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A Wife\'s Prerogative	By : roryheadmav Category: +S to Z > Samurai 7 Views: 1627 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai 7, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-A Wife's Prerogative
- 1
DISCLAIMER: This story is a non-commercial
work of fiction based on the anime/manga Samurai 7. Original copyright
of Samurai 7 belongs to Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo
Oguni, MICO, GDH, GONZO. Absolutely no monetary gain has been made with
this work.

A WIFE'S PREROGATIVE

© April 2, 2006 By Rory
V. Pascual

Shichiroji knew he was making a lot
of noise by the sudden silence that fell upon the camp. The blond samurai,
however, was too far gone to care about what his other comrades were thinking.
The only thing that mattered to him was the smiling man above him and the
length of tempered steel that slid in and out of the needy orifice between
his legs in languid strokes.
It had been so easy for Shichiroji
to fall under the spell of Shimada Kanbei. His commander had an aura that
demanded respect and admiration, quite intimidating at first especially
since Kanbei was more of a loner compared to the other officers. But as
the dashing blond got to know his superior, he soon discovered just how
special the older man truly was.
A master swordsman and a shrewd tactician,
Kanbei trusted his men without question, giving them duties and missions
that the commanders would rather do themselves for fear of a traitor in
their midst. Unlike the other officers, Kanbei would join his men in the
frontlines, even going so far as to charge at the enemy all by himself,
clearing a less than hazardous path for those following behind him.
What saddened Shichiroji was that
his commander was, more often than not, assigned to battles wherein they
had no hope of winning. Just once, he hoped that their squadron would gain
a victory. But it was impossible. Kanbei himself was well aware that they
were being used to test the might of the enemy before the main forces attacked.
Unfortunately, it led to the loss of many good men's lives.
There was a time when, after one
such devastating defeat, Shichiroji found Kanbei walking through the battlefield.
He was like a ghost in the moonlight, mourning over each of their dead
comrades while tears streamed down his ruggedly handsome face.
Kanbei had fallen to his knees among
the dead, crying out to the gods that had forced him to be parted from
his beloved wife and daughter.
"Please let all of this end!" he
had wept in bitterness. "How many more men do I have to send to their graves?
I want to go back to Maeko and Kuri! Please let me return home to my family!"
It was a heartbreaking sight that
Shichiroji could no longer bear to watch. He had approached the despondent
man then, offering him a kind ear and soothing words, which eventually
became something deeper, more passionate.
Kanbei was stricken with guilt by
that first encounter, and even Shichiroji was ashamed that he had dared
to seduce his commanding officer. But then, during one rare day of peace,
Kanbei's wife Maeko, a beautiful woman with a stately mien just like her
husband, made a surprise visit to their camp. Kanbei had introduced his
men to his wife with great pride. The blond samurai, in particular, was
given special honor, introduced as his trusted aide. His wife's eyebrows
had risen at that introduction, but she did not say anything more.
It was later when they had a brief
moment of privacy that Maeko had said to him with a relieved smile, "I
am glad that my husband has found someone like you to care for him in this
gods-forsaken place. Be his spouse, Shichiroji-sama, a task that I am unable
to fulfill for him here."
The words just spilled out of Shichiroji's
lips before he realized that he had done so. "You're not angry that Kanbei-sama
and I had�"
"No, I don't mind." The woman gently
caressed his face and said good-naturedly, "But if you break my husband's
heart or steal him away from me and his daughter, have no doubt, I will
emasculate you."
At that particular memory, Shichiroji
let out a chuckle instead of a gasp, as contact was made with that one
spot that gave him pleasure.
"What's so funny?" Kanbei asked,
pausing at his thrusts. Drops of sweat trickled from his brow at his restraint.
"It's nothing. I just remembered
something," the blond warrior replied. Entwining his legs around the older
man's hips, he murmured seductively, "Don't stop."
A slight nod, and Kanbei resumed
his careful rhythm. In his impatience, Shichiroji wanted to scream "Harder!
Faster!" but he knew better than to do so.
During one such heated moment that
he had blurted out those words, Kanbei had stopped instantly. Pulling away,
he had said firmly, "I don't want to hurt you."
Shichiroji had felt truly bereft
then. He was not about to experience that terrible sense of loss now.
How his lover could maintain that
control was something he could never fathom. While he could not stop himself
from vocalizing his pleasure, Kanbei was always calm and subdued.
Like now�Eyes closed, long curling
eyelashes beaded with sweat and tears, full lips allowing the passage of
tiny breaths of air with every stroke�
With a cry, Shichiroji clenched around
the older man's length, just as Kanbei spilled into him in one long gush.
With great care, Kanbei brought his lover to completion as well with a
few short jerks on his hard member, before pulling out, lying down beside
him.
"Why is it so quiet?" Kanbei observed,
frowning. From experience, such prolonged periods of silence were usually
a prelude to an enemy attack.
A blush rose on Shichiroji's cheeks
as he grinned sheepishly. "Must be because of all the noise I was making.
Sorry about that."
"I see. I must admit you frightened
me that first time we�" Concerned gray brown eyes gazed into sated blue
orbs. "Are you sure I'm not hurting you, Shichiroji? If I am, all you have
to do is tell me and I'll�"
Shichiroji pressed a hushing finger
over those full lips. "No pain, truly. You're a most considerate lover."
"Maeko tells me the same thing whenever
she and I�"
Silence fell between them as Kanbei
trained his thoughtful gaze towards the ceiling.
"You have something on your mind,"
Shichiroji stated point blank. "You know you can tell me anything."
There was a moment's hesitation as
Kanbei debated with himself on whether or not he should tell his best friend.
Seeing the resoluteness on the blond's dashing features, however, he breathed
a defeated sigh.
"So you say that I am a considerate
lover," Kanbei began with measured words. "But how would I know�" His voice
fell to a whisper. "�When I have never experienced�"
Shichiroji was unable to hide his
surprise at what the older man was struggling to express. "Are you saying
that you want to know how it is to be on the�uh�receiving end? I�I could
tell you but�"
"It's not the same!" Kanbei blurted
out, startling the blond. Blushing hotly, he repeated sulkily, "It's not."
"Why the sudden interest?" Shichiroji
looked at his lover with suspicion. "Is there something you're not telling
me?" He carefully hazarded, "Does this have something to do with the nightmares
you've been having lately?"
Shichiroji knew he had hit his mark
by the way the elder samurai pulled his yukata close over his trembling
body.
Not wanting to prolong the disturbing
discussion any further, Kanbei turned his back to the younger man and said
curtly, "Forget I asked. Let's go to sleep."
Knowing better than to pry, Shichiroji
draped his arm over his lover's body, pulling him into a soothing embrace.
Kissing that high cheekbone, he murmured, "I'm always here for you. Remember
that." Before he could drift off to sleep, he whispered, "I'm content to
be your 'wife', Kanbei-sama. You don't have to assume that role just to
please me. Even if you offer it, I don't think I will take you up on it.
I respect you too highly to see you in that subservient position."
At that statement, the blond closed
his eyes, letting his superior officer and lover mull over his words.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Oi! Mrs. Shimada! How's the husband
doing today?"
Shichiroji instantly bristled at
that query. Slowly, he turned to gaze at Otomo Kuribayashi, the grizzled
camp cook. The old man was grinning from ear to ear, revealing two yellow
incisors and blackened gums that made him look like a demented vampire.
"Do you want me to knock off those
last two teeth from your mouth, Otomo-san?" the blond samurai growled menacingly.
The old cook quickly shook his head,
pressing his palms together as a sign of apology. "I was just teasing you,
Shichiroji-san. I truly meant no offense. It's just that�well�" He scratched
his right temple with a chipped fingernail. "You two haven't been exactly�discreet�if
you know what I mean."
Shichiroji became as red as a beet.
Muttering, he said, "You should all just mind your own business."
Otomo looked at the young warrior
in concern. "In all seriousness, son, is something wrong with Kanbei-sama?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"Well, he dropped by a couple of
hours ago to get some vegetables. I think he's planning to cook a meal
for the two of you. But he seems quite distracted, like something's troubling
him. You're not keeping him up all night, are you?"
Shichiroji could not find it in him
to be offended with Otomo's inquiry. There was only genuine worry in the
cook's rheumy eyes. He could not lie to the old man.
"Kanbei-sama's been having nightmares
lately," the blond admitted. "He wakes up in the middle of the night gasping
for air, his eyes wide with sheer terror. Sometimes, it is I who wakes
him up. He would thrash in his sleep beside me, crying out just one word,
'No!' over and over again. I always ask him what his nightmares were about,
but he would not tell me anything. To be very honest, I'm just as worried
about him as you are."
"If there is any man in this camp
who could get him to open up, it's you, my boy," Otomo said confidently.
"Don't give up. Whatever his nightmares are, it's literally eating him
alive. That haunted look in his eyes�it gave me the shivers."
Shichiroji nodded. Dark circles had
formed around Kanbei's eyes that made him look like a man tormented by
demons. Those nightmares were undermining his beloved commander's confidence
and he feared it might have a detrimental effect on his performance on
the battlefield.
"I'll do as you advise, Otomo-san,"
Shichiroji reassured the old cook, "although I think you're giving me way
too much credit. Kanbei-sama values his privacy and he may not appreciate
my intruding into his personal affairs. Besides, I am but his aide�" He
admitted shyly, "�And someone who only shares his lonely bed at night.
I have no right."
Otomo breathed out a sigh. "Let me
tell you something, Shichiroji-san. You are the one who has no idea of
the privilege that was given to you. Kanbei-sama trusts you highly, and
I've heard that even his wife has accepted this temporary relationship
that you have with him. I know many men in this camp, from the lowest of
rank to the officers, would give anything to be in your position. Kanbei-sama
is a great and respected leader, but he is also a very desirable man because
of his exquisite beauty. You must protect him, my son, not only from the
enemy who would wish to see him dead because of his brilliance as a tactician,
but also from those who would desire to have him for his attractiveness."
"You don't have to tell me that,
Otomo-san," Shichiroji answered. "I promised Maeko-sama that I would protect
her dear husband in her place." Smiling timidly, he added, "You might say,
that being his 'wife' on the battlefield, it is my prerogative to see to
his welfare."
The cook gave him a hearty pat on
the back. "Well said, lad! No wonder Kanbei-sama trusts you. Now you'd
better run along. I think he's planning to cook vegetable stew for you.
I never saw a man accord cucumbers with such intense scrutiny as he had.
Tell him that for a skinny runt like you, he should put more meat in your
bones."
"And who are you calling a 'skinny
runt'?" Laughing, Shichiroji waved goodbye to the cook as he headed off
in the direction of the barracks, eagerly anticipating the feast that was
waiting for him, even if it were to turn out to be vegetable stew as Otomo
had guessed. Those few occasions that Kanbei was free from his duties were
a sheer delight for the blond, especially since his quiet commander was
an excellent cook himself.
The first thing that greeted Shichiroji
when he arrived at the quarters they shared was the tempting aroma of the
vegetable stew that was simmering over the low fire. Of the cook who had
made this delectable dish, however, there was no sign.
Until he heard a low moan issue from
the closed door leading to their small room�
Fear for his superior officer would
have made Shichiroji barge inside the room instantly. For some strange
reason, his bright blue eyes were drawn towards the tiny crack between
the door and the doorframe. Getting down on his hands and knees, the samurai
crawled towards the door and peeked through the crack.
Shichiroji was greatly mistaken.
The true feast was not the dish that was cooking in the small fireplace.
It was waiting for him inside their room, sitting naked on a faded brown
tatami in all his resplendent glory with his back against the wall, facing
a large, chipped mirror.
Kanbei was doing a most deliciously
thorough tactile exploration of his upper body. His head was tilted slightly
back, allowing callused palms to caress every delicate feature of his handsome
face. His eyelids twitched, long lashes limned with teardrops, as a fingertip
traced those parted lips that breathed air in and out in short, labored
gasps. Those eyelids opened slightly to gaze into the mirror, only to snap
close once more.
Was that fear that Shichiroji had
seen in those grayish brown orbs? What did Kanbei have to fear?
Unless, that he was afraid that it
was no longer his hands that were caressing his body, but someone else's.
That was why he needed the mirror for confirmation. That he alone, and
not another, was performing this sensual exploration.
Kanbei's palms slid down his long,
graceful neck to the expanse of his chest, at first cupping those firm
mounds, before surrendering to a steady kneading of the flesh around the
flat disks, that slowly rose to the gentle pressure. Kanbei arched his
body forward as his fingers squeezed those rising nubs, pinching and tweaking
them until they were as hard as pebbles. Even the flesh around those tight
points had swelled, assuming a rosy hue. Again and again, Kanbei played
with his breasts, reveling from the sensations emanating from those tiny
peaks of desire. Already, the rod between his legs had risen, like a flagstaff
protruding from his groin. His left hand descended, fingertips fluttering
over the rippling muscles of his washboard belly. How like the rolling
waves of the sea those muscles moved with a mere brush of trembling fingers.
Shichiroji watched with guilty pleasure,
committing to memory all those sundry body parts that elicited gasps and
moans of pleasure from his beloved commander. Already, his fiendish mind
was imagining what it would be like to have Kanbei beneath him, writhing
in his embrace, as his hands squeezed the flesh of his chest into small
breasts so that he could suckle upon those sweet, sensitive nipples, while
he bracing himself for a most eager entry.
The blond samurai quickly shook himself
like a shaggy dog. No, he mustn't think such impure thoughts about Kanbei.
It was unimaginable of him to allow Kanbei to spread his legs for his pleasure
and enjoyment, even if the older man had offered it before.
But to his mixed horror and delight,
as though tempting fate, Kanbei slowly lifted his long limbs, bending them
at the knees, and spread them wide, so that, with embarrassment and guilt,
Shichiroji could have a good view of the tiny opening he so desired to
invade.
No, I must not look at it! Shichiroji
berated himself. Focus your eyes on that hard member, and nothing else.
Kanbei will only bring himself to completion, that is all.
However, Kanbei had something else
on his mind. Instead of those fingers closing around his erection, he gathered
both his rod and the hefty sacs underneath, and pressed them close to his
belly. Shichiroji's eyes were as round as saucers as Kanbei reached down
with his right hand and, with a deep breath, inserted a tiny finger inside
the opening.
Kanbei's eyes snapped open at the
sudden intrusion, reflecting not fear but abject terror. This time, he
kept his eyes open as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, observing
that seemingly alien being with the tip of a small finger stuck up his
ass. Slowly, he pushed his finger in deeper, white even teeth biting down
on his lower lip. A sweat drop trickled from his temple.
Shichiroji knew that, despite the
tiny appendage, the older man was in pain, judging from his harsh breathing.
And his body was reacting instinctively to the intruder by tightening around
the finger, allowing no further entry, despite Kanbei's attempts to relax.
Kanbei, however, would not be deterred from what he had set out to do.
Removing his tiny finger, he jabbed
his index finger between his legs before the opening could tighten, following
it immediately with the middle finger. This time, Kanbei did cry out in
pain as the orifice squeezed around those intruding appendages, internal
muscles demanding that it be expelled. He was so tight that, despite all
his efforts, he could only manage to push his fingers in up to the first
knuckles. No amount of stretching would relax the opening.
Kanbei let out a groan of frustration
as he pulled out his hand and reached for something that lay near his hip.
Shichiroji's blue eyes flew wide at the sight of that infamous cucumber
that Otomo had mentioned to him earlier. Kanbei was holding the gourd tightly
in his hand, positioning it over the recalcitrant opening. As the vegetable
drew closer and closer towards the orifice, Shichiroji's jaw also dropped.
There was no mistaking Kanbei's intent.
"KANBEI-SAMA!" Shichiroji rushed
inside the chamber, sliding the door open with a bang, just as Kanbei was
about to plunge the cucumber inside his body.
Kanbei first turned as white as a
sheet, and then became totally red, as his comrade and lover tore the cucumber
out of his hand and threw it away.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Shichiroji demanded, as Kanbei turned his head away in shame. "Do you know
that you could've been seriously hurt? You have no experience with this
sort of thing!"
"That's because you refused to show
me how it is!" Kanbei spat back with utter vehemence, as though it were
his lover's fault that he had been reduced to experimentation with a foreign
object.
"This isn't just morbid curiosity
and you know it." Before Kanbei could look away once more, Shichiroji cupped
his face in his hands. "For heaven's sake, Kanbei, tell me what's wrong.
What is compelling you to do this? What are those demons that have been
plaguing you these many nights?"
" 'Demons', huh?" Kanbei squeezed
his eyes shut as his body shuddered. "You couldn't be more right in describing
my nightmares."
"What do you mean?"
"For several nights, I've been dreaming
of shadowy forms pursuing me. No matter how hard or how far I run, they
always catch up to me. When they do, they�" Kanbei curled up into himself,
desperately hiding his nakedness. "You're wrong when you say that I don't
have�experience. In my dreams, all those demons ever did was� By the gods,
I never felt so dirty and so cheap! Even after I wake up, I could still
feel their hands upon my skin. I turn at every dark shadow, for fear that
they would just jump at me and attack me again."
"It's just a nightmare. If you're
thinking this is an ominous premonition, my grandmother told me that what
we usually see in dreams would not happen in real life."
"Then why do I keep having the same
dream over and over again if it isn't a premonition?" Shichiroji gasped
in surprise as Kanbei suddenly embraced him, pressing his face to the blond's
chest. He could feel his beloved leader's tears wetting his shirt. "If
you care for me as you say you do, Shichiroji, you will take me. I'm begging
you. Better you than those�demons�."
Shichiroji drew his distraught commander
away from him and peered into his tear-filled brown eyes. With a tender
kiss on those lips, he murmured, "I told you before that I have too much
respect for you to want to put you in that vulnerable position. If I take
you up on your offer, I would be no different from those demons that had
molested you in your nightmares." The warrior slowly peeled off his clothes.
"Do not ask me this again, Kanbei," he requested, taking Kanbei's still
hard member and positioning himself above it. "I am happy enough to be
your wife on the battlefield."
Saying this, Shichiroji sank down
upon the older man's length. As he gripped fistfuls of his lover's hair,
he moved up and down that stiff rod, working from a smooth, gradual gliding
to a frenetic pace. Abandoning himself to the fullness inside his body,
Shichiroji was the first to come, spurting his fluids over his and Kanbei's
bellies. With a shuddering gasp, Kanbei followed, filling his young lover
with his seed. The two men collapsed onto the tatami, with Shichiroji not
once freeing the older man from his tender embrace.
"It's better this way, Kanbei," he
said reassuringly. "I swear to you. I am quite happy and contented with
the way we are now."
Kanbei breathed a weary sigh of defeat,
clearly unconvinced. "I hope you and I will not live long enough to regret
those words."
"KANBEI-SAMA! SHICHIROJI-SAMA!"
Suddenly, a panting soldier appeared
at the door. Seeing the positions of his two superiors, he quickly turned
around, his body as stiff as a tree.
"Sorry for intruding, sirs!" the
man said. "But the order just came. We shall be attacking the Imperial
Headquarters in eighteen hours. The general has called for a meeting with
the other officers."
"Yes, please tell him I'll be right
there," answered Kanbei, as the soldier hurried off. Standing, he took
his brown uniform that was neatly folded on the floor and quickly put it
on. Shichiroji hastened to do the same, causing his lover to look at him
curiously.
"I promised Maeko-san that I will
protect you," the blond samurai explained. "I have absolutely no intention
of letting you out of my sight. Besides, if I were at your side, I am sure
that your demons will not dare to lay even a finger on you."
There was a small smile on Kanbei's
face. All he simply said was "Thank you, Shichiroji."
But Shichiroji could readily see
that Kanbei was resigned to meet that unknown fate that he had glimpsed
in his nightmares.

~~~~~~~~~~

Although exhausted and bleeding from
a cut on his forehead, Shichiroji forced the fast turtle he had purloined
to a break neck pace, even if debris from exploding spaceships and ruined
Nobuseri were falling all around him. The only thing driving him on was
the image of his lover's face that was reflected in the blood red surface
of the full moon in the sky.
When he had slammed their ship into
the massive Honmaru battleship that was the Imperial Headquarters, he had
somehow lost sight of Kanbei. Before the battleship crashed into a mountain,
Shichiroji found neither hide nor hair of his precious leader. Some of
his comrades who had survived that final battle told him that it was impossible
for Kanbei to have survived that assault.
"He's dead, Shichiroji-san!" Old
Otomo had said to him. "Don't waste your life searching for him, after
he had sacrificed his to save ours! This whole land is crawling with the
enemy! The gods only know what they would do if they capture us!"
Those entreaties fell on deaf ears,
however. No matter what they said, nothing could convince Shichiroji that
Shimada Kanbei was dead.
I know you're alive, Kanbei, Shichiroji
thought, gritting his teeth as the fast turtle made a bone-jarring leap
over a log. Please hold on until I find you!
There was only one place that Shichiroji
knew his leader would go to first, and that was home to his family. Kanbei
would see to the safety of his beloved wife and daughter before his own.
So it greatly dismayed the blond
warrior to behold the burning house that was once the Shimada estate. Reining
the fast turtle to a halt, Shichiroji jumped down from the saddle and hurried
inside the house, unmindful of the conflagration that was also threatening
to consume him. What he saw in the bright light of the flames chilled his
blood.
Lying on the floor were the dead
bodies of Maeko and Kuri. There was a deep stab wound through the girl's
breast. Maeko had a similar wound in the middle of her throat. There wasn't
any doubt in Shichiroji's mind that the two women had taken their own lives
rather than fall into the hands of the enemy.
"Oh, Maeko-san!" Shichiroji wanted
to weep, but the flames were singeing his hair. He had no choice but to
get out of the house fast. The minute he leaped outside the door, the estate
crumbled with a deafening crash. The samurai lamented that he was unable
to give them a decent burial at least.
As he picked himself up from the
ground, he stopped at once at the sight of the traces of footprints in
the dirt. Analyzing the marks, Shichiroji was certain that there had been
a fight. Drops of blood flecked the ground. With his sharp eyes, he noticed
that those footprints ended at the hoof prints of tethered fast turtles.
Those same hoof prints led away from the estate.
Shichiroji did not waste any more
time. Leapfrogging onto the saddle, he urged his steed into the direction
where the enemy went. For hours he rode, following a trail of broken twigs
and branches and hoof prints in the ground and scratches on rocks. His
pursuit led him towards a clearing, where he could hear raucous laughter.
Stopping a short distance away, he tied the reins around a tree trunk and
cautiously made his way through the brush.
The young samurai nearly jumped as
a dead body was suddenly hurled in his direction, prompting him to take
cover in a thick copse of trees. His eyes grew wide at the sight of Kanbei,
struggling in vain to keep at bay, with his bloody sword, twelve men in
the crimson uniform of the enemy. His grayish brown eyes held no trace
of sanity in them. Only grief and the desire for revenge kept him firm.
However, one angry man was certainly no match against overwhelming odds.
One soldier attempted a lunge at
the valiant commander, and Kanbei easily clipped the man with the blunt
end of his katana. But this move left him wide open. Kanbei let out a cry
as a sharp blade slashed through his uniform, creating a horizontal gash
above his chest. Before he could make any move to defend himself, another
man swiftly disarmed him while a big burly soldier seized his arms and
twisted them behind his back.
There was a sneer on the enemy platoon
leader's mouth as he approached the now helpless soldier. "So you're the
great Shimada Kanbei. Who'd ever thought that you are such a comely man?
Lovely of face, with hair as long as a woman's." He caressed Kanbei's cheek
with measured slowness. "We thought we'd have revenge for our poor comrades
whom you had killed upon your wife and daughter, but they were smart enough
to take their lives before they could allow their honor to be ruined. It
doesn't matter, when it is you who must pay for your crimes."
Shichiroji clapped his hands over
his mouth to stifle his horrified gasp as the leader gripped handfuls of
cloth through the tear of Kanbei's uniform and ripped it from his body.
At that act, the others swarmed upon his poor lover as well, tearing his
uniform to bits and pieces until he stood naked and vulnerable before them.
"NO!" Kanbei began to struggle anew
as many hands laid him down on the moss-covered ground, pinning him with
their hands and weight. The leader, however, would not tolerate any more
resistance and struck him in the face with a heavy fist, leaving him dazed.
Shichiroji gaped in horror as the
enemy fell upon his lover's body like a pack of hungry wolves. With their
filthy hands, the blond watched as two soldiers squeezed and fondled Kanbei's
breasts before bending down to bite and suckle upon his nipples like ravenous
pups. One grinning man gave a few hard jerks on the limp member. Seeing
that he would not get a response, he took the flaccid rod inside his mouth,
letting his teeth scrape painfully along the length.
Kanbei's cries of "No! Stop it! Don't!"
were drowned out by the lustful prodding of their comrades, who were eagerly
waiting for their turn.
"Shut him up, will you?" one soldier
complained in annoyance.
"My pleasure!" Grinning lasciviously,
the man holding Kanbei's wrists knelt on their captive's arms, and yanked
out his erection with the clear intention of stuffing it down Kanbei's
throat.
Then, the leader himself came forward,
unbuttoning his trousers, as he forced Kanbei's long legs apart. "This
is all that you'll be good for, Shimada Kanbei," he muttered, as he took
his position between those thighs. "A loser like you will be our whore
from this day forward. I am sure our great lord would not mind if we broke
you first before surrendering you to him."
Shichiroji could not bear to witness
his lover's ruination at the hands of these vile fiends. With a shrill
war cry, he leaped out of the bushes with his spear held high. Caught by
surprise, the men were helpless against his wrath. One by one, Shichiroji
picked them off, thrusting his spear's point into vulnerable guts or slashing
their throats with its sharp blade. Soon, eleven bodies lay at his feet.
Of the leader, there was no sign. He heard the departing gallop of a fast
turtle, but a broken sob at his feet drew his attention away from his intent
of pursuing his prey.
"Kanbei-sama!" Shichiroji quickly
got down on one knee and grabbed Kanbei's arm.
Believing that he was still in the
clutches of his ravishers, Kanbei struggled violently, his eyes dilated
with terror, holding no sign of recognition in them. With gritted teeth,
Shichiroji let his hand fly out, hitting his comrade in the jaw and knocking
him out. Lifting Kanbei in his arms, he carried him over to the fast turtle
he had hidden in the woods. Sitting his insensate commander in the saddle
before him, he quickly rode away before the enemy could return.

~~~~~~~~~~

There was no other refuge for the
two men, but the still standing ruins of Saionji Castle, the very stronghold
that they had been defending. Now, it was abandoned. Shichiroji was certain
that the enemy would explore the castle in the morning, but for now, it
would serve as a resting place.
The samurai took Kanbei to the chamber
that once belonged to the lord's wife. Naked, Kanbei was shivering from
the cold wind from their desperate escape. Not wanting to risk their hiding
place being discovered by building a fire, Shichiroji instead rummaged
through the closets, finding a faded blue floral kimono, which he draped
over Kanbei's trembling form.
For a long while, Shichiroji just
made small talk, mainly to soothe his lover's shattered nerves and to calm
his own fears. He never expected Kanbei to answer to his musings. All the
older man did was to stare distantly out the window, the kimono clutched
tightly around his nearly ravaged body. Very soon, Shichiroji saw Kanbei's
head fall against the window frame, and the warrior also took the opportunity
to get a little sleep.
It was to the sweet pressure of lips
upon his cheek that Shichiroji stirred from slumber. When a callused hand
tentatively closed around his rousing member, it was then that he started
to wakefulness, just in time to behold a startled Kanbei about to lower
his body upon his comrade's hardening rod.
"You're doing it again!" Shichiroji
could no longer stop himself from shouting in dismay and frustration as
he sat up and gripped Kanbei's shoulders. "What's wrong with you? I told
you how I feel about this! Would you make a ravisher out of me?"
Kanbei cast his troubled gaze to
a knot in the floorboard. "Would you have those men ravish me instead?"
Dark wet spots formed on the dusty wood as Kanbei's hands tightened into
fists on his thighs. "I thought I could be able to get to my family in
time. When I arrived, I saw that the enemy had barged into my home and
they were about to� Maeko drove a knife into Kuri's belly before plunging
the blade into her own throat. I couldn't do anything to save my poor wife
and daughter. I watched them die right before my eyes. I would've followed
them, but those men seized me and�"
As Kanbei lifted his head, Shichiroji
saw that his lover's eyes were misted with tears. "I have no doubt now
that those nightmares were portents of what is sure to come. Now that they've
had a taste of�" Kanbei shuddered all over. "They won't stop searching
for me until I fall into their hands and they could finish what they've
started. I will not let those bastards take away the only thing that is
left to me! You said that you respect me�"
"Yes, I do, and very highly."
"�But do you love me?"
Shichiroji was taken aback by that
unexpected query. He was uncertain as to how he should respond in the face
of his brave leader's anguish.
"If you love me, Shichiroji," Kanbei
began determinedly, "you will not allow those men to take away this�precious
gift�that I am giving to you. I am asking you � as my friend and lover
� to show me how it feels to be loved. Even if I am captured by the enemy�
At least, I would be comforted by the knowledge that my first had been
with someone who loved me." A hopeful smile. "Am I asking such a difficult
thing from you?"
Indeed, how difficult was it to give
love to the one man he would cherish inside his heart for all his life?
Shichiroji needed no words for his
answer. Like a man long starved, he seized Kanbei into a possessive embrace,
his mouth eagerly plundering those full lips. Kanbei parted his lips to
permit a most heated clashing of tongues, as they tasted each other's moist
depths. When the lick of a tongue upon a pulsating artery at that graceful
neck drew a tickled chuckle from his lover, the blond samurai remembered
the sensual demonstration he had stumbled upon days back.
Pushing Kanbei against the wall,
Shichiroji yanked the kimono down those broad shoulders. Kanbei gasped,
his chest thrusting forward, as his young lover fondled and kneaded his
breasts, coaxing his nipples into taut peaks. As Shichiroji bent down to
nip, nibble and suckle upon a hard nub, Kanbei let out a lusty moan, drawing
the blond close as though he were feeding a wee babe. A descending feathery
glide of fingertips over rippling abdominal muscles reduced Kanbei to a
needy, panting mass of flesh. Not relinquishing his lingual hold on those
delightful teats, he took the older man's straining erection and timed
his hand's pumps and jerks with the flicks of his tongue and the suction
of his mouth. A shuddering moan, and copious seed spurted from Kanbei's
man root, wetting both their bodies with slick come. These juices were
all that Shichiroji needed to claim his lover completely.
Coating his burgeoning member with
glistening fluid, Shichiroji laid his beloved down on the floor. To his
credit, Kanbei spread his long legs to accommodate his lover.
Somehow, Shichiroji managed to restrain
himself from leaping between those welcoming limbs. "This is your last
chance to back out, Kanbei-sama. Once I start, there's no stopping me."
Kanbei, however, shook his head,
his long hair spreading out like waves on the floorboards. His face was
flushed with desire. "Show me�my dearest husband."
At that tender endearment, the young
warrior did not hesitate any longer. Draping his lover's legs over the
crook of his arms, Shichiroji pushed the head of his member inside the
tiny opening.
With eyes growing round, Kanbei instantly
cried out at the pain of that initial entry. He could feel warm blood trickling
down the curves of his buttocks.
Gentle fingers ran through his hair.
"You're so tight. Relax, will you?" Shichiroji chuckled. "Believe me, I'm
better than any old cucumber."
Despite having a hard man root up
his ass, Kanbei could not stop himself from laughing at that quip. "Hadn't
you noticed that the cucumber I picked out was your size?" As he took a
deep breath, Kanbei gasped as Shichiroji suddenly sheathed himself to the
hilt. "You bastard!" he hissed, at the same time marveling at how pleasant
it felt to be joined like this. Never had he felt so complete.
"Curse me all you want, my pretty
wife," Shichiroji grinned. "Things will only get better from here."
Withdrawing partway, the blond angled
his hips a bit so that when he pushed back in, the head struck that one
spot that gave mind-blowing pleasure.
At that contact, Kanbei cried out
in bliss. With stars twinkling before his eyes, he wrapped his arms and
legs around his lover, whimpering, "Don't stop!"
"That's supposed to be my line!"
A soft whine. "Don't make me beg,
Shichiroji."
How could Shichiroji refuse that
plea? Embracing the older man, he resumed his thrusts at a slow, steady
pace, always making certain that he gave repeated stimulation to that sensitive
spot. The young samurai's delight could not be measured, hearing Kanbei's
cries and whimpers of pleasure and feeling the graceful undulations of
his body to meet his ever quickening thrusts. This was a side of Shimada
Kanbei he had never dreamed he'd see. Those sweet cries, that delectable
body moving with his to achieve a most exquisite joining� This was more
than a privilege; it was truly a precious gift.
With a lusty cry of his lover's name,
Kanbei spurted his fluids, wetting further their sweat-moistened bodies.
Two, three devastating thrusts, and Shichiroji gushed his seed within Kanbei's
depths. Weary but sated, he collapsed into the older man's embrace, whispering
those three words � "I love you, I love you!" � over and over again.
To this, Kanbei gave his comrade
and lover a tender kiss on the lips. "Thank you, my Shichiroji-sama!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Shichiroji was gazing at the sun
rising at the horizon when Kanbei roused from slumber. "We must get going.
The enemy would've found our trail by now," he suggested, as he tied his
yellow hair with his bandanna. The warrior gave his hastily dressing lover
a side glance and a smile. "Besides, after last night, I have no intention
of giving you up to any man."
Kanbei would have offered a repartee
to his lover's quip, but his brown eyes immediately focused on the dark
object in the sky that was zipping down on the younger man.
"SHICHIROJI! LOOK OUT!"
The mortal shell exploded through
the window, blasting glass, brick and granite, and to Kanbei's horror,
Shichiroji's left arm in its wake. Even when he crashed into the far wall,
in his shock, Shichiroji was oblivious to the fact that he was now missing
one limb.
Snatching an old robe from the dresser,
Kanbei hastened to staunch the bleeding from the gaping socket with the
thick folded garment. Even when he had secured the makeshift padding with
his kimono's sash, he was dismayed to see that the bleeding would not stop.
"Go, Kanbei!" Shichiroji said weakly.
"Leave me here!"
"Damned if I do that!" Kanbei helped
his lover to his feet, slinging the blond's right arm over his neck. "There's
an escape chute below this castle that leads directly to the river. We
could get away there."
With Saionji Castle being rocked
by explosions and gunfire, the two men descended as quickly as possible
to the lower levels. But when Kanbei at last found the escape chamber,
he was dismayed to see that only one pod remained. Worse, a lone assassin
dressed in the crimson frock uniform of the enemy stood beside it, brandishing
two sharp blades.
Shichiroji made to push his beloved
leader behind him. "I'll take care of him! Use that pod to escape!"
"You're in no condition to fight!"
Kanbei argued, jerking the blond back to his side. He turned to the assassin,
looking straight into those blazing crimson eyes. "It's me you want. I
beg you to show mercy upon my wounded comrade and let him go."
"KANBEI-SAMA! NO!"
"You will not make any attempts to
flee?" the assassin asked quietly, a mixture of curiosity and amusement
reflected in his eyes.
"I swear it," Kanbei answered firmly.
"I am your prisoner."
The assassin nodded, the movement
causing a stray golden lock to be freed from his hood and fall between
his eyes.
Shichiroji was furious. "I'm not
leaving you!" he yelled stubbornly.
"No more arguments, Shichiroji, please,"
Kanbei pleaded to the younger man, urging him towards the escape pod. "Don't
make it more difficult for me than it already is."
Grudgingly, the samurai obeyed his
commander, but inside his sharp mind, he was hatching up a plan.
Before you close this thing, he
mused as he was laid inside the pod, I'll pull you inside with me and
we slide down the chute together and�
Shichiroji's simple plan, however,
flew away instantly with the loving kiss that was bestowed upon his lips.
"Thank you, Shichiroji, my gentle
husband," Kanbei whispered, smiling tenderly.
Before the warrior could gather his
wits, the assassin slammed the lid down and locked it. Shichiroji pounded
desperately on the glass, as the pod slowly tilted back into the escape
chute. He was crestfallen to see his lover in the possessive embrace of
the assassin, swords crossed before him.
"He's mine," the assassin told the
distraught samurai.
Shichiroji shook his head. Fear for
his lover made him cry out, "I entrust him to you! For the love of the
gods, don't let them hurt him! I'm begging you! Please protect him!"
Whatever entreaties he would like
to make were lost as the pod slid down the chute. The last thing Shichiroji
saw before he succumbed to pain and blood loss was the image of Kanbei,
with tears streaming from his eyes, reaching out a desperate hand to him.

~~~~~~~~~~

When next time Shichiroji awoke,
it was to behold lovely almond-shaped eyes gazing down at him with undisguised
relief and happiness.
"Thank the gods in the heavens that
you're awake at last!" the beautiful geisha was unable to suppress her
exclamation. "I feared you would not survive, after having lost so much
blood and the infection you suffered from."
"Where am I?" the samurai asked weakly,
surveying his fine lodgings through bleary eyes.
"This is my inn, the Hotaruya. You
have nothing to be afraid of. This city is a neutral zone. Your enemy will
not pursue you here."
Shichiroji winced at the sharp pain
in his left shoulder, only to be surprised to find himself possessing a
robotic arm. With mouth agape, he stared at his new arm with mixed awe
and abhorrence, as he flexed his fingers.
"Forgive me for daring to make this
decision in your stead," the geisha bowed to him in all haste. "But the
doctor said that while the nerves were still functioning, he could perform
this procedure. Since you are a samurai, I thought you would have need
of a new arm."
He looked at the woman in reassurance.
"What is your name?"
"I am called Yukino."
"And I am Shichiroji. I thank you
for this new limb. Once I am well, I will repay you for your kindness and
generosity. I plan to make a few modifications on this as well." Shichiroji
breathed in deeply to quell the tears that were rising up his throat. "It's
too bad that no doctor could help me bring back the other that was lost
to me."
The samurai was surprised when Yukino
took his metal hand and clasped it soothingly between her palms. "Don't
mourn so soon for the man you've lost. Yes, I know it was a man because
you kept on calling his name in your dreams. Something inside my heart
is telling me that you'll be seeing him again. But for now, you must concentrate
on getting well. I'm sure he too is worried about you, so I advise that
you make haste on the road to recovery for that time when the two of you
shall be reunited."
Smiling, Shichiroji acceded to the
woman's wisdom. "Yes, I'll do that, Yukino-dono."
Time flew with relative ease at the
Hotaruya. It was a life that Shichiroji grew accustomed to quite easily
� fine food, wine flowing aplenty, cheery songs and dances, guests who
shared his banter and a few punches when they got drunk. Most of all, there
was kind Yukino. The beautiful geisha helped him through the rough times
when the memories of the battlefield and the man he had abandoned haunted
his stricken conscience. With the passage of months, they became lovers,
and he swore to himself that he would protect Yukino, as he had not done
with his beloved leader.
It was two years to the day that
he arrived in Hotaruya, like the legendary hero Momotaro in his famous
peach, that Shichiroji found himself with a visitor whom he never expected
to see again.
"You're looking well, Shichiroji,"
Shimada Kanbei offered in greeting.
"As are you, Kanbei-sama," Shichiroji
said, beaming, as he waved his former comrade and his travel-weary friends
inside the inn.

~~~~~~~~~~

Yukino offered a sumptuous feast
to be served to their guests, which gave Shichiroji the perfect opportunity
to observe the man he had not seen in two years. Kanbei's handsome face
still did not fail to cause his heart to skip a beat. It did not escape
his notice that the pretty village girl Kirara was eyeing the samurai with
more than innocent admiration.
However, having known Kanbei much
longer than she, Shichiroji could see that there were great changes in
the man he loved. There was deep sorrow and weariness in those gray brown
eyes that never existed before, and a faint flicker of something that he
could not define.
It was Yukino who gave voice to his
suspicions. "I do not want to disappoint you, Anata," she whispered in
his ear, as he went to get their finest wine. "But I believe that he has
found someone else to love."
It was only when Kanbei's companions
were finally asleep that the two men at last found time to be alone, sharing
a bottle of sake at the porch overlooking the pond, where fireflies flitted
like twinkling stars. Kanbei had just informed his trusted partner of his
plan to free Kanna Village from the tyranny of the Nobuseri. Even if he
had not exactly verbalized his request, Shichiroji knew that his help was
needed in this final campaign.
"I'll go with you," he said simply,
laying down the biwa he was playing. It was an easy decision to make, especially
after he saw the flower tattoos on the back of Kanbei's hands, marks that
did not exist prior to their forceful separation.
"You know that we might die this
time, my friend," Kanbei reminded him.
"And you know that wherever you go,
I will follow," Shichiroji said in turn. Pushing the musical instrument
aside, he leaned towards the older man. Cupping a startled Kanbei's cheek,
he whispered, "I thought I had lost you forever, my husband."
"Shichiroji�I�"
Shichiroji silenced Kanbei's words
with a passionate kiss, his right hand dipping down to the older man's
groin. To his surprise, he found his lover's member to be flaccid. Even
greater was his dismay when he saw the fear in Kanbei's wide eyes. He withdrew
in an instant.
"You�you don't love me anymore,"
Shichiroji stammered in shock.
"No, you're wrong. I still care about
you deeply." Kanbei turned away in shame. "It's just that I can't give
you pleasure in that manner anymore." A hot blush rose on his cheeks. "If
you wish it, I could play�wife�to you, but for the other, I couldn't. I
am no longer the�man�I once was."
The samurai could not believe what
he was hearing. He could not accept that this broken shell of a man was
the brave commander who had once led them through many battles.
Shichiroji buried his face in his
hands as his tears of guilt began to flow from his blue eyes. "This is
all my fault. I should never have left you. I should have searched for
you, even in the domain of the enemy."
"Only for you to be captured and
to suffer the same fate that I had? And you were seriously wounded. I never
blamed you for what happened to me, Shichiroji. If anything else, it was
your memory that helped me to survive those first two months of my captivity.
After that, I�accepted�my fate." With reluctance, Kanbei admitted, "He...that
assassin�he kept his promise to you. It was he who took care of me while
I was the enemy's�plaything. He never made me forget that I was once a
samurai, even going against his Master's wishes as to permit me to spar
with him at swords. During those times when I desired to take my own life,
he would berate me for my weakness. 'There is no honor in seppuku,' he
would always tell me. 'If you wish to be of good to others, then live.
If you still wish to die, it will only be by my blade in an honorable duel
that you shall forfeit your life.' " He quietly added with undisguised
fondness, "I would not be here today if it wasn't for him."
The young warrior was at a loss for
words, realizing that the man whom Kanbei had fallen in love with was the
very same assassin who had brought him to captivity.
Seeing how deathly pale the blond
had become, Kanbei desperately gripped Shichiroji's cold hands. "Forgive
me, my dear friend and lover, but I could not stop myself from giving my
heart and soul to him. I love you, Shichiroji, but he is the other half
of my soul. I would've come here sooner, but I was too ashamed to
face you, knowing that I had not remained faithful to you." Kanbei shook
his head. "I'm so sorry. I should've known it was a mistake to come here."
He was about to flee, but it was Shichiroji's turn to hold on to his hand
tightly.
"You have nothing to apologize for,"
he said, giving the older man a reassuring smile. "Like you, I too had
fallen in love with another."
"And Yukino-dono is a very fine woman,"
Kanbei remarked approvingly.
"That man�is he with you?"
"No, but I am certain that he will
be joining us very soon. I discovered that he is residing in Kougakyo.
He and I made a pact, you see. I intend to honor it."
Shichiroji let out a sigh. "I would
like to meet this man."
A relieved smile brightened Kanbei's
face. "Does that mean you're still coming with us?"

~~~~~~~~~~

Shichiroji returned to his chamber
to find Yukino still up and waiting for him.
"So you're still going with them."
It was a statement of fact, not a question.
The blond samurai nodded. "After
all, it is a wife's prerogative to look after her husband. Besides, I promised
Maeko-san that I will not leave him with a broken heart. I want to be sure
that this man will do him well in my stead."
"Spoken like an overprotective spouse!"
Noting the reproachful glare her lover threw at her, Yukino smiled and
asked, "Did Kanbei-sama tell you his name?"
"It's Kyuzo. Just Kyuzo."
A small smile curled up Shichiroji's
lips as he gazed at the crescent moon in the heavens, remembering a formidable
assassin with golden hair and eyes as red as blood. "Let me judge for myself
if you are truly the right man for him. Only when you have proven your
worth to me, Kyuzo-dono, will I agree to hand Shimada Kanbei over to you."

* * * * * * * * *
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A Wife\'s Prerogative