© 2008 FastForward-Sarge

Aloha ^^ As per usual, long ass ramblings from me at the beginning though this one won't be too long. Basic warnings in this one apply, usually the same as all my fics. If you haven't read about how I recycle characters, I ask you to please read my profile. If you don't particularly care to know that I recycle characters, fair enough.

This fic is sorta kinda almost maybe a collab with Tanekore. She had a dream a while back and told me about it in excruciating detail, and I offered to write her a fic, and this came about. So the basic idea is hers, but I wrote the fic. Anywho, onto the interesting stuff.

Warnings:
- YAOI! Don't like? Hit the back button. It's that simple.
- Ridiculousness! This is me we're talking about, I'm a freak.
- Angst! Again, this is me, you'd have to be new not to know how much I torture people.

That's about it as far as I can think of for this particular fic. It's gonna be short, probably only 4 chapters, if that... So yush, enjoy.

A black sneaker fell lazily onto the asphalt ground of a sidewalk as its occupant walked down the small side-street. His footsteps echoed off the walls of the surrounding, close-knit buildings, the raven-haired teenager side-stepping a large puddle that had formed due to the rain from earlier that day.

Hideki Okitaka ran one hand through his dark hair as he moved back out onto a busier street, people shifting to move out of his way as the teen shoved his hand back into his pocket and continued his lazy stroll. He didn't really have a particular destination in mind, at the moment. He was just walking around, trying to force the cold air to numb his brain. Though his hands were shielded by the biting wind, they were still getting cold in his pockets, so he pulled them out, rubbed them together, and then blew into them.

He'd chosen a bad night to go out for a walk. It was so cold, it should've been snowing. The few puddles he saw on this road were ice, by now. He assumed the only reason the one in the side street hadn't been was because it was too deep.

The raven was somewhat shocked to see so many people were out on such a cold night, but he figured that they didn't seem to mind the cold too much. Most of them were couples plastered together to keep warm. Some were laughing and cuddling as they walked while others seemed to just be enjoying a nightly stroll, same as Hideki—only they weren't alone.

He winced slightly before looking back at the ground he was walking on, shoving his hands in his pockets again. Seeing all those couples hurt, because his breakup with his girlfriend was still raw. It had been—well, it had been coming, yet it had still been somewhat of a shock to him. Though after what he'd done, he supposed he deserved it, and she was right, anyway.

"You're so fucking indecisive, Hideki. Seriously, this was a fun little game at first, but I'm fed up. You need to go and figure yourself out, I'm sick of just wasting my time with you. If you don't know what you want, we can't make this work. Jesus Christ, you fucking freak out when I say we should have sex, and then next thing I know, you're just—You need to sort yourself out. I'm sick of this. Come back when you know what you want. Until then, have a nice life."

Hideki winced as he heard the sound of her door slamming in his face, knowing it had been over a week ago, but the sound still reverberated in his head. His father kept asking why she wasn't coming around anymore, since he'd liked her, and Hideki hadn't had the heart to tell him they'd broken up. Honestly, he wasn't really sure what to tell him about the whole situation due to the nature behind why they'd broken up.

He groaned internally as he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, rubbing his face with his hands a few times, remembering why she'd gone off on him like that. He'd deserved it, but still, it wasn't exactly one of his prouder moments in his life.

The two of them had gotten separated at a party, and Hideki had randomly started dancing with a guy. And then they'd started making out. Hideki wished he could blame it on being drunk, but he hadn't had a drop of alcohol the entire night. He hadn't even really found anything weird about making out with the guy until his girlfriend had wrenched him away and promptly smacked him across the face. He winced.

Yeah, definitely not one of my prouder moments... He sighed, shaking his head as he started walking again.

The thing that upset him the most about the entire situation was that she'd forgiven him for it, but she'd still broken up with him because she was frustrated. Hideki could understand, even if he didn't like it. She was annoyed that he didn't know what he wanted. Fuck, Hideki was annoyed that he didn't know what he wanted. It wasn't that he was attracted to guys, it just... well... okay, he honestly had no idea. He just didn't know what he wanted. All he knew, was that he was really lonely right now, and it sucked. All because he'd kissed some stupid guy.

He kicked at a random can on the street, scowling down at it as it bounced away. Why couldn't he have just brushed it off and pretended it never happened? Why couldn't he have just said yes to having sex with his girlfriend? They'd been dating for six months, so why the fuck was he so antsy about fucking her, when he'd gone and made out with some random guy after knowing him for literally two minutes, if that?

The raven growled, kicking at the can again as he neared it before falling down onto a bench on the side of the road, looking around to see if it was one of the benches at a bus stop. Seeing it wasn't, he stayed put, leaning back and resting his arms along the back of the wooden seat. A chill ran up his spine as the wind picked up, but he didn't want to go home to his empty apartment. Not that being here alone was any better, but at least he was getting fresh air?

He heard people laughing behind him and turned slightly, cocking an eyebrow as he noticed a middle-aged man walking along the streets with someone in geisha-attire. He watched them as they neared him, the two passing behind him, and Hideki frowned, turning his head to watch them walk away from him. He could've sworn the geisha was actually a guy. A very effeminate guy, but a guy nonetheless.

The cold must've actually numbed my brain, he thought as he shook his head and stood, stretching slightly. He glanced at the time and winced. It was close to eleven. He probably shouldn't stay out much longer, but he also really didn't want to go home. He turned and walked in the same direction the man and geisha had come from, cocking an eyebrow as he noticed another pair cross his path before waiting at a set of lights. He moved closer to get a better view in the dim light, and noticed that, indeed, the geisha was a guy. That didn't necessarily mean the other was a guy, but considering this one definitely was and he'd assumed the other was, the chances of them both being male were high.

Now that he thought about it, he'd noticed one of the couples earlier had someone dressed as a geisha, and wondered if maybe there wasn't some kind of weird festival going on that he didn't know about. Though why guys were dressing up as geishas, he didn't know, though he would admit to being a little interested. And as far as he could tell, based on the third couple coming his way, they were all coming from the same direction.

He reached the corner and looked down the street, pressing his lips together before rubbing his arms. It was already late, and he was pretty far from home. He should probably be heading back instead of going off and getting lost or something. But honestly, seeing all those male-geishas interested him, and he really wanted to know what was going on. So, he sighed, and turned, walking down the street and shoving his hands into his pockets again.

He winced, the wind blowing harder from this direction, and pulled the hood of his sweater up to try and diminish the amount of cold hitting his ears. They already felt ready to fall off as it was. Though the wind blowing at him made it hard for his hood to stay up.

He stopped, crossing his arms and hunching his shoulders as he turned to look behind him. Was it really worth it? He probably should just head home. No, there's nothing waiting for me there. This will at least entertain me for a while.

Deciding for sure, now, he turned and continued on his way, seeing more of the couples passing him, and wondering how the hell those guys in kimonos weren't freezing their asses off. They didn't seem to mind, though, so he figured maybe they were used to it, or something. He just shrugged and continued on his way, stopping at a crosswalk and seeing some more geishas across the street. At least he knew he was headed in the right direction.

The light changed, and he hesitated once more, but it was like the more he saw the geishas, the more he had to find out where they were coming from. It was like something nagging at the back of his mind, telling him that if he turned around, he would never forgive himself. He mostly just insisted it was his curiosity getting the best of him. Because honestly, it was the middle of winter, who the fuck would be walking around in kimonos?

He crossed the street, and continued walking, occasionally seeing more of the geishas and crossing streets to follow where they seemed to be coming from. It appeared a lot of them had traveled decently far, since he'd made it downtown, by now, when the first couple he'd seen had been up near his place, which was in the posh part of town.

He shivered and hunched over more, feeling the air getting colder as he walked further into the downtown area, his steps slowing of their own volition as he looked around. He was in one of the more run down parts of town. Well, not really run down, but not exactly the safest place for a rich kid like him to be wandering about at night.

He stopped a few minutes later as he stood at a street corner, staring at the small, rundown building he saw geishas exiting from. There was a glowing neon sign above the door, blinking the word "Hanamachi" at him—whatever the fuck that meant. The whole thing looked gaudy to him, and looking around, he felt a little uncomfortable.

He was in the bad part of town, where hookers walked around in search of men in need, and pimps were looking for the next client. It was too cold right now, though, so none of them were around, but there was still the gaudy geisha house.

He looked back at it as he leaned back against the pole for the crosswalks light, watching men enter and exit, some alone, some accompanied. He cocked his head slightly, watching them. He felt a little better noting that the men walking in and out were dressed really nicely. Hell, he even knew some of them. They worked with his dad.

All the men were wearing pressed suits or nice dress-pants. None of them were just in jeans and hoodies, and Hideki was actually starting to feel underdressed. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to convince himself to leave due to his state of dress, but instead of moving him back the way he'd come, his feet walked forward.

Crossing the street, he stopped a little outside the door, looking up and down, pressing his lips together. Based on what he saw, it looked like this wasn't really a whore-house, like he'd thought it was. The geishas looked really well-dressed, and in a way, Hideki suspected that this was more of an escort-type of place. But he wouldn't know for sure until he went in.

Why not? I'm down here, anyway, it won't hurt anyone. He moved closer to the door and was about to step inside when he froze. There was an intimidating-looking man standing just inside the door. He was about Hideki's height, but broader in the shoulders. He stood with his arms crossed, but was looking down a side-corridor rather than out, like Hideki suspected he should've been.

The raven wasn't sure what to do and just as he was about to say something, the brunette in front of him turned to face him, blue eyes boring into Hideki's. He swallowed hard.

"Did you need something, kid?" the bouncer inquired, still staring intently at the raven.

Hideki was somewhat insulted. The guy in front of him couldn't have been any older than he was, so who was he calling 'kid,' dammit! He opened his mouth to give the asshole a piece of his mind before stalking off, but he never got the chance.

"Seiko, darlin', is that any way to treat customers?" Hideki's eyes widened as the brunette in front of him smirked slightly, amused with the raven's shocked expression. To be fair, Seiko Haiiro had reacted the same way the first time he'd heard his manager's falsetto.

He moved aside to let the man enter the doorway, smirking out at Hideki and stifling a laugh at the other's expression.

"Little hun's just curious, ain't that right, love?" The manager winked at Hideki, which seemed to appal the raven even more. "I'm Mr. M. Welcome to my abode."

Mr. M was quite a sight to behold. He wore a loose yukata, the top mostly hanging open and off his shoulders, the bottom only staying closed due to a bright green obi. His makeup was overdone, and more gaudy than soft and glamourous, like the other geishas Hideki had seen thus far. That, and he'd shaved his head, which made him look a little bit like a watermelon with makeup on. He wasn't glamourous and elegant like the others. Hideki supposed he didn't have to be, since he was the manager.

"So, little darlin'." Mr. M clapped his hands together, smiling brightly. "What would you like this evenin'?"

"Uh, no. Nothing." Hideki took a step back, feeling a blush creeping up his cheeks. "I was just—I was looking. I just came out for a stroll and happened—"

"Happened?" Mr. M giggled—which appalled Hideki even more than he already was, which was quite a feat. "Nonsense, handsome, no one just happens across this part of town." He moved down the steps, looping one arm through one of Hideki's and practically pulling him inside. "Come on in, don't be shy, it's all right to be curious."

"No, I'm—I'm not..." Hideki didn't know what to say as he was pulled through the door, glancing nervously at Seiko, who glared.

"Oh, don't mind him, he's just our little watchdog, ain't ya, darlin'?" He turned to wink at the brunette. "He won't bite—much."

Hideki hated himself right now. What had possessed him to come down this way?!

"First time to a geisha house, huh? Aw, you're cute, hun, don't worry. We're a respectable group, here. Have a license and everything."

"That's not—I didn't mean.... I'm just—I was looking."

"You're a doll." Mr. M smiled at Hideki, letting his arm go and patting his cheek lightly. "It's all right to be curious, love."

They'd stopped in the large foyer just inside the door, and Hideki was somewhat stunned to see that the inside looked nothing like the outside. The foyer had a marble floor with a soft goldish wallpaper on the walls, pictures hung here and there. Five large oak chairs were positioned near the door, each with a soft red cover on the seating.

On either side of him, there was a corridor, one going down towards a room which currently had the door closed, and the other going down before turning a corner. And directly in front of the entrance, there were two staircases leading up, one on either side of the room. The inside definitely didn't reflect the outside. Hideki assumed they didn't have enough money to renovate the outside yet.

The teen stepped aside as a businessman walked out with one of the geishas. A few men were sitting on the chairs by the door while others were paying another geisha who was seated behind a desk located between the two staircases. He saw one couple go upstairs while more still left.

He wondered why anyone would want to go outside in the cold when they could just stay here. What were they even going to do outside?! Maybe it's the married men who want to make sure they don't cheat on their wives. Less tempting if there's no bed. He smirked to himself, finding the thought hilarious.

"So, little darlin'," Hideki turned back to Mr. M as the man motioned the area. "What do you think? See anything you like? Or are you still not sure what you're looking for?"

"Uh..." Hideki was caught a little off-guard. He was curious, of course, but not really curious enough to stay for a lengthy period of time. "I'm not really—"

"Nonsense!" Mr. M patted Hideki's cheek with a large smile. "Come, I'll give you a reduced price." He wrapped one arm around Hideki's shoulder. He looked like he was going to head down the corridor that turned a corner, but after briefly looking Hideki up and down, he decided to go down the other corridor. "It's your first time, and you're such a doll. You'll feel more comfortable with one of our more—exotic geishas."

He pulled Hideki past the front door, and the bouncer glared, moving back slightly and into the foyer, looking down the corridor Hideki was being led to. The raven could feel the other's eyes burning holes in his back.

He was stopped in front of the sliding door, the manager winking at him. "Don't be shy, and let me know if you see anything you like."

"Um, okay." Hideki shifted uncomfortably as the manager nodded and slid open the door before stepping in. The raven followed him, and just about had a heart attack. He was so stunned he actually stopped just beyond the threshold, and Mr. M had to pull him in further.

Hideki had never seen any boys as fucking gorgeous as the twelve or thirteen in that room! He was just staring at them in awe as Mr. M led him further into the room, towards the back. Hideki just looked around at them all, seeing a few seated at a low table, drinking tea. Others were playing cards on the floor while one boy was playing the violin by the window. This was definitely not what Hideki was expecting when he'd walked into the building.

Looking at the boys, he noted a few details about all of them. First and foremost, though they were meant to be geishas, there were quite a few things that differentiated them from the traditional Japanese geishas. They weren't wearing wigs, for one thing. Their hair was intricately done up, but as far as he could tell, it was their natural hair. They also lacked a lot of the makeup. Their faces weren't painted white, but they did have very sharp eyeshadow, and a few were wearing lipstick. Some of them had their obis on the traditional way, with the bow at the back, while others had it in the front. He remembered reading somewhere that hookers generally had them in the front, and wondered if maybe the ones with the obi tied at the front were meant to be the ones who liked to have sex, and the others were more like escorts.

They stopped beside one of the small tables where some of the geishas were drinking tea, the manager smiling. All of them had their obis on with the bow in the back. "Rei, would you come this way, please?"

A boy with the palest eyes and hair Hideki had ever seen stood up, moving away from the table with Hideki and Mr. M. Idle chatter had ceased in the room as all of the others looked on in envy. For such a young guy to be in their place of work was rare, and all were jealous that their friend—alias Rei—was going to get a piece of him.

As the three moved aside, Hideki could swear he felt eyes burning into his back. He rolled his neck uncomfortably, resisting the urge to turn around, but it was too much for him to handle. He turned, and from down the corridor, a pair of pale blue eyes were glaring daggers at him. He could practically see a dark cloud of doom headed in his direction. The raven turned back around to face Rei and Mr. M, feeling his life expectancy decreasing rapidly.

He swallowed hard as he looked over the boy in front of him, taking in his appearance. He was wearing a long, elegant black yukata with a small silver dragon print, and a green obi. The dark colours complemented his complexion perfectly, and the green eyeshadow and heavy black eyeliner made his pale eyes stand out even more. He'd admit, he'd never seen anyone this striking before in his entire life.

"So, what do you think of this one?" Mr. M moved around beside Hideki, wrapping one arm around him and motioning Rei. "Note the unusual eyes. Pretty, right? And his body, mm, couldn't you just cover him in honey and lick that smooth skin clean?" Rei stood seductively in front of Hideki, his face angled down but his smouldering eyes looking up through his dark eyelashes, a sexy grin forming on his face. Hideki swallowed hard, the blonde biting his bottom lip before running his tongue along it.

And Hideki would've chosen him in a second. He really, really would have—if not for the laser beams currently searing the skin off his back. Someone behind him—two guesses who—really wasn't happy with Hideki oogling this particular blonde.

"He's exactly what you're looking for, right, darlin'?" Mr. M grinned as he saw Hideki's expression.

The raven swallowed hard, reaching up with one hand to pull his collar away from his neck. It felt like it was choking him. Not to mention he could feel heat rising to his face, as it was obvious everyone could tell he was interested in Rei. All the other boys were smirking, and some were giggling behind their hands.

"No," he blurted out, then shook his head. "I mean, yes! He's—I just... He looks a little too young," the raven mumbled out awkwardly, shaking his head, which made the tension in his back ease a little and his breathing come more easily. He figured Seiko had realized he'd said no, and wasn't going to kill Hideki—yet.

He wondered why Rei was so important to the bouncer, anyway. Maybe it's his brother? Or his best friend? The thought that maybe Seiko liked Rei didn't even cross his mind.

When he snapped out of his thoughts, he found everyone laughing, and he realized it was due to his comment about Rei being too young for him. He felt himself blush even more and resisted the urge to yank up his hood to cover his face.

"Aw, sugar, this one's not much younger than you, but if you don't want that, then that's fine, we'll find you another. But, you obviously thought Rei was pretty, and you're new at this," he winked at the raven, "so I think I know exactly who you should be paired up with. This way, darlin'."

He pulled him to the side, his arm still wrapped around Hideki's shoulders. The raven kept his eyes on Rei until his neck hurt from trying to turn it so much and he faced forward again. The manager stopped in the farthest corner of the room, where one boy wasn't paying attention to the action. He probably hadn't even looked up to see what Hideki looked like the entire time the raven had been standing in the room.

"This is Akae." Hideki smirked a little at the name, knowing it was a variation of the word 'red' before actually looking down at the boy. He was sitting on a pile of large pillows, reading a book. It looked like some kind of philosophy book, and Hideki could only assume he was doing homework, because no one would read a book like that for pleasure.

"What do you think of him?"

Hideki stared at him a second longer, noting he was probably called Akae due to his striking red hair. It was the most unusual and amazing shade of red Hideki had ever seen, and there was no fucking way it was real. No way in heaven or hell.

The redhead before him slowly closed his book before tilting his head upwards to look at Hideki for the first time, giving the raven his own view of the other boy. Akae's eyes widened ever so slightly in shock, probably because he hadn't been expecting someone so young. He smiled once he got over the relative shock, and looked down, seeming to be almost shy.

Hideki himself wondered if his heart was still beating. He was staring into the most gorgeous green eyes he had ever seen in his life, and the purple eyeshadow layered around them helped make them stand out even more than they normally would have. He found his mouth opening and closing as the manager repeated his previous question. What did he think of Akae? If he could string together a sentence, life would be much easier.

Just as he felt his thoughts starting to form a coherent enough sentence, Akae looked back up at him with those gorgeous green eyes and the train derailed and crashed into the side of Hideki's skull. Many passengers died.

The manager smiled and looked at Akae, nodding. The redhead put his book down and stood slowly, his white yukata straightening out as he brushed invisible dirt off it before clasping his hands together and giving a small bow.

"My name is Akae, and I'd be delighted to be your escort for the evening." His voice was like liquid sin, and Hideki wanted ten bottles of it. "What name am I permitted to call you by?"

Hideki looked the other boy up and down. In contrast to the other boy, his white yukata made his dark, honey-coloured skin appear richer and more golden. The small bamboo print on the white material was almost indiscernible due to the similarity in colour between the material and the thread. His navy blue obi was tied the traditional way, with the bow at the back, which Hideki was rather happy to note, because it seemed to match his almost demure personality.

Mr. M nudged him slightly, Hideki turning to look at him before realizing he hadn't answered the other's question.

"Hideki." His voice cracked, and he felt like an idiot. He cleared his throat, trying again. "Hideki Okitaka."

"Pleasure." Akae inclined his head slightly as Mr. M smirked. Always trust Akae to get the job done. No matter the client, he always delivers. That kid needs a raise.

"So, darlin'." Mr. M leaned closer to Hideki, looking at Akae. "What do you think? Hm? You like?"

Both he and Akae waited for an answer, the raven's mouth opening every now and then, but no sound was coming out, so he just closed it and tried again. Still nothing. This wasn't going well.

Akae took it upon himself to show the poor boy some mercy. He stepped forward until he was right in front of Hideki, placing both hands on the other's chest and flexing his fingers slightly, pleased with the firm hardness he felt. Looking up slowly until green met purple, he was just as captivated by the other's eyes, except he was better at playing it cool. So, he tilted his head to one side, and smiled again.

"I think we need a room," he breathed in Hideki's face, though it was directed at the manager. It didn't matter, because that didn't register to the raven, and he nodded, eyes locked on the redhead's.

He was attracted to the boy, of course, but it wasn't just that. He was so stunned by his appearance, and honestly, rather curious about him. He was curious about the whole operation, actually. He knew this wasn't a whore house, so he wasn't too concerned, and even if it had been, the redhead had his obi on properly, so he obviously wasn't one of the ones who would throw Hideki down on a bed and have his way with him.

"A room?" Hideki tore his eyes away from Akae as Mr. M spoke, rubbing his chin. "Mm, good idea, darlin'. Your room is free right now, isn't it? Why don't you head on up there and get the room ready, eh, love?" Mr. M reached out, running the back of his hand across Akae's cheek. The redhead smiled sweetly and nodded, inclining his head to Hideki.

"I'll meet you upstairs, Hideki." He walked past the two of them and slid open the door to the room. He glanced over his shoulder briefly, smiling saucily at Hideki one last time before exiting the room and closing the door behind him.

The raven felt as though he could breathe again once the other was gone. He'd never felt so light-headed before, but he blamed it on the experience. He'd never done anything like this, and he felt awkward and nervous, but then smacked himself mentally. There was nothing to be nervous about, they were just going to—well, talk, he assumed. He just needed company right now.

"All right, little darlin', let's talk prices." Mr. M wrapped his arm around Hideki's shoulders, leading him towards the door, but not out. "As I said, hun, first time here, so I'll give you a reduced rate. But, Akae is my best, so reducing the price by half for the first time, and then a little more due to your student status, I guess we can make it a little less. So, little hun, that gives you a price of one-thousand and twelve dollars, and fifty-two cents."

Hideki wondered if he was hearing things. "What? One-thousand and twelve dollars?!"

"And fifty-two cents."

The teenager looked around the room in shock, seeing everyone staring at him, as if silently hoping he wouldn't take it and would try for someone cheaper, though he could also just leave altogether. He turned back to the manager, staring at him.

"A thousand dollars. Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack, love." Mr. M smiled sweetly. He would lower it a tad further, but considering Akae's price was usually closer to three-thousand dollars, a little over a thousand was highly generous.

Hideki debated it long and hard, staring at Mr. M. He turned to look at the others again and noticed the first boy, Rei, staring at him with such an intense look that he tilted his head to the side slightly. He smiled a little at Hideki, the corner of the raven's mouth turning up. It almost looked like the other was asking him to do it, but not for the sake of money. More for—something else.

Curiosity killed the cat, but Hideki wasn't a cat. Though this was going to kill his wallet.

He sighed. "You take credit?"

"Oh, honey." Mr. M looped one arm through Hideki's as he opened the sliding door. "We take everything. What kind? VISA? AMEX?" He patted the other's cheek as they walked.

Hideki scoffed under his breath at the other's enthusiasm. The price of curiosity... Dad's gonna kill me. He didn't care, though. He just hoped it didn't come up on his VISA bill as being an escort service, because wouldn't that be fun to explain to his father?

"Rei, love. Come along."

The blond stood and straightened out his yukata before rushing out to follow, walking two steps behind them. And instantly, Hideki felt the lasers back, drilling into his head as they passed by Seiko. He could swear he felt the other's aura tearing and clawing at his own as he walked not two feet in front of him. He realized the bouncer probably thought that Rei had been the person he'd bought, and wished there was some way to tell him without looking like an idiot.

They got to the desk, where Hideki paid for his time with Akae, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck, trying to ease the tension in his shoulder blades from the bouncer's angry glare. He was beginning to wonder if maybe Rei wasn't Seiko's brother...

"All right, darlin', we're all done." Mr. M smiled, turning to him and noticing his continuous neck cracks and the way he rolled his shoulders. "Aw, honey, make sure Akae fixes that for you."

Instantly, the lasers were gone, and Hideki resisted the urge to crumple to the floor. Being that tense was really stressful.

"Rei, take the little hun up to his room." He patted Rei's cheek lovingly as the blonde smiled and nodded. "Oh, but before you go up, darlin', just a little chat on the rules." Mr. M smiled at Hideki.

"Rules?" He frowned.

"Well, I'll give you the most important one. Akae will tell you most of the others." He smiled kindly. "You're welcome to anything you like while with the geishas, but," he held one finger up. "No kissing. If things get heated, you're welcome to inquire as to whether or not you can continue, but kissing is a personal courtesy to them. So absolutely no kissing."

"Uh, all right." Hideki found that to be an odd rule, and didn't really understand everything else he was talking about, but he got the gist of it. No kissing.

"Pleasure doin' business with you, love." He winked at Hideki before disappearing down another corridor, leaving the raven alone with Rei.

"Come on. This way." Rei motioned the stairs before turning and walking towards them, Hideki keeping in-step beside him. "Thanks."

"Excuse me?" Hideki asked, the blond turning and smiling.

"You noticed me. I wanted you to do this. I understand it's a lot of money, but Akae doesn't get very many customers he'd actually enjoy spending time with, so I'm glad you did this for him. He's a really nice guy."

"Uh, sure?" Hideki didn't really know what to say.

"So, why are you here? How did you even find your way here?"

"I, uh—I followed the..." Hideki motioned behind himself. "There were tons of geishas walking around outside with people, and I was curious."

"Fair enough." Rei smiled over his shoulder at Hideki, and the raven smiled back, liking the blond. He seemed really friendly and chatty. "So why are you here?"

The older boy thought of how to answer that question. "I—don't really know," he admitted. "I'm still wondering why I paid over a thousand dollars when I don't even know why exactly I'm here."

Rei smiled at him, shaking his head, thinking Hideki was one of the stranger people who'd ever shown up. They'd had straight men come in, confused, but by the time they saw the boys, they usually forgot the fact that they were straight. And considering Hideki's reaction, Rei had thought maybe he'd know what he wanted by now, but apparently, he didn't.

"You're a funny guy." Rei grinned at Hideki. The raven laughed.

"Are you allowed to say that to a customer?"

"Sure." Rei nudged him slightly as they started down a corridor. "You've already paid. And you're not my customer. Though I'd have liked it." He winked, which made Hideki force down a blush. He rubbed the back of his head and looked away to cover his reddening cheeks.

Rei stopped beside a sliding door, getting down on his knees, rolling his eyes slightly. Hideki chuckled, figuring Rei hated these little formalities he had to do. He liked that Rei was being so casual with him, it made him feel less nervous. Reaching out, Rei grabbed the edge of the door and pulled it back, sliding it open. Hideki looked into the room, seeing Akae across it.

He was standing out on a small balcony, looking out into the distance, as if lost in thought. The raven swallowed hard, staring in at him. He felt Rei hit the back of his legs, almost making him lose his footing when he hit too close to the back of his knees. He looked down as Rei jerked his head in the direction of the room, motioning for him to hurry up and get inside.

"Let's go, Mr. I-don't-know. Get your money's worth." Hideki stared at him, debating whether or not to glare, or just comply.

Rei stood up, a smirk playing at his lips as the raven turned back to Akae and slowly stepped into the room. He heard the door shutting behind him, and turned, Rei looking in at him. Just before the doors closed, the blond paused and grinned, mouthing two words to him: have fun.

© 2008 FastForward-Sarge