[fic] Stupor (HaruToki3)
I know this is a little early, but if I waited until April 1st I would either blow the surprise or forget to post it on time.
Title: Stupor
Rating: PG-13 for swearing and innuendo
Fandom: Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3
Disclaimer: This series is owned by Mizuno Tooko and Koei. I borrow them only to make my nee-chan smile or throw things at me, but let's hope it's the former.
Summary: It's either really unlucky or really fitting that Hinoe was born on April Fool's Day.
Notes: This is a belated thank you for flight_of_ideas who went out of her way to write a fic for my favorite character's birthday. I missed Fuji's and Yohji's, so I hope Hinoe's will do. ::hugs!::
Stupor
Hinoe downed another mouthful of sake and shot a quick glare at his uncle before leaning foward to peer around the taller man at the young woman sitting two places away. "Hey Princess, what do you say we go continue the party in a more private place?"
Nozomi blushed a little and shook her head at Hinoe as if to tell him that his lines wouldn't let him escape the crowd that easily. "It's your birthday, Hinoe-kun! Everyone wants to celebrate with you. Right?" She looked around the table at the group gathered there.
"Of course," Benkei answered without hesitation, a benign smile on his face. The redhead snorted disbelievingly at the response and reached for his sake cup, refilled as soon as it had emptied by a surprisingly attentive Masaomi who sat on Hinoe's other side. A quick jerk of Hinoe's wrist sent the alcohol down his throat.
"That's the spirit!" Kagetoki called from further down the table, his own cup raised in toast. "Happy birthday, Hinoe-kun!"
With an inward sigh, Hinoe resigned himself to whatever the others planned for the time being. After night fell, though, he intended to seek Nozomi out and finally convince her to take him seriously. In the meantime, he decided he would get his fill of food and drink. With the way Benkei's smile set him on edge, more of the latter seemed in order.
* * *
"You're a bastard," Hinoe slurred as he let Benkei drag him down the hall. "Put something in the sake too."
The blond paid no attention to the accusation and slid open the door they had finally reached. "Wait in here please, Hinoe. I will tell Nozomi that you wish to speak to her."
Hinoe pulled away from his uncle and took a few wavering steps before sitting heavily on the floor. "You better not be lying." Benkei left without a word and Hinoe squinted in the dark room. The redhead knew Benkei could easily leave without fulfilling his promise, but even through the haze of too much liquor Hinoe didn't think he would. Left alone, he attempted to put his thoughts in order and figure out why his uncle had been nice enough to arrange a room separated from the rest of the household for him. A sense of foreboding crept over Hinoe and made him shiver.
Faint moonlight came from underneath the half-lowered curtains that separated the room from the veranda. Just as Hinoe thought about lighting a lamp, the door slid open slowly again. The outline of a formal kimono stood sillouetted against the brightened hallway before the figure stepped inside and closed the door once more. Hinoe tilted his head as she moved closer, eyes adjusted to the dark well enough to make out the pale pink garment adorned with sakura petals. Her hair had been put up into an elaborate headpiece made of the same flowers, and it swayed lightly as she took small steps in the garments that restricted her movement much more than her usual attire.
"You changed into such nice clothes for me, Princess." Hinoe smirked with approval. "Do you think there's any way I could talk you out of them?"
The small, embarrassed laugh sent off warnings in Hinoe's head. "You're always saying things like that," she chided as she knelt carefully a short distance away.
Her voice sounded different. Hinoe attributed it to the alcohol and leaned closer to her, one hand on the tatami mats to brace himself while the other reached out to brush along her cheek. She froze, and so did Hinoe. A few moments of silence stretched between them as the two stared at each other.
"...Atsumori?" Hinoe could barely manage a voice loud enough to be heard.
The other turned his face away, a blush staining his cheeks now that his identity had been revealed. "I'm sorry." The quiet apology confirmed Hinoe's suspicions. "I didn't want to do this, but I was told it was for the Miko's sake."
"Benkei!" The loud cry made Atsumori jump. Hinoe sat back and clenched both hands into fists. "That bastard, what the hell..."
The door slid open again. "You called?"
Pointing a finger at Atsumori, the redhead demanded, "What the hell is this?"
Clucking in disappointment, Benkei addressed the kneeling figure. "I expected you to be much more convincing."
"Are you kidding me?" Hinoe retorted indigantly, "I could never be drunk enough to mistake that... that voice for a girl!"
"I'm strangely relieved." Atsumori twisted the edge of one sleeve between his fingers. With a nervous glance at the doorway he asked, "May I go?"
Benkei sighed and stepped aside with a nod. Atsumori stood gracefully and exited with much more haste than when he had entered. Hinoe glared at his uncle and crossed his arms. "Explain this."
A smile that Hinoe had learned long ago not to trust spread across Benkei's face. "It's too bad, but it seems that Nozomi-san has already gone to sleep for the night."
"Yeah right," the redhead shot back. "You probably told Atsumori that he was defending the Princess' honor or something, didn't you? Jerk, you knew he'd fall for it too. And then you let it get late enough that Nozomi was asleep before you went to bring her here." He pursed his lips into a pout.
The laugh from the doorway rankled Hinoe's nerves further. "There's always next year, Hinoe." The door closed again and Benkei's footsteps moved away. An angry growl vibrated in Hinoe's throat as he vowed to somehow pay his uncle back for the birthday present.
----
And the moral of the story is: Never trust Benkei. Poor Atsumori, why do we always do things like this to him?
Title: Stupor
Rating: PG-13 for swearing and innuendo
Fandom: Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3
Disclaimer: This series is owned by Mizuno Tooko and Koei. I borrow them only to make my nee-chan smile or throw things at me, but let's hope it's the former.
Summary: It's either really unlucky or really fitting that Hinoe was born on April Fool's Day.
Notes: This is a belated thank you for flight_of_ideas who went out of her way to write a fic for my favorite character's birthday. I missed Fuji's and Yohji's, so I hope Hinoe's will do. ::hugs!::
Stupor
Hinoe downed another mouthful of sake and shot a quick glare at his uncle before leaning foward to peer around the taller man at the young woman sitting two places away. "Hey Princess, what do you say we go continue the party in a more private place?"
Nozomi blushed a little and shook her head at Hinoe as if to tell him that his lines wouldn't let him escape the crowd that easily. "It's your birthday, Hinoe-kun! Everyone wants to celebrate with you. Right?" She looked around the table at the group gathered there.
"Of course," Benkei answered without hesitation, a benign smile on his face. The redhead snorted disbelievingly at the response and reached for his sake cup, refilled as soon as it had emptied by a surprisingly attentive Masaomi who sat on Hinoe's other side. A quick jerk of Hinoe's wrist sent the alcohol down his throat.
"That's the spirit!" Kagetoki called from further down the table, his own cup raised in toast. "Happy birthday, Hinoe-kun!"
With an inward sigh, Hinoe resigned himself to whatever the others planned for the time being. After night fell, though, he intended to seek Nozomi out and finally convince her to take him seriously. In the meantime, he decided he would get his fill of food and drink. With the way Benkei's smile set him on edge, more of the latter seemed in order.
* * *
"You're a bastard," Hinoe slurred as he let Benkei drag him down the hall. "Put something in the sake too."
The blond paid no attention to the accusation and slid open the door they had finally reached. "Wait in here please, Hinoe. I will tell Nozomi that you wish to speak to her."
Hinoe pulled away from his uncle and took a few wavering steps before sitting heavily on the floor. "You better not be lying." Benkei left without a word and Hinoe squinted in the dark room. The redhead knew Benkei could easily leave without fulfilling his promise, but even through the haze of too much liquor Hinoe didn't think he would. Left alone, he attempted to put his thoughts in order and figure out why his uncle had been nice enough to arrange a room separated from the rest of the household for him. A sense of foreboding crept over Hinoe and made him shiver.
Faint moonlight came from underneath the half-lowered curtains that separated the room from the veranda. Just as Hinoe thought about lighting a lamp, the door slid open slowly again. The outline of a formal kimono stood sillouetted against the brightened hallway before the figure stepped inside and closed the door once more. Hinoe tilted his head as she moved closer, eyes adjusted to the dark well enough to make out the pale pink garment adorned with sakura petals. Her hair had been put up into an elaborate headpiece made of the same flowers, and it swayed lightly as she took small steps in the garments that restricted her movement much more than her usual attire.
"You changed into such nice clothes for me, Princess." Hinoe smirked with approval. "Do you think there's any way I could talk you out of them?"
The small, embarrassed laugh sent off warnings in Hinoe's head. "You're always saying things like that," she chided as she knelt carefully a short distance away.
Her voice sounded different. Hinoe attributed it to the alcohol and leaned closer to her, one hand on the tatami mats to brace himself while the other reached out to brush along her cheek. She froze, and so did Hinoe. A few moments of silence stretched between them as the two stared at each other.
"...Atsumori?" Hinoe could barely manage a voice loud enough to be heard.
The other turned his face away, a blush staining his cheeks now that his identity had been revealed. "I'm sorry." The quiet apology confirmed Hinoe's suspicions. "I didn't want to do this, but I was told it was for the Miko's sake."
"Benkei!" The loud cry made Atsumori jump. Hinoe sat back and clenched both hands into fists. "That bastard, what the hell..."
The door slid open again. "You called?"
Pointing a finger at Atsumori, the redhead demanded, "What the hell is this?"
Clucking in disappointment, Benkei addressed the kneeling figure. "I expected you to be much more convincing."
"Are you kidding me?" Hinoe retorted indigantly, "I could never be drunk enough to mistake that... that voice for a girl!"
"I'm strangely relieved." Atsumori twisted the edge of one sleeve between his fingers. With a nervous glance at the doorway he asked, "May I go?"
Benkei sighed and stepped aside with a nod. Atsumori stood gracefully and exited with much more haste than when he had entered. Hinoe glared at his uncle and crossed his arms. "Explain this."
A smile that Hinoe had learned long ago not to trust spread across Benkei's face. "It's too bad, but it seems that Nozomi-san has already gone to sleep for the night."
"Yeah right," the redhead shot back. "You probably told Atsumori that he was defending the Princess' honor or something, didn't you? Jerk, you knew he'd fall for it too. And then you let it get late enough that Nozomi was asleep before you went to bring her here." He pursed his lips into a pout.
The laugh from the doorway rankled Hinoe's nerves further. "There's always next year, Hinoe." The door closed again and Benkei's footsteps moved away. An angry growl vibrated in Hinoe's throat as he vowed to somehow pay his uncle back for the birthday present.
----
And the moral of the story is: Never trust Benkei. Poor Atsumori, why do we always do things like this to him?