1. His Meeting

Word count: 2,760

He had a new customer arriving in only a couple short hours, but he simply couldn't find the strength to lift himself from his bed.

To be honest, Yukimura didn't want to have to deal with another customer after his previous one had tired him out completely. Despite that, though, he had no choice in the matter. It was his job to have to deal with ridiculous amounts of customers a day.

Tired, Yukimura rose off the bed, skin sticky, and body aching.

He moved towards the shower reluctantly, knowing that there was no point in cleaning off now, since he would be just as soiled in a matter of hours. Nevertheless, Yukimura stepped in the shower, letting freezing water drench him. He didn't want to be bathed in hot water, which would serve only as a reminder to the position he was in.

My name is Yukimura Seiichi.

Carelessly, Yukimura reached for the various assortment of hair products his employer provided. It didn't matter which one he chose, as the scent of it would be overwhelmed by the musk of sex.

Yukimura felt the dull pain in between his legs that buckled when something hot trickled out.

I am 26 years old.

In a sudden build up of blind anger, he punched the wall. He knew his knuckles would probably bruise later on. Ryuzaki-sama would not be pleased with something marring Yukimura's delicate features. But he found...

And I...

He didn't care.

I am a whore, a skank, a slut. One who sells his or her body to people desperate and deprived enough to purchase the one-night services of a prostitute.

Yukimura smiled wryly as he shut off the flow of water and proceeded to towel himself dry.

More likely than not, Atobe-sama would not be happy if he knew Yukimura had referred to him as 'desperate' and 'deprived.' Then again, it wasn't he who was to deal with Atobe-sama and his childish fits. That honor went to Echizen Ryoma, a fellow...employee, who, has managed to keep Atobe-sama occupied for quite some time.

Steam trailed after Yukimura as he exited the bathroom.

This alone was an incredible feat, as not many of his fellow...employees had regular customers.

In fact, Yukimura himself did not have one. Fuji Syusuke, one of his only friends, was an exception. The boy had an enchanting air about him, with his half-smiles, breath-taking cerulean eyes, and the grace of an angel that had been defiled once too many times. There was nothing about the boy known as Fuji Syusuke that would make someone unable to return to his services.

At times, Yukimura envied Fuji. The boy had so many things Yukimura did not. Beauty, a mask to hide behind, and an endless flow of customers that came to visit him regularly.

Yukimura reached into his closet without even looking to see what his fingers would brush against first.

After all, it wasn't as if it would matter. His client was scheduled to arrive in just ten minutes, in which case, the garb he chose would eventually be discarded.

As it turned out, the robe he had chosen was one that was black. Very similar to one that Fuji had, but instead of being embroidered with gold leaves, it was decorated by a silver morning glory that rested just above his heart.

Yukimura scowled. He hated the morning glory flower. He was preparing to tear it off and put on a new one when the door was knocked on.

He called out in a placating voice, "Yes, I'll be right there."

Yukimura rested his fingers on the handle of the door, and hesitated. On the other side of the door was a man who would do nothing but ravage Yukimura's body until he was unable to stand, then leave without a word.

Could he handle this?

Fingers closed around the handle.

Yes, he could. He had to.

Yukimura opened the door, and made sure to smile the way Fuji taught him--sweet and fake.

However, his smile vanished. Very quickly, at that, because on the other side of the doorway was a tall man--taller than Oshitari Yuushi, even. His skin was tanned slightly by the sun, his hair was cut straight and short, and his eyes were the color of coal.

There was nothing special about this man, but for some reason, Yukimura felt awed and unable to do anything in his presence.

Quickly, he stepped aside to let his new client into the room.

The door was shut gently, and he provided another smile for his customer's pleasure.

"Welcome," he said. "My name is Yukimura Seiichi, and I will be taking care of you for the night."

The man extended a stiff, large hand. "Sanada Genichirou." He said.

Yukimura's mind drew a near blank before he realized this 'Sanada Genichirou' was requesting a hand-shake. He took the hand firmly, and was careful not to make eye contact with the customer as he shook.

When he tried to pull his hand away, he found he could not. Sanada was grasping his hand with surprising strength. The black eyes were stern.

"Why do you do that?" he asked.

"What is it that I am doing, Sanada-sama?" Yukimura replied politely.

The man still had not released Yukimura's hand.

"Why don't you look at me when you are shaking my hand or when I am talking to you?"

Yukimura blinked. To be frankly--and privately--honest, he had never realized that Sanada-sama was correct. He never looked clients in the eye, and he rarely looked Ryuzaki-sama in the eye either.

His answer to Sanada-sama was silence. Yukimura's confusion must have seemed genuine enough to Sanada-sama that he let go.

"I am a businessman, and when I speak to people, or shake their hand, I expect eye contact in return." Sanada-sama explained. His posture was perfect, and his head was raised proudly...but not arrogantly, like Atobe-sama's always was.

The corners of Yukimura's lips drew upwards. He met his new client's gaze squarely, smiling calmly.

"Acknoweledged, Sanada-sama."

--

A few days later, Yukimura found himself laying a tray of tea down on the table in his room gently, the silverware giving quiet clinks.

As he had been taught, Yukimura began laying the foundation for tea when one of Sanada-sama's large hands came and stopped the procession. This brought Yukimura to a halt.

Normally, the customers enjoyed when Yukimmura set the tea, as it allowed them to brush their hands along him as he went along. Other than the hand shake, this was the only other time Sanada-sama had laid a hand on him, despite having been coming to see him for the past couple days.

"Is something the matter, Sanada-sama?"

Sanada lowered the teacup back to the tray and looked at Yukimura in the eye. Carefully, Yukimura reminded himself not to look away, as Sanada-sama did not take well to a lack of eye-contact.

"Do you have a set for a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, Yukimura?"

Yukimura blinked and rose to his feet.

"Yes, I do, Sanada-sama. I assume you would like for me to perform the Japanese tea ceremony for you?"

Pinpricks ran through Yukimura's hands and arms. He had not performed a traditional tea ceremony in quite some time, and he had not practiced in quite a while either. Nevertheless, it was what Sanada-sama wanted, so he would do what Sanada-sama wanted.

"No, that's all right, Yukimura. I would like to perform it." Sanada-sama interrupted.

Yukimura's eyes went as wide as a doe's. His protest came as a whisper. "Sanada-sama, that wouldn't be--"

Sanada-sama interrupted again, this time, lacing his voice with an iron-hard sterness. "It's all right, Yukimura."

Once more, Yukimura wished he could object, but it had been done. An order had been given by his client, and he must obey. That was how the life of a prostitute was.

"Yes, Sanada-sama." Yukimura lowered his head in a sign of defeat. He almost missed the light huff of amusement from Sanada-sama.

Therefore, Yukimura awkwardly settled himself onto the couch, lacing his hands in his lap.

Before him, Sanada-sama, the man he was supposed to be serving performed the traditional Japanese tea ceremony for him--for Yukimura Seiichi. Heart pounding, Yukimura sat by and watched as Sanada-sama knelt and carried himself with practiced ease and grace.

Incredble. Was all Yukimura could think of. This Sanada-sama...he was something else.

His hands trembled at the thought that soon, he would probably be taken by this Sanada-sama he admired so much. Behind his smiling face, Yukimura berated himself for thinking Sanada-sama was anything else but someone with sexual frustrations to take out. He berated himself for thinking that Sanada-sama actually thought something of him.

"Yukimura?"

Yukimura realized that Sanada-sama had been trying to call his attention for some time now.

Needlessly flustered, Yukimura dipped his head in apology--or at least he would have, had he not come face to face with a steaming cup of tea. Literally.

Forehead burning, and cheeks flaming, Yukimura leapt up quickly. He always kept a bucket of ice under the bed in case his customers were to become too...rowdy.

Dipping a hand in, Yukimura came back to the bed with said bucket of ice cubes.

He took one of Sanada-sama's hands, which had also been burned, and pressed the ice cubes into it. His forehead hurt terribly, but that was not his main concern right now. A prostitute's body was almost never his first priority, as it was abused every single day. His main concern was the light burn Sanada-sama had recieved because of his foolishness.

Yukimura dared not raise his head to meet his customer's eyes.

Only the most novice of workers made the mistakes he had just made. Even then, such a morbidly embarassing thing almost never happened.

"I'm sorry, Sanada-sama." Yukimura whispered quietly. He knew Ryuzaki-sama would be hearing of this later on. His pay would be cut, and he would never see or hear from Sanada-sama again. And while Yukimura knew he should not care, and under normal circumstances, would not care, the fact of the matter was that he did.

He did care that he would never see Sanada-sama again.

"I'm sorr--"

Cold pressed itself to his burned forehead. Startled, Yukimura pulled away.

Sanada-sama was holding the ice Yukimura had given to him. He seemed irked that Yukimura had pulled away.

"Hold still."

Yukimura gave him a questioning look.

"You're burned too. Hold still so I can treat it."

So Yukimura obeyed. Such was the life of a prostitute. But the strange thing was that Sanada-sama didn't treat him like a prostitute. He treated him like a regular person--albeit a slightly clumsy one. A regular customer would have struck him, bellowing his anger. Sanada-sama...did not.

Sanada-sama was treating him like he would any other person. It made Yukimura feel...normal.

It made him feel like he wasn't a slut.

It made him feel like he wasn't just a nobody.

It made him feel like he had to run.

Run away from this place which condemned him, and run away from Sanada-sama who was being so irrevocably kind to someone with Yukimura's standing.

Sanada-sama's kindness was so warm. It also frightened Yukimura like nothing else had before.

He was a prostitute for other men; he was the lowest of the low. And Yukimura had accepted this the moment he had come into the arms of another man.

Now Sanada-sama was turning things upside down for him and shaking everything Yukimura had come to believe to its very core.

By the time Yukimura was done puzzling over Sanada-sama's oddly kind actions, it was late, and time to go to bed.

Yukimura and Sanada-sama had remained silent towards one another since the tea incident. Yukimura now sported a bandage on the light burn on his forehead; Sanada-sama sported a bandage on his hand.

Sanada-sama was already situated in bed, staring up at him expectantly.

Yukimura stood on the side Sanada-sama lay on. He closed his eyes, waiting. At this point in time, the customer would drag him to bed and take him until Yukimura bled.

"...what are you doing?"

Yukimura opened his eyes to see Sanada-sama looking almost genuinely confused.

"Aren't you going to..." Yukimura trailed off awkwardly, having never discussed the topic of sex wit his customers. "...take me?"

The look of confusion that had been on Sanada-sama's face vanished. He looked now like he understood, and it made Yukimura uncomfortable.

"No, Yukimura."

"No?" Yukimura echoed.

Sanada-sama shook his head. "Atobe coerced me into coming here tonight. I have no intention of forcing someone like you to pleasure a man who does not want to be pleasured."

Yukimura waited anxiously. Sanada-sama's words, 'someone like you' made him worry.

Again, Sanada-sama seemed to understand Yukimura. He put a hand out to Yukimura. "By someone like you, I mean someone who would just like to be left alone. Someone who is content sitting beside someone without feeling the need to have sex with him."

Sanada-sama's words were direct and to the point. They were also very true.

They left Yukimura speechless until Sanada-sama reached forward and took his hand.

"Come to bed," he said. "I won't do anything."

Numbly, slowly, Yukimura obeyed, and not because he was obligated to. But because he wanted to just lay in bed next to Sanada-sama and do nothing more.

Sanada-sama's arms were warm as they held him.

The lights were turned off, and Yukimura and his customer were left in darkness.

Tensely, Yukimura waited to see if Sanada-sama would stay true to his word. He expected a hand to creep under his sleeping robe and begin to fondle him. He expected lips to come crashing onto his. He did not expect a gentle touch to his burn.

Obviously, Sanada-sama knew he was still awake, for he said, "Sleep, Yukimura. I promise I won't do anything to you."

He wasn't sure what, but Yukimura felt something come over him. For he grasped Sanada-sama's hand and pressed his lips gently and tentatively to Sanada-sama's bandage.

"Thank you." He whispered.

Then, he felt Sanada-sama's lips touch his burn on his forehead. Yukimura's cheeks were set on fire when Sanada-sama entwined their fingers.

"No. Thank you."

And then, Yukimura slept. For the first time in a long time, Yukimura was able to sleep peacefully instead of falling asleep from pain and exhaustion.

He fell asleep gently. Just him and his Sanada-sama.

Yukimura smiled.

Yes...

His Sanada-sama.

--

(A/N:)

This is sort of a side-story I made from SK100187's story, Lost Fantasies, using Yukimura and Sanada. They're just adorable together, so I wanted to make a story in their honor. Please read and review, and continue to support this story and its pairing.

Sincerely,

-PurificationArrow