[ Multi-chapter ] Behind the paper doors, Chapter 7
Title : Behind the paper doors
Author:rainbowdots888
Pairings: Ryo x Ohkura; hinted Yoko x Hina
Rating: PG -15 (swearing)
Length: Multi-chapter (7)
Words: 2321
Genre: Romance, angst, AU
Disclaimer: Too bad for me, I am not owning these men...just this story.
Summary: Ooku AU. Ohkura is a young man struggling to earn a position in the Ooku. Just for the background, in case you don't know about these manga and movie (go watch it !!), the roles are reversed and the Shogun is a woman, as men are decimated by a terrible disease outside of the walls of the palace. Young and beautiful men are sent to live at the Ooku by their families in the hope they can become someone important and escape the disease.
****************
The tremendous shock Ohkura felt at that moment froze his body. His legs couldn't hold him anymore, but his brain was working faster than ever. And the first thing he had to do was to leave. He didn't want to be found there, crying and shaking in the aftermath of what he had witnessed. He couldn't see the faces clearly, but those voices were the ones he knew the best on earth, he had no doubt. His love was making out in the palace's corridors with his protector and threatening ex-lover. He would have laughed at the writer of such a story.
In a painful effort, he tore himself away from the wall which supported him and ran, as fast as he could, to his chambers. Arrived there he collapsed against the paper door he had just shut. His bliss was collapsing with him, all that had happened the last few days, erased in a single moan. He stayed prostrate with pain for a long time, maybe hours, as the light outside was gradually replaced by darkness. But still he wasn't hungry, or even brave enough to crawl to his bed. Sleep wouldn't come anyway. His brain was buzzing and all his body ached. It was the first time he had been betrayed by someone he really loved. Ryo was in fact the first person he had loved purely and unconditionally, and even now, amidst all this pain, he wanted to see his lover, wanted to hold him and feel secure again.
He fell asleep there, lying behind his door after hours of painful thinking. It's a light touch on his cheek that woke him up. The tip of fingers caressing his face in a feathery stroke, tenderly. And this voice that came out, like in a dream.
Hey, are you alright ? Ohkura... can you hear me ?
That beautiful sound made him open his eyes, as if nothing had happened... as if he hadn't heard this moan that poisonned his soul. When he saw Ryo, bent over him with a concerned frown on his face, he jolted back. Everything came back at once, and he shrieked suddenly.
“Don't touch me !!!”
“What ?... Why ? Are you okay ?” Ryo came a little bit closer, lifting his right hand to Ohkura's forehead. A hand that he pushed away forcefully, crawling a bit further from the other.
“I said, don't touch me.”
“I'm afraid I don't get you... What happened ? Remember who I am ?” Ryo looked puzzled but most of all worried. Wheels were turning in his mind as he analyzed the situation. “Were you poisonned ? Do you have a fever ? Let me check, just a second, it won't be lon...”
“No ! Just leave me alone ! Go back to him ! Go plot with your master against me, and let him fuck you ! Laugh at me together... Because... I'm so naive, I'm so stupid...” Finally the tears were coming out, rage taking over his words. He wanted to hit this beautiful face and make him confess his treachery. But all he could do was to sob seated there like a child, instantly emptied of any energy.
“Shit. That's where we're at ? Accusing me all of a sudden of making out with some other guy ? I had imagined you would be jealous one day but it came pretty fast.”
“It's not just some other guy... It's Him. Don't try to deny it, I've seen and heard you both this afternoon, in the hallway near the squires' rooms. You seemed to enjoy it from how you moaned out loud when he was... I don't know what he was doing but... You're so disgusting.”
And suddenly something snapped in Ryo. His face tensed and he let himself fall seated on the ground, loudly. His black eyes darkened even more, as if a powerful storm was coming. The silence between them lasted a while, only rythmed by the hissing respiration of Ohkura. Finally Ryo lowered his head a bit and with a sad smile, said :
“It's the last thing I wanted you to see. And yet... Damn, I'm so dumb.”
“Dumb ? No. You took me for a fool, you lied. Both of you spun your web of lies around me. I guess that your little make out sessions have been so much fun.”
“Guess what you want, but I'll say just two things. After that, if you want me to... I'll leave. First, all I did, every single action I took in this hell of a place since I met you, I did it for you. And the reason is that I love you. So much I'd do anything to protect your ass. But I don't expect you to understand that right now.”
“How can you say that ? How can I understand ? Everything's so confused !”
“I don't know if it's the right moment to say that but... I hate that guy. He's just really useful for now. To keep us both alive and inside this place.”
“So that's why you're giving yourself to him ? You told me I was your first time... why ? Why lying on this too ?”
Ryo seemed destroyed a bit more by each question, his shoulders slumping and his eyes filling with tears. The last interrogation sounded like a final blow, the answer he really feared the most to give. He moved a bit, and in a spin, sat next to Ohkura, shoulder against shoulder, to avoid his gaze. The young man didn't move this time, the warm contact of the other's body strangely calming the crazy beating of his heart.
“I must tell you more about me. Maybe you won't love me anymore after that... And if it happens, I'll leave the Harem. I'll go outside definitely and you won't hear about me again. Does this seem fair ?”
“Just say what you have to say.” He had sounded so cold, it reminded him the first day he had seen Ryo in his apartments. He should have followed his instinct on that day, and never trust the squire.
“I was born in a somewhat rich family... And I was the only son. My father was so proud of me... He teached me the art of the sword, the history of our family and how to be a good guy. But he died quickly of that damn disease. On his death bed, he talked to his liege and asked him to raise me. I was twelve but I remember that moment so vividly... This liege, it's Tamaki-sama. He accepted and I was made a squire here. We arrived here around the same age you and me, but you were already beautiful and very fast kept with the young lords, while my tanned skin and my rough manners maintained me among the servants. You never noticed me until that day, never. You were too busy fighting for your position here. Not only I was a squire but I became a “little bird”, a spy. I eavesdropped in Yokoyama and Murakami-sama's chambers for your protector. I was his eyes, his ears, for years before we actually met. I observed you too... Damn, you were so beautiful, so fascinating and dangerous...”
He paused suddenly, remembering those moments with a smile. Ohkura was looking at him, curiously, suddenly discovering the real face of the person to whom he had given his heart.
“Anyway, Tamaki-sama, when he was not busy with you, would come to me instead. But he didn't … still don't love me. I was just a quick fuck between two doors, a boy you can persuade it's for his own good. Believe me, sex was the most disgusting thing for me until you touched me like you did. In a way, you really were my first time. It had stopped though. He didn't touch me in the past two years. But he must feel deprived now, because today he kind of ambushed me in this corner... I think he knows for us. And he wanted to make sure I was still a good boy, still faithful to him, so what should I've done ? Slap him ? Maybe... But I just closed my eyes and let him believe I liked it. If you want to rule here, if it's the only way for us to be safe, I'd do it again. And again. That man is evil... but if you are chosen, we'll be freed of him.”
Ohkura was astonished by all this, replacing all his doubts and sure facts in order, completing the terrible puzzle. The other seemed exhausted, defeated by the weight of his lies. Ryo looked at him shyly, obviously not sure if he had to disappear or if he could stay a bit more.
“Did he hurt you ?” was the only thing that came out Ohkura's mouth. He didn't recognize his own croaky voice, filled with anger and sadness.
“He did. But he hurt you too. He made you believe it was how love really is..”
The young man let his head fall on his lover's shoulder. The contact felt good and he finally could breathe calmly.
“Don't let him touch you anymore, you hear me ? Or I'll kill you both. And then I'll kill myself. You are mine. If it's a problem for you, leave now and never come back.”
He could feel a relieved sob shaking Ryo's body. The other's head fell softly on his, their bangs intertwined and their temples pulsating one against the other in a synchronised rhythm.
“Till death do us part, then...”
****************
They slept like this, not daring to move. And when the sun came out, they parted slowly, not saying a word. Ohkura felt like nothing could separate their souls anymore, no words were needed. They were promised to each other, in life and in death, and they'll both fight as one to win the game.
As he was dressing up, Ryo came back with breakfast and helped him tie his hair properly in silence. When Tamaki entered the room, they both turned to him as one, ready to play their part. If his protector knew the truth about them, he wouldn't hold it too long. He was powerful, manipulative but not good at hiding his anger.
“Ryo, leave for a while, Ohkura and I have to talk.”
His lover looked at him quickly, checking if it was the right thing to do. The young man nodded slightly and he left.
“You're so beautiful today ! You're shining, it's a pleasure to see !”
“Please, cut the flattery, it won't bring me back in your bed faster.”
“It's flattery, yes. You like it so much...” The older man didn't seem mad at all, and that was the most surprising. Since when could he take such responses without raging ?
“Anyway, it's not because I want you back in my bed. Well, to be honest, I'd love it...” At that he let his fingers run softly on Ohkura's jaw, outlining it with a caress. “But my goal is different today. You've been chosen. The Shogun finds you so attractive, she wants to marry you. Congratulations !”
His eyes were shining with excitement. He imagined without a doubt how his protégé would reward him with eternal safety inside the palace. He had won his fight against his ennemy, he had made the right choice. Ohkura could read all this on the face he knew too well. He had seen it crossed by multiple emotions throughout his life, from madness to pleasure. But this was a first... He looked ten years younger, displaying a childish raw glee.
“Oh. I guess I should thank you.”
“We'll see that later, my boy. For now, we have to discuss how this will work.”
“I don't think I want to marry a little girl, though. It's... She's so young.”
“She is. And no one asks you to be a real husband for now. But she'll be mature soon enough, believe me. And, ah... Just a thing. I guess it's not a problem for you since you don't seem interested in sensual pleasure anymore but... Any other partner, apart from her, is forbidden. You will have to wait for her. So don't worry with that, I won't take the risk of touching you. Just keep being a good boy, do what she says, entertain her.”
This was the news he had been waiting for, he had been fighting for, all his life. But somehow, not an ounce of happiness warmed up his heart. He had won. Over his protector, who couldn't touch him anymore and would crawl before him from now. Over Yokoyama, who had no chance to come back in the race and would crawl also. Six months ago he would have cried of happiness. But now that Ryo was in his life, the only thing he could feel was a bitter taste in his mouth.
“I'm leaving... Prepare for tonight, you have to be perfect. It's your first private meeting with her, you don't want to waste our efforts.” As Tamaki went through the door he looked at Ryo, who was waiting outside, kneeling. His eyes were full of contempt and lust. The squire avoided his gaze by leaving his head lowered until he had made it back safely in Ohkura's room. He swiftly slid the door back in place and proceeded to his lover. As he was resuming the young man's preparation, Ohkura asked :
“Did you hear that ?”
“Yes.”
“What do you think ?”
“Whatever you decide to do, I don't mind. I'll follow you to hell.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not much action in this chapter but I felt the need to pause a bit and explain some things about Ryo. I think their "fusion process " is completed with Ryo's honesty. I see them as a Hydra now. Two heads, one goal. Few chapters left anyway, we're approaching the end :)
Thanks for reading, thanks for commenting ♥
Author:rainbowdots888
Pairings: Ryo x Ohkura; hinted Yoko x Hina
Rating: PG -15 (swearing)
Length: Multi-chapter (7)
Words: 2321
Genre: Romance, angst, AU
Disclaimer: Too bad for me, I am not owning these men...just this story.
Summary: Ooku AU. Ohkura is a young man struggling to earn a position in the Ooku. Just for the background, in case you don't know about these manga and movie (go watch it !!), the roles are reversed and the Shogun is a woman, as men are decimated by a terrible disease outside of the walls of the palace. Young and beautiful men are sent to live at the Ooku by their families in the hope they can become someone important and escape the disease.
****************
The tremendous shock Ohkura felt at that moment froze his body. His legs couldn't hold him anymore, but his brain was working faster than ever. And the first thing he had to do was to leave. He didn't want to be found there, crying and shaking in the aftermath of what he had witnessed. He couldn't see the faces clearly, but those voices were the ones he knew the best on earth, he had no doubt. His love was making out in the palace's corridors with his protector and threatening ex-lover. He would have laughed at the writer of such a story.
In a painful effort, he tore himself away from the wall which supported him and ran, as fast as he could, to his chambers. Arrived there he collapsed against the paper door he had just shut. His bliss was collapsing with him, all that had happened the last few days, erased in a single moan. He stayed prostrate with pain for a long time, maybe hours, as the light outside was gradually replaced by darkness. But still he wasn't hungry, or even brave enough to crawl to his bed. Sleep wouldn't come anyway. His brain was buzzing and all his body ached. It was the first time he had been betrayed by someone he really loved. Ryo was in fact the first person he had loved purely and unconditionally, and even now, amidst all this pain, he wanted to see his lover, wanted to hold him and feel secure again.
He fell asleep there, lying behind his door after hours of painful thinking. It's a light touch on his cheek that woke him up. The tip of fingers caressing his face in a feathery stroke, tenderly. And this voice that came out, like in a dream.
Hey, are you alright ? Ohkura... can you hear me ?
That beautiful sound made him open his eyes, as if nothing had happened... as if he hadn't heard this moan that poisonned his soul. When he saw Ryo, bent over him with a concerned frown on his face, he jolted back. Everything came back at once, and he shrieked suddenly.
“Don't touch me !!!”
“What ?... Why ? Are you okay ?” Ryo came a little bit closer, lifting his right hand to Ohkura's forehead. A hand that he pushed away forcefully, crawling a bit further from the other.
“I said, don't touch me.”
“I'm afraid I don't get you... What happened ? Remember who I am ?” Ryo looked puzzled but most of all worried. Wheels were turning in his mind as he analyzed the situation. “Were you poisonned ? Do you have a fever ? Let me check, just a second, it won't be lon...”
“No ! Just leave me alone ! Go back to him ! Go plot with your master against me, and let him fuck you ! Laugh at me together... Because... I'm so naive, I'm so stupid...” Finally the tears were coming out, rage taking over his words. He wanted to hit this beautiful face and make him confess his treachery. But all he could do was to sob seated there like a child, instantly emptied of any energy.
“Shit. That's where we're at ? Accusing me all of a sudden of making out with some other guy ? I had imagined you would be jealous one day but it came pretty fast.”
“It's not just some other guy... It's Him. Don't try to deny it, I've seen and heard you both this afternoon, in the hallway near the squires' rooms. You seemed to enjoy it from how you moaned out loud when he was... I don't know what he was doing but... You're so disgusting.”
And suddenly something snapped in Ryo. His face tensed and he let himself fall seated on the ground, loudly. His black eyes darkened even more, as if a powerful storm was coming. The silence between them lasted a while, only rythmed by the hissing respiration of Ohkura. Finally Ryo lowered his head a bit and with a sad smile, said :
“It's the last thing I wanted you to see. And yet... Damn, I'm so dumb.”
“Dumb ? No. You took me for a fool, you lied. Both of you spun your web of lies around me. I guess that your little make out sessions have been so much fun.”
“Guess what you want, but I'll say just two things. After that, if you want me to... I'll leave. First, all I did, every single action I took in this hell of a place since I met you, I did it for you. And the reason is that I love you. So much I'd do anything to protect your ass. But I don't expect you to understand that right now.”
“How can you say that ? How can I understand ? Everything's so confused !”
“I don't know if it's the right moment to say that but... I hate that guy. He's just really useful for now. To keep us both alive and inside this place.”
“So that's why you're giving yourself to him ? You told me I was your first time... why ? Why lying on this too ?”
Ryo seemed destroyed a bit more by each question, his shoulders slumping and his eyes filling with tears. The last interrogation sounded like a final blow, the answer he really feared the most to give. He moved a bit, and in a spin, sat next to Ohkura, shoulder against shoulder, to avoid his gaze. The young man didn't move this time, the warm contact of the other's body strangely calming the crazy beating of his heart.
“I must tell you more about me. Maybe you won't love me anymore after that... And if it happens, I'll leave the Harem. I'll go outside definitely and you won't hear about me again. Does this seem fair ?”
“Just say what you have to say.” He had sounded so cold, it reminded him the first day he had seen Ryo in his apartments. He should have followed his instinct on that day, and never trust the squire.
“I was born in a somewhat rich family... And I was the only son. My father was so proud of me... He teached me the art of the sword, the history of our family and how to be a good guy. But he died quickly of that damn disease. On his death bed, he talked to his liege and asked him to raise me. I was twelve but I remember that moment so vividly... This liege, it's Tamaki-sama. He accepted and I was made a squire here. We arrived here around the same age you and me, but you were already beautiful and very fast kept with the young lords, while my tanned skin and my rough manners maintained me among the servants. You never noticed me until that day, never. You were too busy fighting for your position here. Not only I was a squire but I became a “little bird”, a spy. I eavesdropped in Yokoyama and Murakami-sama's chambers for your protector. I was his eyes, his ears, for years before we actually met. I observed you too... Damn, you were so beautiful, so fascinating and dangerous...”
He paused suddenly, remembering those moments with a smile. Ohkura was looking at him, curiously, suddenly discovering the real face of the person to whom he had given his heart.
“Anyway, Tamaki-sama, when he was not busy with you, would come to me instead. But he didn't … still don't love me. I was just a quick fuck between two doors, a boy you can persuade it's for his own good. Believe me, sex was the most disgusting thing for me until you touched me like you did. In a way, you really were my first time. It had stopped though. He didn't touch me in the past two years. But he must feel deprived now, because today he kind of ambushed me in this corner... I think he knows for us. And he wanted to make sure I was still a good boy, still faithful to him, so what should I've done ? Slap him ? Maybe... But I just closed my eyes and let him believe I liked it. If you want to rule here, if it's the only way for us to be safe, I'd do it again. And again. That man is evil... but if you are chosen, we'll be freed of him.”
Ohkura was astonished by all this, replacing all his doubts and sure facts in order, completing the terrible puzzle. The other seemed exhausted, defeated by the weight of his lies. Ryo looked at him shyly, obviously not sure if he had to disappear or if he could stay a bit more.
“Did he hurt you ?” was the only thing that came out Ohkura's mouth. He didn't recognize his own croaky voice, filled with anger and sadness.
“He did. But he hurt you too. He made you believe it was how love really is..”
The young man let his head fall on his lover's shoulder. The contact felt good and he finally could breathe calmly.
“Don't let him touch you anymore, you hear me ? Or I'll kill you both. And then I'll kill myself. You are mine. If it's a problem for you, leave now and never come back.”
He could feel a relieved sob shaking Ryo's body. The other's head fell softly on his, their bangs intertwined and their temples pulsating one against the other in a synchronised rhythm.
“Till death do us part, then...”
****************
They slept like this, not daring to move. And when the sun came out, they parted slowly, not saying a word. Ohkura felt like nothing could separate their souls anymore, no words were needed. They were promised to each other, in life and in death, and they'll both fight as one to win the game.
As he was dressing up, Ryo came back with breakfast and helped him tie his hair properly in silence. When Tamaki entered the room, they both turned to him as one, ready to play their part. If his protector knew the truth about them, he wouldn't hold it too long. He was powerful, manipulative but not good at hiding his anger.
“Ryo, leave for a while, Ohkura and I have to talk.”
His lover looked at him quickly, checking if it was the right thing to do. The young man nodded slightly and he left.
“You're so beautiful today ! You're shining, it's a pleasure to see !”
“Please, cut the flattery, it won't bring me back in your bed faster.”
“It's flattery, yes. You like it so much...” The older man didn't seem mad at all, and that was the most surprising. Since when could he take such responses without raging ?
“Anyway, it's not because I want you back in my bed. Well, to be honest, I'd love it...” At that he let his fingers run softly on Ohkura's jaw, outlining it with a caress. “But my goal is different today. You've been chosen. The Shogun finds you so attractive, she wants to marry you. Congratulations !”
His eyes were shining with excitement. He imagined without a doubt how his protégé would reward him with eternal safety inside the palace. He had won his fight against his ennemy, he had made the right choice. Ohkura could read all this on the face he knew too well. He had seen it crossed by multiple emotions throughout his life, from madness to pleasure. But this was a first... He looked ten years younger, displaying a childish raw glee.
“Oh. I guess I should thank you.”
“We'll see that later, my boy. For now, we have to discuss how this will work.”
“I don't think I want to marry a little girl, though. It's... She's so young.”
“She is. And no one asks you to be a real husband for now. But she'll be mature soon enough, believe me. And, ah... Just a thing. I guess it's not a problem for you since you don't seem interested in sensual pleasure anymore but... Any other partner, apart from her, is forbidden. You will have to wait for her. So don't worry with that, I won't take the risk of touching you. Just keep being a good boy, do what she says, entertain her.”
This was the news he had been waiting for, he had been fighting for, all his life. But somehow, not an ounce of happiness warmed up his heart. He had won. Over his protector, who couldn't touch him anymore and would crawl before him from now. Over Yokoyama, who had no chance to come back in the race and would crawl also. Six months ago he would have cried of happiness. But now that Ryo was in his life, the only thing he could feel was a bitter taste in his mouth.
“I'm leaving... Prepare for tonight, you have to be perfect. It's your first private meeting with her, you don't want to waste our efforts.” As Tamaki went through the door he looked at Ryo, who was waiting outside, kneeling. His eyes were full of contempt and lust. The squire avoided his gaze by leaving his head lowered until he had made it back safely in Ohkura's room. He swiftly slid the door back in place and proceeded to his lover. As he was resuming the young man's preparation, Ohkura asked :
“Did you hear that ?”
“Yes.”
“What do you think ?”
“Whatever you decide to do, I don't mind. I'll follow you to hell.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not much action in this chapter but I felt the need to pause a bit and explain some things about Ryo. I think their "fusion process " is completed with Ryo's honesty. I see them as a Hydra now. Two heads, one goal. Few chapters left anyway, we're approaching the end :)
Thanks for reading, thanks for commenting ♥