Gift fic for lovu_lovu_aiba

[stormymood]

GIFT FIC for lovu_lovu_aiba

Title: Behind Castle Walls
Pairing/Group: SakurAiba
Rating/Warnings: PG-15/R (very small part)
Summary: Aiba Masaki is one of the many princes in the Yoshino castle but still feels lonely in his gardens. Until an unexpected visitor walks in...
Note: For lovu_lovu_aiba, I hope you like it! ^^
I tried to keep it as close to the historical events as possible but not everything fits and/or happened this way.


Behind Castle Walls

Japan, 1392. The Japanese court was divided in two, a Southern court which was ruling at that moment with emperor Go-Kameyama and the rivaling Northern court. The emperor was the second son of Go-Murakami, a man with many wives and even more courtesans who all lived together in the same big castle in Yoshino. The rivaling courts caused country to be in war but when the summer just had made place for the fall, the emperor applied to the Northern court for peace. A missionary from the Northern court was send to the castle in the capital city for negotiations.

Aiba Masaki, one of the many children of late emperor Go-Murakami, was not aware of anything that was going on behind the castle walls. He wished he did know but as a prince of the Southern court, no matter how distant from the current emperor and with that the chance to rule the country, he was carefully watched and protected, not able to set foot outside the walls for even one second. For his whole life he had never seen anything outside the castle walls. He didn't like it here, where everyone lived more next to each other than with each other, not really caring about others. Some that did notice and know him knew he was a bit of a dreamer, always in the big garden in the middle of the castle, taking care of the living plants and creatures inside. It was the only place he felt a bit free but even the gardens had walls he couldn't leave so there was still a big hole in his heart. It felt like something was missing and he always thought it was the freedom he didn't have.

When the gardens were slowly colored in the many different colors of the spring Aiba walked, just like always, aimlessly in the gardens, a bit unaware of his surroundings. Thinking about the world outside the castle he sighed and jumped up in surprise when suddenly a voice came from behind.

"Why would a fine young man like you sigh so deeply?" Masaki turned around and stood eye to eye with one of the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Big, bright brown colored eyes stared at him, a twinkle enlightening them. The full lips were curved into a small, almost teasing smile which fitted perfectly in the round, gentle face. But Masaki knew better than just be fooled by someone's appearance so he slowly stepped back a bit, getting ready to run and yell for the guards if needed. The man in front of him immediately noticed his tension.

"It's okay, I came with Matsumoto-sama, the missionary from the Northern court for negotiations. At the moment I am not wanted by his side as the meeting between him and the missionary of your court is highly confidential. I thought I could enjoy these beautiful gardens to enjoy my free time and I'm happy I did because I can see they are indeed beautiful." Masaki looked a bit confused at the man. He could feel his cheeks heating up a little as he swore the words the man used were directed towards him instead of the garden. He quickly cleared his throat.

"I see. I won't bother you with my presence then." The other man smiled warmly and shook his head, making his dark brown hair fall slightly in front of his eyes.

"I wouldn't want you to leave, please don't feel obligated to do so. I would feel troubled if you did, this is your home after all." Aiba looked at him a bit confused, not sure what to think of the man.

"If I may ask, would you mind sharing your troubles, maybe I could offer some help?"

"That's very unlikely..." Aiba muttered softly, sighing again and looking at some point far away.

"Try me and we will see. You never know what might happen unless you try." The generous smile of the slightly smaller man made Masaki's heart flutter in a strange way, somehow giving him the strange feeling that he could share his troubles with this man without any worries. He hesitated for a moment but started to talk when his eyes met the honest caring look of the slightly smaller man.

"Sometimes, no more like always, it is suffocating to be in this castle. It's like a big, golden cage. I can't go out, I can only imagine how the world outside looks like." The man in front of him smiled warmly and gestured towards the stone bench behind them to sit down.

"The world isn't as great as you may think it is. Sickness and death everywhere, the whole country is in war. To you it might feel like a cage, a prison if you want, but to others it would be a save place." Masaki looked at the other man. He had never heard this before, the people in the castle always telling beautiful stories of the country. How wealthy it was and how beautiful everything looked. When he spoke out his thoughts the other man laughed softly.

"Of course they would tell you that. You are one of the many sons of the late emperor, you are protected and kept unaware. If you would know the truth you might think differently of the way they are ruling the country and want to take over. They want to prevent that from happening."Aiba looked confused at the other man, somewhere inside knowing he was speaking the truth but not wanting to believe it.

"How do I know you are telling the truth? Maybe you only say this to make me confused and do something stupid." The man smiled and nodded.

"Good thinking, you don't know that for sure. I wish I could show you but I have to go back." He got up and was already halfway out of the garden when Aiba's voice stopped him.

"I don't believe I caught your name." The slightly smaller man smiled and turned around.

"Sakurai Sho. I'll see you around Aiba-sama." Sakurai bowed and left, leaving a bit confused Aiba behind. He learned from the maids that Sakurai indeed came with Matsumoto from the Northern court for negotiations. It looked like he was the personal chamberlain of the missionary who was at the same time one of the sons of the head of the court. He wasn't surprised to see the man in the gardens the next day again.

"So we meet again." Aiba smiled widely. The words of the previous day had made him think about the world outside the castle and he wanted to know more. But apparently the other man had something completely different in mind.

"Could you tell me something about life in this castle? I'm wondering if it is so different from us or not." Aiba nodded doubtfully, not really wanting to tell anything about his life here but in a strange way also not wanting to let the other man down.

"We live here with the full family of my father, late emperor Murakami. One of my distant brothers is the current emperor as you know. My father had many wives and even more courtesans but this castle is big enough to give us all space to live." Sakurai smiled and gestured towards one of the benches in the garden, just like yesterday and again they sat down together before the older man said something again.

"So you live here with your whole family? That sounds not so bad at all, you must have made great friends with your brothers and sisters right?" Aiba sighed and looked at one of the big trees a bit farther away.

"It is completely different than that. Most wives or courtesans have more than one child and those families are very close to each other. My mother only had one child and because of that nobody wants to have to do anything with us. The more children a wife or courtesan has, the higher she stands inside the hierarchy in this castle." He saw the other man nod next to him. Before he could continue they heard some noise in the middle of the garden, making them look up. To his surprise two small men sneaked into the garden, probably thinking there wasn't anyone inside at this moment. He recognized both of them and quickly he stood up, gesturing Sakurai to come with him. Together they hid behind a tree, not in the mood to have anything to do with the two others in the garden at this moment.

"Who are they?" Sho asked slightly amused by the way Masaki had reacted to them.

"Funny they have to show up right now. You see that smaller man? That is probably the only other child of my father who doesn't have full blood related siblings. His mother died when he was young and my mother took him in and treated him like her own son, even though nobody acknowledged it. I see him as my real brother as well and we grew up happily together but things changed when Ninomiya came around..." Masaki peeked at his brother from behind the tree, carefully watching if it was safe to stay here or if they would have to go somewhere else.

"What is their story?" Sho asked a bit confused when he didn't continue. Masaki laughed softly as he watched the two small men having an argument.

"Nobody knows exactly. Some day Ninomiya showed up next to my brother. He is a samurai at the court but nobody really knows where he came from. Some even say he is a stray cat who officially can't be a samurai but nobody sends him away. He and Satoshi really shouldn't be together but since we are just seen as unimportant nobody really cares. And even if someone did, I don't think it would be a reason for them to stop... well stop doing what they are doing." He could feel his cheeks heating up a little as he thought about the many times he had accidentally walked in on his half-brother and his lover while they were entangled tightly together in a mess of limps. The closeness of Sho who leaned forward behind him gave his cheeks an even deeper shade of red.

"From doing what?" The older man whispered in his ear, making him shiver softly. It seemed the pair decided to help him out at that moment, even though they probably had no idea what was going on very close to them.

"Well, something like that." Aiba said softly, nodding in the direction of his brother and the samurai. The two of them had ended their argument and their lips were now busy with caressing each other instead of throwing words. He more felt than heard the breathy giggle the older man behind him gave, the hot air touching his nape which made him even more aware of the closeness of Sho behind him. Afraid to move he stayed completely still for what felt like an hour before they heard some rushed footsteps. He swore he felt lips on his nape before a respectful distance was created between him and Sho but it could have been the air just as well.

"Sho! We are going right now, I'm sick of this place." Jun screamed as he walked into the garden, followed by his two personal guards. The chamberlain of the prince of the Northern court bowed and quickly turned around, following the angry man. Aiba watched them as they left, wondering what had angered the emissary of the Northern court so much. Not much later he found out as he heard some of the samurai of the court talk about the events that had taken place. Matsumoto could not agree with the way emperor Go-Kameyama wanted to alternate the control of the throne, two emperors for the Southern and now ruling court, followed by one of the Northern court before going back to the South. They could have expected this but the peace was more important now so when Masaki walked into the garden again the next morning he wasn't surprised to see Sakurai sitting on one of the benches.

"Back again I see." He said, sitting down next to the older man.

"Of course. I talked to Matsumoto-sama last night to calm him down. He can be quite hotheaded and needs to be cooled down."

"Why? Can you explain to me why it's so important?" The chamberlain smiled warmly.

"The country can't be in peace when the Northern and Southern court are in conflict with each other. You probably don't know but outside the walls of this castle people live in constant fear because of the war that is going on. Everyone wants peace but sometimes it's hard to get what you want." Masaki looked at the twinkling eyes of the man next to him.

"But why do you care so much that Matsumoto gets the peace treaty done. I'm sure you can live comfortable without worries about the war that is going." The chamberlain leaned closer.

"Because when the treaty is signed and the two courts are back together I can see you in this beautiful garden every day." A bright red blush appeared on Masaki's face as he quickly turned his head away. He could feel his heart beating loudly in his chest after those words and he tried his hardest to calm down. He was not supposed to have feelings for this man for multiple reasons. They were from different courts that were at war at this moment and the other man was in a complete different social class which was not appropriate in the world they lived in. On the other hand, if they managed to get the treaty signed and bring the war to an end the first problem would be solved. And seeing how his brother and with him a lot of other sons and daughters acted in a way they shouldn't do wouldn't make him stand out at all. He was not important enough to be cared about.

"You are cute when you blush like that." A whisper invaded his ear but when he turned around he didn't see Sakurai. Somehow the man had managed to disappear within a second, leaving a confused but somehow happy Masaki behind.

***

It took them four weeks before the Northern and Southern court finally reached an agreement. In the mean time Aiba fell deeper and deeper in love with the somewhat mysterious chamberlain who came to visit him in his beloved gardens every day. At some point he gave up fighting against his feelings, not caring anymore what anyone would think about it and he started to react to the small teases of the older man. However, there was one thing they didn't think of, something that would tear them apart.

"Matsomoto-sama is going back to the Northern court to bring the good news. Naturally I have to go with him." Sakurai softly said as he sat down next to Aiba in their favorite spot underneath the big cherry-blossom tree close to the small pond. The prince watched him in silence with his mouth slightly open, not sure what he had to say. Of course he could have expected something like this but deep inside he hoped it wouldn't happen.

"We are leaving tomorrow." Sighing heavily Aiba reached out to the other man, softly touching his cheek. An idea came into his mind. It felt crazy but somehow it felt right at the same time and he wouldn't want it in any different way. Without a word he stood up, pulling a confused Sakurai with him. He walked out of the garden, through the big castle and didn't let the other man go until he closed the door of his chamber, his only private space he didn't like to share with anyone in the whole castle. Feeling nervous he looked into the smaller mans eyes, refusing to look away even when the other man stepped closer. The distance between the two of them became closer with every slow second until Masaki could clearly feel the breath of Sho on his cheek. After what seemed like ages their lips finally met in a long awaited kiss, making Masaki's world spin around. It was slow and gentle at first but as the time passed it started to become more and more insatiable. Before he knew he was lying with his back on his futon, kept in place by the other man who lay on top of him. After what felt like ages they finally let go of each other for a short while to gasp for air. The color of the beautiful brown eyes of the chamberlain was slightly darker as Masaki looked into them, suddenly hesitating. It was all going so fast, it felt like he had only just met this man, but at the same time it felt so right. The older man apparently noticed his hesitation.

"We don't have to do this. I won't do anything you don't want but you have to tell me." Aiba swallowed hard, trying to make his nervous feelings go away. He wanted this, he didn't want to regret later that he stopped. He might never see this man again.

"I want to do this. I want you." He muttered in his lovers lips, pulling him down in a kiss again. He felt hands slowly getting inside his kimono, making him slightly ticklish but it was a pleasant feeling. His own hands found their way on Sakurai's body as well, a bit awkward at first but the shivers he felt going through the other man and the soft sighs made him continue. It was nothing like he ever imagined something like this to be. When he had seen his brother with his samurai lover it looked wild, almost painful but the sensation his lover gave him right now was gentle and loving. Even the painful intrusion faded with the sweet caresses and soft whispers. He didn't want it to end but eventually he was brought to heaven, leaving him breathless for a long time. Too soon for his liking Sho got up, cleaning him with care and getting dressed. Masaki knew there was no way to avoid this, the older man had to leave but he had hoped they could stay like this for just a little longer. He stayed on his futon, watching the other man as he got ready to leave.

"Do you really have to go already?" He softly muttered, regretting his words as the smile fell off Sho's face. The older man came towards him and sat down next to him, pulling him up against his chest.

"I have to, I made a promise to bring back Matsumoto-sama safely. But I'll make a promise to you now. I'll come back to you." He gently grabbed Aiba's chin and brought their mouths together for a last kiss. Too soon for Aiba's liking they pulled apart again.

"I love you Masaki" Sho softly whispered in his ear, making him shiver. Before he could say anything back he felt a finger against his lips.

"Sst, don't say anything. I want to hear your answer when I come back to you." The finger made place for soft lips for just a second. Aiba was too stunned to say anything, he watched the man slowly walk out of his chamber in silence. He didn't get a chance to say anything to the older man anymore, the last glimpse he saw of him was his back getting into the carriage after Matsumoto, taking him far away.

***

Seasons past by and Aiba couldn't get Sho out of his mind. Every day he would spend most of his time underneath the cherry-blossom tree they loved so much. The tree was in full blossom now, every once in a while letting one of its beautiful flowers go to reach the ground, slowly coloring the green grass with the pink leaves. It reminded him of the day he said goodbye, almost more than year ago now and still no news about the older man. The country was in peace now, the treaty being signed and in full force. Of course inside the castle Aiba didn't notice much of it as there didn't change anything in their way of living. He wondered if Sho was still thinking of him or if he was a distant memory, buried and forgotten by now. The sight of love all around him, with his brother and his samurai lover still topping everyone, made his heart squeeze together. He sighed deeply, looking at one particular leave falling down in the pond, the circles around it growing wider until they softly touched the side and disappeared.

"Why would a fine young man like you sigh so deeply?" A voice came from behind the tree which made Aiba quickly turn around. From behind the tree a brightly smiling man stepped into his vision, making his eyes blurry with tears right away.

"Sho!" He quickly crawled up, embracing the man tightly. Sakurai softly laughed and wrapped his arms around Aiba's waist as well, kissing his head softly. After a long time he pushed the younger man away a little to look into his eyes and gently whipped away the lonely tear that had started to roll down Aiba's cheek.

"Why are you crying silly? I said I would come back, I made a promise remember? Besides, you still owe me an answer." The big brown eyes of the older man were twinkling as Masaki looked into them, remembering the silent promise he had made.

"I love you too Sho-chan. The answer is still the same, even after more than a year of being apart. I still love you and I always will." The other man smiled and pulled him into a short, sweet kiss.

"Good, because I still think the same as well. I love you and if you allow me I'll be by your side from now on." Masaki didn't need to ask to know if it was true or why he didn't need to stay at Matsumoto's side. The look in Sho's eyes said enough.

"I wouldn't want it any other way." Just before he leaned in to close their final distance for a proper kiss he caught a bright, beaming smile on the older man's face, making his heart skip a beat. As the world slowly faded around him, absorbed by the breathtaking kiss, he knew that from now on he wouldn't worry about the life outside this castle any longer, not now when he found someone to share his time with in a happy and careless way.