I have in no way any rights to Yami no Matsuei.

-  -  -

            It was a fine night, a few months after Muraki's lab had burnt down (thanks to Touda), and for once, Muraki had decided to visit Oriya without having something evil within his sleeve.

Mibu Oriya had just woken up to the very distinguishable sounds of Muraki Kazutaka grunting. "Great," Oriya began, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "Just what is Kazutaka doing?"

            So, Oriya stood up from his bed, ran a hand through his hair absently, and finally adjusted his yukata. He quieted the thoughts running through his head of what Kazutaka could be doing. He hoped Muraki hadn't killed one of his workers and was—

            Oriya had just opened the door. "Kazu…taka…" He trailed off, this hadn't been what he was expecting. No one in their right mind would have expected this!!!

He soon regained his composure from the initial sight of this scene. It appeared Muraki hadn't even noticed him yet. "And why do we socialize together?" Oriya added smoothly, though there was still an underlying theme of shock to his vocal tone.

            Muraki turned to Oriya; an innocent look stretched across his features and promptly dropped the whip. If potatoes could sigh, the one juxtaposed between Muraki and the stake within its plump potato-like body would have. "I'm… 'practicing' for my next auspicious meeting with Tsuzuki-san." Muraki responded, hoping Oriya would accept that answer and leave him so he could go back to his ministrations on the potato.

            Oriya sighed deeply and removed himself from the room.

After that, he needed some sake. And a lot of it.

            Back in the bedroom… Muraki looked at the potato.

            The potato looked at Muraki, and once again if potatoes could express emotion, this potato would have had an expression of contempt across its features.

            "Shh…" Muraki began hushing it quietly, as the brought a finger up to stroke the abrasive skin of the disgruntled potato. "I had to tell him something, my beloved… We can't have this relationship out in the open like that. I have a reputation to keep, after all."

Owari.