The Deviant Protagonist: I love to include people, LOL. I actually really like the concept of a yandere! Makoto, as terrible as that is. But somehow I can't help but think he would make a very interesting secretly-evil character.

Alejandra Rosicky: There's a lot of information about Makoto in this chapter! But again, what is the truth and what is false is going to have to be determined by you! Also, about Makoto and Haruka? We are going to see Makoto distracting Haruka with sexy time. A lot of sexy time.

anon: ... When I said 'do you dislike the slowness of the plot or something', I actually meant that I could speed the plot up, not throw it away (because believe it or not, I actually take pride in it). But now, thanks to you, I now understand that readers come here looking for smut and not plot. But in all honesty, exactly what did you expect out a multi-chapter fic? Well, there's going to be smut (bottom half if you don't care about the plot) in here and in the next chapter too. Hope you're happy.

rainbow-electra531: Is five days soon enough? LOL. It depends on what you mean by protest, because in the past it was normal to marry relatives to keep the bloodlines pure, particularly in royal families. Take for example Kuroshitsuji where Ciel has a fiance who is also his cousin, Elizabeth. They both come from a royal bloodline (and they actually love each other) so it's perfectly acceptable. However, incest between direct relatives is always a no, no matter what generation.

WolfPacFaan: DID YOU WANT TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK OMIGOD. Every two days is a no-go, I'm sorry. I can try to make it every week... maybe. I make no promises because I have shit to do.

Haruko: So much information in this chapter. SO MANY ANSWERS TO ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS. And yet at the same time it reveals more mysteries. And the majority of you are most likely to kill me at the end of the chapter because CLIFFHANGERS ARE JUST MY THANG YO.

Guest: Aww, thank you so much! And yeah, this fic should still be going in July, which is when Free Season 2 should be coming out. I hope it brings more readers *crosses fingers*

Riomi-senpai: SO MANY ANSWERS IN THIS CHAPTER.

Akiyuzu-chan: ALMOST EVERY CHAPTER I WRITE ENDS IN A CLIFFHANGER. Because really, it makes it easier to start the next chapter. Like in this chapter! This chapter has a cliffhanger that will get you spamming me with complaints!

Alyssa James: Not that I want to break your computer or anything, but I updated pretty fast for me this time around. :D ALMOST ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED IN THIS CHAPTER. But a goddess? A goddess?! ... That's not quite correct... Cause, well, I know that it's kind of unmanly to like Free! but... I am actually... JUST TOTALLY SCREWING WITH YOU, YES I'M A GIRL, LOL. I had you going for a moment, didn't I? But I'm still not a goddess~

Abiding Angel: You're back, senpai~ LOL, everyone is hiding their knowledge from others. Everyone's lying to a certain extent. But THERE IS SO MUCH INFO PACKED IN THIS CHAPTER LEMME TELL YOU GIIIIIIRL. In that case, first off, do you need like a license to be a wedding planner? (Cause if you've ever played Wedding Dash then I have no idea how she landed jobs so quickly 0_o). And a mermaid omake sounds like it would be fun! Maybe I'll write another omake about that... or maybe I can work it in somehow...

Lady Monochromic: THE END OF THE WAIT IS HERE AND YET ANOTHER WAIT BEGINS.

I do not own Free! Iwatobi Swim Club or any of the characters in it.

SO MANY ANSWERS IN THIS CHAPTER I DON'T EVEN AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. But this chapter will only lead you guys on a little~ There's a lot about Makoto that is answered, but there's a lot of new mysteries in this chapter~ Maybe I should give a prize for those who catch them all, LOL.

"What can you tell me about the Tachibana family?"

Memories abruptly came to his mind. Makoto laughing as they swam together in a pond. Makoto rocking his baby sister Ran in his arms while he himself held Ren. Makoto crying his eyes out after making a difficult decision that changed his life. Makoto chasing after Haruka when he -

Rin swallowed and jerked his head to the side. "I don't know anything!" he proclaimed, licking his lips nervously. "I seriously hate big-shots with attitudes like yours. Get the hell out of my house."

"Now now, don't be like that, Lord Matsuoka!" Mikoshiba's grin turned lazy and feral, like a cat's. "It's just a simple question. Frankly, I haven't met anyone that knows a lot about the Tachibana family, but I've stumbled upon a little gold mine of information recently, you know?"

"How would I know something like that?!" Rin snapped back. "Hurry up and leave!"

"My source," Mikoshiba continued, blatantly ignoring the opposing redhead, "tells me that you were acquainted with them. Were you perhaps good friends with the child of the family?"

"I'm not friends with any of them," the sharp-toothed teen glared.

"I didn't say that there was more than one child, did I?"

Rin mentally smacked himself. Mikoshiba was, despite his cheery nature, the head of the Samezuka Police, a force made of handpicked, youthful individuals chosen for their talents. Obviously he was a lot sharper than he let on. Rin knew that if was to protect both Makoto and Haruka, he was going to have to play his cards stealthily.

"Well, at any rate, Lord Matsuoka, it has been about two years since the case was closed, so I suppose I'll just refresh you on the facts," Mikoshiba sat back down into his chair and crossed his legs like a picture perfect gentleman. "Now then, Lord Matsuoka, listen carefully and tell me if it triggers any memories."

Rin scowled at him and yanked his seat back up to its feet. He sank down into it and took a few deep calming breaths. I can do this, he thought to himself determinedly. "Okay," he said once he had settled. "Shoot."

"Very well then," Mikoshiba grinned before turning brisk and businesslike. "The Tachibana family was the head family of a small trading company with often held dealings overseas. While considered to be a family of the noble class, they were also considered to be on the lowest possible tier. They almost never attended nor hosted any social gatherings, and as a result they were known as an elusive family. Many people didn't even know what they looked like. If I remember correctly, they were constantly the butt of jokes among the upper-class," he tilted his head charmingly. "Ring any bells?"

"No," Rin said shortly, folding his hands onto his desk. "Continue."

"Well, the Tachibana family was reputed for being too kind... the Robin Hood of the rich man, only they never stole and they only gave away their money to noble families who pretended to be their allies. Apparently the Tachibanas were all suckers for a sob story," the police chief shook his head despairingly. "Their own business was starting to plummet into the red, so they inquired for help from the families that claimed to be their 'allies'. Only they never did receive the money, did they?"

Rin fought to keep his face blank. Of course he knew this. Makoto had told him all of this seven years ago, a year after they had first met.

"Now, a maid of the Tachibana's was, on a fine sunny day, simply delivering her Master his afternoon tea, which he always drank together with his wife and children in the sitting room," Mikoshiba grinned wickedly. "Now what do you think she found there?"

Rin's folded hands clenched until his fingers turned white. He had to keep calm! Calm...

"Imagine her surprise!" Mikoshiba laughed, obviously enjoying himself. "When she walked into the sitting room to find her Master holding a knife to his own throat" – his golden eyes zeroed in on Rin to test his reaction – "and his wife and children on the floor, covered with blood."

Rin made no unusual movements. Mikoshiba nodded slowly.

"Of course the poor girl would drop the tray and run away screaming bloody murder, wouldn't she? She dashed for the telephone and gave us - oh, by 'us', I meant my predecessor, I was too young at the time - an urgent call, as well as rallying the rest of the servants to stop the dear Master who had seemingly gone insane... but when they got back to the sitting room, another surprise was waiting for them!"

Rin found himself biting his lip and forced himself to stop. More than the story, he hated the enthusiasm Mikoshiba had while retelling it. As if it was all a quaint little fairy tale...

"The entire sitting room," Mikoshiba drawled, seemingly oblivious but actually very aware of Rin's boiling anger, "was on fire."

Rin exhaled slowly. The end was coming soon. He knew that much.

"By the time they put out the flames, the mansion was almost in ruins and the bodies of the Tachibana family were little more than charcoal. But here was the mystery of the matter," Mikoshiba leaned forward and Rin unconsciously leaned back. "One of the children's bodies was missing!" he said it in a conspirator's whisper. "The family servants all established that the Tachibana family was a family of five: the Master, the Mistress, their first-born, and a pair of recently born twins. Four of the five bodies were accounted for. Lord and Lady Tachibana, as well as their twin children, Tachibana Ran and Tachibana Ren," Mikoshiba smiled at Rin coaxingly. "Care to tell me where the body of the first-born went?"

"How the hell would I know?" the young company president glared. "I don't know and I don't give a shit. If this happened so long ago, why are you bothering with it now?"

"I'll get to that! Don't be so impatient," Mikoshiba waggled a finger at him like he was a naughty child in school. "We tried to re-question the witness, the maid who first discovered them, but unfortunately we couldn't," he sighed and for the first time frowned. "She went missing not even a week afterwards, and we still haven't found her."

Rin reacted by widening his eyes. He hadn't heard about that.

"It's unfortunate, but we didn't get the information we needed from her, which is why I came to you instead," Mikoshiba added. "It's an important question which will determine the way our investigation will take."

"I don't know anything," Rin said monotonously. "But whatever, ask your question."

"Well then, Lord Matsuoka," Mikoshiba tilted his head to the side and grinned that hated grin. "Before the fire, was the body of Tachibana Makoto already among the corpses of the mother and siblings? Or had it never been there from the start?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," Rin said, stalling while his mind worked furiously to come up with some sort of excuse. His hands unfolded themselves to drum his fingers against the polished wood of his desk.

"Well, there are many theories about the Tachibana family's supposed murder-suicide," the policeman lifted his hands into a 'what can you do?' kind of gesture. "For example... the heir to the family witnessed Lord Tachibana kill his wife and children and, in a flying rage, murdered him and set the room on fire to hide the evidence."

"BUT THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Rin exploded before he could stop himself. He slapped a hand over his mouth and his thought process went: I fucked up. I fucked up. Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Oh! Really now!" Mikoshiba grinned. "Then why don't you tell me what really happened?"

Rin gritted his razor sharp teeth, deciding on what action to take. He picked the safest option: tell only half-truths.

"I knew Makoto," he finally admitted. "We were friends, but Makoto isn't the sort of person that would fucking set a room on fire! Get your damn facts straight!"

"Well, let me run through the rest of my facts and tell me if their straight, will you?" the fiery redhead smirked. He re-crossed his legs and wondered where Nitori with the tea was. "For example, I heard that the Tachibana family, before their death, was being fully supported by you, Lord Matsuoka."

Floored, Rin gaped like a fish. "H-How did you know that?!"

"My source is very reliable," Mikoshiba nodded. "Oh, and he is also my employer who demanded that I find out the truth of the Tachibana family. He paid me a very wealthy sum to reopen this investigation."

"You were... bribed?" Rin asked in disbelief before it turned into rage. "You're a FUCKING POLICEMAN! Do you have ANY shame about going against the police honor code for your own gain?!" Mikoshiba laughed openly at Rin's furious expression and rubbed his hands together mockingly. "Well, I need money to live too. Unfortunately it's the thing that currently makes the world go round, you know?"

Rin snarled at him. Mikoshiba laughed again, infuriatingly. "Hey now, you'll ruin your pretty face if you do that, you know? When you're normal, you look a lot like your hot sister."

"Leave Gou out of this," Rin found his hand reflexively reaching for his pistol again. "She doesn't know a thing about the Tachibana family. Leave her alone."

"Well, I won't say anything to her about the investigation, but I really do want to try to ask her out sometime."

"Fuck you, no, stay away from my sister, get the hell out."

"Ah, but really, I wonder about Lady Tachibana Makoto..."

"... Huh?"

"Makoto is a pretty cute name for a girl, isn't it? If she's still alive, I wonder if she'd be my type. It'd be nice if she were the capable, sisterly type. Ah, she'd be younger than me too..."

"What..." Rin's eyes widened in realization. Of course! Makoto's name is written like a girl's! Thank god, so this guy doesn't actually know a lot about him after all... being the opposite gender is a good cover.

"Something wrong?"

"Nope," Rin said, relaxing his shoulders for the first time since the policeman's arrival. "If you're done with your questions, then hurry up and leave. It's already been an hour and I don't want to waste any more time on pointless chatter," he opened up another desk drawer to search for another pen, mentally reminding himself to tell the maids to see if they could clean up the puddle of ink on his carpet.

"Oh, there was one more tidbit of information that my employer shared with me. Said that it was very important information. Mind if I run it past you?"

"Go ahead," Rin said casually, pulling out a new pen.

"It seems like before the Tachibana family went into debt, they did have several sponsors whom supported them. However their biggest sponsor, the Nanase family, suddenly withdrew and canceled their contract, leading to the Tachibanas imminent money disintegration and eventual death," Mikoshiba said this as if he were discussing the weather. "Would you happen to know the reason why?"

The second pen joined the first and the ink stain increased in size. Rin's fingers were trembling so badly that even in midair they were shaking. "Where did you get that information?" he whispered, bangs hiding his eyes.

"Again, my employer has very reliable information. Answer the question."

Rin forced himself to stop trembling and closed his eyes. That day was the day that he had met Makoto for the first time. That day was when Makoto was still such a kind, innocent boy. That day would haunt him for the longest time, not because of what it represented, but because of Makoto's broken words between his sobs.

"It's my fault! It's all my fault! Because of me, my family will... and Haru-chan, Haru-chan, he...!"

"It's not your fault! None of it is your fault! It's all Haru's fault! It's because Haru was so stupid, that's why...!"

Rin felt the tears welling up. Oh God, he thought blearily, because of my words, Makoto changed. Not to mention that happened too... Was everything because of me?

"Lord Matsuoka? Are you alright?"

Rin snapped out of his daze and furiously rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve. "I just have something in my eye," he lied. It was the most cliché lie in the book, but at the moment he didn't care.

"I'd like for you to answer the question, Lord Matsuoka."

"I've got nothing to say to you."

"That won't do. My employer told me to get something out of you."

"Yeah, well, your employer is insane," Rin wiped his eyes and felt that he had enough of being pushed around. It was time to try to turn the tables. "That said, there's something that I want to ask of you. Then I'll see if I can answer your damn question."

"Really? Then fire away," Mikoshiba smiled brightly. "What is it?"

"You... earlier when you talked to my servant, you called him..."

"Nitori. Isn't that his name?"

"Yeah, it is. Just one little problem," Rin sat down, composure regained, and stared at Mikoshiba straight on. "How the hell did you know what his name was?"

For the first time, Mikoshiba's frivolous air faltered and his smile pulled tight on his lips. "What? What do you mean?"

"Ai isn't the servant who answers the door. Plus, most of the time the doorman just yells at him to deliver the message to me about a guest," Rin said, red eyes narrowing.

Mikoshiba gave a fake laugh. "What are you saying? When the doorman yelled for him, that's when I learned his name..."

"Everyone here calls him 'Aiichirou'. I'm the only one who calls him 'Ai'. My sister does call him 'Nitori-kun', but she's been busy drinking tea and gossiping with her friend Chigusa since eight-thirty. So how did you now that his surname was 'Nitori'?"

Mikoshiba felt a drop of sweat run down his brow. "Well, I've always been good at guessing names," he said glibly. Rin rolled his eyes and smirked at him.

"Another thing that I've noticed about Nitori is that he has scars," Rin added. Mikoshiba's face momentarily smoothed out.

"Oh well, most servants get scars don't they? Of course, I heard that you never mistreat servants, but if he has such scars, then I'm sure his previous Masters – "

"The thing about the scars," Rin interrupted, "is that some of them are almost perfectly round. A lot of them are on his chest, but some of them have a symmetrical partner on his back," Rin traced the shape of a circle in the air to emphasize his point.

"So?"

"So," Rin said, starting to show more confidence. "Those are bullet wounds, aren't they?"

Mikoshiba's smile faltered again.

Rin leaned forward and it was Mikoshiba's turn to lean back. "Who is Ai, really?" Rin narrowed his eyes, "And who is this employer of yours? Are you really the head of the Police Force? Or is that a lie..."

Rin jumped as his opponent suddenly let out a bark of laughter. "You're really interesting! A lot more interesting than my employer told me!" he exclaimed. "He said that you were 'of fiery temper' and 'a total sis-con'. Plus, you're a lot smarter than you let on!" he jammed his face so close to Rin's that they were practically breathing each other's breath. The grin on the supposed policeman's face turned savage. "But I'm not going to answer."

"Your employer said..." Rin blinked. "What do you mean your employer said?"

"My employer seems to know you very well. He told me that you knew a lot more than you let on, and were hiding a bigger secret."

"You don't mean..." Rin's voice shook as his face dawned with comprehension.

"Yes," Mikoshiba jabbed a finger at him. "My employer is somebody that you know. He's surprisingly close to you in more than one sense of the word," he smiled. "But more importantly, he also mentioned that you might say anything to save your own neck."

"What?!"

"Well, for example," Mikoshiba's infuriating cheerfulness was back with a vengeance. He stood up and waltzed around to Rin's side of the desk, standing behind him to put two hands on strong sholders, "you mentioned that you and this Tachibana Makoto are friends right? Think of just how angry your friend would be..." he leaned closer to whisper into Rin's ear, "... if he discovered how you participated in the Tachibana murder-suicide...?"

Rin's face went deathly pale and sweat built up on his forehead. Suddenly, with an outraged yell, he grabbed for his gun and tried to point it at the man behind him.

Mikoshiba calmly seized him by the neck and slammed him down onto the desk. Rin gasped out, releasing the gun in favor of attempting to pry Mikoshiba's vicelike grip off his throat. "Nice try, Lord Matsuoka," Mikoshiba grinned. "But I do have training in the martial arts to prevent situations like this, you know?"

Rin sputtered and gave him a death-glare. Eventually, the pressure loosened and the teen could rip the policeman's hands away. Massaging his throat, he glowered at Mikoshiba, who was laughing again.

"Well, I'll leave it at that for today," he said cordially. "I'll come back some other time to talk to you. I suppose that I have taken up too much of your time. Plus, I still need to work out that deal I mentioned with you."

"Fuck you, no deal," Rin snapped, his voice coming out slightly hoarse.

"Haha," Mikoshiba walked towards the office door before he halted with his hand on the handle. "Oh yeah, Lord Matsuoka, your first name is Rin, isn't it?"

"... What about it?"

"Oh nothing much, just that the kanji you use to write Rin... it's like a girl's name, huh?" Mikoshiba gave him a smile, this one dangerous and icy. "Could it be that your friend has a similar naming situation?"

He managed to step through the door and close it behind him, just as Rin let out another frustrated scream and threw a dictionary at the door. The muffled boom of it hitting the wood made him chuckle. "Wow, I've got my work cut out for me," he muttered. He glanced off to the side to see Nitori standing there, light blue eyes downcast, holding a tray with a teacup and a pot of cooled tea. "You're late, Nitori. I'm already leaving."

"I know," Nitori said, not looking at him. "That's why I only brought one teacup."

"Ouch," Mikoshiba sighed. "Hey, I know that you aren't too fond of me, but we're on the same side now, you know? Although I've caused you quite a bit of trouble in the past and vice versa, I'm expecting great things from you."

"I always fulfill my orders dutifully," Nitori replied in a frosty voice. "It's you who always goes off from the original plan."

"True~" Mikoshiba scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, anyways, be careful with that one. He's a lot sharper than he looks, plus it seems like he's already onto you," he clapped a hand on Nitori's shoulder and walked away, still talking. "And handle him gently; though he's different from the others, in a way, he's still a needed 'product'."

"I don't need you to tell me that, Captain."

"Whatever you say," Mikoshiba chuckled. "Do your best, Baron Nitori Aiichirou."

Nitori sighed and watched as Mikoshiba walked away. How that man maddened him sometimes. Shaking off his gloomy demeanor, he straightened himself up and promptly burst into the office. "I'm so sorry, Master Rin! I ran into some trouble on the way up and I... Master Rin?"

"Ai..." red eyes watched blue as their slowly traveled around the wreckage that, not even two minutes ago, used to be a respectable looking office. Now it looked more like a trash heap. Was that a hole in the window? "Sorry about this... could you call the maids and ask them to cleanup? I'll take my work to my room and finish it there. Bring the tea."

"Y-Yes, of course, Master Rin!"

"Oh, and Ai..."

"Yes?"

"... Nothing. Bring me a new pen, would you? I broke both of my old ones."

"EH?! Both of them?!"

.

.

.

"Makoto... who is 'King'?"

Makoto's eyes shot open and he rapidly sat up. "Where did you hear that name from?" he demanded. The dim moonlight in the room caused his green eyes to glow dully.

Haruka stared at him before slowly reaching into his pocket to bring out a crumpled piece of paper. "I think this is yours," he said quietly, handing it over.

He watched as Makoto took it and slowly unrolled it to reveal the flowing Japanese script.

...

My Makoto,

I miss you every day that you are not with me. It pains me knowing that you are lavishing your affection upon Nanase Haruka who cannot possibly understand the significance of your existence as I do. Come back to my side soon.

Love,

Your King

...

Makoto sighed. "Dear oh dear," he murmured. "I was hoping that you wouldn't see this."

"Why?" Haruka demanded. "Who is he? Is he someone... important to Makoto?"

"Important?" Makoto sighed a bit. "Important, huh... I suppose you could say that."

Haruka felt a stabbing sensation in his chest, similar to the one he had felt when Makoto had hugged Rin. He turned his head away, clenched fists trembling on the blanket.

"Master Haruka," Makoto leaned over to look him in the face, but Haruka turned away again, refusing to meet his eyes. "Master Haruka, please look at me."

"I don't want to," Haruka mumbled. He slid his legs around and slowly stood up from the bed. "I'm going back to my room. Good night."

"Wait, Master Haruka!" Makoto grabbed on to his arm and pulled him back down on to the bed. "Could you at least listen to what I have to say? After which, you can choose whether you want to stay or leave."

Haruka found himself half in Makoto's lap and realized that at the moment he really didn't want to move. "... Okay," he murmured, secretly pleased when he felt Makoto's strong arms wrap around him. One hand was playing with his dark hair, letting the soft strands fall between rough fingers.

"Master Haruka..." Makoto murmured into his ear. "I used to come from a fairly respectable family... my parents were in the trading business and I was the heir to their company. Don't speak," he added when Haruka opened his mouth to interrupt. "Just listen."

Haruka compliantly shut his mouth and waited for him to continue.

"I had two younger siblings, a boy and a girl. They were twins and very cute. I remember the day that they were born," Makoto smiled. "My father held one and I held the other. They were so cute! I was so happy.

"My mother was a kind woman. She preferred to do the cooking herself, instead of the servants. We were always treated to her home-cooked meals which were so delicious..." Makoto gazed into the distance dreamily. "She always made my favorite foods like green curry. Whenever I was sick she would make me hot tea with lots of honey. She was a good mother.

"My father... was enigmatic to say the least," he paused as if searching for the right words. "Father was the head of the company, but he also had an interesting side hobby. He liked what he would call 'science'... though others may have called it the 'occult'," Makoto admitted with a laugh. The hand in Haruka's hair went lower to stroke the nape of his neck. "But he was a good father. He never forgot about spending time with us. He always bought us presents and when the babies were born, he abandoned his work to stay next to Mother while she delivered. We were all so happy together..." abruptly the hand stroking Haruka's neck stopped. The grip around his middle tightened. "Until that day."

"Makoto...?" Haruka tilted his head back to try to see his servant's face in the dark. Green eyes shone at him in the dark and he felt the brunette's lips against his temple.

"I'm sorry," Makoto murmured, loosening his arm around Haruka's waist. "That day is very painful to talk about."

"It's okay," Haruka reached out, using his fingers to find Makoto's face, his lips, and pressed a very soft kiss to them. "Keep going. What happened on 'that day'?"

"... For some reason, a certain family which was our biggest sponsor suddenly withdrew all of their money invested in us and our business began to plummet," Makoto spoke a little faster now, as if he was desperate to get all of this off his chest. "Our family was on the verge of becoming penniless. My parents, especially my father, started to spiral into depression. Those were not happy days," the brunette sighed. "My father started to lock himself up in his lab... he went on and on about how he had heard about turning rocks into gold... frankly, a lot of our servants quit at the time because they believed he was insane," again his grip on Haruka tightened but his master made nary a sound. Instead he leaned in closer and nuzzled his neck, trying to calm him. It seemed to work, as his servant slowly relaxed. "I'm sorry, Master Haruka. I should stop."

"No, keep going," Haruka commanded. "I want to know more about you."

Makoto let out a sad chuckle. "Very well. It was soon afterwards, a little after I turned ten years old, when King came for me."

Haruka sucked in a breath and, impatiently, awaited what Makoto was going to say.

"King... said that he would buy me. He would take me as his slave and faithful servant, and in return he would pay my parents a hefty sum. At first they refused, but eventually I ended up swearing my loyalty to him," Makoto laughed softly. "I was only ten years old."

The black-haired master felt a pang of sorrow go through his heart and out to Makoto, who, if he could see his expression, was probably making a mournful face.

"I will admit... I did not like working for King and his family. They... well, you saw the scars," Haruka's throat tightened abruptly. The image of the knife scar flashed through his mind and he made an angry noise at the back of his throat. He felt Makoto startle against him before relaxing. His ear pressed against Makoto's chest, he felt an amused rumble that traveled to his face and made it warm.

"What happened next?"

Makoto sighed. "Long years of servitude. Pain. Anger. But King was kind to me," his voice sounded almost dreamy. "In that entire household, he was the only one who treated me decently. I'll admit that he occasionally made some difficult requests, but it was nothing compared to the woman of that house," Haruka felt Makoto shudder under his fingertips. "She's where most of the scars came from. She wasn't happy that King took me in like a pet."

An unhappy snarl made its way unexpected from Haruka, lined with a fury that he didn't even know he could feel. "Disgusting," he mumbled. He knew that Makoto wouldn't take it as an insult; it wasn't even directed towards him anyways.

And of course his servant did understand. Makoto's hand searched for his face and turned it upwards towards him. "What are you so angry about, Master Haruka?"

"You... they took you from your family," Haruka gritted his teeth. "They took away your human rights and hurt you and yet... you just endured it? What about your family?"

Makoto gave a sudden sharp intake of breath and in some strange flash of intuition, Haruka realized that Makoto was debating of just what to say. It made him uneasy. Was Makoto going to lie to him for the first time?

"I..." Makoto hesitated. "I never saw them again."

That wasn't a lie. Haruka could just somehow tell. Perhaps it was the raw grief in his voice. Perhaps it was the way his hands clutched on Haruka's clothes, as if trying to find a way to ground himself. The sympathetic master brushed his own hands against Makoto's face, gingerly searching for green eyes, and underneath them found a wetness that he knew was tears. He carefully brushed them away. "Didn't it hurt?" he whispered. "The sacrifices you had to make."

"To gain anything, a sacrifice must first be made," Makoto laughed quietly. "... Master Haruka, did you know?"

"Know what?" Haruka asked as Makoto's calloused hands slid down to his waist. Suddenly he was turned around so that he was cradled between Makoto's toned legs, his back to the brunette's chest. One hand drifted down to intimately rub the inside of his thigh, making him suddenly shudder and groan with want. The other hand slid underneath his shirt, brushing over his stomach and making its way up to his nipples.

"There's something my father always used to say. I think it was something that he picked up from his 'science' books," Makoto's teeth found his ear and it was nipped, suckled, and teased. Haruka gave a pleased whimper. Makoto's hand continued to slide up, past his nipples and through the neck hole of his shirt. "That with the right sacrifice..." his rough-skinned fingers fastened themselves around Haruka's throat, "... even the dead can be revived."

"E-Eh?" Haruka tried to ask what he meant but a loud gasp came out of his mouth as Makoto's other hand shifted downwards and rubbed at his growing erection in his pants. He hunched forward, whimpering. "Ah. Ah."

Makoto released the hand on his master's throat and it slipped back down underneath the shirt, only to tweak hardened nubs. Haruka jerked. "Mm!" he cried out as his ass bumped into something hard. Makoto, apparently, wanted this just as much as he did.

The brunette chuckled lowly. "Do you feel this, Master Haruka?" he edged forward to rub his protruding crotch against his master's pert backside. "Can you imagine how this would feel," those accursed lips were back at his ear, "inside of you?"

Blue eyes widened and he shivered as the hand on his erection popped the button on his trousers open. The size of the bulge he felt rub against his ass promised a thick, throbbing stretch. He felt skilled fingers pull on his cock and he jerked again, a wanton groan escaping his throat. "M-Makoto..."

"Lift your hips, please, Master Haruka."

Complying but not knowing why, Haruka braced his hands and feet against the creaky mattress and lifted his rear into the air, allowing Makoto to easily slide the trousers and the fundoshi underneath down slimly toned legs. The dark-haired teen sighed faintly as his erection was at last fully released to open air. Makoto's mouth, hot and wet, fastened on to the junction between his shoulder and neck and suckled at the soft skin there, leaving a dark blemish on the paleness. "Makoto... kiss me," he panted softly. Makoto complied, lifting his head for their lips to sloppily mesh together.

As their tongues, slick and hungry, danced with each other, both of Makoto's hands traveled downwards. One hand cupped Haruka's balls and rolled them in his hand, making Haruka rip his mouth away and keen loudly, bucking his hips as his eyes watered because it just felt so good.

"Master Haruka," he heard Makoto snicker, "you're tightening."

"S-Shut – ahh..." the master squirmed in his servant's hold. Makoto's hand was large and could play with his contracting testicles easily. He felt the other hand go down further, until it brushed against his entrance and Haruka practically shrieked.

Immediately he covered his mouth but Makoto laughed at him. "We're far, far away from anyone else here, Master Haruka. That is why I invited you to my room," he whispered. He kept his voice low and filled with carnal wanting. "This way, you can make as noise as you want..."

"D-Don't want," Haruka felt like he was losing his mind, even more so as the finger at his entrance rubbed more insistently against him. He closed his eyes in humiliation. "I don't want to..."

"Perhaps I misspoke, Master Haruka," Makoto said delicately. His hand abandoned Haruka's quivering balls, causing the blue-eyed teen to whine in displeasure. The same hand suddenly shot upwards and forced its fingers into Haruka's mouth, forcing him to keep his lips apart. "I want you to make as much noise as possible," Makoto's breath was hot on his ear. "I want to hear the sounds you make if it feels good..." the finger down there was slowly, relentlessly, pushing its tip in. "... or if it hurts..."

It did hurt. Haruka groaned, more in pain than in pleasure, and Makoto immediately halted. "You see?" he felt Makoto smile against the nape of his neck. "This way, you can just tell me of how you want to be pleased..."

Haruka's teeth sunk into tanned flesh as he glowered. Makoto winced but did nothing to remove them. Instead, he slowly withdrew his fingertip from his master's insides and Haruka heard the sheets rustling; Makoto was groping around for something.

Suddenly the fingers in his mouth were thrust insistently deeper and Haruka almost gagged. "If you think too much, then it won't be as fun, Master Haruka," Makoto murmured, still using his free hand to search blindly through his sheets. "Suck on them."

Whimpering, Haruka obeyed, wrapping his tongue around the intruding digits and suckling on them loudly, small whimpers escaping his throat, as well as saliva which trickled over the rest of Makoto's hand and his own chin. Makoto gave a low growl as Haruka dragged his teeth over the skin of his knuckles. "That's it," he whispered, finding what he was looking for. "Just like that, Master Haruka. You're doing well. It feels good."

Haruka's ears perked up at that and he sucked at the fingers with renewed vigor. Makoto let out a little grunt and he felt his blood rush; it was thrilling that he was the one to cause Makoto to make such noises.

The fingers withdrew, wet and slippery, and slipped back up his shirt, to his nipples. Slick digits pinched at one and Haruka keened, leaning into the touch. A familiar smell wafted past his nose. "Is that... the massage oil?" he asked dazedly.

"It is. I'm glad you remembered," a deep rumbling chuckle. "If I remember right, you quite enjoyed it when I used this the last time."

Haruka remembered the massage; the intimacy of Makoto rubbing it all over his body caused his cheeks to heat up and for his cock to leak pre-cum. The hand on his nipple, which was now pulling, rolling, and rubbing the sensitive nub, was not helping. "Nngh..."

Makoto's other hand returned, covered in smooth oil, and it wrapped around his erection to lazily jerk him off. Haruka cried out again, louder this time, and thrashed his legs about. "Ah! Ah! Mm... Ah!" he felt Makoto's thumb smoothing over his slit. "N-No! Not there!"

"Very well then," Makoto's oiled hand suddenly receded. Haruka voiced his displeasure heatedly.

"I didn't mean it!"

"I know you didn't," Makoto's oiled hand returned at a lower place, causing the master's body to stiffen. "But I have better uses for this oil..."

"Ah..." Haruka trembled, feeling slick fingers probe at his sensitive, contracting flesh. The same curious fingertip from before slowly made its way in.

The oil did indeed help. It didn't hurt so much as it just felt... strange. It was just something that didn't feel like it belonged. Haruka shifted his hips, feeling a bit bewildered. It didn't hurt, it didn't feel good, it was just... there. It was like five men in a newfangled four man car – uncomfortable but not unbearable.

The finger slid in deeper, rubbing at his inner walls as if searching for something. It felt so foreign that Haruka wordlessly squirmed.

It continued on like that for a while, with Haruka occasionally wincing if Makoto overreached. Then his servant would retreat gently before probing off in a different direction. After a while, Haruka's breaths became shallow, his cheeks flushing a bright color in the darkness as the strange feeling gained an undertone of pleasure. He began to rock his hips against the lone finger side, suddenly wishing for more.

At this, Makoto slid in a second finger, his middle finger, and Haruka felt the fingers scissor inside. He gasped because it hurt, but only a little.

Both fingers, for a while, remained just inside his entrance, slowly stretching it out for future entry. At one point, Makoto rubbed the place just behind his balls and Haruka gave a loud cry, his hole clamping down so tightly that one finger was squeezed out.

"You clenched," Makoto murmured, kissing the sensitive spot behind his ear. Haruka moaned, embarrassed at the honest reactions of his body.

"You know, Master Haruka," Makoto continued in a sultry voice that would make anyone melt into a puddle of goo, "your insides are very warm..." he nipped at the sensitive ear, "... and exceptionally tight..."

Haruka shuddered. Not this. He didn't want to hear this. It made him embarrassed. It made him want to hide. But it was pretty damn hard to hide with a finger shoved up his ass, probing his insides.

"It's starting to get very, very wet..." Makoto continued, ignoring his master's obvious discomfort. "So much so that I just – " suddenly the green-eyed teen thrust his hips forward and rubbed his boner against Haruka's ass " – want you to swallow me up to the hilt. Because, Master Haruka, if you feel good now..." he grinded up against his rear again, "... I can make you feel even better."

Haruka choked back a moan and instead bowed his head to gasp. Makoto's fingers had abandoned the investigative massage on his inner (very hot, very tight, very wet) flesh and was now simply thrusting both of his fingers in, quick and fast, as an imitation of future possibilities.

"Call out for me, Master Haruka," he heard the soft command in his ear. "Call out my name."

"Ahh..." Haruka tilted his head backwards, groaning the brunette's name into his throat. "Makoto... Makoto...!"

Makoto dipped his head down to kiss him before he also grabbed at his master's erection, stroking him quickly. Haruka cried out and threw back his head on to Makoto's steady shoulders, feeling his climax approaching.

Suddenly Haruka felt as if a lightning bolt had struck him as Makoto brushed against something within him and he yelled out Makoto's name one last time before his cum erupted from his cock, causing white strands of his essence to settle over his pubic hairs and Makoto's tightly fisted hand. The servant released his softening erection and lifted his hands over to his mouth to lap up the bitter taste.

"Don't!" Haruka cried out, alarmed. But he was too exhausted to do anything else. "It's dirty!"

"I've swallowed yours before, Master Haruka," his servant replied, clearly amused. "To me, it's a treat."

Haruka blushed and gingerly lifted himself off of Makoto's lap to wobbly stand on the stone floor. "I need a bath," he muttered dizzily.

"Agreed," Makoto said, also getting up. "If you'd like, I'll wash you."

Haruka immediately edged away from him.

Green eyes shone with mirth. "Don't worry, Master Haruka. I think you've had enough for today. I won't force you to do anything in your sacred water haven," he said this teasingly but with no malice. Haruka scowled at him when he had a sudden thought and squinted to try to see the front of Makoto's trousers in the dim moonlight.

"... What about you?"

"Hm?"

"You're still..." he gestured to the bulge still between his servant's legs. "If you want, then I can..."

"Don't bother," Makoto quickly said. "I'll take care of it myself. Master Haruka still isn't ready for that kind of thing."

"But you said those kinds of things earlier... did you not mean them?"

"I meant every word I said," was the sincere reply. "But more than anything, I am just trying to get you used to the idea, Master Haruka. Now is not the time."

"How do you know when I'm ready or not?" his master demanded, feeling slighted. Makoto sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Well... I can just tell. It comes with experience."

"What?"

Makoto seemed to realize the impact of what he had said and quickly tried to backtrack. "I mean, I suppose it's just obvious by how you act?"

Haruka stared at him in those nervous emerald eyes before slowly trailing his gaze downwards to the floor. He bit his lip, feeling insecure and angry all at once. Makoto had said that he could tell from 'experience'. Where had that 'experience' come from?

"I'll admit that he occasionally made some difficult requests..."

The implication of the brunette's earlier words hit him like a freight train. "Makoto," he said in a strange voice. It sounded as if he were having trouble breathing.

"Yes, Master Haruka?"

"Did King... Did you do these sorts of things with him?"

The silence after the question was long. Too long. It grated on the water-lover's nerves and he felt his blood begin to boil.

"Yes," Makoto finally said, sounding sad. "It was partially what I was bought for."

The blood roared in Haruka's ears as he imagined a younger, more innocent Makoto forced to endure sexual torments at the hands of an old pervert. Makoto crying. Makoto begging for it to stop. This all made Haruka angry enough to shove Makoto down onto the bed and straddle him.

"Master Haruka?" Makoto gasped in shock as he felt hands fumbling with the clasp to his trousers. "What are you doing?"

"Makoto," Haruka whispered. "Do you still love me?"

He felt a hand instantly cupping his cheek. Makoto's voice was soft and earnest. "I've always loved you, ever since the day we first met."

Haruka smiled and pressed his hand over Makoto's. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life."

"You will be by my side?"

"Until you die."

"Do you want me suck you?"

"What?"

This was a very evil place to stop, wasn't it? I take the cliffhangers I make with pride. I'm actually surprised that I managed to update so quickly this time.

All of you are so supportive (well, most of you)! I'll compromise by continuing with the plot but adding more smut when I can. Like in this chapter. And the next chapter. And then we'll see what happens.

Also, I will be allowing a vote. Who wants Haruka to... well, you know~ I will allow suggestions~ of what can happen next chapter~ ah, but they're still not going to go all the way, okay~

Don't forget the omake! All requests are valid until June 30th! So far I've got fluff, bondage, and mermaids, LOL.