Shuichi sat on the bench in the train station, his briefcase sitting by his feet. The afternoon rush of salary men coming home from work passed by him but Shuichi was oblivious. His attention was focused on his phone.

'Talked to the others. Going next weekend.'

Shuichi knew exactly what Hiei was talking about and he was surprised that Hiei had been able to arrange it so quickly. He would have to speak to his father and ask for the time off. If he refused to go to the temple along with everyone else, then Hiei might get suspicious.

Shuichi wondered if that would be a bad thing as he texted Hiei back. At least then he would no longer have to keep lying to his boyfriend.

"Shuichi."

Shuichi looked up from his phone at the sound of his name. Before him stood a man wearing a crisp black business suit. His long, sleek black hair was loose around his shoulders, falling in a straight obsidian waterfall.

Shuichi's pulse quickened as he tucked his phone into his pocket and picked up his briefcase.

Sinfully pretty violet eyes watched Shuichi as he rose from the bench.

"Were you waiting long?" his new companion asked him as they walked towards the subway entrance.

"No. Just a few minutes," Shuichi told him. The heat of the man's body, so close to his, was causing butterflies in his stomach.

Hiei…

Once Hiei had made him feel like that.

The thought flew unbidden into Shuichi's mind and he tried to push it aside.

His companion took a hold of his arm, pulling Shuichi closer to him as they approached the shiny black limousine idling on the curb.

The chauffeur bowed to them before he opened the door. Shuichi's companion ushered Shuichi in ahead of himself. Shuichi settled himself on the expensively upholstered seat. He wished that his companion would allow him to go directly to his apartment himself, or pick him up in his own car. He always felt uncomfortable being surrounded by such luxury.

But his companion seemed completely at ease being surrounded by wealth. Shuichi had the impression that he was trying to impress him. Trying to make him feel like he was out of his depth. And he was succeeding nicely. Shuichi did feel out of his depth, even though he knew that his companion did not own the limousine, nor did he employ the driver. Both belonged to his companion's work.

"Wine?" his companion asked as the limo pulled away from the curb.

"Yes, please," Shuichi said. Definitely. He needed it to ease his nerves. This was hardly their first time together, but Shuichi felt like a shy schoolboy on his first date. It was both exhilarating and infuriating.

"You'll like this one," the man said as he poured the red wine into a glass and handed it to Shuichi. "I got it from a colleague."

Shuichi sipped at the substance cautiously. He was no expert on wine, but he could appreciate a nice one.

"Thank you, Karasu," he said. "It is very nice. I like it better than the last one."

Karasu nodded in agreement. "Yes, I thought this one might suit your tastes a little more."

Karasu had been plying Shuichi with different wines, in an attempt to discover what Shuichi liked. Shuichi was surprised that he even bothered. Did it really matter?

Shuichi had been cagey about his personal life, but slowly Karasu had drawn small details from him. Not just his favourite dessert, most hated vegetable or hobbies, but also his relationship with Hiei, though Shuichi had been able to keep Hiei's name from him.

In contrast, Shuichi knew next-to-nothing about Karasu. He thought that Karasu worked for a company, though what his job was, Shuichi wasn't sure. Karasu hadn't told him anything about his work or personal life. If the man had a wife or boyfriend, Shuichi had never seen any evidence of that.

As Shuichi sipped, his attention wandered to the buildings passing them by. High-rise buildings lined the streets. Men and women dressed in business suits walked by.

Karasu's hand slid onto Shuichi's knee, drawing Shuichi's attention back to him. Karasu leaned towards him. Shuichi's breath caught.

"You smell nice today, Shuichi," Karasu told him, his voice low.

Shuichi didn't really know how to respond to that so he settled on his default. "Thank you," he said.

Karasu chuckled before plucking the wine glass from Shuichi's hand and tilting it up, drinking the last of it. He put the glass down before returning his attention to Shuichi.

In that moment, as he studied Shuichi, Karasu resembled a lion stalking his prey. His gaze was intense and Shuichi felt a pleasant shiver run up his spine. Karasu started to undo Shuichi's tie, even as their eyes remained locked.

"You don't know what you do to me, Shuichi," Karasu said, his voice a low, dark purr.

Shuichi began to squirm. He could feel a blush rising on his cheeks.

What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he feel this with Hiei anymore? Why wasn't love enough?

Again, Shuichi quashed the thought. It was easier than it had been before, as Karasu's lips met his. The kiss was forceful, nothing like Hiei's gentle, passionate kisses.

Karasu's teeth grazed across Shuichi's bottom lip, making him jerk back in fright.

"No," he gasped.

Karasu looked annoyed as he stared at Shuichi. Annoyed and cheated.

"H-he'll see," Shuichi said, struggling to explain.

Karasu let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know why you bother staying with him, darling," he said, his fingers stroking Shuichi's cheek. "He can't take care of you like I can."

Shuichi's eyes slid away from Karasu's, a frown forming on his lips. They still tingled from Karasu's kiss.

Karasu pressed his fingers to Shuichi's lips. "Don't frown like that," he said. "That look doesn't suit you."

He settled himself in the seat, crossing one leg over the other. Shuichi turned away, feeling conflicted and angry. Angry at Karasu for what he'd said about Hiei. Angry at himself for getting into this in the first place.

Angry at himself for not being able to pull himself out of it.

He fussed with his tie, re-doing the knot and fixing his shirt collar. He knew that Karasu was staring at him but he refused to look in the other man's direction.

Karasu hadn't been at all what he'd been expecting when he'd placed an ad on an online site and the dark-haired man had responded. He was well-dressed, well-groomed and wealthy.

Though Shuichi suspected that Karasu had been as surprised by his own appearance as Shuichi had been regarding his.

The car made a turn and Shuichi knew that they were close to Karasu's apartment. He began to feel a familiar fluttering in his stomach. He looked over to Karasu to see him watching Shuichi with a smirk. Shuichi frowned at him once again.

"I said don't do that, pet," Karasu told him, though there was only amusement in his voice. "If you keep doing that I might just decide to put that mouth to better use."

Shuichi flushed, embarrassed and shocked. Not here. Not in the back of the limousine. He couldn't possibly be serious.

"What's the matter, darling? Are you getting shy now?" Dark amusement danced in Karasu's eyes as he took in Shuichi's expression.

Shuichi glared at him. How was he supposed to respond to that? Whether he answered yes or no, he would open himself up to ridicule.

Karasu's smirk only grew. He was adept at reading Shuichi's moods and liked to annoy him as much as possible. He knew the effect he had on Shuichi and took full advantage of it.

Hiei teased him, too. But in a different way. There was nothing malicious in Hiei's teasing. It was more to fluster Shuichi, to throw him off-balance, than anything else. And Shuichi was able to tease Hiei right back. Hiei would take it with about as much grace as Shuichi did. There was a balance there.

No such balance existed between himself and Karasu. Karasu deliberately tried to antagonise him, and found satisfaction in the result. And Shuichi certainly wasn't comfortable with teasing him back. He had no idea how the older man would react. Their relationship was not an equal one. That was a fact that Shuichi was well aware of.

And Shuichi felt ashamed at letting Karasu get the better of him. He should have better control over himself.

But, clearly, he didn't have any kind of control. If he did, surely he wouldn't even be sitting in this car with this man?

-0-

Karasu observed the young man as he straightened his tie, his eyes fixed on the mirror before him. His slender fingers reached up to tuck some loose locks of red hair back into place.

Karasu's mouth watered at the sight. His hands ached to touch that flawless skin. To caress, to stroke.

To press in so hard that he would leave bruises. To make Shuichi squirm and arch. To hear that pretty voice scream.

But, no. It was time for Shuichi to return home. To that boy who loved him blindly. Who had no idea. No idea that the bruises on Shuichi's skin were left by Karasu's hands. No idea that Shuichi's body bore Karasu's marks.

Yes, Shuichi could leave. But he would come back. He always came back. Because he belonged to Karasu. He would always belong to Karasu.

Shuichi turned, finally satisfied with his appearance. Karasu looked him over critically, noting with amusement that everything was perfectly in place. Not a crease in the crisp shirt, not a single strand of hair out of place. Nothing that might hint at their earlier activities.

Karasu had been drawn to Shuichi from the first time he'd seen him. Most of his relationships were quick. He always lost interest in his toys within a few weeks.

But Shuichi was an exception. There was something tantalisingly familiar about the redhead, as if Karasu had seen him somewhere before, perhaps briefly. But Karasu had been unable to remember where.

"Shall we go?" Karasu asked him.

Shuichi nodded. He stepped towards Karasu, wincing a little as he did so. Karasu took his arm and guided him out of the bathroom and towards the hall.

-0-

Shuichi stepped inside his apartment. He was surprised to see that it was dark. He glanced down. The genkan was empty. Hiei was not home yet. A small knot of fear lodged itself in Shuichi's gut.

He checked his phone as he made himself a cup of tea.

Nothing. There were no messages from Hiei. Nothing to explain why he was late getting home.

Shuichi was sitting in the living room, sipping his tea when Hiei arrived home. Shuichi resisted the urge to jump up and demand where his boyfriend had been.

After all, what right did he have to say anything, when he was the one who had something to hide. So what if Hiei was cheating on him? It was no less than he deserved.

Hiei entered the living room and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "But I got us take-away from Yusuke's."

"You were at Yusuke's restaurant?" Shuichi asked as he followed Hiei into the kitchen. A paper bag sat atop the counter, the logo of Yusuke and Keiko's restaurant prominently displayed on it.

"Yeah. I stopped there after work. We were working some stuff out for next weekend." Hiei started to unpack the bag. "Did you get my text about it?"

"I did," Shuichi confirmed. "Though I have not had the chance to speak to Father yet."

"Sorry I didn't text you that I'd be late. I just forgot," Hiei apologised.

"It's fine," Shuichi said. His throat felt dry and his hands clammy. He felt empty and hollow inside. He hadn't felt that way when Karasu was inside him.

Shuichi bit his cheek hard. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. The pain helped, just a little. But it wouldn't last. It never lasted.

"Shuichi?"

Hiei was staring at him expectantly. Shuichi looked down to see that Hiei had pushed a take-away container towards him.

"Thank you," he said, hoping his voice still sounded normal.

Hiei watched him for a moment longer, crimson eyes studying him far too closely for Shuichi's comfort. Then he picked up his own container and started for the living room.

"I pick the movie this time," he said.

Shuichi did not object as he sat down beside Hiei. He didn't really care what they watched. He probably wouldn't even stay awake for the entirety of it anyway.

Each mouthful Shuichi took tasted like dirt. That was what he was. Dirt. Dirt for leading this man on. Dirt for cheating on him. Dirt for pretending everything was fine.

Shuichi abruptly stood, unable to eat any more. He put the remains of his dinner in the trash.

"Is something wrong with the food?" Hiei asked him. He had set his own meal aside and stood to watch Shuichi.

"No. I am just… not hungry," Shuichi told him.

Hiei looked him up and down critically. "I think you're losing weight," he said, a worried note entering his voice.

Shuichi wanted to laugh. He probably was, but that was the least of his problems.

"You must be imagining it, he said, before sitting down again on the sofa. Hiei joined him, pressing close to him.

"If there was something wrong, you'd tell me, right?" he asked Shuichi.

Shuichi only just managed to maintain a neutral expression. "Of course," he said, injecting as much sincerity into his voice as he could muster.

But, inside, his mind was screaming, "Liar!"

Hiei stared at him for a moment, before seeming to decide that Shuichi was being honest. He returned his attention to the movie on the television.

Shuichi wanted to sigh in relief but restrained himself. That would be too telling. Instead, he tried to focus his attention on the movie.

Not the ache in his back where Karasu's whip had bitten into his flesh. Not the taste of his own blood that lingered in his mouth. Not the sadistic pleasure in Karasu's eyes as his nails dug into Shuichi's tender skin…

No. No. No.

Shuichi buried his face in Hiei's shoulder, wishing that he could die.

Hiei's arm snaked around him. His boyfriend was oblivious to his torment. He probably thought that Shuichi was just tired. But that was another lie. A convenient excuse for the small but inevitable slip-ups he made, the times when his composure cracked. An excuse for why he no longer wanted to have sex.

But that excuse would eventually wear thin. Hiei would grow less and less tolerant of Shuichi's evasions. This relationship was a house of cards, ready to crumble.

"Shuichi?"

"Mmmm?" Shuichi's response was barely audible.

"Are you going to sleep?" Hiei sounded peeved.

"Probably," Shuichi muttered.

"I'm not your pillow, Shuichi." Hiei definitely sounded grumpy now.

Shuichi laughed softly. He readjusted himself on the sofa, putting his head in Hiei's lap. He expected Hiei to object again since Shuichi was still using him like a pillow. But Hiei said nothing. His fingers slid through Shuichi's hair. Shuichi closed his eyes.

Couldn't he hold onto this for just a little longer?