It was toward the end of the evening that Sousuke finally brought up the topic that had been bothering him all evening, from the looks that he had been giving me. I was pouring him more sake when he grabbed my sleeve.
"How can you act like this?” he asked. I was relieved he didn't use my name, and so for a moment I didn't get angry. And then I did. It didn't matter that he was a little tipsy or that he was family, he had no right really to question my choices. At least not so publicly.
"Sousuke,” Shino hissed.
Samojirou glared at him, and I said nothing. That seemed to make Sousuke even angrier.
"How can you let him do this to you?” Sousuke continued. “Come back with us!"
"No,” I softly snarled at him, angry that he had ruined the evening by doing this. “Samojirou-sama—"
"We are leaving now,” Shino announced. Hamaji was glaring at Sousuke, and I had a sick feeling in my stomach about the fight I knew the three of them were going to have when they got someplace private.
Fuse threw an apologetic glance at Tamazusa, who nodded at her. Something passed between them that I didn't understand. Shino, Sousuke, and Hamaji left, their goodbyes formal and stiff. I was a bit stunned at what had happened. Sousuke was usually very easygoing and had spent most of my time with him teasing me. He had acted like the older brother I had never had, almost like Wolf, who had been one of the few people in the Trust who had treated me well. I wondered how long he had felt like this.
"Sousuke-chan—” Fuse began.
"Your sons are old enough to make their own decisions, Lady,” Samojirou said. “I don't hold that against you. I know that some of your sons are unhappy with me, as is your husband. Frankly, I thought that Inuyama-sama or Inue-sama would be the ones that wanted us to be parted."
I glanced at Samojirou for permission to speak. He nodded at me. “Fuse-hime—"
"Mother,” she told me with a smile. “There is no need to be so formal."
"Mother,” I said. It felt odd. I had never been that formal with my birth mother, but calling a woman who looked sixteen “Mother” was just strange. “You and Father must know that I am very happy with Aboshi-sama and Tamazusa-sama. I will not leave them, no matter how unhappy the family is with my choice. I am sorry about that, but if they cannot accept that, we don't have to meet. Please tell Hamaji and Shino that I am sorry that things ended so awkwardly. I look forward to seeing them again. All of them actually, including Sousuke."
"We will be enjoying the entire cherry blossom season all over Nippon,” Tamazusa said quietly. “I do hope to see you both again. I enjoyed your company. There is no need for us to hold old grudges. I never thought that you were responsible for anything that your father had done."
"Tamazusa-sama, you are as gracious as always,” Fuse said as she smiled. “My husband and I look forward to seeing you at the rest of the festivals."
"Until then,” Samojirou said. Yatsufusa nodded at him as Fuse bowed, and the two of them left us.
I was aware that there were still some lords about, even though it was very late. Most of them seemed drunk, but I knew appearances could be deceptive. Iida was openly staring at us. I thought that was very rude, but he was far enough away for him not to have heard anything.
"I think that it is time for us to retire,” Samojirou said.
"I agree,” Tamazusa said with a small laugh.
"You seemed to have picked up an admirer,” Samojirou said, nodding at Iida-sama.
"I think it is your adorable Sakura-chan that he is interested in."
Samojirou laughed and took each of our hands. With that, he walked the shadows back to the shoen.
* * * *
Tamazusa
It was late when we returned home. The sake seemed to have made me mellow and relaxed. It was a strange sensation, since I usually didn't let myself drink that much. But it had been amusing, playing the Game with Fuse, in between the conversations where she extolled the virtues of her four unmarried sons. She seemed to have been almost ready to negotiate a contract with me. Shino had been horrified, Hamaji and Yatsufusa amused, and Sousuke I couldn't read. I had been as surprised as the rest of them by his anger at Keno. And then there had been that incident with Iida. I didn't know what the man wanted, and that bothered me. He was a lesser lord of a small island, someone I wouldn't consider either a threat or a potential ally. So why was he so interested in me?
"Keno-chan, why don't you get ready to retire,” Aboshi suggested.
"Good night,” Keno told us both with a smile and a shallow bow before going to their quarters. I thought he knew Aboshi and I wanted to talk without him about what had happened. I liked the fact that he had defended us to his family.
"He is delightful,” I said with a smile.
"And I have you to thank for him,” Aboshi said humbly. “I don't know what I would do without him now."
"I don't think that Inukawa or Inuyama will be an issue,” I said, unexpectedly moved by his comment. “And Inue can be controlled by the rest of his family. Yatsufusa, oddly enough, seems to approve of your relationship. None of the Hakkenshi will want to anger their father."
"I am not worried about that,” Aboshi said. “Fuse-hime will make her wishes known, and her sons will obey her or avoid us. You remember the trouble that she had had with them in the beginning, when we kept meeting at the same events? This will amount to nothing, as that did."
"The rest of Nippon will be too busy wondering why we seem to have allied after all these centuries,” I said. “I will make sure that no one guesses it is because your beloved companion is Inuzaka Keno."
"Sakura is the perfect disguise for him for a number of reasons,” Aboshi said with a frown. “I had used it to hide him from his family. Now it will be useful for any number of reasons."
"Inuzaka Keno's reputation,” I said after a strained silence. “I must confess I haven't thought about that."
The first Inuzaka Keno had been a fierce fighter and one with a reputation for being a cold-blooded assassin as well. There would be any number of lords and assorted samurai who would want to be the one with the reputation of defeating or even killing him. This Keno was a gentle soul, not one who could fight like that, even if he was competent. He would never be a killer. Aboshi would fight through the hells to protect him, and I, too, would do anything in my power to protect Keno from being a killer.
"What you also haven't thought about is Iida's interest in us,” Aboshi said.
I shrugged. “As for now, I'm not going to worry about it."
I felt too good to try and piece together what he wanted from us. I could deal with it either tomorrow or even never. It might have just been an isolated incident or even simple rudeness. Not much was known about Iida. He was a southern lord who held a small kuni off the coast of Nippon. If I needed to know more, I could have my spies gather the information. As for now, I was going to just enjoy the flowers and not worry about the plotting of the other lords, at least not much.
Aboshi smiled at me as if he were reading my mind. “I think that I've corrupted you, my lady.” He signaled to the maid hovering in the background, and she scurried off to assist me in my rooms.
I laughed and shook my head. “I simply am not worried about someone who is so inconsequential."
I wasn't being rude about the man; his kuni was far away from mine. While not one of the most powerful lords in Nippon, I wasn't without influence. With Aboshi at my side, I was stronger than I appeared to be. I treasured his support, and I hoped he and Keno spent many years by my side.
"And you shouldn't neglect Keno,” I mock-scolded him. “The poor child is probably waiting eagerly for you in your quarters."
Aboshi laughed, which I wanted him to do. I didn't want to spoil his evening by ending it with dealing with a rude little man, such as Iida. “I will obey your instructions,” he teased. “My lord."
I smiled at him, knowing what he wasn't saying: that he was loyal and would never betray me, something I had
never worried about with him, no matter that he had betrayed and murdered Jin-yo, his former lord and the reason we both had been banished to the Dreamlands. I retired to my rooms, feeling almost giddy, and hoped Aboshi's night ended well also.
* * * *
Samojirou
I walked into my quarters and wasn't surprised to see Keno and Yukiko giggling over something as she gathered his clothing to be cleaned and he removed his makeup. Yukiko adored Keno, as did most of the servants and the samurai. She bowed to me and bustled off to take care of Keno's clothing before she retired. Keno looked up at me with a grin, and I was struck by how beautiful he was. He didn't look feminine now; his shoulders and arms were muscled from his practice with Tamazusa's samurai every morning.
"Good evening, Samojirou-sama,” he chirped at me.
"I was Aboshi earlier,” I teased him.
He flushed. “I'm sorry that I broke the no-talking rule, but Sousuke startled me. I don't know why he was upset. He had been very nice when we stayed with him and Shino."
"I think that he is upset that you were Sakura tonight and not his brother Keno,” I said gently.
"I guess that not everyone can figure out that we are the same person,” he said thoughtfully.
"It is that ignorance that is keeping you safe."
He frowned at me, apparently confused by what I was talking about. He continued with the disguise of Sakura because it amused him, as well as myself. I didn't think Keno realized he needed its protection still. I hoped he never would.
He got up and gave me a kiss. “It's been a good evening,” he said. “I'm not letting Sousuke ruin it."
I kissed him back. Keno was being bold. We had progressed in our physical relationship to more than kisses, for the most part, including the rare, treasured times of actual sex. He was still uneasy about sex after suffering rape and other abuse at the hands of the Trust. I didn't know if sex was happening tonight, but Keno was willing, despite the fact I knew it had been a long evening for him. He tasted like tea and the sweets he had been nibbling on.
"A very good evening,” I agreed, kissing him back, running my hands up and down his back, savoring the feel of his skin. He made a small murmur of pleasure, melting into my touch.
I felt him fumbling with my hakama and stepped out of it when he got it untied. Keno undressing me would be delightful foreplay. I didn't miss his hands lightly brushing over my shaft underneath my kimono, and it was my turn to moan. I let him undo my obi and open my kimono before I unknotted his fundoshi, stripping him bare. He rubbed against me shamelessly, twining his arms around my back and pulling me closer to him. I almost spilled myself at his boldness.
"So bold,” I teased.
He laughed. “I think that I should show you how bold I can be."
With that he dropped to his knees and started to tease my shaft, licking the tip of it briefly before taking the whole thing in his mouth, tasting the entire length of it before pulling back to flick his tongue over the head of my shaft again. I groaned in pleasure, my fingers twisting in his hair. Not to control him, but because he made me lose any sense I had when he did this.
"Let me get more comfortable,” I pleaded with him after an endless time, my world centering on the pleasure his hot mouth and talented tongue were giving me. My legs were shaking, and I felt that I was going to spill, but I wanted to savor this longer.
Keno didn't say anything, but he sat back on his heels, looking wanton and wild with his swollen lips and the way he exposed his body to me. I managed to lie on our futon. Keno slowly licked his lips when he saw me lie down, a gesture that made me groan. I almost lost it when he rocked forward and started to crawl toward me, wild and submissive at the same time, holding my stare boldly. He was still staring at me when he took me deep in his throat and bobbed up and down slowly, driving me insane.
It wasn't too long before I was writhing underneath his mouth, his fingers stroking my thighs and sac as gentle as a butterfly. “I'm—” I choked out, before I spilled into his mouth, feeling him drink it down eagerly.
When I was done, he went back to teasing licks to clean me up. When he finished, he smiled at me, smug and satisfied, even though his own shaft was hard and he had not taken his own pleasure.
"Touch yourself,” I ordered hoarsely. I wanted to see his eyes when he did that. “Take your own joy."
He smiled, stroking his shaft slowly, but even that was too much, and he spilled, whimpering in pleasure as he coated me with his seed. When he was done, I grabbed him and held him tight, smearing the seed over him too.
"I liked that,” he said sleepily as he nuzzled my chest. I was amazed by how quickly he could go from being a seductive creature to the sleepy puppy he was.
"I did too,” I told him, not trying to hide the amusement in my voice.
I fell asleep shortly after he did, enjoying the feel of him in my arms.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Two
Mason
After the second incursion from the Dreamlands, the Trust pretty much shut Boylston Street down. The place was quietly quarantined within a week of our final, carefully edited report, one that never mentioned that either Wolf or I were some weird mystical warriors called Hakkenshi or their avatars or whatever Fuse had told us. There was nothing in that report about the fact that Keno had been one of them too or that the mean fuckers who had invaded us were related to him in some way.
Quarantine meant they filled the lower levels with poisonous gas and cement to shut the monsters off from the rest of the world. Not that I thought that would do jack-shit against Tamazusa, because she seemed to be able to pop in here anytime she wanted, wherever she wanted, and I wasn't going to tell these fuckers anything different. The research sections were shifted to other locations, like the Lowell and Fall River branches of the Trust.
Keno's choice to leave us hit me hard, but Wolf was devastated. He ended up going to a lot of shrink sessions over it. Not with McGann, but to some guy out of Waltham, at the nuthouse, which was convenient, since Wolf was now stationed there. McGann was up in Lowell, making nice with the state-run university located there, as our liaison.
None of us who had been on that mission were allowed to talk about it, even with each other. We didn't see each other anyway, not really. Murphy ended up being semi-retired, not that he ever wanted to talk to me again after what happened; Anya was out on the West Coast; Wolf was at Waltham. I was sent down to Fall River, which was all research. My job was to make sure the eggheads got what they wanted, which usually involved a Dunkies run and making sure they didn't get attacked by a rogue test tube. A big letdown from what I had been doing, and the commute was a bitch, but it was better than getting permanently retired by these people.
I was getting to know the eggheads down in Fall River after being there for a couple of weeks when I got a message that there was an assignment for me in Boston. I was really surprised when I got to the meeting and the people there were Elizabeth Adams, Caitlynn McGann, and Wolf Dieter.
Elizabeth Adams was a Trustee, a sweet little old lady who was tough as nails. She protected Fuse, which was one of the things that saved our asses, given the fact that Fuse's kids were mean fuckers and not too happy about Murphy stealing their mom and Keno. They had been almost as pissed about it as Tamazusa and her boy toy had been. Mrs. Adams had taken charge when Collins had disappeared and kept all of us from being terminated, I swear. Most of the Trustees would have been happy to see some of us in the lower levels while they were pouring in the cement to close them off.
"Ma'am.” I nodded to her. Being on a desk had taught me to act a little more polite to people, sometimes. Besides, she probably was the reason I was still breathing, so I should be polite to her.
"Mr. Kairns.” She smiled. “It's good to see you."
"I was told to report here,” I said. It sounded kind of like a question, mainly because the three of us had been separated and it had been hinted that it would be very bad for us if
we ever talked to one another again. Good part about that was Anya had to find some other poor shit to screw over besides Wolf, because she had been part of that mission. Bad part was I didn't get to see Wolf. Not to sound too fucking touchy feely, but he was a good friend, about the only one I had. In our line of work, you didn't get friends who lasted.
McGann looked tired, but she was still in a killer suit, and her hair was pulled back in some sort of fancy bun. Wolf looked older, not quite there almost. He seemed to have changed a lot in the last couple of weeks. I didn't like seeing the changes in him. He looked like he was on the edge of breaking down. Losing Keno had really hurt him for some reason. I figured it was because he felt responsible for him in some way and that he hadn't known the kid had had the hots for him. Me... there were nights I stayed awake with a bottle because of the guilt, but Wolf's was eating away at him. Mine was just keeping me company. Keno had made a good choice, staying with the monsters, since they were a lot better to him than we ever had been. Wolf would never believe that, though, and that was what was killing him.
"The Trustees have a mission that we want you to go on,” Mrs. Adams said. “We have managed to recover both Mr. Heiseg's notes and Mr. Fairinox's work."
"What the fuck for?” popped out of my mouth before I thought about who I was talking to. That it took this long for the Trust to want to plan a return trip to the Dreamlands again meant something. I just didn't know what. Maybe not everyone thought this was a good idea?
McGann looked at me, and Wolf just shook his head, Mrs. Adams was amused, though. “It seems that the Trustees would like to see more of the Dreamlands, thinking that we can make allies there. I doubt that we would be able to work with the Nipponese, though, from the blunders that we made there. From the research that Caitlynn and Anya have done, there are a number of other nations we could deal with. The Trustees want to contact one of them."
I stared at her. “Are they—” I started to say before I shut my mouth.
"While I don't think that this is a good idea,” McGann said, “I will work with the Trustees."
Back to the Dream Page 2
