Chapter 18, Piece 28 * * * * * * * *
"I thought we should meet in person for real, before we met in character," the man said, smiling hopefully. "So it's Kazuhi, not 'Noa'."
"Of course." Mokuba smiled as he stood and bowed formally. "I'm Tamura."
And mentally scratched Kazuhi off the list.
Which was a shame. Even without a wig, Kazuhi looked alot like Noa. His eyes were the right color and his face had the right structure. He was the fourth son of some branch family; the main family were originally daimyo, bankers and accountants. Not Kaiba-level wealthy, but enough not to be impressed by wealth.
He was smart, too. During dinner, the conversation moved from finance and the economy, to current movies, to traditional music. Kazuhi was funny, charming, and pretty hot even without the cosplay. At a nightclub after dinner, they spent enough time on the dance floor to impress each other before moving to a table in the VIP lounge.
But after a month of discussing it online, the deal had been that 'Mokuba' and 'Noa' would go on a date. If he couldn't stick to the first promise they made to each other for the first time they met, how many other promises would he break.
The conversation lulled for a moment. Kazuhi looked at Mokuba seriously, as if studying him. Then, he seemed to come to a decision. "Stay here for a minute. I need to go powder my nose."
"You're not just a girl," Mokuba teased, referring to an earlier conversation they'd had. "You're an American girl."
"They have more fun!" Kazuhi laughed back.
It was a long minute. It was long enough for Mokuba to order another drink and wonder if he'd been ditched.
'First time for every-'
His thoughts completely derailed as the world around him seemed to freeze.
Noa was walking through the crowd, toward him.
He was wearing a white suit, and his teal hair was cut into a sharp point between his eyes. Eyes that seemed to lock onto Mokuba's and hold them as they grew larger.
"So. How do I look, Mokuba?"
The voice. The voice was wrong. Too high, too feminine. But even so, it took Mokuba's brain a few slow seconds to realize what he was seeing. "Kazuhi?"
"Noa, now. You're spilling your drink."
"Huh?" Mokuba could only stare as 'Noa' reached over and took the glass from him.
"Just like a messy kid, li'l bro. You should be more careful." Kazuhi sat down. He picked up a napkin and wiped the spill. "Well? Say something."
'I could probably get used to the voice,' Mokuba thought. 'Or he can go to a vocal trainer.' He cleared his throat. "You understand what I want? I mean, after tonight."
"After tonight?"
"Yeah." Mokuba managed to smirk. "Because whatever we decide for the long term, tonight I am going to make you late for work tomorrow."
"My!" 'Noa' fluttered his eyes. "That didn't sound brotherly."
"Brotherly love is more fun," Mokuba chuckled darkly. "A game for the family."
"Twisted," 'Noa' snickered. "It would be sick if it were real."
"Yeah," Mokuba agreed. "It would be. Both. Sick and real."
"Are we in character or out?" Kazuhi asked, smiling but serious. "Roleplay and fetishes are fun, Tamora-chan, but reality lurks around every corner."
Mokuba glanced around. The club was packed and loud, but there were some things that shouldn't be discussed in public places. "Why don't we leave reality here, and go somewhere we can give in to the roleplay completely."
'Noa' leered at him. "I've been hoping to hear you say that all night."
There was a whole district of love hotels a short walk away. Mokuba picked one that was pricey enough to weed out the whores, but not so high-end that they might run into someone who knew either of them.
"So." 'Noa' nodded his approval of the room. "How does screwing your brother differ from screwing anyone else?"
Mokuba frowned but understood the question. Most of the other guys who'd gotten as far as cosplay thought it was a game too. And Mokuba made it a game with them; having sex and giving them a fake number afterward. One night stands with physical release and not much else. Kazuhi, despite the iffy start, seemed the most open minded.
But an open mind was only the start of what Mokuba wanted.
"It doesn't if no one knows he's your brother." Mokuba pulled 'Noa' into his arms. "It's just a secret sin between the two of you."
"I see." 'Noa' was an inch or two shorter. "Then, I don't need to do anything special to get you in the mood."
"I think undressing is special, Nii-san." Mokuba removed 'Noa's jacket and started on his shirt and tie.
"Oh, that is wicked," 'Noa' snickered. "I think I'm going to like playing with my little brother."
The sex was good, and as he expected, Mokuba kept 'Noa' up most of the night.
He woke to an unfamiliar cell phone ringing. In his arms was a warm body with teal hair. It was a real hair wig, not synthetic. He pulled the man tighter and tried to remain in the dream a bit longer.
Kazuhi apparently could reach the phone anyway. "Jiromoto. Oh, hi." He yawned. "No. Is it? Oh. Hell. No, I'm not; I'm...with a friend. No, you don't. No. No. Aniki, did you actually need something or are you just... Who? Oh, you are kidding! What time did you say it was?"
Mokuba sighed deeply. The only reason his own phone wasn't ringing with a similar conversation was because he'd turned it off during dinner. Still, when Kazuhi tried to move, Mokuba held him tighter. Reality bites.
"Hold on." Kazuhi's tone changed. "Tamora-chan, eventually I'm gonna have to get up."
"Hang up, Noa." Mokuba kissed the back of his neck. "Give me another hour." He used one hand to stroke a strong chest.
Kazuhi didn't respond for a moment. "Aniki? Two hours. I'll meet you in the office, Okay? Okay. What? Oh. Hmm, maybe not. We'll see what happens in the next hour." The phone clicked shut. "How about we continue in the shower?"
Damn reality. "Won't your hair get wet?"
"What, the wig?" Kazuhi laughed. "It's falling off - oh, you want me to... Right. Sure. Tell you what, give me a minute to start it, then come join me."
After the shower, Mokuba stayed in the bathroom to dry off. When he came out, it was fully Kazuhi, not 'Noa', wearing the white suit.
The man looked at Mokuba through the mirror reflection. "Listen, that was fun but a little intense. This Noa character -"
"He's not a character." Mokuba began dressing. "My brother died when he was sixteen."
"Oh." Kazuhi turned around. "Oh God. He didn't -"
"Anything." Mokuba smiled. "Noa never did anything. I fell in love with him. I'm the sick one."
"Maybe 'sick' is a bit strong. I wouldn't mind doing this again. But, frankly, I'd rather get to know the real Tamora."
"Too soon for adoption?"
"Well," he seemed to truly consider the idea. "My father would never agree. But my uncle is head of the family, and he'd probably let us. You want to be Jiromoto no Meshigome?"
"Ha, uh no, actually." Mokuba grinned. "I forgot my profile doesn't show my family name. I was planning on adopting the guy who can become Noa. Not cosplay, not occasionally, but for real and always."
"And your father will accept that."
"My father's dead. I'm head of the family." Which was true until Seto was restored and the power of attorney canceled. "And I'm pretty sure I outrank your uncle."
"So, who are you?"
Mokuba kissed Kazuhi's cheek. "I'll tell you after our third date."