Part 1 in the Chrysanthemum Trilogy
Series: Chrysanthemum
Title: Chrysanthemum
Author: ice
Genre: General, Romance, AU
Rating: PG-13/light-R
Pairings: AtoJi
Summary: Set in a semi-feudal era. An attempt to infiltrate and conquer a neighboring province for his lord fails due to one man's wandering lust for something that did not belong to him.
Disclaimer: I can only wish I owned PoT. If I did, then the series would have 1. Officially have AtoJi as one of the pairings, 2. Be Hyoutei-centric, and 3. Tenimyu would also reflect AtoJi so that I can watch Kazuki and Takuya be all cute and stuff to each other. XD
Silence rung among the bare trees. Frost clung to the stillness of the air, a seeming desolate wasteland covered in a blanket of bright, white snow. Bright snow, so pure, so blinding and white, that the splatter of dark crimson blood seeping into the soft blanket of crystallized water stood out in sharp contrast. A body laid twitching, struggling for its life, clinging to the mortal world, desperate to know what it had done wrong. Where had he gone wrong? He had promised everything. Everything. How could this happen to him?
A delicate foot stepped nearby, and the devil--it had to be a devil--smirked faintly at him, a look of satisfaction on its porcelain face. Why was a thing of such beauty so evil...
A pair of boot-covered feet trudged through the slush of snow as the man slowly made his way towards is destination. His lord had commanded him to approach the neighboring lord and offer to open trade with them. They would trade their surplus of wheat for some of the neighboring lord's fabrics. Their neighbors, the Atobe-bu, were famous for their fabrics, for having the richest and finest quality silk, linen, velvet, anything. Most commissions, if not almost all, came from provinces all over the country to the Atobe-bu, including the Emperor.
He had heard rumors that the Atobe heir was distantly related to the Emperor, however. A nephew, once or twice removed or so perhaps. No one had ever confirmed it; they'd all rather the heir be allowed to his own devices, apparently having been so spoiled and lazy that he did not want his birthright. Rarely had anyone seen the heir before, so seldom was he seen outside his home. Those who had seen him, whoever, had all been women--women praising how beautiful their Atobe-sama was, that is. Only the maids in the house knew what the Atobe heir looked like, but aside from praising their lord's beauty, they weren't opening their mouths no matter how much they were offered.
He had to wonder about that. Just what kind of threat did the heir give these women that they would not say anything about him? Not even to give a description. It was strange to say the least. Perhaps he will ask the men in the teahouses closer to the house. Surely, one of them would know. His mission heavily depended on the information he could gather about the heir. Any weaknesses. Any strengths. He could not fail his lord! He cursed the Atobe heir for keeping himself so reclusive.
He had assumed the Atobe lord had been taking care of the affairs in the province, but was quickly disillusioned of that idea. The Atobe lord was in the capital serving as an adviser to the Emperor, leaving his son alone to take care of the province, despite his son's dubious reputation as a leader.
He wondered how other lords had dealt with the heir if he constantly avoided meeting people. He could not deal with the problems in his province if he did not see to his own people, afterall. But from what everyone knew, the Atobe province was healthily prospering. Far from the failure other lords had expected.
He swatted aside the drapes hung over the entrance of the teahouse Chrysanthemum. It was the closest one to the Atobe main house, and rumor had it that all visiting lords came only to this particular teahouse. He didn't understand why though. The interior looked the same as any other teahouse, the atmosphere was the same raucous one as in any other teahouse when there were no particular special performances.
He was escorted to a table, and sat down before his ears perked at overhearing mention of the Atobes.
"Did you know my parents are planning to send little Sayaka into the Atobe house as a maid?"
"What? Your little sister?"
"Yeah, apparently, they think it'd be safer for her to be there than anywhere else."
"She's been getting a little too pretty for her own good."
A snort sounded. "How does sending her to Atobe solve that then?"
"Heard he doesn't touch any of the maids."
"Nor anyone else in the household from what I've heard."
"He still has that little slut?"
"Presumably. They all clam up whenever anyone mentions the boy."
"Surprising that Atobe hasn't tired of him yet. How long has it been already? Six months? Eight? A year will probably be the max."
"Almost two years."
"Seriously?!"
"It's been that long?"
"Caught a glimpse of him last time I dropped off a delivery."
"And the kid's still alive?"
"Wonder how he tolerates everything."
"Kid's probably one of those do-gooders that think they're doing the world a favor by being a martyr." The man paused. "Well, considering that Atobe seems to have kept his end of the bargain and hasn't touched any of the others there, I suppose he's doing the right thing."
"I'm just surprised he hasn't killed himself yet."
"No way. He likes being a dog to that pompous recluse?"
"Who knows."
"In any case, why don't you just marry off your sister then? Problem solved."
"Yeah, but my parents think..."
Well, that was informative. It certainly gave him a plan. If this boy was being used as a pleasure slave for the Atobe heir to prevent the man from using the other servants, he could perhaps be useful. Odd, how the boy was willing to be the target of the man's lust. No one was that virtuous and self-sacrificing. Then he dismissed it. There was probably some beloved relative or lover the boy had in Atobe's household that he didn't want the man to touch. It happened all the time anyways, entire families subservient to the lords in their houses. Even his own lord has his share of such cases. Although, he frowned, his lord certainly didn't refrain from using the servant girls for his pleasures.
In any case, the Atobe heir was an anomaly. He paid for his drink and left, speech prepared, not noticing the speculative dark looks the men he overheard gave him.
"Good work." A pale hand threw a bag of gold coins onto the middle of the table.
The men grinned at the figure. "It's nothing. Of course we'd help Atobe-sama. The gold's just a bonus."
The figure bowed to them before leaving the shop.
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He paused in front of the Atobe house...or rather, district. The home was so large that it looked more like a large garden fit for the Emperor's Imperial Palace. It extended over several blocks of homes and shops, taking up an extensive plot of land. Unbelievable. He shook his head before knocking on the front entrance gate. He didn't have to wait long.
A woman opened the door. He stared in surprise. She didn't seem like she was anyone special since it appeared she had the job of greeting visitors, but she wasn't dressed like a servant girl was supposed to be. Heavy, warm cloth, appropriate for the cold weather outside, hung off her petite figure and a spare amount of ornaments decorated her hair. She was quite beautiful, in fact.
"Yes?" She startled him out of his thoughts.
"Ah, I am from your neighboring province to the east. I would like to request a meeting with Atobe-sama to discuss the possibility of trade between our provinces on behalf of my lord. My lord is ill with the last snow, you see, but he did not want to delay our meeting for too long, and so sent me in his place."
She was quiet for a moment. "I see." She led him to the entrance of the house. "Please wait here. I will be back to escort you shortly." She entered the house and the door shut securely behind her.
Sure enough, she was back within a few minutes. "Come."
She had the tone of an authoritative figure. He wondered how that came to be. Unless all guests were treated like this, regardless of their rank. He didn't understand this House.
They walked through a series of turns and corners before arriving at a paper sliding door. She knocked twice before calling out "Atobe-sama." and opening the door. The room was dark, was the first thing he noted. Second, was the slightly uneven breathing of the man in the room. The man sat behind a beaded curtain that hid him from view up to his upper arms, a small tea table sat in the middle of the room between them. It was a typical setting for visitors when they had business with the ruling lord, or in this case, heir.
The detail that caught his attention, however, was the body on all fours laying on the ground with its head on what he assumed was Atobe's lap. There was a large piece of cloth---a blanket---covering the person's head and Atobe's lap, so he couldn't be too sure. At what sounded slightly like a stifled groan, however, he realized just what the person there was doing.
"I will return with the tea." He barely noticed the servant girl who had escorted him leaving the room, not so shocked by the fact that the Atobe heir was as...promiscuous as rumors had it, but rather, more shocked at how bold he was to be doing such a thing in the company of visitors. And it seemed as if this was a common occurrence, judging by the servant girls' lack of reaction to the activity her future lord was partaking in.
"Ore-sama apologizes. This will just take a moment." The heir steadily said before reaching down under the blanket for what appeared to be the person's head and began to visibly, yet silently thrust violently for a minute or so before letting out a groan. He avidly watched in mortified horror.
The figure under the blanket had fallen still for the past while, but finally moved, sitting up and letting the blanket fall from his head, revealing a young boy in his mid-teens. He realized that this must be the pleasure slave the men at the teahouse were speaking of. He scrutinized the boy.
He was delicate, for a lack of a better word. Petite figure, pale, smooth skin, surprisingly blond hair, and brown eyes that flashed a strange color at different angles of light. He wore a surprisingly modest, dark blue, striped kimono that ended a little below the knees. He absentmindedly wondered if the boy was a foreigner as he watched the boy sit still on his legs, seiza-style, blank look on his face, eyes slightly half-lidded as if he did not register that there was a third person in the room.
A thump on the table in front of him startled him out of his thoughts. The girl had returned with the tea. When he turned back around, he saw the boy bow to his lord, stand up, and leave, just before the girl also left.
During this time, it seemed the Atobe heir had managed to finish rearranging his robes, as he was now sitting regally in front of him as if nothing had happened.
"You requested an audience with Ore-sama. Well?
"Err..." He paused. "My lord would like to open trade with your province. We would like to buy some of your fabrics in return for....."
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He stepped out of the room and closed the door before leaning back on it and giving an extremely heavy sigh. While the rumors had spoken of a lazy and incompetent heir, the man in reality was a terrifying speaker. He had been shot down so many times by little scathing remarks that he was exhausted from dealing with Atobe's wit. He was not going to underestimate the man again.
Hopefully, he'd be able to enlist the help of an insider to help him. He wondered where the blond boy from earlier had gone when the boy in question turned around the corner and continued walking.
Pausing in slight startlement, he quickly ran after the boy and called for him to stop. The boy turned around with that blank, emotionless look still on his face and stared at him. Deciding to go for the concerned outsider persona, he said, "Sorry, are you alright? I saw what he was doing to you earlier."
The boy continued to stare.
"Er...does it happen often? I mean, why don't you leave if that keeps happening? Surely you can find someone who'd be willing to take you in."
"...take me from Atobe-sama...?" The words were so softly spoken that he had to strain to hear it.
"Well, okay, you have a good point." No one in Atobe's province would help a mere slave afterall. He looked at the slave more closely. He was truly beautiful in his own way, despite being male. He almost resembled one of those Western fey creatures, a faerie or nymph perhaps. He paused before asking his next question. "How did you come to be here anyways? And why you? I mean, he has all these attractive servants around, but he seems to have completely ignored them."
The boy shrugged. "Nowhere else to go..."
"I see." He paused and feigned deep contemplation. He looked around the area. No one was around. They had reached the front garden. "Do you hate your lord for doing this to you?"
"I don't dislike him." Ah, another way to subtly tell of a person's dislike.
"What if I could give you a better life?" He was slightly surprised at his offer. Sure, the boy was pretty, but he wasn't one to offer to take in a slave.
"Would you be able to?"
"Why don't you come with me to the teahouse for tea? I'll explain there."
The boy looked uncertain. "I cannot leave the grounds." He paused. "Perhaps two days from now? My lord will be busy then."
Got him. "Of course. I shall wait for you outside the front gate an hour after lunch."
The boy looked relieved. Hook, line, and sinker. "That will be fine. Thank you." He bowed before walking away and returning to the main house.
Oddly, he was looking forward to his next meeting with the boy.
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A groan sounded throughout the room as talented hands kneaded the knots of tension out of broad shoulders. Cloth rustled as Atobe adjusted his robes back onto his shoulders. Without looking at the blond, he said, "Be careful when you leave the compound."
The boy froze.
"Yes, Ore-sama knew you were planning to leave today."
"And you aren't going to stop me?"
"Why should Ore-sama bother?" Atobe turned around after fastening his belt and ran his hand through the blond's hair, gripping it and forcing the petite boy's head back before crushing his mouth to the other's in a deep heated kiss.
Atobe smirked at the dazed look on the blond's face. "Come back soon." He purred before returning to his study. He did have work to do afterall.
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He looked up as the door creaked open quietly to let the blond slave out. "Good afternoon." He greeted.
The boy nodded a nervous greeting back to him before impatiently gesturing for them to leave. He turned and led the way to Chrysanthemum. When they entered, he noted that the boy had a slight nostalgic look on his face. Perhaps the boy's mother had once lived in one of these? It would explain how he had ended up as a pleasure slave. He led the way to a small, isolated table.
"Now, do you want freedom?"
"That would be nice."
"Would you be willing to help me if I could guarantee you your freedom?"
"Depends on what you want me to do."
He hesitated at telling the slave about his mission, but he was just a slave, afterall, and what slave wouldn't want their freedom? Besides, he had grown awfully fond of the boy in the two days absence. If they went back to his lord's province, he'd definitely want to keep the boy to himself. He hadn't liked wakening to interrupted dreams of pale skin and blond hair; he wanted to see everything.
"My lord is planning to take over this province. Of course, we'll let everyone lives as they are now, we'll just take control of the main house. In other words, Atobe."
The boy sat in silence, seeming to contemplate the issue.
"If you would like, I can ask my lord permission to allow you to keep the Atobe lands instead. We just need Atobe gone." He added.
"Then I would be established as a lower noble under your lord."
"Yes. That's quite an elevated status, of course, but I'm sure with some help, you'd be able to manage." He reached out for the boy's hands and placed his over the smaller ones. The skin was extremely soft. It seemed Atobe took good care of this one.
The boy withdrew his hands. "What do you want me to do then?"
"Excellent!" He gave a wide grin to the boy. This was definitely going his way. Naive boy, like his lord would actually give a slave such a high position of power. Although, he had to question the way the boy spoke. He spoke with a sophisticated air, and his words were quite formal also. Must have come from listening to Atobe speak too much, he supposed.
"I have secured an agreement for trade, but the details will be finalized a week from today. On this day, I will hand you a small packet of powder. You must pour this into Atobe's tea when it is served. It is slow acting, and so, will not have an effect until three hours later. This will give us time to escape. I will then meet you outside the front gate entrance."
The boy looked at him questioningly. "How will you know which tea cup is the poisoned one?"
"I am immune to this particular poison."
"Oh? What does it do?"
"It will cause the internal organs of the victim to swell and burst, ending in a very painful death, and yet at the same time, untrackable. It will seem as if his heart suddenly failed, rather than him being poisoned."
"Did you make this one?"
"Of course. It is my family's special recipe."
"Hmm...I thought I heard it was used by various other lords in the past also. Did your family work free-lance then?" The boy gave him a contemplative look.
"Impossible. My family has been under my lord's rule for the last century. We are all loyal to our lord!" He said proudly.
"Well, wouldn't it be possible that perhaps your family discovered the recipe from another herbalist and learned that trade from them?"
"Impossible. My great-grandfather discovered this particular recipe and was exiled from his village because of it. My lord was gracious enough to accept him into his care, however."
"I see." The boy turned to look at the door. "I believe I must return soon before Atobe-sama becomes angry. It is starting to get late."
He looked at the entrance. The shadows had lengthened considerably. "Alright. Allow me to escort you back."
The boy nodded his head. "Thank you."
As they left, the boy waved a goodbye to the Madam of the house.
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It was the day his mission would be completed, the day he would finally get his prize. Atobe would be dead, and he would soon have a pretty blond in his bed, not that said blond knew it. He hid his look of glee and straightened his face back into a stern, business-like expression before knocking on the door. The same servant girl opened the door, but this time, she escorted him directly to the main room where Atobe sat waiting.
It was only a moment before Atobe's blond slave came in with a tray of tea. His breath hitched slightly when he saw the boy. It had been a week since he had seen the boy, but he hadn't thought his memory had deteriorated that fast. Pale, smooth legs were visible as the boy walked towards their table, blond hair shone and glistened in the darkly lit room, the seemingly delicate body swayed as he walked. The boy was wearing much less modest attire. It was a very much shortened dark blue kimono. While the sleeves reached past the boy's finger tips, much like those of a geisha's, the hem of the robe reached only mid-thigh.
He was interrupted from his thoughts by a cough. He turned, startled, to look at Atobe. Atobe looked back at him in amusement. "Ore-sama sees you've taken a liking to him."
"I-I..." Shit. The boy wasn't supposed to know that.
"Oh, it's quite alright. Many desire him." Atobe's look of amusement turned into a dark smirk. "None have ever taken him from me."
He schooled his facial expression back into a neutral one. "I am here for the contract, not your slave."
Atobe raised an eyebrow at the word. "Alright then, the completed documents." He snapped his fingers. A side door suddenly slid open as another servant girl approached with a tray containing papers. The blond boy left the room as she approached.
The girl offered the tray of papers to him as Atobe spoke. "You may return with those documents to your lord. It contains all the agreed upon terms. Any issues?"
"I see." He raised his teacup. "A toast of thanks." He finished the tea in one drink.
Atobe raised his cup to him, nodding his acceptance before also finishing his drink.
He suppressed his glee as the heir drank the poison-laced tea. "I will be returning to my lord, then. Good day." He bowed and exited the room, quickly walking to the exit. The sooner they left, the sooner he'd be home with his new possession. 'None have ever taken him.' He snorted. Well, Atobe, one just succeeded right now.
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"Mmm...you know Ore-sama hates it when you wear that in front of guests." Atobe murmured when he broke the kiss between them.
"But you like seeing me in them."
"It is very appealing on you." Atobe released the boy from his hold. "Ore-sama can expect you for dinner then?"
"Yes."
Atobe gave a lazy smirk of lust as he watched the boy leave. "Return soon, my little golden flower." His voice called into the empty room.
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He looked up as the gate creaked open. The boy had not changed out of his attire, nor had he brought anything with him. That was fine with him. He smiled at the boy. "Let's go. We'll make good time if we leave now." He turned and headed off, the boy trotting at his heels.
At their fast pace of walking and after hitching a ride on a farmer's wagon, within an hour, they had managed to reach the edge of the city, and were entering the rural countryside.
"What's your province like?"
"Hmm?" He reflected on the question a bit. "Well, it's just as prosperous as this one." Not really. "The architecture is amazing. We're planning to construct a new temple to the south and remodel the old one soon." No, they weren't. "The people are very nice and helpful." Only if you're important. "I think you'll like it there, but if you don't, you can return here." Like he was going to let the boy escape.
"I see."
It had been over two hours already, and they were beginning to enter the forest that would bring them to the far edge of the next province. His province laid on the other side of this next one.
"What do you think of Atobe-sama?"
He glanced back at the boy and frowned. "You don't need to call him that anymore, you realize."
The boy shrugged. "It's not three hours yet." He looked at him expectantly.
"Well, despite all the rumors about him being lazy, he certainly is an excellent ora...or...." He frowned.
"Orator?"
He waved it off. "He's a very good orator and debater. Everything else seems to be true though."
"Oh? How so?"
"He's certainly quite promiscuous. You should know that, being the target of his desires night after night."
"Yes, I do know that particular detail."
"He's a typical arrogant lord who probably can't do anything outside of sit around and have sex, even if he has a sharp mind."
"Do you not think his sharp mind would have caught on to the fact that you had intended to kill him from the very start?"
"You must be joking. I may have said he had a sharp mind, but it's not that sharp. The aristocratic type he spawns from are too preoccupied with themselves to know that."
"Then why do you think Atobe-sama's province has prospered so well?"
He mused. "Must be the people. They're probably used to doing whatever they want since he doesn't care about them." He glanced at the boy for a split second. "And from the looks of it, he is a recluse. He doesn't show his face much, does he." He continued saying as he walked.
Then he stopped. He only heard one set of footsteps trudging through the snow. He turned around to see the boy standing still a several feet away. "What are you do-" He gasped as he choked. "Wh-wha-what's...ha-happen-ing...?"
"It is now exactly three hours."
An agonized scream rang out throughout the silent, bare forest.
"I believe that was your kidney. Your liver will probably be next."
The man screamed in pain again, writhing on the snow covered ground. He saw the blond standing with his arms crossed over his chest and smirking coldly at him. "Wh-why..." He screamed as another burst of pain shot through his body.
"Hmm...those were probably your reproductive organs. No more being a pervert, as they say."
"H-how..." He gasped out.
"Tsk, tsk. Why? How? You must have thought I was stupid. I gave you enough clues, did I not? I'm sure you must have noticed my speech patterns. Only a learned scholar speaks like such, and yet, you kept insisting that I was merely a slave." The boy watched in amusement as the man writhed and screamed in agony. He reflected back on all those little moments he had enjoyed playing with the evil man. Oh, he had long known the man was there for an assassination attempt. The informants of the Atobe family reported many of their discoveries to him, especially those that could potentially threaten the Atobe heir. After he had viciously defeated the majority of the family guards in strategy and many of them in combat, they had deemed him worthy of their help. Originally, they were supposed to only report to the head guard, but they had soon found his obscure addition to their ranks very helpful.
And that first day when the man had walked in on him giving his lord pleasure. His smirk widened. That had been especially fun.
'Ne, Keigo, relax. He won't be much of a threat.'
'And you are completely too lax.'
He shrugged. 'No use thinking too much about it. Either way, he's not escaping.'
Atobe sighed. 'You are very much incorrigible.'
He beamed. 'Thank you!' He pondered for a moment before acting on his idea. He crawled over to Atobe, body swaying in a sensual movement. 'Ne...Keigo....how about I help you relax?' He purred as he ran his arms up his lord's chest and sat in his lap.
'Not now.'
'We have time.'
'Didn't you say he would probably be here in an about an hour?'
'Well, yes, but that doesn't matter. He can wait.'
Atobe gave him a look. He pouted.
'Alright, alright, I know you take your responsibilities carefully, but this,' He ground down against Atobe's hardened erection pressed against his ass, 'isn't going to help you during the meeting.' Atobe stifled a groan.
'Fine, do what you will.'
He grinned before reaching down and loosening Atobe's sash and parting the robe to reveal the large organ. 'Mmm...' His eyes twinkled mischievously as he suddenly dived down and wrapped his mouth around the tip and sucked, hard. He happily moved his mouth up and down the hard member repeatedly, tongue swirling around the sides, the tip, sucking at it like one would a treat. Atobe watched as his member entered the small cavity, very much wanting it to enter another certain orifice, but knowing that he had to refrain from doing it.
A knock sounded on the door. 'Atobe-sama, the...guest,' the servant girl sounded disgusted, 'is here.'
Atobe cleared his throat before speaking as the boy attached to him continued to play. 'Send him in.' Then he nudged the boy. 'Stop...Stop.' He frowned when the boy paid him no heed. 'Jirou!'
Jirou let the organ go with a small pop. 'Just put the blanket over my head. You need to relax.' He said, before promptly returning to his previous activity.
'Jirou....' Atobe let out a moan at a particularly hard suck, before doing as Jirou said and throwing a blanket over his lap. There was no point in arguing with the boy when he was like this.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when a particularly loud scream echoed out. "Hmm...probably your stomach there." He mused as he saw the man cough out a particularly large amount of blood.
Jirou leaned casually against a tree nearby. "Now what did you think I was? I'm curious. Tell me. I'll make your death a little less painful."
The man coughed heavily. "A..a sl-slave."
"That's all? Oh come on, do be a little more specific." He smiled sadistically.
"I-I c-can't..."
"Well, if you could say that, I'm sure you could say more."
"P-pl-plea-sure..sl-slave."
"Ah, I see. Still believing those men, eh? Didn't anyone ever tell you not to believe strangers? You never know when they're lying."
The man's eyes widened. They were a set up? And why was the drug affecting him? He was immune!
"Yes, I planted them there." Jirou gave an amused look at the man lying in a growing puddle of his own blood. "And as for the pleasure slave part, I suppose I am. How much of a slave I am, though, is questionable. I happen to like pleasuring Atobe-sama."
No...he looked at the boy whom he had thought was innocent mere minutes ago. He was not innocent. He was a devil in the guise of an angel. A blackened heart contained by the pure coloring and appearances of a holy being.
"I also never agreed to any of your terms. I merely asked what you were going to do."
The man realized this was true. Despite the boy's seeming agreement to his plans, he had never full out said it was a deal. How could he have been so stupid? So blinded by his lust?
"Well, since you did tell me, I'll help you." Jirou smirked before his wrist flipped, sending a sharp dagger straight into the man's lungs. The man's eyes widened in horror as he gazed at the blond boy through glazed eyes. His vision was fogging up, and he could hardly breath.
"Oh, and that little family recipe you were talking about?" The boy pushed off the tree and walked towards him. "It's a recipe that your great-grandfather stole from the archives of one of Atobe-sama's allies. It's been very much improved since last century." He gave a happy, yet sinister smile to the man as he crouched down a short distance away, just out of reach, to be eye-level with his victim.
He stopped smiling only when the man collapsed dead, further pushing the dagger into the body. Jirou frowned. Damn, that would require touching the body. Eww...he scowled. He sighed. Not like he had a choice. He pushed his sleeves up and quickly shoved the man over, pulling out the dagger with a loud squelch, before plunging it into the man's heart to make sure he was dead. He then pulled out a small bag, dropped the dagger into it, and sealed it. Then he collected the documents Atobe had handed over earlier. He stood up, giving the body a disdainful look.
"And for the record, don't insult Atobe-sama. Hmph." He turned and continued in the direction they had been heading before stepping onto the frozen river and began the trek back home. He left the body lying in the snow, knowing that hungry creatures driven to exhaustion by the harsh winter would gladly take an easy meal.
He looked up at the position of the sun. "Hmm...that took a little longer than expected." He frowned. He hoped he'd make it back in time to clean off before dinner.
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Atobe looked up from his seat at Jirou as the boy draped himself over him from behind. Jirou sighed in comfort as he breathed in the scent of his lover. "Mmm...."
"Jirou, what are you doing?"
"Mmm...you're comfy." Jirou slid off of Atobe to sit at his side and leaned into the taller male. "Feed me?" He asked, eyes wide and sparkling.
Atobe sighed. "You can eat your own food." He said disapprovingly.
"But it tastes so much better when Keigo feeds me!"
Atobe couldn't argue with Jirou-logic. It didn't make sense, and what didn't make sense was impossible to argue. He sighed. "Alright."
"Yay!"
"Did you have fun today?"
"Yep!" Then Jirou pouted, "But I didn't like what he said about you."
Atobe raised an eyebrow. "Were you not the one who fed him that story?"
Jirou shrugged. "Well, it IS the typical image the other provinces that don't know you have of you."
Atobe snorted. "Should I be worried?" He remarked dryly. "You and all the others' little game." He shook his head in exasperation.
"Well, it keeps you safe. That's what matters!" Jirou pouted.
"Mightn't you think that perhaps the other provinces wouldn't be too happy to be ruled by such a 'lazy and hormonally-driven man'? I believe the implication under that is also 'incompetence.'"
Jirou shrugged as he took another bite of dinner. "Doesn't matter. You'll easily prove them all wrong."
That was true. "But should Ore-sama not receive the position?"
Jirou gave him a flat look. "Even if there was another person for the job, you'd get it anyways. The Emperor favors you. A LOT."
Atobe smirked at the blond. "I suppose you are correct." He leaned over and kissed the corner of Jirou's mouth. Then he paused. "You do realize that I would be required to marry in that case, do you not?"
Jirou shrugged. "You're going to have to marry anyways, even if you don't get it." A look of pain flashed minutely through Jirou's eyes, too quick for anyone to see, yet Atobe caught it.
Atobe pulled his lover onto his lap and slung his arms around the petite blond's waist, holding him close. He lowered his head into Jirou's hair and breathed deeply. "I'll try to find a way around it. Even if I do marry, you'll always be the most important in my life."
Jirou blinked quickly several times as his eyes grew warm. "But she'll be jealous." He said, voice beginning to crack slightly.
"Ore-sama does not care. Ore-sama intends on telling every arranged girl presented the truth. Should she still decide to marry Ore-sama, it is her choice."
Jirou laughed brokenly. "Your father and uncle will be angry with you."
"Doesn't matter." Atobe tightened his grip on the blond.
"Mmm..." Jirou leaned back and pressed himself harder against Atobe. "I wish we could stay like this forever." He whispered.
"...俺も."
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