Title: Pierce.
Series: "Samurai Deeper Kyo"
Disclaimer: Akimine Kamijyo owns.
Warnings: Home piercing ears. Do not attempt. Trust me.
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Hotaru, Anthony.
Rating: PG.

"Ow!" Keikoku shrieked, jerking away from Anthony to massage the tip of his abused ear. He threw the slightly older boy a vaguely betrayed look. "You said it wouldn't hurt!" He cried, knowing he was whining and being weak but too angry to care.

"It hurt because you moved!" Anthony shouted, looking torn between amusement and annoyance. "I have facial piercings—those hurt. Would you like one as well, Keikoku?" He asked with forced politeness. Angelica had come out from the laundry room, Marian and Lilian looking from either side of her hips, an eyebrow raised, but she left without asking questions—this was just another day in their home.

Keikoku glanced warily at the needle in Anthony's hand. "No," he growled in the same voice he used when Anthony tried to take his food last year.

Rolling his eyes at the tone – and hoping he wouldn't get a foot to his jaw again – Anthony tapped the needle against his fingertip. "You do want the rest of the piercings you asked for, right?"

"Aa."

"Then quit your bitching," Anthony said cheerfully, taking Keikoku's right ear in between his fingers again, allowing the boy half a second to prepare before he pushed the needle through cartilage and skin. It didn't hurt Keikoku too badly this time, but he did tense when the sharp tip first broke the skin. Removing the needle, he took the clean, damp cloth and wiped the drop of blood from his ear. He held his hand out, accepting the earring from Keikoku. Gently, he slid the metal into the new hole, pleased. "There, that wasn't so bad now, was it?"

Keikoku pouted. "Why am I doing this again?"

"Because, we all have piercings and you said you wanted one?" Anthony blinked.

"Yun-Yun doesn't."

"Yuan's a bit of a freak," Anthony muttered darkly.

Blinking, Keikoku found that he agreed and asked, "Does Anri have piercings?" He didn't know Anri personally—he had left the Mibu before Yuan found him. He seemed interesting, though. "Does Julian?"

Anthony had to bite down a sarcastic comment. "Yes, they do."

"Did Ian have one?"

Biting his lip firmly, Anthony outrightstabbed Keikoku's ear with another needle, pleased when the boy jerked in surprise. "What's with the twenty questions? You met mom before. She had big hoop earrings, remember?"

"Aa, yea. I thought they were big... Like..." Keikoku trailed off thoughtfully.

Anthony repeated the piercing process: piercing, cleaning, placing, repeat. His eyebrow rose. "'Like'?"

Keikoku blinked, shrugging. "I don't know."

He laughed – he shouldn't have expected anything from Keikoku. "You're an idiot," he said, cuffing the blond upside the head teasingly. "Ready for the big pierces?" He nearly snickered when Keikoku tensed. In reality, he could probably (definitely) do this completely painless/bloodless... but, what Keikoku didn't know won't hurt him.

"Ow!"

Much.