SUMMARY: Kamui, a recently unemployed samurai, is offered a job as a guard at a wealthy man's estate. Little does he know his employer, Kaito Shion, wants more from him than what is stated.
AN: Hey! So this is a present/request fic for my bff Jesse. Gaku/Kaito is their otp and I just started to get into it also so I wanted to contribute to small amount of content this pairing has.
I will mostly (if not only) be referring to Gakupo as Kamui because I wanted it to sound more accurate for the time period. I'm not sure if Gakupo is a real name or not but Kamui sounds a lot more plausible to me. Also I'm not an expert about this time period, I literally just glanced at the Wikipedia page for a few minutes, so if there are locational/periodical mistakes I apologize.
My beta for this fic is Write and Fight (who also the person this is gifted to haha), so thank her for correcting my awful grammar and other misc mistakes! And for just being really rad.
Anyway, I hope whoever is reading this enjoys it! Here you go:
Chapter One:
"The Proposal"
Fall ended as quickly as it began. The mixed shades of burnt orange and auburn cherry blossom leaves that were once scattered across the busy Osaka streets were now pushed carelessly to the side to make way for oncoming horse-led carriages. His stomach clenched uncomfortably as his eyes rested on the sight. It nauseated him. He longed to move back out to the country where things weren't quite as fast. Forbidden to even carry his katana slung over his back due to recent legislation, he was out of work. He refused to give into the Westernization of his lands and join the Imperial Army. His admitted stubbornness gave him no other option than to find work in other similar fields. When the opportunity to become a bodyguard at a notable foreigner's estate arose, he quickly snatched it. With the salary it paid it meant he could support his family, though the distance was disheartening.
The warm scent of freshly baked Yaki Imo and burning wood filled his lungs and pulled his attention away in another direction. He quickly made his way over, remembering that there were at least some advantages to living so near the city's epicenter. Kamui Gakupo was a man of few words and exchanged as little as he could get away with when speaking with vendors and otherwise. The vendor right away picked up on his samurai-esque appearance and shot him a soft smile as he handed him his order. That at least hadn't changed, Kamui thought, returning the gesture. Samurai were still held at high esteem, but he wasn't sure how long it would be till that also faded along with the title.
Soon the large manor appeared before him and he was alarmed with the size. It soared at two stories higher than his own home back in the county. Oddly large for a man who supposedly lived alone. It wasn't often he saw any foreigners, but the few times he had come across any, they always appeared to be extremely wealthy and very eager to show it with their dress and language. The immodesty irked him, but he tried to push it aside the best he could knowing there was a cultural and social gap separating them.
He couldn't help but wonder if back in their country, wherever that had been, everyone was that way. He assumed it was impossible for a country to have all wealthy people and that there had to be an even, if not larger amount of the non-wealthy, but he had trouble picturing it. He himself had come from a middle class uprising, but he was very aware of what the poor had looked like from roaming the streets in play as a child. The image of a big nosed, blonde-haired European man with tattered clothing appeared in his head and he couldn't help but stifle a laugh. It was something he would ask his new employer if given the chance.
The alert guards stalking the front entrance of the gates quickly identified him and lead him away wordlessly. They brought him to a room off to the far corner of the house, passing by elegantly decorated rooms before they left him to wait alone. The inner western vibe highly contrasted with the outer Japanese structure of the house. He bit his tongue, still trying to take everything in. It was going to take him a while to get used to everything.
As time slowly passed, Kamui began to feel annoyed. He fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, wondering bitterly if it was common for foreigners to show up so late or if this specific one cared not for his time at all. The door flung open unexpectedly, leaving Kamui only a second to fling himself back into proper posture. One of the guards from earlier walked in with another one he wasn't familiar with and apologized for his wait silently, just as before with a nod of his head. Kamui shook his head, forcing a fake smile. From the looks on their faces he hadn't done a good enough job hiding his irritation. After a few more silent minutes, another man finally emerged from the door. From his strikingly western sense of fashion he could tell right away this was his employer. Kamui could sense an arrogant vibe to him despite his notably handsome exterior.
Kamui tried to remember his name by thinking back to the job flyer mailed to his house that had his family name sealed with wax on the envelope. It was months before, when the weather was still hot and sticky. He was helping his younger sister clean up around the house by raking away fallen leaves on the property. As was required of most people his age he understood a bit of English, but only spoken. He had trouble with pronouncing the syllables and all but gave up on learning because of the way they twisted his tongue.
The man opened his mouth to speak, snapping Kamui out of his thoughts. He was surprised to hear fluent Japanese escape his lips when he finally spoke. Most of them-foreigners, didn't bother to learn their language and strolled around with translators wrapped around their forearms. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I was kind of busy with something, but I suppose since you came all the way out here for this I had to try to make an appearance."
Kamui sat back in his chair, too shocked to answer. He didn't know if it was the man's intention to come off so bold or if his Japanese was just intermediate. He couldn't be serious?
"Are you going to say anything or…?" The man ended his sentence with a laugh, narrowing his eyes at him. Fighting the growing flame in his chest, Kamui answered the best he could.
"Sorry, would you like me to come back another day?"
He rolled his eyes at him, leaving Kamui unsure if he was annoyed or thinking up a response. "I'm already here, aren't I?"
"I suppose you are…"
The room went silent, the air filled with a heavy tension. In the silence, Kamui's eyes came across a wax seal on the man's desk. Shion, he thought, his eyes widening. Ah, so he's only half. He studied him up and down, looking for the smallest bit of Japanese in him. He pursed his lips, finding nothing of the sort. Everything about the haughty man screamed foreigner, from his defined nose to his chiseled jawline.
Suddenly, the showy man let out a mischievous laugh, piercing the thick air and throwing Kamui off once again. He shot the guards a quick confused expression, only to have the same one returned. He wondered if this was what they had to deal with everyday, and if he was cut out for the job after all. The position paid handsomely, but if he had to put up with this all the time, he didn't know. Shion brought his wrist forward and slid his sleeve up, revealing a small watch underneath. "Well," he began, throwing his wrist down onto the armrest, "this is getting really boring and I'm hungry. Care to continue this over lunch?"
"Sure," Kamui spat, quickly hiding it with faked coughs. Shion shooed the guards away with a throw of his wrist and lead Kamui away.
Already waiting in the dining room, a man greeted them. He sat them at the table, which was way too big for just the two of them. It stretched down, only a foot or two off each end from filling the entire length of the room. It looked like something British nobles would host dinner parties at, with the table already decorated with fine china and bundles of non-native Japanese flowers. The waiter pulled a notepad and pen out of his back pocket and prepared to take their orders.
Kamui opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off by the house head. "-I'll have something sweet, and the same for him."
The waiter bowed and scurried away. Shion rolled his eyes at him and then returned his attention back to Kamui. "So, tell me a bit more about yourself."
He didn't know where to start, but he thought any place was good as any. "I live with my family about a day's travel from here. I am the eldest son, and recently unemployed. I am glad to have this opportunity."
"Don't be so formal, it's irritating."
"What would you prefer I say?" Despite himself, his irritation leaked into his voice.
"Oh, that's much better. You're so stiff, I would really prefer it if you loosened up a bit." Shion ran his foot down Kamui's leg, and he jumped. He didn't know where this conversation was heading, but the sexual undertones were extremely evident. He dared not look up and meet the man's lustful gaze.
Much to his relief, the waiter soon returned with a tray of tea and dropped it off in front of the two. His arms shook as he lifted the teapot, splashing small droplets of hot water on Shion's sleeve as he attempted to pour them a cup. His nervousness was clear, and so was Shion's irritation. With a disgusted expression, Shion waved him away and hurried to pour their cups himself. Kamui wondered about the odd relationship between the two, but it was only a passing thought. His attention was pulled back to Shion with a line of unexpected words.
"When I first hired you I had no idea…" Kamui could feel his eyes on him, looking him up and down. "But I have a better position for you in mind."
"I-er," Kamui stammered, at a complete loss of words. He has got to be kidding me.
"It's this or nothing. Now make your decision." Shion's tone was sharp, as usual. He took a short sip from his cup and quickly put it back down, clicking it loudly against the table.
"I cannot accept your offer. I came here to do one thing… I cannot lie to my family like t-that."
"If the title is what you're after, you can do both. No one has to know about our little arrangement, but you're still expected to show up at my room after your shift. I will pay you for both."
Kamui cleared his throat, "And how much would that be?"
"Double."
Double? Kamui scratched his chin. For double his original shift's pay he could maybe make an exception. He rolled his tongue in his mouth, still thinking over the offer. He never pictured himself going into this line of work before-but the money-and his family would absolutely freak out if they found out what he was up to. But the money. With that kind of paycheck he could afford to send his younger sister off to boarding school in Tokyo like she always wanted and still be able to support them all. Kamui groaned, knowing he wasn't giving himself more of an option. In fact, it almost sounded like he was arguing for the opportunity to be this strange man's - he shivered before completing the thought - toy.
He looked up at Shion, meeting his narrowed eyes. In a way he sort of resembled a fox. He thought back to all the traditional folklore revolving around foxes and their trickery or mischievousness. The comparison was very fitting for a man like him. Without any further delay, Kamui finally spoke up. "I accept." After all, what was the worst he could do?
Shion smirked, "Good!" He swung his head merrily from side to side. "You start tomorrow."