Title: Mirror / rorriM
I) (110 words)
Mornings are difficult for him.
He never feels as though he's slept, and can't work up the energy to rise, and resigns to lay in bed awhile, staring listlessly at nothing.
Memories of the previous night's assault (and all the nights before that) floods his consciousness, and he becomes acutely aware of all the aches and bruises inflicted onto his body by that bastard snake-god.
These thoughts make him tense, and he attempts to distract himself by tuning into the sounds of birds chirping outside, the servants' muffled footsteps--
Then, his eyes snap open again as Yatonogami stirs, and hisses in his ear derisively, "It's time to get up, Iwao-sama."
II) (200 words)
Nagare visits once every month. Some times he brings Kasane and Hisoka along, sometimes not.
"How have you been, Iwao?" Nagare asks, casually, as they watch Kasane and her son play a game of 'tag' in the garden.
"I don't need your sympathy," Iwao snaps.
"I am simply concerned, Iwao," Nagare replies, calmly, "especially after seeing how Father--"
"You were always the weaker child, Nagare," Iwao sneers, "that's why he chose me as successor to the Kurosaki name and--"
"The curse," Nagare says, darkly, "Father has sacrificed you to Yatonogami."
Iwao laughs. He stands up and puffs out his chest, with an expression of triumph and arrogance on his face, "What curse, Nagare?! It's all a lie! Look at me, Nagare! I'm perfectly fine!" And then, he is weakened suddenly, and falls to his knees. He goes into a fit of coughing. The choking and hacking intensifies until there is now blood and phlegm on the floor. The servants rush to his side, and he sees Nagare, staring at him, in utter shock.
"Leave, damn you!" Iwao manages to yell, despite it all, "Just leave!"
Iwao watches the family leave.
He wonders often how things could have been different.
A/N: Regarding that last line, I think it's pretty sad that either way, Iwao pretty much ends up as a bitter old man. (Also, when writing this, I've come up with a theory that Kurosaki heirs are chosen on the basis of who would be the prettiest uke for one perverted snake-god. : ) )