http://clampfix.fanworks.net/smut/smile6.txt </head><body><pre>And To See Him Smile Part VI A RG Veda Story By Myranda Kalis Ashura-ou's head spun slightly as he took his place behind the closely woven screens flanking the elaborately carved Dragon Throne of Naga-jou, and he sternly told it to settle down. It refused, a cascade of images showering across his field of vision, every nerve coming, burning, back to life. For an instant, he felt again Taishakuten's hands cradling his own, a grip capable of crushing bone with frightening ease turned to the gentlest of purposes. A more soothing caress he had never known-more soothing, or more intense, for he had barely resisted the urge to give them both to the release his instincts had been howling for. But Taishakuten, he knew, had not meant to stir such a violent response in him, had meant only to offer a measure of comfort, and so the measure of comfort was all that he had taken. Here, now, he was not so certain of himself, could not rely on the well or poorly timed interruptions of the Emperor's whims, and his hands worked slowly into fists at his sides, hidden in the trailing sleeves of his tunic. He was alone behind the screens, and for that he was grateful, for he was not entirely certain he could keep his thoughts from his face, or even wished to. Normally, an elder or two of the clan could be counted on to lurk here during such events as audiences, for, while the Ryuu Clan generally disdained the politicking inherent in some other Clans, it never hurt to have the news fresh and hot to spread about. This morning, however, he knew that all the Clan elders were gathered in the council chamber, awaiting Nagaina's arrival for the dispensation of pressing business within the Clan itself, and none of them would be the first to excuse himself to satisfy idle curiosity. The audience hall itself was empty but for the ceremonial guards in the dragonscale armor of the Ryuu Clan, swords sheathed, halberds at guard position, awaiting the arrival of their sovereign. She was announced in due course, emerging from a recessed doorway and repairing to the throne itself, carved to resemble an enormous sea dragon rearing from the waves, draped in creamy panels of blue and green silk. Her eyes, dark and worried, sought his own; he met them with as much reassurance as he felt himself capable of giving. Her jaw set, and she settled back into the throne, signaling the guards flanking the door. "The Raijin Taishakuten." Ryuu-ou had kept him waiting a substantially shorter time than the Emperor had, and that endeared her to him quite completely. She also had not expected him to entertain anyone else while waiting, having him escorted to a small antechamber off the main audience hall, where he had been offered food and drink, water and a cloth to clean off the dust of the road, and a dozen other amenities, many by young women with the striking aquamarine eyes that characterized the Clan, who were too well bred to be servants. A dry smile curled his face. It was true, as Ryuu-ou had bemoaned once during their campaign together-everyone in Naga-jou was crazed with romance, at the very least, and in all likelihood, marriage as well. It was, he realized, infinitely easier to concentrate on trivialities than rehearse what he was going to say to Ryuu-ou when they met again. It was also easier to concentrate on the minutiae of Western court life than to imagine the thousand and one possibilities of what might happen if Ashura-ou was standing by her side when he entered. It took a full five breaths to convince his stomach to unknot, and another five to convince his hands to do the same. Nothing. Nothing would happen. If Ashura-ou were there, as he might be given the close relationship he enjoyed with Ryuu-ou, he would greet him cordially, as one did with one of higher rank. Nothing less and nothing more. No comments. No familiarity. And certainly no challenges. Simple greetings. They were, after all, both guests here, and he had a strong feeling that Ryuu-ou would not be amused at any disturbances of the peace in her house. A perfunctory knock sounded, and the door to the antechamber opened. A young man dressed in the dragonscale armor of the clan entered and bowed deeply to him. "Raijin Taishakuten, Ryuu-ou is prepared to receive you. If you will follow me?" Taishakuten nodded cordially enough and rose. The youngster rose from his bow as well, and Taishakuten was completely unprepared for what he read on his face: hero-worship, pure and unadulterated, and for an instant, all he could do was stand and stare at the retreating dragonscaled back. A foolish smile came and went on his face as he stretched his legs to follow, a little voice whispering in the back of his mind, Full circle, Raijin. Some things never end, they only continue. How old had he been, the first time he had seen Ashura-ou? Almost the same age as this young soldier, he thought, though it was sometimes difficult to recall clearly-his newer memories had nearly eclipsed the old, the original infatuation receding before something stronger. The strongest emotion that he had ever felt, the fiercest need. He clamped down on that thought and held it tightly as the carved doors of the audience chamber came into view, the young soldier opening them and announcing him into the presence of Ryuu-ou. Every nerve in Ryuu-ou's body jumped at the sound of Taishakuten's name, and it was all she could do to remain calmly in her seat, her hands resting confidently against the carved arms of her throne, appearing, to all the world, as though she had not a worry. Taishakuten approached slowly, with an uncharacteristic bit of stiffness in his stride. He wore the garments of a traveler rather than a general of a powerful army, though in the same cloud-grey and silver shades he favored in his armor, silver-blonde hair captured back in a loose tail, and the dust of the road edging his cloak and boots. There was a trace of strain around the silver eyes and the full mouth that hadn't been there, even in the worst, the blackest parts of the war, when it had been an uphill struggle to even convince themselves that they could win. When he bowed, the gesture was deep and low, genuine in its respect though by no stretch of the imagination a signal of submission, or inferiority. It was, Ryuu-ou thought, a wry smile playing across her lips, a far more acceptable gesture than the one he had given to the Emperor himself, weeks before. But then, she was forced to admit to herself, the Raijin had always respected strength most of all. "Rise." A dry smile parted her lips. "I see that you are well, Raijin, and welcome within my kingdom as well. What brings you to me?" Taishakuten straightened to his full height, and, despite the slightly raised dais on which her throne sat, he had the advantage. "Ryuu-ou, I am pleased to find you well." His tone was pleasant, even earnest, and Ryuu-ou had to consciously struggle not to be disarmed by it. She flicked a glance at the screens flanking her, and caught a glimpse of white-on-gold as Ashura-ou shifted slightly. "I have come to beg a boon of you-two of them, actually." "A boon?" Ryuu-ou kept her eyes from widening, but only just. Taishakuten nodded gravely. "As you have no doubt been informed, I came here with a companion." "Yes-an older man who, I am told, insisted that he help care for your baggage and animals before he would suffer himself to be refreshed." Ryuu-ou settled back in her chair, sensing a story, fingers lacing together as she listened. A grimace. "He was the servant of the Raijin who preceded me, and, when I assumed the office-well, let us say he came with the job. He is also, as you have observed, of rather advanced years_and, I fear, his health is beginning to fail him. I have been advised by the head of my army's healers that the climate in the West is the best possible for the treatment of the ailments he suffers. I would ask that he be allowed a place here at Naga-jou, where he will be able to remain both useful and comfortable-useful, because he wishes it, and comfortable, because I wish it for him. He has served me well in the time that we have been together." Ryuu-ou's eyes did widen, and she leaned forward in her seat, frankly surprised. "You-I believe that such a boon is easily granted. I will speak with the head of my servants about where he might be most_useful." It was all she could do not to stare through the screens in an effort to see Ashura-ou's reaction. "But, you said you had two requests." A slight smile curved Taishakuten's lips. "Indeed. I would also make the same request for myself." Ryuu-ou tried not to appear as thunderstruck as she felt, despite the sudden feeling she enjoyed of the world tilting ever-so-slightly beneath her feet. She caught a flash of gold-on-white out of the corner of her eye, Ashura signaling frantically from behind the screens, and it was only then that she fully appreciated how long she had sat, staring dumbstruck at Taishakuten. "I_must, of course, discuss this with the clan council, for this is a decision that will require the opinions and consent of the elders. You are fortunate, Raijin, inasmuch as the council is meeting this morning, and I may discuss it with them immediately." She paused, cudgeling her brain for a graceful, courtly means of beating a hasty retreat. "Until then, you are, of course, my honored guest. I will have quarters assigned to you, and an escort to show the grounds to you." Taishakuten, despite the gleam in his eyes, refrained from commenting on her visible fluster and bowed deeply. Ryuu-ou rose, signaled the guards at the door forward to attend Taishakuten, and swept as regally as possible from the room. It was, she reflected with some aggravation, going to be a highly unamusing council. Dinner that evening was, to say the very least, a unique affair. Ryuu-ou's Aunt Lakshimi, who had been envisioning a small function consisting entirely of a few carefully selected members of the immediate family and honored guests, had her carefully contrived plan to envelop her reticent neice in a web of romance from which there was no escape completely derailed. The council had consumed all of the morning, all of the afternoon, and had threatened to stretch into the evening before a recess was finally called to allow the elders and their ruler to refresh themselves. By the time this occurred, Ryuu-ou had almost forgotten Duryea's presence, and was in no mood to be greeted at the door to her quarters by a battalion of maids, all of which wanted to help her select her dress, coif her hair, and apply her cosmetics. Ryuu-ou had roared. The maids had fled. And the quasi-romantic candlelight meal for six had metamorphosed into a romantic candlelight dinner for three hundred, with the most carefully arranged seating that Lakshimi could manage given the circumstances. Ryuu-ou suffered herself to sit next to the hapless would-be suitor, who, led to expect a slightly smaller gathering, had nobly risen to the occasion and conversed pleasantly with everyone near him. This, thankfully, spared Ryuu-ou the necessity of making idle chit-chat, and allowed her to perform the slightly more vital task of watching Taishakuten like a hawk. The Raijin was seated directly across from her, in a place of honor next to her father, with whom he was enjoying a rather animated conversation, the particulars of which she couldn't overhear thanks to the ambient sound level in the feasting hall. Ashura-ou was on her right, paying quiet and concentrated attention to his meal, speaking pleasantly and wittily when addressed, but otherwise keeping his own counsel. This annoyed her vastly, since she dearly wished to talk to him, but had no idea where to start-and some instinctive part of her knew that he wouldn't, ever, volunteer the information that she wanted. He had vanished from his hiding place behind the screens in the audience hall before she had a chance to pounce on him, and had not had an opportunity all day in which to pull him aside for a quick word between council sessions. There was, however, something about him tonight that set all of her intuition on its finest edge, a look in his eyes that reminded her of the day Taishakuten had challenged him. It filled her with a wordless unease, a tension that had no resolution, for Taishakuten himself was nothing less than the essence of cordiality and respect all night, inquiring after Ashura-ou's health, engaging in idle banter, playing the role of the warrior-courtier with great skill. "Ryuu-ou," Aunt Lakshimi's voice, from across the table, drew her from contemplation of Taishakuten-which everyone else at the table had noted as well. "It grows late, and the moon will be rising soon-why don't you take Lord Duryea on a tour of the grounds?" Lakshimi was, of course, far too well-bred to simply stand up and scream, "Stop staring at the wrong man!" Ryuu-ou felt a bit of color coming into her cheeks but managed to restrain a full-blown blush as she turned to the expectantly waiting Lord Duryea. There was something dreadfully earnest about his face, a generally pleasant and well-scrubbed face, framed in a mass of sandy-blonde curls and graced with eyes a pleasant shade of blue. Inoffensive at the very least. From somewhere in the depths of her being allocated to suitor entertainment, Ryuu-ou managed to dredge up a smile and gestured for him to walk with her. Ashura-ou watched Nagaina depart out of the corner of his eyes, and drained the last sip from his cup. A servant was instantly there to refill it, but he waved her away and addressed his attention to Ryuu-ou's father. "Your pardon, my lord_.I thank you again for your gracious hospitality, but I fear I must retire." The elder Ryuu disengaged himself from the imminently fascinating conversation he was having with the young Raijin just long enough to nod his understanding of Ashura-ou's desire, then plunged back in again. Ashura let a small smile play about his lips at the glance Taishakuten threw at him; the former Ryuu-ou was an old soldier, first and foremost, and had more war stories than any other Bushinshou in the Heavenly Realm. Some of them were even true. And all of them became new again when a visitor came to Naga-jou and sat still long enough for him to get started on them. Fortunately for all concerned, the Ryuu Clan's physician was a firm believer in the healing properties of sleep, and would shortly arrive to put the former head of the Clan down for his evening nap, simultaneously winning the rather glazed-looking Raijin a reprieve. He rose, bowed respectfully to the assembled nobles, and glided from the room, feeling Taishakuten's eyes on his back until he turned the corner into the hall. A brief word with one of the servants loitering outside his own quarters determined which of the many guest chambers Taishakuten was occupying during his stay. As fate would have it, their rooms were virtually adjoined, and shared windows and a door on the open gallery that overlooked the sea. He stepped out onto the gallery, and was greeted with a blast of cool wind scented with the hint of rain. The day had been beautifully sunny and mild, but as the sun had set, clouds had begun rolling in-obscuring, he noted with some amusement, the moon that Lakshimi had remembered. A thin line of brilliant crimson lingered in the West as the sun dropped below the curve of the world, briefly touching the clouds and staining the waters the color of blood. "You have come a long way to speak with me again, Raijin." Taishakuten stopped where he stood, half-startled that Ashura-ou had heard the soft sounds of his approach. He smoothed that emotion over as quickly as he could, sketching a courtesy, and continued less stealthily. Ashura-ou did not turn from his contemplation of the scene before them, the gold-bordered sleeves of his white tunic stirring slightly in the stiffening breeze as Taishakuten came to his side. His hands rested on the carved balustrade, and Taishakuten's lips curved softly as he laid his own next to them, their shoulders brushing as they stood for a long moment in companionable silence. Ashura-ou's lashes were half-lowered over his eyes, his mouth set in an expression that was not quite a smile. "Have you ever stood and watched the waves, Taishakuten?" His voice was low, controlled, a far cry from the strange, edged tone of their night in the garden-but, for some reason, far more disturbing. Taishakuten fought down a shudder, and opened his mouth to answer, but Ashura-ou was not yet finished. "The ocean is never still-a thing of constant change. No wave is ever the same as any other, and the sands are washed clean nearly as soon as something is written upon them." "The sky is much the same." Ashura-ou's eyes slid sideways and found his own, Taishakuten drawing a soft breath before he relinquished himself to that compelling gaze. "Have you ever laid on your back in the middle of a field, and watched the clouds pass by overhead, searching them for familiar shapes and patterns? And the sky at night-the shapes written in the stars are the same." "The shapes written in the stars." It emerged as a whisper. "Sometimes they change of their own accord_and sometimes nothing can move them. There is a star that never sets_around which all other stars circle, after all. The sea does not know that constraint. It grinds against the land, and wears the mightiest cliffs to powder in time. The stars_are trapped." "Trapped_." The word resonated deeply within Taishakuten, and in its wake, silence reigned. Trapped. Ashura-ou turned away again, and Taishakuten forced himself not to take the action a very loud voice within him was demanding. Instead, he whispered, "Are you trapped, Ashura-ou?" The answer was long in coming. "I should lie to you, Raijin. Yes." "By what?" "By who and what I am." Endless bitterness in those words. "I_need_." "What?" As gently as he could, he reached out and rested a hand on Ashura-ou's shoulder, half-turning him. Hoping he did not look half as mystified as he felt. The small voice that sometimes offered him the best advice informed him that he would always feel like he had stepped into the middle of a conversation with this man. Ashura-ou was completely still for several moments, gazing silently at him, and, for an instant, Taishakuten had the feeling that he was not truly being seen, either. His face was still, as still as any carven statue, eyes gleaming in the darkness with a light he could not see through. Slowly, almost as though he were unaware of it, or unwilling, his pale hand lifted, the sleeve falling back from his slender wrist. Taishakuten's skin was far softer than he had ever expected it to be, like velvet laid over fine bones and powerful muscles, the curve of his cheek fitting the angles of his palm in a way he had not imagined. Had not allowed himself to imagine. Tendrils of silver hair caressed his fingertips and, as he watched, the brilliant storm-lit eyes widened slightly, a tremor of fierce emotion passing through them. Do not do this, a little voice whispered in the back of his mind, but it was a small voice and easy to ignore. Taishakuten tilted his face, the motion caressing them both, lips pressing a soft, gentle kiss against the palm of his hand. Ashura caught his breath, the sensation sending a shock of pleasure up his arm, nerves burning as he dug his hand into Taishakuten's extravagant spill of hair, winding strands around his fingers and drawing their lips together. Taishakuten's lips trembled against his own, a reaction comprised of equal parts shock and passion, and then the shock was wiped away completely. It was not the struggle that Ashura had been half-expecting, and while the Raijin did not surrender, he did not attack, either, and their lips caressed one another, breath mingling, parting almost as one. Taishakuten tasted of rich wine and the sweetest honey, velvety soft and meltingly warm. Strong arms encircled him, as his own found their grip, fingers digging gently into Taishakuten's silk-covered shoulders, feeling the tension bleed from him as their kiss went on and on. When they finally parted, they simply stood together for a long moment, breast to breast, hip to hip, his cheek pressed to Taishakuten's shoulder, Taishakuten's face buried in his hair. Taishakuten's heartbeat, beneath his ear, was quick, as was his breathing, and Ashura inhaled deeply the scent of his flesh, musk mingled with fresh spring wind, winding his fingers through the silver hair and drawing them through, undoing the ties that held it mostly restrained. Taishakuten's arms tightened still further, squeezing the last fraction of space from between their bodies, soft, swift breaths stirring his hair, teasing the skin of his cheek and ear. "Ashura," Taishakuten breathed, an unusual, almost pleading tone to his voice, "please tell me that you are not going to disappear now." Ashura laughed huskily, placing a soft kiss in the hollow of Taishakuten's throat. "No, Taishakuten_I am not going to vanish now." Their second kiss was as sweet as the first, but fiercer, a fire coming into it now, a passion that the first had been too impulsive, too tenative to truly express. Taishakuten's hands were a liquid caress that seemed to cover every inch of his body that they could reach, rousing his senses in a way no other lover ever had, and he surrendered to it with no resistance, and no will to resist. His own hands and lips sought to return the attention, stroking the length of the spine, raking lightly across the sensitive small of his back, the taut curves of muscle, taking a long moment to admire their motion beneath his supple skin. Beneath his clothing, the Raijin was truly a work of art, and Ashura's fingers tangled with the ties and laces of his clothing, even as the same thought occurred in Taishakuten, and they laughed as skin was bared for hungrier attention. Taishakuten's hungrily questing mouth found the most sensitive places on his neck, nuzzled at his earlobes as he bit a light path across the Raijin's fine collarbones, eliciting a gasp and a tighter grip that ground their hips together, making their mutual arousal blindingly clear. Ashura's hand slipped down and found what it sought, a tremor running through Taishakuten's body at the intimacy of that caress, silver and golden eyes sliding together, both hazed with passion. "I want you," The words were past Ashura's lips and he had no desire to call them back. "Here?" Taishakuten's voice was rough as Ashura's hand continued its maddeningly thorough exploration of his manhood, taking complete advantage of the texture of his clothing to heighten the sensation. "Inside," Ashura breathed against his mouth, capturing it again in an unhurried kiss. He stepped back as far as the strong circle of Taishakuten's arms would allow, regretfully relinquishing his hold and sliding his hands back to grip the Raijin's wrists, and draw him with across the gallery, past the opened door of his chamber. A single lamp burned behind an amber shield of glass, enough light to see by and little more. Taishakuten tilted his hands to capture Ashura's own, as he guided them both into the middle of the chamber, strewn, after the habit of the West, with thick sleeping rugs and cushions and pillows, all in a riot of dark jewel colors. Ashura's fingers found the half-undone laces of his shirt and soon that garment was on the floor, and Ashura's closely following it, both seeking the soft comfort of the nest of rugs and pillows that comprised the bed, hands and lips questing, seeking, evoking soft moans and even softer cries of pleasure, and need. Ashura's body was lighter and leaner than Taishakuten's own, and he was surprised by the strength of it; it was a catlike power, corded muscle beneath milk white skin, and Taishakuten was fooled by it more than once as the twining of their bodies grew more ardent. The last barrier of fabric was removed and tossed casually aside, thighs parting further, hands stroking over flesh so sensitized the pleasure had nearly become pain. Ashura's night-dark hair fell over his face as he wrung another kiss from Taishakuten's lips, Taishakuten's powerful hands digging into the taut muscles of his lower back and buttocks. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh_." The sound was dragged from him, an involuntary cry as his engorged manhood was crushed against Taishakuten's own, the sound repeating itself in Taishakuten's own voice a fraction later. "Ashura_." A moan. "I must_.I need_." "I need_as well_." He pressed his face into Taishakuten's sweat-slicked chest, feeling the heartbeat thundering now, even as Taishakuten's hand slipped beneath his chin and tilted his face up. "You need_me_.?" There was such intense vulnerability in those silver eyes, a glimpse at the wounded heart that lay beneath all of Taishakuten's arrogance, that Ashura nearly wept. "I need you." It was not a lie, and he forced the clarity of that realization into his eyes, and allowed it to pass between them. The smile that crossed Taishakuten's face was a transfiguration, and the embrace that enfolded him was a blessing. The body beneath his yielded, just a fraction. Then take what you need. A sob lodged somewhere in Ashura's throat as they moved together, surrender and surrender, give and give, until his body was sheathed within and against Taishakuten's own, a full-body embrace, a whole-being caress. It was beyond words, nearly beyond sensation, a joining of an intensity that neither before had experienced, and neither wished to end, despite its gentleness in the beginning and the fierce, hungry pace that it developed. Passion and pleasure had never known its true definition for either of them before that moment, and, for a time, locked in the single reality of their union, they knew it would never again have any meaning in the arms of another. </pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>