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Pleasure Slave	By : Capitalist Category: +. to F > Card Captor Sakura Views: 84321 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
- 22
Chapter 21
‘collision’

Step, turn, spin and again… step, step, jump. Stumble – oops, didn’t land so well – curtsy, and up on her toes yet again. Sakura knew she was supposed to keep the pose for at least a few seconds of music, but she was unable to keep from wobbling slightly and almost fell over before putting her other foot to the floor as well. And then it was a sliding step to the right, one more spin, and a graceful (supposedly) drop to the floor.
Meilin applauded and Sakura collapsed gratefully, panting for air. She’d walked all manner of distances, as a girl growing up in the countryside, and never thought of herself as a weakling. But this dancing was hard!
“You look pale,” observed her teacher, and she knelt by Sakura’s side. “Here, have some water.”
“Thank you.” Sakura swallowed a large gulp and then paused to breathe again, feeling her heartrate begin to slow. “Oh my goodness, I never dreamed it was so exhausting – you don’t seem to feel a thing when you do it!”
“I’ve been doing it for a while,” Meilin reminded her. “Dancing uses a lot of muscles you don’t ordinarily use just for walking or horseback riding, so you will probably feel a little sore at first. But if you keep practicing, that will go away.”
“Oh, I hope so.”
“And your technique was not too bad, either.”
Sakura brightened. “Really?”
She was nodding. “Rough around the edges, needs some smoothing, but you’re surprisingly good at this for a beginner. Practice every day, and you’ll be amazing.”
Sakura could feel a warm glow of pride kindle within her at those words, and was unable to contain a smile. Never in her life had anyone told her she might be good at something, or talented in any way. She was klutzy, often dropped things, not as good a cook as any of her friends and not nearly as clever as her older brother. How strange, that she would have to come so far from home to hear such a kind compliment.
“That’s all the time I can spare for you today,” Meilin was saying while those thoughts ran through her head, deactivating the music sphere and returning it to her bag. “If I don’t get going soon, I’ll miss an appointment in Terriene.”
Sakura’s face fell a little. “I wish you didn’t have to go so soon. This is so much fun!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll come back. Promise you’ll practice every day.”
“I promise.”
“Now, where to? Do I have to take you back to that Ralen guy, or should we just go find my cousin?”
“Well…” Sakura checked the late morning sun outside the ballroom windows. “I suppose this is the usual time for me to go outside. But it’s always Ralen that takes me -”
“Forget him, then. I can just take you myself. Let’s go.”
Meilin strode out of the room with the same confident air she employed when dancing, and Sakura saw no alternative but to follow. But this time it was she who knew the way better, and she led Meilin to the doors that opened near the stables. Li was waiting by his horse and took one look at his cousin before rolling his eyes.
“You’re still here? Don’t you have men to go tease down in the city?”
“Don’t be jealous of my money-making skills, Syaoran,” Meilin retorted without missing beat. “You know that I’d teach you to dance if you only asked.”
Li shot her a baleful glare. “Thanks ever so much, but I’m fine with the job I have now. You’ll notice how it doesn’t shame our family.”
Meilin gasped, but she didn’t look all that offended – or surprised. “Are you implying that my profession is shameful in some way?”
“No, I’m just saying it outright.” He smirked at his cousin, who’d been closing the distance between them, and Meilin cocked an eyebrow.
“Do you think I’ve gone soft or something?”
“I do.”
Meilin’s fist shot toward Li’s face so fast that Sakura almost missed it, and a shriek escaped her throat. Neither of them noticed, and Meilin’s knuckles never made contact. As smooth as silk Li evaded the blow, clasping her wrist in his hand and twisting his entire body to send her flying. She stumbled a few steps but managed to keep from falling, rebounding with a hard straight kick right for his solar plexus. He evaded that too, spinning all the way around with his momentum, and swept his heel across her ankle in a move that put her flat on her back. Meilin grunted, but rolled out of the way before the edge of his hand could strike at her neck, up and onto her knees. Her own hand knifed through the air in an arc toward Li’s throat, but stopped short at his flesh. His two pointed fingers were only an inch from her eyes.
Meilin cracked a small smile, and so did he. “I have to go,” she said after a long moment, and she wasn’t even breathing hard. “I’ll be late.”
“Don’t let me keep you. Your horse is saddled and ready to go in the stable.”
Li wasn’t breathing hard either, and on some signal that Sakura couldn’t see they stood up. Meilin flashed a bright smile her way, ignoring the astonishment that must have been all over her face.
“Bye, Sakura! I’ll see you next week, and don’t forget to practice!” She turned back to Li before Sakura could begin to think of responding, and much to the slave’s dismay, kissed him quickly on the cheek. “I’ll see you next week too,” she reminded him rather saucily. “Will you practice?”
“I don’t need it,” he informed her coolly, which seemed to be the answer she was expecting. She laughed and skipped through the open stable doors, and a minute later was trotting back out on her horse. Sakura recovered just in time to return her wave before Meilin rounded the corner beyond the courtyard arch and disappeared from view.
“Wow,” was all she could think of to say, once the girl was gone. “That was… amazing.”
Li was already moving off in the other direction, Spirit clopping along beside him, and she had to hurry to catch up. He grunted disdainfully.
“She’s nothing but a show-off. Always trying to prove she’s better than me when she’s not.”
“Er, well, I didn’t mean only her. Both of you were amazing, I’ve never seen people move like that.”
That earned a quick glance out of the corner of his eye and a small smile. “It’s called ‘kung fu’, an ancient style of fighting that most people in my family have learned. She trained along with me when we were children, but I don’t think she’s been practicing enough since she came to the city. One of these days I’ll be rubbing her nose in the dirt, and maybe that will bring her down a little. Picked up a hell of an ego since she started dancing, you know.”
Sakura had never known her before, so of course she couldn’t know. But she had to admit that Meilin was extremely confident, and did act as though no one ever had a right to argue with her.
“She’s very… strong-willed,” Sakura offered diplomatically. They’d reached their usual place near the rear of the castle and Li was unclasping Spirit’s halter.
“That’s putting it kindly.” He dipped his hands into the flowing water of the fountain and splashed his face, shaking his head to rid his hair of water droplets. Sitting in the shade, Sakura watched him.
“She’s very beautiful,” Sakura offered, after a pause, and Li uttered a quiet ‘hmph’. “And such a wonderful dancer. I can see why she’s so popular.”
“Yeah, well…” Li wandered closer and dropped to the grass across from her, a reluctant grin tugging at his lips. “Don’t ever tell her I said this, but she’s really done well for herself, considering. She didn’t have anything when she ran away from home at fifteen.”
“Why did she do that?”
“I told you about my family and their money problems. My aunt and uncle weren’t in any better place than my mother, but they thought they could solve everything by selling Meilin into slavery. My mother warned her, though, and before they had the chance she ran away to Terriene. All alone, too, without anyone to help her. She had to become a dancer just to eat, but she ended up making a good living from it.”
Sakura watched his smile grow as he spoke, feeling smaller and smaller with every word. It was plain Li admired his cousin greatly, for all their bickering, and why shouldn’t he? She was smart enough to escape the world of slavery, unlike Sakura, and strong enough to make a new life for herself in an alien city. Sakura wasn’t strong at all.
“I think she must be very special to you,” she murmured, not quietly enough to go unnoticed.
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Because, captain, you have a very kind look in your eyes when you speak of her.”
He directed another quick glance her way. “I thought you’d started calling me Li.”
“Oh yes.” She ducked her head bashfully. “Sorry. Li.”
“That’s better.”
He leaned back against the nearest tree and closed his eyes, apparently ready to relax a little after the brief fight with his cousin. Sakura watched the strands of his ragged brown hair fall over his brow, and the strong line of his jaw as he breathed. Somehow, when she hadn’t noticed, she’d begun to look forward to being with him as much as being outdoors, and a funny warmth inside her tingled whenever he smiled – rare though it was – at her. It hurt, to watch Meilin kiss him like that, and Sakura wondered what it felt like. Was the stubble on his jaw as rough as it looked?
She rocked forward onto her feet without realizing it, dangerously compelled to touch and see. She was only curious…
“There you are!” barked a familiar voice, and Sakura threw herself backwards as violently as if pushed. Li opened one eye to see Ralen marching across the grass towards them, and rolled an annoyed grown down his throat.
“What do you want, blondie? Aren’t you afraid you’ll get lost out here?”
“What I want is to know just what happened to the slave, who was supposed to be delivered back into my custody the moment her ‘lesson’ was over.” Ralen directed a particularly malevolent look her way, and Sakura shrank into herself. “And instead I have to come looking for her, and find that she was outside the entire time without anyone bothering to inform me of her whereabouts.”
“So? You know she comes out here in the late morning.”
“Delivered by me, yes, and you’re bad enough as it is. I don’t approve of some stranger taking her outside without even my knowledge, let alone consent. And she -” Here he paused to glare at Sakura again. “- knows better. Naughty slave.”
That was enough to get Li on his feet, rather quickly, and to Sakura’s eternal gratitude he moved in between her and the force of Ralen’s menacing stare.
“Why do you act like you own her when you don’t?” Li asked coldly. “Last time I checked, she belongs to Yue.”
“Ah yes, Lord Yue.” Ralen smiled in a rather calculating manner that Sakura didn’t care for, and she suspected Li didn’t either. “He does own this slave, doesn’t he? You’d think he would know if she was to be instructed by a dancing teacher, but it’s the strangest thing… he never mentioned it to me. And it just so happens I heard from one of the servants this morning that that uppity bitch is your cousin. It figures, can’t stand either of you. I think she walked in here without Yue knowing a thing about it, and you covered for her. Maybe you even invited her – she does have a fine set of legs, after all.”
Li’s hands had curled into fists at the word ‘bitch’, Sakura noticed, but when he spoke his voice was deathly calm.
“You don’t ever want to speak about my cousin like that again.”
Ralen scooted back an inch or two, but he hadn’t lost his haughty expression. “So, you don’t mind if I seek out Yue, then, and clear up this little mystery?”
“I got nothing to hide.” He sounded unruffled, but Sakura was suddenly seized with anxiety. She knew perfectly well it was Tomoyo that asked Meilin to come, and Master Yue knew nothing of the arrangements. When Ralen told him, would they all get in trouble? She might not be allowed her lessons anymore. And Li could even lose his job!
“Good.” Ralen smirked, and extended his hand towards her. “Come on, then. Time to find your master.”

Yue watched Touya’s long strides eat up the corridor, the boy clearly enjoying his new freedom from the chains. He kept pulling ahead of Yue and had to pause and wait for his master to catch up, as he did not know the way, and the restless eagerness in his black eyes made Yue want to smile. Touya himself probably didn’t realize it, but he had never looked so excited in this castle.
“You’re walking so slow,” he accused. “Is it much farther?”
“Not much, and do not chastise me, slave.”
“Not your slave,” Touya replied automatically, and then added, “I tried to find it once, when I heard Ralen mention a library. I couldn’t, though.”
“It’s rare to find anything in this castle except by accident,” Yue acknowledged. “That’s why I’m taking you there myself, but you must be sure to remember the way.”
“I will.” Touya had indeed been paying close attention to the route, but now he looked at Yue once more with curiosity in his eyes. “But this is the second day you’ve missed your, um, meditation. Is it alright?”
“It will be fine. It’s more important that you see this. You ought to have told me sooner that you can read.”
“You didn’t ask,” Touya pointed out dryly. “But we didn’t even finish the book we started last night; I only read two chapters.”
“Never mind that one,” Yue said coolly. “There are many more.”
“Really? How many? My father collected them, and we had the most in all our village. Twenty-three.”
He lifted his chin proudly, and Yue was barely able to keep his expression neutral as he paused before a large oaken door.
“Twenty-three.”
“That’s right. How many do you have?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Yue replied thoughtfully. “I have never bothered to count them.”
And with that he pressed the lever and opened the door, revealing the glory of the castle’s library. Though meant only for personal use, it was still one of the most beautiful rooms in the building, lit up by the morning sun through high and graceful windows. Shelves reached as high as the ceiling, every one of them packed with books and each with a rolling ladder to provide access to the highest volumes. Large and ancient looking maps had been framed and hung upon what little wall space was left, and a stack of blank parchment with quill and ink sat waiting on the desk. Should the scholar desire something more comfortable, a plush sofa waited in the corner by the fireplace.
And Touya stood in the middle of all of it, absolutely silent, mouth open and eyes as wide as Yue had ever seen them. Amazed, and Yue couldn’t blame him though he had taken this library for granted all his life. Delighted with the effect, he said or did nothing and simply watched his slave take it all in.
“Wow,” the boy finally managed, after several long moments. “This is- I didn’t think there were so many books in all the world. What are they all about?”
“Many things. History, fictional tales, mathematics, languages, studies of animals and plants.”
“Have you read all of them?”
“At some point or another, yes.”
“Wow,” Touya repeated. Reverently he touched the spine of the closest book, but kept his gaze turned up to the wall of books above his head. “I could never finish all of them, not if I read one every day of my life.”
“It’s no reason not to try. This library is yours, now; provided you are not otherwise engaged with me you are free to make use of it whenever you like.”
“It’s mine? Whenever I like? Really?” Looking dazzled, Touya hugged the book he’d been examining to his chest. Yue nodded.
“This is your home now, after all.”
Yue almost regretted his words the moment they left his lips; the smile faded from Touya’s eyes, and his happy excitement evaporated. He really should not have said that, no, but it was the truth and Yue had no reason to avoid the truth. Touya opened his mouth and Yue braced himself for an unpleasant exchange, but before either could utter a word his communication gem came to life.
“Lord Yue, I apologize for bothering you in the middle of the day -”
“What is it now, Ralen?”
“May I please speak with you? There is a matter concerning your slave I need to discuss.”
Yue could see Touya stiffen, in the corner of his vision, and barely managed to repress an annoyed sigh. “Come to the south stairwell, then, I will speak with you there.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Was that about my sister?” demanded Touya, before Yue even took his hand off the gem.
“Stay,” he ordered, and swept out of the library. The stairwell was only at the end of this corridor, and a few minutes passed for the impatient Yue before his servant could be heard stomping up the steps. Ralen hove into view, looking peculiarly smug, and dragging the girl along by a cruel grip that provoked the occasional whimper. The captain of the guard Yue almost didn’t notice, silently shadowing the other two, and he was wondering at the reason for his presence when Ralen began.
“My lord, I truly do apologize for bothering you during the day, but I just couldn’t let this matter rest when I -”
“Get on with it, Ralen,” Yue snapped, and his servant was smart enough to recognize the warning signs.
“Er, yes, my lord. Yesterday, a woman -”
“You can let go of my sister now.”
To everyone’s surprise Touya strode out from the shadows of the hallway, not even glancing Yue’s direction but keeping his dark glare trained on Ralen only. He’d ignored Yue’s order to stay, of course, and Yue felt his irritation spike again.
“Onii-chan!” gasped the girl, and Ralen’s lip curled into a sneer.
“What are you doing here?”
“Telling you to take your goddamn hand off my sister’s arm,” Touya shot back, “before I take it off for you.”
“Watch your tone, slave, you don’t talk to me like that.”
Only Yue saw Touya’s involuntary glance at Sakura, when Ralen spoke, and his eyes were cringing in shame. Yue sensed danger, and tried to summon Touya away.
“Come here at once, slave -”
“Let go of her,” Touya ordered coldly, and reached for Ralen’s hand to pry it off. And Ralen, as any overseer would when threatened with such brazen defiance, slapped Touya directly across the face.
The crack of flesh seemed to echo forever between the marble walls, everyone silent save for Sakura’s abbreviated shriek and Touya’s heavy breathing. Ralen had really put all his strength into the blow, had almost turned Touya completely to one side with the force of it and left his right cheek flaming red. Yue watched his slave’s hands curl into fists.
“Slave! Come here now.”
Touya spared him a single glance, dark with rebellion, before twisting back to Ralen and smashing his fist into his jaw. The servant actually flew backwards, a good two feet, before crashing against the banister of the stairs and tumbling to the floor.
“Shit,” Li whispered, in the deafening silence that followed, “why didn’t I think of that?”
Sakura had gone as pale as the marble beneath her feet, eyes as round as coins when she saw what her brother had done. Touya, on the other hand, was only shaking out his reddened hand and looking extremely pleased with himself.

Cold wisps of anger curled within Yue as he watched his slave, not even looking in his direction as he examined his sister’s arm and asked if she were alright. Violence within Yue’s castle was unacceptable, always, and for a slave to strike anyone – unthinkable.
“Slave,” he said quite softly, his voice chilly with rage. “Come here.”
Again Touya looked at him, and just as before it seemed designed to let Yue know he had heard him, but intended to ignore him. Without moving a step, Touya gathered his sister in his arms and hugged her close.
Fury blazed like icy fire within Yue, and he knew that he made himself felt when Sakura shivered. “I will count to three,” he said, still softly. “You will not like what happens after three. One.”
His face a perfect mask of unconcern, Touya squeezed Sakura one last time and backed away. “I have to go now, Sakura. I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Two.”
Scared green eyes looked back and forth between her brother and her fuming master, doubting her brother’s safety and with good reason. “Onii-chan -”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” He turned his back on her and took one step toward Yue, just as he uttered the final count.
“Three.”

Frozen to her spot on the floor, watching the tense battle of stares between her brother and Yue, Sakura let out a squeak when a pair of hands yanked her directly backwards. One of the hands hastily clapped itself across her mouth and an arm encircled her shoulders, pulling her close to Li’s chest as he hustled her back down the stairwell. She was so surprised that it didn’t even occur to her to struggle, and was herded all the way down to the next level and outside onto the second tier ledge. Li was quick to shut the doors behind them, and only then did he exhale.
“Why?” Sakura managed, still blinking at the rapid change of setting.
“Because you don’t ever want to be around when Yue’s that mad, that’s why. Trust me on this one.”
“But Onii-chan…”
“He’ll live, don’t worry. I just figured you shouldn’t see what happened next; I sure didn’t want to.” Li relaxed against the low stone wall behind him, turning his eyes to look out over the castle grounds beneath them. “Your brother’s got a hell of a spine, I’ll give him that. I’m a little jealous; I’ve wanted to do that to Ralen for a long time. But Yue doesn’t like fighting in his home.”
Sakura looked back at the doors. “So, he’ll get in trouble?”
“If I read that look in Yue’s eyes right, yeah. Big trouble.”
And she had run, leaving him to face it. The upset that had been welling up inside Sakura since the moment Meilin kissed Li spilled over, and she choked back a sob. Not very effectively – another one followed it and she could feel hot tears sliding down her cheeks. A few steps away, Li froze.
“Are you, uh, crying?”
“No!” she wept, tears coming faster. Vainly she tried to wipe them from her face.
“Okay,” Li said awkwardly, after a few uncomfortable moments. Through a blur she saw him pat himself down and produce a grimy handkerchief. “Here… for your not-tears. Sorry it’s not clean.”
“S’fine,” she sniffled, and quickly put it to use. It smelled just like him, and horses, an earthy aroma that Sakura found oddly comforting. The force of her sobs quieted, and the tears began to dry up.
“Thank you.” She tried to return the crumpled and wet piece of cloth, and he shook his head.
“Just hang onto it for now. What was all that about?”
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to. It’s just, Onii-chan is always getting into so much trouble for my sake. He wouldn’t be here at all if it weren’t for me, and now Yue is angry because he hit Ralen. He only did it because Ralen was hurting me.”
She hiccuped, and Li shuffled uncomfortably. “Um, sorry about that. But I promise you, your brother’s going to be fine.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know,” he answered simply, and spread his hands wide to lean back against the wall behind him. “There’s a lot of things I don’t know about Lord Yue, right down to just what he is. But I know he doesn’t kill people. His magic makes mine look like a candlestick next to a bonfire and from what I’ve seen, I figure he could destroy that city down there in a day. Never bothers anyone, though. Whatever he is, he’s not a monster.”
Sakura watched him speak, her tears forgotten in the face of his straightforward conviction. “Are you never afraid of him?”
Li considered that, rolling the question around in his mind before answering. “Not really. I’m careful around him, don’t like it when he’s angry at me, but I was never really afraid of him.”
“When did you meet him?”
“When I left my home for Terriene. Literally, I mean, before I even made it to the city’s limits.” His eyes were looking into the past now, and a grim smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “I was leading Spirit, not far from the edge of the forest, and three bandits were stupid enough to try and attack me. Not that I had more than five gold coins in my pocket, but I would have fought them over two bits. It’s a matter of pride.”
He yanked an amulet off from around his neck, and in his hand it glowed and lengthened into a sword. Sakura jumped at the unexpected display of magic; so this was where his weapon came from. “There was one in front, demanding me to give up my purse and horse,” he was saying, “and two on either side with swords. I told the leader to come and get them, if he wanted them so badly, and sure enough he tried. He wasn’t expecting this.”
He gestured with his magical sword, and smiled that grim smile again. “I opened up his chest before the guy even knew I was armed, and his two friends rushed in at the same time. I blocked one attack with the basic right cross guard and swung around in a reverse turning kick, knocking the other one’s sword out of the way.” He demonstrated the foreign terms to Sakura, eyes snapping with enthusiasm. “Then crescent moon sweep, slash, he’s down, turn into a side kick on the third’s solar plexus, and he’s down too, with broken ribs. It was my first chance to fight thieves, and I was feeling pretty good about myself, and then suddenly I heard someone speak almost right above me.”
Sakura almost looked up, so caught up was she in the tale. “And there he was, Yue, standing there on a branch twenty feet up like he was some kind of bird. He said, ‘well done’, or something like that, and dropped to the ground like it was no distance at all. I knew he wasn’t human, and I wasn’t sure what he’d do, but he didn’t even look at my sword when I raised it. I could sense his power, and I knew I was outmatched anyway.”
Li ran his fingers through his ragged bangs, combing them back from his face. “He complimented me on my technique and said he would like someone of my ‘caliber’ in the guard at his home. If I came to the white castle overlooking Terriene, I’d be given room and board and four gold coins a month. Spirit nickered and I turned to check on her, and when I turned back he was gone. But I did come, and so here I am.”
“It’s an amazing story,” Sakura complimented. “To think that you fought three men with swords!”
“I’d been training my whole life to fight,” he pointed out, and shrugged. “My teacher would expect no less of me.”
“But it’s still amazing. How lucky, that Yue saw it and you were able to find work here.” Sakura wandered over to the shorter wall and gazed at the serene castlegrounds below. “Still, don’t you think it’s strange?”
“What’s strange?”
“All the men that serve in the guard here. My brother told me that no one had ever tried to break into the castle before he did. So why does Yue keep so many men?”
Li shrugged again, and propped his chin on one hand to watch alongside her. “We’ve all wondered about that, truth be told. Most of the men don’t care to question it, because of the easy work and fine surroundings. But I do think about it, time to time. The day Yue promoted me to captain, he said just one thing.”
He turned to look right at her, and Sakura suddenly realized how close they were. “Protect this castle. Protect it always.”
Strange indeed, but Sakura couldn’t bring herself to worry too much about it, not with the captain looking at her so seriously. What was it about his gaze that flustered her so? Her hand opened and she looked at the wadded up handkerchief within, still damp with the tears that were now just a memory.
“Thank you, Li. I feel much better now.”
“Good.”
“Why does it seem like you’re always saving me?” She smiled wistfully, and a sudden gust of wind blew her hair across her eyes just before his cheeks turned pink.
“Don’t know. I guess… because you got stuck in a rotten situation and didn’t deserve it. Someone’s got to keep an eye out for you, and you’re the only person in this castle that I can stand to be around for more than thirty minutes.”
A warmth that had nothing to do with the midday sun blossomed with Sakura’s chest, and she clutched his handkerchief close to her heart.
“Thank you.”

The door to Yue’s private bedroom flew open, and Yue released Touya from his painful grip with a shove that sent him stumbling to the bed. He whipped around as soon as he’d regained his balance, backing up to the edge of the sheets and keeping a wary eye on the crop in Yue’s hand.
“Now,” he informed Touya in a voice that was glacially cold, “you will suffer the punishment for your disobedience.”
“It’s his fault!” Touya protested. “You saw what he did. I wasn’t going to take that and not hit back!”
“I don’t care what Ralen did,” Yue snapped, and cracked the leather crop against one leg. “Three times you ignored my command, deliberately flouting my orders, and you should have learned by now that I will not tolerate such behavior.”
“He hit me,” Touya snarled. “He called me a slave and then he slapped me, right in front of Sakura! I couldn’t let my little sister see that and not do something.”
Yue let out an exasperated huff. “The sister, always it is the little sister. Do you think of nothing else? Is she more important than I, your master?”
“You’re not my master. And I am no slave.”
The room was silent, for several seconds, there was no sound but Touya’s own heavy breathing as the two glared at one another. Yue’s eyes were glittering like icicles in the sun.
“Strip,” he said at last, “and turn around.” Touya didn’t move. Yue curled his grip around the crop handle a little more tightly. “We have been here before, slave. I can tie you down as I did last time, and give you twice as many strokes for the inconvenience. Or you can take it like a man, without the need for restraint. Call it an exercise in self-discipline.”
That last part caught Touya off-guard. The rebellious adrenaline still flowing through his body insisted he fight, every step of the way, and never mind how many strokes Yue intended to give. But if he wasn’t a slave, neither was he a boy whose mother must hold down to deliver a sound spanking. Rightfully or not, Touya had hurt Ralen, and this was the price. A man should always pay the price for his actions.
Without saying a word, Touya pulled off his shirt, dropped his pants, and turned around. “Bend over,” prompted Yue, and he bent over the edge of the bed and gripped handfuls of the satin sheets. When it came, the bite of leather into his skin was so vicious he had to fight to keep the yelp inside.
Nothing happened after that, and Touya remembered he was expected to count.
“One.”
“Very good.” Again the crop met flesh, and Touya bit his lip.
“Two.”
Yue’s fury was communicating itself through each lash to Touya, and both his aim and strength were merciless. Over and over he struck Touya, showing no signs that he was ready to let up.
“Nine.” Crack.
“Ten.”
His knuckles had turned white, he was gripping the sheets so hard, and a fresh wave of pain reverberated in his bottom with every strike. He wouldn’t be able to sit for days.
“Fifteen.” Crack.
“Sixteen.”
He really wouldn’t be able to take much more of this, and he knew from experience that it would only get worse once it was all over. But it was worth it, yes, and every time Touya closed his eyes he could see that delicious image again: Ralen, flying through the air and hitting that banister like he was no more than a child’s doll. And then afterwards, lying in a heap on the floor and groaning while Yue dragged Touya up the stairs…
“Nineteen.” Crack.
“Twenty.”
The soft thud of the crop dropping to the floor registered in Touya’s ears, just barely, but before it occurred to him to try and move Yue was on him, hands pinning his wrists to the sheets and his weight crushing him against the bed. His entry was fast and savage, done without preparation, and Touya cried out at the twin pains of penetration and pressure on his fresh wounds. Yue’s only response was to thrust more aggressively, pressing him deeper and deeper into the sheets until it was difficult to breathe. It hadn’t been this painful since the very first time, and Touya fought to hold back tears from his burning eyes.
Yue climaxed rapidly, with one final shove against Touya, and dropped to cover his trembling body.
“Know this, slave,” he whispered in his ear, softly but with deadly menace, “and know it well. I am ancient and powerful, more so than you could ever comprehend, and for hundreds of years I have always taken what I pleased. You are mine now, and you will learn this. If I have to whip you in front of your sister, if I have to rape you in front of your sister to get that fact through your head, then that is what I will do. But you – will – learn.”
With those words he withdrew, leaving Touya feeling suddenly chilly under his fine sheen of sweat. Absent Yue’s grip to hold him in place, he slipped backwards over the edge and fell to the floor, the sheet that was still snarled up in his fists falling with him. It settled like a soft cloud around his body, oblivious to his cry of pain when he landed on his bottom and his ragged panting. Yue was gone; he was alone in the room. Somehow, he found the strength to roll over onto his hands and knees and crawl, though it probably took most of an hour, to the rug that was his bed in this accursed castle. Groaning, he collapsed to its soft furry surface and closed his eyes.

“Ow… ow…owwwatch it, bitch!” Ralen jerked his head back with a yelp and knocked Aya’s hand away, the shrill yelp hurting her ears more than the blow to her hand. Impatiently he snatched away the jar of cream. “Incompetents, all of you! Are you trying to make me suffer even more, do you like watching me in pain?”
Aya bit her tongue and turned around, praying he hadn’t seen her grin. Luckily, he was too angry and upset to notice her.
“Siki! Where the hell’s that poultice?”
“Coming, sir.” Hastily Siki folded up the cheesecloth and scurried over, doing her best to place it gently against Ralen’s bruised and swelling jaw. She failed, and had to endure another string of insults damning her clumsiness, looks, and even parentage before Ralen finally held it there himself.
“Does it feel better?”
“No. That bastard of a slave better not have left any permanent damage, or I’ll really make him suffer. And I know Yue’s already making him suffer… I hope he lashes his skin raw. I hope that miserable country peasant can’t ever walk again. And then Yue can improve the smell of the castle by getting rid of him forever.”
Tenderly he touched his own jaw and winced, then glanced around the kitchen. “And where the hell is the other one? Does she think she can just wander off whenever she feels like it now, does she think she doesn’t have to answer to me anymore? Cale! Go find the slave and bring her to me, now.”
“Yes sir.”
Ralen’s second-in-command tapped his fingers to forehead in salute and left the room, probably gratefully, and Aya had almost made it out of the other doorway when Ralen stopped her short.
“Aya.”
She froze, and turned to look over her shoulder. “Sir?”
“What’s all that?”
“This?” She glanced back at the tray in her hands and smiled weakly. “It’s just some… tea. And a little medicine.”
Gray eyes narrowed in a face that was rapidly turning purple from the jaw up. “Who is it for?”
“Well, y-you said that Master Yue would be punishing his slave, and I th-thought maybe Yue would want someone to see to him afterwards. He is the master’s property after all.”
She waited, tensely, each tray handle pressing itself painfully into her palms though she didn’t feel it. Eventually, Ralen let out a quiet snort.
“How very thoughtful of you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Go on, then.”
“Yes sir.” Aya fled up the stairs, going as rapidly as she could without jostling any of the items she carried. The route from the castle kitchens to the lord’s private bedchamber was a long one, involving many flights of stairs, and she was puffing slightly by the time she arrived. She was glad she had brought along the teapot and its cozy, rather than just a mug.
The front study was silent and still. Aya strained her ears, but could hear nothing beyond the doors. Surely if Yue was still busy with the task of punishment, she would hear some kind of noise.
Timidly she tapped a door with no response, and tried again a little more loudly. When there was still no answering sound within, she pushed the lever and opened the door. Yue did not seem to be present, but it had never really been a part of Aya’s plan to seek him out and ask permission to tend to the slave. At the sight of Touya, lying face first on the rug before the fireplace, she hurried forward and dropped to her knees.
Poor creature. A sheet from the bed covered most of his lower body, preventing her from seeing the actual wounds, but she could image how bad they must be if he was in a state like this. Though Aya had never been unfortunate enough to bring Yue’s wrath down upon her, he did not strike her as a master who would go light on his punishment. All for punching Ralen, too, which every female in the castle would agree was truly deserved…
Delicately, she reached to rearrange a few strands of his hair.
“Go away,” he muttered, and she jumped. He’d been lying so still with his eyes closed, she assumed he was asleep or unconscious.
“I beg your pardon, sir- Touya, I didn’t mean to disturb you. But we heard about what happened, and we – well, I – thought you might like a cup of tea.”
He opened his eyes, looking rather groggy, and uttered a low groan. “-m not really in the mood for tea right now.”
“But it’s special tea, the woman that trained me in bedroom arts taught me how to make it. Slaves are punished often, you know, and she knew the right mixture of herbs to soothe the pain.”
Touya closed his eyes again. “I’m not a slave.”
“Er- right. But, I still think you might be in some pain. Won’t you please have some? I made it just for you.”
He didn’t move for several long seconds, and Aya thought perhaps he’d fallen asleep. Then, with another, louder, groan he pushed himself up onto his elbows. Aya almost forgot herself when confronted with that toned bare chest; he’d been given permission to bathe himself in Yue’s room two weeks ago and she’d almost forgotten how good he looked under his shirt.
“Hey,” he said, and she blushed when she realized she’d been staring. He squinted curiously at her pink face. “The tea?”
“Coming right up!” She poured a cupful and pressed it gently into his hands, anxiously awaiting his approval. Some of the ingredients were not very pleasant to taste, but when mixed with honey it should be palatable. He sipped it and licked his lips.
“Do you like it?”
“Not bad. Thanks.” He took another sip and set the cup down, clearly too tired to stay in this position for long. “Did Yue tell you to come up here?”
“Um, no. He didn’t- he might have, I suppose, but I haven’t seen him. I heard what happened from Ralen, who came into the kitchen demanding that we see to his injury.”
Touya smiled grimly, and Aya smiled back. “Does it look bad?”
“Oh yes. Terrible. His entire face is bruised.”
“Good. It was worth it.”
“He’s quite upset.”
“I hope so.” His smile kept growing, and the mischievous glint in his eyes made him look so boyishly charming that Aya had to giggle.
“Well, from all the women – and I think a few of the men – in this castle, I thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He shifted to take another sip of his tea, and winced slightly.
“Oh, that reminds me. I also brought this, a healing cream we learned to make at my auction house. It’s meant to soothe the pain and lessen scars. I can massage it into your skin -”
She reached for the sheet covering him and he jerked away, spilling tea on the rug. “No.”
“I’ll be gentle, I promise.”
“I said no,” he snapped, and she shrank away. Immediately he softened. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I just don’t want- I’ll do it myself. Leave it there and I’ll do it myself.”
“As you wish.” More than a little disappointed, Aya returned the jar to the tray. Unlike Ralen’s, she wouldn’t have minded tending Touya’s wounds at all. But it seemed he was not willing to sacrifice his privacy or pride to allow her.
“I’m sure you wish to rest. I’ll return to collect the tray later, so please take your time.”
“Thank you,” he exhaled, and dropped back to the floor.
“It was my pleasure, sir.”
Stealing one last glance at his beautiful chiseled face, Aya slipped out of the room.

Ralen crossed his arms and glowered at Sakura, the malevolent force of his glare tempered somewhat by the thick bruise on his jaw.
“So here you are, at last. Having a good time today, running all over the castle however you please? Is something funny?”
Desperately she tried to drag her stare away from the mark her brother had made. “No sir.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Let’s get you back to your cage, before you start thinking the rules don’t apply to you anymore.”
He snatched her arm and started marching, just as he always did, as if she would run away if he didn’t keep a firm grip on her at all times. “I suppose you loved that,” he snarled as he walked, and she did her best to put up an innocent look when he glanced her way. “Don’t bother trying hide it, you little wench, I know it’s true. You think your brother will always be there to save you, don’t you?”
“Well, I -”
“I wouldn’t take him for granted, if I were you.” They reached the throne room and Ralen slowed in his strides. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Yue throws him out of the castle completely, after what he did today, but even if he doesn’t, believe me I won’t forget this.”
Sakura had a much closer view of Ralen’s injured face than she would have liked, and backed up to the open door of her cage. “My brother has a temper, Ralen sir, you’re not the first one he’s hit -”
“Shh. Don’t care. All I know is, your brother will regret what happened today. I’ll make sure of it.”
He banged the door shut, turned around, and almost walked into Yue. Sakura jumped as high as Ralen did; neither had even heard him enter the room.
“Y- my- my lord!” Ralen stammered. “I didn’t see you there.”
Yue regarded him impassively for a second or two, then gestured back to the hallway. “Wait by the far end of the corridor, Ralen, I will speak with you there.”
“Yes, my lord.” The blonde bowed and beat a hasty retreat, leaving the two of them alone. And despite the fact that he might be her owner and master, Sakura realized right then that she had never been alone in the company of Yue before. Heart thumping, she returned his silent gaze and wondered what this meant.
Finally he raised and hand and curled his finger in beckoning. “Come closer, slave.”
Sakura swallowed and obeyed. Was he here to tell her that her brother would soon be gone?
“Master Yue?”
It seemed he hadn’t been expecting her to speak, and raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Are you going to make Onii-chan leave the castle?”
“Certainly not.”
He answered the question quickly, with a flash of determination in his eyes that rather caught her off guard. She didn’t even see him moving until he was standing directly before her, arm through the bars and his hand resting lightly on her cheek. Sakura froze, all except for her frantically beating heart, locked into that cool crystalline stare. Yue was touching her, stroking her even, when he’d hardly deigned to speak to her for all this time.
“You’re pretty enough,” he murmured eventually, just when Sakura had almost worked up the nerve to speak. “But you’re not as beautiful as me. What does he see in you, I wonder?”
The light caress cupped behind her jaw in a near-painful squeeze, and Sakura whimpered. The sound seemed to bring Yue out of his thoughts, whatever they were, and he quickly withdrew his hand. Looking peculiarly disoriented, he blinked, turned away and left the room without a word.
Only the minor ache on her neck convinced Sakura it happened at all.

“It seems you will live,” was Yue’s dispassionate appraisal. Ralen nodded, taking special care to wince when doing it.
“Yes, my lord, I suppose I will. The attack truly was a shock to me, or perhaps I would have been able to dodge it.”
“I doubt it.” The blasé dismissal rather wounded Ralen, especially since he’d been hoping for more sympathy. “But I’m sure it will not happen again. He has been punished soundly.”
Ralen perked up. “As was deserved, my lord. I am glad to hear it.”
“You can tell the girl she won’t be dining with her brother tonight.”
“Of course.”
“And have medicine sent up, if you haven’t already.”
“It’s been seen to, my lord.”
“Very good. Just one more thing.”
Yue snatched Ralen’s wrist so fast he never saw it happen, and he squawked in pain when Yue gave a casual squeeze. He’d never been a target of his lord’s fantastic strength before.
“If – you – ever lay a hand on my slave again, I will skewer your palms through with icicles. Do you understand me?”
It was as if rocks were crushing his hand; pale with pain, Ralen nodded. “Y-yes, my lord. I understand.”
His cold and angry eyes were terrifying to look at, and Ralen realized he was trembling. There was no change in expression, but Yue nodded and released his hand.
“Good. You’re dismissed.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters

Just in case anybody thought Yue and Touya would be on a steady road to love and tenderness – psych! Readers might have got some warm Disney fuzzies when Yue brought him to his library, so I had to correct that. Sure felt good to watch Touya lay the royal smackdown on Ralen, though, didn’t it?

Naturally, I apologize for the extreme lateness of this update – I’m sure I don’t have to tell anyone how frenzied the holiday season is. It just seemed like there was always some other thing that needed taking care of, and noisy brothers coming back home from college do nothing to help a peaceful and quiet atmosphere. Bleh.

As usual, the torrent of reviews leave me speechless. This story has received 75 alone, since the last update, and I savored every one of them. Aff.net has started hiding your email addresses, though, for some reason I can’t discern. If it’s going to hide them, then why have them at all? Since it seems I won’t be able to contact anyone directly anymore, I’ve decided to recognize one review in the author’s notes of every new chapter from now on. This time the prize goes to Napolde Tinuviel, for noticing the heavy influence Ai no Kusabi has on this story. Considering how I conceived of the idea from almost beginning to end while reading AnK, I can’t believe it took 20 chapters for someone to point it out!

So tune in next time, and watch Iason and Riki – I mean, Yue and Touya, try to work past this little ‘lover’s quarrel’ and get on with their ridiculously twisted relationship while Ralen plots in the shadows and Sakura gets her blush on every time Li looks her way. I pray it won’t take as long as the last one did!
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Pleasure Slave