Ikebana [Part 1]

Jun 08, 2011 00:17

Title: Ikebana
Rating: PG-15
Genre: Romance, Drama, AU
Pairing: Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun
Summary: [Companion Fic to Zinnia] Tasked to make sure the negotiation with Xing officials go well for Chousen, Zhou Mi seeks help. And it is found in the form of the Zinnia Kakutasu - the flower of lust and sex.

Like Ikebana, the world of intrigue is a world of structured beauty - of straight lines and careful arrangements. One loose stem, one flower astray, and the arrangement is doomed to fail. Will Kyuhyun prove to be a supporting stem, or will he be that stray flower that will spoil everything?

|Part 1|

Twilight has come, alighting its translucent wings of shadow onto the land. The sun-washed colours are bathed with a cover of mysterious, and they should be glad, but they writhe and slowly retreat inside despite the unique vibrancy they are given, for no matter what, they are day time items, and twilight is only a warning for them to retreat.

For the items of the night would be creeping out soon. The things that could afford to come out for they shined even in darkness. Colours neon and unnatural, yet beautiful in contrast. And they had already begun to, a string of lights here, a flash of vibrant cloth there. Glowing brighter with each darkening second, as if slowly waking up.
It was business as usual - the floating world was awakening with its usual grand flourish.

But tonight, tonight it is not the only thing waking up. Because somewhere else in the same country but a different land altogether, where there is propriety and protocol, there is news of arrival of a boat. Singular. But it causes waves - small ones at first, but if they’re not careful, a tsunami.

No one would know it, but it would be the start of changes. And no one could guess that it is in the seemingly frivolous world of floating dreams that would be the platform for the most serious of them to play out.

Somewhere in Xing, a butterfly flaps its wings.

~*~

‘There’s nothing different about tonight.’

That was the thought in his head as Kyuhyun pinned his hair high onto his head with ostentatious gold and glimmering jewels; tying his obi with practiced ease and accurate fingers. He’s wearing his favourite robes tonight - the white and gold ones. Favourite only because he knows that Mama-san doesn’t like it when he wears them. She likes elaborate and gaudy, because humans are easily attracted to them, like bees to honey. And these robes are the plainest he has.

It was the thought in his head as he walked through the corridors, making it a point to ignore all the bows - both the respectful and grudging ones. It’s his privilege as Tayuu - one he plans to make full use of. And it’s that position that keeps him safe from Mama-san’s temper, although not from her greed and account books.

It was that thought as he was led to his usual cage, placed in the most central, strategic spot for the most customers. And Mama-san takes over the proceeding for his bids as per usual, and from painful red lacquered grip as she helps him into his cage, Kyuhyun can tell that she expects to be disappointed that night. Kyuhyun ignores her and her beliefs that simplicity would drive away new potential customers. He would try to put off wearing that new red and gold monstrosity for as long as he could.

It is that thought as now surveys the crowd before him, peeking through the wooden bars from under lowered eyelashes. There is the flash of white paper ever so often, for everyone knows that a Tayuu of the house could never be gained by those who called their bids through shouting. And yet those who scream through the crowd continue to scream. Pointless and in vain.

Kyuhyun smothers another sigh and another yawn. ’There really is nothing different about tonight.’

~*~

The guard at the gate of the floating world is thinking the very same thing. He had swords in the shed that is behind him and money pressed into his hands every once so often. But it’s all in a night’s work.

He doesn’t even give second glance to the two who walk inside now. They’re just some poor saps who want to be part of the hype, lusting and wishing. They would go home frustrated, and maybe jerk each other off.

Or at least, that’s what the clothes, the simple, blue commoner outfits, tell him. And that’s what they want him to think. It wouldn’t do for the guard to know that the monthly income of one of them would be far more than he would ever earn in several lives.

They pass the guard with no incident, and Zhou Mi shakes his head as his servant and friend Henli lets out a deep sigh of relief. “Even after so many years with me, doing such things still makes you nervous.”

“Not my fault.” Henli mumbles, and Zhou Mi chuckles, patting his shoulder. For it really isn’t - Henli’s fault that is, that his young master happened to go into the business of shadows and lying. And such a business, whoever it is for, is equally dangerous on all levels.

“Well, even if that is true, we have a job to do tonight.” Zhou Mi checks again, the stamp hidden well inside the folds of his robe. It would be the last time he would do so, in case an observant thief felt the urge to pick his pocket or worse. He looks up to see Henli openly flaunting the pieces of white paper that they will need and suppresses as sigh as he lowers Henli’s hand. The sheepish smile on Henli’s face is the only apology he gets for it was a chiding he often dealt to his trusted, but regretfully naïve and clumsy servant.

There is fortunately, a lack of mishaps as the dog hour arrives and the two continue on down the street. And they make only one stop on the way, Zhou Mi pausing to give a coin for a little girl selling the yellow chrysanthemums to be offered to the gods as prayers for the royal family.

~*~

Kyuhyun watches as yet another servant returns to one of his regulars and he can tell who would probably get him tonight. He tells himself he’s not like other Zinnia, worrying that their customer for the night would be abusive and injurious. No, he only wants to be prepared, to have time to compile a checklist of needs in his head. Because although it’s likely that tonight would be another regular, even regulars have change in moods. He would need to remember all the signs, so that he could change himself to please.

But years of practice allowed Kyuhyun to gather that information within seconds. The one who is most likely to win is, like so many, a rich merchant wanting to get away from the wife. This one happened to like calling him abusive names. Slut. Whore. Kyuhyun would have to indulge in his fantasies. To be submissive, to let him lead and to give him good sex. Boring. And it left Kyuhyun to scan the crowd in his favourite activity of people watching. They all usually fall into one category or another. Those who are here to purchase, those who are here just for the hype, and those who are here just to watch.

And then there are those who are none of those three. It is they that interests Kyuhyun. But they are rare and far in between. And tonight, lady luck shines on him for there is one in the crowd. A man - tall, dressed in simple clothes. He seems, at first, only to be there to watch. His eyes eagle sharp, observing not only the Zinnia, but also the crowd.

However, Kyuhyun also notices the man standing beside him. He’s wearing the same sort of clothes as the first man, yet when they speak to each other, it is obvious that this second man defers to the first. A deeper bow, tiny mannerisms. Servant mannerisms. And that servant is now pulling slips of white paper from under his robe. The first man is no watcher - he is a buyer.

But what is a man of wealth and status dressing the same as his servant? What more a man who is planning to purchase? Winning a bid meant knowing how to work the intricacies of it system. And as much as Kyuhyun hates to admit it, that involves flaunting your wealth, and dressing accordingly. A customer had once told him that he sometimes dressed beyond his wealth in order to deter his competitors - discourage some from even making a bid.

That meant that this man had some other sort of means to secure his winning. Either an inordinate amount of money or…

Either way, it is intriguing. And Kyuhyun likes intriguing even if this man is a rogue element. Rogue elements usually mean uncertainty and the possibility of pain to other Zinnia. To Kyuhyun it means something interesting would finally happen. It helps his decision that a new customer would mean proving Mama-san wrong - that simplicity attracted some people too - the sort who were the real sort of rich and the real sort of powerful.

So Kyuhyun does his usual trick. He lifts his fan, flicking it in a direction which would glint light off the gold plating and attract the man’s attention. He doesn’t wait to see, for he knows that he is successful. All he does is lift his eyes from its usual lowered position and meet the man’s eyes.

It’s mere moments of contact. But Kyuhyun knows already what the outcome will be. And he smiles to himself when he spots the man’s servant coming up to Mama-san with a slip of paper, mentally patting himself on the back for a job well done. He wouldn’t be surprised when the name of the winner announced would be one he doesn’t know. But he does wonder who this man actually is, and what he has that he’s so assured of his winning.

Later, as Kyuhyun is led out of his cage and back inside, Mama-san, with no small amount of excited surprise, announces to Kyuhyun that his new customer is from the palace. And it all starts to make sense.

~*~

The customer doesn’t know he’s already arrived, but Kyuhyun is fine with that. He stands at the entrance, looking through the slit between the door and its frame, silent. Breath soft enough to meld with the background noise, figure absolutely still, just observing.

They call him Kakutasu. The cactus flower. The flower that blooms out of a plant of thorns. The irony. Because like the cactus, Kyuhyun has many thorns. He’s awkwardly built, and not terribly pretty. Makeup and clothes could hide that, but it couldn’t hide his admittedly unpleasant disposition and tendency for sarcasm. No one in the house had been spared his withering wit and intellect. And more often than not, the other occupants were left scratching their heads, wondering if they had just been praised or horribly insulted.

And yet, he is the tayuu of the house. For some reason Mama-san has yet to figure out, all his customers come back with lust in their eyes and sordid sex in their minds. And as much as she hates his guts, she recognizes his worth. And often, when she isn’t actually dealing with him, did she pat herself on her back for taking the trouble to dress up some two-bit brat and making him into her star.

Nobody has ever asked him what his secret is, thinking that it’s a trade secret he would never share. But truthfully, he could tell the whole world about it, and only a handful would be able to do what he does. To watch, to profile and to construct a whole identity just for that person. To make contort themselves into a figment of imagination. To provide a perfect fantasy, even for just one night.

And that is what he does now. He takes in the man’s appearance with one fell swoop and the results surprise him. Or rather, they don’t. The man is tall, and he looks mildly foreign. Yet his mannerisms are all local - well-bred, but local. Short hair, brown. Straight teeth, strong jawline and beautiful hands. And behaviour absolutely neutral.

That is the most curious thing. Because everyone has a manner that tells of their emotional leanings. Light mannerism means a happy disposition. And heavier footsteps either sadness or anger. Even an emotionless face tells volumes of stoic and straight-laced behaviour. Yet, the expression on this man’s face, Kyuhyun could never give a definite stereotype - for there are just that: neither this nor that, here nor there. His lips are just that angle which aren’t happy, yet aren’t sad. His posture isn’t slouched, nor is it ram-rod straight. His movement’s aren’t slow, yet they aren’t brisk. They are just… that.

But it is that which was most telling, and Kyuhyun knows that if his theory is correct, that neutral position would change the moment he makes his presence known.

So, he does just that.

~*~

Zhou Mi has been waiting a while, which comes as a bit of a surprise to him although none of it shows on his face. He had expected the entire household to be rushing to serve him because of the seal that had been placed with his bid.

But he does suppose the whole household might possibly be at a loss as to what to do. And he can almost imagine all of them running around like headless chickens. Maybe the Mama-san had pulled the Zinnia aside to specifically instruct him on how to behave in order to please him - a high ranking officer in the palace. Maybe they would hurry and change him into clothes more expensive, more scanty. Make sure he had a good night, and maybe he would come back again.

They would be surprised when they find out that Zhou Mi isn’t here for what they think.

Then finally, he hears a noise behind him, the door sliding open. And he turns around to see the Zinnia he had paid for bowing demurely at him. “Joomyuk-nim.”

The Zinnia says his name - or rather it’s his name in a different form. Joomyuk. Zhou Mi. Same thing, different language. He hasn’t bothered with a pseudonym tonight - no point for what he’s going to do, as long as he doesn’t have to deal with people massacring the pronunciation of his name. But he would employ a different character - one not his own, because it would be essential that the Zinnia could deal with a certain sort of person.

He straightens his back, staring at the Zinnia with dispassionate eyes. And he set his mouth into a haughty curve, a domineering sneer, making a point out of examining the Zinnia as if inspecting a vase or cow he’d just bought. A piece of property.

“Yes… and you are Kakutasu.”

The Zinnia’s only answer is a bow. And he’s so demure that Zhou Mi wonders why he’d been given such a… bold name. He’d only found out the Zinnia’s flower name after the purchase had been made. And it interests him because Zinnia provide a fantasy for those who can afford it, and that fantasy usually includes the images of soft petals and fragrance, brought to mind with each flower name. The only image Kakutasu brings to mind is thorns. Not exactly an enchanting image of something you want to spend the night with.

“Well, then. What can you offer me?” He asks in a curt manner, imagining a stick shoved up his ass. That way, it makes it look more authentic as he strides over to the Zinnia, pinning him to the wall. His tall height usually makes it easy to do so, although this Zinnia, he realizes only now, is rather tall as well. “Well?”

The Zinnia smiles, a sweet flutter of the eyebrows, and before Zhou Mi realizes it, there’s a mouth over his, warm and soft. And he doesn’t realize it too late that he’s moving his lips along with the others, and arms are thrown around his neck. The next thing he knows he’s panting for breath and there’s a tongue licking the curve of his ear. And he freezes, because this isn’t supposed to happen. He’s been years into the service, and all his careful safeguards have been undone by a single kiss.

He can practically feel the Zinnia smiling in triumph. And for a moment he wonders if he’d just walked into a trap, and the Zinnia is actually an assassin.

But then Zhou Mi’s thoughts are interrupted by a laugh and he stares, scandalized, as the Zinnia breaks out into raucous laughter.

As if spotting Zhou Mi’s distress, the Zinnia’s lip curl into a smile nothing like the demure thing that had been in front of him a few moments earlier. And he leans close again, whispering a single sentence into Zhou Mi’s ear that leaves him wide-eyed and gasping in disbelief.

~*~

“‘So, did I pass the test?’”

“Wait. He knew?” Zhou Mi looks up and he smiles at the absolutely stunned look that Henli has. Although, he can’t really make fun of his trusted servant this time since he too was equally shocked when met with that situation. “You’re saying that the Zinnia knew that you were here on official business?”

“Yes. I am.” Zhou Mi sighs, running a hand through his hair. Even now, the entire meeting feels so surreal. The whole ‘hello, there, nice to meet you. I know everyone thinks we should have sex now, but you and I know otherwise’. “That man knew that I didn’t buy him for my own pleasure, and he knew that I was on business from the palace. And the purpose of our meeting was so that I could screen him for a task.”

“Well, obviously he would know that you were from the palace, but how did he know you didn’t buy him for pleasure? Did you…?”

“No, I carried out everything as planned. I played the part of a stuck up minister perfectly.” Zhou Mi bites his lip, turning to Henli. The Zinnia had said the same too, and that it would have worked on anyone except him.

“Huh… so you’re saying that the Zinnia just… knew?”

Zhou Mi snorts, “He didn’t just know - he provided a rationale explanation for every accusation. He explained in great detail about how he noticed the both of us in the crowd. And how our plain clothing was suspicious, especially since we were obviously master and servant. He said that no rich person would disguise himself as a commoner if he was here for pleasure, not even if someone from the palace. And that meant that I was definitely here for some other reason.”

“That is…” Henli looks so distressed that Zhou Mi laughs, patting his head. “There was one thing he didn’t know though.”

Henli perks up, “What was it?”

“The most important thing of course: what the real reason I was here for.”

“Great! So you paid him off and now we’re going to find someone else?”

Zhou Mi gives Henli a strange look, “No. I told him the real reason.”

“Ah… good. Goo-What?”

“Why the surprise? He’s exactly what I’m looking for.” Zhou Mi begins listing off. “He’s smart, he knows who to deal with high ranking ministers, he’s high-ranked a Zinnia enough… it’s an added bonus he’s as observant as he is, it means that he can act accordingly to ward off suspicion. And the best thing,” he has a voice that could only be a gift from God, “he’s bribable. He’s perfect.”

“No… wait, don’t you think someone like that is suspicious?” Henli looks dubious and Zhou Mi takes in a deep breath, reminding himself Henli was only thinking the best for him. “I mean, he might be an informant from the other side?”

“Would an informant from the other side behave so suspiciously?” Zhou Mi chuckles, as Henli admits to himself his young master was right. “Besides, I don’t think he’s suspicious… he’s just… scary.”

“Scary?”

“Well, after I told him everything about his task, he accepted the job. But before I could go off, he stopped me and pulled me back down asking where I was going.” Zhou Mi shivers a little at the memory. The intense eyes filled with amusement staring up at him like hypnotic glass. “He asked why we weren’t continuing with what we were doing earlier.”

Henli’s eyes were pretty wide themselves, just not as dark. Or alluring. “…What?”

“He said that I must have paid a fortune in people’s taxes, so I mustn’t waste it all. And the most economical way was to have sex with him.” Zhou Mi remembers the touches, a hand going under his robe that he, with all his training in martial arts, couldn’t push off. “‘His exact words: After all, you hired the Kakutasu - the flower of lust and sex. So you should get your money’s worth.’”

There had been a seductive smile, and a drawled out ‘Right?’ which had sent shivers chasing each other down Zhou Mi’s spine. But he wasn’t about to share that with Henli.

“That truly is terrifying…” Henli shivers, rubbing his arm as if cold, even though the night air tonight is warm, made warmer by the crowd bustling through the floating world. “So… you refused right?”

“Sorry?”

“The sex. You refused, right?”

Zhou Mi laughs, pinching one of Henli’s round cheeks, and the boy protests, “Of course I did, Henli. What do you take me for?”

Henli sighs in relief as Zhou Mi lets go, both for Zhou Mi’s refusal of sex, and the chance to rub his poor abused cheeks.

“I asked for a blow job instead.” Zhou Mi says in retrospect, just because he hadn’t teased Henli in a long, long while. And he receives a yelp and a scandalized look as reward.

Not that he’d said it just for the sake of seeing Henli squirm. It is amusing, but he isn’t that masochistic to make a blow job up only for that.

Although, in retrospect, he might be some other sort of masochistic for agreeing to it. The blow job, that is.

~*~

| Part 2|

[A/N: This storyline occurs at the same time as Zinnia, as such, it would be best to read that story first. However, this fic can be read alone. As the last fic, it is based on the Yoshiwara district of Edo Japan with a few futuristic twists. Inspired by the song ‘Otegami’ by SID and a reading spree of coley_merrin ’s fics, it was supposed to be a lot more emotional. But well… it’s Kyuhyun…

I have no… QMi lj friends to dedicate this to… so I guess this goes to mskatness  for her help when I was having trouble with this little thing.]

!zinnia, !ikebana, !fic

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