A Lesson to Be Learned
By: Beloved/Shadow
The starry nightlight of the sky twinkled silently in the blackest night, sending the soft glow onto an abandoned barn and the figure of a man that was chained in the entrance of a stall that was home to a small family of field mice. Nearly stripped of all his clothes except his undergarments he was breathing evenly, showing he was deep asleep if a bit uncomfortable.
"If he wasn't such a bastard, I might of actually grown to like this one." A tanned hand lifted the blonde's chin up, running sharp nails along the pale flesh before pulling back and letting his head drop back to his chest. "Then again I don't care for wolves such as he." A growled rumbled from her throat, bringing a hand back to slap and bruise that perfect skin but another hand stopped her.
"Don't," was all he said but that was all he needed to say for that simple word spoke such volumes. The woman growled but crossed her arms over her chest and paced the floor some. Her boots made soft clicking noises as they meet the floor, the golden bracelets jingled some but made no other noises, and soft growls kept coming forth from her lips.
Eyes born from the darkness watched her for a moment before sighing and held his arm out. Slowly he pulled her to his chest and petted her black hair, rubbed her back soothingly and was rewarded by a vibrating purr. He chuckled softly and rested his chin on top of her head. "Better?"
"Hai." She blinked odd colored eyes and looked up at him. "Will you need me anymore this night?"
"Iie. We are going to talk and… see where that goes." Gentle fingers that caused so much pain in its wake touched her cheek. "Besides, I thought you were going to see how he was doing?"
"Later. I just want one chance to teach this one a lesson myself."
"If I let you you'll turn him into your own scratching post." He hugged her tightly as she hissed at him but it melted into a purr. The sweet moment broke when a groan was heard and a pale colored eye looked up at them.
"You set me up… against my worse enemy?" His eyes turned hard and he strained against his binds. "You little bitch-" But once that single word passed his lips he cried out in pain. This time the man didn't stop the girl as she lashed out and struck him hard with an open hand. Four thin scratches appeared on his cheek and ended towards his lips as bright red blood began to bead up.
"If you call me that filthy dog name once more I'll castrate you the hard way," she hissed angrily and whirled from him so fast her braids struck him in the face. "Anubis. I'd better go before I go through with my threat. Meet you when Father Osiris rides his golden boat across the sky." She kissed him on the lips lightly before stepping out into the darkness and vanished without a trace. She had business elsewhere at the moment.
Anubis watched her go and looked at the bound Trooper before him. He reached out with a dark hand to wipe the blood way but the young man jerked his face away from him almost violently. Saying nothing he pulled back and sat on a chair with his arms folded on top of the chair's back, watching him with calm blue-green eyes. Studying him as a wolf studied his prey before he finally spoke up.
"You want to know why you're here and what's going on." The blonde just nodded as he struggled to wipe the blood away but just succeeded in smearing on along his ivory colored flesh. Yami just sighed deeply and looked down at the ground, thinking of where to start first and just decided to settle in the beginning.
"Black Queen is my sister. Well not blood sister but soul sister. I won't go into the details but because of what you have been doing to the other Troopers has made her very 'upset' since she loves one of them."
His eyes widen in surprise before they narrowed. "Is this what it is then? She's protecting her turf? Her property? If that's so then why isn't she here now?"
"Because she's trying to calm him down and not everyone thinks that lovers are property," he growled a warning at his tone. He would not tolerate anyone, especially him, to speak in such a manner about her. He lifted his head up and continued to watch him. "Why did you do it?"
"Do what?"
" 'Do what' he asks. You raped the other Troopers to the point where they are so broken that every time your name is mentioned they either run and hide, turn pale and faint, or get so paranoid that anything that reminds them of you makes them panic like terrified rabbits. Because of that little fact all of their yoroi are corrupted so they can't use them for anything."
Seiji shrugged his shoulders as much as he could. "So? They are unable to control their yoroi anymore. Mine still works," he said smugly.
"You think? I think you had better see something Seiji." The older man leaned back in her chair and gestured to the side. For a moment there was no sound but the heavy sound of footsteps echoed in the abandoned barn. The closer the figure came the louder the noise was until it stopped right before Seiji yet the darkness shrouded the stranger completely. He felt a familiar tug deep inside, wondering what it meet and felt his eyes widen when the shadows were lifted. He was staring directly in the faceplate of the yoroi of Korin, shining brightly in the barn but the eyeholes… there were dark and empty looking. A hand held the no-dachi blade tightly at its side but seemed to want to bury the bright blade into his bounded body.
"What sort of trick is this, Yami?" he asked, trying to put up a brave front but his voice wavered from fear. This had never happened before nor did he think something like this could ever happen.
"No trick, Date Seiji. Because of your actions you are not worry to carry myself." The deep voice echoed around the area but it came directly from the empty yoroi suit. Two burning orbs appeared in the eyeholes and stared directly into the young man's face to reveal its utter disgust in him.
"You're alive…?" he asked softly, sounding like a small squeak of shock. He flinched as Korin reached up and held the thick blonde strands away from his face so that he could look at him with both eyes. "I don't understand…"
"Ever since that time in New York you have become more dark. You wished to have control and proceeded to do that but in the process you have hurt the other Troopers. They have lost the confidence in themselves but mainly in you. Even as we speak the Mashos are trying their best to help sooth their fears."
The young man nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. "So what has that got to do with me?"
The hand slowly pulled away and let the bangs fall back before the side of his face. "Either you learn how to love the others and they begin to trust and love you as a friend, not fear you… or not only will you lose them but you will lose me as well. I will not allow myself to become one with someone who would torture their friends, my brothers in arms, in such a manner. We may not be alive but we do exist to protect the world and the people in it from ones such as yourself. Remember that Date Seiji… or else." Korin silently stepped back, even as the young man called out to him but ignored him and disappeared as the shadows swallowed him completely. Seiji could only hang there from whatever held him up and cry bitter tears. He couldn't loose his yoroi, he couldn't! It was the only thing that kept him safe after that incident in New York even if it was the same thing that drew him there in first place. But he didn't know how to love. His family never showed him and the fact that he always wanted to be in control made it so much worse. The real problem was he was afraid to give it up, afraid to get hurt even by those closet to him.
Dark fingers gently brushed the tears away, tilting the pale face up to his own and continued to look to deep into his confused gaze. Even as the soft sunlit hair was held back from his other eye he didn't flinch away. Anubis never knew how beautiful he looked as he gazed into those soft colored eyes and brought his face closer to his, breathing deeply as he traced the pale pink lips with his thumb, pressing his clothed body against the bound figure before him. "Seiji…" he moaned softly before leaning down and captured his desirable mouth with his own, eyes almost drifting completely shut and took his time.
(Due to the NC17 ban this chapter has had the lemon edited out. Sorry everyone but thanks to idiots who banned me the first time and other people, whose stories I loved to read, this was forced to fall right on our necks. If you want to read the lemon then please look for the following Screen Names at the following sites: Shadow of Light @ MediaMiner.org or ShadowofLight @ AdultFanFiction.Net)
Seiji looked at the mansion and swallowed nervously. Once more he rubbed his hands on his slacks and pulled out his key, unlocking the front door. Upon entering he took his shoes off and made his way into the living room where the rest of the Mashos were sitting along with some of the Troopers. Shin whimpered softly as he clung to the young lady tightly, looking away from him and let Kayura softly sooth his fears and stroked his soft auburn hair. Rajura and Naaza looked ready to kill him as Touma tried to hide in the sofa's cushions, clinging tightly to the other two Mashos who were sitting on either side of him.
"You have a lot of nerve!" Naaza hissed at him angrily, "Why are you here?!"
"I… I came to apologize," Seiji said quietly. "I had no right to do what I did and... I was hoping that we could still be friends."
"After what you did to them do you think they'll forgive you so lightly?" Naaza said as he soothingly rubbed Touma's back some letting him rest his head in his lap as Rajura got up and stood before the young healer.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't skin you alive?" he growled angrily.
"Anything you do is what I deserve," he said with no fear or hesitation in his voice. "I can't erase what I did in the past but I would like to make a fresh start, so to speak." He looked at his friends and for the first time in a long time realized just how much damage he inflicted on them. Shin was so scared and timid and when he looked into his sea-colored eyes he saw that of everyone he was affected the most. Touma's starry eyes were dark and void of the light he used to see in them. A churn of anger, fear and guilt raced against the starry blue depths and bore into her soul. He closed his eyes against the sudden fill of tears and bowed to them deeply. "Domo gomen."
Kayura looked and saw a difference in the young man that stood there with his head bowed. Slowly and carefully she got up and walked over to him with Shin following but keeping behind her. Slowly and carefully she reached up gently tipping his face up and wiped away the single tear that fell down four pale red scratches barely hidden from the sweep of hair.
"You really have learn your lesson," she said softly. He merely nodded and reached up to gently touch her hand.
"I know you all don't trust me but please understand that I really have learned my lesson. You guys are more important to me than anyone else and I can't lose that. Forgive me?"
Suiko looked at him for a long time before slowly walking up to him and almost hesitantly wrapped his arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly. "I forgive you," he said softly and tentively smiled when he felt the hug being returned to him, arms just holding him and shaking lightly. After a moment he pulled back, Seiji slowly letting his arms dropped and looked over at the archer.
Touma looked at him for a long time but didn't move from his spot, still scared and unsure of it but he sighed deeply and merely nodded to him. "It's gonna be a while before I can trust ya enough to even hug ya and even longer before I trust with like I used to… but I'm willing to work on it if you are," he said quietly, squeezing Naaza's hand tightly and held it to his face.
"That's all I'm asking for," he said with a small smile that also reached his eyes. It was a start. "Where are Shu and Ryou?"
"Upstairs. I'll show ya," Gen said with a huff and took off for the sitars and went up, not bothering to look behind to see if Seiji was following. As soon as the blonde left Kayura and Naaza had their hand full trying to help calm and relax their lovers as they began to cry but this time it wasn't from pain or fear but from a bit of peace.
In Ryou's room Shu sat looking out the window, his normally cheerful expression completely wiped from his face, occasionally shifting his gaze over to where Ryou was leaning against Black Queen as she motherly stroked his raven hair. Byakuen purred deeply where he laid on the floor, looking over his charges and purred deeper as Shu reached down to scratch his ears.
"How's he doing?" he asked softly.
"A bit better. Some more rest and bit more food in his system should have him up and about," she said in an equally quiet tone, hugging the young man close as she rocked him some, softly singing a lullaby to him. Everyone looked up as the door open and the young woman and tiger hissed angrily as the sight of the blonde healer and kendo master.
"You!!"
Rajura held up his hand to stop any future attacks. "He's come to apologize." Slowly he moved over to stand behind Shu and rested both his hands on his broad shoulders, kneading the tension from them.
Seiji took the time to look at his friends and frowned a bit. Shu looked ready to pound him into the ground but the mere thought of him touching him seemed to disgust him to no end. Ryo looked at him with blank eyes that held nothing. That worried him greatly.
"I wanted to apologize for what I did to you and everyone else. I had no reason to do what I did and if I could erase it I would but know that I did learn my lesson," he said in a quiet voice, bowing his head to them.
"How do we know you won't do it all over again as soon as our guard is done?" Shu retorted angrily.
"You don't. But I assure you I would never do that again. You all are very dear to my hart and I don't want to lose anyone… I'll do whatever it takes for you trust me again, for however long it takes as well." The room was quiet but the large white tiger slowly got up and made his way to the young man. Sniffing his hand e licked it and purred deeply as he reached down and scratched him under his chin.
"… It's gonna take a while but okay. But if you ever do that again-"
"I get the idea. I'm going to leave for a while but I'll be back. Anubis says this is for the best, that without me being here for a while you all can get back on your feet."
Black queen nodded and looked up at him with golden green eyes. "You take care, Korin."
"I will. Arigato." With a bow he left the room and silently closed the door behind him. Once the door closed Ryou owlishly blinked his eyes and smiled just a little bit. Maybe things were finally looking up.
"How'd it go?"
Seiji looked up where Anubis was waiting for him on the porch just out the front door, still dressed in his dark clothing from last night but opened his arms for him when he stepped up and hugged him tightly. He gladly returned the gesture and rubbed his cheek on his chest, sighing deeply.
"It's going to take a while but it's done."
"They'll trust you, koi. Just give them time and patience. And remember you'll never be alone," a gloved finger traced the line of his jaw, tilting his face up to see his, "I'll always be there for you."
He smiled and leaned up to softly kiss him, holding him tightly as darkness surrounded them to take them away from this place. For now. Loving words whispered softly in the wind before it blew them away.
"Ai shite'ru yo."
The EndAuthor's Note: Lordy I finally finished it! I was gonna leave it with a harsh ending but after talking a bit with Shadow of Arashi I decided to change it. Now, when I first began this first (looooong time ago) I didn't care for Seiji much and to top it off I was just barely getting into yaoi stuff. The fics I read about our blonde samurai portrayed him as an asshole who cared about nothing or no one except himself so I decided to add it to. But now I've read many stories where he isn't like that and he can be just as sweet and vulnerable as Shin/Cye. So Arashi, this is for you and anyone else who liked it. Sorry it took so long but it's done and I hope to never go through this again! *sighs and falls back in chair*