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Tale of Lust	By : Akuma Category: Rurouni Kenshin > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 4111 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Tale of Lust

by Ryu Reikai-Akuma

Warning: bad grammar, shounen-ai, weirdness, totally unsuccessful attempt to
write classic writing style... madness... so on

A/N: I didn't expect anyone to want to read more of this story so the update
is more late than my other story, Electronic Love in PoT fandom. My deepest
apologies for everyone who has been waiting for this baby to come up. I've so
many problem in my new place, starting from stress to crashed computer so I
neglected most of my works. Honestly I've no idea of what I wrote in this
chapter. I am not very sure about Shishio's personality so I hope I didn't make
him too out of character. Now on with the chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Watsuki-sama won't let me have them...

The Arrangements

The
meeting came out very well, Aoshi noted with satisfaction. Shishio had agreed to
be their business partner for several years to come with a shipment of a number
of goods from

England

as their first project together. With Shishio�s growing
influence in

Japan

�s politic, Aoshi knew he had gained a powerful and
important partner. At this rate his company would be

Tokyo

�s-or even Japan�s biggest company, aside from
Shishio�s own company of course.

The
meeting was held in Shishio�s own house, an unusual choice for a meeting place
but no less perfect for the occasion. The design of the house was simple yet
elegant, modern yet classic. Western influence mixed with Eastern as the theme
for the interior of the house. Aoshi had thought that mixing the two different
cultures together would result in disharmony but he changed his mind when he saw
how beautiful the result was in Shishio�s house.

And
the garden! Aoshi took pride in the beautiful and serene gardens of his house
but now it paled in comparison with Shishio�s. The elder man had the most
beautiful Japanese gardens he had ever seen. Shishio had noticed his interest to
the garden also, it seemed, that after the meeting was finished he took him and
his companions around the house. Aoshi was especially fond of the garden with a
path leading to a small teahouse hidden from view in the center of it. The place
seemed to be design to fit the season but he bet it�d look just as beautiful
in the other seasons.

During
this time Aoshi had ordered his companions- his right hand man, Hannya and
Shikijo to return to the company headquarter to report to Ogina the good
development and he was wandering around the house accompanied by Shishio
himself.

�You
seem to like my gardens very much, Shinomori-san.�

�Yes.
They�re very beautiful.� Aoshi answered respectfully.

Shishio
was a very attractive man in Aoshi�s opinion. He has long pointed nose and
fair complexion, unlike Aoshi�s own pale complexion. He�s quite tall, too.
But above all, he was very graceful and oozed confidence befitted a royalty.
Aoshi was trained to be the same of course, but he knew that this man�s grace
was natural and didn�t come from prolonged practices. He must�ve been very
attractive to women. And from the rumor spreading, Shishio in fact had a
mistress in the town, a very beautiful oiran named Yumi. The must have been a
perfect couple together.

�I�m
glad you think so. Tell me, Shinomori-san, do you practice cha-no-yu?�

�Yes,
I do.�

�Would
you like to join me for it, then?�

�I
do not mean to bother you.� Aoshi said with a bow.

�I
insist, Shinomori-san. I haven�t practiced it for a very long time now. And I
couldn�t hope for a more decent companion.� Shishio said with slight nod. At
Aoshi�s seeming consent Shishio looked around. �Ah, Soujiro, you couldn�t
have come at more convenient time.�

Aoshi
felt his heart stop beating for a second at the mention of the name. It seemed
like his infatuation with the mysterious boy hadn�t completely disappeared.
Though he had been distracted by the meeting, now that it�s over and no longer
occupied him, his mind had returned to its previous object of contemplation.
Slowly he turned to see the person Shishio had called, preparing himself to be
disappointed once again.

But
this time he wasn�t. And he was forced to hold his breath as the boy he�d
been searching for made his way to him.

There
was no mistake. Aoshi knew it was him, though he now he wore pale blue kimono
and white hakama instead of that blue yukata. Soujiro made his way gracefully to
them, bowing deeply as he reached his master.

�Shishio-san.
I just bought some delicacies from the town. I�m sure you�d like it.�

�I�m
sure I will, Soujiro. I will have them later. Right now, I am going to have
cha-no-yu with my guest here. Can you prepare it?�

�Yes,
sir.� When he straightened up to see his master�s companion, he realized who
it was. Sharp blue eyes locked onto startled ones. For a moment, Soujiro
remained staring and gaping like a fool. He recognized the man as the man he met
in the festival a few days past, the man who had stared at him oddly. He was
staring at him he same way now and he felt the same unease and chills he had
felt back then. Quickly he bowed to Aoshi and hurried off.

Shishio
had of course noticed this exchange. He watched quietly as Aoshi�s eyes
followed the boy until he disappeared from their sight. Slowly a sly smile was
formed on his thin lips as understanding dawned on him.

�He
is my page, Seta Soujiro. Please forgive his manners. He isn�t usually this
impolite.� Shishio bowed politely.

�Not
at all, Shishio-san.�

�It
seems like you have met him before.�

�We
met at the festival.� Aoshi said curtly, not wanting to tell Shishio how he
had ogled at the boy�s display of innocent seduction.

�Sou
ka�� Shishio trailed off. If the look of desire upon Aoshi�s eyes were any
indication then there�s more to the meeting. He made a note to himself to ask
his page about this later. But for now� �Shinomori-san�� he began. �I
have a personal proposal for you.�

~*~

Shishio
smoked his pipe as he sat in his office with satisfaction. Aoshi had agreed to
his personal proposal and as a result they had established a relationship
stronger than written in the contract. Least to say he was pleased with himself
for getting such brilliant idea.

The
object of the agreement was still oblivious to this new plot, of course, as he
hadn�t had the time to inform him. Much to his annoyance he still have another
guest today. This meant he wouldn�t be able to see Yumi tonight. He was sure
his mistress wouldn�t be pleased to know this. But he couldn�t send Soujiro
to pacify her, either, for he had plan for the boy.

Shishio
flicked through report papers in front of him absently. He hoped his guest would
come soon so that he could come to Yumi�s house tonight. He would still have
the time if he hurried.

A
knock was heard on the shobi and he granted the person outside the permission to
open the door. Soujiro opened the door but remained outside.

�Your
guest have arrived, Shishio-san.� The boy said with a smile.

Shishio
put his paper into his shelve carefully and got up. �Thank you, Soujiro. Have
someone prepare tea for us and bring that letter to us.�

As
he made his way to where his guest was waiting, Shishio couldn�t help but
think how troublesome this whole business was. Had he been an ordinary man he
would�ve fumed. But he wasn�t an ordinary man so he must face his problem
with grace that he thought didn�t befit the situation.

He
wondered who had sent this mad assassin to threat his existence. He had just
been into politic and he already had an enemy. Shishio decided he didn�t want
to know how many he�d make once he had entered the real thing seriously. Well,
might as well get used to having these cops around him.

When
he entered the room his guest was sitting on a mat quietly. Shishio noted that
he brought a Japanese sword with him. This was no ordinary cop then. Quietly
satisfied with the police chief�s choice, Shishio made his way to the mat
prepared for him.

�So
you�re the person assigned to this case.� Shishio said, once he had settled
down.

�Yes.�
The man prostrated before him deeply. �My name is Saito Hajime.�

Saito
Hajme. The name sounded very familiar. Was he the infamous third division
captain of Shinsengumi? Shishio was curious but decided against asking him that
question directly.

�Please,
Saito-san, don�t be so formal.�

As
the man straightened up, Shishio had the chance to take a good look at his
guest. He was a lanky man, probably in his mid thirties, the sharp angles of his
features showed that he had been through the worst in life, his closed-eyed
smile was fake just like Soujiro�s. Shishio wondered what this man tried to
hide.

�So
what do you think about the case?�

�It�s
a very interesting case, Shishio-san, considering who the sender is.�

�Jine
Udo? Who is he?� Shishio feigned confusion. He had had people to find out of
course and he had memorized the madman�s history by now.

Saito
knew this but continued. �I think you need to know that Jine Udo was once a
hitokiri during the previous war.�

�Is
he?� Shishio feigned shock.

�Yes,
he was.� Saito answered politely. His eyes opened slightly to watch the
display of fake shock on Shishio�s face.

�So
what do you think we should do?� Shishio asked almost innocently. He had
realized that Saito had seen through his lie but decided to go on. There�s no
sense in letting this police officer get into him.

�I
can�t decide anything before I see the letter.�

Right
at this moment, the shobi was opened to let a maid serve the two men tea.

�I
understand. Mayu.� Shishio called the young girl into attention. �Have
Soujiro bring the letter here.�

�Hai,
Shishio-san� The maid said with a bow before leaving them alone again.

�Soujiro?�
Saito asked once the shobi closed before the maid and the soft padding of her
feet disappeared.

�He
is my page.�

�Your
page. How very peculiar to entrust the knowledge of such letter to a mere
page.�

�I�ve
raised him since he�s a child, Saito-san. I never doubt his faithfulness.�
Shishio said calmly. But Saito detected an edge to his voice; it was obvious
that Shishio was displeased by his doubt to this Soujiro. Saito made a note to
himself to investigate this Soujiro�s background secretly. After all, the most
dangerous person was usually the one closest to you.

�Of
course, Shishio-san.� Saito said with an apologizing bow.

There
were soft pads of footsteps just outside the room. They ceased in front of the
door leading to the room they occupied then the shobi opened once more, this
time to allow a young boy to enter.

�Shishio-san.�
Soujiro bowed to his master. �I bring the letter you requested.�

�Thank
you, Soujiro. Give it to Saito-san and stay here for a while.� Shishio
ordered, motioning to the man in front of him. �Saito-san, he was the one who
found the letter.�

Soujiro
bowed again, then turned to face the other man in the room. As he handed the
letter to the man, their eyes met for just a brief second. Saito�s eyes were
for once open in slight slits, trying to find out whether the boy was as
trustworthy as Shishio made him out to be. But his searching eyes met nothing
but carefully calm, honest ones that were quickly hidden beneath lids.

�Oh?
How did you find it?�

�When
I took the letters as I usually do. I noticed that this one was rather weird
because it wasn�t a well written as the rest and it was placed in a simple
envelope addressed to Shishio-san instead of formal one.� Soujiro�s sweet
voice rang clear.

He
was honest in this case, indeed. But Saito could sense something else shifting
beneath the calm eyes. He had no doubt that Shishio had seen it also, after all
he had obviously spent time perfecting the art of hiding his true self, just as
Saito and about anyone else. But what they hid was probably darker than most
people did. Danger. They were sharp swords, ready be drawn when needed. Saito
had found an outlet to his wolf�s dark demand and Shishio surely had found a
way to use his power to his own demon�s advantage. But this boy� Saito knew
he must be careful and not get into the boy�s dark side.

But
what sweet demon the boy could become! Saito recognize many other things in
those eyes other than the demon. Sweet poison of desire mixed with na�vet�. A
virgin reluctant to see the real world, the boy was. And Saito yearned to show
him just what he had missed.

�So
what do you think of the letter?� Shishio asked, unaware of the dark thoughts
in the old wolf�s mind.

Saito
read the letter carefully, tearing his mind from the sweet boy before him. The
letter itself was nothing special, only an ordinary threat to assassinate
Shishio. The only thing that caught Saito�s attention was the name of the
sender of the letter and the way it was written and he told Shishio so.

�The
way it was written?� Shishio asked.

�Yes.
It only says that he will kill you but doesn�t offer any explanation as of
why. Usually in the case of death threats for revenge, the sender will give some
explanation about why he wants to kill you. To redeem one�s sin or to get what
he thinks belongs to him were usually the case. The lack of explanation could
mean three things. One is that Jine Udo only does this for the sheer fun of it;
very possible considering his reputation in the past as a bloodthirsty
manslayer. Two, Jine Udo was a hired assassin paid by someone jealous of your
success; again, a very possible scenario. And three, this was just an empty
threat made by someone who has a grudge over you to disrupt your life.�

�Well,
I certainly hope it was that last possibility.� Shishio said. �Which one do
you think it is?�

�I
cannot conclude anything before I made a thorough investigation. But just in
case, may I ask you who could possibly have grudge over you deep enough to want
to kill you?�

�Hmm.�
Shishio hummed lightly, tilting his head up slightly as he tried to think of
someone to match Saito�s description. The list was too long, however, and he
must eliminate some of the possible suspects.

Saito
used this chance to study the boy beside him. Very young, he couldn�t be more
than eighteen years old. Despite the slight built, Saito knew there was strength
hidden there, more as a profit of doing hard works than actual practice. The boy
was like an unused katana: slender and finely made by a master smith, beautiful
but capable of so much power and violence.

Realizing
that he was being watched, Soujiro turned slightly to Saito. The dark hunger in
the man�s eyes astounded him that for a brief moment he lost his composure.
Quickly, he averted his eyes to watch his hand on his lap. He was unable to
prevent a shudder from running down his body. What was that? He wondered to
himself. The look upon the officer�s eyes was almost similar to the one on
Shishio�s guest�s today but darker. Like a wolf locking on a prey, he
thought to himself.

Saito
watched as the shock played across the boy�s eyes when their eyes locked.
Soujiro�s eyes were bright with recognition and fear, from what exactly Saito
could only presume. The old wolf found it difficult to imagine someone has
tainted this boy, if so than the boy was incredibly dense as to not realize what
had been done to him and keep his innocence with him. But maybe that wasn�t
the case, and Saito could certainly understand why one would direct lust-filled
eyes to this obvious virgin. Those wide blue eyes were dead give away to the
boy�s inexperience of this darker side of human being.

�I
could think of many, Saito-san, as I�m sure you�ve already guessed.�
Shishio said, breaking Saito�s line of thought.

�With
your position in the society, it�s only to be expected.� Saito replied.
Shishio was apparently unaware of what had happened between the other occupants
of the room for it only lasted a brief second. �I imagine many were jealous of
your success.�

�It�s
a success earned with hard work.�

�Of
course.� Saito said with another polite bow. Shishio had politely said that he
didn�t gain his position by inflicting displeasure in others and Saito had
politely replied that he would take Shishio�s words but he would do an
investigation anyway. �Now if you don�t mind, would you please tell me a few
of those you thought were capable of doing this?�

�Of
course. Soujiro, you may leave.� Shishio dismissed his pageboy who bowed low
before retreating from the room.

Saito
watched discreetly as Soujiro escaped. The slight twitch on the corner of his
lips went unnoticed by Shishio. The wolf had found a prey.

~*~

Soujiro
had almost always prided himself as one of the few people who managed to
understand at least a part of Shishio�s mind. The older man was eccentric in
his own way, to the point where he was considered evil even. But for Soujiro, he
was just an opportunist, a good businessman who seized the opportunity when it
was offered to him. Soujiro, along with Yumi and Sadojima Hoji, Shishio�s
secretary and right-hand man, knew him well enough to the point of almost being
able to predict his next plan.

However
in some occasions, Shishio reminded everyone again that he wasn�t someone one
could understand completely. There were times when even his closest persons were
shocked by his course of action. And right this moment Soujiro was being
reminded of this.

�Pardon
me?� Soujiro asked softly in light shock. �Shishio-san��

�Starting
tomorrow, you will take lessons in Shinomori residence every other day.
Shinomori-san had agreed to give you some lessons of mannerism and teach you
some finesse.�

�Demo�
Naze?� Soujiro asked, tilting his head to one side in confusion.

�He
had taken a liking of you it seems.� Shishio said with a smirk, half teasing
the young page. To his amusement, Soujiro flushed lightly and appeared to be
abashed. So there was something more about the meeting in the festival. Shishio
decided to ask about this both to tease his pageboy and to relief his curiosity.
�What exactly had happened when you two met?�

Soujiro
was sure he was as red as tomato right now. Somehow, he felt uncomfortable to
tell that Shinomori had looked at him very closely, to the point of where
Soujiro thought he was going to eat him alive. �Nothing. We met each other
when we took a rest on the riverbank.�

�Hmm.�
Shishio hummed, taking a drag from his pipe. He exhaled a long stream of smoke
from his thin lips then spoke again. �Apparently you have caught his interest.
It was very generous of him to offer to give you a private lesson, you mustn�t
decline.�

�Hai,
Shishio-san.� Soujiro said with an obliging bow.

Shishio
nodded in approval. �The lessons won�t be easy so you must study hard.
Shinomori-san and I have high hopes on you.�

�I
will.�

Shishio
nodded again. �Excellent. Have everyone informed that starting tomorrow we
will have police officers protecting this place. I have also informed Yumi that
the same goes to her.�

�Sir?�

�If
the threat is true then I am not the only one in danger. You may leave now.�

Soujiro
paused slightly to ask whether the officer from today would be present also, but
decided against it. He bowed to his master one last time before leaving the
room. He couldn�t decide whether this day was a good one or not. But he knew
for sure that starting today his life wouldn�t be the same anymore.

^_^
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Tale of Lust