Cougar Town (1/2)
Title: Cougar Town
Rating: R for language and mention of sex (includes mention of sexual behavior by characters under 18, non-explicit)
Characters/Pairings: Matsumoto Jun/Sakurai Sho; Matsumoto Jun/Yonekura Ryoko; Nino; Aiba; Becky; Meisa; Koyuki
Summary: A Companion wore a dozen masks to suit everyone who bought their time, but there was one rule they couldn't break. Companions couldn't fall in love.
Notes/Warnings: Firefly universe. Set during 3009 CE a few months after the events of Our Mrs. Sakurai. An origin story for Jun with dates ranging from 2996-3004 for his backstory. I was asked for more Sakumoto development, but be careful what you wish for. Also hi guys I really love Yonekura Ryoko, I wonder if you can tell.
2996 CE
Omoikane (the fourth planet)
Sumire Temple, Staff Housing Block
"He's too old, isn't he?" his father complained.
His mother shook her head in her quiet way. "I spoke with Yoshiko-san, and they say they've accepted up through age sixteen before, provided they were hard workers."
"I can work hard," Jun said, poking nervously at his dinner.
"It's not the life I want for my son," his father continued, sipping more of the sake that made him more and more unpleasant with each cup he downed. Maybe if he didn't spend so much of the family's money on sake, Jun thought, they wouldn't even be having this conversation.
"It's a better life than this one," his mother insisted. "They don't just take anyone, but he'll never know poverty. He'll never go hungry, he'll want for nothing. It's more than we can give him. He's a growing boy."
His father looked at him, the dark circles under his eyes making him look as though he'd just come from a fight. "Don't want to be a farmer, do you, Jun-chan?"
Jun didn't know that for sure. But he didn't know if he wanted to be a Companion either. His father grew vegetables for Sumire Temple, and his mother cleaned Companion rooms in the temple complex. Even with such positions, the family was poor. Every extra bit of money they earned had to support his older sister's marriage prospects. If Jun was a Companion, he would live a luxurious existence. But he knew what Companions did, everyone who went to his school away from the temple grounds always talked about it. A Companion wore a dozen masks to suit everyone who bought their time, but there was one rule they couldn't break.
Companions couldn't fall in love.
Of course, Jun was twelve, almost thirteen, and he wasn't really that interested in love. His parents didn't seem to love each other, and all they ever talked about was marrying his sister off to some wealthy military type or some aristocrat from Hachiman who kept a second or third home here on Omoikane. So what was there to miss out on? Love wasn't real.
"I'll go," he agreed. "I'll go see what it's like."
--
Sumire Temple was a vast maze of narrow incense-laden corridors. He'd never been inside any of the inner rooms where the Companions trained, but the gossip mill at school had filled his imagination almost to bursting with what the training entailed. He walked at his mother's side, feeling hopelessly out of place as he moved through the richly decorated buildings.
His mother's connections had gotten Jun an interview with the Lead Companion, the highest-ranking member of the temple. Though most Companions traveled the system, Lead Companions had mostly retired save for their most loyal clients. Instead they were responsible for training the next generations of Companions. At Sumire Temple, the Lead Companion was Koyuki-san, widely praised for her beauty.
Jun was almost instantly overwhelmed by her when the door slid open, and the woman entered the sitting room where Jun and his mother had been kept waiting. Koyuki-san wore an elaborate kimono made of some fancy black fabric with roses and vines stitched all over it. Jun didn't know much about clothes, but he was pretty sure what Koyuki-san was wearing could have cost as much as his parents made in a year.
She knelt down across from them, bowing her head in greeting. Her eyes were calm, almost cool to match the rest of her face. She didn't frown, but she didn't smile either. There wasn't a blemish on her skin, and her hair was pulled back and elaborately braided. When she put her head down, Jun could see green vines woven into her hair that matched the pattern on her kimono exactly. This was the woman in charge, Jun could feel it to the tips of his toes.
Koyuki-san prepared tea for them, every step precise and beautiful. Jun's mother surely didn't go to all this trouble for tea, and Jun was feeling very overwhelmed. When they had finished their bitter tea, Koyuki-san watched him with her perfect eyes and perfect face. Jun had a fat face, a boring head of straight, black hair, and crooked teeth. Nobody would ever pick him to serve them tea someday.
"Jun-kun," Koyuki-san said. Her voice was clear and soothing, putting him at ease in a way her stunning appearance could not. "Would you like to join us here?"
His mother looked to him, and there was hope in her eyes. He knew his parents loved him, even if his father hated his work and his mother worked herself into exhaustion. They wanted the best for him, and he'd be a rude, terrible child if he didn't do this. If he said no, he'd probably have to drop out of school in a few years to join his father in the fields. His body would be constantly sore, and his life would be shortened all so the higher classes of Omoikane could live so freely. If he said no, his mother would probably be scolded for begging for the interview when his heart wasn't in it. If he said no, he'd make his parents even more unhappy. But how could he even begin to fit in here?
Koyuki-san leaned forward, and he could smell fresh flowers. Her hands were so soft and smooth when she took his in her own. "What do you say, Jun-kun? There are many things you can learn here. Some people think Companions only exist for one thing. And you don't know how wrong that assumption is. You're a handsome young man. I can tell that you're a little shy, but shyness only means you're very considerate and thoughtful towards the people you meet. We need considerate people here. You will be very popular some day, I expect."
Jun believed every word she said. So what if the kids in school said that Companions were nothing more than prostitutes in fancy clothes, that Companions were liars and that Companions were just a bunch of fakes? Koyuki-san didn't see him as a poor kid with crooked teeth. Koyuki-san, the most beautiful person Jun had ever seen, wanted him to live there with her. Koyuki-san wanted to make him popular.
He nodded in agreement, and there were tears running down his mother's face. Within a week, Jun had been moved into the dorm with a few other boys who were in training. He was proud of his decision, proud of how Koyuki had praised his potential. But as soon as the lights went out, he could hear it through the walls.
Sounds he'd only heard in dirty movies on the Net that some of the older boys at school had hacked into during computer lab sessions. Sounds that reminded him that even though he'd make tea and learn to play traditional instruments, there was still an expectation. Koyuki-san's praises didn't follow him into the dark, but the sounds of people having sex always did.
--
3009 CE
Arashi
Port side shuttle
The console buzzed with an incoming caller. Jun sighed, shrugging out of bed and into his robe. He hurriedly smoothed his hair into a more presentable state, though he knew some of his clients liked seeing him with his bed hair. When he sat down in the cockpit and turned to squint at the screen in the dark, he grinned. He shouldn't have even bothered with the robe.
He pressed the button and was greeted with her smiling face. She immediately laughed at him. "Oh, I must have woken you!" No apology, of course. Ryoko never apologized.
"You did," he answered gruffly. "I could have made you wait even longer."
He could see that she was lounging on the chaise sofa in her sitting room, sunlight pouring in through the bay window behind her. She was effortlessly beautiful, her light brown hair cut in a bob style that suited her and few other women. "Always so grouchy in the morning, aren't you?"
He glared at the screen. "I live on a spaceship. We don't exactly have morning and night here. We sleep when our bodies tell us to."
She nodded, sipping some juice. "And where in all of space are you?"
"Inari."
Her eyes widened. "I love Inari! Best barbecue in the system. The freshest cuts of meat. Oh Jun, there's this restaurant in one of those podunk towns, Kamagaya, Kamogawa, one of those..."
"Ryoko-chan," he complained.
"...I swear, they must kill the cows in the back room, that's how fresh and delicious it is..."
"Ryoko-chan!"
She laughed at him again. "Oh, I forgot. You're a little snobby where those outer planets are concerned."
"I'm going back to sleep," he vowed.
"Alright, alright," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Some of us need more beauty sleep than others."
He finally laughed at that. He'd spent so many years training himself to be refreshed and cheerful upon waking, contrary to his natural instinct to turn over and cover his head with a pillow. Even when he wanted to burrow under the blankets for another hour or three, he forced himself to get up quietly and with little fuss so he could fix morning tea and a simple breakfast for clients while they slept. It was days like this on Arashi when he could sleep as he so chose that he really loathed being interrupted. But he made exceptions for people like Ryoko.
"You could have just left me a message, but you didn't," he said, eyeing her suspiciously. "So lonely that you need to see my face? Hear my voice?"
She winked at him. "You always see right through me."
"And that's why I'm your favorite."
"Rude and cocky this morning!" she laughed. "Okay, then let's get down to business, shall we? I need to see you. When can you come to me?"
Jun frowned at that. They'd only done a handful of jobs on the inner planets that year, and he'd made more money in two weeks on Tenjin than he had in two months jumping back and forth from Inari to Susanoo to Raijin and around again. And even though it was vastly more profitable for Sho to take jobs on the inner planets, they always seemed to come with some cost, whether it was questionable legality of the work or Sho's stubborn pride.
The captain seemed hellbent on taking jobs for people who could barely afford to pay him, thinking himself some glorious savior descending from up on high to help the poor and needy. Sho was always nagging him about being pretentious and picky, but Sakurai refused to see the same flaws in himself.
"I would have to speak with the captain. His boat, his rules," he reminded her.
She beamed. "Oh, no need to worry about convincing him. My money's good. He likes to haul things, your captain?"
He didn't like the knowing tone she always took when referring to Sho. Though he could read Ryoko like a book, it unsettled him with how well she could read him right back. Then again, they'd both been trained to do so. "He likes to haul things," Jun admitted.
"Well that's wonderful, because I have some furniture I need brought to an auction house on Fujin. I'd arrange for one of the ships around here, but your captain can probably do it for less, right?"
Always manipulative. He sighed. "You need to see me so badly you've found work for the captain to do? That's awfully nice of you. He's perfectly capable of finding his own jobs."
She leaned forward until her face was directly in front of her own comms panel. "Call me selfish, Jun, but I've always wanted to meet him. You're always talking about him and..."
"I do not always talk about him."
"Ah, ah, ah, don't argue me on that point, Matsumoto Jun. Now answer my question: when can you come to me?"
He scratched his head. "I'll speak with him today. You'll have your answer then. You may as well forward me all the details about your furniture and the auction house. He's not the type of person who will take a job based solely on my personal recommendation."
"And he's a smart man for it," she teased him. "I like men who won't move until they have all the facts. Very well then, I will be extremely detailed for your Captain Sakurai, and he'd be a fool to refuse me."
"I haven't met a person yet who has ever refused you," Jun told her, and she laughed again. Even on the other side of an asteroid belt from her, Ryoko's laugh always cheered and refreshed him. "Take care."
"Goodbye, love," she said, blowing a kiss at the screen before it cut out to black.
Jun leaned back in the shuttle's pilot seat, groaning. He was not looking forward to this conversation at all.
--
He found Sho on the treadmill in one of the unused crew quarters. Aiba had made the careless mistake of implying that Sho was getting a little soft around the middle, and that had launched the captain into a health craze. When he wasn't working, he was jogging on the treadmill, lifting weights, or blending together "health shakes" in the kitchen. He was more irritable than ever, and Jun was certain that in another week or so Meisa would order Becky to dismantle the treadmill's motor and save them all from Captain Sakurai's madness.
Jun's face betrayed nothing when he entered the room, seeing the sweaty captain's grueling pace. He'd cranked up the incline setting, and he was in shorts and a tight-fitting t-shirt, his face red as he forced himself onward. "Might I have a word with you?" Jun asked.
Sho shook his head. "Not...yet..." he managed to say as his sneakers pounded the machine. If there was one thing Sakurai Sho had never been, it was fat. Where Jun trained his body for client necessity, Sho simply wouldn't let himself go. It was a far cry from Nino and Aiba's diets of meat and junk food that kept their stomachs a little rounded.
Jun knew he could leave, come back and find Sho later when he was tossing a bunch of questionable things in the blender, but it was difficult to move. He chewed the inside of his cheek until Sho finished his run. The captain turned the machine off, putting his towel around his neck and leaning over the edge of the treadmill to stare at him.
"I need to shower."
"This will only take a moment."
Sho sighed. "Where do you need us to take you now?"
Even though they'd had this agreement for years, Sho always made Jun feel as though he was a rather heavy burden. Of course, that was because Sho was an asshole wherever Jun's job was concerned. "Omoikane," he explained calmly, even as a bead of sweat slid down from Sho's temple to his jaw. "My friend has a job for you."
"You mean your client has a job for me?"
"Yes. Well, for Arashi," Jun said. "I have business with her, and she has business for you. All in all, it's a logical arrangement. Legitimate business, mind. She was forwarding all the details to you, I'm sure Nino's already received it."
Sho wiped his face with his towel, looking irritated. "Got word of a passenger transport from Raijin. What makes you think I'll pick your job over that?"
"Ryoko-san is a wealthy woman. You'll be handsomely rewarded for your trouble." He moved away from the wall to stand just a bit closer. "And I promise to be very dutiful and take work as it comes for a while, wherever you choose to take Arashi."
Sho snorted at that. "How benevolent of you."
"Captain, I assure you that a connection with someone of Ryoko-san's status can only be a boon to Arashi," Jun explained. He felt that they'd had this same conversation a hundred times before. "Is it so much trouble to take a job on the other side of the Belt once in a while?"
Sho stepped down off the machine, grabbing his bottle of water. "I'll review her request, alright?"
He let Sho pass him by, and he grinned. It rarely went this well - maybe Jun had to catch Sho when he was exhausted more often.
He was sitting down to dinner later that evening when Nino entered the kitchen, sitting down across from him and yanking some of the food off of his plate. Nino smiled. "Yonekura Ryoko," the pilot said simply before biting into the grilled vegetables he'd snagged.
Jun raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"I think Sho-chan's mostly assumed that your lovers were old or ugly, you know, the type who have to pay for someone to have sex with them. But she sent him a personal request. A video request, asking for his help. She even addressed him as 'Captain' and said it with a straight face."
He scowled. "Is there a reason why you're interrupting my dinner?"
Nino shrugged. "I think he replayed her message about seven times in his quarters. I can track that stuff you know. And after such careful consideration, he has decided to accept." Jun wondered why Sho hadn't come to tell him that himself, but Nino was already ahead of him. "He told me to tell you, had some other stuff to do I guess. You know how he is. Anyhow, we'll be there in a few days. Must be nice for you to go to a planet where the people have decent hygiene."
Jun kept the joy of his victory to himself, smacking Nino's hand away before he tried to steal more of his dinner. "It's always a plus when they shower."
--
2999 CE
Omoikane (the fourth planet)
Sumire Temple, Inner Chambers
Jun often wondered what it would feel like to truly be desired by someone. Sumire Temple taught him everything about making one's self desirable, but nobody actually desired him. Some days he spent hours kissing until his lips were swollen and painful. Kissing boy trainees. Kissing girl trainees. Being kissed by the older Companions.
"Lean your head this way."
"Bring your hand to their head this way. Or their chin. Or their cheek."
"Nobody likes that much tongue."
Learning to kiss properly and expertly was handled with the same clinical precision that his other lessons were conducted. The proper way of shamisen playing. The proper tea ceremony. The proper way of money management. The proper way of dressing. Jun learned how to be passionate and learned it well, but being passionate and genuinely feeling passion were different things.
Everything at Sumire was learned in stages. He was sixteen and limited in scope. Kissing, fondling on the outside of clothing, massaging, training the eyes, training the face. Training your body so someone would be begging to touch you, hold you, penetrate you.
In another year or more, they'd get to touch a breast, kiss a breast, lick one instead of watching a demonstration. In another year or more, they'd learn how to please a woman between her thighs with fingers and tongue instead of watching a demonstration. In another year or more, they'd learn how to similarly please a man instead of watching a demonstration. And then when they came of age, they'd explore the final threshold - penetrating and being penetrated. Turning twenty seemed so far off.
Of course there was training outside of formal instruction. He knew some of the boys in the dorm were ahead of him. They touched one another after lights out, sucked one another off to practice. Nobody ever climbed into Jun's futon to practice on him. Jun learned what his own body liked, learned how to drag out his own pleasure, but it was always lame to do that. What was the point of a Companion pleasing themselves?
He was at an age where his body never seemed to know what it wanted. He spent his days focused, unfeeling, only absorbing knowledge. He trained himself to bottle his own wants - when a woman writhed in ecstasy before the trainees, Koyuki-san's tongue brushing against her sex in feather-light movements, Jun only sat and watched. Those who couldn't endure, those who gave in and surrendered their virginity so lightly were never seen again. Jun forced himself to endure.
Takki was a year older than Jun, and one of the most promising. He was perfectly formed, Koyuki-san always praised him. He would be greatly desired. He would fetch an amazing price at the Coming of Age ceremony - there was already speculation about what someone would pay to be with Takki for the very first time, even if it was still three years away.
Jun doubted that anyone speculated about him. Even with the strict regimens for grooming, there was little Jun could do about his skin. Every remedy he was taught, every cream he tried, nothing could give him clear, perfect skin like Takki's. Jun grew taller, but he was skinny. He had long limbs, and he was a bit clumsy as he grew into his body. His teeth were worse, and he was fairly certain he would be sent to a special clinic to have them all painfully adjusted and reshaped within another year or so. Companions were all supposed to be about bodily perfection, but Jun's body was out of control.
He could see the way Koyuki-san examined him, and the way Koyuki-san examined Takki. Takki was perfection, Jun was doomed to give pleasure to those who were just looking for something to stick their dick in. Or at least that's what he'd overheard some of the others saying once when they thought he was asleep.
When he'd first arrived, Koyuki-san had praised him for his shyness. But now his shyness was his greatest fault. It was no wonder Jun couldn't understand passion - he only knew how to fake it.
--
3009 CE
Omoikane (the fourth planet)
Himawari Temple
He wasn't used to disembarking from Arashi itself. For the last three years, Jun usually flew the shuttle he rented from Sho to see clients. This time it was unnecessary. He only had a trunk to stay for a week while Sho and the crew traveled to Fujin to drop off Ryoko's furniture. It was slightly embarrassing to exit the ship behind Sho, sensing the other crew members trailing them and staring around at the temple. He suspected that none of them had been to a place like Himawari Temple before.
He could hear Aiba and Nino laughing to each other, only to be interrupted with two loud cracks as Meisa knocked both of them on the back of the head. He withheld a smile as they all walked up the path to the Lead Companion estate where Ryoko had her private rooms. Becky was at his side, having insisted on carrying his trunk all by herself.
"I didn't think Companions had other Companions as clients," she said, blushing.
"It's always a good way to evaluate one another. Gain some insight into ways you might improve," he said with utter seriousness, even if he was laughing inside. Their questions had been coming at him rapid fire since they'd gotten through the Awaji Belt.
What kind of training really goes on in those places? How long has Ryoko-san been a Companion? How exactly did you meet? Even Meisa had asked questions, mostly innocent ones about the planet itself. Jun had answered some, only hinted at the answers to others. Sho hadn't asked him a single thing.
Some trainees were in the yard doing calisthenics, and he could see Becky's eyes drifting over to watch them. Himawari was rather cheerful for a temple, and it was most likely due to its leader. Ryoko prided herself on raising confident, caring Companions rather than delicate dolls. "Isn't that what we are?" she always told him, "Companions? We need to be someone a client wants to keep around, not just pretty ornaments."
Speaking of Ryoko, Jun was a little surprised when one of her assistants emerged from the house first rather than the mistress herself. In fact, Jun was rather confused that Ryoko wasn't in the yard leading the trainees in their exercise. The assistant was new to Jun, in his early 20's with a handsome face.
"Yonekura-san offers her apologies. Some urgent business has arisen, but if you'll allow me to escort you all into the guest sitting room, we've prepared some refreshments for you."
This assistant had been trained perfectly, Jun noted, as the young man had addressed Sho directly rather than Jun himself. It was Sho who needed to be catered to, doted on in such a situation. If Sho was angry for the delay, he didn't show it. Some other staff came to collect Jun's trunk without a word, vanishing off with it as the crew of Arashi was escorted into the building. For once, they were on their best behavior, keeping their chatter to a minimum as the assistant brought them into one of Ryoko's many beautifully decorated rooms.
Of course, he could probably leave them, go to his own guest rooms to refresh himself and prepare for his meeting with Ryoko, but he definitely couldn't trust Aiba not to sneak off in hopes of flirting with the trainees. And it would only convince Sho further that Jun was nothing more than an outsider to their crew, even after all these years. No, Jun bided his time, helping himself from the platters of fruits and cheeses that Ryoko-san's staff had prepared for them.
Finally, the assistant returned. "Yonekura-san wishes to speak with Captain Sakurai."
Jun watched Sho perk up at that, correcting his posture as he got to his feet and stood tall. Well, Jun knew, Ryoko had that effect on most everyone. They all watched Sho leave, and Aiba then took the opportunity to quiz Jun about what exactly went on behind closed doors at a temple like Himawari. Jun lied through his teeth about this or that type of lesson, leaving Aiba utterly bored at the thought of learning to play the harp to please a client.
Sho came back, and he was in work mode - a state of being that told everyone that Sho had everything planned and to deviate from it would be foolish. He directed the crew to join Ryoko's staff to retrieve all the furniture for the auction and bring it to Arashi's cargo bay. But once everyone dispersed, he remained back in the sitting room with him.
"It'll be a few days there and a few days back," Sho said. "Is there anything you need from Fujin while we're there?"
He shook his head. "No, but thank you for offering."
Sho waved him off. "She was, ah, tired I guess, but a good businesswoman. Said to tell you that she'd meet with you for dinner later."
Ryoko was passing messages with Sho as the middleman? Just what mischief was she planning now? "Oh, I see."
A few moments passed in awkward silence after that, and Jun couldn't understand why the captain was lingering behind while his crew loaded up the ship. He was obviously uncomfortable being in the confines of a place like Himawari Temple. Sho finally cleared his throat. "Well then. We'll see you in a week."
Jun bowed his head. "Again, thank you for taking on the job."
"Goodbye."
He watched Sho turn and walk away, retreating through the doorway and back to the relative safety of his ship. Jun headed for his guest quarters, washing up and changing into more casual clothing now that he was Ryoko's to command for the week.
He was summoned shortly thereafter to dinner, finding Ryoko not at the dining table in her personal chambers but on her chaise with a blanket over her legs. When she didn't get up to greet him, Jun began to worry. But with Ryoko being Ryoko, she sensed his panic immediately.
"Before you even ask," she said with a sigh, lifting the blanket to reveal that one of her long, shapely legs had been wrapped from knee to ankle with a tight bandage. "A sprain."
He exhaled in relief, walking over and bending down to brush kisses against each cheek to be proper before descending upon her mouth with far less than proper intent. She gave him a shove fairly quickly. "Yes, yes, always the flirt, you are."
He smiled and backed away just as one of the servants brought over a chaise for Jun as well. He'd be sitting the same as the lady of the temple for the meal tonight. "And how did you sprain it? Still doing acrobatic moves at your age, hmm?"
She pulled a few grapes from the platter on the table before her, flinging them at him with a laugh. "Some things get better with age, Matsumoto. But I see your attitude hasn't."
He settled down on the lounger, leaning forward lazily to snatch up a few grapes of his own. "I only tease because I love you."
"So freely said, so utterly believable," she mused. "Is that the tone of voice you use every time you lie to a client and say you love them?"
He shrugged. "I don't tell them all that I love them. That would be in poor taste."
She popped a grape in her mouth and rolled her eyes. "Jun, Jun, Jun, what ever will I do with you?"
They settled into their usual friendly chatter, Ryoko offering news of the current trainees at the temple, their positives, negatives, and future prospects. Jun continued on with the less interesting news of life aboard Arashi, the clientele that made itself available to him on the outer planets and how little they could pay him.
"If you're so unhappy, why don't you leave?" she asked him as she always did.
"I'm not unhappy," he said quietly, sipping his plum wine. And he wasn't unhappy on Arashi, Jun knew. He liked the crew, even if they were some of the most ridiculous people he'd ever met. His dissatisfaction was only from a financial standpoint. "Just frustrated. It's different."
Ryoko nodded, holding out her glass for her attendant to refill. "I liked your captain," she told him. "I liked him very much."
He turned to her, seeing her eyes sparkle wickedly. "Did he put on a fine performance for you?"
She shook her head. "I found him refreshingly transparent. An honest man working for an honest wage. Unfailingly polite, promised to take care of my furniture and all the dealings with the auction house. Said that if I found any faults in his crew's work that he would refuse payment."
"Sho said that?" Jun blurted out before reaching for more grapes. He munched on one quickly, wishing he'd held his tongue.
"He did indeed. And then he smiled," Ryoko said, voice lowering to almost a whisper. "I understand a great many things now."
Jun scowled at her. "Do you now?" Ryoko always liked to think she could psychoanalyze him.
She dragged one of her grapes along her lips and winked at him. "He's so very much like you, Jun-kun."
He raised an eyebrow. He and Sakurai, similar? "You're making fun of me now. We couldn't be more different."
"Or more alike," she insisted. "I can see why you stay with him. He's handsome, kind, hardworking, thoughtful, polite..."
"Pigheaded," Jun interrupted her. "Arrogant, judgmental, narrow-minded..."
Ryoko rested her hand on his arm. "Jun." He looked at her, the sudden sadness in her eyes enough to shut him up immediately. "You want him to look at you like anyone else. You know that's impossible, given what we do."
"You're making something out of nothing. You talk to someone like him for twenty minutes, and now you think that..."
"Jun, sweetheart," she said, squeezing his wrist. "What Sumire Temple taught you doesn't work on me, and it never will."
He held out his own glass, and the attendant refilled it without batting an eyelid. They were trained to be unflappable during even the most outrageous dinner experiences, and this one was fairly tame. Jun downed the plum wine with little elegance, feeling a little dribble from his mouth as Ryoko watched him, trying to analyze him and his motives. If only Jun could fully understand them himself.
"Did you really summon me halfway across the system so you could gloat?"
"Gloat? I'm not gloating," Ryoko said. "I just thought that if I could meet your captain I could understand you better. You've always tried to dodge the most basic of questions where he's concerned while you'd tell me about anyone else you've ever met down to the last beauty mark. I have business with you, Jun, but I didn't want to pressure you if there's somewhere you'd rather be."
"Business? What sort of business?"
That was when she dismissed her attendants, and they were finally alone. She turned to him, leaning her elbow on the chaise to stare at him. "You don't like being tied down. What attracts you about our job is the freedom it gives us, the ability to reinvent yourself for whoever you're with. You like the challenge of that, you like the planning, the preparation. More than any other Companion I've met, you work to be someone's ideal match."
He bowed his head. "Answer my question, would you?"
"Well, Jun, I called you here so I could tie you down and take your freedom away," she explained. "Himawari Temple could use some more help. Teach with me here, at my side. That was what I was going to ask you, but now I'm not so sure..."
He was only twenty-six, and she would give him such an honored position? Most instructing Companions had far more experience, were the best of the best. And she wanted him to ensure that the following generations would succeed? "Ryoko-chan..."
"It's a lot to take in, I know, but demand is higher than ever. I want to send the very best into the world, the most prepared, the most thoughtful Companions. There's nobody else I can trust, nobody else I think could do a better job."
But staying at Himawari Temple would mean a lot of changes. If he still wished to take clients, they'd have to come to him at their own expense. And he'd be stuck on one planet, in one place. At the same time, though, Ryoko was not the sort to admit weakness so readily. If she truly needed his help, she wouldn't lie to him about it.
"That's why I wanted to meet him," Ryoko said. "I wanted to know if it was even right to ask you..."
He rolled his eyes. "You think I'd turn you down because of Sakurai Sho? He would be the happiest man alive to see me leave. I'm nothing but a nuisance to him, and he's always quick to remind me of it. Sure, he'd miss the income, but he can always find another renter..."
"Another renter, Jun, but not you."
"Now you're getting romantic, and I'm worried that you sprained your brain as well as your leg. You talked to him for how long again? Did you get him to spill his life story?"
She laughed. "My dear, sweet boy, you are in love with him. You'll put up with his stubbornness and whatever he throws at you because in your heart you know he's a good man. How many offers do you get, Jun-kun, hmm? How many people throw themselves at you, beg to be with you, all so they can brag about it later? And how many times has your captain done that?"
"Sho?" he coughed. "Sho's never...Sho would never..."
"And that's why you love him, isn't it? He doesn't want Matsumoto Jun, the Companion, escort to the system's wealthiest. He doesn't want you for the clout. He wants you for you. But you refuse to see that. You refuse to believe it's even possible..."
"I will be more than happy to consider your generous offer for employment here," Jun said bitterly, getting to his feet. "I'd like to walk around the grounds in the morning, get a full rundown of what my responsibilities might entail should I choose to accept."
"I should have never asked you," Ryoko admitted. "Don't throw your freedom away to prove a point to yourself. Don't stay with me if you only want to run away from what you're feeling and don't fully understand..."
They'd never argued like this, not even in the beginning. Did he love Sakurai? What the hell was love anyway? Love was something Jun sold as a commodity, and Sho hated everything about that. Companions couldn't fall in love for real. It went against everything he knew, everything he'd trained to be.
He turned back to look at her, and there were tears in her eyes. "Ryoko, I'm sorry..."
She waved him off. "Go to sleep, sweetheart. We'll speak in the morning."
PART TWO
Rating: R for language and mention of sex (includes mention of sexual behavior by characters under 18, non-explicit)
Characters/Pairings: Matsumoto Jun/Sakurai Sho; Matsumoto Jun/Yonekura Ryoko; Nino; Aiba; Becky; Meisa; Koyuki
Summary: A Companion wore a dozen masks to suit everyone who bought their time, but there was one rule they couldn't break. Companions couldn't fall in love.
Notes/Warnings: Firefly universe. Set during 3009 CE a few months after the events of Our Mrs. Sakurai. An origin story for Jun with dates ranging from 2996-3004 for his backstory. I was asked for more Sakumoto development, but be careful what you wish for. Also hi guys I really love Yonekura Ryoko, I wonder if you can tell.
2996 CE
Omoikane (the fourth planet)
Sumire Temple, Staff Housing Block
"He's too old, isn't he?" his father complained.
His mother shook her head in her quiet way. "I spoke with Yoshiko-san, and they say they've accepted up through age sixteen before, provided they were hard workers."
"I can work hard," Jun said, poking nervously at his dinner.
"It's not the life I want for my son," his father continued, sipping more of the sake that made him more and more unpleasant with each cup he downed. Maybe if he didn't spend so much of the family's money on sake, Jun thought, they wouldn't even be having this conversation.
"It's a better life than this one," his mother insisted. "They don't just take anyone, but he'll never know poverty. He'll never go hungry, he'll want for nothing. It's more than we can give him. He's a growing boy."
His father looked at him, the dark circles under his eyes making him look as though he'd just come from a fight. "Don't want to be a farmer, do you, Jun-chan?"
Jun didn't know that for sure. But he didn't know if he wanted to be a Companion either. His father grew vegetables for Sumire Temple, and his mother cleaned Companion rooms in the temple complex. Even with such positions, the family was poor. Every extra bit of money they earned had to support his older sister's marriage prospects. If Jun was a Companion, he would live a luxurious existence. But he knew what Companions did, everyone who went to his school away from the temple grounds always talked about it. A Companion wore a dozen masks to suit everyone who bought their time, but there was one rule they couldn't break.
Companions couldn't fall in love.
Of course, Jun was twelve, almost thirteen, and he wasn't really that interested in love. His parents didn't seem to love each other, and all they ever talked about was marrying his sister off to some wealthy military type or some aristocrat from Hachiman who kept a second or third home here on Omoikane. So what was there to miss out on? Love wasn't real.
"I'll go," he agreed. "I'll go see what it's like."
--
Sumire Temple was a vast maze of narrow incense-laden corridors. He'd never been inside any of the inner rooms where the Companions trained, but the gossip mill at school had filled his imagination almost to bursting with what the training entailed. He walked at his mother's side, feeling hopelessly out of place as he moved through the richly decorated buildings.
His mother's connections had gotten Jun an interview with the Lead Companion, the highest-ranking member of the temple. Though most Companions traveled the system, Lead Companions had mostly retired save for their most loyal clients. Instead they were responsible for training the next generations of Companions. At Sumire Temple, the Lead Companion was Koyuki-san, widely praised for her beauty.
Jun was almost instantly overwhelmed by her when the door slid open, and the woman entered the sitting room where Jun and his mother had been kept waiting. Koyuki-san wore an elaborate kimono made of some fancy black fabric with roses and vines stitched all over it. Jun didn't know much about clothes, but he was pretty sure what Koyuki-san was wearing could have cost as much as his parents made in a year.
She knelt down across from them, bowing her head in greeting. Her eyes were calm, almost cool to match the rest of her face. She didn't frown, but she didn't smile either. There wasn't a blemish on her skin, and her hair was pulled back and elaborately braided. When she put her head down, Jun could see green vines woven into her hair that matched the pattern on her kimono exactly. This was the woman in charge, Jun could feel it to the tips of his toes.
Koyuki-san prepared tea for them, every step precise and beautiful. Jun's mother surely didn't go to all this trouble for tea, and Jun was feeling very overwhelmed. When they had finished their bitter tea, Koyuki-san watched him with her perfect eyes and perfect face. Jun had a fat face, a boring head of straight, black hair, and crooked teeth. Nobody would ever pick him to serve them tea someday.
"Jun-kun," Koyuki-san said. Her voice was clear and soothing, putting him at ease in a way her stunning appearance could not. "Would you like to join us here?"
His mother looked to him, and there was hope in her eyes. He knew his parents loved him, even if his father hated his work and his mother worked herself into exhaustion. They wanted the best for him, and he'd be a rude, terrible child if he didn't do this. If he said no, he'd probably have to drop out of school in a few years to join his father in the fields. His body would be constantly sore, and his life would be shortened all so the higher classes of Omoikane could live so freely. If he said no, his mother would probably be scolded for begging for the interview when his heart wasn't in it. If he said no, he'd make his parents even more unhappy. But how could he even begin to fit in here?
Koyuki-san leaned forward, and he could smell fresh flowers. Her hands were so soft and smooth when she took his in her own. "What do you say, Jun-kun? There are many things you can learn here. Some people think Companions only exist for one thing. And you don't know how wrong that assumption is. You're a handsome young man. I can tell that you're a little shy, but shyness only means you're very considerate and thoughtful towards the people you meet. We need considerate people here. You will be very popular some day, I expect."
Jun believed every word she said. So what if the kids in school said that Companions were nothing more than prostitutes in fancy clothes, that Companions were liars and that Companions were just a bunch of fakes? Koyuki-san didn't see him as a poor kid with crooked teeth. Koyuki-san, the most beautiful person Jun had ever seen, wanted him to live there with her. Koyuki-san wanted to make him popular.
He nodded in agreement, and there were tears running down his mother's face. Within a week, Jun had been moved into the dorm with a few other boys who were in training. He was proud of his decision, proud of how Koyuki had praised his potential. But as soon as the lights went out, he could hear it through the walls.
Sounds he'd only heard in dirty movies on the Net that some of the older boys at school had hacked into during computer lab sessions. Sounds that reminded him that even though he'd make tea and learn to play traditional instruments, there was still an expectation. Koyuki-san's praises didn't follow him into the dark, but the sounds of people having sex always did.
--
3009 CE
Arashi
Port side shuttle
The console buzzed with an incoming caller. Jun sighed, shrugging out of bed and into his robe. He hurriedly smoothed his hair into a more presentable state, though he knew some of his clients liked seeing him with his bed hair. When he sat down in the cockpit and turned to squint at the screen in the dark, he grinned. He shouldn't have even bothered with the robe.
He pressed the button and was greeted with her smiling face. She immediately laughed at him. "Oh, I must have woken you!" No apology, of course. Ryoko never apologized.
"You did," he answered gruffly. "I could have made you wait even longer."
He could see that she was lounging on the chaise sofa in her sitting room, sunlight pouring in through the bay window behind her. She was effortlessly beautiful, her light brown hair cut in a bob style that suited her and few other women. "Always so grouchy in the morning, aren't you?"
He glared at the screen. "I live on a spaceship. We don't exactly have morning and night here. We sleep when our bodies tell us to."
She nodded, sipping some juice. "And where in all of space are you?"
"Inari."
Her eyes widened. "I love Inari! Best barbecue in the system. The freshest cuts of meat. Oh Jun, there's this restaurant in one of those podunk towns, Kamagaya, Kamogawa, one of those..."
"Ryoko-chan," he complained.
"...I swear, they must kill the cows in the back room, that's how fresh and delicious it is..."
"Ryoko-chan!"
She laughed at him again. "Oh, I forgot. You're a little snobby where those outer planets are concerned."
"I'm going back to sleep," he vowed.
"Alright, alright," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Some of us need more beauty sleep than others."
He finally laughed at that. He'd spent so many years training himself to be refreshed and cheerful upon waking, contrary to his natural instinct to turn over and cover his head with a pillow. Even when he wanted to burrow under the blankets for another hour or three, he forced himself to get up quietly and with little fuss so he could fix morning tea and a simple breakfast for clients while they slept. It was days like this on Arashi when he could sleep as he so chose that he really loathed being interrupted. But he made exceptions for people like Ryoko.
"You could have just left me a message, but you didn't," he said, eyeing her suspiciously. "So lonely that you need to see my face? Hear my voice?"
She winked at him. "You always see right through me."
"And that's why I'm your favorite."
"Rude and cocky this morning!" she laughed. "Okay, then let's get down to business, shall we? I need to see you. When can you come to me?"
Jun frowned at that. They'd only done a handful of jobs on the inner planets that year, and he'd made more money in two weeks on Tenjin than he had in two months jumping back and forth from Inari to Susanoo to Raijin and around again. And even though it was vastly more profitable for Sho to take jobs on the inner planets, they always seemed to come with some cost, whether it was questionable legality of the work or Sho's stubborn pride.
The captain seemed hellbent on taking jobs for people who could barely afford to pay him, thinking himself some glorious savior descending from up on high to help the poor and needy. Sho was always nagging him about being pretentious and picky, but Sakurai refused to see the same flaws in himself.
"I would have to speak with the captain. His boat, his rules," he reminded her.
She beamed. "Oh, no need to worry about convincing him. My money's good. He likes to haul things, your captain?"
He didn't like the knowing tone she always took when referring to Sho. Though he could read Ryoko like a book, it unsettled him with how well she could read him right back. Then again, they'd both been trained to do so. "He likes to haul things," Jun admitted.
"Well that's wonderful, because I have some furniture I need brought to an auction house on Fujin. I'd arrange for one of the ships around here, but your captain can probably do it for less, right?"
Always manipulative. He sighed. "You need to see me so badly you've found work for the captain to do? That's awfully nice of you. He's perfectly capable of finding his own jobs."
She leaned forward until her face was directly in front of her own comms panel. "Call me selfish, Jun, but I've always wanted to meet him. You're always talking about him and..."
"I do not always talk about him."
"Ah, ah, ah, don't argue me on that point, Matsumoto Jun. Now answer my question: when can you come to me?"
He scratched his head. "I'll speak with him today. You'll have your answer then. You may as well forward me all the details about your furniture and the auction house. He's not the type of person who will take a job based solely on my personal recommendation."
"And he's a smart man for it," she teased him. "I like men who won't move until they have all the facts. Very well then, I will be extremely detailed for your Captain Sakurai, and he'd be a fool to refuse me."
"I haven't met a person yet who has ever refused you," Jun told her, and she laughed again. Even on the other side of an asteroid belt from her, Ryoko's laugh always cheered and refreshed him. "Take care."
"Goodbye, love," she said, blowing a kiss at the screen before it cut out to black.
Jun leaned back in the shuttle's pilot seat, groaning. He was not looking forward to this conversation at all.
--
He found Sho on the treadmill in one of the unused crew quarters. Aiba had made the careless mistake of implying that Sho was getting a little soft around the middle, and that had launched the captain into a health craze. When he wasn't working, he was jogging on the treadmill, lifting weights, or blending together "health shakes" in the kitchen. He was more irritable than ever, and Jun was certain that in another week or so Meisa would order Becky to dismantle the treadmill's motor and save them all from Captain Sakurai's madness.
Jun's face betrayed nothing when he entered the room, seeing the sweaty captain's grueling pace. He'd cranked up the incline setting, and he was in shorts and a tight-fitting t-shirt, his face red as he forced himself onward. "Might I have a word with you?" Jun asked.
Sho shook his head. "Not...yet..." he managed to say as his sneakers pounded the machine. If there was one thing Sakurai Sho had never been, it was fat. Where Jun trained his body for client necessity, Sho simply wouldn't let himself go. It was a far cry from Nino and Aiba's diets of meat and junk food that kept their stomachs a little rounded.
Jun knew he could leave, come back and find Sho later when he was tossing a bunch of questionable things in the blender, but it was difficult to move. He chewed the inside of his cheek until Sho finished his run. The captain turned the machine off, putting his towel around his neck and leaning over the edge of the treadmill to stare at him.
"I need to shower."
"This will only take a moment."
Sho sighed. "Where do you need us to take you now?"
Even though they'd had this agreement for years, Sho always made Jun feel as though he was a rather heavy burden. Of course, that was because Sho was an asshole wherever Jun's job was concerned. "Omoikane," he explained calmly, even as a bead of sweat slid down from Sho's temple to his jaw. "My friend has a job for you."
"You mean your client has a job for me?"
"Yes. Well, for Arashi," Jun said. "I have business with her, and she has business for you. All in all, it's a logical arrangement. Legitimate business, mind. She was forwarding all the details to you, I'm sure Nino's already received it."
Sho wiped his face with his towel, looking irritated. "Got word of a passenger transport from Raijin. What makes you think I'll pick your job over that?"
"Ryoko-san is a wealthy woman. You'll be handsomely rewarded for your trouble." He moved away from the wall to stand just a bit closer. "And I promise to be very dutiful and take work as it comes for a while, wherever you choose to take Arashi."
Sho snorted at that. "How benevolent of you."
"Captain, I assure you that a connection with someone of Ryoko-san's status can only be a boon to Arashi," Jun explained. He felt that they'd had this same conversation a hundred times before. "Is it so much trouble to take a job on the other side of the Belt once in a while?"
Sho stepped down off the machine, grabbing his bottle of water. "I'll review her request, alright?"
He let Sho pass him by, and he grinned. It rarely went this well - maybe Jun had to catch Sho when he was exhausted more often.
He was sitting down to dinner later that evening when Nino entered the kitchen, sitting down across from him and yanking some of the food off of his plate. Nino smiled. "Yonekura Ryoko," the pilot said simply before biting into the grilled vegetables he'd snagged.
Jun raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"I think Sho-chan's mostly assumed that your lovers were old or ugly, you know, the type who have to pay for someone to have sex with them. But she sent him a personal request. A video request, asking for his help. She even addressed him as 'Captain' and said it with a straight face."
He scowled. "Is there a reason why you're interrupting my dinner?"
Nino shrugged. "I think he replayed her message about seven times in his quarters. I can track that stuff you know. And after such careful consideration, he has decided to accept." Jun wondered why Sho hadn't come to tell him that himself, but Nino was already ahead of him. "He told me to tell you, had some other stuff to do I guess. You know how he is. Anyhow, we'll be there in a few days. Must be nice for you to go to a planet where the people have decent hygiene."
Jun kept the joy of his victory to himself, smacking Nino's hand away before he tried to steal more of his dinner. "It's always a plus when they shower."
--
2999 CE
Omoikane (the fourth planet)
Sumire Temple, Inner Chambers
Jun often wondered what it would feel like to truly be desired by someone. Sumire Temple taught him everything about making one's self desirable, but nobody actually desired him. Some days he spent hours kissing until his lips were swollen and painful. Kissing boy trainees. Kissing girl trainees. Being kissed by the older Companions.
"Lean your head this way."
"Bring your hand to their head this way. Or their chin. Or their cheek."
"Nobody likes that much tongue."
Learning to kiss properly and expertly was handled with the same clinical precision that his other lessons were conducted. The proper way of shamisen playing. The proper tea ceremony. The proper way of money management. The proper way of dressing. Jun learned how to be passionate and learned it well, but being passionate and genuinely feeling passion were different things.
Everything at Sumire was learned in stages. He was sixteen and limited in scope. Kissing, fondling on the outside of clothing, massaging, training the eyes, training the face. Training your body so someone would be begging to touch you, hold you, penetrate you.
In another year or more, they'd get to touch a breast, kiss a breast, lick one instead of watching a demonstration. In another year or more, they'd learn how to please a woman between her thighs with fingers and tongue instead of watching a demonstration. In another year or more, they'd learn how to similarly please a man instead of watching a demonstration. And then when they came of age, they'd explore the final threshold - penetrating and being penetrated. Turning twenty seemed so far off.
Of course there was training outside of formal instruction. He knew some of the boys in the dorm were ahead of him. They touched one another after lights out, sucked one another off to practice. Nobody ever climbed into Jun's futon to practice on him. Jun learned what his own body liked, learned how to drag out his own pleasure, but it was always lame to do that. What was the point of a Companion pleasing themselves?
He was at an age where his body never seemed to know what it wanted. He spent his days focused, unfeeling, only absorbing knowledge. He trained himself to bottle his own wants - when a woman writhed in ecstasy before the trainees, Koyuki-san's tongue brushing against her sex in feather-light movements, Jun only sat and watched. Those who couldn't endure, those who gave in and surrendered their virginity so lightly were never seen again. Jun forced himself to endure.
Takki was a year older than Jun, and one of the most promising. He was perfectly formed, Koyuki-san always praised him. He would be greatly desired. He would fetch an amazing price at the Coming of Age ceremony - there was already speculation about what someone would pay to be with Takki for the very first time, even if it was still three years away.
Jun doubted that anyone speculated about him. Even with the strict regimens for grooming, there was little Jun could do about his skin. Every remedy he was taught, every cream he tried, nothing could give him clear, perfect skin like Takki's. Jun grew taller, but he was skinny. He had long limbs, and he was a bit clumsy as he grew into his body. His teeth were worse, and he was fairly certain he would be sent to a special clinic to have them all painfully adjusted and reshaped within another year or so. Companions were all supposed to be about bodily perfection, but Jun's body was out of control.
He could see the way Koyuki-san examined him, and the way Koyuki-san examined Takki. Takki was perfection, Jun was doomed to give pleasure to those who were just looking for something to stick their dick in. Or at least that's what he'd overheard some of the others saying once when they thought he was asleep.
When he'd first arrived, Koyuki-san had praised him for his shyness. But now his shyness was his greatest fault. It was no wonder Jun couldn't understand passion - he only knew how to fake it.
--
3009 CE
Omoikane (the fourth planet)
Himawari Temple
He wasn't used to disembarking from Arashi itself. For the last three years, Jun usually flew the shuttle he rented from Sho to see clients. This time it was unnecessary. He only had a trunk to stay for a week while Sho and the crew traveled to Fujin to drop off Ryoko's furniture. It was slightly embarrassing to exit the ship behind Sho, sensing the other crew members trailing them and staring around at the temple. He suspected that none of them had been to a place like Himawari Temple before.
He could hear Aiba and Nino laughing to each other, only to be interrupted with two loud cracks as Meisa knocked both of them on the back of the head. He withheld a smile as they all walked up the path to the Lead Companion estate where Ryoko had her private rooms. Becky was at his side, having insisted on carrying his trunk all by herself.
"I didn't think Companions had other Companions as clients," she said, blushing.
"It's always a good way to evaluate one another. Gain some insight into ways you might improve," he said with utter seriousness, even if he was laughing inside. Their questions had been coming at him rapid fire since they'd gotten through the Awaji Belt.
What kind of training really goes on in those places? How long has Ryoko-san been a Companion? How exactly did you meet? Even Meisa had asked questions, mostly innocent ones about the planet itself. Jun had answered some, only hinted at the answers to others. Sho hadn't asked him a single thing.
Some trainees were in the yard doing calisthenics, and he could see Becky's eyes drifting over to watch them. Himawari was rather cheerful for a temple, and it was most likely due to its leader. Ryoko prided herself on raising confident, caring Companions rather than delicate dolls. "Isn't that what we are?" she always told him, "Companions? We need to be someone a client wants to keep around, not just pretty ornaments."
Speaking of Ryoko, Jun was a little surprised when one of her assistants emerged from the house first rather than the mistress herself. In fact, Jun was rather confused that Ryoko wasn't in the yard leading the trainees in their exercise. The assistant was new to Jun, in his early 20's with a handsome face.
"Yonekura-san offers her apologies. Some urgent business has arisen, but if you'll allow me to escort you all into the guest sitting room, we've prepared some refreshments for you."
This assistant had been trained perfectly, Jun noted, as the young man had addressed Sho directly rather than Jun himself. It was Sho who needed to be catered to, doted on in such a situation. If Sho was angry for the delay, he didn't show it. Some other staff came to collect Jun's trunk without a word, vanishing off with it as the crew of Arashi was escorted into the building. For once, they were on their best behavior, keeping their chatter to a minimum as the assistant brought them into one of Ryoko's many beautifully decorated rooms.
Of course, he could probably leave them, go to his own guest rooms to refresh himself and prepare for his meeting with Ryoko, but he definitely couldn't trust Aiba not to sneak off in hopes of flirting with the trainees. And it would only convince Sho further that Jun was nothing more than an outsider to their crew, even after all these years. No, Jun bided his time, helping himself from the platters of fruits and cheeses that Ryoko-san's staff had prepared for them.
Finally, the assistant returned. "Yonekura-san wishes to speak with Captain Sakurai."
Jun watched Sho perk up at that, correcting his posture as he got to his feet and stood tall. Well, Jun knew, Ryoko had that effect on most everyone. They all watched Sho leave, and Aiba then took the opportunity to quiz Jun about what exactly went on behind closed doors at a temple like Himawari. Jun lied through his teeth about this or that type of lesson, leaving Aiba utterly bored at the thought of learning to play the harp to please a client.
Sho came back, and he was in work mode - a state of being that told everyone that Sho had everything planned and to deviate from it would be foolish. He directed the crew to join Ryoko's staff to retrieve all the furniture for the auction and bring it to Arashi's cargo bay. But once everyone dispersed, he remained back in the sitting room with him.
"It'll be a few days there and a few days back," Sho said. "Is there anything you need from Fujin while we're there?"
He shook his head. "No, but thank you for offering."
Sho waved him off. "She was, ah, tired I guess, but a good businesswoman. Said to tell you that she'd meet with you for dinner later."
Ryoko was passing messages with Sho as the middleman? Just what mischief was she planning now? "Oh, I see."
A few moments passed in awkward silence after that, and Jun couldn't understand why the captain was lingering behind while his crew loaded up the ship. He was obviously uncomfortable being in the confines of a place like Himawari Temple. Sho finally cleared his throat. "Well then. We'll see you in a week."
Jun bowed his head. "Again, thank you for taking on the job."
"Goodbye."
He watched Sho turn and walk away, retreating through the doorway and back to the relative safety of his ship. Jun headed for his guest quarters, washing up and changing into more casual clothing now that he was Ryoko's to command for the week.
He was summoned shortly thereafter to dinner, finding Ryoko not at the dining table in her personal chambers but on her chaise with a blanket over her legs. When she didn't get up to greet him, Jun began to worry. But with Ryoko being Ryoko, she sensed his panic immediately.
"Before you even ask," she said with a sigh, lifting the blanket to reveal that one of her long, shapely legs had been wrapped from knee to ankle with a tight bandage. "A sprain."
He exhaled in relief, walking over and bending down to brush kisses against each cheek to be proper before descending upon her mouth with far less than proper intent. She gave him a shove fairly quickly. "Yes, yes, always the flirt, you are."
He smiled and backed away just as one of the servants brought over a chaise for Jun as well. He'd be sitting the same as the lady of the temple for the meal tonight. "And how did you sprain it? Still doing acrobatic moves at your age, hmm?"
She pulled a few grapes from the platter on the table before her, flinging them at him with a laugh. "Some things get better with age, Matsumoto. But I see your attitude hasn't."
He settled down on the lounger, leaning forward lazily to snatch up a few grapes of his own. "I only tease because I love you."
"So freely said, so utterly believable," she mused. "Is that the tone of voice you use every time you lie to a client and say you love them?"
He shrugged. "I don't tell them all that I love them. That would be in poor taste."
She popped a grape in her mouth and rolled her eyes. "Jun, Jun, Jun, what ever will I do with you?"
They settled into their usual friendly chatter, Ryoko offering news of the current trainees at the temple, their positives, negatives, and future prospects. Jun continued on with the less interesting news of life aboard Arashi, the clientele that made itself available to him on the outer planets and how little they could pay him.
"If you're so unhappy, why don't you leave?" she asked him as she always did.
"I'm not unhappy," he said quietly, sipping his plum wine. And he wasn't unhappy on Arashi, Jun knew. He liked the crew, even if they were some of the most ridiculous people he'd ever met. His dissatisfaction was only from a financial standpoint. "Just frustrated. It's different."
Ryoko nodded, holding out her glass for her attendant to refill. "I liked your captain," she told him. "I liked him very much."
He turned to her, seeing her eyes sparkle wickedly. "Did he put on a fine performance for you?"
She shook her head. "I found him refreshingly transparent. An honest man working for an honest wage. Unfailingly polite, promised to take care of my furniture and all the dealings with the auction house. Said that if I found any faults in his crew's work that he would refuse payment."
"Sho said that?" Jun blurted out before reaching for more grapes. He munched on one quickly, wishing he'd held his tongue.
"He did indeed. And then he smiled," Ryoko said, voice lowering to almost a whisper. "I understand a great many things now."
Jun scowled at her. "Do you now?" Ryoko always liked to think she could psychoanalyze him.
She dragged one of her grapes along her lips and winked at him. "He's so very much like you, Jun-kun."
He raised an eyebrow. He and Sakurai, similar? "You're making fun of me now. We couldn't be more different."
"Or more alike," she insisted. "I can see why you stay with him. He's handsome, kind, hardworking, thoughtful, polite..."
"Pigheaded," Jun interrupted her. "Arrogant, judgmental, narrow-minded..."
Ryoko rested her hand on his arm. "Jun." He looked at her, the sudden sadness in her eyes enough to shut him up immediately. "You want him to look at you like anyone else. You know that's impossible, given what we do."
"You're making something out of nothing. You talk to someone like him for twenty minutes, and now you think that..."
"Jun, sweetheart," she said, squeezing his wrist. "What Sumire Temple taught you doesn't work on me, and it never will."
He held out his own glass, and the attendant refilled it without batting an eyelid. They were trained to be unflappable during even the most outrageous dinner experiences, and this one was fairly tame. Jun downed the plum wine with little elegance, feeling a little dribble from his mouth as Ryoko watched him, trying to analyze him and his motives. If only Jun could fully understand them himself.
"Did you really summon me halfway across the system so you could gloat?"
"Gloat? I'm not gloating," Ryoko said. "I just thought that if I could meet your captain I could understand you better. You've always tried to dodge the most basic of questions where he's concerned while you'd tell me about anyone else you've ever met down to the last beauty mark. I have business with you, Jun, but I didn't want to pressure you if there's somewhere you'd rather be."
"Business? What sort of business?"
That was when she dismissed her attendants, and they were finally alone. She turned to him, leaning her elbow on the chaise to stare at him. "You don't like being tied down. What attracts you about our job is the freedom it gives us, the ability to reinvent yourself for whoever you're with. You like the challenge of that, you like the planning, the preparation. More than any other Companion I've met, you work to be someone's ideal match."
He bowed his head. "Answer my question, would you?"
"Well, Jun, I called you here so I could tie you down and take your freedom away," she explained. "Himawari Temple could use some more help. Teach with me here, at my side. That was what I was going to ask you, but now I'm not so sure..."
He was only twenty-six, and she would give him such an honored position? Most instructing Companions had far more experience, were the best of the best. And she wanted him to ensure that the following generations would succeed? "Ryoko-chan..."
"It's a lot to take in, I know, but demand is higher than ever. I want to send the very best into the world, the most prepared, the most thoughtful Companions. There's nobody else I can trust, nobody else I think could do a better job."
But staying at Himawari Temple would mean a lot of changes. If he still wished to take clients, they'd have to come to him at their own expense. And he'd be stuck on one planet, in one place. At the same time, though, Ryoko was not the sort to admit weakness so readily. If she truly needed his help, she wouldn't lie to him about it.
"That's why I wanted to meet him," Ryoko said. "I wanted to know if it was even right to ask you..."
He rolled his eyes. "You think I'd turn you down because of Sakurai Sho? He would be the happiest man alive to see me leave. I'm nothing but a nuisance to him, and he's always quick to remind me of it. Sure, he'd miss the income, but he can always find another renter..."
"Another renter, Jun, but not you."
"Now you're getting romantic, and I'm worried that you sprained your brain as well as your leg. You talked to him for how long again? Did you get him to spill his life story?"
She laughed. "My dear, sweet boy, you are in love with him. You'll put up with his stubbornness and whatever he throws at you because in your heart you know he's a good man. How many offers do you get, Jun-kun, hmm? How many people throw themselves at you, beg to be with you, all so they can brag about it later? And how many times has your captain done that?"
"Sho?" he coughed. "Sho's never...Sho would never..."
"And that's why you love him, isn't it? He doesn't want Matsumoto Jun, the Companion, escort to the system's wealthiest. He doesn't want you for the clout. He wants you for you. But you refuse to see that. You refuse to believe it's even possible..."
"I will be more than happy to consider your generous offer for employment here," Jun said bitterly, getting to his feet. "I'd like to walk around the grounds in the morning, get a full rundown of what my responsibilities might entail should I choose to accept."
"I should have never asked you," Ryoko admitted. "Don't throw your freedom away to prove a point to yourself. Don't stay with me if you only want to run away from what you're feeling and don't fully understand..."
They'd never argued like this, not even in the beginning. Did he love Sakurai? What the hell was love anyway? Love was something Jun sold as a commodity, and Sho hated everything about that. Companions couldn't fall in love for real. It went against everything he knew, everything he'd trained to be.
He turned back to look at her, and there were tears in her eyes. "Ryoko, I'm sorry..."
She waved him off. "Go to sleep, sweetheart. We'll speak in the morning."
PART TWO