Disclaimer. FY is the copywrite of Watase Yuu, Flower Comics, Bandai, Tokyo Television, Pioneer, etc. This fic is only for entertainment and in no way is intended as an infringement.
"Chuin!! Damn you, boy! Where are you?? Chuin!!"
Chuin groaned inwardly. *Not again,* he thought. *This is the third night in a row!* Chuin sat up, and suppressed a sigh. He knew better than to try and hide from Byuki-san. It would only make things worse. But, even after all the times, he still felt nauseous when the time came. He climbed down from the roof and made his way to where he heard the voice. "I'm here, Byuki-san."
The older man grabbed him by the back of the neck. "I've been looking for you, boy," he growled. He roughly pushed Chuin towards the door. "I ought to beat you before-hand just to teach you." Chuin shuddered as he walked to his bedroom, Byuki-san right behind him. He grabbed the boy's hair, yanking it from its bun. Chuin's long hair spilled over his shoulders. Byuki-san shoved him down onto the sleeping-mat and began to undress. Chuin looked away, revolted by the man's physical appearance.
He still kept his attention away, as Byuki-san fell down on top of him. The only thought he gave to it was that the man needed to lose weight. As Byuki-san pleased himself, Chuin cursed his parents for the n'th time. Cursed them for bringing him into this world, then leaving him in it. *Why didn't they just kill me," he thought. *It would have been more merciful. Why did they have to leave me? It's their fault I ended up like this!*
He didn't remember his parents or when Byuki-san took him in. All he remembered was the beatings and being told he was abandoned and unwanted. The abuse went on, but it got worse about 3 years ago. Chuin had discovered that he found himself attracted to boys. He made the mistake of telling this to Byuki-san. That night, the man crawled into his sleeping-mat. Chuin pushed the thought away, not wanting to think about the first time.
Thankfully, Byuki-san was finished. Chuin didn't even look at the man as he left the room. Chuin curled up into a ball, with his arms wrapped around his knees. It was over for tonight. Soon, he heard Byuki-san snoring, but it would be a while before Chuin finally drifted off to sleep.
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"Chuin! Are you finished loading the wagon??"
"Hai, Byuki-san." Chuin put the last load of produce on the wagon. Byuki-san grew crops, though Chuin did the labor, and sold them in town two days every week. He also sold chickens and eggs. Chuin hitched the horse to the wagon as Byuki-san came out of the house.
He shoved Chuin to the front of the wagon. "Come on, boy! You've already wasted enough time!" The two climbed up onto the wagon. When they arrived at the town, they pulled their wagon up near the other wagons. Greetings were exchanged as they prepared everything. The day passed in a flurry of hawking, bartering, and selling. Chuin was concerned of what the night would bring, but he was relieved when Byuki-san left him alone.
The next day passed the same as the day before. Chuin watched the handsome men that came and went, but was careful not to let Byuki-san catch him gazing. As the afternoon was beginning to fade into evening, Byuki-san grabbed Chuin and pulled him away to a secluded area. He pulled Chuin to him. "All these good looking boys passing by is getting to me. I want you now, boy!"
"You can't possibly mean here!" Chuin began to shudder. "What if someone catches us? Please, Byuki-san. Not now!"
"You'll do as I tell you, boy!" He began to roughly handle Chuin, who tried in vain to dissuade him. Byuki-san back-handed the boy across the face, but that didn't do much to stop Chuin's stuggles. Chuin managed to get a foot behind Byuki-san, tripping the man as he pushed him hard. Byuki-san fell backwards and Chuin took his chance to run. Byuki-san was on his feet a moment later and ran after the boy, swearing.
Chuin ducked into a building and hugged himself against the wall. He heard Byuki-san run past and relaxed a little. He knew he was going to get a beating for that, but it saved him from having to give into the older man's desires. Only when he felt safe did he check out his surroundings. He was in a large room, which had a stage at the opposite end. People were on the stage singing.
Chuin moved closer, curious. He had never seen an opera before. His eyes were drawn to one figure. A man in an impressive costume. He wore a crown, with two long feathers attached, that swayed with each movement. His long hair, pulled back in a ponytail went down to his waist. His face was painted with red, black, and dark blue colors.
The man seemed to have a great deal of power. All the other people on stage trembled and bowed before him. Chuin knew the character had to be someone of importance to generate such fear and respect. The man sang with a deep, beautiful voice that hypnotized Chuin. He watched no one but this man for the entire show.
After the show, Chuin snuck backstage and looked around till he found the man's dressing room. The man had taken his costume off and was hanging it up. Chuin squatted down near the door and watched. The man sat down at a table, with a mirror, and began wiping the makeup off. Chuin's heart stopped than started pounding. *He's beautiful!!* How could a man with such a deep voice and such a commanding presense have such a feminine face??
Without turning from the mirror, the man said, "did you enjoy the show? Please do stop hiding like that." Chuin guiltily got to his feet, worried about how much trouble he was in. Only then did the man look at him. "What's your name?"
"Ryo Chuin," He replied quietly.
"I'm Jisuno Bada. You are free to come in here." Bada watched as the boy edged his way in through the door and looked warily about. When Chuin saw that no one else was in the room, he began to wander around the room looking at everything. He had never seen so much stuff in one room!
Bada untied the band that held his hair. As he brushed out his long hair, he studied the boy. His torn and patched clothes showed that he was poor. The bruise that was starting to color his cheek showed that he was abused. He looked to be in his mid-teens, but his eyes were that of someone older. Someone forced to grow up too quickly. But those light-colored eyes contrasted nicely with his dark hair, that was pulled back into a bun. The boy had a soft face like that of a girl, and Bada was certain that if Chuin wore his hair down, he could very well pass for a girl.
Out of the corner of his eye, Chuin watched Bada. He was still unsure of what the man might try to do to him. *Why is he being nice*, Chuin wondered. *Why didn't he yell at me when he saw me there? Why didn't he hit me or get the autorities?* Chuin watched as the man brushed his hair. *He has such lovely hair.* Chuin felt his insides quake a little. Why did he have a strong desire to reach out and touch of the man's hair? To finger one lock of it? He quickly turned his attention away and saw the costume that the man wore on stage.
Bada turned his attention from the boy, and began pulling his hair back into a bun. When he finished, he turned from the mirror towards Chuin. Chuin was standing next to Bada's costume. His delicate-looking fingers were gently feeling the material. "Would you like to try it on?"
Chuin spun around, with an expression looked like he was caught doing something wrong. Then he relaxed when he realised what Bada had said. "Can I," he asked cautiously. Bada nodded and was rewarded by a hugh smile. *If he smiled more often,* Bada thought, *he'd have every girl in this village chasing after him.* "Hai! I'd love to try it on! Arigato, Jisuno-san!"
Bada got up and walked over to Chuin. He took the elaborate coat down and helped Chuin into it. He leaned close to tie the fasteners. Chuin quivered and wondered if the man could hear his heart pounding. His head was just below Chuin's chin. Chuin couldn't resist taking a sniff of the man's hair. *He smells like orchids!* Byuki-san always smelled bad, but then again, he rarely ever bathed. How wonderful it was to be close to someone who smelled so wonderful! His senses were reeling! He wanted to undo the bun and run his fingers through the man's hair. *What am I thinking?? I've only just met him! What's the matter with me??*
When Bada had finished, he turned the boy towards a full length mirror. Chuin couldn't believe the differance! He didn't look like an intimidated boy, he looked powerful! Even regal! "This is the costume of an important general," Bada told him. "Someone who has complete control over others." *Complete control,* Chuin's mind echoed. Bada walked over to another table and picked up the crown with the two long feathers. He placed it on Chuin's head. The crown made him look a little taller. "The head dress signifies status, wealth and power." Chuin could understand that. He seemed to feel more powerful in the costume.
"These feathers are those of the Ho bird, a fighting pheasant. So these feather show the fighting spirit of the warrior." Bada slowly slid his fingers along the two feathers. Chuin watched the movement in the mirror, imagining those fingers against his skin. He supressed a moan and closed his eyes, silently rebuking himself for such thoughts. He took a deep, steadying breath and opened his eyes again. Bada had stopped caressing the feathers. Chuin wanted to take those feathers and trace them across his skin, simply because Bada had touched them.
As if in answer to his wish, one of the feathers moved around and gently ran along Chuin's cheek and chin. Chuin shivered and swayed a little from the sensation, while Bada stared in amazement. "I have never seen anything like this before," he exclaimed. "It's as if the feather has a mind of it's own!" They both watched as the feather floated back into place behind Chuin. *How*, Chuin wondered. *It's as if it moved because I wanted it to.* He didn't know, but he felt a bit uneasy. He gently took the crown off and handed it back to Bada. "I really should be going, Jisuno-san. Byuki-san will no doubt be looking me."
"Byuki-san?" Bada helped Chuin out of the costume, and hung it back up again.
Chuin nodded. "He's the one who raised me. He'll be mad that I took off. Thank you for letting me try this on." Without another word, Chuin took off out the door. He ran back to where the wagon was, or rather, had been. One of the other merchants told him that Byuki-san had left about an hour before. Chuin swore and headed for home.
Luckily, the sky was clear and the moon shown brightly, so finding his way wasn't a problem. *I'm going to get the beating of my life,* he thought as he neared the house. *There's just no avoiding it.* A hard blow to the back of the head, knocked him to the ground. He rolled over on the his back and looked up to see Byuki-san standing over him.
He was holding a whip in his hand. "I'll teach you to not disobey me." Chuin was terrified. He'd been beaten in various way, but he'd never been whipped before. He began to crawl backwards, pleading with Byuki-san to spare him. But Byuki-san raised the whip.
Chuin threw one hand up to ward off the blow. "IIEEEEEEE!!" There was a tremendous rumbling and the ground seemed to explode. Rocks and clumps of dirt hit Byuki-san, knocking him to the ground. Shakingly, he got to his feet and stared at Chuin, then retreated to the house. *Just what is going on,* Chuin asked himself. *First the feather, and now this!* Whatever it was, it kept Byuki-san from beating him. It even kept him from crawling into Chuin's bed for the rest of the week.