may 07 2002
sumi-chan
rose wine chapter 7-- want you to want me

** tokiya mikagami, ensui, and all other FOR-related stuff are not mine. everything else is original. **

*** NOTE!!
this writing takes the character tokiya mikagami and places him in my alternate universe.

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revision: insert song "Want You To Want Me" by Anggun.

let's turn the tension up a notch on tokiya's side. ohohoho...
***

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Their orders were served soon enough, and Tokiya could not help but stare at the 'rose wine'. It was coloured deep scarlet and looked very thick.

"That seems heavy," he commented.

"So it is," smiled Yuriko, and she took a sip as she tucked the now-full flask in her purse.

Soft music was playing from somewhere in the background, and Yuriko lit a cigarette. She brought it to her lips, slowly breathing in and then exhaling a silver waft of smoke that mingled with the song's lyrics.

~ I'm here give me a glance
Been following you like a shadow ~

"You smoke?" she asked him.

"No."

~ This is how I spend my time
Dreaming about our days tomorrow ~

"Would you like to try?"

Tokiya shrugged, it made no difference to him.

Yuriko took the cigarette from her lips and handed it to Tokiya. He hesitated, and then took a deep puff. The disturbing and heady flavour of tobacco seeped into his lungs. It felt strangely addictive, and he inhaled again.

"That seems pale," she smiled, eyeing his vodka.

"So it is," he countered, and he ventured to smile back. Perhaps he was getting tipsy?

"Want some of this?" she gestured to her own glass, half-full of the crimson liquid. "I'll have to warn you, though, it's very strong."

~ Two different worlds between us
You're on the spotlight far from my touch ~

Again, he shrugged. Yuriko rolled her eyes and muttered something about his indecisiveness, and she pushed her glass towards him.

"Go ahead. Tell me you'd like to," she said, in a tone that was subtly demanding.

~ Somehow I have to find the right time to say
That I want you to want me ~

Tokiya felt dazed. He probaby was getting a bit drunk. He really didn't want to take her drink... the prudent voice in his mind said that one vice was quite enough; two was excessive. But then another voice woke up, one that hadn't come into his mind since Mifuyu died.

Coward, it hissed.

Mifuyu would have wanted you to live a good life, replied the other.

Bah! Mifuyu wanted a younger brother who's a prude?! She wants you to live your life, dammit.

Yuriko seemed oblivious to his inner debate, and she leaned closer towards him.

"Just a few gulps," she assured him prettily. "It's a little shocking the first time, but you'll adjust to it quickly."

"Hai..."



Yuriko's smile grew a little wider as Tokiya gripped the stem of the glass. The alcohol and the cigarette were doing their jobs well, even better than she had expected. Perhaps it would take only two nights.

The trick was, as one of her colleagues had coached her long ago, to make them want to. You can't do anything if they don't allow you, so you have to make them want to.

'Want to what?' She had asked.

Her colleague rolled her eyes. 'Make them want to be bitten. Or whatever it is that you want... They have to want you.'

She had been a little confused at that, but then she was young at the time. Fifty or so years had passed and now she mastered the art.

Her mind flew back to the mansion in Tokyo. She had no sincere intentions of pleasing that scheming old woman whom she called 'Mother', but then it was necessary-- for her own survival. She might be favoured by her father now, and Mother might be all ears to him now; but father wasn't immortal. When he dies, Mother wouldn't hesitate to treat Yuriko like anyone else.

Besides, if she did this one well, she could even assert her status instead of simply surviving. If Tokiya managed to be just that valuable to the Clan...

His fighting history was flawless. She wondered idly if he could fight just as well while drunk, and she knew that he would be tested shortly.

The rival Clan was not stupid; they knew that she was alone while in London, but it was all part of the plan. If she were to gauge Tokiya's worth, she might as well do so in the real thing. At least that was what Mother had said.

"He's vulnerable now, Yuriko. Make him even more so, and then see what he makes of a battle."

She had hesitated, as this seemed a little cruel, but of course she had little choice.

"Yes, Mother," she said respectfully, keeping her head bowed.

"Do what you like with him in London. Just be sure to bring back an accurate report," the Mother continued.

"Yes, Mother."

"I'm counting on you," she said pointedly, and Yuriko took this to mean 'fail-and-you-will-die'.

She deepened her bow.

"Yes, Mother."

Her father peeked in at their conversation, and he smiled at his daughter.

"You take care, alright?"

She smiled and went over to hug the old man, assuring him that she would be just fine. If Mother had felt resentful at that moment, she didn't show it. As long as father was around...

Yuriko went back to the present, just as Tokiya took a few deep gulps of rose wine.



The red liquor rushed onto his tongue, past his throat and beyond; it was like drowning in sensation. Rose wine was tangy, hot, even somewhat sweet-- and it was certainly heavy. Despite its thickness, though, he found it no more difficult to swallow than water. It slid down his throat quickly, leaving a solid alcoholic aftertaste.

Tokiya felt even more dazed, and his vision blurred. Yuriko had been right in her warning, and the adventurous voice inside him had been beaten back by the angry prduent one. He closed his eyes, trying to regain focus.

A crash. It was dim and distant, but he knew it was nearby. Forcing himself to open his eyes and not stagger, he stood up and turned around.

The door had been knocked down, it now lay on the ground in splinters. There were several dark shapes moving about; he assumed that these were the intruders because the other customers had run to the corner that was farthest away from them. He narrowed his eyes, squinting, and the scene became a little clearer.

The dark shapes were, indeed, the intruders; they wore a completely black outfit and showed only their eyes. Pale red eyes...

He squinted some more. That couldn't be right. Who'd ever heard of pale red eyes?

But then again, he reflected, as he gripped his fully-formed sword, who'd ever heard of lilac eyes either?

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author's notes:
***
revision-- Ooh, lookie. We finally get it from her point of view. Uhm, am I confusing you yet? ^-^
***