Love Letters - Chapter 5

Nakago turned as he heard the soft whisper of cloth at the door. A tall figure slipped in, wrapped in shadows. Slowly, the person stepped forward. Pale blue light shone in Tomo's silver-black hair; the shimmering water cast flickering white highlights dancing over his face. His hands were wound together nervously; he was dressed in a very flattering arrangement of dark green, black, and grey. 

Tomo looked up into Nakago's eyes, grateful of the dim light that hopefully masked the blush he felt burning his cheeks. "Nakago-sama," he whispered hesitantly, a fragile smile lifting his lips. Finally... Finally... Oh, Seiryuu, I can hardly believe this is happening. He's so beautiful...

"Tomo," Nakago returned, staring at him coldly. "Are you responsible for this?" 

Sudden doubt stabbed an icy dagger into his gut, twisting ruthlessly. "N--Nakago-sama?" he repeated, feeling his smile vanish and the blood drain from his face. 

The older man produced a letter, written on pale yellow parchment, and thrust it forward. "Did you write this?" he 
asked frigidly.

Tomo stared at it in shock. His mouth moved a few times, helplessly. "N-Nakago-sama, I--I didn't--" 

"Then why are you here?" 

Somewhere in his heart, Tomo felt the beginnings of a despairing wail take shape. He reached with trembling, numb fingers for the sky-blue letter he'd found at his door. 

Nakago took it, skimming over the words. His expression never changed as he wordlessly tore the latter in half, dropping the pieces to the floor of the shrine. The sound ripped into the illusionist's mind like white-hot fire. He could only stare in shock as the two pieces of paper fluttered to the ground. 

"Tomo," his beloved's voice said. He couldn't even look up. "I didn't write that letter. Someone forged my handwriting. I don't know who it was, but I will find out." 

The younger man's head jerked up finally. He stared at Nakago with wild eyes. "Nakago-sama. I--I--" 

He--he doesn't... He didn't write--It can't be--He--I...

"I don't want this to happen again, Tomo," the shogun said tonelessly. "Do you understand me?" 

Tomo's mouth opened and closed soundlessly. A red-hot flush of shame flooded his face. His throat closed as he tried to answer. With a strangled sob, he turned and fled the room, tears burning in his eyes, blinding him.

He didn't write it! He doesn't--doesn't--It was all a lie! So--so cruel...

He slammed into someone, then reeled away, unseeing, uncaring, as he ran towards his room. 

Soi stared after him, utterly confused. Was that--Tomo? No one else has hair that long. It had to be him. The image of her fellow seishi, eyes screwed shut, agonized tears streaming down his face, body shaken by heartbroken weeping, seared in her mind. 

So. It was a lie, after all. I knew it. A callous, cold part of her looked on and laughed. The rest of her knew nothing but aching, throbbing pity.

Author Interlude:

Aeanagwen burst into tears, laying her head down on her arms and sobbing. "HOW COULD I DO THAT TO HIM?!" she wailed. Wordlessly, Celleri patted her on the back and muttered dirty things about Nakago. 

In Heaven: 

"HAH! I TOLD YOU!" Seiryuu laughed triumphantly. "No matter what you try, Nakago is never going to love Tomo! 
EVER! HAH! Take that!"

The very pissed God of Love whirled on one foot and smacked his brother across his scaly face with his tail feathers. "Would ya shut the bloody hell up?!" Suzaku demanded. "What the fuck d'ya think you're doing, laughin' like that, you ASSHOLE?!" 

Deaf to the arguement of his brothers, Genbu stared at Taiitsu-kun's mirror. Tomo's mental thought burned and writhed in his mind. So cruel... What have we done? Helplessly, he watched as the Seiryuu seishi slammed the door to his room, falling against the wood and dropping to his knees. 

In Kutou: 

Fire scalded his lungs; he could hardly breathe. Tomo looked up into his mirror. His un-madeup face was twisted by grief; his eyes were red from the tears. Untouched, his new clothes were pristine and clean. Arrested by the pain, Tomo tore the green mantle from himself, ignoring the ripping of the costly seams. Turning, he collapsed to his bed, and cried himself to sleep. 

Author Interlude: 

"Aeanagwen. You are MEAN. We all know that there are some times, some places, and some people that it is necessary to be mean to them in order to make the story flow... BUT FOR FUCKING CRYING OUT FUCKING GODDAMM LOUD, THIS IS A HUMOR FIC! GIVE ME THAT!" Celleri swiped the keyboard and prepared a box 
of fanfictional bandaids for Tomo.

"Eeeeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" Aeanagwen whined.