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"Ow! F--" Kouyuu turned his face away and literally bit his lip on the obscenities until he bled. The man who'd 'accidentally' kicked him as Kouyuu finished shining his shoes didn't seem to notice, and laughingly apologized as he walked away.
Kouyuu dropped his rag for a moment and gingerly touched his cheekbone, hissing as the growing bruise made itself felt. He glared at the retreating man's back and whispered a few choice words about his ancestry and sexual proclivities under his breath.
This job sucked. And so did the majority of people who hung around at court, in Kouyuu's considered opinion.
Li Kouyuu couldn't be said to like a whole lot of people. He loathed women - especially lately, what with the avalanche of marriage proposals he'd received since passing the Imperial Examination. Even his own father Kou Reishin (who received Kouyuu's undying devotion for adopting him off the street for no logical reason he could see) was pretty much impossible to actually like.
Most other men left him cold, as well - it was hard to be friends with someone who couldn't even carry on an intelligent conversation. It wasn't that Kouyuu was arrogant, it was just a simple fact of life, and he had long ago given up on finding someone who could keep up with him - and who wasn't a total asshole.
On the other hand, there weren't really that many people that Kouyuu hated. He usually just didn't let them get that far into his consciousness. In other words, Kouyuu generally dismissed people from his mind long before they could piss him off that much.
Even the man who had just kicked him was merely the subject of a momentary burst of anger. Hatred was personal, and Kouyuu simply wasn't close enough to anyone for it to matter to him that much.
In fact, there was exactly one person who had managed to somehow manoeuvre himself into that position, despite all of Kouyuu's efforts.
He absolutely detested Ran Shuuei.
Six weeks earlier.
"And the first place examinee is...Li Kouyuu,"
Kouyuu could feel the butterflies in his stomach as he straightened his back even more as if in a futile effort to get just a little bit taller. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room like a physical presence. "Here," he said, and strode forward quickly to present himself to the Emperor.
Well, to the Emperor's throne, and his top advisors. The Emperor Himself had been far too unwell to sit there in some time. From what Kouyuu had heard, the infighting between the brothers had been going on for some time, but as of yet there wasn't anyone who dared to actually sit in the throne - today, anyway. Who knew what would happen tomorrow?
He could hear a lot of whispering. People were covering their mouths with their long sleeves as they spoke to each other. From the sidelong glances the young Kouyuu was getting, though, it was easy to figure out what they were discussing. He could hear snatches of the conversations all around him.
"...sixteen, and first place in the exam! Clearly the standards must be slipping..."
"...Who does he think he is anyway..."
"...I hear he's the son of Kou Reishin. I'll bet he pulled strings..."
"...probably illegitimate, that's why he's called 'Li'. I hear she was a whore..."
"...thought Reishin preferred men..."
Kouyuu resisted the urge to plug his ears.
Thankfully the man with the scroll was going on. "The first runner up, in second place, is Ran Shuuei."
Ran? Kouyuu glanced around curiously. The Ran family was quite large and powerful, but he hadn't realized there were any boys of the right age to take the examination this year.
The man - no boy, but barely - who stepped up to stand beside Kouyuu was stunningly handsome. He moved in a glide, and had a self-possession in his step that made Kouyuu feel like a marionette with tangled strings. He was definitely confident, probably the kind of person who made friends easily.
To Kouyuu's surprise, Shuuei smiled at him.
The whispers went on.
"...Amazing he only got second place..."
"...To think that little child beat out Shuuei. Impossible..."
Kouyuu struggled to focus on the announcer when his ears wanted to worry at the whispered chatter like a tongue probing at a sore tooth. But he ended up missing the name of the third place examinee completely as Shuuei leaned just a bit closer and murmured, scarcely moving his lips.
"Nice to meet you, Kouyuu. Congratulations on beating my score."
Kouyuu shot a glance at Shuuei out of the corner of his eye. As he'd suspected from the arrogant cast to his tone, the other boy was smirking at him. So, he thought Kouyuu was an upstart, too!
Well, he'd show him. "It wasn't hard," he sniffed, deliberately turning away slightly and directing his attention to the officials at the front of the room. The pomp and circumstance continued, and Kouyuu was able to ignore the soft chuckles coming from just to his right.
Ugh, they're all the same, Kouyuu thought savagely, struggling to keep his expression under control. Too stupid to live, or too arrogant to bother with.
Almost there! Kouyuu raced up the steps, panting hard as he reached the top, and he stopped for a moment to collect himself.
He was going to be late! It was a week after the presentation ceremony and today the top twenty examinees were supposed to receive their assignments. The other examinees had mostly returned to their home provinces, to work in municipal governments or apprentice in more important positions. But the top twenty always remained at the palace, and were given special assignments that suited their specific skills.
As the first place examinee, Kouyuu was sure he'd get a prime assignment - maybe even working in Civil Administration, under his father! In such a position, he'd be able to pay Reishin back for everything he'd done for him.
But now he was about to make the worst impression possible. He'd left two hours in advance, knowing that he had yet to figure out all the inns and outs of the mazelike palace grounds. But it still hadn't been enough.
Thankfully, it was hard to miss the massive doors that led into the audience chamber. He'd seen it from a distance and run straight there, though he'd gotten dirt and mud on his robes hurrying through a flower garden on the way. If he'd turned aside to go around, he was sure he'd have been walking in circles for hours.
Swallowing hard, he tried futilely to brush some of the dirt from his white examinee robe, then pulled the doors open and entered.
All of the others were there, of course, arranged in two ranks of ten with one spot clearly left empty. Nineteen pairs of eyes turned and glared at Kouyuu as the boy walked humbly up to take his place at the end of the row.
No, it had been eighteen pairs of eyes. Shuuei was looking, but he wasn't glaring - if anything, he looked bemused.
Laugh it up, Ran, Kouyuu thought irritably. He's probably happy that he's shown me up now. Look at him. Shuuei leaned to hear the whisper of a boy standing beside him, and then shared a soft laugh.
What little chatter there was stopped abruptly as two older men entered the room, one short and hugely fat, the other tall, greying and severe of expression. The second - Official Ro - was obviously scandalized by Kouyuu's state. Not only that, but even though he hadn't been in the room, he had to have been watching. He knew Kouyuu had barely made it in time.
Kouyuu wanted to sink into the floor with humiliation as his assignment was announced aloud for all to hear.
Shoe shining? Shoe shining?! It took all of Kouyuu's fragile willpower to keep himself from leaping on the old fart and strangling him to death.
Instead, he ground his teeth and stared at the floor as the laughter and whispers started up again.
It'll be all right. Reishin will do something about this injustice! I deserve the same opportunities everyone else gets!
"Well what do you expect me to do about it?"
Kouyuu stared, his jaw slack in surprise. Reishin was regarding him with a bored expression, his fan moving idly in front of his face. Kouyuu couldn't see his mouth, but he was sure his adopted father wasn't smiling.
In fact, Reishin's eyes were narrowed with annoyance.
"Reishin-sama," he exploded. "Aren't you upset? They're treating me like dirt! I was first place in the exams, and I'm only one year younger than that Ran Shuuei. Why are they treating him like a god while I'm stuck doing this stupid, useless job?"
The fan closed with a snap and Kouyuu suddenly felt the hard lacquered wood poke him hard just under the chin. "Are you saying that your honourable assignment as given to you by Official Ro is beneath you?" Reishin asked. The older man's expression was moving closer to a glare with every passing second.
For a moment, Kouyuu floundered. "Well...of course," he stammered. "That's the kind of thing we have...servants...for." Okay, when he said it aloud it made him sound like a brat, but he was an imperial official! He'd studied for months, taken seemingly endless tests. The only thing he hadn't excelled in was the martial arts portion, and that wasn't even mandatory!
He had been so sure they would assign him as someone's assistant, maybe even Reishin himself.
When the smack to his shoulder came, Kouyuu almost felt like he deserved it. The wood-handled fan left a stinging mark even through his robe. "Get out of my sight."
Reishin pointed with the fan towards the door and then opened it with a snap and covered his mouth and nose as if he smelled something noxious. "And I don't want to see you come slinking back here expecting me to pull strings for you again. Do you want to prove that they're right about you?"
Kouyuu's jaw dropped again and he flushed with shame. "N-no, I...Reishin, I'm sorry. You're right..."
"Go."
"Reishin..." But there was only dismissal in the Councillor's expression. Reishin turned away deliberately, busying himself with paperwork as Kouyuu trudged out of the room.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, Kouyuu berated himself. How could I have done that? Didn't I set out to do this because I wanted to make him proud of me? And now at the first sign of trouble I'm running to him for help? Pathetic! No wonder he's disappointed.
He didn't even see the lithe figure leaning against a nearby post until the hand settled on his shoulder. "Hey--"
Kouyuu started and whirled, jerking away from the grip and stumbling back a step in his surprise.
"What--" he began, then realized who he was looking at. "--Shuuei? What do you want?" He was far too angry with himself to be polite - and lucky, lucky, here was a convenient target.
Shuuei was smiling quizzically, his hand still extended. "You all right? You look pretty distracted," he said, folding his arms across his chest.
Kouyuu frowned. What was this supposed to be about? "I'm fine," he bit out, definitely not wanting to talk about it. "What do you want, Ran?"
"You can call me Shuuei," the older boy said, teeth flashing in a grin. "After all, we're going to be good friends."
So. It was to be more overt mockery this time.
"Whatever you say, Shuuei," Kouyuu growled, turning away and stalking off.
To his annoyance, Shuuei caught up with him and started walking at his side. "You're not a very friendly person, are you?" Shuuei asked him casually, as if that was a routine sort of conversational gambit.
"No, I'm not."
"Why not? Have I done something to offend you?"
Kouyuu's head whipped around, the emphatic 'yes' on his lips, but he choked on it when he saw the curious, almost concerned look on Shuuei's face.
Had Shuuei done something to offend him?
Well, only if you counted being a stuck-up arrogant jerk who took pleasure in the misfortune of others. He was always laughing about something. Already the other boys flocked around him, hanging on his every word. And Kouyuu was the outcast from their circle.
"Yes," Kouyuu said firmly. "And I don't want to talk to you. So go away," he snapped.
To his utter shock and amazement, Shuuei stopped walking abruptly. "I see," he said in a nonplussed tone. "Well, obviously this isn't a good time. I'll see you later, Kouyuu."
And with that, Shuuei turned and walked away in the opposite direction.
Kouyuu snarled to himself and quickened his pace. What was his problem?
A few dozen steps later, he stopped and looked around with a frown. Shuuei was nowhere in sight, but neither was anyone else.
"Now where the hell am I?" he muttered to himself. "And how do I get home from here?"
"Oh no!"
Kouyuu just stood in the doorway to his apartment and stared in utter, sickened, disbelief.
The room had been torn apart. Every drawer had been opened and the contents strewn around the room, the mattress had been dumped on the floor and the bedding torn. Even his set of teacups - a gift from his father - had been thrown onto the floor and shattered.
Worst of all, all of his acolyte robes, the special white ones that they were supposed to wear while doing their jobs at the palace, had been piled in the middle of the room. From the stench rising from them, they'd been urinated on.
Even as he stared, one of the women who normally cleaned his room strolled by, a pile of linens in her arms. She paused as if to ask him if he needed anything, and then her nostrils flared and her face wrinkled with disgust. She turned and hurried on down the hall and Kouyuu whirled in the direction she'd gone.
"Hey, it's not my fault!" he exclaimed, but she disappeared around the corner without acknowledging him.
He should have known it wouldn't make any difference, anyway. The women who attended him had grown more and more distant over time, and he strongly suspected that either someone was talking to them about him, or they were simply coming to believe the rumours.
Things were definitely escalating.
Last week somehow someone had managed to sneak wasabi into his food at the big banquet that had been held to honour a new arrival from a distant province. Kouyuu had embarrassed himself grabbing for water as his mouth seemingly burst into flames, and had eventually left early, humiliated.
The week before it had been a mud bombing from out of nowhere. The worst part was that a high-level official had been passing by at the time, and made Kouyuu clean it up. Thank goodness it hadn't been Official Ro. He'd never seen his attackers, but he'd caught a flash of white as they'd scattered.
He couldn't count the number of times he'd gotten lost and people had lied about where they were going to lead him astray, or ignored his requests for directions.
Now all he had to wear were the pair of robes he had on - already soiled from a day of kneeling on the ground shining shoes - and a set of street robes he couldn't wear while out and about at the palace.
What was he going to do?
"Hey Kouyuu, why are you just standing there? Is something wro--what the hell?"
Startled out of his thoughts by the voice, Kouyuu realized that he was still standing in the open doorway to his apartment. He glanced to his right to see that Ran Shuuei had come to stand beside him, and was staring at the destruction with as much shock as Kouyuu felt.
Shuuei met his gaze, and for once he wasn't smiling. In fact, he looked upset. "This is awful," he said. "They're still giving you so much trouble?"
The weird thing was, he seemed sincere.
Kouyuu was worn out, ground down, and exhausted emotionally and physically. He hadn't slept more than a few hours at a time in almost four weeks, since after his shoe shining he was expected to sort mountains of documents in the archives for hours. Spending any time with Kou Shouka, the archivist, had become the high point of Kouyuu's day, but it was still numbing work and Kouyuu always ended up having to stay long after Shouka had headed home to his little daughter for the night.
Perhaps that was why he didn't order Shuuei to leave him alone, this time.
Instead, he clutched at that little bit of concern like a drowning sailor. "It just keeps getting worse," he said miserably. He stepped into the room and bent, picking up one of the largest shards of what was left of the tea set and cradling it in his hands. He couldn't even face the worst thing - the pile of stinking robes in the middle of the room.
He heard Shuuei enter the room after him and felt a gentle hand land on his shoulder. Kouyuu turned to the dark-haired man. "I just don't know what to do anymore," he whispered.
The hand gave a squeeze, and then released. "Hey, don't be like that," Shuuei said, and the gods help him, he almost sounded cheerful. "I know just what you should do. When I'm done with you, you'll be a new man, Kouyuu."
Well, that sounded...good.
"What do I have to do?" Kouyuu asked, ready to try just about anything at this point, even coming from this unexpected quarter.
Shuuei plucked the shard of teapot from Kouyuu's hands. For a second Kouyuu thought he was going to just toss it aside like trash, but Shuuei placed it gently on the table. "Get those street clothes on, we're going out."
"Out?" Kouyuu echoed curiously, though he straightened and moved to obey almost numbly. "Where are we going?"
Shuuei winked. "It's a surprise, but trust me, you'll thank me in the end."
That, on the other hand, sounded vaguely ominous. But Kouyuu felt as if he'd already committed to doing this...whatever it was, so he wasn't going to change his mind now.
Except... "What about the mess?" he asked, gesturing around himself.
"Don't you worry about that," Shuuei said, clapping him on the shoulder and then moving to the door. "You get dressed. I'll arrange for everything to be cleaned. It'll be put to rights before tomorrow when you have to get back to work."
"But I have to go to the archives," Kouyuu protested, but Shuuei just waved dismissively and shut the door.
"Apparently I'm taking a vacation," Kouyuu muttered as he reached for the set of fresh clothes.
A few minutes later, Kouyuu was dressed. He was just in time, as just as he opened the door he saw a gaggle of maids hurrying towards him, Shuuei in the lead. "You need us all to clean this--oh my..." one of the women exclaimed, as she caught her first glimpse of the carnage. "What happened in here?" she glared at Kouyuu.
Shuuei caught her by the chin and turned her face up to look at him. For an instant, he held the tableaux, just as if he were about to kiss her. "It's not his fault, my dear. You know that, right?" he said in a silken tone.
It wasn't until that moment that Kouyuu realized that Shuuei was already in street clothes himself, the predominant blue on his robes denoting him a member of the Ran clan. Kouyuu himself wore no red, since his adopted father hadn't - yet - honoured him with the name of Kou.
She blushed and took a step back, clearing her throat as she brushed hands down herself as if to check on her appearance. "Ah, of course, Ran-sama. If you say it wasn't his fault, I know it wasn't."
"It wasn't," Kouyuu insisted, but that only earned him an impatient look from the woman before she turned away and began assigning tasks to the others in a sharp, commanding tone.
Shuuei grinned at Kouyuu and began leading him away by the elbow. "I really need to help you with your people skills, my friend," he said with a laugh. "But first things first."
"What things?" Kouyuu grumbled. "Where are you taking me, Shuuei?"
"I told you," Shuuei said serenely. "It's a surprise."
It was a long walk, and by the time they got to where they were going, Kouyuu was completely turned around. Shuuei had led him deep into an area of the city Kouyuu had never been to before. The crowd here was rougher, and Kouyuu found himself sticking very close to Shuuei, only realizing when he bumped the pommel of Shuuei's sword that the older boy was armed.
"Where are you taking me?" Kouyuu hissed as he nervously watched a group of street toughs size them up and then turn away.
"Almost there," Shuuei said, flashing a smile that looked meant to be reassuring.
It didn't work.
They entered the courtyard of a well-appointed house, and Kouyuu found himself beginning to relax. Sure, the streets outside seemed dangerous, but this place appeared untouched by the filth. Was this the house of a friend of Shuuei's? Or maybe it was owned by the Ran family.
Then a beautiful woman opened the door and stepped out, a smile on her painted lips. "Ran-sama, have you come to grace our humble house yet again? It seems you can't get enough." She had long brown hair, arranged in an elaborate style Kouyuu had never seen before, and she seemed to be ten years their senior, though maturity only increased her appeal. To say that she was dressed provocatively was a definite understatement, and Kouyuu could feel his cheeks heating.
"My darling Kochou," Shuuei replied, beaming. He left Kouyuu behind completely as he hurried forward to catch up the older woman's hands. "Your beauty stuns me more every time I see you. If you're not careful, I may fall in love with you so deeply I'll never leave."
She laughed, freeing a hand to cover her mouth demurely. "You tease me, Ran-sama. You're far too young and free to be captured by an old bird like me. And who's your friend?"
Kouyuu was still standing where Shuuei had left him, and shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably when their attention turned towards him. He felt like something wasn't adding up, and all of this flirting was making him feel awkward. It was obvious these two knew each other, but how?
"This is my friend, Li Kouyuu. He's--"
"Of course, I know of Li-sama," Kochou said with a welcoming smile. "First place in the examinations, and the youngest to pass in history. Congratulations."
"Um, thanks," Kouyuu said. "Shuuei, do you want me to go? It seems like you and your, uh, girlfriend should have some time--"
He stopped as both of them burst into gales of laughter.
Kouyuu clenched his fists, and his cheeks reddened again, but this time with anger. He started to turn, but Shuuei hurried back to him and put a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Kouyuu," he said, though his eyes still danced with amusement. "Kochou and I aren't...what you think. Please, let's go inside. Kochou, you'll take care of my friend, won't you?"
Reluctantly, Kouyuu allowed himself to be led up to the door as Kochou bowed. "Of course, Ran-sama. Would the two of you like to take some sake first? Karin has been practicing her shamisen, if you would like to hear her play."
"That sounds lovely," Shuuei said with a smile.
Kochou bowed as the two boys passed through the door into the building. "Welcome to the Kougarou Pleasure House."
"Pleasure House?" Kouyuu squeaked, but the doors closed behind him with a bang that seemed to signal his doom.
They were seated in a private room, sake and some finger foods laid out in front of them, before Kouyuu could quite wrap his head around this disaster. Kochou knelt beside Kouyuu and poured his sake while another woman curled up with her head on Shuuei's shoulder.
Kouyuu inched away from Kochou, nervous that she might try to do the same, but that only caused him to bump shoulders with Shuuei. He was trapped.
A third woman entered the room and knelt in front of them, tuning a stringed instrument for a moment before beginning to play.
Kouyuu downed the first cup of sake a bit too fast, but Kochou only smiled indulgently and refilled it without a word. Desperate, he leaned close to Shuuei. "Why did you bring me here?" he hissed.
"Huh?" Shuuei glanced at him, looking startled. "I just brought you here to relax and have some fun."
Kouyuu struggled against the flush that kept threatening to rise in his cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to bring me to a place like this?"
"Well," Shuuei's grin was a little smug. "I thought there was a decent chance you'd say no."
"Of course I'd have said no!" Kouyuu exclaimed. The shamisen player stopped mid-pluck and Kochou put a hand on Kouyuu's arm.
"Li-sama, is something wrong?"
Kouyuu went bright crimson as he looked around the room. All three women were looking at him with concern, and even Shuuei looked a bit distressed. "N-no, no, nothing's wrong," he muttered hastily, looking down at the table in front of him and clenching his fists in his lap. "Everything's fine. Please continue."
The music started up once again and Kouyuu struggled to calm himself down. I'll just get through this, and go back to the palace as soon as is polite. It'll be fine, he told himself. Just pretend this is a normal party. No one's going to force me to do anything...right?
Two cups of sake later, and he was starting to actually believe it.
By this time, Shuuei was virtually ignoring him. He and his girl leaned close, foreheads almost touching as they whispered and shared fingerfoods. As Kouyuu watched, Shuuei ate some kind of sticky pastry, and the women made a show of licking the clinging honey from his finger, giggling.
Kouyuu looked away hastily, but it was hard not to hear the whispers and soft giggles right beside him. Besides, Kochou was right there, smiling at him and refilling his cup, and that just gave him butterflies all over again.
"This is your first time, isn't it," Kochou said softly, setting her bottle back down again.
Great. Well, at least she didn't seem to be laughing at him. Yet.
Kouyuu mumbled something that might have been assent, and drained his sake cup again. "B-but it's okay," he said nervously. "You don't have to, uh, do anything. Really. Shuuei just brought me here because he's a pervert."
Her eyebrows rose and Kouyuu resisted the urge to smash his babbling head into the nearest solid object. "Sorry," he muttered. "I...I didn't mean it like..."
"Yes you did," Kochou said. Why didn't she look offended? "But that's all right. You might want to slow down with the sake, though, or you might have to be carried out of here."
Kouyuu swallowed hard and nodded, realizing that he was starting to feel dizzy. He wanted to apologize again, but he doubted she'd accept it, so he just looked down at his hands again, the silence growing awkward.
When she touched his shoulder, he nearly jumped out of his skin. He started and the sake bottle wobbled ominously but didn't tip over.
"Hush, I'm not going to bite you," Kochou said with a touch of amusement. The hand began to rub, and then massage the tight muscles in his shoulder and neck. "Shuuei's certainly right about one thing - you really need to relax."
Shuuei didn't even glance up at the mention of his name. He seemed utterly absorbed in the prostitute. Kouyuu was both annoyed and relieved at that.
He shifted uncomfortably, but then she hit a particularly sensitive spot and he sagged slightly with a soft groan. "I...I mean it, Kochou-san. You really don't have to do this."
"I don't have to do anything," Kochou said archly. "No matter how much money you pay me, boy. So stop trying to be noble. It's extremely misguided."
"Oh," Kouyuu replied, humbled.
Her severe look softened again and she shifted to massage both shoulders. "Just relax, Li-sama, and enjoy yourself. That's all that's expected of you here," she murmured into his ear.
He nodded. "R-right. Okay."
Some time later, the sake cup had been filled again once or twice and Kouyuu really was starting to feel relaxed. He was leaning back against Kochou's chest and she had her arms around him, toying idly with the fabric of his robe. The shamisen player had been exchanged with a flute player, and Kouyuu felt sleepily comfortable, letting the music wrap around him like fine silk.
And that was when Shuuei got to his feet. His cheeks were flushed, but he seemed steady as he turned to look at Kouyuu and gave him a grin. "You're looking much better now," he observed. "Ready to go?"
"Go?" Kouyuu sat up quickly and paused for a moment as a wave of dizziness hit him. How much had he had to drink? "We're going already?"
"Of course, silly," Shuuei laughed and held out a hand. Kouyuu took it and allowed himself to be helped to his feet. He wobbled, but Kochou caught his other arm and steadied him.
"Rooms have been prepared upstairs," Kochou said with a smile. "Come on, Li-sama, it's time."
And that was when Kouyuu panicked.
"W-what? Hey, hey wait Shuuei, I thought you said we were going!" Kouyuu exclaimed, backing away from both of them with his hands held up.
Shuuei looked nonplussed. He stood there, his arm around the thin waist of the woman he'd been with all evening. "I mean that we should go upstairs, Kouyuu. Aren't you tired of sitting around here yet? I know I am."
"Um, no, that's okay," Kouyuu stammered, still backing away. "You go ahead. I'll just head back to the palace." He bowed awkwardly to Kochou, wobbled, and then caught himself on the doorframe. "Thank you for a lovely evening, Kochou-san."
And he turned and fled.
He didn't run - it was more of a fast walk, really, and the exit seemed incredibly far away. For a moment, he thought no one was coming after him, but as he opened the door and escaped out into the courtyard he heard the sound of running footsteps. Shuuei burst from the building and caught him by the sleeve.
"What the hell, Kouyuu? Will you stop?" he exclaimed. "I would have thought with all that sake you drank that you would have relaxed by now. What are you so afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid!" Kouyuu snapped. He jerked his sleeve out of Shuuei's grip and started down the walk again. "Look, don't let me ruin your evening. Go have fun," he called over his shoulder.
But Shuuei didn't go back inside. In fact, he fell in beside him and they exited the courtyard side-by-side. Kouyuu didn't dare look at Shuuei's face, sure that the other boy must be furious.
Besides, he was having enough trouble just walking in a straight line without trying to focus his eyes anywhere but on the road in front of him.
Shuuei was the first to break the silence. "Look, Kouyuu...I'm sorry that I messed this up. I know you're mad at me, but please believe me when I say I was just trying to help you."
Kouyuu frowned, though the humility in Shuuei's voice was something he never thought he'd hear. Maybe he really had misjudged Shuuei all this time. He certainly had seemed like he was trying to help, even if he'd gone about it in the worst possible way.
"It's okay," Kouyuu said gruffly. "But...there are other ways we could have relaxed while they cleaned my room, you know. You didn't have to bring me all the way here to this...place."
"Well, it's just that, I'd heard about all of those marriage proposals you got, and that you turned them all down," Shuuei said.
"Huh?" Kouyuu glanced up at Shuuei, utterly confused. What did the marriage proposals have to do with the price of tea? "What are you talking about, Shuuei?"
"Well, I figured you're young, probably not that experienced," Shuuei explained. A smile was beginning to lurk around the corners of his mouth. "Maybe you turned them all down because you're nervous. I figured the best thing to do would be to make a man out of you."
"You WHAT?"
Kouyuu stopped dead in his tracks, staring furiously at Shuuei, too angry to even speak. The nerve of him!
Shuuei paused and turned to face him, frowning. "I guess it was the wrong thing to do..."
"Damn right it was the wrong thing to do!" Kouyuu yelled. "Didn't it occur to you I might have another reason for turning them down? Maybe I just don't like any of them!"
"But you've got to pick one, Kouyuu," Shuuei protested. "How can you not like any of them? Don't you know you're systematically insulting every family in court by doing this?"
"That doesn't matter! I don't have to get married if I don't want to!" Kouyuu snarled.
Shuuei looked completely flabbergasted. "But why in hell wouldn't you want to so badly? There are some beautiful women from powerful families who've been offered to you. And it's not like you'd have to live with her, you could still--"
"I don't like women, okay?" Kouyuu shouted.
The words seemed to echo off the walls of the buildings all around them. There were hardly anyone on the streets, but those few who were still out and about lowered their heads and hurried past the two drunk nobles having an argument in the middle of the street.
Shuuei smiled brilliantly. "So you only like men?"
And there it was. The realization of Shuuei's plan was like a knife sinking deep into Kouyuu's heart. Without a word, the younger boy turned down the nearest street and raced away.
Shuuei exclaimed in surprise and Kouyuu could hear him giving chase, calling for him to stop, but he just put his head down and ran faster, turning down streets at random as he tried to elude the pursuit.
Shuuei was devious, that was for sure, and as Kouyuu had always known, he was willing to do just about anything to bring him down. This had just been part of his plan.
He had pretended to befriend him, brought him far out of the palace and gotten him drunk. If Kouyuu had gone along with things, he was sure Shuuei would have made sure everyone in the palace knew where he had gone, and the scandal would have only further ruined his reputation. Since he hadn't been drawn in, Shuuei instead had taken advantage of the sake he'd drunk to pump him for damaging information.
Sure, most nobles had a bit on the side, or visited pleasure houses like Kougarou, but you didn't talk about it. Most people suspected that Kouyuu's father was gay, but he had a wife, so it was only talk. And as long as it remained nothing but amusing talk, it was fine.
But if rumours spread, with all of the negative spin that Shuuei could put on it, it could even come to damage Reishin in the end.
Finally Kouyuu heard the sounds of running feet diminish altogether and he stopped running, leaning against a wall to catch his breath. He couldn't believe he had gotten away - Shuuei was certainly more physically fit than he was. But apparently he'd managed to lose him on one of the random turns.
The question was, where was he now? Raising his head to try to find some sign of the palace, Kouyuu started walking.
By the time he reached his own bed, dawn was beginning to peak over the horizon. He was so exhausted he just fell into bed, thankful that at least the room had already been cleaned. Hopefully there would be something for him to wear tomorrow.
Not that he wanted to think about what would happen tomorrow.
Two weeks had passed since that altercation, and Kouyuu still hadn't heard any rumours of the type he had expected. At least, not very many. He had heard some rumblings that he preferred men, but some were to be expected since he continued to turn any marriage proposals he received down flat. No, the ones he was waiting for were far uglier than that.
But the delay didn't really make him feel any better. Quite the opposite, he felt like an anvil was hanging over his head, waiting to drop at any moment.
No, Ran Shuuei was just biding his time, waiting for the right moment to crush him.
The older boy had studiously avoided Kouyuu ever since that night, and Kouyuu had done the same in return. But the malicious incidents continued, and Kouyuu was certain now that Shuuei was the ringleader.
Shuuei was always surrounded by a gaggle of white-clad boys, talking and laughing, and falling silent when Kouyuu came near. Kouyuu just gritted his teeth and kept working.
He had heard some interesting things being discussed while shining shoes and read some reports in the archives that made his mind itch. He was already working on his report to be turned in at the end of the month.
In fact, his plans for a more efficient distribution of funds had provided him with a much-needed problem to focus on, other than his own insurmountable social crisis.
Speaking of which, it was time to head to the archives now and work on that ever-growing mountain of paper. He'd long-ago given up on catching up, especially since he'd wasted an entire night in the pleasure district and it had gotten quite out of hand for a while. But maybe if he could reduce the piles just a little bit before midnight, he could spend the rest of the night working on his report.
He packed up his rags and polish quickly and got to his feet, hurrying towards the library. He reached up to touch the spot where the man had kicked him again, feeling another pulse of anger.
He'd prove himself with this report. They'd have to acknowledge him, then! Then it wouldn't matter that everyone hated him. They'd have to realize that he deserved to be here, and they'd have to give him some respect.
Kouyuu was so focused on where he was going, that he didn't even sense anyone approaching him until he was grabbed by the collar and yanked into a nearby room. The hands that had him shoved him hard and he stumbled into the room, catching himself on a piece of furniture.
"What the hell?" Kouyuu straightened up and turned around quickly, his eyes widening when he saw four white-clad boys enter the room and close the door.
He was in someone's bedroom, which wasn't nearly as nice as his own, just a simple bed and a lacquered box for clothes. It was the bed he'd caught himself on. Wherever he was, it definitely wasn't the room of any of his attackers - it probably belonged to a maid or servant.
"Don't you ever give up?" one of the boys sneered. He had a provincial accent and sandy blond hair. Belatedly, Kouyuu recognized him as Kou Enjou, the third-place examinee, and no relation of Reishin's. He was tall and lanky, at least eighteen if not older. The three other boys were almost as big.
"Give up?" Kouyuu exclaimed, drawing himself up to his maximum height - which still put him at least half a head shorter than the shortest of the other boys. He'd started to hit his growth spurt, but still had a long way to go. "What should I be giving up on?"
"Pretending to be an Imperial Official, shrimp," one of the other boys drawled. "No one likes you, you're not even good enough to shine shoes! Why haven't you gone crying to daddy to let you go home - or wait, he probably doesn't even let you call him daddy, does he Li Kouyuu?"
Kouyuu flushed with shame and anger, his fists clenching at his sides. "Why you--" he fumed.
But they weren't listening. "We'll teach you your place," Enjou growled, and rushed Kouyuu. Before the younger boy could react, a fist was driven into his stomach and he went down like a sack of rice.
Kouyuu hit the floor hard, all of the air rushing out of his body as he curled up in a foetal position. He felt a shoe slam into his back and cried out as pain radiated through his body.
"Shut him up! Hold him down!" he heard Enjou snap, and a hand grabbed him roughly, covering his mouth, while another pair of hands grabbed his arms.
Realizing that Enjou and his flunkies were deadly serious, Kouyuu struggled to fight back, squirming in the grip of his attackers and kicking out with his feet, but he hit nothing but air.
Enjou kicked him again once, twice, three times for his trouble and Kouyuu found himself now struggling not to escape, but simply to stay conscious. It hurt to breathe, hurt to move, and Enjou seemed to be just warming up.
Desperate, he bit savagely at the hand covering his mouth. He felt his teeth sink deep into soft flesh and tasted copper.
With a scream, the boy pulled his hand away. "He bit me!"
"Help!" Kouyuu screamed. "Someone help me--!" he was cut off as a foot drove into his stomach again.
"Shut up!" Enjou cried. "Shut up!"
There was a sliding sound of wood against wood, and a thump as the door opened. "What's going on in-- Hey, get the hell away from him!" There was a smack followed by a thud, and a cry of pain.
"Shuuei, wait--"
"Shut the fuck up, Enjou! You've gone way too far!"
Through the haze of pain, Kouyuu heard a metallic sound. He looked up and saw Shuuei standing over him, sword drawn and pointed straight at Enjou. One of the other three boys was cradling his bleeding hand, while the other one was on his knees retching. The third was cowering next to Enjou.
"Sh-Shuuei?" Kouyuu managed, struggling to try to sit up.
"It's okay, Kouyuu," Shuuei said seriously. "But when we're proper officials I'm going to teach you how to fight."
Kouyuu managed somehow to find the strength to laugh wryly. "Good...luck..."
"He doesn't deserve to be here, Shuuei. Why do you always defend him?" Enjou demanded.
Kouyuu gasped softly. He always defends me?
"He passed the exam the same as we did, Enjou," Shuuei snapped. "You're the one who doesn't deserve to be here. Now, get moving. You three, you're coming too." He jerked his sword towards the other three and they moved meekly towards the door.
"Where are we going?" Enjou demanded.
"Not far," Shuuei growled. Then his tone softened as he glanced back. "Kouyuu, you stay right here, okay? Don't try to move. I'll come back for you."
Not sure he could disobey even if he wanted to, Kouyuu just nodded weakly. The five examinees trooped out of the room and the door closed.
The moment Shuuei left Kouyuu wanted to call him back. Without the distraction of something to watch, he had nothing to focus on but the pain. Every spot on his body where Enjou had kicked him was throbbing, and there were quite a few of them. He could only hope that he hadn't broken anything.
After a while, though, the pain began to diminish and he was able to sit up. He'd just squirmed into a sitting position and started trying to take stock of the bruises when the door opened again. Shuuei had returned, and he was alone.
"Shuuei!" he exclaimed. "What happened?" Automatically, he started to try to struggle to his feet, but subsided with a groan.
"Hey, take it easy!" Shuuei exclaimed, hurrying over to him and crouching down. "Don't move yet. How bad did they hurt you?"
Kouyuu could only sit dumbfounded as Shuuei started poking and prodding him, running his hands over his back and chest like he was looking for injuries.
"Hey, hey wait!" he exclaimed finally, grabbing for Shuuei's hands. "What are you, a doctor?"
Shuuei looked contrite. "Well, no, but do you think you need one? I was just..."
It was so unusual to see Shuuei looking embarrassed and concerned that Kouyuu was tempted to savour it. But Shuuei seemed so worried, that he just shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I don't feel like anything's broken, just bashed up."
The relief on Shuuei's face was almost palpable. "Thank goodness," he said. "Here, let me help you up. It's no fun to sit on the floor." He slipped his arm around Kouyuu's waist and he was finally able to get to his feet. Shuuei's arm was warm and strong around him and he leaned against the taller boy almost against his will.
They tottered to the bed and sat again, but Shuuei didn't pull his arm away. In fact, the hold tightened, cinching Kouyuu tightly against him.
Though a part of his mind yelled at him to push Shuuei away, Kouyuu just closed his eyes and submitted to the hold. Just...for a moment, until I feel better. I won't let him get the wrong idea.
"I'm glad you're okay," Shuuei murmured. "There have been rumblings about something like this, but I never thought they'd actually do it."
"I'm just glad you were nearby," Kouyuu said reluctantly. Had he been wrong about him all along? He opened his eyes and looked up. "What's really going on, Shuuei?"
"It's Enjou," Shuuei said darkly. "He's had it in for you from the start. He's one of the oldest who took the exam this year, and I hear he's really pissed off that you made it when he couldn't do it at your age. I tried to minimize it, bring people over to my side, but there were a few who stuck by Enjou no matter what I said."
Kouyuu frowned. Come to think of it, none of the boys who had attacked him tonight were part of the group that he usually saw hanging around with Shuuei. "So...you really are my friend," he murmured guiltily. How stupid he'd been, spurning the only person who really was trying to help him!
Shuuei smiled softly and reached out, touching the mark on Kouyuu's cheek where he'd been kicked earlier that day. Kouyuu winced and tilted his head back, pulling the spot out of his reach. The finger drifted down slightly, making Kouyuu shiver.
"Well," said Shuuei. "If you'll let me."
Kouyuu straightened, folding his arms across his chest. "Well," he said archly. "That all depends."
Shuuei blinked and arched an eyebrow. "Depends on what?"
Turning towards him, Kouyuu poked a finger in the middle of Shuuei's chest. "Tell me the truth about something," he said. "Why were you laughing when I said I didn't like women?"
That was the one thing that didn't add up. What was the reason for that weird smile? It had been the thing that convinced Kouyuu that Shuuei had been trying to find dirt on him, yet clearly that wasn't the case.
"I wasn't laughing," Shuuei said archly. "I was happy." Then he grinned teasingly. "You sure you want to know why?"
Suddenly Kouyuu wasn't sure at all. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he nodded. He had to know - so long as that hung over them, could he really trust Shuuei's friendship? "I'm sure."
Shuuei's grin softened to a different kind of smile. Kouyuu felt his heartbeat speed up and his breath catch in his throat, but he couldn't figure out why until the other boy leaned closer. In Kouyuu's mind's eye, he saw Shuuei flirting with that maid who had come to help clean Kouyuu's room.
Kouyuu realized it was the exact same smile, just as Shuuei's arms slipped around him and their lips met.
Too stunned to respond, Kouyuu shivered in Shuuei's embrace as the kiss drew out and the other boy finally withdrew. Only then did the spell break and he jerked back, breaking the hold. "Shuuei!"
The older boy was still smiling, though it was a bit rueful. He slipped his arm around Kouyuu's waist again and rested the other on his shoulder. "I was thinking," he said. "That meant I might have a chance."
Kouyuu reached up and put his hands on Shuuei's chest, keeping a distance between them. His heart was beating wildly against his breastbone and he still couldn't quite collect his thoughts. He kissed me. And I...I...
"You have no chance at all!" he said, but there was no heat in his tone. His hands curled in the fabric of Shuuei's robe. "You're a player, Shuuei."
Shuuei searched his expression, then smiled again, and Kouyuu realized with mixed horror and something like relief that the other boy had seen right through him. "Well, so long as we can still be friends, I'll be happy."
It was a subtle pull, and Kouyuu allowed Shuuei to draw him closer. He lowered his forehead to rest on the other boy's shoulder. Just a moment...just...just for a moment, I can do this.
"We can still be friends," Kouyuu murmured. "But if you think I'm going to let anyone else know I'm friends with someone like you, you're crazy. I'll deny it to my dying breath."
"That's good enough for me," Shuuei said serenely. "Thank you, Kouyuu."
Kouyuu closed his eyes, secure in Shuuei's embrace. Thank you, Shuuei.