Sacrifices

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are the property of Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata, and Viz Media. I don't own them; I just examine all their possibilities.

This story contains details and background stories I have given to individual characters. As a result, any character details that differ from canon is the result of my background stories and not a lack of knowledge about canon. Any comments correcting me or debating with me on this will be deleted without reply.

He had started to block it out by now, go with the motions, not say anything, not make any reactions. He wasn't here to talk and his "companion" would probably prefer he didn't.

Teru was now focusing on his jacket draped over the easy chair. The white printed badge clipped hung from his lapel pocket. His glasses were on the night stand and the words Asato Kanzaki-Kyoto over a blue logo for Business Resources International Convention were somewhat blurry but visible. It was the best alias he could think of when he registered; registering under his real name was out of the question and no one had confronted him on it by now. Such an inefficient way to run an operation.

The sheets were rubbing into his elbows, the high thread count in the nice hotel wasn't counting for much. At least there was a nice, red couch here and an impeccable steamed carpet; not one hint of stain or lint. Yes, look at the carpet; keep looking at the carpet.

He inevitably looked up to see his trousers neatly folded on the couch. He remembered burying his briefs underneath it; having them strewn around would be too sleazy.

No, you are not sleazy; he shouted this in his own mind. Remember this is ultimately in the name of justice. Sacrifices have to be made and you can make up your debt in school, learning the legal code, becoming a prosecutor, putting away men like this and anyone else who harms an innocent and you can't do that without doing this. Maybe this will give you a first-hand perspective on how the less desirable live.

Teru told himself this last night and he would scream it to himself tomorrow night too. He would say this to himself in the mirror…if only he could face himself in the mirror. If only he could look at the sinner he had become out of sheer desperation. He would be telling himself this over and over for the rest of his life; there were other things that could have been done besides this.

The way his companion pressed on his hips tightened his muscles in reaction. For a brief second he got some pleasure from this but no more seconds of this could come; or at least that was what he had determined. He would gain no pleasure from this, though it mattered if his companion did.

At least this "client"…no this individual, this fiend who would take part in such a business…was keeping his hands off him. Last night the heavy older man was pawing all over him; hands violating every inch of his skin. Teru had returned to his hotel room, vomited, and curled up on the floor for three hours after this was done.

He would later get up, have some tea, and remember the 50,000 yen that had been deposited in a side account from this one individual. He got the money ahead of time as he had asked and performed his services accordingly, that was it.

Another 50,000 was in his account thanks to this client, Gregory if he remembered the name on the forum page; a foreigner and an alleged private investigator into internal business matters. He was mildly relieved this one was a younger man. His companion last night was likely in his 50's, he spoke of his daughters and his late wife fondly after they first met. He actually took him out to dinner, but then Teru promised "companionship" in his post, which likely meant some kind of date or just nasty deeds depending on what the client wanted.

There was to be nothing perverted or fetishistic, he specifically specified this in his post, though with the "clients" paying ahead of time they essentially could do what they wanted even cut his throat and leave him in the street…no that would gain too much attention among this close-knit group of businessmen. There were 12,000 people at this convention; someone would have seen something odd.

That's what he was doing; he was delivering a service to a client. That was how he should look at it; that was how he could make this a little easier to himself. That was not going to happen and he knew it. There was not way this was going to be more palatable.

The seemingly kind older man rubbed his sweaty palms all over Teru's body. This one just gripped his shoulders and did his own business. There was no kissing, no hugs, no gentle rubbing, Teru just got into the hotel room and got straight to the deed as he preferred.

He almost wanted to gauge how much longer this would last, be able to tell the physical and behavioral clues of when a man was ready to finish. He barely had any experience with women. Touching himself just seemed uncouth but he grew used to it after returning to his own room and easing his discomfort. That changed; hopefully things would stay the same overall, but things were never going to be the same again.

His client was not making any of the typical sounds; no grunts, no hard breaths. It was as if he was focused on a task, or maybe he was high on something. That was Teru's initial fear when he saw him the first time, hair a mess and black circles almost etched around his eyes. He specifically said no intravenous drug users, though he actually seemed coherent when he first walked in. Teru didn't want to ask any questions at this point and just get this done and get out of there.

The client was pushing his chest against his back and driving in a bit harder. Maybe this meant he was almost done. This one's toned abdominal muscles were better than the wads of fat from last night. Teru tightened his rear muscles; maybe he had a hope of enjoying this. Maybe if he enjoyed it, it would mean he was spending time with an anonymous companion. He could ignore the 50,000 in his account and just pretend he was having a normal affair; possibly tell himself the money was from a patron. Maybe he could tell himself Santa Claus existed too and believe it.

He braced his elbows against the sheets, looking up at the couch and the plate of unfinished chocolate cake on the coffee table. A familiar heat sensation went through his rear, captured by the condom he insisted his companion wear. His companion shivered for a moment and took a few hard breaths; that was the only indication.

The man promptly pulled out, a miraculous feeling for Teru though he wasn't in as much pain now as he was last night.

Teru flopped over on his back, taking deep breaths and hoping it would calm his own natural response to this situation lest he be embarrassed when he walked from the room. He might have to do so the hard way when he returned to his hotel; he didn't feel as disgusting right now.

"You will find the 50,000 in your account as was agreed," the man said from the bathroom.

The toilet flushed and the man walked out in his boxer shorts. He reached down to his jeans on the floor, picking them up and putting them on. He then reached in one pocket and pulled out a wad of bills. Teru sat up, covering himself with the sheet and reaching for his glasses.

This wasn't how it was supposed to work; he did not want any cash on him lest he be a target for thieves. Such a wad of bills would be a beacon to the police, but transactions like this between two men were legal given the nature of the intercourse; in fact they were regulated by the government as another act of business. He would have to work to close that loophole when he became an attorney and this dirty step would get him closer.

"This is 15,000 yen," Gregory said, holding the money delicately between his thumb and first two fingers. "I believe you deserve an added bonus, your services were more than adequate. I would in fact say they were skilled considering what I had you do."

"Thank you," Teru said calmly and with a small bow. Maybe he was actually being complimented; it was a vile task but maybe he performed well. A small positive thought.

"This should be sufficient enough to pay for your textbooks for perhaps the next two years," the man said.

Teru suddenly felt sick but tried not to show it.

"Oh yes, I am aware of why you are doing this," he continued. "You are in your second year at Kyoto University on a fast track to graduate studies. You are a fine student if I am not mistaken; very dedicated, taking more than you can handle for a course load. I suppose it was all those extra courses you are taking that lead to your resources drying up, though perhaps the recent cuts in student scholarships by the government had an impact as well."

Teru's fingers dug into the mattress thought he kept a calm expression.

"You are probably wondering how I know these things about you, but I will only say I have my resources," Gregory said.

He extended his hand, clearly offering Teru the wad of bills. Teru wanted to spit in his face but that would be a rather bad idea. No, instead he had to figure out how this man managed to find out all that about him. He took great pains to cover his ISP address on that website. Perhaps wind of what he was doing got to his great-aunt; she never cared about anything he did but maybe she actually started.

Teru stood up; making sure the sheet was still wrapped around him. He longed for his clothes though he needed to clean himself before soiling them. He took the wad of yen from the man's hand, giving him a pointed glare.

"Since you are telling me this information I feel I have a right to ask who sent you to investigate me," Teru said.

The man walked over to the chair, jumping on it and coming to a crouch. He then picked the plate of cake off the table with the small fork, taking off a morsel and putting it in his mouth.

"Have you suspected someone was wary of your activities," the man asked, speaking around a mouthful of cake which Teru found disgusting. "After all, you are hardly a troublemaker."

Teru really had no answer for that. If he was found he was caught but that didn't make any difference. He was 19-years-old; all accounts were in his name, he was the one procuring his dwindling financial aid and not her or anyone else. That didn't keep him from shaking as he held the bills.

His sin was discovered; he would still be judged.

"No, I did not suspect someone was looking into me," Teru said, adjusting his glasses and trying to make himself sound professional. "How much are they paying you?"

Gregory looked up at him; those wide eyes looking into his tarnished soul. Teru simply stared back; he would not cry, he would not fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness no matter how much he wanted to.

"I will not lie to you," Gregory said, licking his fork grotesquely. "Actually you are not being investigated at all."

Teru's eyes slightly widened and his stomach dropped.

"To give you another truth I actually have done no prior research on you at all," Gregory said. "I was simply testing a line of reasoning and you gave me every one of my answers simply from your reactions."

Teru furrowed his eyebrows, the feeling of sick getting worse.

"I only assumed you were a student by your attire and your speech, when I mentioned buying textbooks you went white as a ghost," the man said, continuing to shovel cake into his mouth. "Kyoto University was another assumption as it is the local university. Your reaction to buying textbooks also told me my assumption that you are doing this to help pay for school was correct."

Teru grimaced, though his bile was dwindling. It wasn't an entirely off assumption given how someone of his attire and intelligence was doing such a base and foul deed. Maybe there was a lesson in this; as an attorney he would have to read body language and understand motivations.

"I believe you when you say you are a private investigator," Teru said. "In fact I have to applaud you. Your deduction ability is quite good."

"Yes," the man said, picking up some frosting with his finger and examining it. "Though you gave yourself away in a manner you likely didn't think on at the time. I am not ashamed to admit I have used the services of other men. Enough to tell you are not experienced at this."

The tightening in his stomach returned.

"Let's just say you were rather tense in certain ways," the man said, licking the frosting from his finger. "You should be aware of that because other men who also are familiar with such transactions might take that as an invitation to be more aggressive with you, or make them feel the rather large price you are demanding is not worth it for an inexperienced individual. Then again virginity is usually worth more so I do not believe you have any concerns in that area. You are relatively untouched, that is seen as more valuable."

Teru just wanted to crawl away, but he remained standing.

"I appreciate the advice," he said with a bow.

He then walked to the couch, making efforts not to look at his "client" but feeling his eyes boring through him. He collected his clothing with one hand, putting the wad of dirty bills on top and moving toward the bathroom.

He just wanted to get out of here, go back to his hotel room and wash the taint off himself.

Then after that he would go to the third day of the convention as normal, attend the panels on corporate law, and meet up with his last client of the weekend in the early evening.

He would go home with enough money to make up for this lost undergraduate scholarship and continue with his uninterrupted plans. The next steps would have to include a more careful look into how he could apply again for a tuition exemption and be successful this time.

Justice, after all, required extra work. Justice required sacrifices.