WARNING: This chapter is WAY more graphic than chapter 1, cus the sex scene is so short if I censored 1-2 sentences I don't think there's a point. I you are underaged, or can't stand BL, don't read that part!

Chapter 2: Anata to onaji jyanai (I'm different from you)

"Konbanwa (good evening)," Kanmuri half-sighed as he opened the sliding door. It was his third customer that night – he was exhausted, sore, and edgy. "How should I serve-?"

"Shigeru!" He was pulled into the room by an overly energetic tanned brunet, "Don't linger around; get to the windowsill now!"

"Wha-?" He exclaimed in shock before a flower burst in the stark darkness of the night sky right in front his amethyst eyes. Kanmuri appreciated the beauty of the vermilion and viridian colours, laced together before disappearing in a blink of an eye, replaced by golden sparks racing to the sky like shooting stars and blossoming to a myriad of flowers. "Hanabi desu…(It's fireworks)," he breathed in awe.

"Well, it's the last day of the Summer Festival," Azuma grinned from his position next to the pink-haired boy, "I chose this room because I figured this is the best view of the fireworks we can get from this brothel."

Looking at the fireworks reminded him of the enjoyments one could have in life, and soothed his aches. Kanmuri felt somewhat more relaxed. "Summer is ending," he commented leisurely.

"Kirei ja ne…(It's so pretty)" Kanmuri heard the farmer saying after nodding at his previous comment. The prostitute turned to him and smiled. "Hanabi ga (the fireworks)?"

Azuma's head rose from his arms, his eyes on Kanmuri the whole time. The fireworks coloured parts of Kanmuri's face, rainbows flashing on pale skin, reflected on Azuma's large caramel eyes. "Shigeru ga (Shigeru is)." (A/N: the one who is pretty, that is. Spoken Japanese is like that. Sometime one speaks just verbs, and the listener is supposed to know the subjects)

Roses blossomed on the white canvases that were Kanmuri's cheeks. If it weren't Azuma's compliment, Kanmuri would have replied it with, "Really? Thank you!" in a cheeky way middle-aged perverts seemed to like, but since it was the honest-to-a-fault Azuma, Kanmuri shook his head. "I can't possibly compare to the hanabi."

"Who says so?" Azuma dismissed the reply. "Anyways," he turned and gestured at a large green bundle lying on the futon. Kanmuri didn't know how he could have overlooked it, given the size. "I got you some things from the Festival."

'Stop'

"You don't have to," Kanmuri walked to the futon and sat on his calves next to the bag. "May I open it?"

"Atarimae ja (Of course)!" Azuma hopped to the spot next to the other boy and urged him to do so.

Kanmuri gasped in wonderment at the sight of many, many foods and toys inside. "A-azuma-san," he was rendered speechless.

"Since you can't go to the Festival, I make sure to get everything for you," Azuma grinned again. Kanmuri inhaled sharply. The boy was pure. He held nothing back, and never had any hidden objectives in his actions.

'Stop'

"You really don't have to…" Kanmuri picked up a marble from the bundle and inspected it under his nose. There was a four-leaved clover preserved within the pink-tinted spherical glass. "I'm sorry for bothering you…"

"What are you talking about? I promised to bring you lots of stuff from the Festival, didn't I? Now, let's tuck in!" Azuma rummaged through the trinkets and pulled out a round, red apple covered completely with sugar. "Try this! It's my favourite!"

"You should eat it," Kanmuri pushed the apple back to Azuma, despite the hunger pangs he'd felt for at least 2 hour.

"I'm full! I've eaten too many apples already!" the brunet insisted, "Just eat it!"

As if agreeing with the other boy, Kanmuri's stomach decided to growl at that instant. Face red as the representation of the original sin, Kanmuri took the handle of the apple from Azuma's warm hands. "Then, itadakimasu."

Kanmuri didn't intend to finish it, really. But it was so delicious. "Umai," he exclaimed in joy, "Aah, kono amashisha…(this sweetness) Kono umai mono…hajimete tabemashita (It's the first time I eat this delicacy)." He'd felt as though his mouth had an orgasm when the sugar melted on his tongue.

"Huh?" Azuma raised an eyebrow, "You've never been to a festival?"

"Ikimashita. Tashika…juu nen mae nan desu kedo (I had…may be ten years ago)," Kanmuri replied as he savoured the syrupiness on his taste buds, before his eyes had a faraway look in them. "Uchi wa bimbo dakara…(My family was poor)."

Azuma cried anime style, phlegm dripping from his nose. "Sou ja (So it's like that)," he sobbed in sympathy, "You should have told me earlier! Then-"

"Mae no hanashi deshita (It was a long time ago)!" Kanmuri said quickly, "I have enough food to eat now!" 'Relatively,' he added fervidly, his hatred for Yukino running deep.

"Naru hodo (I see)," the switch to a smile was very fast. "Shigeru wa amai mono suki ja ne (So Shigeru likes sweets)?" Azuma noted. "Well…" he pulled out a large, fluffy, pink-coloured cloud-on-a-stick and removed the plastic covering, "You should try this too."

Kanmuri eyed the food curiously. That was the first time he'd seen something like that. "Hen na tabe mono desu yo ne (What a peculiar food)."

"It's a new thing. The seller calls it cotton-candy," Azuma remarked, "When I saw it, I thought to myself, I absolutely must get it," he handed the stick to Kanmuri and smiled, "Coz it looks like your hair!"

Kanmuri pulled a lock of his hair closer to his eyes. "Hontou desu ne (It's true)," he stated, "Even the colour is similar." Truthfully, Kanmuri was surprised Azuma remembered his appearance to that extent. The paler boy looked back up at the farmer. "Won't you try this too?"

"It's okay. Anyway, I'm full," he crossed his arms behind his head and plopped to the futon.

'Why are you so kind to me?'

"Then…" Kanmuri took a large bite of the cotton candy and lowered his lips to Azuma when the other boy least expected it. Azuma recovered from his surprise quickly, though. Tongues battled in a fiery dance, familiarizing the contours of each other's mouths, legs tangling together intimately, heated flesh rubbing against the fabric of their clothes…


It was a fine, autumn morning. Red maple leaves fell off branches of trees, swaying by the wind before covering the paved ground. Birds were chirping. The sun shone warmly in the clear sky…

"Murasaki! Wake up, you trash!" Yukino's shrill voice destroyed the ambience. "Don't laze around! Sweep the front yard!"

"Hai, Yukino-sama!" Kanmuri replied his master. He sighed and left the windowsill halfheartedly. 'The trash is you,' he muttered viciously under his breath.

A girl chuckled lightly from the futon at the centre of the room. "Genki mitai da ne, Shigeru-kun (You look cheerful today)." The dark-eyed girl, with elbow-length black hair, and an unhealthy pale countenance, remarked as she folded Kanmuri's futon.

"Harumi!" the pink-haired boy jumped, "What are you doing? You should be resting!"

"I felt better when I woke up this morning," Harumi replied.

"But that's not a reason to get out of bed!" Kanmuri snapped at the small-voiced female as he pulled the futon from her.

The sick girl was quiet, her head bent low. The pink-haired boy was laden with guilt. "I'm sorry," he touched her on the back of her hand, "But you really mustn't get out of bed. If you don't follow what the sensei told you, you won't recover."

Harumi paused for a while, before her face brightened, her lips curling up to a smile. "You're right. I'm sorry, Shigeru-kun."

Kanmuri was shown a flash of how beautiful this young woman, this flower of the Maboroshi-ya brothel, used to be, a Japanese doll with the composure of Snow White, with large long lashed eyes, button nose and plump cherry lips. Reminiscing those days only saddened him.

"Shigeru-kun," Harumi breathed from beneath the blanket Kanmuri had tucked her into, "You make sure that you stay away from the black dragon, right?"

"Of course," Kanmuri nodded. Harumi reminded him everyday; there was no way he could forget.

"And…" Harumi vacillated, "have you heard anything from Masanobu-kun?"

Kanmuri shifted his gaze. He couldn't meet his childhood friend's eyes. "Yukino-sama didn't…"

"Never mind!" Harumi interrupted him, a large smile patched on her face. But it was patched wrong, the lines crooked. They both knew it, but acknowledging it was too painful. "By the way," Harumi said in a singsong tone in an attempt to overturn the mood, "you absolutely have to tell me what have made you so cheerful these past few weeks! You couldn't seem to get that small smile off your face!"

Kanmuri blushed. "There's nothing!"

"Are you sure?" Harumi smirked.

"MURASAKI!" Again, Yukino's voice destroyed the tranquil. "COMING!" Kanmuri stood up. "There's no helping that woman," he mock-complained at Harumi before changing out of his pajama to a working male two-piece kimono. "Iterasai (I'll be going), Harumi."

"Itekimasu," the girl replied, and waved at him. "May the gods protect you today, Shigeru-kun."


"Nan ya de?" Kawachi exclaimed, "You've been going to Maboroshi-ya frequently since your birthday?"

Azuma's caramel eyes met Kawachi's head on and nodded firmly.

"Aaah, the boy had his first taste of sex and can't have enough," Katsuo remarked, his eyes had perverted gleams in them, drool leaking out from the ends of his mouth.

The three were having a simple lunch (onigiris and tea) by the hut in the middle of the rice fields, watching the straw-man swinging pendulously in the wind, and throwing stones at the crows and squirrels. Katsuo joined them despite not being a farmer. Kawachi was retelling Katsuo about the incident with Minako and the two older men were still trying to get Azuma to share his experience about how he lost his virginity (with a guy, nevertheless). Strangely, Azuma yielded that day.

"Like I know the difference; I've never had sex with a girl," Azuma answered one of Katsuo's questions and looked at the pig-like guy as though he was the dumbest person on earth. In some ways, Azuma wasn't mistaken.

"But you always top, don't you?" Kawachi asked curiously.

"Top?" Azuma repeated, his head tilted, "What's top?"

"Aargh, you know," Kawachi jabbed a finger into a make-shift hole he formed with his thumb and point finger, his face turning red.

"Ooh, you mean penetrate?" Azuma responded smilingly, "Yes, I do."

Kawachi sighed. Talking to this thick-headed guy could take such a toll on him, sometimes.

"Then it shouldn't be much of a difference to having sex to a girl," Katsuo insisted. "Especially since Kawachi said the boy was pretty."

"Like you wouldn't believe!" Kawachi agreed. "So all in all, it was a good experience?"

"Yes! But…" Azuma frowned, "I recall that there was a strange smell lingering in the air…it wasn't so strong, but I don't like it…"

"Ah, that must be the black dragon," Katsuo answered dismissively. "You might not like it now, but-"

"Don't ever touch the black dragon!" Kawachi interjected, the lines on his face firm, "That stuff is poison, you hear me? Promise me you won't get anywhere near it!"

"I promise," Azuma replied, "But Kawachi, what is the black dragon?"

"It's the seed of evil," Kawachi clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, "A whiff is enough to make you soar to the sky, but afterwards, without it, your life will be completely miserable. You'll do anything to obtain it. It'll ruin your life," the kansai guy looked down, "just like it had ruined my father's."

The three men were quiet for the longest of time as Kawachi mourned, before the pervert Katsuo tried to lift up the mood again. "Hey, Azuma, do you recall the memories when you wank?" he nudged his young friend.

Kawachi's hair rose like a cat bristling. "Katsuo, you went too far-!"

"What's wanking?" Azuma asked innocently, and Kawachi fell. 'So much for the concern…'

Katsuo sighed. When it came to sexual stuff, Azuma was the dumb one. "Wanking means, you know, touching yourself."

"Touching myself?" Azuma poked his own cheek with his point finger, "like this?"

Katsuo sweat dropped. "No, ahou (idiot)! It means touching your penis and thinking of beautiful girls! Or guys, in your case…" he blurted bluntly, his patience running thin.

"Why do I have to wank?" Azuma asked yet another stupid question.

"Coz you aren't getting any, that's why!" Katsuo screamed at him, his saliva spattered on Azuma's face.

And in that conversation, Azuma dropped the bomb.

"Do you know how expensive the fare is?" Kawachi tried to convince Azuma to stop going, "We're not rich! It's not something you can do even once a month! Scratch frequently!"

"Don't be too harsh on the boy, Kawachi," Katsuo stated blithely, "Let the boy fuck it out of his system. Don't be such a worry-wart. It's just sex."

"Honmani are dake nara ii ya kedo (It's fine if that's the only case)," Kawachi was reminded of Tsukino, whom he had a crush on. The Kansai guy placed his hands on Azuma's shoulders. "Fine, you can go there again today, and fuck anyway you want. But remember this. Don't ever, ever fall in love with a prostitute!"

"Hai!" Not knowing what love felt like, Azuma made a second promise with Kawachi. This promise, he couldn't keep.


"Thank you for coming!" Kanmuri bowed as his regular left Maboroshi-ya's entrance. The man was a middle-aged pervert, absolutely relentless and disgusting in bed. The man's favourite was a role-play, a kinky SM. Kanmuri was glad his visit was a quick one. He sighed in relief as he reentered the brothel.

"Gokuro-sama (Thank you for the hard work)," Tsukino smiled at him at the corridor, "I'm not sure you'll find it a compliment or an offence, but I find that the get-up looks good on you."

This night, Kanmuri was dressed in a sakura-patterned kimono, his hair clipped up with a crimson, intricate dragonfly-shaped pin. The pin was Harumi's, and Kanmuri's good luck charm. "Coming from Tsukino-san, I'll take it as a compliment," The pink-haired boy smiled back. Out of most of the prostitutes in the brothel, he liked Tsukino best; she had a good head and a steel determination to survive. She could get to where she was now, the chief in the brothel, left untouched by most females prostitutes (who could be very ferocious; Kanmuri could give a first hand account), and relatively ignored by Yukino-sama, through sheer hard work. Tsukino never participated in petty catfights or mocked others.

She also stayed clear from the black dragon.

"Tokoro de (by the way), Kanmuri-kun," Tsukino preferred to call the boy by his real name, "Ano otoko no ko…tashika ni…kare no namae wa Azuma Kazuma desu yo ne (the boy…his name was Azuma Kazuma, if I'm not mistaken). Mata kite kureru desu (He comes again today)." A smile graced the green-eyed teenager's face, "I've already sent him to room 104. He's waiting for you." As she passed him the key, she whispered to his ear, "He isn't very well off, isn't he? I'm glad that we get a regular, but you must think of his own good."

The two prostitutes looked at each other seriously for a moment. "Arigatou," he finally nodded to her before proceeding to the room. "Konbanwa, Azuma-san," Kanmuri bowed after he slid the door open.

Azuma was sitting by the window, staring at the stars. The breeze was tousling his shoulder-length brown hair about, scent of wild grasses and fields wafting towards Kanmuri. "Natsukashii kaori (what a nostalgic scent)," he whispered softly and closed his eyes.

"What nostalgic scent?" Azuma inquired, his face right in front of the paler youth. Kanmuri's eyes shot open as he jumped. "Please don't surprise me!" he exclaimed, one hand clutching his half-exposed chest.

"Gomen, gomen (I'm sorry)," Azuma scratched his head and retreated towards the futon. "Shigeru," the boy called him after he sat on the mattress and patted the spot in front of him, "Are you by any chance a half?"

"Shiteru no (you know)?" Kanmuri replied as he sat on his calves opposite to his customer.

"I'm just guessing," Azuma shook his head. "Datte mezurashi no momoiro kami to murasaki me ga aru kara (You have a unique colouring), Shigeru."

"My mother is a British," Kanmuri didn't know why he was divulging this information. Not even Tsukino was privy to this. "I remember that she used to have auburn hair…it was so red it looked like a gash against her fair complexion." He smiled fondly at that one memory of the woman he treasured.

"But Shigeru's hair is pink," Azuma pointed out.

"I have this…not exactly a disease…an anomaly will be more like it. It's called albinism," Kanmuri explained after admonishing Azuma to be patient. "It causes me to have fewer pigments. As a result, my skin is paler than ordinary Japanese people, and my hair is a washed out red instead of the full fledged one. Most albinos also have red or violet eyes." (A/N: This is the theory I developed of Kanmuri's pink hair…because it just doesn't make sense for one to own pink hair!)

"Naru hodo (I get it)!" Azuma nodded in comprehension, "Shigeru no oka-san wa ima doko ja (Where is your mother now)?"

Kanmuri was reminded of the salty tang of the air near the sea, of his own tears, of flashes of a huge ship which stole the redhead away, of the cries of the seagulls. "Why…" he lowered his head, "why do you keep on asking this type of questions? And why do you keep on calling my name?"

"I like the name. It suits you perfectly: a gentle, but fierce and strong person. Besides…" Azuma replied with a smile, "Omae no koto shiritai ja (I want to know more about you), Shigeru!"

Kanmuri gasped.

'You don't know me!'

"My mother also died when I was really young," mistaking Kanmuri's silence for grief, Azuma tried to console him by sharing his childhood tales to the other boy, "But Otou-chan is really good to me! I also have Jii-chan, and Inaho-Nee-chan…though my sister is so scary she might have been the reason of my fear of women." He laughed at himself.

'Don't be kind to me'

"Azuma-san, how shall I serve you today?" Kanmuri interpolated abruptly so Azuma would stop telling stupid jokes to cheer him up. In every one of his visits, Azuma had always treated him as though Kanmuri was…his friend. And he couldn't take it.

"Nando mo ita ja (I've told you this repeatedly)! Call me Kazuma, Shigeru!" Azuma grinned.

"Is that a command?" If Kanmuri took this as a BDSM game, he could endure this.

"A command?" Azuma frowned in confusion. "What command? Anyway, today, you can do anything you want, Shigeru."

"W-what?" Kanmuri stopped dead.

"You have always made me feel good each and every time we did it," Azuma crossed his arms behind his head, "So today, I want to make you feel good. I'm not very experienced, so please guide me!" his caramel eyes were sincere.

'Stop treating me as an equal'

Kanmuri's mouth opened and closed without forming a word for a while before he nodded, "Very well." He gave the obi a tug and took off his kimono, folding it neatly and placed the dragonfly pin carefully on the top of the pile. He tossed the bottle of oil to Azuma as he positioned himself on his hands and knees. "Coat yourself with oil."

Azuma nearly had a nosebleed. How could he not? His lover was laid out in front of him, like a feast. He took off his clothes eagerly and abided immediately, but as he was kneeling behind the pink-haired youth, he calmed himself down. "Can you teach me how to prepare you?"

"There is no need," there was an edge to Kanmuri's voice, "Just plunge it in."

Azuma didn't like the sound of this. True, he had never been penetrated before, but he imagined it would be painful. Kanmuri's spine was tense, the brunet could see it. But he had promised the other boy, so he massaged the small of his lover's back, and placed a kiss on his left shoulder. "As you wish," he breathed to the paler youth's ears.

'Stop giving me choices'

Azuma entered the other male slowly, gently, pausing after every inch to make sure that Kanmuri was all right, his warm dark hands resting below his heart and holding his length gently, his arms enveloping him, his breaths teasing his ears. Fluttery kisses ghosted over the back of his neck, his tongue worshipping his skin, treating him like a beloved, precious jewel.

Kanmuri couldn't take it.

"Harder," he ordered, his voice breaking, "faster, rougher!"

"Shigeru-"

A tear leaked out of an amethyst eye and fell to the coarse cotton below. "OBEY ME!" he cried hoarsely.

Kanmuri could feel Azuma nodding against his back, and increased his pace. But no matter how fast, how hard, how rough, it wasn't enough. He could feel blood trickling down the back of his thigh, but the nerves at the ends of his toes still tingled, butterflies still fluttered in his stomach, heat still pooled at his groin. His hands gave away when Azuma plundered his prostrate, stars blinking behind his eyelids. "A-azuma!" he whimpered as he came, his semen splattered against his abdomen and the sheets below.

As per se, Azuma came after him, spilling his essence inside of him. However, this time he didn't collapse on top of him, the caramel-eyed boy sat on his calves and examined his wound. "Daijoubu (are you okay)?" his voice was laden with worries as he touched the small of his spine carefully. "Itai (does it hurt)? Itai ni kimateru jarou (it must hurt, right)," Azuma used his own shirt to wipe the coppery crimson liquid, Kanmuri could tell from the texture of the fabric against his skin. "Gomenasai (I'm sorry)," Azuma pleaded guiltily, and enveloped him in his arm, rolling around so that Kanmuri didn't have to bear both their weights, one his hand caressing his back lovingly.

'I hate that I always enjoy having sex with you, even though I have believed that I was forced into having sex with men.'

It was the final straw. Tears started falling out of Kanmuri's eyes, the force of his sobs causing his form to tremble, hard. Azuma was shocked. "Ssshhh" he turned Kanmuri around and wiped the tears off his face, "Ore ga waru kata (It's my bad). Gomenasai (I'm sorry)! Please don't cry!" he begged, and pulled his arms around him tighter, burying Kanmuri's face on Azuma's tanned chest. "I'm sorry! I won't hurt you ever again."

The cuddle was warm, and comfortable, and Azuma had always been a good lover, but Kanmuri didn't want them all. Kanmuri wanted other customers, who shoved their penises in his anus, yanked his hair and slapped his face. Kanmuri didn't want to enjoy having sex with a man at all, even though that man was Azuma, because that would really make him abnormal, the worst of all incongruities. With that thought fuelling his mind, he clawed his way out of Azuma's arms.

"Get out!" the pink-haired prostitute yelled hysterically as he snatched his kimono from the corner and put it on hurriedly, "get out now!"

"Shigeru," Azuma stood up and approached him gingerly. "Shigeru, I'm sorry I went too far. Please calm down," he stated when he was an arm-length away from the other youth, well within Kanmuri's touching range.

'I'm falling in love with you…but I don't want to.'

"Don't-!" Kanmuri hated that he couldn't stop the tears from falling, "Don't ever come see me again, you hear me!" he screamed, slammed the door open and dashed down the corridor.

"Shigeru!" Azuma wanted to run after him, but he was stark naked, and by the time he finished wrestling with his hakama, Azuma couldn't see the boy anymore. His brows furrowing, he dropped to his knees. "Yapa ore…yari sugi ja ne (I really went overboard)," he flopped onto his back.

As he did so, he felt a sharp object digging to his right shoulder blade. "Itai (Ouch)!" he exclaimed, and sat up straight, "What the hell," he rubbed the sore on his skin and turned around.

On the tatami was Kanmuri's dragonfly pin, one of the wings slightly bent. "Ack!" Azuma squeaked, and placed the small accessory on his palm. "Geez, you've done it again, stupid Kazuma," he scolded himself and sighed, "Well, then, I'll just fix it and give it to him tomorrow."

With that resolve, the tanned rice farmer left the brothel, intent on mending the dispute that happened just now as well.


The thump of the sliding door closing and sobbing sounds woke Harumi from his restless sleep. The ailed girl dragged herself out of her bed and stood up. "Shigeru-kun?" Harumi walked towards the figure slumped at the corner next to the paper door with shaky legs, "Is that you?"

Kanmuri was hiding his face behind his knees, his form shaking as he wept. Harumi assessed her friend with her eyes. His kimono was put on haphazardly, though he appeared to be unharmed. 'Well, an emotional wound leaves a mark deeper than that on the skin,' she thought as she kneeled in front of the amethyst-eyed boy. "Shigeru-kun, what's wrong?"

Kanmuri looked up gingerly and paused before registering her presence, as though he forgot who she was. Then a split second afterwards, his hands flew to his head, raking his hair and tangling them to a mess of knots. "Inai (it's not there)," he mumbled, his voice rising with panic. "Inai! The pin! The pin you gave me is not there!"

"The dragonfly pin?" Harumi tried to soothe him by enveloping him in her frail arms, "Forget about it. I have other pins."

"B-but!" his teary eyes turned to look at her. The expression on his face was forlorn; Kanmuri was well and truly lost, and it was her fault. Her heart broke.

"Gomenasai!" Harumi whispered as she hugged him tightly, "I'm so sorry."

"What are you saying, Harumi?" Kanmuri returned the hug and tried to stop the tears, but he was failing badly, "It's not your fault. It's not your fault at all."

"It is!" Harumi touched his face and wiped away the salty tracks, "it's okay to cry. I'll make you forget. I'll heal you," she said vehemently, and for once, Kanmuri wanted to believe her.

The two spent the night in each other's embrace, believing that they could heal the wounds that were carved to their hearts.

TBC

A/N: Harumi makes reappearance. Her role will be explained in chapter 4. And yes, I know the plot is a bit fast, but I don't feel like writing a lot of sex scenes (Kanmuri is a prostitute. What else do you think they do when they meet?). This chapter is set one season after the first chapter. The next chapter should be longer. My principle is the fewer the chapters, the higher the possibility of my finishing the story.

Oh, before I forget, yes, the black dragon is opium.