"Oh! Miss Honda! What are you doing here?" Yuki stood in the entryway of Shigure's home, a frilly apron covering his white button up shirt. Although he was clearly startled, he spoke with a soft tone, looking for Kyo's orange hair nearby. Not seeing him, and realizing that he was probably at work, Yuki's demeanor calmed. Tohru stepped inside, clutching her purse.

"Actually, Shigure invited me over. He said he wanted to speak to me. I haven't seen you in awhile, Yuki. Are you cooking? Do you need help?" Tohru's bright eyes bore into him, causing him to step back. Remembering the promise he had made to Kyo, he tore away from her gaze.

"Ah, no. I just finished. Actually, I'd better get going. I have, uh, things to do." He quickly untied his apron before tossing it onto the sitting room floor, which was rather uncharacteristic of him. Then, quickly donning his shoes, he was out the door.

"That was strange." Tohru said, cocking her head to the side as she watched Yuki descend down the drive. Shigure's loud exclamation drew her attention.

"Tohru! You look absolutely radiant today! Did you just arrive?" Shigure was dressed in his usual yukata, exiting his study.

"Oh, uh, yes! Actually I was just saying hello to Yuki, but he said he was busy and had to go." Shigure's face fell in disappointment.

"Oh. He told me he would be in all day." Given the subject matter he hoped to discuss with Tohru, he had really hoped to have someone else home. He was still a man after all. He briefly considered rescheduling, but then decided it would be far too troublesome.

During his pondering, Tohru had removed her shoes and sat at the low table in her usual spot. She was clearly lost in thought, though, Shigure couldn't place her anxiety. Perhaps she felt uncomfortable due to their last conversation.

"Tohru, dear, would you like something to drink?" Tohru shuddered at his question. He laughed, realizing her caution. "I meant maybe some tea. It's far too early to get drunk. Besides, I'm far too afraid of Kyo to allow that to happen again." He declared, winking at her. She blushed lightly, wringing her hands in her lap.

"Oh, yes please! Tea sounds great!" She said, a little too excitedly. She wasn't sure whether her odd behavior was due to Yuki or being alone with Shigure. Though, it couldn't be the latter, seeing as she had spent large amounts of time with Shigure alone in the past. He was harmless.

She watched as he gracefully moved about the kitchen, preparing the tea while humming a happy tune. It was reassuring how normal it all felt. Surely that one conversation didn't change anything. Besides, he behaved himself even then. Placing the tea tray down, he moved to Yuki's usual spot, directly in front of her.

He noticed his knee brush up against hers as he sat, causing him to jump back ever so slightly. She didn't seem to notice, smiling joyfully as she poured the tea. He folded his hands gently, leaning with his elbows on the table.

"So, I'm sure you are curious as to why I've asked you to come today?" Tohru flinched at his words, narrowly catching herself before spilling tea on the table. "Don't worry, my dear. You have nothing to be embarrassed about with me. Believe me when I say that I have had my fair share of experience." He looked down smiling, as if remembering fond things. "Those books I write can give you an idea of it."

For some reason, Shigure's words did not settle her nerves. She shifted nervously under the table, glancing up at Shigure hesitantly. His eyes met hers and he almost seemed to blush.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It seems I've only made it worse, haven't I?" His knee brushed hers again as he readjusted himself. "The point is.. well, I wanted to apologize." He bowed his head before glancing back at her wide eyes. "We used an awful lot of terminology that you weren't familiar with, and I'm sure you had questions. So I called you over to apologize for alarming you, and to offer myself as your personal dictionary. If you have any questions, please, ask away."

Shigure's smile seemed sincere, but also shown with an unfamiliar darkness, causing Tohru to shift as she processed what he had said. Questions? Well sure, she had questions. But was it really okay to ask Shigure of all people? Sensing her hesitation,

Shigure gently placed his hand on hers, drawing it away from the cup and giving her a warm fatherly smile. This, he knew, would get her to relax. As expected, her shoulders lowered as she let out a small sigh.

"I'm sorry for acting so strange. This is all just.. embarrassing." Shigure cocked his head, releasing her hand.

"Embarrassing? Do you get embarrassed while you are with Kyo?" Surprised by his question, she stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. Of course not. She felt comfortable with Kyo. "Ah, well then, just pretend I'm Kyo!" Shigure clasped his hands together, as if finally finding the long desired solution.

"Oh, okay.."

Suddenly questions began to flood her head. Questions mostly brought on by Shigure's book, though some were stemmed from her experiences with Kyo. She decided to start with the easiest of them all.

"What is essenem?" Shigure looked quizzically at her. "You, um, well, Ayame mentioned it in the car." Shigure's face lit up with understanding.

"Ah! S&M stands for Sadomasochism. It doesn't hold much weight in the psychology world anymore, but in layman's terms, it means deriving pleasure from recieving or delivering pain. Did you read the second book I gave you?" Tohru nodded slowly, getting more comfortable with the discussion as she sipped her tea.

"Well, although the term is never used, that book basically encompasses the BDSM lifestyle, albeit tamely. The flogger, the cuffs, and the passionate deliverance of pain. It's quite erotic." His last words seemed to bring back the darkness in his eyes.

Setting down her tea, Tohru countered his darkness with a look of innocence.

"Right. Your book. It had a lot of terms I didnt know." Shigure smiled slowly at her words, twirling his finger around the rim of his teacup as he spoke.

"That's because the book wasn't written for prudent little girls, my dear." Shigure stood gracefully before extending a hand to the beautiful woman before him. "Come, let me show you." He said with a grin.

Tohru gazed at his slender fingers. Her curiosity weighed heavy on her mind, leading her to grab hold of his hand with confidence. If she wanted to please Kyo, she would need to know what she was doing, and right now, Shigure could answer her questions. He hoisted her to her feet before leading her into his study.

In the far corner was an imported hickory cabinet with a lock built into the door. It was the one thing Tohru was commanded to never touch, even for cleaning. She eyed it curiously while Shigure brandished the key from his palm, twisted until it clicked.

He let go of her hand, already feeling the effect of the topic take its toll on his body. The whole concept was quite arousing. Maybe even enough to make it into his next novel. He stepped to the side, opening the cabinet with a subtle gesture.

Torhu gawked at the collection of foreign items. She saw leather cuffs with fur lining, as well as something she had seen used by jockeys on horses. There was a feather object, and a collection of blindfolds. Though there was much more, she couldn't place them. Her eyes searched, frantic almost, trying to take in as much as she could of this strange collection.

"This.." Shigure spoke deeply, his voice hoarse. ".. is a flogger." He pulled out what looked like a rod with leather strips on the end.

"That looks like it would really hurt." Tohru said quietly. Shigure shook his head before retrieving a simple blindfold from his chest.

"May I?"