-Sydney J. Harris

"Seriously, this is a lot of effort to put into a Barrier," John noted as he found yet another hand-scratched note in the wood of the changing room. Honestly, given how little control John seemed to have over his own Barriers besides basic terrain, the intricate design and amazing views in this Barrier were already incredible to John. Seeing basic, hand-scratched notes that seemed to vary in age and importance displayed around the woodworking made John very curious. Kim had specifically said that nobody besides herself had ever climbed this mountain before, which meant that this mountain was a constant feature, maybe even eternal…

With a shake of his head, John **** away the cloud that seemed to be pressing in on his mind at every moment. While it was a pleasant haze, he had already spent far too long in the changing room. Kim was probably already inside, awaiting his arrival. John was a bit nervous about the whole thing, honestly - she had only begrudgingly told him what to expect, and even then only because John insisted upon knowing why disrobing in a changing room was necessary in the first place.

Admittedly it was probably at least partially John's fault for not seeing the temple and onsen at the top of the mountain coming… after all he had experienced in the Barrier to that point, he couldn't honestly say he was too surprised to see them at the top. It still left questions lingering on his lips, but those were best left for after he rejoined Kim inside.

Finally stripping free of his boxers, John quickly donned one of the towels nearby and wrapped it around his waist before striding toward the doorway to the onsen. Before striding through John took another sip of the elven wine they had been drinking since their arrival for courage, a bit unsure of how to behave around the stoic and dedicated swordswoman awaiting him. On the one hand, it sounded like she just wanted to relax and enjoy some time to herself after all that they had been dealing with lately. On the other hand, he was about to walk out wearing nothing more than a towel… he wondered what she was going to say?

"Why are you still wearing a towel?" Kim asked, pulling the bottle away from her lips. She'd actually already run dry of her second bottle just before they entered and had insisted on both of them beginning a third before entering. She had even watched to make sure John drank every drop of his second bottle before beginning his third, though John couldn't guess why the Slayer had suddenly become so competitive about her drinking.

John's head had begun to feel a bit light on his shoulders and his body was swaying in ways he wasn't entirely sure were his fault. Despite that, he was still more than aware enough to take in the abrupt and unexpected nature of the Slayer's last comment, and he was just gone enough to spout the first response that came to mind.

"Because… I mean, did you want my dick hanging out for you to see?"

John didn't mean to be quite so blunt, but his inhibitions were lowered and his processing time felt slowed. It was the best response he could think of to Kim's own, very unexpected question.

"Want is a strong word," Kim said with a laugh, "but my understanding is that it is against the cultural norms across most of Japan to wear any form of covering while you are in the hot springs, often even while moving between the water and the changing room."

"Alright…" John said, sheepishly loosening his grip, letting the towel fall away and expose his body to the world. Kim's eyes darted lower, though she very obviously tried to keep her gaze as focused as she could on his face. She smiled at his blush as he stepped free of the towel, hiding her own as she sank deeper into the water of the hot springs. John tried his best to steady himself - both mentally and physically - as he sank his **** body into the water. Thankfully the hot springs had a notably unnatural addition - although the water was several feet deep, there was a place around the edge with a smooth ledge of rock that was at the perfect sitting height. When John slouched down while seated on that ledge, the water reached to his neck, his chin only just touching the steamy waters below.

"So since I've shared all I know about my situation… would you mind if I asked you a few questions of my own?"

"I don't know what you know of myself or my clan," Kim said quietly, her mouth only just hovering above the water line as John sank his body into the soothingly heated waters, "but I will give you as much of an insight to my life as I can deem worthy."

"Alright… first question. Why does this Barrier have such a Japanese theme?"

"…That's a pretty deep question to start off with."

John's mouth hung half-open, unsure of what to say. He actually hadn't intended to strike so deeply; he hadn't even imagined the question was so intense. As a bit of a weeb, to put it politely, John had long admired Japanese culture - he wasn't really surprised to see someone else with a Barrier around those themes, only wondering why he hadn't seen more touches of South Korean culture around her private world.

"Sorry, I didn't-"

"No, it's fine," Kim assured him immediately, leaning against the rocky outcropping of the onsen. "I just assumed you hadn't noticed as many of the cultural markers as you apparently have. Most do not concern themselves so with the differences between cultures, and I have heard great ignorance from those who profess their love of such matters. Even my understanding is sadly limited to what I was exposed to, since I did not grow up there. If you must know…"

Kim took a far longer pause there than John was expecting, even going so far as to sigh before she eventually continued.

"I have mentioned to you before that my mother originated from Japan, and that her union with my father was the primary reason why we eventually distanced ourselves from both my clan and our homeland. All of that is true, of course. What I wish I could say is that my clan's dereliction of their own duties was to blame for my mother's passing… my mother was cursed. Many, many years ago, in a fight with a powerful warlock - she was able to ward off most of the spell, but it was cast with the mage's last dying breath and all of his hatred; it's likely that the spell was what actually caused his ****, despite his grievous wounds. It caused her body to slowly begin to fail, no matter what remedies we tried. She… I…"

Kim paused, one of the very rare moments of uncertainty she'd ever had around John. He thought of crossing the hot springs to comfort her, but she was already recovering before he'd moved very far.

"This Barrier was my way of remembering her. Come closer, let me show you something."

John complied, crossing the small hot springs and taking a seat next to Kim instead of across from her. As he closed the gap, the caramel-skinned beauty lifted herself out of the water, her petite cleavage rising free of the steam. John's eyes widened, torn between looking at the beauty of her body - her areolas just sneaking above the water line - and the necklace he now realized she was wearing.

"I usually keep this concealed under my clothing… it's a Barrier Replicator. It stores the memory of a Barrier that a user creates, so that with a little mana and thought one can exactly recreate an identical Barrier somewhere new. Most of us do not have private worlds… it's not nearly as convenient or versatile as your ability, but it allows me to remind myself of her. I did not have many chances to visit her homeland before we came to America, but I have made the most of what I did see.

"This Barrier provides me with ways to celebrate her even when I need to relieve myself of the world's troubles. When I need calm, I can enjoy the scenery and tranquility, or work in the rock garden. When I am weary and need rest, these springs have provided many an hour of warmth and sleep. When I need training or to relieve frustrations, these stairs stretch as long as I will them to, and they never show signs of wear and tear. I have climbed this mountain many times… and today, John Newman, you have become the first to climb it alongside me."

Despite finishing her words, Kim did not fully sink back into the water as she had before. She stayed seated upright, leaving so much of her skin exposed that John was having a very difficult time looking away - and now that he was seated directly next to Kim, the temptation was only stronger.

"Thank you, Kim. Really, that's… I know everything has been moving really fast in the past few weeks, but I haven't lost sight of the things that matter. I think we got off to a bit of a rough start - I didn't know you, you didn't know me, and I'm apparently the only person in the entire Abyss who hasn't lost someone or been burned in some way that has scarred them for life. I know this whole arrangement started as us both wanting to use each other, but I'm glad it's become more of a… partnership?"

John said the word hesitatingly, not sure where Kim's opinion of him actually stood. The thought occurred to him - far too late - that he actually had a way to see it, though…

Kim Moon
Level 23 Slayer
<Silver Crane of the Moon Clan>
665 / 665 HP
Relationship: 98
Alignment: +38
Status Effects: Slayer's Precision

"A partnership?" Kim considered the word quite heftily, shifting herself around a bit as she gazed into John's eyes. The two of them were so close now that Kim's skin rubbed against his as she did so, their arms and legs gently mingling below the water's surface, John still fighting to keep his gaze at a respectable height.

"I mean, we help each other, you forged my blade, we train together, I would protect you if you were attacked…"

"I don't remember any agreements for protection," Kim said softly, her face closing in on John's, her eyes scrutinizing his every expression.

"…I don't remember saying that you needed one," John replied gently, reaching a hand forward. He'd intended to hold her hand, or to comfortingly stroke along her arm, but instead his wayward and unsteady hand found her thigh, and his fingers almost subconsciously latched onto the firm muscle of her legs. "You're a good person, and a good friend. If someone wants to hurt you, Kim, I'll be there for you. That I promise."

John wasn't sure what brought those words from his lips - they were more serious than he would normally have been with the Slayer, and far too confident for a man who had just accidentally groped his training partner's leg. But none of that seemed to matter to Kim, who took John's confidence and assertiveness… and then did her best to one-up it.

John's dulled senses were immediately put to work catching up with what happened, because in the time that it took him to consider what he'd just said, Kim was on top of him… in every sense of the phrase. Kim pulled away from the edge of the hot springs and swung her farthest leg over his waist, mounting herself atop his seated body effortlessly, her eyes now locked onto his with a deadly precision that was far closer to the look she gave her enemies in combat than John was fully comfortable with. Her naked crotch pressed against his, locking his member in a tight embrace between her lower lips.

"Nothing in the Abyss is free, John Newman. I have to pay for your services… and you have to pay yourself for presenting such a succulent target to a needy woman."

"I'm sorry, what- what is happening?" John asked, genuinely confused at the sudden turn of events. Sure, Kim had invited him to the hot springs, and yes, she had exposed a lot of herself, and of course she'd seemed totally comfortable with him touching her exposed and naked inner thigh, and- where was he going with this again? He lost track of his thoughts as Kim pulled him forward into her small but flawless chest, nuzzling his face between her perky and tight A-cups.

"You seem to take as long to know a woman as you do to know the Abyss," Kim said, perhaps a bit harshly as she was grinding both her waist and chest against John's body. "Let me make it simple for you, John. There are almost no mages outside my clan that I trust - none but you, now. That makes you the only man around that I trust enough to want to do… this with since we left our home."

Kim started to grind her hips more harshly than before, altering her angle until her lips were spreading themselves against his manhood wildly. John felt a wetness against him that instead of washing away only seemed to grow thicker and more insistent beneath the water.

"I'm going to have to remember to alter this water again later…" Kim said, leaning over John arrogantly. John's eyes travelled away from her face long enough to notice that her necklace had started to glow, and that something had shifted in the waters below. "…I've found that ordinary water makes for a very rough time when doing these things."

John lifted a hand free of the water and noted how long it took to drip free of his hand. The hot spring had been thickened, and though it felt as easy to move in, it was clearly partially or completely converted to some kind of lubricant - Kim's body was now gliding against his with an ease he'd never experienced before. Under different circumstances the sensation of being almost entirely coated like that might have felt uncomfortable, but with Kim atop him and using all of her grace to slide their bodies together in the most intimate of ways… John could only appreciate the extra slipperiness for the moment.

"Didn't imagine you to be so forward," John growled as he wrapped his hands around Kim's thin waist, letting his thumbs trace along the swordswoman's absolutely intense six-pack. "Not that I mind, though."

"In the Abyss, you take what you want, before someone else does - or before it is taken away," Kim said, intensely, leaning forward and forcing her lips on John's for a moment. John tried to return the kiss, but as in combat, even when John had a slight edge in power or experience, Kim always made up for it with sheer intensity. "Right now, what I want is you, John Newman. And unless you don't want this…"

Kim punctuated her words by slowing her grind and changing the angle, until every time that she brought herself up, John could feel her tight entrance trying to stretch over his head - then she would masterfully pull herself down with just enough **** to deny his cock entry, instead sliding her lips across his cock once more. Each time she did it, John's need grew a little more. John had already gotten the impression by her words and aggressive behavior that this wasn't Kim's first time, but now he was downright impressed. The Slayer seemed to be a master at almost everything that involved body control, and this was only a new field of battle for her.

"I do," John eagerly agreed, trying to grind his hips up further. Kim took advantage of her position and flexed her thighs down around him, pinning his waist to the rocks below while still having just enough leverage to grind up and down in a slightly different motion.

"Then enjoy the ride," Kim said. John debated calling her out on the pun, but decided he didn't want to risk ruining the moment. Instead he did exactly as Kim suggested - he relaxed his body, and no matter how torturous it was, tried to resist the urge to eagerly seek his own pleasure against her sculpted body. Kim smirked in a wicked way and took it upon herself to reward John for his obedience, gliding her clit against his cockhead and pulling herself upward again.

As Kim's body ventured up one last time, she took great care to gently tip her hips forward, giving John just enough access to her sacred place that his head at last slipped into the folds of her entrance. The moment he was firmly piercing her body, Kim slid down at what must have surely been a painful pace for one who had gone so long without a partner, but showed no signs of hesitation as she quickly pressed her waist to John's once again, even gently sliding herself back and forward. She bit down on her lower lip in obvious enjoyment as she flexed her abdomen repeatedly around John’s shaft. The Slayer's inner walls felt like a vice grip on John even before she started to clench down - now John was more impressed that she could even move with that much pressure between them… and move she most definitely did.

Kim kept John steady with her body pinning his legs and her hands resting not-quite-gently on his shoulders. She alternated between gyrating her hips and leisurely pumping up and down, clearly in no great hurry to her release. Between the **** continuing to seep into their veins and the heat of the onsen, the two of them must have looked a pair, even Kim's darker skin now showing signs of flushing, especially as she slowly started to move more vigorously. John was sure he looked quite a pleasant shade of tomato himself.

"Not that I don't appreciate the admiration," Kim said, punctuated by only the quietest of moans, "but if you're going to leave your tongue hanging out of your mouth, at least put it to good use."

Saying that, Kim pulled her hand off John's shoulder just long enough to run it through his hair, latching her hand onto the back of his head and moving his face until it was pressing into her chest. She rubbed one of her petite breasts against his lips, and John was more than happy to latch on. Kim let out a satisfied hum as the Gamer put himself to work pleasing the very aggressive Slayer, suckling and licking as best as he could while she continued to ever more aggressively ride him.

Whether it was the environment, the heat, or the sheer spontaneity of it, John found this to be a surprisingly relaxing experience in spite of its intensity. Letting Kim continue her full control of the situation, John occupied himself with the petite Asian's breasts, switching between them while groping and suckling to his heart's content.

Between the inebriation and the sex, John wasn't sure how much time passed in that steamy haze. What finally snapped him out of his single-minded task was feeling his hips start to burn in just the right way. Kim's pace had been steadily increasing since the beginning, but now she was adding ****. John felt his body pressed into the rocks every time she slammed her hips down, and in spite of her eternal composure, even Kim couldn't help the moans that were escaping from the corners of her mouth. Though his body was half numb in a tingle that bordered between pleasure and exhaustion, John could feel that even through the ****, his body was approaching release.

"Kim… I think I'm getting close…" John said.

"You think? Or you know?" Kim teased, rolling her hips a little harder to stir John further from his trance.

"I… I'm definitely gonna cum. You should probably get ready to get off, I-"

"I will get off when I finish, John. And I am going to make sure you finish too."

"Kim, I don't want to get you-"

Kim silenced John by pulling his head up from her chest and mashing their lips together. A low moan came from one of them - John wasn't sure which - and then John felt their bodies begin to quiver as Kim tightened around him. A part of his mind - a distant, drunken, quiet part - tried to get him to pull her off, but the far louder section of his brain that was growing far too used to shooting his load inside of women decided to enjoy the chance with someone other than Seras. John thrust his hips up to plant his tip as deeply as he could, and this time, Kim made no efforts to stop him. They released together, water lightly churning around them as they flexed and twisted in raw pleasure.

Kim didn't pull her mouth away until the last waves of her orgasm had subsided, leaving both of them gasping for air as Kim slowly slid off John's manhood, leaving a trail of white leaking from her well-satisfied snatch as she pulled herself back to sit on John's knees. Their eyes met slowly, taking the time to travel over each other's forms one more time.

"So, it's a little late, but… gonna guess you're on the pill, then?" John asked, chuckling at the joke he suspected Kim might actually get, even if he'd never explained it.

"If you think I need a hormonal birth control with massive side effects, in the world of the Abyss, you truly need to learn what the word 'magic' means, John. If for no other reason than not to spoil a wonderful afterglow," Kim growled, shaking her head.

"Uh… would you mind teaching me that spell? …No particular reason."