Disclaimers: Fushigi Yuugi doesn't belong to us, it belongs to Watase Yuu and others. Please don't sue us, we aren't making any profit from this (and we don't have money..or at least we won't after Fanime ^^;) This story contains shonen ai (boy's love) if the thought of two guys kissing makes you uncomfortable then show some restraint and don't read it!
Kishuku sighed as he watched the town doctor scurry away throughout the rain. The old, skittish man hopped quickly, trying to avoid the puddles and mud. The rain hadn't ceased since the twin boys' arrival two days before. The unconscious one, Koutoku, had yet to improve since he fainted on the road. Shunkaku, the other one, was almost inseperatable from his brother's side. Shunkaku was so intent on watching his brother that Kishuku almost needed to force-feed him.
As the doctor disappeared into his small house on the other side of the village, Kishuku turned away and latched the door shut against the tenacious storm. The small house was silent except for the splattering of rain outside. His usually loud siblings had gone along with his father to visit their aunt, their last remaining relative. The only other people in the house were the twins; Koutoku lying on the only bed and Shunkaku, most likely sitting nearby, watching him.
Sitting down at the bare table in the middle of the room, Kishuku rested his head against his palm and irritably blew a blue strand of hair out of his face. What in the name of Suzaku was he going to do? In the three visits the doctor had paid Koutoku, he had nearly drained all of Kishuku's reserve money. Shunkaku had looked terrified after the first visit when the doctor had asked for payment for his services. The only thing Shunkaku had to offer was the threadbare jacket he had been wearing. In the strained moment afterwards, Kishuku had stepped in and offered the money needed to pay off the old doctor.
"But damn, without that money, how am I supposed to hire help to harvest the field?" Kishuku muttered out loud.
"G- Gomen nasai Kishuku-san! My brother and I didn't mean to be such an imposition on you. If there is anything I can do to repay your kindness to us, just tell me." Shunkaku stammered from where he was standing in the doorway. Kishuku belatedly realized that he had voiced his monetary concerns aloud. The implications of Shunkaku's comment weren't lost on Kishuku either.
"Anything?" Kishuku echoed as he ran an appraising eye over the younger boy. Though slim and mal-nourished, Shunkaku didn't look weak. He might be able to help Kishuku in the fields if that infernal rain ever let up that is. Shunkaku flushed slightly under Kishuku's scrutiny, but stepped forward until he was standing just in front of him.
"I said anything, I didn't mean it lightly either. I'll do anything to protect my aniki."
From up close, Kishuku could easily see that the boy wasn't all skin and bones. There was some muscle under his skin. Good, then he could probably pull his own in the field. With this nice twist of events unfolding before him, Kishuku stood up to go begin preparing their dinner over the burning fire in the hearth located in the corner of the room. Suddenly, he found himself standing in very close procemitie to Shunkaku, who was hesitatingly as if struggling with something on his mind. Looking up, the slight height difference between them, Shunkaku stared at Kishuku evenly
"Anything… for my aniki's sake."
Leaning up and forward slightly, Shunkaku's hands clenched handfuls of Kishuku's shirt and his lips pressed firmly against Kishuku's. Shunkaku's lips nudged Kishuku's more firmly as he clumsily embraced the older boy. Kishuku had yet to move or respond in anyway, as every iota of his attention had been dashed away by Shunkaku's seemingly random decision to kiss him. Then it clicked in his mind as coherent thought began to return. Shunkaku wasn't kissing him out of desire or attention, he had misinterpreted Kishuku's comments. He thought Kishuku wanted sexual favors in return for his brother's medical treatment.
Jerking himself away from Shunkaku's grip, Kishuku shockingly stared at the younger boy. His pale azure (sp?) eyes slightly wild and unfocused. Fine tremors were running through Shunkaku's body, almost in perceptible.
"What do you think you're doing?" Kishuku asked bluntly, giving up any attempt at elegance in favor of a more direct approach.
"I…I thought." Shunkaku's eyes were wide and dilated with fear. Slight tremors became shivering. "Go…gomen! I thought that you wanted…that…the way you were looking at me….I thought…"
"You thought I wanted sex in return for paying the doctor?" Shunkaku flushed and nodded, "I'm sorry Shunkaku-kun, I didn't meant to give you the wrong idea. I was trying to figure out if you'd be able to help me in the fields after it stopped raining. I wasn't trying to look like some lecherous (Sure Tama-chan, sure. ^_^) old man. Honest." Kishuku smiled at Shunkaku and gave in to the urge to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. At Kishuku's soft laughter, Shunkaku released visibly and smiled back weakly.
One last thing nagged Kishuku about Shunkaku's response and he gave voice to it.
"Shunkaku-kun, even if I was looking at you strangely, why did you think it meant I wanted that?"
Frightened like a cornered animal, Shunkaku froze at Kishuku's comment. He didn't reply verbally, but the physical response said enough. The horrified fear and shame that shone in Shunkaku's eyes spoke more eloquently than words ever could of previous mistreatments. With that silent confession, a red glow began to resonate within Kishuku. To think that someone had taken advantage of a young, innocent boy. The rage became a burning heat, the only escape through the sign of the ogre. Struggling, Kishuku calmed down enough for the heat to vanish. Then he returned his attention to Shunkaku, who was regarding him again in slight fear.
"Does your brother know?" Kishuku asked. Shunkaku shook his head in negetation. (sp?) "Are you going to tell him?"
"No! It would break aniki's heart if I told him. Don't worry about that, that will never happen again unless I choose to. I'm no longer quite as helpless as I used to be." From the hard glint in Shunkaku's eyes, Kishuku didn't doubt for a moment that the fate of any would be molester was already sealed.
A loud gurgling noise disrupted their dismal train of conversation as Shunkaku's stomach made its presence known. Laughing quietly, Kishuku stepped around Shunkaku and headed for the fire where dinner waited to be fixed.
Shunkaku turned and watched as the older boy began throwing seemingly random pieces of food into a pot. Mentally smacking himself again, Shunkaku cursed his own stupidity. What the hell had he been thinking? Not much apparently, since he had grossly misinterpreted Kishuku. But why? Kishuku wasn't like those old men. Granted Shunkaku felt attracted towards him, but that didn't account for what he did. His attraction to Kishuku wasn't that surprising either, Kishuku was the first person besides his aniki to show any kind of kindness towards them without demanding something in return. And he wasn't that hard on the eyes either. It was obvious that Kishuku helped support his family through physical labor. (Jojo gags in the background. Then she hugs her plushy to make herself feel better.)
Not that any of that mattered, Shunkaku doubted that Kishuku reciprocated (sp?) his feelings his feelings of attraction. With that though, he turned back to thinking about the kiss earlier. Kishuku hadn't shown any disgust as he had pulled away from Shunkaku. Maybe there was a small faint hope after all. No, it was better not to speculate.
"What are you so happy about all of a sudden?" Kishuku asked from near the fire. "You look like the cat that got the bird. (Or should it be the dragon that got the peacock?)
Shunkaku blushed brightly as he realized he'd been caught with a silly grin plastered on his face. It was nice to pretend if for only a moment that life was good and the hearth would always be warm. But Shunkaku knew it was only a fading illusion, gone with the flicker of dawn over the horizon. But still, it would be nice while it lasted.
FYI
If we didn't make it clear in the first chapter, this is a fic that's only purpose (yes, it has a purpose) is to see if we could slash Tamahome and Suboshi. This is set in the time before either of them become seishi, in consequence their "real" names are used:
Kishuku = Tamahome
Koutoku = Amiboshi
Shunkaku = Suboshi