Note: Some people have expressed their concern to me about the group going around taking off people's fanfics for violating ToS even when they don't...I don't know if this is accurate or not or if the people whose fanfics were removed actually did violate ToS, but in any case, I know my story doesn't. If, however, this group is taking down stories without just cause, I have all my fanfic posted on four or five different sites. Archive of Our Own for one and I have a wordpress blog which is luana araceli . wordpress . com plus a couple of different journals.

Chapter Fifteen

"I'm not sure about this," Saeki said, his gaze flicking from the control in his hand, then to Ryoma. "It's kind of sudden."

Fuji pulled back from where he was laying across Saeki's shoulder so he could meet his friend's eyes. "I'm not making this offer lightly," he said.

Saeki's hand tightened on the control in his hand, his eyes locked on Fuji. "Your offers," he said, "tend to come with conditions."

He had a point, but Fuji didn't take the bait. He walked over to Ryoma and slid his arm around his lover's waist, pulling the freshman close. Ryoma leaned into his touch, his eyes fluttering closed as he allowed himself to enjoy the attention.

The next time Saeki spoke, his tone was near a hiss. "What are you asking from me?"

Fuji hid a smirk in Ryoma's hair. Manipulating Saeki was almost too easy; it was obvious the guy was sex-starved. Which, in retrospect, was weird. Even when they were younger, Saeki had always had avid fans. Fuji wondered if something had happened to make that change, then had to hide a wince. He'd happened.

Ryoma straightened his shoulders and took a step forward, out of Fuji's hold. "We're asking you to make a choice," he said.

Saeki's gaze flicked between them. "A choice?" he asked, fingers turning white from the grip he had on the edge of the control.

"Yes," Fuji said, putting himself back into the conversation. "Do you want to be with us and have the opportunity to use things like that-" he gestured to the control- "or do you want to wait and hope you find the "right" person?"

Saeki swallowed and looked down at the control in his hand. "I don't know," he said softly. "How am I supposed to trust that there's no catch to this?"

"The only catch," Fuji said, "is that I'm in charge." And that wasn't a catch; they all knew it. Saeki could easily best Fuji in a fight, but wouldn't ever directly challenge him again. Not with the shame he felt towards their past. And Ryoma-well, he already knew his place. But with Saeki...to say something like this out loud to him, rather than letting it lie as a nonverbal understanding between them-that was the risk here.

Saeki held Fuji's gaze for as long as he could, before dropping his eyes. The tight grip he had on the control loosened and color began returning to his hands. "I can accept that," he said, his tone low.

"Are you saying yes?" Fuji asked, hiding his smile. He'd already won; he'd won before the conversation even started. But Saeki hadn't known that; he had yet to put his defeat in words.

"I'm saying yes," Saeki said, raising his head. He flinched lightly at the smile on Fuji's face, but didn't comment. If he was angry, there was no indication. And that was fine. That was Saeki. He didn't express his emotions easily, and never when he knew it wasn't going to do him any good.

"Okay," Fuji said, changing the subject. "If you're not going to use that control, give it back to me."

Saeki's gaze settled on Ryoma, but when he spoke, he was addressing Fuji. "I'd like to use it, but I don't know the rules he's supposed to follow. I won't use it without provocation."

And that, right there, was Saeki all over. Fuji smiled. "Ryu-chan," he said.

"Hai?"

"Why don't you tell Sae-kun how this works?"

Ryoma swallowed, but nodded, then walked to Saeki. He grabbed Saeki's hand, placing it against the collar on his throat. "This is used for discipline," he said, voice quiet. "I follow only two rules: to obey Syuusuke and to be respectful of him. Since you accepted his offer to join us, I am giving you the same rights over me as I have given to him."

Saeki's breathing hitched as he studied the freshman. "What does that include?" he asked.

Ryoma flushed, but managed not to drawl the next time he spoke. Being disrespectful now would not only earn him a severe punishment, but would also make it more difficult for Saeki to find his place in their new arrangement. "You tell me what to do," he said, "and have the right to punish me if I disobey."

"It's that simple?" Saeki said.

Fuji spoke up. "I am also sharing his body with you, Sae-kun, in case you misunderstood my offer."

Saeki raised an eyebrow at Ryoma. "Is that true?"

Ryoma flushed again, but nodded.

"And you're okay with him just sharing you on a whim?" There was no judgment in Saeki's voice, but there wouldn't be-not with his ability to hide his emotions.

"Hai," Ryoma said. "But it isn't on a whim. If it were anyone but you, he would kill them."

Saeki's eyes widened as his gaze flew to Fuji. "Is that true?" he asked.

Fuji held Saeki's gaze as he gave a slow, sharp nod. "You are the only person who I can watch with Ryoma without wanting to hurt them for daring to touch what belongs to me."

Saeki swallowed hard.

"And Sae-kun?" Fuji's voice held an edge.

"Yes, Syu?"

"I will be that protective over you, too."

Saeki nodded in acknowledgment, refocusing on the freshman in front of him, who still held Sae's hand to the collar. "You'll do anything I tell you?" he asked.

"Anything within reason," Ryoma said. "You have a responsibility to keep me safe from harm."

Saeki's eyes narrowed. "That you have to tell me that must mean someone abused you in the past."

Ryoma flinched. How had Saeki seen through him so clearly? He averted his eyes and nodded once.

Saeki lifted Ryoma's chin, forcing the freshman to meet his eyes. "I won't," he said, putting every ounce of feeling he could behind it. "But I am not a nice man."

Ryoma's lips quirked. "If I wanted nice," he said. "I wouldn't be with Syu."

Saeki chuckled. "No, I don't suppose you would." That said, he moved his hand back down to the collar around Ryoma's throat. "Syu-kun, do you have any preference on how this is used? Because I have an idea."

Ryoma's eyes widened at the glint in Saeki's eyes and he fought against the urge to step backward. Fuji came up behind him and wrapped him in a hug. "Mm, the collar? Don't go past eight, but you can use it however you'd like."

"Why eight?" Saeki asked.

"It's the most he can handle," Fuji said. "I tried different levels, but eight is the only one that brings him to his knees." Ryoma trembled in his arms and Fuji knew he was scared, but excited, about how Saeki would use the collar on him.

"What did the different levels do?"

"Well, 1 and 2 are useless. They don't even make him stutter. Four makes him pause. Six disorients him very slightly, and eight drops him to the ground."

"You didn't test the other settings?"

Ryoma shook with silent laughter. "He felt they were too weak," he said.

"Because they are." Fuji pressed hard against Ryoma's ribcage. "Aren't they?"

Ryoma winced at the tightness of his lover's grip. Trying to draw a breath with Fuji hurting him was difficult. "Yes, Syuusuke," he gasped, relief stark on his face when the pressure let up.

"Is he always so disrespectful?" Saeki asked.

Fuji smirked. "Sa, it's Ryu-chan. Of course he is."

"Hey! I'm right-" Ryoma fell silent as two sets of eyes turned his way. He ducked his head. "Gomen."

Fuji chuckled. Sharing power over Ryoma with Saeki was going to be interesting. Saeki's sense of respect and courtesy was much stronger than Fuji's own. Because of that, Fuji had a feeling that his friend's method of discipline would work better on Ryoma than his own, since his own discipline consisted of waiting until Ryoma took things too far before administering it. Saeki wasn't that kind of person.

"You said four shocks him, but doesn't disorient him?" Saeki asked.

"Aa."

"And eight punishes?"

"Aa."

Saeki nodded and tucked the control in his pocket. "Then I know how I want to use it. But we should find a restaurant soon."

"Do you have anything in mind?" Fuji asked.

Saeki shook his head. "Somewhere private would be preferable."

"I know a place," Fuji said. "It's traditional food. That ok with everyone?" At the two nods he received, he turned and began walking, smiling when he felt the other two settle into a pace behind him. "How do you plan to use it?"

"Often," Saeki said. Both of them turned when they heard Ryoma's footsteps falter. "Something wrong?"

Ryoma shook his head and resumed his pace. "It just took me by surprise," he said.

"No objections?"

"No."

"Okay," Saeki said. "When I use this, it'll be on four because of how often I'll need to use it. You're disrespectful and I don't like it."

"I'm disrespectful?" Ryoma asked, shock coloring his tone.

"Yes," Fuji said, not missing a beat. "You are."

"How?" Ryoma asked. "I thought I did pretty good." The disappointment in his voice was hard to miss.

Saeki noticed it and his face softened.

Fuji spoke up. "Don't go soft on him because he's down on himself. Ryoma knows that we're here to help him improve in areas he can't see he needs improvement in. If you go soft on him, you're doing him a disservice."

Saeki frowned at Fuji's back, disquieted by the tensai's ability to always know what he was thinking. "Ok," he said, before turning back to Ryoma. "You often drop the honorifics in your speech and you are quick to interrupt others' conversation. Every time you do either tonight, I will use the collar."

Ryoma ducked his head, saying nothing.

Saeki continued. "If I feel there are other things you are doing that are disrespectful, I will tell you and add that to the list of rules you need to follow to properly demonstrate respect. Do you understand?"

Ryoma nodded. "Hai, Saeki-san."

Saeki smiled, reaching out to give Ryoma a quick hug. "Any questions?"

"I have one," Fuji said.

"Oh?"

"How many times are you going to give him the 4 shock for the same transgression before increasing the level?"

Saeki shrugged, despite knowing Fuji couldn't see it. "Three times at that level, then three at six, and if that doesn't get the message across, I'll hold it at 8 for ten seconds."

Ryoma blanched, but didn't lose his footing. Enduring one second at eight had been bad enough; he didn't want to imagine ten.

"Sounds reasonable," Fuji said. "But I'm adding another rule."

Ryoma tensed. If Fuji was adding a rule, things were going to get difficult.

"What rule is that?" Saeki asked.

"For the duration of the night," Fuji said. "He's not allowed to make eye contact with either of us."

Saeki gasped. "That rule is almost a guarantee he'll fail."

Ryoma smirked, keeping his eyes focused on the ground. "It is why he set the rule, Saeki-san."

Saeki's attention turned back to Ryoma. "What do you mean?"

"I told you before, didn't I?" Ryoma said. "Syuusuke-san is not a nice man."

Note: I don't usually do this, but since this is a little past halfway through this arc (don't worry there will be more stories written for the Discovery series!) and I didn't do it for FD, I figured I'd do it here. What follows is a bit lengthy, but it's responses to everyone who has reviewed LC thus far. If you're not interested in reading it, you don't have to, but I don't believe in posting separate chapters for this kind of thing!

To Reviewers:

moonlightskymist: I can't express my gratitude to you in enough words, as you agreed to take on the huge task of beta-ing this even as I'm continuing to update it. I'm sure, after we've gone through all of it together, that it will become a much more polished piece of fiction and I'm grateful for that.

MintLeafeon: You've been with me through every chapter of FD and now LC. I love opening my email and seeing that I've gotten a review from you because keeping those people who have been reading since the very beginning of FD with me through LC is important to me. It makes me happy to know that even as weird as my stories can get, I'll always have one or two people who give me the benefit of the doubt until I work that part of the story through to the end :)

KiTeNs18sMiLe: Your reviews are always fun to read because they're so full of energy. Though I almost changed my storyline around a bit for you (because to me, reviewer's opinions/thoughts/ideas matter a lot, because even though I write for myself, in the end, an audience still reads the words ;P), I'm glad I didn't. I decided to trust that you'd be okay with the threesome angle (though some of those chapters beforehand with the trust issues need some serious reworking now, but that's ok) and I'm glad I did. As for where the arc is going to end...this particular part of The Discovery Series (FD and LC are the first two) is almost over. I've got maybe 10 more chapters to write? If that... but there will be more sequels with different arcs. This incarnation of Fuji/Ryoma is just too much fun to write!

SelfHatredisCommonEnough: You're part of the reason I keep writing, because your enthusiasm for reading the story is almost as high as mine is for writing it. Having you as a friend and avid reader is a great gift and I'm thankful for it.

. .fangirl: They do have something similar to a master-servant relationship, but it's a Dom/Sub relationship so not quite that strict. The fanfic I'm writing that follows more the master-servant lines is Forged in Fire, which is a YuYu Hakusho Yoko/Hiei fanfiction.

100thAngel: I'm glad you enjoy this story and that it sparked the desire for you to reread FD.

chocoholic911: I hope this one is as good (or better) than FD too! I am having a lot of fun writing it (when I have time), especially since I'm exploring the dynamic of their relationship more in this one.

Tennotsuaki no Saiten: I know that FD left some loose ends (like the deal with Sora and what happened in America, etc) and this one may or may not tie those up-it is starting to seem like this particular Fuji/Ryo story is going to morph into 4 or 5 different novel length fanfics (I don't want to post them all together, because I don't particular like making fanfictions over 25 chapters). This particular part of the story is focused on their relationship and the roles they both play, so I'm glad that it's showing that pretty clearly here.

jgood27: I'm glad you're enjoying it.

ChordOverstreetFan: You guessed right with Aoi (which should be clear at this point in the story), because it's the first match we see Ryoma (in the anime) really get worked up to the point he leaves his house in the middle of the night. It's a pretty important match.

Tree of leaves: I'm always happy to know that people are enjoying my stories.

RikkaiDaiLove: It is nice to read a review where I've managed to get someone to see the lighter side of sadomasochism, because a lot of people are under the impression it's all about beating people up. It's a lot more complex than that and if I can show that just a little bit in the stories I write, then that's good enough for me. And, of course, converting someone else to Thrill Pair is totally worth it :P

KitsuneNaru: I'm glad you're enjoying it :P

Kurochi: The chapter where you said what happened seemed too easy... to be honest, that's probably true. I got a bit stuck so I sorta took a shortcut :P This is why I have a beta currently going through the old chapters so I can eventually fix everything that's wrong plotwise with the story. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, so please don't ever be afraid to be candid with me in your reviews.

Catkac: I'm glad I can portray a realistic sadist/masochist relationship via the use of fanfiction. Like I said in my response to Rikkai, those relationships are a lot more complex than people realize and there is a lot of care and tenderness involved.

The runt Duchess: I'm glad you're finding that the sequel is living up to your expectations. I'm having a little more fun writing LC than FD simply because I can delve more into the sadist/masochist dynamic.

cinderellars: I'm glad that my version of Fuji and Ryoma come across as realistic. Characters make the story, after all ;p

ShadowHunter43: Aw, I wish you hadn't waited so long to review! Tbch, just seeing a review in my inbox tends to make me want to write the next chapter faster so it gets put out faster. And I'm glad it's meeting the standards I set with FD (although I didn't know I'd set any!)

Fanfic Lover and oO Lolz (anonymous reviewers):
I'm glad you guys enjoy it. To Fanfic Lover...Ryoma is more than capable of handling two sadistic lovers. He's got enough snark to handle two or three more, but a menage a trois is as far as I'm going.

OshieteOY: There are a few fics with Fuji the sadist...but I know what you mean. There are a lot more with him as a prankster, which isn't a sadist trait. It just goes to show that sadism is misunderstood by the vast majority.

Mega2girl: Um...I don't know what part of America you live in, but where I live the French side-cheek style of kissing as a greeting isn't normal. I've only ever seen it done two or three times when I was a little girl and never since then. And honestly I don't like it as a greeting because I sorta see it as taking intimacies with someone you don't know-it's ok if it's family. I'm going to have to pass on your request here, especially because I doubt Ryoma has many friends back in America considering how focused he was on tennis and the abusive relationship he was in with Rick. It just doesn't fit with the storyline. I hope you don't stop reading because of this, though because I never want to chase fans away. :)

*Note: If you want a more personalized note (I'll be doing this again at the end of this arc), leave more than just "I like this, update soon." It's hard to be personalized with that. If you don't care about that, then the simple reviews are fine (they're still good to get, after all!).