"Mulan, where is the baby?" Blue eyes searched the face before them desperately, trying to understand what was happening. "What have you done with our child?"
"He's dead, Shilin." Mulan answered, her voice quavering slightly through her obvious attempts to control it. "I killed him."
"N...nani?" Shock rang through the word. Shilin stared at his lover as if waiting for her to retract the statement. "Mulan, w...why?"
"Because he would have died anyway." Tears began to mist Mulan's golden hazel eyes and this time she couldn't force them back. "I love you, Shilin, but I'm to be married to another soon, whether I want to or not." She forced her face up to meet her lover's stunned expression. "Chen would have killed him, Shi-chan, and it wouldn't have been a kind death. I...I had to save him from that much at least." The tears were now spilling down her cheeks. Shilin half held his arms out to her, torn between his horror over his son's death and his desire to comfort the woman who still held his heart.
"But Mulan, I would have taken him! I would have raised him!" His blue eyes were starting to mist over like hers. "Why didn't you wait for me? Surely you knew I would come!"
"H...hai." She choked on her sobs. "But your tribesmen wouldn't have let you raise him, Shi-chan! He had my coloring, not yours! He'd have instantly been branded an outsider and done away with, you know that!" Mulan's legs gave out from under her at that point and she sank to her knees on the floor of the hut. Compassion won out and Shilin knelt to wrap his arms around her. "It....it's not fair! I love you, yet I'm being forced to marry another! Eight months I've been exiled in this wretched hut, only occasionally being visited by my mother and sisters and I can't even keep my baby!" She buried her face in Shilin's bright gold hair and sobbed helplessly.
"Shhhh." Shilin whispered, fighting back his own tears. "It will be all right, Mulan. I don't know how, but somehow things will be O.K."
"I...I wish things were different." Mulan sniffed weakly. "I wish we could be together always!"
"So do I beloved." Her lover sighed. The pair were so preoccupied they failed to notice the sound of heavy boots coming up the path. "So do....."
"What do we have here?" A harsh voice interrupted, accompanied by the slam of a door being opened. The two lovers looked up, startled, and Mulan instantly shrank against Shilin, eyes wide with fear.
"Chen." Shilin growled, his blue eyes narrowing in hate. The other man responded with a snarl, then stalked over and slapped the blonde man hard across the face.
"Get away from my future wife, yellow dog!"
"Gladly." Shilin sneered, releasing Mulan and standing defiantly. "I have no desire for a pretty prize, fit only for turning out children! Have your wife, and I will have the memory of an actual woman, the woman I loved." With a mocking half bow, Shilin turned for the door. He hesitated on the threshold, then turned back to his lover who was still on the floor where he had left her. "Good-bye, Mulan. Although I'll never see you again, I'll love you always, and forgive you for what you've done. I swear it." Flashing her a small smile, he turned and left the hut. Mulan sat watching him, until she saw Chen turn toward her in the corner of her eye. Then she dropped her head, not wishing to look at him.
"Eight months in exile," Chen's gray eyes narrowed dangerously. "Eight months with no company, and the first person you try to see," He grabbed her arm, hauling her roughly to her feet, ignoring her cry of pain. "Is the very Hin bastard who got you exiled to begin...."
"No!" Mulan hissed at him, wrenching her arm from his grasp. "I love him, it's true, but I did not send for him! He came on his own. He came for the baby."
"Ah yes," A sneer settled on her fiancée's lips. "The baby. You're mother came to fetch me as soon as it was born, so that I could take care of the matter. Where is the baby, Mulan?"
"Dead." She spat at him, wrapping her arms around her and sinking her nails into the thin fabric of the shift she'd worn in child-birthing. "I knew you'd kill him unmercifully, so I smothered him and threw his body in the river! As you have robbed me of my son and my lover, so I've robbed you of your victory!" Instead of becoming angry with her, as she thought he would, Chen just laughed.
"So, you've become a murderer as well as a whore then?" Amusement sparkled in his eyes as he reached out to grab her and crush her against him. She gasped in surprise and disgust. "All the more reason to be glad I still want you." He buried his face in her dark hair. "Be happy that you're beautiful and rich, because if you weren't, no one would have you after you'd lain with that yellow-haired piece of dung." Mulan bit her lip, forcing herself not to make her situation any worse by defending her beautiful lover. Chen released her, half flinging her across the room. "You will stay here until our wedding, Mulan." He leered at her. "And I'll see to it that if your 'love' tries to come for you, he dies." With that, he turned and swaggered out of the hut. Mulan sank back against the wall, wrapping her arms tightly around her and sobbing. She hated that man!
"Seiryuu, why? Why do I have to go with him instead of the one I love?" Her lips pulled back in a snarl. Chen was so full of himself, so happy that he had beaten both her and Shilin! Well, she'd have the last laugh yet. With a look of determination, she shoved herself away from the wall and headed into the hut's other room. She had lied, both to her lover and her fiancée. She hadn't wanted to lie to Shilin, but if she had told him that the baby was alive, that she had abandoned him in the nearby forest, the kindhearted blonde would have undoubtedly tried to rescue the child himself and that could have only ended with the baby's death. Chen she'd had no problem lying to. Kneeling before the makeshift shrine she'd erected in her room so she could pray even in exile, she lit the incense carefully. Closing her eyes, she touched her head to the floor, hands folded in front of her. "Seiryuu, great dragon, guardian of this land, please hear my plea! Take care of my child. Let someone find him and raise him well. If I can not hold him in my arms, at least let some other woman know the joy of holding him. This is my prayer."
"What is that noise?" Green eyes blinked fearfully, looking around. "It sounds like a dragon or some other monstrous beast!"
"Do not be so ridiculous, Ushi." Chiou sighed at his niece. "There are no animals in this woods that would attack us. Come, we have a job to do, let's do it and be done with this sad business." The old man looked down at the bundle in his arms. His littlest sister's fifth child and only son, dead upon being born. Chua Hua had been too weak after giving birth to him to even speak, and her husband had refused to leave her side, even to bury his dead son. So the burden had fallen upon Chiou and Ushi. The ear-piercing scream that had so scared his timid niece rang out again, and Chiou hesitated. "No animals...and yet..."
"What is it, uncle?" Ushi asked, apparently still fairly intimidated by the noise.
"Let's go investigate."
"But...but uncle!" The girl protested, clearly terrified by the prospect. "The baby...!"
"Oh don't be such a ninny!" Her uncle chided. "We can bury the baby any where. That noise sounds very familiar and I want to see if I'm right!"
"H...hai." Ushi murmured, following her uncle's new course with timid steps. They wound their way through the woods, Chiou gaining speed as they went. Ushi was gasping with the effort of keeping up when her uncle suddenly slowed to a stop in a large clearing, clearly used as a campsite with some frequency. "How...how does the old man move so quickly?" The girl thought to herself, half keeling over as she fought to catch her breath. When she looked up again, her uncle was peering over the rocks and logs surrounding the clearing. "What is he doing?" She wondered, completely confused. "Has he gone daft?"
"Ah-ha! I was right!" Chiou suddenly cried as he peered around a large bolder. Before his niece could blink, he was vanishing from her sight. "Ushi, Ushi come here quickly and see this!" Curious, Ushi followed him, moving cautiously around the large stone. There was a small indentation near the base of the stone, about the right size for a small animal to hide and it was this that her uncle was kneeling in front of.
"Ah, it must be some sort of cub." Ushi thought, relaxing. Curious to see what kind of animal could be making such a racket, she moved closer. The sight that met her eyes caused her jaw to fall to her chest. "Why...it....it's a baby!"
"Indeed?" Chiou chuckled wryly. "I hadn't noticed." The infant couldn't have been more than a few hours old, with a fine down of black hair covering his skull. He blinked up at them with beautiful, golden hazel eyes, then opened his mouth and screamed again. Despite the fact she had never dealt with children before, being the youngest in the family, she felt an overwhelming urge to comfort the abandoned child.
"Hush now, oh hush little one." She soothed, scooping the small bundle up into her arms. "Oh, you poor thing! You must be cold and hungry." Chiou stood and Ushi fixed him with a confused look. "Who would just leave their baby out here to die?"
"Who knows?" The old man shrugged. "Possibly his family couldn't support him, or he was born out of wedlock. There are a thousand reasons a woman might abandon an infant." He grinned broadly. "For us, however, this child is a gift from the gods." He looked down at the bundle in his own arms, then back at his niece. "Go. Leave me to bury your brother and take that child to your mother. She will be overjoyed to have him, I know it."
"Hai." Ushi smiled, bowing slightly, before she turned and ran all the way back to the acting troupe's camp.
"Hurry, little sister."
"Hai, oniisan." Deshi muttered, glaring at his older brother out of the corner of his eye as he set down the container of paprika he was unloading from their cart. "Jerk." Silently the sixteen year old cursed the fate that had given him his mother's willowy frame and pretty features. Having the entire town declaring him "bishounen" wasn't necessarily a good thing as far as his father and older brother were concerned. "Then again, if the alternative is looking like them, maybe having them call me a girl isn't so bad." He grimaced, eyeing his brother as the older boy haggled over the price of a certain spice with a customer. Li had inherited Chen's light, almost purple auburn hair, and strong, warrior's build. Their mother's golden hazel eyes were the only thing he had inherited from her. Deshi sighed again. He had inherited almost as much from Mulan as his brother had from their father. Only his coloring gave any clue of his relationship to Chen. His hair, the same color as his brother's, was pulled back in a conventional bun against the heat of Salio's desert climate. Narrow, silver eyes watched the world from his narrow, delicate face. His warm toned skin could have come from either of his parents. Stretching his muscles slightly, he turned to unload the last container from the cart. This one was cinnamon. He felt like his back was going to break as he set it down. "Why doesn't Li unload the goods?" Deshi inwardly grumbled, glaring at his brother again. "He's the one built for hard labor, not me!"
"Li, Deshi, hi!" A young man, about Li's age, waved at them as he shoved his way through the crowd. Deshi smiled broadly as the man reached them and half collapsed against the booth they had set up.
"Konnichi wa." Li nodded to their oldest cousin in greeting. Deshi waved, his smile not dimming in the least. His cousin waved back.
"I heard you two had gotten in with another shipment of spices and thought I'd come see how you were doing." The young man continued on, either oblivious to the fact Li was giving him a very cold shoulder, or ignoring the fact. He looked over the spices already set out for display and whistled. "Where does uncle get these things? And at such good prices. It's amazing!"
"It's also a trade secret." Deshi mockingly chided him, moving away from the cart and toward his older relative. "We aren't allowed to tell."
"What, you think I would steal business from my own kin? Cousin, how cruel!" His cousin replied, holding a hand to his chest, a hurt expression on his face. Deshi chuckled good-naturedly. Li ignored them both, unwilling to pay any attention to anything but his job. "Well, despite your hideous allegations," Their cousin continued with a slightly haughty sniff. "I'll still tell you what I came to tell you."
"Oh?" Deshi asked, arching an eyebrow. He received a broad grin.
"There's an acting troupe in town, and a good one at that."
"Acting?" Deshi's eyes grew wide and he leaned forward eagerly. He'd only seen one acting group in his life, when he was seven or eight, but they had left a very strong impression on him. "Really?"
"Hai." His cousin nodded wisely, then broke out grinning again. Randomly Deshi wondered if the other boy ever stopped grinning for very long. "I was wondering if you two would like to join me for lunch and then go and watch them for awhile."
"Hai!"
"Iie."
"What?" Deshi turned to blink at his older brother. "Why not?"
"In case you've forgotten, little sister," Li sneered. "We have a job to do. I am not going to go parading off to watch a bunch of posturing morons while I should be making a living."
"Honestly," Deshi glared. "You are impossible. We're going to have to stop and eat sometime, why not have some fun at the same time? We're going to be here for three days, we'll have plenty of time to make money!"
"Besides," Their cousin chimed in. "How often do we get to see each other? You two only come to Salio three or four times a year! Surely it's permitted for you to spend some time with your family while you're here!"
"Ch', if you two little boys want to go play, I'm not going to stop you." Li smirked nastily. "But I'm going to stay here and do actual work." Both Deshi and his cousin glared.
"Fine, have fun. I'm going." Deshi informed the older boy. Turning a resolute back on his older brother he walked around the end of the stand and stood next to his cousin. "Let's go, shall we?"
"Hai!"
"Blast it all, I can't see!" Deshi mentally cursed as one of the two rather tall men in front of him shifted. Five foot nine and taller than the rest of the members of his family, he wasn't used to having his view blocked. Maybe it would have been better if he could have found a place to sit, but there wasn't such a place to be found. Out of the corner of his eye Deshi spotted a group of boys who looked slightly younger than he was. The important thing was that they were also considerably shorter. Grinning, Deshi tugged on his cousin's sleeve and gestured toward the opening in the crowd. Not waiting to see if the other boy was following him or not, he slid over behind the shorter boys. Now his view of the stage was completely uninterrupted!
"Good eyes." His cousin whispered, sliding up next to him. Deshi barely acknowledged his presence. His eyes were glued on the figures before him on the stage. It was a different play than the last one he'd seen, but the colors and movements were the same. Licking his lips slowly, he leaned forward slightly, trying to memorize every detail of the scene before him. Seiryuu, he wished he knew what all the colors stood for! Each color had its own meaning, that was all he knew. But there were so many colors! How could anyone remember what they all meant? The boys in front of him started jabbering loudly to each other. Deshi barely managed to keep himself from clobbering them.
"How can anyone talk over this?" The sixteen-year-old seethed. "Shut up you idiots, you're missing it! You're making me miss it!" There was a crash of cymbals and the boys shut up for a moment. Deshi smirked slightly. "Just try to be louder than that, you morons!" A movement on the side of the stage caught the boy's eye. Turning his full attention on the new character entering the stage, Deshi tried not to gape. The newcomer was a man, very tall, with long, dark hair that reached the back of his knees, regardless of the fact it was pulled up in a high tail. His costume was mainly orange, with yellow and black accents. It reminded Deshi of the butterflies that flew around his house in the summer time, especially when combined with the long, pheasant feathers trailing from the crown the man was wearing. He moved gracefully across the stage, his stance proclaiming that this was a man used to being obeyed. Once again Deshi wished he knew what the different colors meant, certain that there were hidden messages in the white, black, indigo and red of the man's face paint. Never letting his eyes move from the man on stage, Deshi leaned over and whispered to his cousin.
"Who is that man?"
"Hm?" His cousin blinked. "Oh, you mean the General?"
"Yes, but not the character." Deshi replied, slightly irritated. Did his cousin think he wasn't paying attention to the play or something? "What's the name of the actor playing him?"
"How should I know? They just arrived yesterday. It's not as if I instantly ran over and introduced myself." Brown eyes regarded Deshi curiously. "Why?"
"No reason, just curious." Deshi murmured in response, once again focusing all of his attention on the man on the stage. If his coloring reminded Deshi of a butterfly, his movements reminded the boy of a cat, carefully calculated, not a step out of place. Something about him seemed almost familiar. Slowly Deshi became so focused on that one actor, he was no longer aware of the other actors, or the plot line. It surprised him when the play ended and the crowd began to disperse.
"So," His cousin asked, eyeing him. "Did you actually pay any attention to the rest of the play, or were you too busy staring at the General?"
"Huh?" Deshi blinked, then felt his cheeks color in embarrassment. "Of...of course I paid attention to the rest of the play! What made you think I didn't?"
"The way your eyes stayed glued on that one actor from the moment he put foot on stage." His cousin replied, mild sarcasm lacing his voice. "Careful cousin. I know how much you love the theater, but anyone else might start thinking you were gay."
"Wh...what?" Deshi blinked, his face turning crimson. "No way! Cousin, you're mean! How could you say that?" His cousin shrugged and started to walk off. Deshi followed him, still protesting. "There's no way!" In the back of his mind he could still see the bishounen actor, and his heart did something funny. More to himself than his cousin, he repeated his denial. "No way."
"H...hello? Is anyone there?" Deshi asked tentatively, not even daring to touch the closed opening to the tent in front of him. It had taken the boy three days to learn the name of the actor who had so entranced him, three days to learn which of the acting troupe's tents was his. Tonight was the last night Deshi and his brother would be in Salio. Taking a very deep breath, Deshi tried to calm the quivering in the pit of his stomach. "Ryu-sama?" He asked again, slightly louder this time. For the past two nights he had dreamed of the beautiful actor, had day dreamed about him whenever there was a lull in business. If he wanted to talk to the man at all, it had to be now, otherwise he'd never have the chance again. Taking another deep breath, Deshi placed his hand on the heavy fabric covering the tent's entrance and hesitated. Ryu Chiuen was more than just an actor, he was also one of Seiryuu's warriors, and he acted as the protector of his acting troupe. Therefore, simply entering his tent uninvited probably wouldn't be the smartest move, but Deshi was running out of options. "Besides," The boy reasoned with himself. "If he simply decides I'm a thief and kills me, then at least I'll never have to deal with my father or brothers again." It was a small comfort. Very small. Before he could change his mind again, Deshi pushed open the tent's entrance and slipped inside. It was pitch black. Tentatively, the boy took a couple of steps forward. "Ryu-sama? Are you he...aiiiieeee!" Several long, sinewy things covered with sharp stickers that cut through his clothing suddenly wound themselves around Deshi's arms and legs. There was a small noise behind him, followed by the tent filling with light. Deshi winced, narrowing his eyes against the sudden brightness. The light revealed the things wrapped around him to be thorny vines.
"Well, what have we here?" A calm voice asked from behind him. "Isn't it a bit early to be out stealing?" The vines tightened slightly, making Deshi whimper.
"Idiot!" He mentally kicked himself. "What made you think you could just come waltzing into his tent like that?" Swallowing spasmodically, the gray-eyed boy tried to come up with a decent apology. "Su...sumimasen, Ryu-sama, I didn't..."
"Ryu-sama?" The tall actor moved around Deshi into the center of the tent. Turning golden hazel eyes on his captive he smirked slightly. He was still wearing his costume, right down to the rather fierce-looking make up. Deshi's mouth went dry as he tried desperately not to remember his dreams from the past two nights, dreams in which the beautiful actor had been wearing nothing at all. "The thief has taken the time to learn my name? How amusing." Deshi felt himself blush. "However, I don't generally let anyone outside of the other actors call me by that name. You really should address me as Seiryuu Seishi Tomo."
"H...hai, Tomo-sama." Deshi lowered his eyes to the floor, trying to fight back the tears of frustration and fear that threatened to spill out his eyes. Why had he come here? What had possessed him to try and sneak in to the tent of one of Seiryuu's chosen? He didn't have the first idea what to say to the beautiful man in front of him, and he was probably going to die because of it. He felt so stupid! A long pheasant's feather wrapped it's self around his chin, lifting his head so he was looking at his captor again.
"Mm, that's better." Narrow eyes shifted appraisingly over the boy in front of them. "I must say, you're the prettiest thief I've run across in quite awhile."
"I...I'm not a thief, Tomo-sama." Deshi interrupted desperately.
"Really?" Tomo raised one eyebrow elegantly. "Then what are you doing sneaking into my tent after dark when I'm out?"
"I...I wanted to...to talk to you."
"Indeed. What did you wish to talk about?"
"I.....I....um...." Sweat trickled down Deshi's forehead as he desperately tried to figure out what to say next. What had he wanted to tell the beautiful actor? That he was the most gorgeous thing on the planet? Surely he already knew that! That he was completely in love with him after seeing him act in one play? Who would believe it, even if it were true? "I...don't...know." Deshi finished lamely, knowing it was the wrong answer.
"Of course not." Tomo smirked, emitting a short cackle. "I don't like being lied to, little thief, and I don't like people trying to rob me. However, I will be nice enough to offer you your choice of scenery before you die." He raised a small clamshell up so Deshi could see it. "I can create any illusion I want with my shin. What will it be? Mountains of treasure? I'd imagine a thief would like that one."
"N...no, Tomo-sama." Deshi tried to keep his voice calm, despite the fact that panic was trying to claw its way through the walls of his stomach. He closed his eyes, swallowing his fear. At least he was being offered a chance at a painless death! He could die at home, with his mother and youngest sibling. But that would mean seeing their pain as he died. Even if it would only be an illusion, he didn't want that! Taking a deep breath, he looked back up at Tomo, who was waiting rather patiently for his answer. If he was about to die, it didn't really matter if he made a fool of himself and was thoroughly embarrassed, now did it? "I want to die with you."
"With me?" The other man blinked his golden hazel eyes, apparently surprised by the request.
"H...hai, Tomo-sama." Deshi closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to watch the burst of anger that would undoubtedly follow his request. Trying once again to calm his gut, he repeated his request. "I'd like to die in your arms, if I may." There, he'd said it. After a few moments of silence, he tentatively opened his eyes again. Why was the beautiful Seishi being so quiet? Why wasn't he dead by now? Tomo was lightly biting one long, painted nail and regarding his captive through half narrowed eyes. Deshi tried vainly to ignore exactly how provocative the gesture was. "Ano, Tomo-sama?" The boy asked tentatively. "Are you all right?"
"Hai." Tomo answered, not shifting an inch. One long feather reached up and ran along the side of Deshi's face, causing the boy to shiver slightly. "Do you have a name, little thief?"
"I...I'm called Deshi."
"Where are you from?"
"Kutou country, Tomo-sama. My brother and I are here to trade spices for our father."
"So, you have a brother. Any other siblings?"
"H...hai, Tomo-sama. Three younger brothers and a younger sister." Gray eyes blinked in confusion. Why did Tomo want to know all of this? Did he always find out everything about a person before he killed them?
"Do any of them look like you?"
"Etto... not really. I take after my mother, the rest of my brothers look more like my father, except the youngest one. An will probably look like me when he gets big enough, but he's only ten. Why?"
"You seem...very familiar." Tomo replied, turning away from his captive to remove the feathered crown and set it carefully on a small table in one corner of the tent. He then moved to sit in front of a large mirror that Deshi hadn't been able to see before, as the tall seishi had been blocking his view, and proceeded to remove his makeup, slowly in an almost thoughtful manner. His captive wondered frantically what was going on.
"I seem familiar to him?" Deshi frowned slightly, remembering the sense of familiarity he had felt when he first saw the beautiful Seishi on stage. "Why? What is this feeling that we seem to share?" Tomo reached over and clicked the clamshell next to him shut. Suddenly, the vines holding Deshi captive vanished.
"Come over here Deshi." The longhaired Seishi ordered softly. "There's something I want you to see."
"Hai, Tomo-sama." Deshi replied, moving toward the mirror. Perhaps this would help explain what was going on. Gray eyes turned to look into the glass and grew wide with shock. "O...Okaasan?" The golden hazel eyes, the charcoal hair, set in that oh so familiar, oh so lovely face. For a second Deshi nearly forgot that the figure in front of him was a man and started dithering on as if the Seishi really were his mother. "Wh...why do you look like my mother?"
"An interesting question," Tomo replied, watching his companion in the mirror. "And one I don't have an answer to." In a swirl of very long hair, he stood smoothly and turned to face the boy. His eyes locked on Deshi's face, the same narrow face as his own. "I thought I might seem familiar to you though, like someone safe. I thought that might have prompted your request, to die in my arms." Long fingers closed around Deshi's face, cupping it firmly. "Did it? Why did you ask that? Look me in the eye and tell me why you chose that as the way you wanted to die."
"I..." Deshi swallowed, wanting more than anything to be able to look away from the actor's narrow, hazel eyes. They seemed to pierce through his skull, sifting through every thought he'd ever had in the process. "I saw you perform a few days ago." He managed to force the words out. The more he said, the easier it became, and soon he was talking quite rapidly, as if speed made all the difference. "You're beautiful, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I haven't been able to think of anything else since then. I've even...even dreamed about you at night. We're leaving tomorrow, so I wanted to see you tonight, to talk to you, although I honestly don't know what I planned on saying. I realize I shouldn't have come into your tent when you weren't here, and that you probably don't believe anything I'm saying, but if you can believe that I love you after seeing you perform once, well, I do." He couldn't stand it, he had to lower his eyes, which were slowly brimming with tears for no apparent reason. The silence was deafening. He almost started babbling again, just to break it. Slowly, so slowly Deshi thought he was imagining it at first, Tomo's long fingers moved, gently caressing the skin beneath them.
"What would you do if I said I believed you?" The Seishi's voice was soft, but it brought Deshi's eyes back up to his face like a magnet. One arm looped itself around Deshi's waist, pulling him in close against the vivid silk of Tomo's costume. "What would you do if I said I thought you were pretty too, and wanted you to stay here tonight?"
"Do...do you mean that?" Wide, gray eyes sought golden hazel ones, trying to determine whether or not he was being lied to, lulled into a false sense of hope by the man holding him.
"Maybe." Despite the enigmatic answer, the fingers caressing Deshi's face slipped back to tug his long hair free from the confines of its bun. Gray eyes slid closed, fingers twining themselves involuntarily into the front of Tomo's costume.
"I'd say that I'm yours, to do with as you please." Deshi shivered, burying his face against the soft fabric. Long nails pressed slightly into the skin of his jaw, and his eyes slitted open as his head was tilted back so that he was looking straight up at the actor.
"Is that so?" Tomo smirked, his tongue flashing briefly across his lips.
"Hai, Tomo-sama." Deshi half whimpered, suddenly about five degrees hotter than he really should be. Before he could say anything else, Tomo leaned over and kissed him. For a moment all he could do was sit there, stunned. Then, slowly, he parted his lips, returning the kiss clumsily, but with feeling to make up for what he lacked in skill. Tomo's other arm slid around his back, just under his shoulders, and suddenly breathing became very difficult as Deshi found himself crushed up against the beautiful Seishi's slim frame. In the very back of his mind, he smiled contentedly. "I can die now."
The thick fabric of the tent did very little to keep the sunlight out. One golden hazel eye cracked to glare at the cheerful glow, then closed again defiantly. "I hate mornings." Tomo snarled inwardly. Then he remembered that this was the day the troupe planned on leaving. "I especially hate mornings on days I need to pack." With that thought, he rolled over, away from the rising sun, and snuggled back down in his blankets. There was a soft moan. Frowning, the dark-haired Seishi opened his eyes, blinking slightly. A few strands of pale, almost purple auburn hair lay across his pillow. "What? Oh, that's right. I had company last night." Smirking slightly, he pushed himself up on one elbow and looked down at the sleeping form next to him. Two long fingers snaked out to softly brush the sleeping boy's face, causing him to smile and shift slightly. With a soft chuckle, Tomo half curled around the boy, one arm wrapping around him in an almost possessive fashion. He actually hadn't believed Deshi last night when the boy had told him that he was only interested in talking, not making off with anything of value he could get his hands on. When the boy had melted like butter in his arms, however, it was rather hard to doubt that his words were true, and he really was interested in Tomo, instead of the Seishi's possessions. And once Tomo had gotten the boy into his bedroll...
The dark-haired Seishi licked his lips at the memory of Deshi's awkward enthusiasm. He really didn't need to ask if the boy had ever had a lover before, because it was quite obvious he hadn't. But he was sweet, nearly timid in some ways, and Tomo had taken full advantage of his attraction, quite happily. Now, with the early morning sunlight seeping in to highlight the boy's soft hair and delicate cheekbones, Tomo reached over to lightly run his tongue along the boy's jaw. Deshi moaned, a sound very similar to the soft noises he'd made the night before, and stirred, gray eyes fluttering open.
"Where?" The boy blinked at the canvas in front of him, frowning slightly. Tomo chuckled and leaned forward slightly to whisper in the boy's ear.
"Good morning, Deshi-chan." He ended the sentence by lightly nipping the boy's earlobe.
"T...Tomo-sama?" Deshi turned swiftly to stare at him with wide eyes. Tomo lifted an eyebrow in amusement.
"Why so startled, little one? This is my tent after all." Giving the boy a predatory smile, he tightened his grip around the boy's middle. "You're in my bed." Deshi's mouth worked silently a couple of times, his face coloring a little.
"I thought I was dreaming again." The words came out in a disbelieving whisper. "I...you're real. Last night, that was real too, wasn't it?" Tomo laughed.
"Of course." As if to prove his point, he pulled the still stunned boy under him and placed a rather demanding kiss against his mouth. Deshi responded without hesitation, wrapping his arms around the beautiful Seishi and twining his hands in the man's hair. Tomo smiled to himself. The boy was a fast learner. Reluctantly, he broke off the kiss, smoothing Deshi's hair out of his face with one hand as he did so. "However, it also really is morning, and the troupe is leaving today. I should get up and pack."
"Oh." Disappointment laced Deshi's voice. Then, as Tomo's words sank in further, the boy's face slowly shifted to an expression of absolute horror. "Oh! Oh gods, I'm late!"
"Late?" Tomo cocked his head to one side. Deshi nodded miserably.
"We're leaving this morning too, remember? Li wanted to get an early start." Grey eyes closed as the boy winced. "He's going to kill me for being late!"
"Li?" Tomo frowned slightly, not remembering the name from their discussion the previous night. "Ah, yes, your older brother." He stifled a yawn, then pushed himself into a sitting position, smirking slightly. "Maybe you'd better stay here then." Tomo purred, half joking.
"Stay...could I?"
"That depends." The Seishi shrugged slightly, softly dragging a nail along the length of the boy's arm. "We don't have much money to begin with, and most of what we do have goes into costumes and the like. That means we can't afford to feed people who can't earn their way. However, if you had any skills that could be useful..." He didn't bother to finish, as Deshi was already shaking his head sadly.
"All I know how to do is gather firewood and trade spices, I'm afraid." He hesitated for a moment. "Besides, okaasan would miss me. She's already lost one son, she doesn't need to lose another."
"Lost? How?" Tomo frowned slightly, his curiosity half perked. Standing smoothly, he stretched all the kinks out of his muscles, then turned back to Deshi, waiting for his answer. Much to his annoyance and amusement, the boy hadn't even registered the question. He was too busy staring awe struck at Tomo, standing there completely naked. The Seishi smirked slightly. Had he ever been that love struck? He didn't think so. "I asked you a question, Deshi," He informed the gaping boy delicately, before reaching over and pulling all the covers off the bed. Deshi turned crimson and automatically reached for his clothes, but not before Tomo could get a good long look at his unclad figure. "Now pay attention and give me an answer."
"H...hai, Tomo-sama." Deshi muttered, pulling his pants on as quickly as he could. The dark-haired Seishi turned and reached for his own clothing. The entire troupe had thought he was mad for spending his money on a replica of his costume made from sturdier fabric than the original silk, suitable for travel. However, since he'd earned the money for it himself and it didn't take away from the troupe's budget, no one had complained. Now, as he lazily pulled his jacket over his shoulder, he kept his eyes glued on the form of the boy in the mirror as Deshi began his explanation. "You see, before mother and father were married, mother had another lover. Apparently she loved him very, very much, because they had a child, even though my grandfather had forbidden them to see each other."
"They didn't kill her for that?" Tomo arched an eyebrow, deftly closing the frog at the top of his collar and reaching for his pants.
"No. You see, mother was also rather wealthy, not to mention beautiful, so father didn't care if she wasn't a virgin." Deshi stretched, now completely dressed, and stood up from where he was carefully perched at the edge of the bed. "He did care about raising another man's child though, and vowed to kill the baby as soon as it was born. Mother knew that if she gave the infant to her lover, his family would just kill him, so in desperation she abandoned him in the woods, then told everyone she killed him." The boy smiled ruefully, staring down at his boot tips, completely oblivious to the intense stare his lover of a night was giving him. "I'm the only one who knows the baby wasn't smothered and thrown in the river. Not that it matters, he probably died anyway."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Tomo's lips twitched into something vaguely resembling a smile. He really should have expected something like that.
"Huh? Why?" Deshi blinked at him, uncomprehending. The tall Seishi paced across the tent to gently cup the boy's face in one hand.
"Why do I look like your mother?" Tomo cackled slightly as Deshi's eyes grew wide.
"Y...you....?"
"I was found, abandoned, in the woods of south eastern Kutou." Tomo nodded slightly. "That is around the area you live in, correct?" Deshi closed his eyes, nodding. Tomo could guess what was going though his mind. After all, they'd just spent the night together, and not chastely. He was rather surprised to find it didn't bother him that much. Then again, despite the fact he shared the same blood as this boy, they hadn't grown up together, so why should he feel like a brother? "Are you all right?" He asked softly, wrapping his arms around his younger brother, as much to reassure himself that the action still felt good as to reassure the boy he was holding.
"I...yes. Yes, I'm all right." Deshi pulled back and smiled. Despite the fact that his eyes were slightly misty, the smile appeared genuine. Shivering slightly, he looked out the door. "But I really should be going, or my brother, our brother, will beat me within an inch of my life."
"Indeed. I wish you luck." Tomo smiled suddenly and, on impulse, reached over and kissed Deshi quite firmly. With a low moan, the boy folded bonelessly into his arms, returning the kiss. "You know," The Seishi mentally chuckled. "Brother or not, late or not, I bet that if I pushed him down on the bed and started ripping his clothes off, he wouldn't utter a word of protest..." It was a highly tempting thought, but he really did have to get packing, or he'd be responsible for making the entire troupe late, and Seiryuu Seishi or no, he didn't want that! As the kiss ended he gently shoved Deshi toward the entrance to the tent. "If I never see you again, little one, have a nice life."
"Thank you." Deshi paused, then, much to his brother's amusement, bowed formally. "I wish you the same. Good-bye."
"Good-bye." Tomo watched the boy disappear through the tent flap. He started to turn and begin packing, then a thought caught at the edge of his mind and he pulled the flap open, calling after his younger brother. "Deshi!" The boy paused then turned. "Say hello to mother for me."
"Hai!" Deshi called back, before turning to run off toward the market where Li would be waiting, nearly bowling several people over in the process. Tomo smirked and vanished back into his tent.
"Such a sweet boy." The dark-haired Seishi sighed, feeling another momentary pain of regret at his little brother's leaving. "I wonder if I have any interesting relatives on my father's side..."
~Owari~