A/N: Dear Readers, this is my first Saiunkoku Monogatari fanfic and it's rather yaoish. This is a one-shot, albeit its subjective ending. I finally found the guts to write something in this genre. Those who can't stand it, please revert to other straight stories. As always, to those who do read just about anything, thank you for reading and reviewing this fanfic.
Koryuu burst into the emperor's study but the only one around was the emperor's secretary. The secretary looked up from his paperwork, "His Majesty's in the sauna room."
"In the afternoon!" He lifted a frustrated hand up and clamped his aching nape with it. "He's crazy."
The secretary looked scandalized that he'd referred the emperor without the honourifics. Koryuu left him looking like he was about to keel over at his outburst. Why were royal officials such weaklings? He fumed inwardly as he rushed for the sauna room. He didn't reach the specific destination. Instead, he went in the ladies sauna room. Thankfully, no one was there or else he'd have lumps and bruises on his body.
There were few courtesans here. He could understand why. There were rumours of the emperor favouring only men. He caught hold of the palace eunuch who was patrolling the women's quarters to show him the way to the men's sauna room. He looked like he was about to devour the eunuch due to frustration and irritation. The eunuch hurriedly left him standing in front of the men's sauna.
Meanwhile, Ryuuki was relaxing in only a towel wrapped around his waist. He was in a sauna because he hadn't exercised for quite some time and felt a little bloated. He spread his legs wide to let air in, the towel parted slightly to reveal his muscled thighs, slicked with perspiration. So when Koryuu barged in with face red in anger, he was treated with a sight that made his face redder.
"You must be tired," Ryuuki eyed him under half closed lids and smiled invitingly, "Why don't you take off your clothes and join me?"
The rumours about Ryuuki favouring men were indeed true. Looking at him, Koryuu would say that they weren't rumours any more. He could feel a vein pop on his forehead, "No, thank you, Your Majesty. I've something important to tell you!"
"Can't it wait?" Ryuuki raised a leg up on the bench.
Koryuu felt his eyes were burning, from the steam and sight he presented, "No, it can't. It can't wait! Not at all!" Blasted, perverted emperor! His mind screamed. "No! Really, it's important!"
Ryuuki drawled lazily, "Vice Chamberlain Koryuu, patience is a virtue."
Was he high? He must be. Koryuu clenched his teeth in vexation, "And, Your Majesty," He glared at Ryuuki ignoring the exposed skin, "vanity a sin."
The situation was one that Koryuu found difficult to walk away from. It was a picture that had imprinted itself in his mind making it an enticing memory. Why did he have to sit with one leg up on the stone bench? The skimpy towel hiked up revealing his pride for his obvious entertainment. NO! What was he thinking? Didn't he just give him a piece of his mind? He was there for something important. What was it? Damn! He'd forgotten what it was.
They were only two men in the same room. Nothing to be tensed about, it was normal. Normal? How could it be normal? This wasn't normal. He mustn't be swayed with this sudden twisted emotion. The surge of attraction was maddening. He felt hot. Was it him that was feeling it or had the room turned hotter? Koryuu thought the temperature had risen. It was sweltering to be in the room, he felt his clothes clung to his skin. Ryuuki's eyes shifted to his chest and smiled lustily.
Koryuu glanced at his chest to discover much to his dismayed chagrin that the sodden tunic highlighted his strained nipples. Damn it! Why hadn't he worn his outer robes? Ahh! This wasn't the time to be embarrassed about something like that. For Gods' sake, they were men. It was stupid of him to even think it. It was also stupid of him charging into the sauna room. He should have waited until Ryuuki came out of the sauna. But, there was a problem that couldn't wait. It must be relayed to him immediately.
He shook all maddening thoughts away. Focus on the problem at hand, he commanded his senses. He gave himself a mental push to find a way out of this dilemma. He scanned the room for any form of substances that could have caused such delusions to Ryuuki's perception. He found none and decided to drag this infuriating sex-despot out of this room. It was too hot. The heat must have gone to Ryuuki's head to have him act the way he did.
Was he trying the steam himself like some red bean or lotus bun? What a bothersome fellow! Koryuu walked toward Ryuuki who eyed him through half closed lids. In his haste, he failed to see a small pool of spilled gingerly oil on the floor. He slipped and found himself or rather his face in between Ryuuki's inner thighs. Ryuuki's pride stared at him in blatant provocation. It was the only thing that wasn't languid. He blinked several times and was shocked to discover that he had the urge to touch it.
What? Nooo…! This wasn't supposed to be happening to him. He pushed himself physically away from Ryuuki. Somehow, Ryuuki's arms came around him, pulling his head towards his…
"Your Majesty! This isn't good for you." Koryuu huffed in alarm, pushing Ryuuki at arm's length. It was bloody well not good for him either. "Please, try not to make things difficult… Ehhhh…!"
He was pushed onto the floor and Ryuuki pushed his hand under his tunic, playing and tugging gently his right nipple. Koryuu felt like he was going to burst into flames as Ryuuki slipped his other hand into his pants.
"Koryuu…" The emperor whispered as he rubbed him gently, seductively, "tell me, do you like to be touched there?"
He closed his eyes, too dazed to say anything and his hand gripped Ryuuki's arm while the other arm held Ryuuki's back. The hand on Ryuuki's back grazed in impassioned riposte.
"What an encouraging response…" Ryuuki released the nipple and used that hand to capture Koryuu's face, holding his smooth chin while Ryuuki ran his thumb over Koryuu's lower lip.
Koryuu moaned and opened his mouth, that's when Ryuuki kissed him roughly. Koryuu was fighting with his own inner demons and his inner demons chastised him for being weak. His inner demons won. He gripped Ryuuki's hand that was still playing with his lower region, pulling Ryuuki's hand out from his pants. Then like lightning both hands grabbed hold of Ryuuki's arms pushing Ryuuki with his might to the left and he swung himself atop Ryuuki's torso.
Ryuuki was aroused with the change of position. "I like this…"
Koryuu was upset with himself for his lack of will to hold off and had fallen into this sex-despot's trap. Then he remembered the reason why he had to see Ryuuki. Ryuuki thought Koryuu had some selective method to make their 'play' exciting seeing the seductive pose Koryuu was displaying. His hand held firmly Ryuuki's throat when suddenly there was a knock on the door that made Koryuu jumped off Ryuuki. Ryuuki's secretary poked his head into the sauna room.
His eyes grew wide in confusion and shock at the sight of Ryuuki on the floor with hands under his head and his small innocent mind thought the worst possible scenario. "What happened? Did he slip? Is he hurt?" He gazed at Koryuu's disheveled appearance with sodden clothes clinging to him. "What happened to you?"
"My clothes were soiled because I took a long time to convince him my Act of Merchant Trading and Taxation proposal." Koryuu lied to the secretary, while feeling disgusted with himself to be 'soiled' by the sex-despot. The innocent secretary blinked still confused.
"I was unfortunate to have stood up and moved. I didn't notice the spilled gingerly oil and slipped." Ryuuki glanced at Koryuu, rising an elegant eyebrow and gave him a conspirational yet slightly seductive smile, "He didn't either. We accidentally bumped our heads..." Ryuuki continued weaving a plausible tale for the secretary.
The secretary nodded his head in total understanding. "Just as I'd predicted."
"Don't worry, we're alright!" Koryuu assured him and smiled. Inside, he was fuming. Blasted sex-despot! How nice of him to cover things up. His mind rebelled rather sarcastically.
Thank the Gods that the towel didn't drop off. Koryuu then excused himself with a valid reason to freshen and put on some clothes. As he walked out of the sauna room he clenched his teeth in silent fury and balled his fists tightly. He'd given in to temptation! From now onwards he must take extreme precaution and mustn't let his guard down at any given time, situation or place especially in Ryuuki's presence.