
She arrived as dawn broke, red hair wild, cloak scarred from night patrol, curves honed lean by years. Twenty, still guild-bound, eyes meeting his with familiar spark—friends, through hell.
"Birthday boy," she said, smirking. "Survived another year without burning up."
Kaito grinned. "You'd miss the spars."
They sat, shoulders brushing comfortable. Talk flowed easy: rift rumors, crew antics. Tension simmered beneath—he thought of next steps, bond nudge to Infatuation. *Soon.*
System chimed sharp, birthday precise.
**[Maturity Achieved: Age 18.]**
**[Physical Lock Released. Intimate Relations Authorized.]**
**[Special Event: Bond Catalyst Activated - Aria Voss Targeted.]**
**[Effect: Emotional Resonance Surge. Target desires physical affirmation of bond. Duration: 24hrs. Success: +15% Depth.]**
Kaito froze. Aria's breath hitched mid-sentence. Her eyes dilated, cheeks flushing unnatural. She shifted closer, hand trailing his arm—heat not just fire.
"Kaito…" Voice husky, gaze hungry. "Five years. Friends. But now…"
She leaned in, lips inches. Bond pulsed 20% → 22%. Catalyst worked—raw want flooding her, mirroring his buried thoughts.
His choice loomed. Take it?
Kaito's breath caught as Aria's fingers lingered on his arm, tracing the faint scar from that wolf pack two years back—the one she'd cauterized with a trembling hand while cursing his recklessness. Her touch burned warmer than her fire ever had, not painful, but insistent, like embers seeking dry tinder. The river murmured behind them, oblivious, while the dawn light painted her red hair in gold streaks, her cloak slipping just enough to reveal the curve of her collarbone, glistening with a sheen of patrol sweat.
Aria's eyes, usually sharp with guild-hardened caution, softened into something raw, pupils wide. She didn't pull away. If anything, she leaned closer, her knee brushing his on the cool grass, the contact sending a jolt straight through him. "Kaito," she whispered again, voice thicker now, laced with a hunger that matched the flush creeping up her neck. Her free hand rose hesitantly, hovering near his jaw, fingers trembling as if fighting some invisible thread pulling her in.
He could smell her—smoke and wild herbs, the scent of rifts and campfires they'd shared for years. Five years of this: her teaching him to read flame patterns, him binding her wounds after skirmishes, late-night talks where she'd let slip vulnerabilities no guild mage would admit. Friends. Solid at 20%. But now the system's catalyst twisted that foundation, amplifying every unspoken glance, every accidental brush during spars. Her lips parted slightly, breath warm against his cheek, just inches away.
Kaito's heart hammered, adult mind warring with the weight of it all. *She's choosing this. The system just... lit the fuse.* His hand moved on instinct, resting lightly over hers on his arm—gentle, testing. Her skin was fever-hot, pulse racing under his thumb. Aria's gaze locked on his mouth, a soft exhale escaping her as she tilted her head, closing the gap millimeter by millimeter. The air thickened, charged like the moment before her flames erupted.
The bond pulsed faintly in his vision: **21%**. Affection straining toward more. Her other hand finally cupped his jaw, thumb stroking slow, deliberate, eyes half-lidded with need. "I've waited," she murmured, voice barely audible over the river. "Friends... but gods, Kaito, more."
Time stretched. His free hand found her waist, fabric thin under his palm, pulling her fractionally closer. Lips hovered. Breath mingled. The world narrowed to her heat, her want, the inevitable spark.
Aria's grip tightened on his jaw, her thumb pressing just enough to tilt his face fully into hers. Their lips met—soft at first, a tentative brush that ignited like dry leaves under her flame. Kaito's world narrowed to the taste of smoke and salt on her mouth, her body shifting closer until she was half in his lap, knees straddling the grass between his legs. The kiss deepened slow, her tongue flicking tentative against his lower lip, a quiet moan vibrating from her throat as the catalyst's heat surged through them both.
She pulled back just enough to breathe, forehead resting against his, eyes dark with want. "Not here," she whispered, voice husky, fingers threading into his hair. "Anyone could see."
Kaito nodded, dazed, his hands sliding up her sides—feeling the rapid rise-fall of her ribs under thin fabric. She stood first, pulling him up with surprising strength, her free hand grabbing his wrist like she feared he'd vanish. The riverbank blurred as she led him into the thicket upstream, weaving through willows and ferns to a hidden hollow—a small cave mouth overgrown with vines, their private spot from years of rift watches. No one came this far; guild patrols stuck to roads.
Inside, shadows danced from faint dawn light filtering through leaves. Aria turned, backing against the mossy wall, tugging him close by his shirt. Her cloak fell open, revealing the tight tunic clinging to sweat-damp curves, breasts rising with each pant. "Kaito," she breathed, hands roaming his chest, nails scraping light over scars. She kissed him again, hungrier, bodies pressing flush—her hips grinding slow against his growing hardness, heat pooling where they touched.
His hands explored—cupping her waist, sliding up to trace the swell beneath fabric, thumbs brushing sensitive peaks through cloth. Aria arched into it, gasping into his mouth, legs parting to draw him between. Bond ticked: **22% → 24%**. The air hummed with her restrained fire, warming skin without burning, as clothes loosened piece by teasing piece.
Aria's fingers fumbled with the laces of Kaito's shirt, pulling it open inch by inch, her breath hitching as skin met skin. Her palms flattened against his bare chest, tracing the hard planes of muscle honed from years of labor and combat, nails dragging light enough to raise gooseflesh. She pressed closer, her full breasts crushing soft against him through her tunic, nipples hardening into peaks that he felt clearly, drawing a low groan from his throat.
Kaito's hands roamed bolder now, slipping under the hem of her shirt to slide up her sides, thumbs brushing the undersides of her heavy breasts before cupping them fully. They overflowed his grasp, warm and yielding, and she arched into his touch with a whimper, head falling back against the cave wall as he teased the sensitive tips with gentle rolls. "Yes... like that," she gasped, hips rocking forward to grind against the rigid bulge straining his pants, friction building heat between her thighs.
Her mouth found his neck, lips parting to suck hot and wet along his pulse, teeth grazing just enough to sting. One hand dipped lower, boldly palming him through fabric, stroking slow and firm as he throbbed under her touch. Kaito hissed, bucking involuntarily, his own fingers working her tunic up and off in a tangle of cloth, baring her to the waist. Full, flushed breasts bounced free, begging for attention—he dipped his head, tongue circling one rosy peak before drawing it deep, sucking with rhythmic pulls that made her cry out, fingers clenching in his hair.
Aria shoved at his shoulders suddenly, reversing them so his back hit stone, her hands yanking at his belt with urgent tugs. Pants loosened, she shoved them down his hips, freeing his aching length to the cool air—hard, thick, pulsing with need. Her eyes darkened at the sight, hand wrapping around him in a firm stroke, thumb swirling slick pre-cum over the tip. "Gods, Kaito... so ready for me," she purred, sinking to her knees on the mossy floor, lips hovering teasingly close.
The bond surged: **25%**.
Aria's breath ghosted hot over Kaito's throbbing length, her emerald eyes locking onto his from below—dark with lust, lips parted in anticipation. She leaned in slow, tongue flicking out to trace the underside from base to tip, savoring the salty bead of pre-cum with a low hum that vibrated through him. Kaito's hands fisted in her red hair, not pulling, just holding as she swirled wet circles around the sensitive head, sucking lightly before taking him deeper inch by agonizing inch.
Her mouth enveloped him in slick heat, cheeks hollowing with rhythmic suction, tongue pressing flat against the vein pulsing beneath skin. She moaned around him, the sound sending shocks straight to his core, her free hand cupping his balls with gentle rolls while the other stroked what her lips couldn't reach. Kaito's hips jerked involuntarily, a guttural groan escaping as she bobbed slow then faster, saliva dripping down her chin, eyes watering but never breaking contact—hungry, devoted.
**Bond: 26%.** Embers flickered in his veins, syncing to her rhythm, warmth spreading from his core to match her inner fire.
She pulled off with a wet pop, strings of saliva connecting them, grinning wicked as she rose. "Your turn," she purred, shoving him down onto the mossy floor, straddling his chest. Her pants vanished in a tangle, revealing trimmed red curls and slick folds glistening with arousal. She ground against his abdomen, leaving a wet trail, before sliding up to hover over his face.
Kaito gripped her thighs, pulling her down—tongue delving into her heat, lapping broad strokes from entrance to clit. Aria cried out, hips bucking as he sucked her swollen nub, fingers parting her to thrust deep inside, curling to hit that spot that made her tremble. She rode his mouth with abandon, breasts bouncing, one hand pinching her own nipple while the other braced against the wall—juices coating his chin, moans echoing in the cave.
**28%.** Flames danced harmless on her skin, bonding deeper with every gasp.
Aria shuddered above him, thighs quivering as Kaito's tongue worked relentlessly—lapping her clit with firm, circling strokes while two fingers plunged deep, scissoring to stretch her dripping heat. Her juices flooded his mouth, tangy-sweet, hips grinding desperate circles against his face as she chased release. "Kaito... fuck, right there," she gasped, back arching, one hand fisting his hair to hold him in place while the other mauled her breast, pinching the nipple hard enough to redden.
**Bond: 29%.** Heat bloomed between them, his embers flaring in sync, cock twitching untouched against his stomach.
She shattered with a keening cry, walls clenching around his fingers, gush of slick coating his hand as tremors wracked her body. Aria collapsed forward, panting, lips crashing into his in a messy kiss—tasting herself on him with a moan. "Need you inside," she growled, sliding down his torso, slick folds dragging along his length.
Kaito gripped her hips, guiding as she positioned him—head nudging her entrance, teasing through her folds. She sank slow, inch by thick inch stretching her tight, velvet walls gripping like fire-warmed silk. Both groaned at the fullness, her nails digging into his shoulders as she bottomed out, clit grinding against his base. "So big... perfect," she whimpered, rocking tentative at first, building to rolling thrusts that had her breasts bouncing hypnotic.
He thrust up to meet her, hands kneading her ass, pace quickening—wet slaps echoing, her moans rising with each deep plunge hitting her core. Sweat-slick skin slid together, flames licking harmless patterns on her back as **Bond: 32%**. Climax built fast, her pace frantic, walls fluttering warning.
Aria's rhythm faltered, walls clenching vise-tight around Kaito as orgasm crashed through her—head thrown back, red hair whipping wild, a raw scream tearing from her throat. Her flames erupted harmless around them, licking skin in ecstatic warmth without burn, juices squirting hot down his length as she convulsed, nails raking bloody trails down his chest. **Bond: 35%.** D-Class Ember solidified, fire mana flooding his veins proper now, syncing pulses.
She slumped forward, panting against his neck, inner muscles still fluttering milking squeezes. "Fuck... Kaito," she gasped, lips trailing sloppy kisses along his jaw. But she didn't stop—hips lifting slow, slick coated cock dragging out halfway before slamming back, chasing aftershocks into fresh build.
Kaito growled low, hands bruising her hips as he took control—thrusting up hard, deep, relentless, balls slapping wet against her ass with each pounding drive. Her breasts bounced heavy with every impact, nipples grazing his chest; he captured one in his mouth, biting sharp enough to draw a yelp that melted to moan. "Aria... so tight," he rasped, pace brutal now, angle hitting her g-spot dead-on, her cries pitching higher.
Sweat poured, cave thick with musk and smoke-scent. Her second climax built fast—legs locking around him, clit grinding desperate friction. **38%.** He flipped them sudden, pinning her under him missionary style, knees spreading her wide for deeper plunges, thumb circling her clit furious. Aria shattered again, back bowing off moss, scream muffled into his shoulder bite as walls spasmed, pulling him under with her—ropes of hot cum flooding deep, marking her core as bond locked **42%**. Inferno teased horizon.
Kaito collapsed over Aria, spent cock still buried deep in her pulsing heat, their mingled release slicking thighs as aftershocks rippled through. She clung tight, legs locked around his waist, nails embedded in his back—breaths syncing ragged, flames dimming to warm glow on sweat-sheened skin. **Bond: 43%.** Affection tier strained, D-Class Ember roaring steady in his core now, faint orange veins tracing his arms.
Minutes passed in haze. Aria stirred first, nipping his earlobe with teeth. "Not done," she murmured, voice wrecked husky. She rolled them fluid, straddling again—his softening length slipping free with wet schlick, cum dripping from her well-fucked pussy onto his abdomen. Her hand wrapped him firm, stroking life back slow, thumb teasing slit as he hardened under skilled twists. Eyes locked intense, she guided him back in, sinking with sigh—riding lazy at first, savoring stretch.
Pace built sensual: hips circling deep grinds, clit rubbing his base electric, breasts swaying hypnotic for his hands to capture, pinching rolling peaks till she mewled. Kaito thrust matching, one hand tangling red hair to pull her down for devouring kisses, tongues warring sloppy. Her walls fluttered addictive, second wind coiling tight—whimpers turning pleas. **47%.**
She chased it fierce, pace slamming wet, inner fire syncing his embers into shared blaze. Climax hit tandem—her squirting hot around him, scream swallowed in his mouth; he erupted thicker, flooding womb as **Bond: 50%.** Threshold crossed.
**[Infatuation Unlocked: B-Class Blaze.]** Vision flared: explosive fire access, combo spells teased. Aria shuddered atop, eyes glassy adoration, lips claiming his tender now. "Mine," she whispered, collapsing into his arms. Cave sealed their world.
They lay tangled in the mossy afterglow, Aria's head pillowed on Kaito's chest, her red hair fanned wild across sweat-damp skin. Her breathing slowed to contented sighs, fingers tracing lazy patterns over the fresh bite marks on his shoulder—marks she'd left in the heat of Infatuation's surge. **Bond: 51%.** B-Class Blaze hummed alive in him now, raw power coiling like liquid fire in his veins, ready for explosive casts, but he kept it leashed, testing subtle flicks of heat between his fingertips without her noticing.
"You're different today," Aria murmured, nuzzling closer, one leg hooked possessively over his thigh. Her full breasts pressed soft against his side, nipple still pebbled from their frenzy. "Stronger. Like something woke up inside you." She propped on an elbow, emerald eyes searching his face with that intense, adoring gaze—Infatuation's grip turning friends to obsession, but no hint of system knowledge. To her, it was just them, five years culminating in this blaze.
Kaito smiled, brushing a strand from her flushed cheek, careful not to let mana sparks show. "Blame the birthday. Or you." He pulled her atop him slow, hands sliding down to cup her ass, kneading firm flesh as she settled straddling his hips—his cock stirring half-hard against her slick, cum-filled folds. She rocked teasing, grinding clit along his length with a breathy laugh, reigniting friction.
"Greedy now, aren't you?" she teased, leaning down for a slow, tongue-deep kiss, hips circling deliberate to coax him fully erect inside her welcoming heat. No rush this time—sensual rolls building mutual ache, her walls fluttering remembered fullness. Kaito thrust shallow up into her, hands roaming to pinch her swaying breasts, rolling nipples till she whimpered into his mouth. **53%.**
Outside, river rushed indifferent; inside, their world burned private, her moans rising as pace quickened once more.
Their rhythm deepened lazy into urgent—Kaito's hips snapping up firm into Aria's welcoming heat, her slick walls clenching greedy around each thick thrust. She rode him with abandon, nails raking his chest, full breasts bouncing hypnotic as she chased fresh peak. "Harder," she gasped, grinding clit desperate against him, inner fire flaring to match his hidden Blaze. He obliged, hands bruising her hips, pounding deep till wet slaps echoed cave walls.
Climax hit her vicious—back arching scream, pussy spasming hot floods down his length, pulling his own release. He groaned, pumping thick ropes deep inside, filling her overflowing as **Bond: 55%.** Infatuation locked solid, B-Class power thrumming alive—explosive potential sealed, hers but his now.
Aria slumped atop, kissing him soft possessive. "Stay," she murmured, but dawn light strengthened. Kaito eased her off gentle, cum trickling down her thigh—both grinning sated.
"Family waits," he said, dressing quick. She pouted but nodded, stealing one last heated kiss. "Tonight, then."
Kaito slipped out alone, river path leading home. Smoke rose from chimney; laughter spilled as he neared—Toren's voice booming, Mina teasing Renn. Eighteen now, power humming secret veins. Cake awaited. Bigger fires loomed.