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kenjiro-s · 5 years

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Behind Crystal Waterfalls

Akiyasu Kurahashi x Kagemaru

The cave was filled with the soft sound of rumbling water and Kagemaru rolled his shoulders back under his cool kimono. He was losing precious hours of sleep to deal with this so he hoped it worked out.

Judging by the several voices he could identify, his Sentinels had done their job well. The quiet Tengu twins who walked on both his sides had delivered their reports in short clipped tone and he was glad he had put his hair up in a ponytail when he’d woken up that afternoon. Things were going to get messy.

The three men hung from hooks in the stone ceiling, all tied up and fully restricted, and it took the one near him a moment to register the new presence in the cavern. Kagemaru looked them over.

The one closest to him looked…familiar but he couldn’t place the face. Not that it mattered. Now, who was the leader…

- Who, the fuck, are you ? Did your pimp send you here as an apology for attacking us ? ‘Cause I’m down for that.

The other two men kept silent. His question answered, Kagemaru allowed his claws to extend, hand still curled in the folds of his clothes. He still paused to check himself, making sure he looked exactly how he was supposed to. Loose obi, kimono open up one leg…Nothing out of the ordinary.

The leader had called him a prostitute. Kagemaru sighed, tapping his lip with his folded fan. A civil adult man would not be offended by the remark, especially with the image he had been crafting so carefully. Too bad for those three that he wasn’t exactly civil, then.

- I could ask the same thing. – He stepped around the bodies hanging from the ceiling, almost smiling at their struggle to spin in the ropes and keep him within their sight. Cute. They tried to keep some of the power in the room. How very naïve. – Because see, you were caught poaching in an already claimed territory.

The men went silent. He allowed them to look at each other, obviously trying to communicate without words. It might have been impressive if they didn’t sway gently like cocoons with every movement.

- I want to talk to your boss. – Ah, so it wasn’t “master” anymore, was it ? Kagemaru snapped the fan open, letting the air curl around his hair. Three pairs of eyes followed him around like feral hounds and it would be pathetic if…No, actually, it was pathetic. They were definitely a sad excuse for criminals. He shook his head.

- You are. – Their expressions froze for a heartbeat. They looked at each other again.

- I’m talking about the owner of the filthy den by the theathre. – Filthy ? The excuse for a human being dared to call one of his establishments “filthy” ? He kept his face placid and his little smile on, but inside was calculating which patch of skin was the most sensitive to pain.

- That would be, as I already said, me. – Kagemaru made sure his fan was moving slowly and barely moving his hair. – How can I help you, gentlemen ?

- You. – Kagemaru raised an eyebrow in response. – Fuck off and get me your boss. Now.

That was rude even for him. He remembered Akiyasu calling that one soldier he’d probably disemboweled “vulgar” and how disgusted he’d sounded. The man in front of him had to be happy he himself wasn’t that easily offended.

- If you would like to do business in the Entertainment Quarter, you should show some respect. Otherwise, well, there has been a serious wraith problem in the Capital recently. You never know where they will pop out from. And who will end up another statistic.

- Are you threatening me, you little…

He could see the cogs turn…turn…turn…and click. The leader’s lip curled up in disgust and he huffed a breath out. – Oh, I’ve heard of you. You’re that demon, right ? The one who takes his clothes off and then chews through gullible teens’ throats. A blooddrinking slut.

- Do you think you are helping your case ? Because form my point of view…

- My brother will have you and your pack of rabid yokai put down like the mangy mutts you are.

Kagemaru could hear the heavy silence from behind. His Sentinels would never react to such a lame insult but he wasn’t so noble. He only liked to pretend he was.

- Your brother ? – The man spat on the ground. What was with lowlifes and spitting recently ? Akiyasu had said the same, that one of the soldiers had spat on him. Such a disgusting habit. He hadn’t managed to hit his pretty new kimono so that was good, at least.

- He will have you decapitated on the city square. Yokai were supposed to be killed off years ago and a public execution will definitely list the spirits of the people.

- Tell me something. – He folded his paper fan again. – How did you think this was going to work ? You and your men escaping form here ?

The leader swayed a little more in the rope, glaring at him. Kagemaru simply dragged his fan down the man’s throat, watching his Adam’s apple bob as the swallowed. He could almost taste…

Fear. Behind the insults and bravado the man was afraid. And so were his subordinates. Terror. Good.

He smiled. Wave of terror washed upon him and he relished in it. He’d thought about letting the waterfall wash their insides down the river but the filthy mouth of the ringleader and their shared fear was making him want to play a little.

- You know what ? I am feeling generous. Just to show you that I am open to discussions and negotiation. And always willing to let such young entrepreneurs as you to thrive in my city. Of course, you would have to show me you are willing to work for me, but I am willing to make amends. What do you say ?

- What I’d say ? – Kagemaru cocked a hip and noted with mild repulsion that the men’s eyes still went up and down his bare leg. How very simpleminded. Those were the kind of people Saotome would probably stumble upon out of sheer bad luck and then her Ayakashi would rip them apart. Hm, now that was an idea. Make them be somewhere where the stupid little girl would be…Two birds with one stone. But the leader wasn’t finished yet. – I’d rather slit my own throat than to work for a whore spider. How’s that for an answer, Jorōgumo ?

He didn’t sigh. Not this time. He would have let them go with a good scare. He would have. Considering how tired he was, he really didn’t want to bother. But the “whore spider” comment…Kagemaru had a thing for that specific name for his race and it really, really ticked him wrong. “Whore spider”…This, added to the prostitute implication, made him think they had a certain opinion about him that he didn’t feel too good about.

So he just walked around the wriggling bodies, letting a claw graze each and every man. Usually, he would go for a flashy and painful spot but he had done what he’d had in mind and now just wanted to go and sleep. So, quick incisions on their forearms, where the ropes had bunched up their sleeves it was and he was done.

- If you seek a healer, hmm… - Kagemaru looked at his bare wrist. – Within the next half an hour you might manage to keep all your vital organs in a working condition and have almost normal lives. I’d hurry, though, the venom works quickly. Untie them.

The last one was directed to the pair of Tengu by the door.

- The reason I am letting you go is because I value power. Which you don’t have. And killing you would honestly be such a mess. Not worth it. So here are the conditions. Pack your rubbish and your useless little guards, and leave the Capital. No harm, no foul. I forget about you, you forget about me. Do we have a deal ?

- Fuck you, demon ! – He shook his head.

- Twenty four hours starting now. If you haven’t left by the end of the countdown, we would talk again. Oh, and I would really look for a healer now, if I were you. That thing will liquefy your insides.

And then he turned, stepping out of the cavern, trusting his Sentinels to untie the men. That could have gone better, he guessed. Maybe. He just needed rest.

A few hours of no sleep later, he was buried in a pile of paperwork that was leaning dangerously to one side on his desk when something crinkling dropped on the formal letter he was reading. Jumping back and almost impaling the newcomer’s eyeball on his pencil, he caught himself on time and dropped back in the chair. He was usually all about teasing Akiyasu because the man was just way too stuck up to bypass, but today he had way too much work and also was sure the three morons from earlier would not pack up and leave like the good boys he’d pretended they were. No, he was sure they would stick around, try to wreak havoc and then he would have to pull out their spleens through their ears.

- Boss. Fancy seeing you here. – Not. He was in his office right across from the opera and it was almost time for the performances for the evening to start. He didn’t have much time before the whole quarter echoed with music and laughter, and he really wanted to catch up on the papers at least a little.

- Saotome’s awaken another Ayakashi bond. – Kagemaru waited, hand holding the fountain pen in a loose grip above the paper. And, kept waiting. And more ?

- Cool…? – Akiyasu narrow his eyes behind his glasses. Honestly, Kagemaru knew he had to show some kind of empathy to his current kind-of-boss, but he couldn’t find it in him. Not when the little sewer rat’s words rang in his head.

- Cool ? You understand this could ruin all of our plans, right ? Are you thinking about that ? Can you even comprehend how serious this is and how much it can mess everything up ?

Was he ? Obviously not, judging by what people seemed to think. He was apparently just a pretty little arm candy, not capable of a single coherent thought. Smoothing down his silk kimono, he spun the pencil around his fingers, silently gloating at how Akiyasu’s eyes followed the movement. Easy. Too easy. And he was supposed to be the dumb one ?

- This might come as a huge surprise, Onmiyoji-san, but I am fully capable of using long words and doing complicated calculations in my head. So, yes. I can, in fact, think about that. I know it clashes with your opinion of how all yokai are a little more than rabid beasts walking on two legs, occasionally, but it is a fact.

Akiyasu just frowned at him.

- Whoever you’re talking about, it’s definitely not me. So if you can focus on the problem on hand, that would be…

- Actually, no. – He hadn’t realised he’s stood up. – I can’t focus on the problem on hand. And based on everyone’s opinion of me and my kind, I don’t have to. Right ? All I need to do is smile prettily and be the lapdog and decoration of a bigger, stronger, more masculine man. Or am I wrong ? Boss.

Akiyasu kept frowning, hands loose at his sides.

- I have literally never said any of that. What’s wrong with you today ? Anyway, as I said, Saotome is doing whatever she thinks would help her, so I wanted to ask you of you have someone trusted we can get to keep an eye on her while she’s at school.

Kagemaru carefully put his pen by the stack of papers on his desk, keeping them perfectly parallel.

- As you might notice, if you tried for a moment to pay any attention to anything outside of your little revenge plot, I am busy. Responsibilities, you know. Some of us have to work for our food.

- Listen, Spider… - And then he froze. Good. Kagemaru exhaled and lowered himself back in his chair. Akiyasu, standing completely still, had his eyes glued to his own hand on the desk where Maelstrom was slowly moving a leg and seemingly not in a hurry to move. – Call it back.

- Call her back ? Why ? You seem to be perfectly fine talking to spiders, don’t tell me a pretty little girl like her is scaring you.

- What…is…she ? – He was catching up fast. Kagemaru propped his chin on his hand, feeling Tempest settle on his shoulder. Akiyasu had the decency not to flinch at the sight of the second tarantula.

- Poecilotheria metallica. Ornamental tree spiders, if you think the actual name is too complicated for you, what’s with all the syllables. Beautiful, aren’t they ?

Akiyasu, on the other hand, seemed to reach some kind of conclusion. Lowering himself slowly, he squatted in front of the desk without moving his hand and looked at Maelstrom, checking her out from as many angles as he could without disturbing her.

- Definitely. Is she a pet ? – He also appeared to be trying to check all the corners of the room for more tarantulas. Cute how he thought he would see them if they really tried to hide.

- They all are. – The cogs turned. Turned. Turned….and stopped.

- How many…do you have ?

- Twelve. – Oh, that was going to be fun. Maelstrom was completely still and Akiyasu had gotten bolder, nose almost touching her brilliant blue body. Only, Kagemaru hadn’t mentioned one little detail about the breed. And since he knew his spiders…

A human, even with supernatural sight and reactions, would have a hard time seeing a Poecilotheria metallica move and register it. And Akiyasu hadn’t been expecting it. Which was why when Maelstrom jumped and made contact, the other man dropped like a rock on his ass and scrambled back. Only, he couldn’t really escape since the spider was hanging tight. To his cheek. And then he raised his hand…

- If you slap her, I’m cutting the arm at the elbow. – Akiyasu froze, eyes wide and glasses askew. Across the entire room, silver webs glittered in the dying daylight, reflecting the sun like razorblades. Around Akiyasu’s wrists, silk glittered like water, blood beading and dripping down. He could feel it colour the web, soft little vibrations making him taste his victory in the still air. It slid down his throat like ash and he dropped the webs, feeling Maelstrom scurry to her hole on his bookshelf.

Akiyasu sat on the floor a breath longer and then got up, dropping his sleeves down, seemingly not caring about the red dripping from his fingers.

- So, are you in or not ? – Kagemaru paused by his desk, hand almost reaching for the ornate fountain pen on the desk.

- And what can I be of help with, boss ? – He chose to lean backwards on the wooden surface instead, cocking his head and crossing his arms. Akiyasu shook his hand a little, dripping more blood on his handwoven rug and pushed his glasses up his nose.

- I need someone who can pass for human completely. Saotome’s been taking her two-tailed yokai with her to her college recently and with all the bonded demons awakening, I want to keep a closer eye on her. I also know you employ all kinds of individuals and that if you want to, you can have someone watch her.

Kagemaru twisted his lips in distaste. He employed all kinds of individuals, huh ? Now what, he was valuable for something other than his looks ? He replayed the conversation.

- Why would they need to pass fully for a human ? I thought you didn’t teach her to read energies.

Akiyasu shook his head with a disgusted frown.

- It’s one of the lecturers. I suspect he’s not human and he seems to be really fond of Saotome. I wouldn’t want him to notice something.

- Are you actually hinting you want me to go ? – Akiyasu looked up from pulling his sleeve which was starting to stick to his bleeding arm.

- I don’t want them to attract attention. If it were you, the professor will try to get in your pants in about three seconds.

- You got a problem with that ? – Now the other man crossed his arms again, face cold.

- I have a problem with you actively trying to ruin my plans, yes. Definitely. What, did someone burn a warehouse of opium of yours or something ?

Kagemaru raised an eyebrow. He’d heard enough of another famous and rather vulgar expression to recognise purposeful evasion. But Akiyasu was like that, wasn’t he ? Proper all the way…until he reached the point where it clashed with his plans.

Still. He huffed in annoyance, getting up to pull out his emergency bottle of almond liquor. It was that kind of a day. Raising the heavy bottle, he didn’t bother looking over at Akiyasu. The man should have been used to his bad habits already.

- Some kid and his gang of useless lowlifes were selling dirty stock outside of the theatre by the planetarium. Two of my clients are in the hospital with life threatening sepsis and one of them lost an eye.

Akiyasu blinked. Well. Someone was surprised. Because he cared enough for his business to keep track of every little thing or because he actually got that involved ?

- Someone dared to try to sell something stronger than artificial and fully nonworking vitamin C on your territory ? – The other man pulled on his sleeve again, frowning at the way it kept sticking with blood. – Are then suicidally dumb or just suicidal ? – At his expression, Akiyasu pushed his glasses up his nose. – What ? Everyone knows of you and how you don’t leave witnesses unless it’s good for your business. I am just wondering which clan they are from so I would know who not to talk to about future plans. Kids these days, honestly…

- Washijo. – The other man just waited. – The moron on top is his grandson. – He shook his head, taking a big swallow from the bottle again. – Let’s see if they manage to find a healer fast enough to stop their bones from melting in their bodies.

- You poisoned them ? – Kagemaru shrugged with one shoulder.

- I don’t take it lightly when people try to kill my clients. I also don’t take it lightly when people call me a “whore” and imply I sell my affections by the hour to the highest bidder.

- You also have all the doctors in the Capital on payroll. They are probably dead already. – Akiyasu rubbed his eyes. – That man will come here and bring war.

Human were supposed to be empathetic, weren’t they ? Because he would expect that comment from his mother but not from the man who was claiming to fight for justice. Oh, he knew Akiyasu was rotten to the core, one didn’t go that far with a pure heart. One also didn’t learn to suck cock like that in two tries after being a virgin but that was a different matter. Point in case, that had been cold even for the one who had befriended a gullible girl just to sacrifice her and her friends on the altar of pointless revenge.

- And ? – Akiyasu stared back for a moment before turning on his heels and leaving in a flurry of robes. – Hey ! Come back, you…

- I got a ceremony in the shrine tonight and have to prepare. Don’t bother coming over, it’s a private event. – Kagemaru knew his mouth was hanging open. He’d never been disregarded with such little care. People begged for his attention and that one human thought that just because their goals aligned for one very narrow period of time, he could just order him around…

Private event. He felt silk bite into his fingers, the thin white threads drowning the room in reflections. Private event. Akiyasu Kurahashi, the shrine priest who was so high above the calls of the flesh it had taken Kagemaru months of chase to get him naked on his back in his office in the opera, and the man was entertaining company like nobody’s business. Probably that was why he’d been distracted recently, and when he went along with his teasing, he went all the way fast and easy. Because he wanted to be done and go to his lover pure and calm.

And the only person he had shown more interest recently was…

Kagemaru was going to have Saotome kicked out of the city, dishonoured and broken, left with nothing but her own fragile mind. If she was the one stealing his one access point to Onmiyoji power, he would take her father and her powers, her bonded yokai and her career. Her beauty. If the bitch dared to spoil his plans, he would show her why Jorōgumo had some of the nastiest reputation from all yokai. People didn’t just cross him and get out unscathed.

But that would have to wait a few hours. He signed the letter to the Inugami who ran the underground hospital right beneath the lake. The man going and checking the unfortunate souls who had taken the contaminated opium was all he could do for them at that point. He sincerely hoped the venom would kill them. Because if they came back…

Now. Work. Smile, sing, dance, be pretty. Don’t think of Akiyasu and Saotome losing their clothes on the moonlit meadow behind the shrine or he would find her and take her pretty eyes out. The night was just starting.

Just as the sun was rising, he stumbled in his flat above the biggest restaurant in the Capital. He needed to wash off his make up…right now. He could feel it itch and burn his eyes and cake on the strands of hair sticking to his face.

Oyama, the officer who’d come on the scene, hadn’t even had the decency to look surprised. The bastard.

The man who’d bled out on the floor, on the other hand, wouldn’t look surprised anymore. Ever. His nice kimono was dripping with blood, his sleeve was ripped and the place where the absolute piece of shit had bitten him was turning a disgusting black colour. The dead man probably had some kind of contagious disease and that was why his arm was going blue and purple.

- Tatsuomi said he’s never seen such an accurate stab wound in his entire career.

Kagemaru paused, kimono dropping to the floor while he blinked the black all over his face away. What was Akiyasu doing there ? Was his mysterious lover such a bad lay he had to come here to scratch his itch at five in the morning ? Also, Tatsuomi…

- He deserved it. – He heard a sigh. With his webs spread all over the flat, he would feel every breath, step and heartbeat so it wasn’t a surprise when Akiyasu stopped right in front of him. What he didn’t expect was the hand on his chin raising his face.

- I never said he didn’t. Tatsu also said he had more than enough witnesses and that he was only surprised the guards didn’t break that guy’s spine. Apparently, you were faster. Stop rubbing, here…

The wet cloth rubbed on his cheek and he tried to pull away but Akiyasu held on. He really, really wanted to put a blade through the man’s trachea but he was too tired. The beast had sneaked his hand under his clothes while slobbering all over his hand, bitten down when he’d tried to get his hand off without breaking it and then punched him in the face. He’d died half a minute later, bleeding out from a neat and accurate would in the temple.

- Get out. I am not in the mood for you.

- Do the words “Déjà vu” ring a bell ? – Oh, he was so going to burn his shrine to the ground, consequences be damned. He was absolutely doing it.

- Don’t make me call my Sentinels.

- You won’t. I have news about Washijo’s clan. – He what ?

Kagemaru kept silent, enduring the rubbing that was carefully taking his make up off first from his face and then from where it had stuck to his hair.

- I went to have a chat about their bad practices and how the gods frown upon young men selling drugs to unsuspecting citizens. Only, Washijo himself told me they would never set a foot in the Capital ever again. Something about the Jorōgumo who owns the city. They even warned me against said yokai. Apparently, he is a monster enough to make even the most dangerous hunters think twice. So they are moving out.

Oh. So the venom had worked. Good. He really didn’t want to deal with the rat who ran the clan. He had standards, after all. Still.

- What were you really doing there ? – Akiyasu was quiet for a moment.

- I didn’t want them to think that going to a shrine and cleansing their blades would help with the specific yokai they had a personal issue with. People who come and pray for endless power are so annoying…I still set the city wards to activate if they don’t leave within the time period you gave them. Which means in about… - Akiyasu paused. – An hour and a half.

Wards to blanket the whole Capital ? That was…Kagemaru frowned while the other man kept cleaning his neck and shoulders from any leftover make up. That was a complicated spell. Especially since there were other shrines with powerful priests, even if one didn’t count the endless number of Ayakashi that roamed around. The sheer power and intricacy such a spell would require…

- When ?

- When ? – Akiyasu pulled a cotton yukata on his shoulders. – Last night. Took me a while with my father’s books being locked in the militia’s archives. Doesn’t matter, now all we have to do it wait. Either way, they are not coming back.

#ayakashi #ayakashi romance reborn #akiyasu kurahashi #akiyasu #akiyasu ayakashi #ayakashi kagemaru #kagemaru #fanfiction #oneshot

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kenjiro-s · 5 years

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Silver Spiderwebs

Akiyasu Kurahashi x Kagemaru

Hellfire, hellfire

Take my soul

I'm waiting, waiting

I'm ready to go

There was a cat staring at him from a branch. He narrowed his eyes, letting a talisman form and sizzle in his palm. The animal just licked its paw in the most offensively demonstrative way and he let the talisman form all the way, burning with pulsing red light. The cat kept licking between its toes, purposefully ignoring him and appearing to focus all of its attention to something on the bottom of one paw.

Just a regular cat, then. Not that useless little yokai that always clung to Saotome’s shoulder and snapped from behind her. The thing had been ginger in cat form but he believed in never being too cautious. It couldn’t hurt. But even Saotome’s spoilt pet couldn’t keep a straight face when put against talismans of the caliber he used. He let the paper melt in the air again and glanced at his torn sleeve.

Curling his lip in disgust, he pushed his glasses up his nose. The last prisoner had made things…messy. Throwing the man’s belt on the near sycamore tree, not caring about the blood dripping down on his kimono. He was filthy enough since the man had had the audacity to spit on him. True, he’d never spit on anyone ever again and his end had been more than fitting but he felt disgusting.

He had screamed in the end, though. They always did. He ran a mental check over the military’s hierarchy. The next in line was…He couldn’t remember the name but he knew the face. And address. And habits. And after that, Kyonosuke Aizen. He couldn’t wait.

He would rip their little structure and burn it to the ground member by member. They would learn what happened when one chose orders over their own humanity. They had forced his hand and now it was his turn. He was simply following their example, he thought with a smile. Burying his humanity in favour of personal goals. For all of them it had been promotions. More comfortable life. Money, prestige, the entertainment district. Shallow, shallow pleasures. For his father, it had been his entire life. The sins were all theirs. He was just doing what he had to. It was all their fault.

Usually, he would go back to the temple to cleanse his body and mind but tonight…The soldier had been a vulgar, disgraceful waste of space and he could feel his head pulse with pain.

He could still hear the obscenities, the man’s word becoming less and less defensive, and more profane. He tried to suppress his shiver under the heavy layered black robes. Such foul language, and then the soldier had had the audacity to actually spit at him. Maybe cutting off his tongue and gagging him with his own belt had been too much but he’d been polite. He’d offered clean and quick death. He’d been as respectful as possible when one had a hostage hogtied on the grass in the middle of the forest. And what had he gotten in return ? His entire lineage disrespected and their memory – insulted. He almost shook his head but the pulsing pain in his nape and the fuzz staring around the edges of his vision hinted that would be a bad idea.

Being alone in the outskirts was out of the question. Actually summoning a portal sounded like a task he couldn’t even consider doing with how low his energy was and how fast his headache was spreading, and he would need to lie down soon. He couldn’t go home.

He was rarely tempted to curse. His parents had been patient enough to teach him to be good and polite and respectful, and especially after he’d started to show promise in following in his father’s steps, profanities were almost a sacrilege. An Onmiyoji had to be a protector, a pure being of balance and harmony, not a sailor or, he remembered with distaste, a soldier. If his parents could see him, they would be so disappointed, he thought, stepping between the first tall buildings of the city. Almost there.

Not by his actions or words, but by the company he kept. True, that one soldier was nice enough but the rest of them were plain disgusting. And the Government chose them to represent its power. How very fitting.

A little more. He paused to lean a palm on a streetlight, vision swimming. Only a little more.

He didn’t have a safe house or anything inside the city and especially in the entertainment district, but for the moment there was one place that was the closest to safe he could get before going involuntary horizontal. The Spider who ruled over the entire part of the city was a reluctant ally, for now, and based on their mutual interests it would be the polite thing to do to offer him a place to rest for the night.

He realised, right when he’d reached the huge mansion surrounded by tall stone walls, that the Spider didn’t have one polite bone in his body.

The gate slid open, the well-oiled hinges not making a sound, and he was greeted by a woman in a butler uniform who bowed deeply.

- My lord. – Kagemaru really knew how to pick his staff. The gate slid closed behind him just as soundlessly and he considered that if he didn’t know the Spider and only judged him by his possessions, he would consider him the most refined and distinguished gentleman in the capital. Of course, anyone who had spent more than five minutes in the lord of the mansion’s company could never link him to the word “distinguished”, what was left for “gentleman”. And not only because people usually wouldn’t call him a “man”, either. The Spider was every bit as vulgar and obscene as the soldier whose blood was fertilising the forest floor tonight. He just didn’t look the type.

Following the woman, he noted the numerous guards and their weapons, and the surprising amount of yokai among them. Magic users were more than useful but finding, training and keeping them under control and leashed were all tasks that required not only strong will and incredible amount of fully tamed raw power, but also the kind of personality that could steal a soldier’s ability to think for themselves. Good thing he was no simple soldier.

That just helped cement his opinion that while the Spider looked as delicate and fragile as a flower, he was a predator that held the entire district and all of its vices in an iron grip and everyone who even considered opposing him met an early demise, no body or evidence left, and yet obvious what had happened and why. He wasn’t afraid of the man, the Spider’s skills were impressive based on the amount of power he could control but as an Onmiyoji he had many more tricks up his sleeve. And Kagemaru knew it.

But that was the first time he was at the man’s personal residence. They always met at one den of sin or another, the Spider carefully avoiding his temple when possible and him never stepping in the yokai’s home simply because he didn’t see the need to show off or look like he was threatening on purpose.

Huge manicured gardens, stylish minimalistic decorations and subtle hints of old money. The Spider truly had an exquisite taste, more so because he knew the yokai did not come from said old money and whatever class he showed with his possessions, words or actions, that had all been learnt late in his life. It was impressive.

It was also quiet. Behind the tall stone walls the Capital was bubbling with life. The entertainment district had recently woken up, with the clocks nearing midnight, and the locals were crawling out of their tiny little homes to search for happiness, carefully measured in time, money and alcohol percentage. But who knew how the Spider had managed to secure a huge lot of land right in the centre, and build his own private piece of heaven in it. Maybe some day he would ask, just to see what kind of lie the man would come up with. He almost smiled but his head felt like it would split open at any given moment so he just breathed through his nose and kept his eyes on the cobblestone path.

The butler led him through a huge double door and a dark but obviously tasteful lobby, down a few dark hallways and to a big and just as minimalistically decorated sitting room. After pouring him a glass of cold water, the woman bowed deeply once more and left as quietly as she’d appeared. He was alone.

Letting his senses expand through walls and floor and soft carpet, he could almost taste the deeply ingrained magic in every little molecule. Yokai magic was so distinctly different from his that is was almost impossible to understand. Or at least it would be for novices like Saotome.

He leaned back on the soft velvet couch, closing his eyes in the darkness. He’d been very careful with what he’d been teaching her and the results were clear. Her power was almost ready, ripe for plucking, but her skills were rudimentary and her control – nonexistent. The perfect battery. His control, on the other hand, was a fine tuned instrument he’d been working on for a decade and it showed.

He could almost see in his mind every layer and thread that rigged the mansion, turning it into a huge spiderweb where only one wrong movement, only one step of a stranger on its grounds, would alert its master and probably to something to incapacitate whichever poor soul had made the mistake to make the thread twitch.

Oh, the Spider obviously knew who was in his home and where exactly they were but he’d been greeted at the gate. And the man still worked for him. He wouldn’t dare to make an offensive move. He rubbed his eyes, looking for relief.

No such luck.

He retracted his senses, willing the migraine to go down. Still nothing. The room was as dark as possible and the entire mansion was dead quiet and yet he could almost hear the shouts from outside, drunk patrons acting like they were the gods’ gift to everyone who worked in the district, and from the guards who very carefully kept the same patrons’ grabby hands from unpaid merchandise. He could hear it, and it was pulsing in his skull and sloshing around his nape, and he knew that if the lights had been on and his eyes had been open, his vision would have been all static.

Reaching blindly over the table surface, he tried to find his glass and maybe press it to his temple, when something cold and smooth wrapped around his fingers and tightened.

- What a pleasant surprise, boss. – The only reason he didn’t kill the Ayakashi there and then was because he was so exhausted his reactions were slowed down to a crawl. And the Spider knew it. That was probably why he’d approached him in such a direct manner. Still, he frowned under his hand, that had been way too forward and not nearly respectful enough. And then he kept talking. – If I had known you would be visiting me, I would have stayed at home to greet you properly. How disappointing, I wasn’t able to show you the full extent of my skills…

The last words were whispered so close to him, he could feel the yokai’s warmth on his neck. He chose not to answer, pressing down on his eyes a little more and trying to find relief. Any relief.

A soft sigh misplaced the quiet air in the room somewhere on his right and the hand he wasn’t pressing on his face with was taken in a cool and gentle hold again.

- Come. – And then the Spider pulled lightly.

He shook his head. Not tonight. He wasn’t in the right mindset. The soldier had ruined his mood and his clothes with his filth and his migraine had soured any desire he might have had for distractions of the kind the Ayakashi was offering. Whether the mind was willing or not didn’t matter because his flesh definitely wasn’t.

The yokai huffed in what sounded like annoyance and tugged on his hand again.

- I’m just going to rub your temples, boss. I promise not to try to violate your virtue…tonight. Come on…

One more light tug and he rose from the deep couch with a sigh. He trusted Kagemaru not to let him slam into any furniture and followed blindly for who knew how long. The yokai’s fingers were cool, thin and long, and his grip was unyielding around his own hand.

- Here… Step… - The Spider’s bed, he guessed, opening his eyes. Up on a raised dais, with thick mattress and a high frame, and several rows of draperies and cushions, as far as he could see in the soft light of the thin sliver of a crescent moon that came from the tall windows.

He almost dropped on the soft sheets but the Ayakashi pulled on the hooks and buttons of his robes, undressing him with almost clinical speed and precision.

- Careful where you put your hands. – He didn’t get any kind of reaction. The disrespectful…

- Lie down.

He was bare to the waist and as he turned to argue, Kagemaru pulled his glasses off placing them on a glossy bedside table.

- On your front, come on.

- I don’t remember you being the one with the orders. – He turned and really saw the yokai for the first time tonight. The Spider’s face unimpressed, one eyebrow raised, inky hair up in a glossy intricate updo and kimono decorated with what he knew were handstitched silver spiderweb patterns. He was breathtaking in a way regular people simply couldn’t be no matter how hard they tried, and he knew it. He also had all his make up on. Which meant he’d cut his performance short and hurried to the mansion still in his full geisha attire. Sleek, ethereal and deadly, the Spider owned the district and it showed in every carefully calculated movement.

- And you’re so tense you’re about to vibrate out of your skin. You know I am more than skilled with my hands. On you stomach. Boss. – If he’d had a fan, he knew the man would be tapping it with impatience. As his hands were empty, he just raised his eyebrows a little more.

There wasn’t a choice, not really, but he still moved slowly and carefully, keeping his exhaustion and desire to sleep for a week under control. The last thing he wanted to show in front of his subordinates was weakness. He knew the Spider would go for the throat the moment he sensed even a small crack in his armour. Which was okay, he would do the same if the opportunity arose. It was simply how the world worked.

And then…

With the first press and slide on those long fingers over his neck and shoulders, and then down his back, he felt the filthy night slip away from his mind, leaving space only for the almost hypnotic pressure of Kagemaru’s hands. Oh, he had his wards that protected his body up and ready but those were only for extreme situations. For now, he would allow the yokai to show where his skills really did lie and massage the evening away. Hopefully, by tomorrow he would be ready to keep going with his work.

Up…and down. And up again. To his ribs and up over his neck, and then down his biceps. And back…

The Spider’s hands slid lower down his spine, fingers finding every tense spot, pressing and rubbing and just leeching the pain away…Until they paused right over his right kidney.

- Problems in your end ? – He frowned in the perfumed cushion under his cheek. What was the yokai talking about ? But he got his answer a moment later when a single fingertip pressed down lightly and the entire area flared with sizzling pain. He lost control for a heartbeat, feeling his lungs seize with tension and his entire back give an involuntary twitch. The soldier’s friend, the one who had died first in blind fury, spit dripping from his open mouth and an animalistic scream waking the forest, had gotten him but he hadn’t paid attention at that exact moment. He’d been too busy navigating with familiar to rip out the soldier’s trachea out through his mouth. And then, later, he’d been too busy interrogating the piece of shit who’d spat out insults like he’d had his entire line massacred by Onmiyoji.

Before he could object, though, the Spider had already gotten up from the bed and while he could stretch out his senses to figure out where the other man was, he didn’t see the point in aggravating his migraine. Yokai could move silently when they felt like it. Adding to that the specific race of yokai the Spider was, and the fact that he was on his own turf, he would have to want to humour someone a lot to make actual noise.

Some shuffling later, and he felt the bed dip again. He hadn’t bothered to raise his head or look around. The Spider was smart enough not to try him. Not now.

- Did it ever occur in your narrow and limited human mind to call back up ? – The audacity. He tried to raise his head, maybe to sit and show the Ayakashi how narrow and limited his mind was but two fingertips gently pressing on the back of his neck made him pause. – Stay still. There’s no blood but I don’t like the colour. You’re a master of your craft and yet you have no sense of self preservation.

And then he dared to tsk, making…some noises. Boxes and tins being opened and ruffled through, if he had to guess.

- Even that stupid girl knows better than to rush alone. – He allowed himself to fall back in the pile of cushions, tuning his face to the side.

- Saotome has her pathetic little army of Ayakashi to curl around her legs like dogs. I prefer to do everything myself. It’s a delicate operation… - He choked through this time he did his best not to allow it to show. The Spider was rubbing something wet that was quickly warming up and smelling sharply like… - What is that and why does it stink so badly ?

- Quiet. The bruise will be gone by the morning. That’s what happens when you don’t take keep your vital parts safe. – The yokai’s neutral voice let him know exactly what the man thought of his actions.

- Don’t get cocky, demon. – Silence. Then, a low huff. And then…

The Spider’s laughter was not something lots of people had heard, he knew. It was a loud, cold sound and he could hear in it how it started in his chest and rang up in the still air. Nothing like the laugh he used when playing coy, and being a pretty and charming geisha. No, this showed him all of the mirth was on his expense and his expense only.

- Oh. That was amazing. – And then he clapped softly. – Beautiful. Simply beautiful. Now, Onmiyoji – san, you are, of course, correct. In every other place and time I would definitely be much more polite. But you are forgetting one tiny little detail, so allow me to educate you.

The cool hands returned on his back, spreading over his shoulder blades. And then the yokai put his weight there. Before he knew it, the Spider had swung one leg over and had him caged under him. Hands on his back, knees on both sides of his hipbones, pressing down. He tried to raise one arm to flip himself over but the Ayakashi made another tsking sound and caught him by the elbow, holding his arm down.

An eternity later he felt something cool and silky caress his back. Previous experience linked the sensation to the Spider’s long inky hair. He was leaning forward, trying to get him to react, but still only touching him with his hands and hair.

- See, between the two of us… - He felt the purr warm his ear, the yokai so close he could feel his light perfume over the overwhelming scent of the cushions. – I am the one who knows how to run a city. You, Onmiyoji-sensei, know how to run a temple and harness powers that should be left alone. Different qualifications, if you will. Why do I mention it, you may ask. Well. – He felt…Kagemaru was…nuzzling him from behind, nose barely touching his hair and lips almost on his neck. – Obviously, I know better than you how not to get killed in an alley so how about you don’t jeopardise our entire mutually beneficial relationship by dying out of injured pride ? How does that sound ?

His mind was recalibrating but his flesh was still unwilling. Not that he would give the Spider the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to him. It was basic biology and he wasn’t exactly worried about what the yokai would do, but still. It was the principle.

- Get off me. – The other man hummed a little in response and then, within half a heartbeat, he was again only rubbing the sharp smelling get on the small of his back.

- How many were there ?

- Four soldiers. The last one was the chattiest. – The Spider kept rubbing the medicine in, touch getting lighter.

- Was it him who did that ? – He shook his head.

- The one before him. Honestly, they had higher standards back when I was recruited. That was such a disgrace.

- Someone insult your sensibilities ? Or hint something about your virtue ? Maybe you lack of said virtue ? – He sighed.

- He was like a rabid dog. Killing him was an act of mercy more than anything. The other one was just vulgar.

- Never knew that was something that repulsed you that much. – He could hear the smile in the words though the tone was not too mocking. Yet.

- There is a difference.

- Oh ? – He didn’t respond. Kagemaru wasn’t even fishing for compliments by now. Even when working, he never did that, he knew. He was too confident to play the blushing virgin. – You can stay here tonight.

- How very generous. – He felt the mattress rise where the yokai had gotten up.

- You on the streets in this condition ? The little freak with the Death Flute would be just cleaning the damned thing with a napkin and you would drop dead. I’ve invested way too much to let your silly human hubris mess it all up. The place is a fortress so nothing can get in here.

- Except for you.

- You said you didn’t want to. You’ll have to actually say it if you want to play games like that. – When he didn’t respond, the Spider dropped a little laughing sigh. – Sleep. You won’t be disturbed.

It was still early when he woke up. Both working in a temple and with the military had taught him to rise with the summer sun and he had kept the habit because, well, it gave him more than enough time to finish all he had to do during the day. The bed was unfamiliar but he knew the scent from all the times he’d woken up in different beds in the various meeting places him and the Spider used to do business.

He was in the yokai’s mansion. In the yokai’s bed. Rolling to his back, he stretched, looking for random pain and soreness. Nothing. The other man was too good with his hands. His head was clear and as he rubbed the small of his back, he discovered the bruise from last night was completely healed.

Finding a plain white kimono, soft and light, he shrugged it on and tucked the obi as loosely as possible. The house was as quiet as it had been the night before. And he’d woken up alone. With no memories of waking up throughout the night, he had no idea if the Ayakashi had made use of his own bed and not disturbed him or taken his rest in a guest room.

In the sitting room, surrounded by papers, the Spider was tapping his lip with the back of a pencil. Hair half up with a simple ribbon and wearing a matching plain and simple white kimono, the man was rolling one ankle, appearing to be stretching without putting any thought in the movement. He allowed his eyes to wander only for a moment, because the endless expanse of pale skin of one graceful leg fully in his view had to be appreciated. The yokai never did anything by accident. He’d wanted the attention.

- Sleep well ? – He let gaze rise up to meet the other man’s lavender eyes, not answering. The small smile he got in return made him feel like the yokai was celebrating some kind of a victory.

- You ?

- Haven’t gone to bed yet. – He dropped the pencil on the cluttered desk so completely at odds with the neat and precise order in the rest of the house. Stretching his arms up and dropping his head back, Kagemaru did some kind of complicated breathing sequence and then rolled every joint a couple of times. The entire process took less than a minute and looked so practiced, intricate and based entirely on muscle memory at the same time he had to raise his eyebrows. – What ? I have work to do. The district won’t run itself, you know. I need a bath and then to catch at least some sleep before tonight. Oh, you might hear about a soldier today whose reputation might have suffered quite a hit. There are so many diseases a man can catch these days just by keeping the wrong company and some of them really eat the brain away. Make the men act like rabid animals. Too bad that information ended up public right after his body was found, too. Poor widow…

With his arms up, eyes closed and kimono open at the neck and down, almost showing his muscled stomach, he was a study of grace and plain morning beauty, and he almost missed what he’d said. The very epitome of the lazy concubine, and yet he acted like a lightning when motivated. He knew it, but to see it in action… And yet, the Spider didn’t look even a quarter as deadly as he knew him to be. As he’d seen him to be. As he’d just proven himself to be only a minute ago. They were much more alike than people thought, weren’t they ?

- Tell them you’re going to pray tonight, or make an offering or something. I took some blueprints of the closed part of the underground system and those are old and fragile. Can’t carry them around.

Kagemaru smiled sideways, one corner of his lips twisting up. With one last shake, he let his arms fall down, propping his chin on his palm.

- Inviting me to your temple, Onmiyoji – san ? How can I refuse such an offer ? It will be more than honour for me to visit your sacred place. – The smile was anything but sacred. He knew what the Spider was hinting and suggesting. He’d known even before offering. Good thing they thought alike.

- Be proper.

- You know me. – He slid from the chair, hair framing his delicate features. – I’m always proper. Now. You can find your way out, right ? I have some catching up to do since I would be…devoting myself to the gods and our cause tonight.

#ayakashi #ayakashi romance reborn #ayakashi kagemaru #kagemaru #akiyasu kurahashi #akiyashi ayakashi #oneshot #fanfcition

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kenjiro-s · 5 years

Text

After the storm, before the flood

Gaku x Doman

Spoilers, I guess ? If you know who Doman is, it’s not a spoiler. Purely headcanon based.

The noise was too much. Gaku knew it was a wedding, knew it was his brother’s wedding, but they were all simply too loud. The moment he’d seen Koga actually try to outdrink Ginnojo, he knew he had to get some air.

Walking through the dark hallway, he stopped when he saw a flash of deep crimson where he specifically knew there wasn’t supposed to be anything in that colour. Ah. Weddings were happy events for almost everyone, weren’t they. Almost. He paused and then, because he had to do something, he carefully placed the saucer with his big cup of still hot tea by the door and after a short thought took down one of the candles on the wall to light it. Better. That was all he could do. Only time could heal some things.

Outside, the forest was both silent and buzzing with life. Quiet life he could feel bubbling right beneath the surface. It was still a bit suspicious when it came to Yura but that was slowly changing. Progress took time.

Climbing on the stone wall, he allowed the full moon to colour the world in silver and ink, and sort his thoughts.

In the end, nothing had been resolved. Not really. Kurahashi had escaped, not even a trace left, and who knew when he would be back to finish his plan ? The man’s Jorōgumo was still around, having suffered no consequences, and while the wraiths had dispersed, there was still evil right under the skin. In was simply human nature.

What was not human nature, on the other hand…

- If my brother sees you here, it will ruin his year. – Not even a sound beside him but he knew the strange blend of earth and fully other energy the Onmiyoji carried.

-You know my opinion when it comes to your brother.

- Don’t … - When no response came, he turned to look. The man beside him was…a stranger. Gaku blinked in momentary confusion. After a heartbeat, he shook his head. Why was he even surprised ? He and Yura had never been human, to begin with, so eternal life had just come naturally. Doman hadn't had that luxury. Still, he had to be sure. – Who are you ?

A soft smile graced the man’s lips. Leaning back to look at the bright night sky, draped in midnight purples and silver, long hair swaying gently in the currents, he was more beautiful than anything Gaku had ever seen. But that still wasn’t answering his question.

- You know who I am. – He turned to him. Pale yellow eyes, two little braids, several earrings. Straps of black around his neck and down his chest…And a fan. He’d been right. - You don’t look surprised.

- Yura mentioned Futaba had met you. That you would demand everything from her in exchange for a little help. – Doman propped a foot on the wall, leaning his chin on his knee.

- Your brother’s opinion of me isn’t very high, is it ? – Gaku waited for a second but it obviously hadn’t been a rhetorical question. Just almost childish curiously. Like Yura had no reason to dislike him.

- Can you blame him ?

- Can you blame me ? I warned him. – Doman was obviously getting upset. It was almost amazing how he could recognise the expression on a completely different face.

- It wasn’t his fault. – The other man narrowed his eyes.

- Wasn’t it ? The only reason he’s not here right now is because he managed to force that girl to marry him.

- Watch your tongue. He’s still my brother…

- I warned him. – Now he was being loomed over. Arms crossed, Doman was almost pleading. Gaku sighed and let the change to flow through him. Doman took half a step back. – You told him. – He opened his mouth to say something but the other man shook his head, long hair dripping down his shoulder and chest. – No, listen. I was there. I know you did. I know you tried to make him see what he was doing. And yet he kept clinging ? He’s sick and instead of looking for ways to get better, he sank his claws even deeper.

- Your solution was horrible. – Doman took another half step back, shrugging and squaring his shoulders.

- He had to see what kind of monster he was. That was the easiest way to do it. You think if I do it again, to her, he will see reason ? Second time's the charm ? – Gaku rubbed his face. Doman wasn't serious, he knew he wasn't, but what a mess. What an absolute mess. – If you think I regret it…I only regret your pain right after it bounced back to you. That was uncalled for. Everything else ? He got in my way and I refused to allow someone to try and get between...

- You cast the curse like that. And drop the act. You're not the cackling crazed stalker you're trying to make yourself so stop being such a drama queen. – The other man shook his head and, unless he was mistaken, was getting close to pouting.

- It’s a hex, not the fury of the Old Ones. Everything has a time limit. I thought he would have seen reason for a thousand years. I was wrong. And now he has another obsession. - Doman…smiled. It was the same soft smile from a few minutes ago only…brighter. – You’re free.

- Do you think I can just forgive and forget ? – Doman flicked the fan open with a dismissive wave of one hand.

- I would never ask you for that. I know you might think otherwise, but I am within my right mind. I know how the world works. You being safe is all that matters. – And then he turned back to the forest, obviously leaving. Gaku raised his eyebrows. He would just go ?

- It’s good to see some things never change. – Doman paused, back still to him. – You’ve always been so dramatic. Come here. - A soft rustle of hair as the other man shook his head. – Doman.

- There are rules that need to be followed. Absolution…

- Doman. – That cut the monologue right off. – Are you going to make me ask ?

vA light snort, and then he turned. The movement was so distinctly and smoothly inhuman he had to hide a smile. He would figure out what he’d done to live so long but for now…

With him still sitting on the wall, his face was above Doman’s. The other man stopped right in front of him, a challenge in his light eyes and his arms loose by his body.

Gaku shook his head. Reaching over, slowly, he tangled a hand in that long, long, long hair and tugged. Doman gave no resistance. Pressing their foreheads together, he tried to read his eyes.

- You going to just look at me ? – Another challenge.

Some things never changed, indeed.

There, under the pale moon and dark forest, with the celebrations still colouring the air, he pressed their lips together. A thousand years had been way too long and he couldn’t wait another minute more.

Doman's skin was cool and smooth, and so was his hair. A millennium. A dozen lifetimes. A small eternity, all those without…

He pressed harder. Pulled back. Those beautiful, beautiful eyes, so close to his, tried to read his mind and soul, and he allowed himself to smile. And dive back.

And this time…

Doman surrendered without a fight. The moment Gaku pecked his lips, asking for permission, the other man relaxed. It was… so familiar. His fingers slid from Doman's hair, both hands cupping his face, and he kept going. Doman tasted like the past, like a lifetime ago, like the air after rain and the Spring twilight. He was still careful, still not pushing, still following. Gaku tugged on his hair again. He was not a youth anymore.

Hands curved up his hips and behind his knees. And paused. A question. Because for all his lack of morals and inhumane views, he had never been once to force. There was always a question and the option for refusal. Gaku dropped his hands on his shoulders and used the leverage to drop from the wall. And that was the permission Doman had needed.

Back pressed tight to the wall, the moon above them and the wedding music locked on the other side, there was nothing else that mattered.

He had waited too long. Way too long. And Doman was wearing too many layers of clothing.

- Take it off. - A low, choked laugh he felt more than heard. - I'm serious, take it off. From all the times you could have dressed up, you had to choose the one nobody would care…

His sentence was cut off because Doman tugged him by the hips away from the wall to pull off his tunic.

- You're one to talk. - He was getting divested of his clothes way too fast compared to Doman and he had to change that.

- My brother's getting married. You came only for me. - Doman paused, eyes wide. Gaku tried to rewind and figure out what he'd said. - What ?

- Okay, first. - He was left cold when Doman stepped back to unlace the intricate hooks and buttons of his own kimono. - Please, never mention your brother while we are in any state of undress. - Gaku reached up slowly and then lightly flicked him on the forehead. The half a second delay between that and his flinch was more than adorable. And something he'd been doing even back when he'd been fully human. - And second...You are absolutely right. - He smiled like a cat with a whole birdhouse of canaries. - I only come for you.

Gaku blinked. And again. And once more.

- You… - He was interrupted, again, by Doman dropping all his clothes at once, ending wearing only his porcelain - white skin and elegantly draped hair as accessories. His own clothes, on the other hand, were getting tight. He'd never been one for flowery words and poetic speeches, no matter how much the vision in front of him made him want to be. He didn't have the heart to speak of beauty and grace, not in a way to make justice to what he was seeing right now. So he didn't even try. There was no need. Doman knew him, after all. In every way possible.

He simply slid his fingers along the smooth line of his shoulder and then down. The flowing layered clothes and the curves defined by his hair made him look deceptively slim. He wasn't.

He was still a bit boney, even in his old body he had never been a big and wide man. But he was an adult now, frame packed with lean muscle and strength obvious in every little detail.

Down his chest and then around his waist. Reaching with his other hand, too, he pet up his spine. And the hand resting on the small of his back went down.

Doman gave off a choked breathy laugh and came closer, flush against him once more.

- How very indecent, Gaku. How very… - Doman's long fingers dipped below the edge of the shirt he'd been wearing under his tunic and around him. - Sinful.

It was dragging and careful, and he really wasn't in the mood for that. Doman was still being deliberately slow, asking without words for permission before every single touch, and Gaku reached the conclusion it was up to him to set the pace. So he dropped both hands and...gave a squeeze. Just a little, but Doman startled and he felt the other man's breath hiccup in the chest pressed to his. Good.

- I am not some delicate flower, Doman. No need to tiptoe.

- I am not hurting you again.

- Doman…

- No.

Gaku pushed him away enough to be able to see his face.

- It's not the same. Look, I'm fine…

- You weren't a few days ago. - Well. What could he say to that ?

- Lie down. - Doman paused in the middle of what he really hoped wasn't a search for his clothes.

- What ? - Gaku nodded towards the soft grass.

- Down. On your back. Or front. I want to see your face but we can do that next time. - Doman looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. If he had pearls, he would be clutching them. In the lull, Gaku shrugged his shirt off and took his shoes off. Doman had been barefoot. - Doman.

The suspicion the other man leaned to pick his kimono and spread it on the damp grass would be insulting if the situation was different. For now, Gaku waited. Doman had always been a bit odd when it came to intimacy and he had to take that into consideration.

And then he was sitting, knees up and in front of his chest, hair down and obviously trying to hide behind it.

Gaku dropped heavily on his knees, feeling the unyielding ground refuse to cushion his fall, and carded a hand through the moonlit strands. Doman pressed his cheek to his palm in silent... emotion and Gaku sighed.

- Here… - Rising on his knees again, he leaned to kiss. Doman's lashes dropped but his lips were soft and when Gaku licked, asking for permission, the other man met him halfway. Letting his head to drop back, Doman leaned on his hands and gave him more space.

Now almost looming over him, Gaku slowly touched him behind the knee, mirroring the question from earlier. Doman's breath paused and he could feel every little twitch and tremble. He stopped, pressing their cheeks together. Asking.

- This is only one of the million reasons it's always been you. - Barely words against his ear and then Doman fell gracefully on his back. Gaku could only drink him in for a heartbeat. Or three. - You going to do something ?

He was back in his head. Good. Now between his legs, he went down, and down...until they were eye to eye again.

Gaku held his gaze for a moment before dropping his eyes to his pale neck and shoulders. Much, much better. Pressing a little kiss to the curve of muscle there, he stopped...And then bit down. Just a little. Not enough to bruise, not enough to leave teeth marks or even little pink stamps of his presence. He wasn't like that. Some things ran in the family, he and Yura were made of the same tree, after all, but he had never been one for marks. Not on him and definitely not to be the one leaving them. The very thought of being that possessive repulsed him.

But he still enjoyed skin and flesh under his teeth.

Fingers in his hair and suddenly it dropped free down his shoulders and Doman’s chest.

- Pretty. – He felt the low laugh under his lips. – You’ve always been so…

Gaku didn’t allow his to finish. One hand going down his ribs, he carefully curved his fingers around him and Doman lost his words. And breath. Gaku pushed himself up on his other hand, still touching him, and gazed down. Doman’s pale eyes seemed to try to focus on every feature on his face at the same time, a small frown marring his lips. He was looking for an answer and for the first time since they’d met all those lifetimes ago, Gaku didn’t know the question.

- Doman ? – No response. The other man frowned even harder, obviously not finding what he’d been looking for and Gaku was getting worried. – Doman, what’s…

The hand not in his hair pushed at his chest. Not a forceful move by any means, but Gaku took his hands off and sat back on his heels. And waited. Living with his brother had made him an expert of waiting things out until a better time came. Throughout all the centuries he had lived, though, he had never imagined he would use that skill with Doman.

Who seemed to be almost confused. Gaku shuffled further, ending crosslegged on the damp grass, and kept his silence. In the quiet of the forest, Doman managed to find his pants and seemed to be calming down now that he wasn’t fully naked. Dropping on the other side of the fabric, he mirrored Gaku’s pose and met his gaze.

- Better ? – He just reached up to pull out a couple of pins from his hair, letting the two braids slowly loosen up. The result was lopsided, hair on one side curling in tight waves and on the other – still as straight as an arrow.

- What are you trying to achieve ? – The night was growing cold but Gaku wasn’t about to pull his shirt on. Doman was still upset and obviously didn’t share his principles because he’d already pulled the first layer of his intricate outfit on and crossed his arms for warmth. Or…something else. His question, on the other hand…

- What do you mean ?

- You being like that. The curse is gone, you and yours are free to live your lives to the fullest.

- When have I been nice to someone just to get something ? – Doman was…Gaku frowned. Doman’s long slim fingers were tangled in the tips of his pretty hair and were rubbing the pale violet strands with the kind of distracted precision one reached when doing something fully unconsciously. Tics and obsessions. Doman had never been one for those. True, he’s been awkward when they’d been young but nothing like this.

And the more the silence dragged, the more aggressively he ran his fingers through his hair. One hand only, the other was holding his clothes closed at the chest. And his eyes were not moving from Gaku’s face.

- You hate me for what I did to your brother.

- Listen, I don’t know where this is coming from but I want you to drop it. Forget…what happened. It all ended well, we’re fine and all. Just, drop it.

- You don’t hate me for what I did to you, but what I did to your precious big brother cannot be forgotten. Or forgiven. A thousand years of suffering and you along with him, and now you touch me like you mean it ? – The wide-eyed expression slipped from his face, leaving a pretty smile that looked sharp enough to cut glass. – How very sacrificial of you. How noble. – He sat on his heels, attire finally buttoned, buckled and laced up, and smoothed the hair falling like a waterfall over one shoulder. – Would you have let me in your body, too, so I would be distracted or satisfied and not go after the happy couple ? Hm ?

He let the silence drag. Doman had never done well with silences and apparently, and time hadn’t fixed that.

- You done ? – The smile wilted around the edges though Doman was quick to catch himself. – For the last time, and I am being serious, it is the last time, I am not going to forget what you did to Yura. To both of us. But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy to see you or touch you or kiss you. Get it ? It just means introductions will be awkward. That’s all.

- What about my absolution ? My redemption ? How would you live with yourself if you allowed your life to brush against mine ?

- Well, we can’t really change the past so how about we work on the future ? Sounds good, right ? Also, - And here, he had to sigh and hide behind his own fringe for a moment. – if you don’t feel ready for intimacy of any kind, tell me. Or just push me away. Show me how you really feel. – He waved at the sitting figure that was both a step and a half, and a whole ocean away. – I’m not going to push or force you or be disappointed or anything.

- And here is another reason it has always been you.

- Hm ? – But Doman was already standing up, every piece of fabric on its place and every little earring – where it belonged. – Doman…

A hand reaching over. Gaku shook his head and then accepted. The other man pulled him up and smiled. It was the same soft little curl of lips he’d given him when he’d first appeared who knew how long ago.

- Can I kiss you ? – For once, he wanted to make it formal. To make it clear he was merely asking and he would honour the choice no matter what.

- No. – And then Doman was stepping closer, and… And then his chin was raised just so and Doman was pressing their lips together.

Gaku kept his hands to himself though he tilted his head, feeling his own hair down his bare torso, and when Doman opened his lips to let him taste, he followed. And again. And again. Touch, such simple touch, but with this being their only point of contact the rest of his senses were shutting down, leaving only pleasure.

After…indefinite amount of time, Doman pulled back, expression once more without a smile. There was no need to ask what was about to happen. Gaku could read a situation.

- You stay safe, alright ? – And then, with a distinct lack of dramatics, Doman disappeared and Gaku was left following the quick shape of his familiar slither through the tall grass before fully disappearing in the forest.

Progress was a slow thing, he considered while walking back. His shirt was buttoned, his tunic was pristine and everything was dry. Like he had never seen him again. He did his best not to sigh. It was Yura’s night and he had to be happy for his brother.

- That was a sneaky one. – He turned, slowly, to where Koga was grinning at him. Gaku raised his eyebrows in a question. – Who was that guy anyway ? Don’t think I’ve seen him around.

Well. Koga’s smile was almost always friendly and now was no exception. The only time it hadn’t been…that one time he’d threatened Yura with his hand casually on his sword, Gaku wouldn’t be forgetting that one soon, that was for sure. But now he looked genuine.

- It was…

- Some Onmiyoji guy who slinks around the forest. – Talk about unexpected. They both turned to Kuya who paused mid-yawn to blink at them. – What ?

- You…know him ? – Because it couldn’t have been that simple, could it ?

- No. Obviously. – Kuya looked between them and sighed, apparently accepting they would make him participate in the conversation. – He just is at places sometimes.

- He is at places sometimes ? – A shrug.

- Why do you care ? If you want to meet him, just tell him or something. Not that difficult. Especially since you didn’t have a problem using your mouth in his presence five minutes ago.

Koga’s smile was a bit strained. Gaku, on the other hand, really wasn’t sure what kind of an expression he was making but it couldn’t have been natural. A few seconds of silence later he opened his mouth to say…to defend himself, maybe ? But before he could put the words in order, something caught his eye.

But of course. The only excuse he had for not noticing earlier was because he’d gotten used to thinking of them as their previous lives and this was obviously not the case here. Or, at least not based on Kuya’s very much untucked shirt and Koga’s missing fine ornaments Gaku had definitely seen on his clothes during the ceremony.

- Must be the mood of the event, I guess, since apparently I wasn’t the only one not having problems using my mouth.

Koga’s smile was cracking at the edges and, unless he was mistaken, the man was actually turning red from the collar up. Kuya blinked at him, raised his eyebrows at Koga, shook his head and grabbed his…lover by the sleeve, pulling him to a dark hallway. Mildly interesting but not all surprising.

Him ending alone again made him think back to what Doman had said. To stay safe. That had sounded suspiciously like a goodbye and Gaku was definitely not about to allow that. A millennium apart, he wasn’t going to just sit and wait for another to pass before they met again. And since Kuya had seen him, and obviously noted his habits, it wouldn’t be difficult to hunt him down. Doman was one of the most powerful Onmiyoji ever lived but Gaku had his own nature at his side. And pure stubbornness.

And a piece of paper in his pocket. What…?

The tunic was new and he had been sure there was nothing on or in it that he hadn’t put there when he’d gotten dressed for the ceremony, so what was that ?

The paper unfolded in a square roughly the size of a small napkin. Gaku sighed, barely resisting the urge to find a void to scream at. Was it too much to ask for one contact without the addition of drama ?

He knew it was impossible, Doman hadn’t really changed that much in a thousand years, but to leave instructions in his pocket for a very, very, very simple transportation charm, written on a music sheet in purple ink… There were even little curves and dots sprinkled around his already flowery handwriting.

In its core, the spell’s use was clear – write something on paper the size of the one he was holding, wave above it and murmur three words. And it would find its way to a very specific altar. And that was it. The sigil in the corner was the twin altar, meaning anything could appear on it at any time. Doman was so…himself. Gaku folded it and nodded at Kuya who had come back and was piling his plate with food and then headed for his own quarters. Better to place the sigil now because from all he knew of the other man’s character, he wouldn’t put it past him to do something flashy to disturb the celebration.

Still. A millennium later. A whole dozen of lifetimes. Now was time for one more.

#ayakashi #ayakashi romance reborn #oneshot #ayakashi gaku #gaku #doman #ayakashi doman #kissing #headcanon #fanfiction

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