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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.

Chapter List
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Tale of Lust
Warning: Shounen-ai, OOC-ness, grammars, typos...
can't think of anything else. Remind me later.
A/N: Sorry for the delay but I've been so busy with my other fic lately and besides this chapter requires a lot of researches.
Now I must warn you that I don't do much research at all and consequently I
have some of the details wrong. For example I don't know anything about
Japanese mannerism, especially in that era. And I don't know anything about kenjutsu except that it looks cool. So if you happen to
know please bear with the weirdness. On to the story.
Warning: I still can't understand why Watsuki
wouldn't make Aoshi, Soujiro
and Saito end up together in Rurouni Kenshin. I certainly would...
The Lessons

�Please come in, Seta-kun.� Aoshi motioned the smiling boy to enter his private study
as he opened the door leading to it. �It�s more comfortable in here.� He
explained when Soujiro paused as if to ask why they
were in the private part of the house instead of a more public one.

�Hai.� Soujiro bowed before following Aoshi into the room.

The study was simply furnished.
Unlike the study that Aoshi normally used to work,
this one had a less formal atmosphere. Unlike Shishio�s
residence, Shinomori�s residence had very few western
touches, only some items given by the most important clients were kept around
the house. But otherwise traditional atmosphere dominated the beautiful house.
There were ikebana neatly placed on either sides of a
beautiful calligraphy. There were also several shelves that probably contained
books and art tools. On one side of the room, was shobi
leading to a beautiful Japanese garden outside.

�Kirei.� Soujiro said before he could stop himself.

�I�m glad you think that way.� Aoshi said politely.

Soujiro beamed a smile at Aoshi, stopping the man�s breath for a while. Soujiro was wearing the same pale blue hakama
and kimono with a shirt beneath that Aoshi saw him in
the other day. Pale blue matched him best, Aoshi
thought, it complimented the boy�s innocent blue eyes.

Just as Aoshi
mused how beautiful Soujiro might look out in the
garden, with the sun shone on him and all the color of summer around him, a
voice screamed his name from a few rooms away. The loud padding on the wooden
floor signaled the coming of the person. Aoshi
would�ve sighed in annoyance if not for the adorable confused look on Soujiro�s face.

�Aoshi-sama!� Misao greeted her
beloved cousin as she opened the door. As usual she wore the too-small clothes Aoshi gave her when she was a child. Aoshi
had of course intended for her to stop wearing it when she grew up, but Misao had other ideas. It was the first gift Aoshi gave her, she reasoned, so she refused to change it
for something else.

�Misao.� Aoshi acknowledged the girl�s presence calmly.

�I heard you have a special guest.
Who is it?� Misao asked excitedly, though with a
slight undertone f suspicion and jealousy. No doubt that it was Ogina�s doing, spreading questionable news like that to the
girl. �Is it you?� Misao asked to the boy beside Aoshi. Her obvious relieve confirmed Aoshi�s
suspicion that Ogina had made it to her as if yet
another woman of Ogina�s choice visited him.

�Hai.� Soujiro bowed politely to her. �Boku wa Seta Soujiro desu. It�s a
pleasure to meet you.�

�Makimachi
Misao. The pleasure�s all mine.� Misao
said cheerfully. Then the young girl turned to Aoshi
again questioningly.

�Misao,
from now on Seta-kun will take lessons from me every other day.� Aoshi announced, seeing the look on his cousin�s face.

�Really? Can I join you guys?� Misao asked hopefully.

Of course she wouldn�t pass the
chance to stay around her crush, Aoshi realized with
slight exasperation. He glanced at Soujiro who waited
for his response patiently. He wouldn�t mind, Aoshi
knew. But he wanted to be alone with the young man without the disturbance from
anyone.

Aoshi thought hard of a way to reject the
girl without sounding too eager to be with Soujiro.
Trying to frighten away Misao wouldn�t be a wise
option since it�d probably made her suspicious.

Thankfully Aoshi
was saved from having to answer, by the one person that he expected the least
to come to his rescue. Okina�s voice came from the
hall outside, calling Misao.

�Misao! Are you here?� The old man said as he opened the shobi
leading to the room they�re in. �Ah, you�re here also, Aoshi.�

Aoshi nodded slightly to the old man.
Realizing that Ogina was looking to his side where Soujiro stood, Aoshi introduced
him to the old man. �Seta-kun, this is Okina. Okina, this is Seta Soujiro, Shishio-san�s pageboy. He is to take lessons from me from
now on.� He looked straight to Okina�s eyes while
saying that, quietly stating what he could not to Misao.

�It�s a pleasure to meet you,
Seta-kun! Aoshi is an excellent teacher. I�m sure
you�ll learn things easily from him.� Okina said,
seemingly oblivious to Aoshi�s silent message. �Well,
we should leave them alone, then. Seta-kun needs to study!�

�But, Okina! I want to study with them, too!� Misao
whined.

�Now, now, Misao-chan,
we can�t disturb them. Besides, I�m sure you�ve learnt all there is to know for
a girl.�

�Demo��

�Oh, right, I forget to tell you. A
letter from Himura just arrived this morning!� Though
Okina�s gaze was directed to Aoshi,
he knew that it was intended to Misao.

�Himura? When did it arrive? Why didn�t you tell me?� Misao
asked excitedly.

�It just arrived this morning. I
forgot since I was so busy with the inn.�

�Show me! I want to read it!� Misao pleaded excitedly, her earlier concern forgotten. Aoshi almost breathed a sigh of relief. He hoped Ogina was able to keep Misao off
this room for the better part of the day, or at least until Soujiro
returned to Shishio.

�All right, all
right. I think I
put it in my study��

Misao soon pushed the old man out of the
room, telling him to show her the letter. Ogina
obliged smilingly and left with the girl. Before he closed the door he threw Aoshi a smile that wasn�t only meant to be an apology.

The look upon Soujiro�s
smiling face was a mixture confusion and amusement when Aoshi
turned to look at him. Cute, he mused, cuter than even Misao
on any day.

�Shall we begin?� Aoshi finally said, folding his long legs underneath him.
The lesson and his quest to win the boy had begun.

~*~

�Tadaima!� Soujiro called out when he opened the gate
that led to the servants� compound. Despite his exhaustion, his smile was still
present on his face. His first lesson with Aoshi that
day was tiring, he must admit, but truly interesting!

Seeing that no one was around, Soujiro tried to practice his first lesson. Walking.

He squared his shoulder, lifting his
head proudly and walked forward. It did feel different from the usual way,
relaxing his shoulder, dropping his gaze to avoid people�s eyes and humbling
his steps. It was rather difficult at first. He felt like an idiot practicing
in front of Aoshi. The man was as composed and
charismatic as ever, making Soujiro want to bow his
head.

Aoshi was so kind and patient with him, Soujiro thought fondly. He was not at all like the
predatory man he met during the festival. He was so gentle, too. Every time Soujiro felt intimidated by his natural grace and pride and
bowed his head, Aoshi would lift his face with kind
fingers tipping his chin up. The look on Aoshi�s eyes
was exceptionally soft and gentle at times like this and it made Soujiro�s heart almost burst in his chest.

So lost in memory, Soujiro didn�t realize his surrounding. He tripped on a
stone that somehow had managed to get onto the small pathway. Soujiro gasped in surprise, preparing himself for pain. But
suddenly his elbow was caught and he was pulled to strong unyielding chest.

Soujiro lifted his open eyes up to meet his
captor�s. Blue met cold yellow and with a gasp Soujiro
realized just who this man was.

�Gomen.� Soujiro spluttered, unable to hide his embarrassment
and discomfort. Did the man saw him earlier? Soujiro
saw no one when he entered the house. How did he get here to catch him so fast?

�Be careful, bouya.�

�Hai. Gomen.� The smile was instantly in place and Soujiro
closed his eyes to hide his emotions.

�Where did you go to?� The man�s
amber eyes were sharp and intimidating. He reminded Soujiro
of Aoshi, somewhat. Maybe it�s their height and
intimidating presence.

�Ah, I went to one of Shishio-san�s client�s house. He ordered me to go every
other day.� Soujiro said cheerfully.

The man looked at him closely for a
few more seconds, let him go and stepped away. Soujiro
almost sighed in relief. But that man was still too close for his comfort. Soujiro decided to ignore that for the moment. He tilted
his head slightly to one side, trying to recall the man�s name. Though he
hadn�t been properly introduced to him, Shishio-san
had mentioned it to him in their first meeting yesterday.

�Anou� Saito-san?� He began questioningly. When Saito didn�t
correct him, Soujiro continued. �Saito-san, what are
you doing here?�

Saito�s eyebrow rose slightly in
amusement. �I was quite sure Shishio-san has informed
you that from today onward police will guard this house. If he hasn�t I expect
you to at least grasp that from the conversation we had yesterday.�

�Yes, I know that.� Soujiro said in embarrassment. He should�ve said something
more intelligent than that. He really should learn to think before speaking. �I
mean� well, it�s getting late, isn�t it?�

The sky had indeed turned a
beautiful shade of orange. The lesson hadn�t been that long, but Soujiro had to go to Yumi-san�s
house then run some errands afterwards. So when he returned the sun was setting
in the horizon. The city would soon be engulfed in brilliant artificial lights.
It was time for most workers to return home.

The corner of Saito�s lips twisted
into a smirk. �It�s not that late.� To him Soujiro
sounded like a young girl telling her first lover to leave after walking her
home after their first date. �But you�re right, I was going home. I wanted to
make a final check before I go.�

�I�m sorry for bothering you, then.�

�Not at all. My men will guard this gate and
this area as soon as I leave. Good evening, Seta-kun.� Yellow orbs lingered on
the boy a fraction of second longer than necessary before Saito nodded and put
his police cap on his head.

Soujiro watched as Saito disappeared behind
the gate. He had a sudden vision of a wolf entering into a darkened forest to
hunt. That animal suited Saito�s image well, Soujiro
thought; a sleek and dangerous creature in hunt of unsuspecting prey.

The last ray of sun left the earth
and Soujiro was left in the dark. Suddenly he wanted
the company of the old wolf again.

~*~

To practice mannerism was embarrassing,
Soujiro decided. After the tripping accident that
brought him to meet Saito, Soujiro must endure being
laughed at during dinner by the other maids for trying to perform what he had
learned that day. The art of eating was no easy task. It had seemed so simple
when Aoshi showed him and guided him. But without the
presence of his mentor, Soujiro�s newly acquired
knowledge disappeared and he simply stopped trying after a few embarrassing
attempts.

He considered stopping the lessons.
He was just a servant, after all. A servant didn�t need to learn such
painstaking mannerism. But Shishio had said that he
mustn�t decline. Aoshi was so kind and generous and
patient to him and Soujiro knew he couldn�t just
suddenly ask to stop the lessons. He would disappoint his master, Aoshi and himself. He had hoped for this, Soujiro reminded himself, so he must finish what he
started.

Determination always helped to lift
his spirit and his enthusiasm. It didn�t matter now that Soujiro
was currently assigned to clean the house and gardens,
a task that he knew from experience could take more than a few hours. He had
some people to help him, of course. But Kamatari was
only willing to clean the rooms closest to Shishio. Soujiro knew that Kamatari was
attracted to their master ever since Shishio took him
from the slump area of the city. Soujiro didn�t
understand what made Shishio do that back then.
Perhaps it was the determination in the young man�s eyes that amused Shishio enough to make him pity him.

So now every time he was to clean
the large manor with Kamatari, Soujiro
always got to clean the outer part of the house, which was considerably
dirtier. And now the task was made more difficult with the presence of the
cops. They did nothing of course, and they mostly just ignored his presence
completely. But Soujiro still felt uneasy when he was
around one of the cops guarding the house.

He had by now at least made friend
with one of these cops, Sawagejo Chou. He was a fun
guy and not at all serious like most of the police. He spent most of his time
teasing and making fun of people around him and wandering around the house. Soujiro wondered if what made him attracted to the man in
the first place was the thin length of steel that wrapped his torso. Chou had
said that it was a sword, a very unique sword that only he, Sawagejo
Chou, own. Soujiro was going to ask if Chou had
killed anyone with the sword only to be interrupted by an officer saying that
Chou�s shift was over and that he was allowed to go.

�Sorry, bouya.
But I�d like to catch some winks first and I better go fast before that ol� bastard catch me first and give some god-awful
assignment.� Chou ruffled Soujiro�s hair
affectionately. Apparently he too had taken a liking to the boy he just met to
the extent of ruffling his hair like he had known him forever.

Soujiro didn�t mind the affectionate
gesture; after all he didn�t get them often. He smiled at the older man as he
left, then he returned to his neglected duty, cleaning the hall. The cloth he
used to wipe the floor had gotten dry so Soujiro wet
it again with water in the bucket he put just outside the hall. As he twisted
the cloth to get the water out, Soujiro�s mind
wandered to Chou�s sword once again. He couldn�t seem to imagine how to use the
sword at all let alone to imagine how to kill with it.

As he was daydreaming, Soujiro jumped when he heard a sudden clinking sound
nearby. He dropped the cloth to the ground and winced slightly. He must get a
new cloth from the maid�s quarter now. The he looked up to see the source of
the noise to see a lanky officer standing on the gravel just a few feet away
from him. Had he been so lost in thought he didn�t even hear the man�s steps?

�Hmm. You were daydreaming.� Saito stated
with an amused smirk on his face.

Soujiro flushed in embarrassment. Saito
came even closer to him, examining him closely with his amber eyes. Soujiro looked down and focused his gaze on the sword on
Saito�s hip instead.

�Where is Chou?� Saito suddenly
asked.

�He just left. He said he wanted to
rest before� before you found him.� Soujiro paused
when he remembered how Chou spoke about Saito.

�That�s not what he said.� Saito
said again. �What were you doing here?�

�Mopping the
floor.� Soujiro answered matter-of-factly with a fake smile.

�No. You were talking to Chou and
then daydreamed about something.�

Souijro couldn�t argue with that and
continued to bow his head low. He felt Saito�s amber eyes on him and must
fought back a shudder. Why did this man look at him so intently? Surely, Saito
didn�t suspect that he was the villain in this whole plot, did he? Soujiro�s gaze locked onto the sword on Saito�s hip again.
His eyes widened slightly when a horrible thought struck him. Saito couldn�t
possibly suspicious of him enough to want to kill him, could he?

Somehow, the lanky swordsman managed
to read his mind correctly. �I am not going to kill you.� He said, amusement
lacing his voice.

�I know.� Soujiro
lied. His heartbeat slowed down to its regular rhythm now and he even managed
to add smile to his voice.

Saito didn�t need to speak his
disbelieve loudly; Soujiro could feel it in his gaze
on the back of his head. After a long silence, Saito spoke again. �You seem
very interested in swords.�

The sudden change of topic startled Soujiro but he didn�t look up to acknowledge Saito�s
statement however true it was. If anything, Soujiro
bowed his head even lower, as if in embarrassment. But his action didn�t please
Saito who then commanded him rather harshly, �Lift your face, Soujiro.�

The authority in that voice made Soujiro look up. He forced himself to smile and meet
Saito�s eyes. This didn�t please Saito either but this time he didn�t say
anything else. Saito scrutinized Souiro�s face
wordlessly. His stoic face never showed any emotion as if it was a mask. And it
probably was. They were both wearing a mask to hide their emotion and feeling.
The only difference was the form of their masks. Soujiro�s
mask was a pleasant smile and Saito�s was cold indifference. And now they were
both gazing at each other�s mask to find cracks that show their true selves.

Somehow, Souijro
knew that his mask would be the first to fall down. Saito was much too
experienced in this.

�Are you interested in swords?�
Saito asked after a long pause.

Soujiro knew lying would be pointless so he
told Saito the truth. �Yes, I am.� Saito�s silence prompted him to continue and
Sojiro began again with only the slightest hint of
hesitation. �It�s beautiful yet very deadly. I have once seen Shishio-san practice with it. The way he moved when
handling the sword was very graceful it could rival Yumi-san�s
dances.�

�Do you want to learn how to use a
sword?� Saiot asked suddenly.

Soujiro paused then laughed lightly.
�Saito-san, I�m merely a servant. Why would I need the skill to wield a sword?�

�You could protect your master with
a sword. A servant�s duty is to serve his master and protecting your master is
a way to serve him.� Saito said. His face and voice had no room for hesitation;
they only reflected confidence and knowledge. Soujiro
wondered if that was the reason why Saito learned how to use a sword in the
first place.

�Then� do you want to teach me?� Soujiro asked slowly, Unsure of Saito�s questions. Did
Saito want to teach him or was it just curiosity that spurred those questions?

�Do you want to learn to wield a
sword?�

�Yes.�

�What for?�

�To protect myself
and my master.�

Saito said nothing for a moment.
Then suddenly he took one of Soujiro�s hands in his. Soujiro�s eyes opened slightly in surprise but otherwise he
said and did nothing else. Saito inspected his palm for a while. �You are used
to hard work.�

Soujiro wasn�t sure whether he must
elaborate this or not so he kept his silence. He allowed Saito to caress his
palm for a while because somehow the feeling of the old man�s calloused fingers
on his skin comfort him. When Saito straightened up and dropped his hand
somehow he felt rather disappointed as I something precious was taken away from
him.

�When will your work be finished?�

�In the
afternoon.�

�After you finish work, come to the
backyard. At that time of the day normally no one was there.�

Soujiro could only nod dumbly and watched
as Saito walked away. This was truly a surprising day.

*

The backyard was deserted during the
afternoon. The maids mostly decided to use the free time to take a nap or do
some due chores. Shishio was working in his office
and there was no police officer around the place. The place was empty and quiet
when Soujiro arrived there, as Saito had said.

Soujiro sat on a big rock under a tree. The
shade the tree provided made the rock cool even in the afternoon. Soujiro sighed and smiled to the sky.

Who would�ve guessed that Saito
would offer to teach him swordplay? Of course, coming from Saito, it didn�t
sound like an offer at all. But an offer was an offer still. And Soujiro wasn�t going to let this chance go. His master,
kind as he was, never offered Soujiro any opportunity
to learn sword playing. Perhaps Shishio thought Soujiro didn�t have the strength to lift the sword at all.
And it�s true that he had a scrawny body. But Soujiro
had also spent some part of his life doing heavy chores. People often
overlooked this fact when they saw his built.

�So you come.� A voice startled Soujiro.

Soujiro removed his eyes from the sky and looked
at the man he�d been waiting for. Saito was standing a few feet away from him,
on the corner of the building. With him, he brought a shinai.
Briefly Soujiro wondered how he got it.

�You told me to come here.� Soujiro pointed out while standing up.

�You could decline.� Saito said
calmly as he came closer to Soujiro.

Soujiro had nothing to say against that and
remained silent until Saito stood right before him. Saito�s amber eyes opened
in slits to watch Soujiro but Soujiro�s
eyes remained closed. His smile never faltered as Saito studied him closely.

�Try to hold this.� Saito ordered as
he handed Soujiro the shinai.

Soujiro took the sword from Saito. He
tested his strength with it and was glad when he found it not as heavy as he
thought initially. He told Saito this and earned himself a sneer.

�This isn�t a real sword.�

Perhaps the heats in his cheeks were
light blush. One thing was sure though, when Saito held his hand to show him
the correct way of holding the sword he was blushing. When the old wolf held
his hand and repositioned them on the handle of the shinai,
warmth spread throughout Soujiro�s body. Saito�s
musky scent entered his lungs, making him weak. His hands on the shinai trembled ever so slightly but if Saito noticed this
then he decided to say nothing of it.

Saito was no ordinary man and he
noticed this of course. He smirked slightly as he leaned even closer to the
boy. Sweet, innocent Soujiro was a stranger to lust
and Saito didn�t hesitate to show him the first glimpses of it.

�Concentrate, Soujiro.�
He whispered to Soujiro�s ear. The boy�s trembling
grew slightly worse and Saito could feel Soujiro�s
heart beat madly in his chest. Saito�s smirk grew wider when he heard Soujiro�s soft exhalation over these simple words. �Pay close attention. The lesson has begun.�
^_^
A/N: for those who don't know, shinai is wooden
sword... I think... I'll think of what to do about Saito and Aoshi because I must admit I haven't thought as far as making
these two learn each other's presence. I was too excited about the possible
threesome that I overlooked this fact *grin sheepishly* Give me some times to
think about this okay? And btw I�m in the middle of vacation and I originally
planned to update when it�s over along with my other fic,
but then I figured I�ve been depriving you of this fic
for too long. Thx. And don't forget to review and correct my errors!
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