apologies again for my slow updates... (man, is this becoming a habit or what? -.-;;) hopefully things'll start moving along again here soon, or at least I'll be able to space my pieces out instead of putting out three things a month :3
anyway, here be exposition. And next chapter be lemon-flavored! Let's hope that one gets out quicker, it should with tdei and colin kicking my ass for more. And speaking of, thanks to those two wonderful peeps for beta-ing this and helping me smoothe out the places where I wasn't being clear enough. Hope you all enjoy~
--==--
Masa struggled to get his breath, still feeling ripples of pleasure filling his body, even as he shook, his skin feeling cold, too tight. He stared at Hiroshige-sensei, who looked almost as confused as he felt.
"Miroku...?" The teacher's voice was soft and it sent a light shock through him. He pressed himself against the wall, looked to the side.
"Miroku." Footsteps, and suddenly the older man was close, standing mere inches from him. Gentle fingertips brushed his cheek. "What's wrong?"
With a shuddering sob, Masa knocked the hand away.
"Please..." The teacher sounded worried, frustrated, irritated. "Talk to me, Miroku."
Oh god, he felt like he was going to be sick... his breathing was funny, all high-pitched, and his entire body was trembling so much, he was dizzy. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to gain control, but it felt like he was falling, and he could hear himself sobbing, but somehow it felt all fuzzy and wrong somehow...
The next thing he knew, he was reeling from a sharp pain on the side of his cheek. He brought his hand up cautiously, blinked up into the strangely golden eyes of Hiroshige-sensei.
"... you hit me." It was all he could focus on, that shock. Teachers weren't supposed to hit students.
The teacher winced. "You were hysterical. It's what they do in movies."
"I..." Teachers also weren't supposed to be making out with them in closets, he realized with a short laugh. "What..." Masa swallowed, trying to force the words out, though they didn't want to come. "What's happening to me?"
Hiroshige-sensei frowned. "What do you mean?"
Masa shook his head, at a loss. "I... why were you-- I mean..." He paused, holding his breath for a second and letting it out in a sigh, trying to focus. "Hiroshige-sensei.... what did you call me, before? And why...." He didn't finish the question, couldn't find the right way to.
The teacher stared at him for a few seconds before speaking, and when he did it was in a whisper. "Oh god." Hiroshige-sensei paled slightly, paused to clear his throat. "What exactly do you remember?"
"I don't know... Asking you if you were alright, I guess, and then suddenly we were in the closet, and I... you..." He blushed, trailing off and averting his eyes.
Hiroshige-sensei took a step back, breath hissing out in a disbelieving sigh. "Nothing else?"
Masa shook his head, wrapping his arms around his waist. He still felt cold, tingly.
"Masa... what day is it?"
"Friday...?" The statement slid into a question at the look on the older man's face.
"Actually, it's Saturday." Hiroshige-sensei rubbed his hands over his face. "Shit." He looked back up at Masa, and the boy caught his breath at the serious intensity in his eyes. "We need to talk."
Masa nodded slightly, and the teacher looked around the hall. "Not here." He disappeared back into the closet and reappeared quickly, pulling his shirt on. He wrapped his overcoat around Masa's shoulders. "Come on."
--==--
God. He was in Hiroshige-sensei's apartment. With the guy who was just all over him in the broom closet. Was he insane? Did he hit his head? He didn't -remember- hitting his head, but apparently memory hadn't been his strong suit in the last couple days.
"You don't remember at all, do you?"
Masa jumped, broken out of his reverie. "I..." He looked down at the sake cup, rolling the liquid inside of it. A bit splashed out onto his hand.
"No, it's obvious you don't. God, how could I have been so oblivious?" Hiroshige-sensei scowled up at the roof. "I was entirely too caught up-- damnit."
Masa stayed quiet, stared down at the alcohol the teacher had poured.
"Alright. I suppose I should start at the beginning." A hand curled under Masa's chin, jerking it up, and he looked at the teacher in shock. "But first, a promise. You'll hear me out until the end, and you'll ask your questions then."
Masa blinked, nodded. "I promise."
"Right then." Hiroshige-sensei let go of Masa, settled back in his chair. Lifting his own sake cup, he tossed back the contents rapidly and poured himself another.
"Are you going to drink that sake or keep it warm for me?"
Masa raised it to his lips, wincing at the taste that spread over his tongue. It tasted like paint thinner.
The older man started, staring down into his cup like it was a book, talking as if he was reading out of it. "My name isn't Hiroshige, first of all. It's Sesshomaru."
"I'm also... not human. I'm a demon."
Masa choked slightly on a bit of the warm liquid, eyes widening as he looked up. The other man carried on, ignoring his reaction.
"I'm nearly immortal, by your standards. I was born several hundred years ago... around what is now called the Warring States Period.
Something seemed strange about the was Hiroshige-sensei (Sesshomaru?) looked. Masa rubbed his eyes. Was he imagining things? He let his hands drop, and he gasped slightly.
Hair that once was black was growing white and longer, and color was seeping into his skin, forming markings... lines and a crescent moon on his forehead.
Oh gods. This wasn't a dream. It wasn't him imagining things. Masa stared in horrified fascination, noting the slimming and sharpening of fingernails that had previously just been a bit too long.
"I was the heir of the lord of the Western Lands, young and new in my power when I met him..." Sesshomaru's voice held a world of sorrow, and Masa bit his lip as he looked up into his golden eyes.
"His name was Miroku." The demon sighed. "At first, I hardly noticed him. He was human, weak and inferior to me, and he was allied with my brother, a half-breed bastard. All he was, was an obstacle, to be killed and cast aside.
"But somehow, we ended up allies, working together. And I couldn't help being intoxicated by him. He was... very noticeable. Handsome-- beautiful really-- and frighteningly intelligent. Eventually, I seduced him. Or he seduced me."
Sesshomaru shook his head, sipping more sake. "I don't know how, but I came to feel deeply for him. Perhaps I even... loved him. But he... he had other priorities. He married a girl who had been infatuated with him since she was very young, and they had a family together
"We rapidly fell out of touch. I suppose he didn't care about me enough to contact me. I learned of his death only years later." The demon trailed off, sighed.
"And much sooner than I could have believed, the day of youkai was over. And those of us who wanted to survive adapted, learned to hide in the human world." He smiled wryly. "Eventually, I became a history teacher."
Masa stared at the demon, sake cup forgotten in his hands. "You're... serious?" he gulped, head swimming.
"Absolutely."
"And... how do I fit into all of this," Masa whispered, dreading the answer.
Sesshomaru stared at him, and Masa found himself squirming under the intensity of those eyes. "I believe that you're Miroku's reincarnation."
"I..." he started, then fell silent. He looked down at his cup, then deliberately raised it to his lips, choked the burning liquid down. It brought tears to his eyes, and he took big, slightly shaky breath.
"And why were we together?" He asked quietly as he set his cup on the table.
Sesshomaru winced slightly. "You see... yesterday you suddenly remembered everything. Or at least, it seemed that you were remembering. You acted--" He paused, frowning slightly. "You acted exactly like Miroku did."
Masa snorted, his lip curling derisively. "And this is what? Strange, considering I'm apparently his carbon copy?" His voice was laced with bitterness.
"I didn't mean to imply that." Sesshomaru's brow furrowed deeper. "No, that should have been my first clue."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you see, reincarnations often have vastly different personalities from each other. They share a spirit, so there's a certain sameness at the core of each incarnation of a soul, but the surface personality often differs wildly, based on environment and upbringing..." the demon trailed off, thoughtfully.
Masa shook his head, suddenly overwhelmed and feeling a throbbing ache starting in his temples. He stood up, feeling slightly dizzy from the sake. "Look, I can't... I'm going home."
"Masa," Sesshomaru looked up at him, worried. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't. I just... I've got to go." He slid the teacher's jacket off his shoulders, and paused, taking in his attire, something which he had been too confused to pay attention to, up until now.
He -definitely- didn't remember owning anything like this. He looked like one of those artsy goth geeks, the kind that went to fashion design school or harbored pretentious dreams of being rock stars.
He frowned and instead of sliding the rest of the way out of the jacket, slipped his hand into one of the jacket pockets and pulled a small bottle out.
Masa sucked his breath in as he stared at it. "What exactly did you two plan to do with my body?"
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, but kept silent. Masa pulled the jacket off, tossed it on the table, and advanced on the youkai, a dangerous light in his eyes. "Tell me." He pushed at the older man's shoulder, forcing him to settle back in the chair. "Would you have slept with me?"
He felt himself grow cold as Sesshomaru averted his eyes. "Of course. You already did." The demon sighed slightly at his statement. It was confirmation enough. He stared, his mind spinning, thoughts so tangled and confused he could barely get a handle on them.
After several seconds of silence, golden eyes turned back to him, searching his. "Masa, I think you should go home. Take some time, let this all work itself out in your head. I can call you a taxi..."
He shook his head, trying to focus. "No. Shut up."
Sesshomaru kept talking, as if he hadn't said anything. "...and perhaps tomorrow-"
Quickly, he leaned into the youkai, clumsily sealing their mouths together, stopping the flow of words. Sesshomaru made a muffled sound of surprise, eyes flying open in shock as his hands rose up to Masa's shoulders, trying to push him away.
But the resistance wasn't enough, barely enough to be considered as such. Sesshomaru wouldn't hurt him to push him away, somehow he knew that.
He slid onto Sesshomaru's lap, straddling him, fisting his hands into that long silver hair stubbornly, refusing any other attempt by the youkai to break the awkward kiss.
Lips trembled against his, but didn't give way. He pulled back. "What's wrong?" His voice was flat, drained of emotion.
Setting his jaw, the youkai looked away. "Masa, don't." He reached up to Masa's wrists, trying to pull his hands down.
"Come on. If I'm going to have lost my virginity, don't I at least deserve to remember it?" Sesshomaru's mouth fell open slightly, and Masa leaned in to kiss him again, pressing the slight advantage.
anyway, here be exposition. And next chapter be lemon-flavored! Let's hope that one gets out quicker, it should with tdei and colin kicking my ass for more. And speaking of, thanks to those two wonderful peeps for beta-ing this and helping me smoothe out the places where I wasn't being clear enough. Hope you all enjoy~
--==--
Masa struggled to get his breath, still feeling ripples of pleasure filling his body, even as he shook, his skin feeling cold, too tight. He stared at Hiroshige-sensei, who looked almost as confused as he felt.
"Miroku...?" The teacher's voice was soft and it sent a light shock through him. He pressed himself against the wall, looked to the side.
"Miroku." Footsteps, and suddenly the older man was close, standing mere inches from him. Gentle fingertips brushed his cheek. "What's wrong?"
With a shuddering sob, Masa knocked the hand away.
"Please..." The teacher sounded worried, frustrated, irritated. "Talk to me, Miroku."
Oh god, he felt like he was going to be sick... his breathing was funny, all high-pitched, and his entire body was trembling so much, he was dizzy. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to gain control, but it felt like he was falling, and he could hear himself sobbing, but somehow it felt all fuzzy and wrong somehow...
The next thing he knew, he was reeling from a sharp pain on the side of his cheek. He brought his hand up cautiously, blinked up into the strangely golden eyes of Hiroshige-sensei.
"... you hit me." It was all he could focus on, that shock. Teachers weren't supposed to hit students.
The teacher winced. "You were hysterical. It's what they do in movies."
"I..." Teachers also weren't supposed to be making out with them in closets, he realized with a short laugh. "What..." Masa swallowed, trying to force the words out, though they didn't want to come. "What's happening to me?"
Hiroshige-sensei frowned. "What do you mean?"
Masa shook his head, at a loss. "I... why were you-- I mean..." He paused, holding his breath for a second and letting it out in a sigh, trying to focus. "Hiroshige-sensei.... what did you call me, before? And why...." He didn't finish the question, couldn't find the right way to.
The teacher stared at him for a few seconds before speaking, and when he did it was in a whisper. "Oh god." Hiroshige-sensei paled slightly, paused to clear his throat. "What exactly do you remember?"
"I don't know... Asking you if you were alright, I guess, and then suddenly we were in the closet, and I... you..." He blushed, trailing off and averting his eyes.
Hiroshige-sensei took a step back, breath hissing out in a disbelieving sigh. "Nothing else?"
Masa shook his head, wrapping his arms around his waist. He still felt cold, tingly.
"Masa... what day is it?"
"Friday...?" The statement slid into a question at the look on the older man's face.
"Actually, it's Saturday." Hiroshige-sensei rubbed his hands over his face. "Shit." He looked back up at Masa, and the boy caught his breath at the serious intensity in his eyes. "We need to talk."
Masa nodded slightly, and the teacher looked around the hall. "Not here." He disappeared back into the closet and reappeared quickly, pulling his shirt on. He wrapped his overcoat around Masa's shoulders. "Come on."
--==--
God. He was in Hiroshige-sensei's apartment. With the guy who was just all over him in the broom closet. Was he insane? Did he hit his head? He didn't -remember- hitting his head, but apparently memory hadn't been his strong suit in the last couple days.
"You don't remember at all, do you?"
Masa jumped, broken out of his reverie. "I..." He looked down at the sake cup, rolling the liquid inside of it. A bit splashed out onto his hand.
"No, it's obvious you don't. God, how could I have been so oblivious?" Hiroshige-sensei scowled up at the roof. "I was entirely too caught up-- damnit."
Masa stayed quiet, stared down at the alcohol the teacher had poured.
"Alright. I suppose I should start at the beginning." A hand curled under Masa's chin, jerking it up, and he looked at the teacher in shock. "But first, a promise. You'll hear me out until the end, and you'll ask your questions then."
Masa blinked, nodded. "I promise."
"Right then." Hiroshige-sensei let go of Masa, settled back in his chair. Lifting his own sake cup, he tossed back the contents rapidly and poured himself another.
"Are you going to drink that sake or keep it warm for me?"
Masa raised it to his lips, wincing at the taste that spread over his tongue. It tasted like paint thinner.
The older man started, staring down into his cup like it was a book, talking as if he was reading out of it. "My name isn't Hiroshige, first of all. It's Sesshomaru."
"I'm also... not human. I'm a demon."
Masa choked slightly on a bit of the warm liquid, eyes widening as he looked up. The other man carried on, ignoring his reaction.
"I'm nearly immortal, by your standards. I was born several hundred years ago... around what is now called the Warring States Period.
Something seemed strange about the was Hiroshige-sensei (Sesshomaru?) looked. Masa rubbed his eyes. Was he imagining things? He let his hands drop, and he gasped slightly.
Hair that once was black was growing white and longer, and color was seeping into his skin, forming markings... lines and a crescent moon on his forehead.
Oh gods. This wasn't a dream. It wasn't him imagining things. Masa stared in horrified fascination, noting the slimming and sharpening of fingernails that had previously just been a bit too long.
"I was the heir of the lord of the Western Lands, young and new in my power when I met him..." Sesshomaru's voice held a world of sorrow, and Masa bit his lip as he looked up into his golden eyes.
"His name was Miroku." The demon sighed. "At first, I hardly noticed him. He was human, weak and inferior to me, and he was allied with my brother, a half-breed bastard. All he was, was an obstacle, to be killed and cast aside.
"But somehow, we ended up allies, working together. And I couldn't help being intoxicated by him. He was... very noticeable. Handsome-- beautiful really-- and frighteningly intelligent. Eventually, I seduced him. Or he seduced me."
Sesshomaru shook his head, sipping more sake. "I don't know how, but I came to feel deeply for him. Perhaps I even... loved him. But he... he had other priorities. He married a girl who had been infatuated with him since she was very young, and they had a family together
"We rapidly fell out of touch. I suppose he didn't care about me enough to contact me. I learned of his death only years later." The demon trailed off, sighed.
"And much sooner than I could have believed, the day of youkai was over. And those of us who wanted to survive adapted, learned to hide in the human world." He smiled wryly. "Eventually, I became a history teacher."
Masa stared at the demon, sake cup forgotten in his hands. "You're... serious?" he gulped, head swimming.
"Absolutely."
"And... how do I fit into all of this," Masa whispered, dreading the answer.
Sesshomaru stared at him, and Masa found himself squirming under the intensity of those eyes. "I believe that you're Miroku's reincarnation."
"I..." he started, then fell silent. He looked down at his cup, then deliberately raised it to his lips, choked the burning liquid down. It brought tears to his eyes, and he took big, slightly shaky breath.
"And why were we together?" He asked quietly as he set his cup on the table.
Sesshomaru winced slightly. "You see... yesterday you suddenly remembered everything. Or at least, it seemed that you were remembering. You acted--" He paused, frowning slightly. "You acted exactly like Miroku did."
Masa snorted, his lip curling derisively. "And this is what? Strange, considering I'm apparently his carbon copy?" His voice was laced with bitterness.
"I didn't mean to imply that." Sesshomaru's brow furrowed deeper. "No, that should have been my first clue."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you see, reincarnations often have vastly different personalities from each other. They share a spirit, so there's a certain sameness at the core of each incarnation of a soul, but the surface personality often differs wildly, based on environment and upbringing..." the demon trailed off, thoughtfully.
Masa shook his head, suddenly overwhelmed and feeling a throbbing ache starting in his temples. He stood up, feeling slightly dizzy from the sake. "Look, I can't... I'm going home."
"Masa," Sesshomaru looked up at him, worried. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't. I just... I've got to go." He slid the teacher's jacket off his shoulders, and paused, taking in his attire, something which he had been too confused to pay attention to, up until now.
He -definitely- didn't remember owning anything like this. He looked like one of those artsy goth geeks, the kind that went to fashion design school or harbored pretentious dreams of being rock stars.
He frowned and instead of sliding the rest of the way out of the jacket, slipped his hand into one of the jacket pockets and pulled a small bottle out.
Masa sucked his breath in as he stared at it. "What exactly did you two plan to do with my body?"
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, but kept silent. Masa pulled the jacket off, tossed it on the table, and advanced on the youkai, a dangerous light in his eyes. "Tell me." He pushed at the older man's shoulder, forcing him to settle back in the chair. "Would you have slept with me?"
He felt himself grow cold as Sesshomaru averted his eyes. "Of course. You already did." The demon sighed slightly at his statement. It was confirmation enough. He stared, his mind spinning, thoughts so tangled and confused he could barely get a handle on them.
After several seconds of silence, golden eyes turned back to him, searching his. "Masa, I think you should go home. Take some time, let this all work itself out in your head. I can call you a taxi..."
He shook his head, trying to focus. "No. Shut up."
Sesshomaru kept talking, as if he hadn't said anything. "...and perhaps tomorrow-"
Quickly, he leaned into the youkai, clumsily sealing their mouths together, stopping the flow of words. Sesshomaru made a muffled sound of surprise, eyes flying open in shock as his hands rose up to Masa's shoulders, trying to push him away.
But the resistance wasn't enough, barely enough to be considered as such. Sesshomaru wouldn't hurt him to push him away, somehow he knew that.
He slid onto Sesshomaru's lap, straddling him, fisting his hands into that long silver hair stubbornly, refusing any other attempt by the youkai to break the awkward kiss.
Lips trembled against his, but didn't give way. He pulled back. "What's wrong?" His voice was flat, drained of emotion.
Setting his jaw, the youkai looked away. "Masa, don't." He reached up to Masa's wrists, trying to pull his hands down.
"Come on. If I'm going to have lost my virginity, don't I at least deserve to remember it?" Sesshomaru's mouth fell open slightly, and Masa leaned in to kiss him again, pressing the slight advantage.