It snowed hard all afternoon. Sitting in his wheelchair, Itsuki spent most of the day just staring out the window.
Though his workshop was similar to Yamabe's. Tokiwa didn't take on students or apprentices. No, Tokiwa
was a real loner, living by himself in this obsessively neat, sterile house. Compared to the weathered exterior, the inside had been completely renovated
Glowing hardwood floors had been installed throughout the house, making it easy for Itsuki to get around in his wheelchair. The snow outside added a certain charm to the place, but also made it seem eerily quiet. The sound of his own breathing and the squeak
of the wheelchair sounded almost deafening to Itsuki's ears.
Heading down the hall in search of the bathroom, Itsuki looked around with interest-and was suddenly hit by a wave of nostalgia.
Just as works of art reflect the artist who made them, other things often reflect the unique touch of their creator, it's something that comes about naturally in the creative process. That said, the interior of Tokiwa's house seemed completely in tune with Tokiwa's artistic style.
In the door frames, ceilings, and even the lights set into the walls, Itsuki recognized the "Tokiwa
Aesthetic" he knew so well. Pure, straight lines edged with areas of softness. The house had the same qualities as a cherished wooden sculpture Tokiwa had once given
him. Just looking at the place made Itsuki feel serene.
Tokiwa had been holed up in his studio since morning. Itsuki wondered what he was working on
He had no idea how Tokiwa spent his days, but had heard that the man sometimes taught at an art school. Itsuki suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Tokiwa had wasted
precious creative time just taking care of him.
I'll call a cab as soon as it stops snowing, Itsuki decided. He would ask Tokiwa to visit Yamabe one more time. If Tokiwa refused again, Itsuki knew nothing more
could be done.
Itsuki used the bathroom, then dreamily made his way back to the living room. Suddenly, something
caught his eye, a room behind some sliding doors. Shelves lined the walls, stacked with tools and small machines. Sculptural models and sample pieces were scattered everywhere.
This has to be his workshop, Itsuki thought, but Tokiwa was nowhere to be seen. The room had the feel of a real artist's hideaway.
Just stay away from my bedroom and my studio.
As Itsuki thought about Tokiwa's warning his wheelchair rolled forward and hit the door. Just as
he was about to turn around, Itsuki spotted something familiar.
A blue watercolor in a narrow silver frame Itsuki vividly remembered its bright tones. Why was this here?
He moved towards it without thinking. Soon, he was in the middle of the studio, holding the painting he knew so well.
Itsuki had painted it so long ago. And now, Tokiwa had decorated his studio with it? Itsuki looked at the painting in a daze, until a harsh voice brought him back to reality.
"What are you doing here? I told you to stay out!" Tokiwa growled, reaching out to grab the painting
Itsuki timidly looked up at Tokiwa, who glared back at him. Then Tokiwa roughly yanked the wheelchair out of the studio and back into the hall.
"Wait! I can-" Itsuki pleaded, pointing back at the studio. Tokiwa didn't stop pushing the wheelchair
until Itsuki was back in the living room.
"B-but, why? That picture
was from so long ago..." Itsuki stammered before he could stop himself.
He had painted that picture way back when he had been a vocational school student. Back when he'd first known Tokiwa.
Tokiwa had asked for the painting, so Itsuki had given it to him as a present. But that was eight long years ago. Itsuki never expected to see it in Tokiwa's studio.
"Yes. It was a long time ago," Tokiwa said in a low voice, sending shivers down Itsuki's spine. Tokiwa
moved closer, giving Itsuki a look so sharp it seemed to cut right through him.
"You asked me to visit Yamabe," Tokiwa muttered. "But do you know why he wants me, Hashimoto? And if you do know, do you really want to take me there?"
"I know he has business that concerns you," Itsuki admitted. "Yamabe told me directly.
"Did you know that Yamabe has terminal cancer, and only a few months to live?" Tokiwa pushed
on. "He intends to leave everything to me. Did you know all that?"
Itsuki nodded sadly Yamabe had started feeling ill the previous spring.
"I must be getting old," Yamabe had said. "I just can't get up in the morning and I feel tired all the time."
Itsuki had never heard such words from Yamabe who was unusually energetic for his age. Kasaoka was
concerned, too, and they both begged Yamabe to go for a check-up.
Yamabe airily refused, laughing it off as much ado about nothing. But by late autumn, Yamabe himself
finally decided to go to the hospital. Itsuki stood by as the sensei went through a battery of tests. The results came back a week later: terminal cancer.
Itsuki sat beside Yamabe as the doctor delivered the bad news. From start to finish, Yamabe kept a straight face, asking the doctor a slew of questions. When they
returned home, Itsuki explained everything to Kasaoka.
"He'll need to put his affairs in order." Kasaoka said soberly. "He can't leave this up to chance. At the
very least, he'll need to make a will."
Itsuki didn't know what to say, but Yamabe did.
"Leave everything to Itsuki," the sensei insisted. Itsuki dearly wanted to beg off, but how could he?
Like Tokiwa, Yamabe had always been a loner, with no wife, children, or other close ties. Yamabe had
been involved with many women over the years, but none of them had given him children, and he'd lost contact with his distant relatives years ago.
Later on, Yamabe backtracked and instead announced that he would leave his workshop-and
everything else to Tokiwa.
"I need to discuss this with him in person," Yamabe said. "Tell him to come here."
Itsuki had had no choice but to agree, and left for Tokiwa's house the same day.
"Yamabe's workshop is a nice chunk of real estate,"Tokiwa said, suddenly sounding more interested.
"He also directs a company and owns a lot of stocks.
He'll pay all the fees and inheritance taxes, and if I don't want the assets I can sell them.
This was all news to Itsuki, but he couldn't bring himself to speak up. Instead, he sat there feeling hurt.
Tokiwa gave him another sharp look.
"You satisfied with this?" he snapped.
It was a rhetorical question, so Itsuki held back for a while. After an uncomfortable moment, he finally
spoke. "It's Yamabe's decision, for better or worse. I'm not in a position to have an opinion on the matter."
"So it's a question of your position, huh?" Tokiwa teased. "Exactly how long will you stay by his side?"
"For as long as he needs me. That is my duty," Itsuki said without hesitation. He had already decided
this.
Tokiwa was silent for a moment. With his arms folded across his chest, he stared at Itsuki in the
wheelchair.
"So you came here knowing all this," he finally said. "You knew he said I could do whatever I want."
Itsuki just nodded.
"But will you let me do whatever I want? That's the big question here," Tokiwa said pointedly. The mood
in the room was quickly changing.
Itsuki froze for a moment, and then instinctively grabbed the wheels of his wheelchair. Just as he was
about to retreat, Tokiwa grabbed both arm rests and pulled the chair closer. Before Itsuki could protest
Tokiwa gave him a kiss that took his breath away.
"Nooooo!" Itsuki gasped. But was he protesting, or just screaming?
As Itsuki shook his head with disbelief, Tokiwa suddenly grasped him around the neck. Itsuki tried to
push him away, but Tokiwa kept nibbling on his lips. Finally, Tokiwa stopped, giving Itsuki a chance
to breathe. Itsuki felt like he was about to suffocate Even his vision seems blurry. He felt like he was about to float off the wheelchair, as the ceiling spun above him. Suddenly, Tokiwa lifted him up.
"Don't struggle, or I'll drop you," Tokiwa said grimly. He hoisted Itsuki over his shoulder and carried
him out of the living room.
Itsuki clung to Tokiwa's broad shoulders as they hurried down the hall.
Hes stronger than he seems, Itsuki realized, suddenly feeling scared. Tokiwa brought him into the
bedroom and dropped him on the bed.
Itsuki cowered in fear as Tokiwa pounced on him from above. Tokiwa grabbed both of Itsuki's wrists with one hand and pinned them above his head. Holding
Itsuki's chin with his other hand, Tokiwa tried to take away Itsuki's breathe again.
Anticipating another kiss, Itsuki turned his head away, only to have it roughly yanked back. Tokiwa was
so close, Itsuki could feel his breath, and he completely
forgot how to move. Tokiwa probed Itsuki's mouth, catching his tongue with his own. First, he sucked it
hard, then gently nibbled it with his teeth, making Itsuki shudder all over. Itsuki whimpered, unable to breathe, but instead of letting him go, Tokiwa just stepped up the
action.
Tokiwa finally released him after another long, deep kiss. Itsuki gasped as Tokiwa moved to his neck and chin. Tokiwa covered him in kisses, and then traced one cool fingertip along Itsuki's sore lips. The pain melded with another sensation, blurring Itsuki's vision
yet again.
"Ooh..." he heard himself moan as Tokiwa stroked his hips through his clothes. Suddenly, the hands wandered even lower. Itsuki trembled as he met Tokiwa's cruel gaze.
"Aah! Tokiwa-sensei! Stop!" he begged.
But Tokiwa wouldn't let go of his wrists. As Itsuki tried to twist away, Tokiwa lowered his body on top of him. Suddenly, Tokiwa hand dove under the waistband of Itsuki's borrowed sweatpants and
touched him there
The impact was so intense, Itsuki felt as if he'd been hit on the head with a blunt object. He couldn't
believe what had sprung forth from his body just now And he had a sinking feeling about what Tokiwa had in mind next.
Tokiwa nibbled on an ear and traced its edge with his tongue. Itsuki heard a wet sound as Tokio
bit his earlobe, Goosebumps broke out on his neck and along his spine.
"No, stop!" Itsuki pleaded. His faltering voice sounded strange even to himself, like it belonged to
another person.
Stoking the flames of Itsuki's passion, Tokiwa's hand found its target with amazing accuracy. It was the first time another person had ever touched him there
and Itsuki's body responded instinctively. Tokiwa kep sucking his earlobe and his neck, making Itsuki squirm.
Itsuki knew there was no turning back now. As the sensation grew more and more intense, his body
tingled with heat. He lacked the strength to push Tokiwa away and instead clutched at the sheets in futility.
"Tokiwa-sensei, please stop-we need to talk!" Itsuki cried out, but Tokiwa just ignored his pleas.
These same hands had once created a work of art that Itsuki loved and cherished. It made him sick to have Tokiwa touch him down there with those exact same fingers.
As Tokiwa quickly moved his hand, Itsuki was unable to suppress his moans. He felt tormented by this fever that was getting hotter every minute. Itsuki's voice became a wail, but that still didn't stop Tokiwa. Now Itsuki babbled incoherently, begging Tokiwa to release him, until he finally exploded right into Tokiwa's hand.
"Aaaaaah!"
As Itsuki listened to his own ragged breathing, his entire body pulsed and tingled. Suddenly, he heard the rustle of clothes being taken off. He turned his head and gasped at the sight.
Tokiwa was on his knees, straddling Itsuki as he stripped off his sweater. Seeing Tokiwa's broad
shoulders and supple physique made Itsuki shiver all over. Before his brain had a chance to think, his body moved, struggling to get out from under Tokiwa.
Itsuki managed to swing his legs off the bed. As his feet hit the floor, his legs felt like they'd just been struck with a hammer. He doubled over in pain and collapsed on the floor. There was a terrible ringing
in his ears. He curled into a ball, trying not to cry out. Through his bleary eyes, he saw a pair of legs. Tokiwa quietly picked him up and put him back on the bed. Tokiwa looked really pissed off, though his touch was gentle. Itsuki flinched as Tokiwa carefully positioned his
injured legs.
"Do I disgust you that much?" Tokiwa hissed.
Even though he knew Tokiwa hated him, Itsuki had never heard Tokiwa use that tone before. It made his heart ache to realize how truly indifferent Tokiwa actually felt toward him.
"You're just another piece of property to me," Tokiwa sneered, glaring with rage. "The sooner you realize that the better off you'll be. You've tried to escape from me before, remember?
Why is he acting like this? Itsuki thought desperately, unable to speak.
He knew that people automatically assumed he
was Yamabe's lover. Since Itsuki was very intimately involved in Yamabe's life, people just put two and two together. As Yamabe's employee, Itsuki could never be
sure what Yamabe was really thinking. That was the reality of Itsuki's situation. It had nothing to do with Tokiwa.
"Yeah. You disgust me that much," Itsuki finally replied. He threw a pillow at Tokiwa and spun his legs around again, ignoring the searing pain. He was definitely getting out of here, even if he had to crawl. He
heard Tokiwa clicking his tongue in disapproval.
Tokiwa grabbed Itsuki's arm and roughly pulled him onto the bed again. He straddled Itsuki's thighs
pinning him down, then bound his wrists together with a piece of cloth. Itsuki's head swirled with pain and confusion. The Tokiwa before him now was so different
from the Tokiwa he'd known in the past.
"Tokiwa-sensei! Why are you doing this?" Itsuki gasped.
"Stop struggling, you'll just hurt yourself. Now be a good boy and turn over," Tokiwa said bluntly.
Itsuki violently shook his head. Tokiwa kissed him deeply, then forced his clenched teeth apart with a finger. Itsuki could taste tobacco as their tongues tangled in a deep kiss. Feeling faint from holding his breath, he gasped for air when Tokiwa finally released him.
Tokiwa's hands darted under Itsuki's shirt and caressed his stomach and chest. As Tokiwa planted a trail of kisses down his torso, Itsuki's skin started to respond. Tokiwa pulled down Itsuki's sweatpants and stroked his
thighs with a cold hand. Itsuki knew Tokiwa wouldn't stop now. He felt the blood drain from his body.
His useless struggles had left him utterly exhausted, while his right leg throbbed in its cast. But he still felt himself going erect as his blood pulsated in his ears. Unable to move, Itsuki endured Tokiwa's biting kisses on his stomach, knowing that Tokiwa was headed
further south.
Reaching out with his large hand, Tokiwa softly grasped Itsuki's member, which was completely
engorged from constant stimulation. Itsuki shivered as
Tokiwa long finger searched for the opening between his cheeks. He opened his mouth to protest, but Tokiwa silenced him with another kiss.
The fingers that had created Itsuki's favorite work of art now penetrated that unspeakable place,
heightening his passion.
"No, no," Itsuki said hoarsely as Tokiwa raised his knees and lifted him up. As Tokiwa entered him.
Itsuki experienced a mixture of intense arousal and fierce pain. He felt completely detached from his body as if it was not his own.
Unable to make a sound, Itsuki gasped for breath. Tokiwa gently bit Itsuki's lip and explored the
depths of his mouth. There was nothing Itsuki could do. It was hopeless to protest.
I'm just a doll to them, Itsuki thought dully. First to Yamabe, now to Tokiwa. He should have known all along, but this sudden realization hit him like a blow to
the chest.
Held tightly by Tokiwa's long arms, riding on wave after wave of pleasure, Itsuki felt the insides of his eyelids get hot, like he was about to cry. He knew it was
strange for a doll to shed tears, so he bravely held them back, staring at his captor with blurry eyes.
Who is this person? he wondered idly. From the depths of his hazy consciousness, Itsuki suddenly heard his name.
"Itsuki, Itsuki," Tokiwa crooned.
He didnt call me Hashimoto, Itsuki thought.
As Tokiwa's lips gently grazed his own, Itsuki remembered their very first kiss, back in those days when they were still friends.