Arranged Marriage [Oneshot]
title: Arranged Marriage (for lack of a better title)
pairing: NishiKato
rating: PG 13
summary: Ryo and Shige are lovers but Ryo's torn between love and honor. Honor won over, shattering his world.
dedicated to: akeru_world69
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“YOU DID WHAT?” Ryo exclaimed to his father, his face coloring with anger.
His mother came running to his side and tried to calm him down. “Honey, please understand. This is way beyond our control.”
Ryo didn’t budge. He was furious and confused. Of all the things that his father would do to him, he had never expected this. His father loved him dearly, he knows that, so why this? He looked him in the eyes and said softly, eyes pleading. “Couldn’t you have just explained it to your friend Dad? Is your word more important to you than my life? You’ve already lost one child, are you willing to lose me too?”
“Ryo, son, please understand. This agreement has been made even before you were born.” His father reached out to him and clasped his arm, begging for understanding. He continued. “If only your sister Ria had not died in that accident, we wouldn’t be in this position now. It’s our family’s honor that’s at stake here, son.”
“But dad, this arranged marriage cannot take place. And I’m sure your friend will understand if you just explain to him. The agreement was for my twin sister and his son. Not for me.” Ryo tried to reason out once more. His world is shattering by the minute, cursing his father’s friend whom he had not even met all 24 years of his life. Beads of tears started forming in the corners of his eyes. There’s gotta be a way.
His mother shot his father a look and said softly. “No honey, the agreement was for our child and theirs. And the time has come to honor that agreement. You know how our family upholds its honor.”
“But ----“ he had to try one last time but the look on his parent’s face said it all. There’s nothing he can do. His eyes welled up with tears. He threw one last look at his parent’s face and gave up.
------
Alone in the room, he waited for Shige. He had to tell him but he didn’t know how. It would break his heart and that’s the last thing he wanted to do. How could he tell the man he loves that he would be leaving him tonight? That tonight is the last that they’ll ever share? That his heart is breaking? That he’s slowly dying inside at the thought of leaving him? That the thought of not seeing him again is tearing his guts out?
If only he did not love Shige too much, his heart will not be torn in two. He loves his parents, and his sister Ria’s death was a great blow to them. He didn’t have it in his heart to defy them. They’ve already lost one child. It would kill them to lose another. If only he didn’t love his parents too much. If only Ria had not died in the car accident two years ago, things would not have been this way. He would not have ended up getting engaged to the son of his father’s friend, and leaving the love of his life. He wiped the tears that ran down his cheeks with his hands. Shige would be coming home in a few minutes. It would not do to make him worry.
He got up from the bed and arranged the roses. He’ll make tonight a night to remember for him and Shige, a memory to carry with him, to live by for the rest of his life, because 7 days from now, he will be married. And the only thing that will get him through his life from that day would be his memories of Shige, his memories of their love and happiness.
He had already taken a shower when Shige arrived. The room was dark, and the only thing that illuminates the room is the light from the bathroom, which Ryo had intentionally left open. He cannot have Shige see the sadness in his tear stained face. He looked lovingly at him as he walked through the door. His eyes watched Shige’s every movement, memorizing every of him. His heart ached for him as he watched him take off his shirt, leaving only the boxers and slowly move towards the bed -and into his arms. Silently they gazed into each other’s eyes, loving every minute of it. He ran his fingers through Shige’s hair for a few seconds and then he took Shige’s hands in his and covered them; as he bends his head down to kiss him lightly.
It was a very light kiss at first but it invoked in Shige a surge of heat and he kissed Ryo back with fervor. When they broke the kiss, Shige looked him in the eye and wondered at the loneliness he saw intermingling with desire in his lover’s eyes. He wanted to ask but he didn’t want to break the moment. He started kissing him on the nose and within seconds, he was raining kisses all over Ryo’s face. He tasted the tears. He pulled away to look back at him and there they are, beads of tears falling down Ryo’s cheeks. “Baby, what is it? What’s wrong?” he asked in concern.
Ryo wrapped his arms around Shige’s waist, hugged him tightly and smiled up at the loving face. “Nothing sweetheart. I just love you too much. God, how I love you,” and then he pushed him gently onto the bed and his mouth came down on his . . . the intense love he was feeling came rushing in.
He broke the kiss and took hold of Shige’s hands once more, pressing them palms up against the bed. His eyes never leaving Shige’s face, he ran his fingers slowly on his forehead, then down to his nose, then the prominent cheekbones, then over his lips. His eyes followed the movement of his fingers. Ryo kissed him again, tenderly, this time. After a few seconds, he pulled his head back up and ran his fingers on Shige’s arms, his eyes following their movement, trying to memorize every part, every inch. Not leaving a spot. Not caring of the tears that are welling up his eyes.
Shige’s crying now too. Out of all the days and nights they’ve spent together, this has got to be the most emotional one. There have been nights when they were gentle, nights when they were rough, but never like this before. He didn’t move. Not a single inch. He just let Ryo do his bidding. And when Ryo started kissing his neck, his tongue running gently over the base hollow of his throat, a moan escaped his lips. “I love you sweetheart” he heard Ryo mumble between sobs and kisses.
When Ryo started kissing him on his chest, he arched towards him, his nipples begging to be touched. Ryo’s fingers continued their journey, his lips not far behind. And when they reached the insides of his thighs, Shige’s fingers grabbed hold of Ryo’s head and pulled him back up but Ryo didn’t budge. Fingers and mouth continued their journey down to his feet, his toes. Shige’s head is now reeling with desire and he couldn’t help himself form crying out. “Please baby, I need you now.” But still Ryo didn’t budge, he continued trailing kisses all over Shige’s body as his fingers journeyed back up, until they reached their destination. He slowly inserted one finger inside, causing Shige to clench his fists, he can’t take any more of this. With all the strength he could muster, he grabbed hold of Ryo’s hair and pressed his head against his hips. He moaned louder as he felt Ryo’s tongue darting further down, and then his mouth was on him, tongue darting in and around him and as Ryo sucked him onto a climax, he called out his name.
After an interminable number of seconds, Ryo’s pulled back up and lay down on the bed beside him. He turned on his side and leaned his head on his elbow and ran the finger of his free hand on Shige’s forehead, brushing the hair away. He pecked him on the nose and smiled. “I love you sweetheart, what ever happens, always remember that.” Then he gathered Shige into his arms and rested his head on his chest, his fingers running through the thick strands of his hair. Shige wrapped an arm around Ryo’s waist, within seconds, he was asleep.
Ryo studied Shige’s face. He had thought hard earlier whether to tell him of the arranged marriage but decided against it. One broken heart is enough. He cannot break Shige’s heart too. But he knows that whatever he tells Shige will still break his heart. He smiled weakly as he thought of Shige’s smile, of his eyes, of his lips, of his pouts when Ryo teases him. He’ll bring them all with him when he leaves. And with one soft brush of his lips against Shige’s he closed his eyes, tears running down his cheeks again.
-----
It was already light outside when Shige woke up. As was his usual, with still half closed eyes, he reached out a hand to Ryo. After a few seconds of wondering, he opened up his eyes. The other side of the bed is empty. He frowned. That’s strange. Ryo never got up ahead of him. He’s probably in the bath, he thought. He stretched his arms upward and got up from the bed. He went to the bathroom only to find it empty. He frowned even more. He decided to check outside in the living room. Maybe Ryo stepped outside last night to watch TV but didn’t want to disturb his sleep. Maybe he had even fallen asleep while watching. He started towards the door to check on Ryo but something caught his eye as he passed by the dresser. His head did a 450 and looked down on the dresser. He didn’t notice the flowers last night. He smiled as he remembered last night. His sweet baby had surprised him again. So that’s why it was dark when he came in. So Ryo could surprise him with the roses when he wakes up in the morning.
He started to reach out or the flowers when another thing caught his eye. A folded piece of paper is right leaning against the vase. Hmm, a love letter, he mused. With a smile on his face he opened the paper and started reading. His eyes widened. This couldn’t be right. He started reading again, sure that it was a mistake. Did Ryo not love him after all? Did Ryo choose wrongly?
Shige,
I’m sorry to tell you this but I have to leave. You deserve to be happy and I am not the man to do that.
Ryo
He started crying. This is not right. The person who wrote that letter is not his Ryo. His Ryo is gentle, not heartless. His Ryo loved him, in his heart of hearts he knows. Last night was bliss. Last night was the best night they’ve had together. How can Ryo sound so callous in his letter after what they just shared? Not wanting to look at the letter again, he crumpled it and threw it into the dustbin. He frowned, seeing another crumpled paper. He bent and picked it up. It’s another letter, dated yesterday. But why would Ryo throw this away?
Sweetheart,
I can’t express enough how much I love you. Know only, that whatever happens and wherever I may go, I will always love you. I will always carry you in my heart. Forgive me for not facing you with the truth. But I didn’t have the heart to hurt you and I know the truth will hurt you too much. By the time you read this I will probably be gone.
I learned this morning that I am engaged, and am to marry seven days from now. I cannot go into details about that as I know it will only hurt you. Just please always remember, I love you, body and soul.
Yours forever,
Ryo.
Shige cried again. Ryo does love him. . . . . Why Ryo? Why didn’t you just tell me? I would have told you the truth if only you had told me. I am the man you’re engaged to you fool. I am the man you’re marrying seven days from now.
He wiped his tears off with the tissue on the dresser and smiled. His poor baby must have suffered too much. He cannot let him suffer anymore. If only it had been so simple. But no, there will be time enough for explanation. The important thing is that Ryo loves him, and they will be together forever. He picked up the vase and kissed the roses. Today is one beautiful day.
He took his phone from the dresser and dialed a number. At one ring, a man answered the call.
“Papa? I’m ready. I’m coming home.” and with that, he ended the call and started packing. Ryo will be surprised. His heart hammered at the anticipation of seeing the happy surprise on his lover’s face as he finally meets his fiancé.
-------
The following day, Ryo and his parents arrived at the Kato ancestral house in Tokyo mid afteroon. They were welcomed warmly by Shige’s parents. His father and his father-in-law to be shook hands, then Shige’s father threw Ryo a quizzical look and smiled then said,
“My son is busy at the moment but he will be joining us for dinner later. If Ryo’s mind had not been elsewhere and if only his heart isn’t bleeding right at that moment, he would have noticed the resemblance between father and son. But his heart is breaking and his mind is on how Shige’s doing at the moment and how he must have been hurt with the note that he left. But what can he do? It was better that Shige hated him than cause him unhappiness. He would have given anything not to hurt him with that note but the truth would shatter him and he can’t have that.
Unbeknownst to him, Shige had seen him arrive earlier. Had seen the forlorn look and the sadness in his face. He ached to run to his arms but he checked himself. There will be time for that later. He called his servant and whispered something in her ear. The servant nodded and bowed and stepped out of the room.
Back into the sitting room, the servant excused herself and whispered something to her master’s ear. Shige’s father nodded and said.
“It seems that my son wants to talk to you, Ryo. Do you mind going into the gardens? He’s waiting for you there. He’s a bit shy so before he meets your parents at dinner tonight, he wants to meet you first.” He smiled the same smile that Shige used to give to Ryo, only Ryo still didn’t notice.
Ryo just nodded and kissed his mother on the cheek before following the servant to the gardens.
-------
Ryo frowned. It’s nearing dark now. It’s almost six o’clock. Soon it will be time for dinner. He had been waiting for a good half hour for his supposed fiancé but he hasn’t arrived. With a shake of his head he started to get up.
“Where do you think you’re going?” muffled voice behind him froze him in his seat. He started to turn around to see who it was but the voice said. “No, don’t turn around. I’m sorry about this. I needed to talk to you but I can’t do it face to face if it’s alright with you, just stay that way for a while.”
“What’s there to talk about?” he said harshly. He is not in the mood for games but apparently, his fiancé wants to play.
“It’s alright if you don’t want to talk. I’ll just tell you a story. Will you listen, at least?” Shige asked softly, trying to steady his voice. He had put a scarf over his face slightly covering his mouth, hoping that Ryo wouldn’t recognize his voice.
Ryo didn’t speak. He jus nodded his head.
Shige smiled. Ryo is just about to get the best surprise of his life in just a few minutes.
“I learned about the engagement two and a half years ago, just before your sister Ria died. At first I didn’t want to go through it. But my father was adamant. He said it’s all about honor.” He started his story. Ryo smiled bleakly, it’s just like the same thing his father said to him.
“I didn’t want to defy father but I also didn’t want to agree into something blindly so we made a deal. I went to Osaka to meet my supposed fiancé, but by that time, your sister had just died. I don’t know if you remember but I went to her wake and her funeral as well.”
Shige paused and wondered how long he could keep this up. He longed to be back in Ryo’s arms but he needed to be sure. That night at the wake was when they had actually met. When he had fallen in love with Ryo at first sight. He had gone to the wake to express his and his family’s condolences to Ryo’s family. Ryo’s parents recognized him right away as he is the splitting image of his father. Ryo wasn’t there when he arrived. Since his supposed fiancé is dead already, Shige thought it had nullified the agreement between their fathers. He was saying his goodbye to them when Ryo arrived. He introduced himself as Kato Shigeaki, a friend of Ria’s. After the funeral, he and Ryo became close. They started going out and before he knew, Ryo was telling him that he loves him. That he had fallen in love with him at first sight. And so they became lovers. A couple of months ago, he was invited to dinner by Ryo’s parents. Ryo at that time was on a business trip. Over dinner they talked about the agreement, with his father on speaker phone. Both parents agreed to go through with the engagement but Shige had a problem with that. Ryo didn’t know about the engagement. Bu his father said to leave it to him. They set the date for the wedding. Both fathers are happy that their families will be one at last.
“I’m sorry, but I actually don’t remember the people who had gone to my sister’s wake nor her funeral. I was hurting too much to care about them.” Ryo said harshly. “Look, whatever it is you want to talk to me about, can you just get on with it? I needed to talk to you too so I figure I’ll take the opportunity here and now.”
Shige frowned. What would Ryo tell him? He continued. “This will be over soon. I just wanted to let you know that I have fallen in love with you then. And I love you still.”
“But I don’t love you. I will never love you. I’m only going through this marriage because of my parents’ honor. But as far as my heart goes, I can only love one person and that isn’t you.” Ryo said, tears forming in his eyes. He missed Shige, too much.
“And who might that be?” Shige asked, keeping his tone light. But his eyes welled up with tears at Ryo’s words.
Ryo didn’t reply right away. Swallowing the lump that suddenly formed in his throat, he debated whether to tell his fiancé or not. He shrugged. It doesn’t matter. He’ll eventually tell him anyway, so why not tell him now? “Shige. His name is Shige.” And as he said it all, tears fell down his cheeks.
“Does he know about our engagement?” Shige asked and removed the scarf off his face.
“No. I didn’t want to hurt him.” Ryo said simply.
“And didn’t you think it would hurt me just the same by leaving such a heartless note? That it would break my heart as well? And that no matter what you did I would never come to hate you?”
Ryo froze. What could Shige be doing here? He did an about face and ---------------------
Shige was crying. “I’m your fiancé Ryo. Forgive me if I didn’t tell you. I only agreed to the engagement because it was you, Because I love you.”
“And you didn’t ----- why ---------------- how could ----------and my parents knew ----- Oh hell.” He pulled Shige and kissed him hard, punishing him for the torment he had gone through, for the sufferings, and Shige didn’t complain. He just wrapped his arms around Ryo’s neck in response to the kiss. Ryo pulled away from the kiss and cupped his face and started raining kisses all over his face. Then he gazed into Shige’s eyes and said softly. “I thought I had lost you. I thought I would never see you again. And it hurt me so damn much. And if I didn’t love you so much I could punch you for the hell you’ve put me through these last two days. God I love you so.”
“And I love you Ryo.” Shige said simply and buried his face in Ryo’s neck. Everything will be alright now. He and Ryo will never be apart.
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I wrote this fic for you akeru_world69
this is my graduation gift to you - CONGRATULATIONS!!! i hope you like this, it was going good but somewhere towards the end part, my mind may have gone blank cause I couldn't think of a better ending. And the lovemaking part, I wanted to keep it simple as what I wanted to point out was Ryo's emotions, not Shige's. IDK, my mind may have warped a bit and the story got lame somewhere XDDDD
Anyhow, congratulations again!!! luv yah hon~