Fake Fan Fiction ❯ Sakura Monogatari (Cherry Blossom Tale) ❯ Chapter 1

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Author Note: Hi! Just wanted to warn everyone that I had to take some liberties with the characters backgrounds, etc. to fit them into the samurai time period without making them all into visiting foreigners! Also, the names are so western, I really don't know what to do with them! So I'm keeping them the same.

Also, a glossary of any terms in Japanese will be at the end of each chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fake.

Japan, late 1800's

"Dee! Dee, over here!" a voice called out, waving to a tall, dark and, at the moment rather cross-looking man. Brushing the raven strands out of his face, Dee pulled his eyes away from the falling cherry blossoms to follow his companions.

"Mesmerized by the sakura again, Dee?" said another man, suddenly appearing by his side. Although his words were benign, his tone smacked of sarcasm. Obviously he didn't think Dee capable of any kind of quiet reflection. Especially not when they were so near the pleasure quarters.

Dee answered him wordlessly with a sidelong glare. It had actually surprised him how the soft falling petals had managed to capture his attention. It wasn't something he could put into words, but in the moonlight they seemed to recall a faint feeling of melancholy. Since he couldn't put this ephemeral feeling into words, he decided to ignore it.

"Where are we going tonight?" Dee asked, irritation still in his voice as he turned toward the man next to him. Even in the dim moonlight the other man's hair could be seen, glowing pale blond against the darkness.

"I have a special place in mind tonight, but Drake would like us to stop by the theater district..." the light haired man with explained.

Immediately Dee grimaced. "Anywhere but there Rose...ANYWHERE!" Dee said vehemently. Although Drake lavished his attention on an onnagata in the pleasure quarter's theatrical district, the cross-dressing actor still ran endlessly after Dee.

"Hmmm... perhaps we could skip it, if you're willing to persuade me," Rose said with a growing smirk as he stepped closer to the dark-haired man. Leaning in so that his quiet words could be heard against Dee's ear he prodded, "What are you willing to do for me if I change Drake's mind?"

Damn it! Dee cursed silently as the other man stood opposingly before him. It had been like this ever since he'd been accepted into Rose's dojo. It hadn't been easy to convince Rose to let him in. After all, Rose was from a highly wealthy and well-respected samurai lineage while Dee.... well, his bloodline was not quite so well-known. Truthfully, Dee hadn't expected the acceptance, but he soon learned that Rose felt a wicked delight in lording his power and prestige over those of lower rank. The man simply seemed to reveal in the discomfort or embarrassment of others. Dee had seen it many times as well as being the brunt of Rose's veiled humiliation on countless occasions. The only thing different about the way Rose treated Dee was that he objectified him sexually rather than simply looking down upon him.

Gritting his teeth so hard they audibly squeaked, Dee wondered for the thousandth time why he had to always be the one to put up with Rose's sexual overtures. He supposed it was because it was the most surefire way to piss him off.

"Well, Dee-chan," Rose said, using the condescending label. When the man didn't answer, he moved in even closer.

Dee bit down on his tongue. Situations such as these always left him at a loss; he couldn't afford to be too rude and take the chance of offending the wealthy samurai: Rose was the only thing keeping him from being on the street as a total beggar bereft of all dignity. And if thrust into that situation, he might has well commit ritual suicide rather than let his name fall into dishonor. But he was not so strict in the samurai code as most and he highly doubted he would ever find himself taking such extreme measures.

A sudden, hard pressure was felt against Dee's thigh and his ire rose higher. That had BETTER be Rose's sword! To HELL with it, he thought, ritual death couldn't possibly be worse than THIS!

"Rose, get off!" he yelled, roughly pushing the man away like a child teased to the brink by an older sibling. And, indeed, Rose laughed triumphantly and smiled with satisfaction at Dee's red face as if he were prodding a young child into rage.

Of course, the man's laughter only fueled Dee's frustration. He felt his face grow hot in embarrassment with the realization he'd let Rose get the better of him once more.

"Someday, Rose, I swear, I'm gonna knock that grin off your face!" he cried, unable to keep a slight whine out of his voice.

"You're such a child sometimes, Dee-chan," Rose said, turning around and walking away.

"Don't call me 'chan'! you bastard!" Dee yelled.

"Hai, hai..." Rose replied over his shoulder.

Dee ran a hand threw his hair and blew out a deep breath. A samurai was never supposed to loose his temper in such a manner. How did it always happen that Rose could crawl under his skin so easily? Ted had once told him it was because they were so similar, but Dee could only laugh in reply. Both men would've considered such a comparison an insult, and Dee couldn't even see it's validity.

"Chotto matte yo, Rose-san!" Dee called to the man's back, doing his best to calm himself as he trotted after him.

"Oi, Rose-san, I thought we were going to the pleasure quarters," Dee called as the man in front of him continued past the red-light district.

Ignoring the raven-haired man, Rose called to his other companions who were walking ahead, "Drake, Ted! This way, we'll come here on the way back." Drake opened his mouth to protest, but Ted put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Sighing, Drake nodded. Rose was the leader of their school, they wouldn't quarrel with him over such a small matter.

"May I ask where we're going?" Dee inquired, hoping his agitation didn't come through in his voice.

Rose, as usual, took Dee with a grain of salt and answered him, "There's an inn just on the outskirts of the quarters that I wish to visit this evening."

Inwardly Dee shrugged, the samurai was being deliberately cryptic, but he knew asking anything more would get him nowhere.

Within a few minutes the men found themselves outside of a small, but tidy Inn. It looked well-tended and the scent of fresh incense wafted out to them, but there was nothing particularly special about it. Dee had to wonder why Rose would take them there, especially when there were so many other inviting entertainments just around the corner.

"This way," Rose prompted as he stepped inside. They were immediately greeted by a rather wide-shouldered, burly man who waved them further inside. "Doozo, doozo," he said as they slipped off their shoes in the katan. "Rose-sama, it's good too see you again, and so soon! How gracious of you to visit us again!" he crooned

Holding back a frown, Dee fought the sour taste accumulating in his mouth as he watched the innkeeper stumble over himself to receive Rose. It always galled him that everyone kowtowed to the man simply because of his heritage, rather than any individual merits. (Although, had Dee let himself consider it, the blond man was quite a capable swordsman as well as an excellent writer and poet in his own right.)

"The same room as last time?" the swarthy man asked Rose with a knowing wink.

"Hai, ii desu," Rose replied simply.

As they followed the samurai leader, Ted came beside Dee to asked him softly, "Have you ever been here before? Do you know what he's up to?"

In reply, Dee just shook his head. Rose relished surprising them. just one other way for him to always be one step ahead of everyone else.

"Doozo," the innkeeper repeated, showing them inside a spacious, comfortable room. "You're tea will be brought shortly," he said, that knowing look returning to his eye as he glanced toward Rose. The large man bowed and turned to leave, but added before he left, "Let me know if you'd like to make further arrangements, Rose-sama."

The samurai nodded and then turned to grin at Dee, who was doing his best not to show his irritation at not having the slightest idea why they were there. After a moment, Dee's impatience won over his restraint and he asked, "So, are you going to tell us what we're doing here or are we-"

But he never finished. The door slid gently open with a quiet hiss and a slim, graceful figure glided into the room. They had been expecting a woman to come to serve their tea, but before them kneeled a young man near their own age, but with more poise than any of them claimed to possess.

Instinctually, Dee's eyes roved over the man before him. His skin was porcelain white. His hair was an unusual shade of dark blond- not the bright, platinum shade of Rose's bleached strands, but a natural, subtle hue. Despite the strange color of his locks, his eyes were the deep, riveting and native shade of brown-black. Sensing Dee's appraisal, the dark orbs lifted to meet his gaze and Dee was rewarded with a delightful pink blush across the man's cheeks.

Sensing another pair of eyes upon him, Dee turned to see Rose viewing him with a wide grin, as if he could read this mind. Dee frowned. So this blond man was the entire reason for Rose's little detour. And if he knew Rose at all, it meant that the graceful, enigmatic man pouring each of them tea was his newest conquest. The wealthy samurai always loved to show off his latest boy toy, but Dee had never envied him. Not until this moment.

His eyes returned to the unusual blond man and he pushed thoughts of Rose out of his mind and he drank in the beauty of the slender man's quiet movements. Each raise of the arm, every dip of the hand, exuded elegance and charm. As he watched him move about the table, kneeling by each man's side to pour the hot tea, the raven-haired man realized his soft gestures belied the strong build of his body. When he had entered the room, Dee had thought the man possessed a rather lean frame, but as he presently kneeled before him, Dee saw it was not so. He had wide shoulders and well-built muscles where they revealed themselves at the edge of his sleeves and at the open neck of his kimono.

There was a silence in the room as this man moved about them. In contrast to his easy grace, they felt awkward and clumsy. "Doozo," the man said to Dee as he set the tea bowl before him. The dark haired man stammered out an "arigatoo," while averting his eyes. He'd been staring.

Nevertheless, his gaze continued to follow the dark blond man as he approached his superior. Something just wasn't settling well with Dee. Having been introduced to many of Rose's 'mistresses', he couldn't help but think that there was something different about this man. And as he leaned before to Rose to fill his bowl, Dee didn't see any indication that the man was under his charms. It almost appeared the opposite. But, then again, it could just be Dee's own wishful thinking.

Rose's eyes met his own once more and the familiar, self-satisfied smile broadened his lips as one hand reached up and snaked beneath the dark-blond's draped sleeve. For a second, the man's motions stilled, his composure broken. But he finished his task and, somewhat hastily, he stood up and left the room with a fluid bow.

Although Dee rarely felt protective, the emotion stirred in him to shield his enigmatic man from harm. And from any further advances from Rose.

"He's quite a beauty, isn't he?" Rose said once the man had slid the door shut.

Ted and Drake nodded in agreement, but Dee barely heard the question, his mind still bent on the this new, enchanting man.

"Where does he get that golden hair? Surely it's not bleached like yours?" Drake asked, meaning no disrespect to his leader.

"No, it's definitely natural," Rose replied with a distinctly suggestive undertone. "Although I'm quite sure of his origins, he hasn't disclosed them to me-yet." He continued, watching Dee out of the corner of his eye, "But his exotic beauty certainly isn't cheap. The Innkeeper charges a high price."

"Excuse me," Dee said suddenly, raising to step out of the room.

"Where's he going?" Ted asked.

"One guess," said Rose hiding his smile as he sipped gently at his tea.

Drake and Ted exchanged glances. If Rose had a plan in mind, he wasn't going to let them in on it.

"Rose-sama," Ted asked after a moment, "I've wondered for a while now, why did you let Dee-san join the dojo? He doesn't seem to have exceptionally high skill or lineage..."

"It amuses me," Rose said with a small smile.

***** I hope Rose doesn't seem out of character. Given the situation, I think he'd definitely exploit his power, though.

Well, the glossary is below of you need it or are just curious!

GLOSSARY and EXPLANATIONS

onnagata: A man who traditionally played the women's roles in Japanese theater. Like early Shakespearean theater, women were not allowed to participate, so effeminate men would take their place. Many in Japan became very famous and would have various devoted admirers among the samurai.

katan: The small entrance area at the entrance of most homes and buildings.

Rose's bleached hair: Although it's unlikely a samurai would have bleached his hair, it was definitely possible. (All you really need is ammonia, a natural compound.) I decided to say his hair was bleached because I'm trying to keep the story as authentic as possible and I didn't just want to ignore the hair color since everyone's supposed to be Japanese.

pleasure quarters: It wasn't only the place where geisha and prostitutes abided. It was also the cultural center where music and theater abound. Also known as the 'floating world'.

samurai & homosexuality: It was very common for older samurai to take younger students or onnagata as lovers. Although they usually frequented the pleasure quarters to visit female prostitutes, it was just as likely that they paid young boys for the same favors. In the story, Ryo is in his twenties and so he's actually 'over-the-hill' for a male prostitute. However, since I'm not a fan of 'shota' and I just think it would be creepy for Dee to be with a very young Ryo, I kept his age higher!

oi: hey

chotto matte yo: wait a minute

hai: yes

iI desu: fine, good

doozo: here...

I think that covers everything! ^_^