FicWad

Trust & Betrayal
By VegaSailor & kira

Authors' notes: the following is based on an rp of ours...


Part One: Curiosity...



Renkotsu sat in the shadows of the inn's low veranda, partially screened from view by the lacy red maple that grew in the courtyard. His attention was drawn to his fellow Shichinintai, who were sitting on a bench, feeding each other plums. While his leader, Bankotsu, had his back to him, Renkotsu could clearly see his paramour, Jakotsu, pouting like a girl. He wished he could hear what they were saying, but any words were lost in the soft tinkling of the courtyard's fountain. So he had to content himself with watching and imagining what they were saying, and with a little pang of jealousy he wished he could have as easy and carefree a relationship with Suikotsu. The fire-breather closed his eyes and leaned against the wooden beam which held up the roof over the veranda. He dozed off in a light daydream-like sleep, imagining it was he and Suikotsu who were enjoying an intimate moment in the garden, when a loud creak brought him clearly back to reality.

"I'm sorry, Ren, I didn't know you were there," Bankotsu said as he stood on the veranda looking down at his second-in-command. "I feel bad I woke you as you looked like you were having such a pleasant dream." At Renkotsu's puzzled look, he added, "You were smiling and mumbling something that sounded like 'Sweetheart.'"

Renkotsu felt his cheeks heating up and he was glad to have the cover of the shadows. "I wouldn't know as I don't remember what I was dreaming about..."

Bankotsu smiled knowingly at him, before telling him he would see him later.

Renkotsu nodded and watched his leader enter the inn. He could see it was taking a lot out of Bankotsu just to move and he wondered how badly he was injured in the previous day's battle. He turned towards the garden and saw Jakotsu was still sitting there, daintily eating a plum. There was something about the fey misogynist member of the Shichinintai that was so feminine yet so masculine at the same time that Renkotsu thought he was like the living embodiment of yin and yang; male and female. He watched as Jakotsu sat there demurely, occasionally flirting with a passing male guest; coyly resisting their advances, as he encouraged them.

Renkotsu debated with himself over whether or not to go over to Jakotsu and spend the late afternoon with him. He was bored out of his mind from the inactivity not to mention a bit lonely as Suikotsu was fast asleep. The claw-bearer needed the downtime to recover from the effects of their latest mission as well as some respite from the care of his fellow team members. The others were also busy, recovering from their injuries or taking in the local sights. Since Renkotsu was nursing an injured leg, he could not go along with Ginkotsu and Mukotsu while they explored the city. He tried whiling away the hours by drinking sake, but even that got boring as Renkotsu hated to drink alone. So he had spent most of the afternoon daydreaming, and engaging in some harmless voyeurism as he watched his fellow team members, or more accurately the most flamboyant team member of the seven.

There was something about Jakotsu that intrigued Renkotsu on the one hand, and thoroughly repulsed him on the other. The fire-breather found his dual nature to be fascinating as he could not for the life of him figure out why someone who so obviously wanted to be a girl hated them so much, and he figured the poor thing probably was mad at being reincarnated as a man after spending so many other lifetimes as a woman.

Sighing softly, Renkotsu decided that he may as well go over there and see if he could share a drink or two with him as he had nothing better to do and if he learned a little bit about Jakotsu, all the better. Grabbing the large sake jug by its rope handle, he painfully dragged himself to his feet and shuffled over to him.

"Hey, Jak!" Renkotsu called out as he lurched over to him, eliciting an angry stare from Jakotsu's latest admirer.

"Ren... is every alright?" Jakotsu said sweetly, before turning to his admirer and sending him away. "Sit down, before you hurt yourself again. I don't want Sui giving me hell because you went and injured your leg again." The misogynist patted the bench as he smiled. "Oooh! I see you brought some sake with you!" Suddenly getting serious, he said, "Is the leg hurting that badly? I can go get Sui if you need him."

Renkotsu shook his head, "No. I just didn't want to drink alone, and since you also seemed to have nothing to do..."

Jakotsu eyed him narrowly, "How'd you know that?" He laughed. "Don't tell me you were spying on me! I knew you liked me!" He giggled and eyed the fire-breather saucily. "So are you going to pour or should I?"

"It had better be me, with your arms I doubt you could lift the jug," Renkotsu chuckled.

Jakotsu let his tart reply die on his lips, before sweetly replying, "Okay, you pour then." He held up his cup and Renkotsu carefully filled it to the brim, before filling his own cup. Jakotsu waited until Renkotsu was ready, and as they caught each other's eyes, the two of them chorused, "Kampai!"

They sat there drinking, and after awhile a long companionable silence stretched between them as the alcohol made it way to their brains.

Renkotsu filled their cups again. He looked at Jakotsu, studying his profile. When Jakotsu turned towards him, he could see a touch of sadness to his eyes, prompting him to ask, "So what were you and Oo-Aniki talking about?"

Jakotsu smiled impishly. "Nothing special..." he said as his smile took on a more seductive edge, "Just what we'd like to do to each other when everyone's asleep. Why?"

Renkotsu flushed deeply, embarrassed to have been caught spying, and yet, he was also curious about his leader and his paramour, mainly because Jakotsu always seemed so lusty after a battle. Looking away to cover up his discomfiture, he shrugged and said, "Merely a passing interest..." He took another sip of his sake as Jakotsu pondered his reply.

Jakotsu, smiling graciously at Renkotsu, asked, "So what do you and Sui like to do when you're alone?" The cross-dressing member of the Shichinintai daintily sipped his sake while he waited for a reply.

Renkotsu looked at him and shrugged. He watched Jakotsu chew on his lower lip, and taking another sip of his sake, he replied, "Uh... we talk a lot about nothing in particular and sometimes we play go. Sui is rather good at it too."

"I'll bet!" Jakotsu interrupted.

"It's true." He drained his cup, and after refilling his own, he also filled Jakotsu's when he held it out to him.

"Thank you..."

"You're welcome..."

Jakotsu took another sip and decided to pursue their conversation, "That's it? That's all you two do together?" He blinked in surprise. "I thought the two of you were in love...?" he said, quirking an eyebrow at the fire-breather.

Renkotsu swallowed his sake as he thought about it. "Well, we also do our various activities together. He'll work on his herbs or sharpen his claws and I'll either sketch or fix things. I suppose we could do those things on our own, as it would be more convenient that way, but we kinda like each other's company..."

Jakotsu looked at him in surprise. Giggling, he said, "But haven't you wanted to do more than that?" He shot the fire-breather a thoughtful look over the top of his sake cup. "Or could it be you don't know how?" Jakotsu smiled inwardly at Renkotsu's guilty look of surprise. For the first time in his life Jakotsu saw he was the one who was knowledgeable about something and he was pleased he finally had the upper hand in things when it came to Renkotsu. And the fact that he was feeling anxious over Bankotsu and their inability at the moment to engage in sex, due to their leader's broken ribs, made him want to pounce all the more on Renkotsu as he needed the physical closeness and release sex gave him after a battle to calm his nerves. Leaning towards him, Jakotsu said offhandedly, "It's no different than being with a woman..."

Renkotsu looked away, somewhat annoyed, "Well, we've kissed and stuff, if that's what you mean."

Jakotsu giggled again. "Really...? You two kissed and held hands," he said, sounding like a young girl, before his voice dropped to a seductive purr. "Or did you feel each other up?" He licked his lips, and raising his cup, he drained it. "I'm empty..." he said, holding his cup out to Renkotsu who was busy refilling his own cup.

Renkotsu sighed as he gave the little cross-dresser another refill and said "A little of both from time to time if you must know."

"How sweet!" Jakotsu sipped his sake and smiled saucily at Renkotsu. "But haven't you longed for something more... physical?" He looked Renkotsu in the eye and he licked his lips as he leaned closer to him.

Renkotsu took another sip of sake, heaving a mental sigh of relief at the distance his upturned arm put between them. "Besides, we've..." he coughed. "We've done it before if that's what you're getting at."

Jakotsu raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You have...? Then I take it you didn't enjoy it very much ..." he said with a sigh.

The two of them drank in companionable silence before Renkotsu decided to break it. Draining his cup, the fire-breather took a deep breath and started to explain, "Yeah, we did it." He fell silent as he gathered his thoughts. "Remember that one mission in the forest? Did you ever wonder why it took us so long to get back?"

Jakotsu smiled in anticipation of getting all the gory details. "Yes...?"

"Well..." Renkotsu looked as though he was about to tell Jakotsu more when something made him take another sip of sake. "We did it. And no doubt it was pretty much the same as when you and Ban do it."

Jakotsu took another sip and refilled their cups as he covered up how miffed he felt when Renkotsu glossed over things. "I suppose so, but then you should have enjoyed it..." he sipped his sake. "I always enjoy my 'special time' alone with Ban," he said with a sigh, before having another sip.

Renkotsu, mirroring Jakotsu, also drank. He was starting to feel the warm glow associated with inebriation and it was beginning to loosen his tongue. "It was actually quite painful for us both, so I fail to see where the advantage is to making love to another man."

The little cross-dresser replied, "But it's a good pain, one you don't mind when you love someone, and besides, it gets better the more you do it." He smiled knowingly at the fire-breather. "You know, there are things you can do that are just as much fun without all the pain..." Jakotsu giggled softly at the thought of Renkotsu being afraid of a little pain.

Renkotsu eyed the cross-dresser narrowly, clearly annoyed at being laughed at. Taking a huge gulp of sake, he said, "Sui and I have simply decided that we would rather have our tongues shoved down each other's throats than our cocks shoved up each other's arses! Even if you have a high tolerance for pain, why do that if you don't have to?"

Jakotsu, who had been daintily sipping his sake, choked. "Well, I do/ that/ because I love him!" he sputtered. "If I were a woman," he spat the word "woman" out as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, prompting Renkotsu to raise an eyebrow at him. "I'd happily spread my legs for him, but thankfully I'm not, so I make-do with what I was given..." He smiled sweetly. "But there are ways, Ren, of pleasuring each other..." he ran his finger slowly down Renkotsu's chest. "Ways, where you won't hurt each other, unless you accidentally bite." Giggling softly, he continued his way down Renkotsu's body with his finger.

Renkotsu watched Jakotsu's finger, concentrating on it, as the cross-dresser trailed it down the length of his torso. His sake fogged brain was vainly trying to decide if he should let Jakotsu continue to wind his way down or grab his wrist and make him stop. /Am I supposed to brush his hand away or not? I can't remember what I'm supposed do.../The fire-breather looked at his drinking companion in confusion, one part of him dying to see how far the cross-dresser would go, while the other half was thoroughly outraged at the liberties Jakotsu was taking with him. Renkotsu blinked and looked at him in confusion, "Come again?"

"Cum again? We haven't cum firstly! So how can we cum again?" Jakotsu giggled at the look on Renkotsu's face at his bawdy joke, before continuing, "I said 'there are ways to give pleasure without causing pain...'" He leaned close enough to Renkotsu so that they could easily kiss. Jakotsu was delighted with what he took to be Renkotsu's crude attempts to flirt with him and he wasted no time in letting the fire-breather he was eager to let him have his way with him.

Renkotsu looked at his fellow team member as if seeing for the first time. "What are you...?" he asked. The fire-breather backed away as if noticing for the first time just how strange Jakotsu was.

Jakotsu, ignoring the distance Renkotsu tried to place between them, frowned. "What am I...?" he asked, leaning even closer to the fire-breather. He was curious about Renkotsu's odd behavior as well as touched by his opening up to him. The sake he was drinking also made him feel bolder so he placed a hand on Renkotsu's knee to steady himself, blinking owlishly at the retreating second-in-command. "And where are you going?"

Renkotsu, who was suddenly feeling uncomfortable by Jakotsu's advances, tried one last time to back away from him but promptly fell on his butt as he had run out of room on the bench. Landing with a soft thud, Renkotsu let out little "ooophf..." as he hit the ground.

Jakotsu blinked and peered into the surrounding shadows. "Where'd you go?"

Renkotsu, who had sobered up slightly from the fall, replied, "I fell."

Jakotsu, following the sound of Renkotsu's voice, giggled at the sight of the fire-breather sprawled out on the ground. He quickly stood up and helped Renkotsu to his feet, fussing over him as he checked him for signs of damage. "You okay?"

Renkotsu nodded. "I'm fine, but we really should go inside."

"Oooh..." Jakotsu, unable to believe his good luck, smiled seductively at him, "Are you inviting me back to your room...?

Renkotsu let out a little snort of annoyance. "It's getting dark, and we don't want to get caught out here by bandits or other miscreants."

Jakotsu, who did not believe him for a minute, nodded. "Yeah..."

Renkotsu shot his drinking companion a funny look, before picking up the sake jug. He was surprised at how light it had become, and casting a look over his shoulder to Jakotsu, he said, "Coming?" before limping off in the direction of the inn.

Jakotsu stared at him for a few minutes before he noticed he was limping. He was by the second-in-command's side in an instant; taking his arm, and lifting it as he wormed his way under it to support him. Since Renkotsu was much heavier than the wiry cross-dresser, it was several minutes before the two drunken companions could coordinate their efforts enough for Jakotsu to assist him.

"Uh... thanks..." Renkotsu said softly.

"No problem, brothers are supposed to help brothers, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Ummm... Ren, you know you never told me if you wanted to ummm... you know, know how you and Sui can be together painlessly. I know many ways...and I could show you them..." he said flirtatiously.

Renkotsu, intrigued by the possibilities, said, "What ways...?"

"Various things Ren taught me when I was little..."

"Ren?"

Jakotsu laughed. "Yeah 'Ren.' She was the whore I was apprenticed to when I was little. The bitch taught me lots of things and honestly I hated her guts. I used to lie in the futon at night and pray to the gods I'd wake up and find her dead." He sighed angrily. "Damn, how I hated that bitch. The best time I ever had in my life, aside from meeting Ban, was beating the shit out of her." He smiled ruefully at Renkotsu. "Don't be so shocked, Ren. She deserved it; stupid bitch actually slapped me when I cried myself to sleep after my first time... Now that was pain, as I didn't know what to expect, and my client had slapped me round too for crying which made it all the more unbearable when Ren later hit me...."

Renkotsu shivered at the coldness he saw on his fellow team member's face. "Jak...?" he said tentatively, unsure of what to say, when Jakotsu suddenly brightened.

"But I showed her. I let all of her abuse pile up like it meant nothing to me until the day I was big enough to do something about it..." he said nastily. "And then Ban came into my life and I walked away from all that and never looked back." He smiled and lifted his shoulder in slight shrug. "In fact I never gave her much thought until now..." He laughed and Renkotsu oddly found himself laughing along with him. "Hmmm...So where can we go? Oo-Aniki-chan is sleeping in our room. And besides, Sui said I'm not supposed to bother him..."

Renkotsu frowned. "Sui is asleep in our room too..." The fire-breather sighed, annoyed that now that his curiosity was aroused it seemed as though there was no way to satisfy it.

"Come!" Jakotsu guided Renkotsu to a small door.

"Where're we going?" Renkotsu asked as the shoji Jakotsu was urging him towards looked as though it led to nowhere.

"I don't know; let's just see where it goes. Maybe it leads to another room."

Renkotsu looked down at the cross-dresser as though he just sprouted another head, but he went along with him none-the-less. He was tired from all the sake, and limping around with Jakotsu was proving to be harder on his leg than he thought it would be. Praying that the door actually led to a room, he quietly entered it with Jakotsu.