"What? No! There's no f—g way I'm going on a date with you!"

Kyo hit the table with his fist; the plates shook. Shigure, meanwhile, was swooping around the room in a lyrical pose, seemingly absolutely unaffected by the boy's rejection, even though you could practically see the smoke coming out of Kyo's ears.

"But Kyo" he said overly theatrical tone "Think about the book: the famous writer and his youthful ward on a romantic evening, the young boy learning and steadily growing more and more attached to his wise mentor!"

Kyo rolled his eyes:

"Oh really?" he said "Because what I see are the headlines: perverted writer rapes underage cousin!"

Kyo smirked: he thought he'd won. But Shigure stopped, and then, bending down, closed in on Kyo; Kyo cat didn't move. Shigure put one arm around his shoulder and whispered in his ear:

"Come on…" he said "You know it's not rape if you like it…"

"You sick bastard!" cried out Kyo "Just because of that… incident on New Year's it doesn't give you the right to…"

"To do what?" said Shigure "I love you; you love me; we're a happy incestuous extended family…"

Then, he took his remaining free hand, and shoved it without warning down the front Kyo's pants; Kyo froze in terror:

"What are you doing?" he said in a frantic whisper.

Shigure grabbed his packaged and heedless of his protests began to fondle him; already the cat-boy started getting hard; then, Shigure bit his ear and whispered:

"I love you, silly…"

Kyo was paralyzed.

"Stop it!" he cried, his expression halfway between anger and terror "Stop it; someone's going to see us!"

Then, they heard the door pulling open, and all of a sudden Yuki began to enter the room. This was it: Kyo wanted the earth to open up and swallow him from the shame… But thank heavens, no doubt through a technique acquired through his many years of compulsively hitting on females, when Yuki came in Shigure was already several metres away from Kyo and rambling on about something or other, so that what had been going on barely a few seconds before seemed unbelievable. Then, as always, they ate breakfast, and the boys got ready for school, and fought, and Kyo lost, and everyone that had to leave was on their were on their way to class. But just as they were getting out the door, Shigure found it appropriate to merrily shout to Kyo:

"Hey, cat-boy! If I were you, I'd get somewhere private and take care of that thing in my pants… it's visible from here!"

At this point, Kyo didn't know if he was going to kill Shigure or himself. He looked at Yuki, but the Rat just shook his head:

"I don't even want to know…"

***

Several hours later, obviously Kyo came back from school. Pushing the sliding front door aside, he threw his bag on the ground and with something halfway between a shout and groan, he declared:

"I'm home!"

Shigure answered from inside:

"Oh" he said "I've been expecting you…"

"You don't say…" said Kyo, rolling his eyes

Yuki wasn't there; for some reason, he'd been held back at school by the principal… apparently a relative of his had called about something or other, Kyo didn't really know, but the bottom line was that he'd come home alone and had rather enjoyed it:

"Any food?" he asked aloud as he made for the dining room.

"I guess you could call it that…" said Shigure's voice from inside said dining room.

And when Kyo pushed the door open, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Like it?" asked Shigure.

It was certainly impressive: the curtains had all been pulled to that particular extent where the lighting was dim but not difficult to see in; the table was laid with what seemed to be a complete array of the very finest traditional Japanese cuisine; the sound system had been moved into the room, and, kneeling by the table, in a perfectly dignified classical posture and a silk green kimono was Shigure Sohma.

Kyo was still flabbergasted:

"What the hell is this?" he cried.

Shigure looked up at him, with all the calm in the world:

"Well, my ward" he said "Today I decided that we'd eat nicely."

"You… you cooked all this?" asked Kyo.

Shigure gave a slight laugh:

"Alas no, my beloved ward" he said "I had it brought in… But that doesn't make it less good…" he hastened to add "Think that these very hands wrote pulpy romance novels to pay for it."

"What are you even trying to do?" said Kyo.

"What?" said Shigure "Can't a man buy expensive dinner for his young ward anymore?"

"Are you trying to seduce me?" said Kyo, suddenly irritated "Because I'm not falling for this!"

"Seduce you?" said Shigure "Not at all; I just want to have dinner with you… now, if you please… music!"

And with that he produced a small remote control, and turned on the sound system; it began to play an absurdly old recording:

"Were you not to Ko-Ko plighted…"

"What the f—k is that?" cried out Kyo.

"It's romantic" said Shigure "And it's certainly Japanese"

"You're crazy, did you know that?" shouted Kyo.

"Thank you very much" said Shigure, still completely imperturbable "Now will you sit down to eat?"

"F—k you!" said Kyo; and giving Shigure the middle finger, he stormed out of the room; Shigure just smiled.

***

It had been about two hours; Kyo was locked in his room, laying on his bed, and his stomach was rumbling terribly. He'd tried again and again to study, or generally do something to spend his time, but he was in that horribly boring mood where one is just too upset to do anything.

Yet whatever happened, he was not going down to eat with Shigure! No! Never! What did that sick freak think? Sure, he'd helped him on New Year's Eve… But that had been a one-night thing, and it had sentimental abuse stamped all over it anyway. Sure he liked him…. But just because he liked him (really, really liked him) it didn't mean he was ready for a relationship.

"That makes sense, right?"

Kyo bit his pillow. He was so hungry… He hadn't eaten anything at school, and it wasn't like the house was anywhere near any eateries he could buy food from, but he was determined he'd sooner faint from hunger than give in. Then again, he really was very close to fainting, and the fact that he had had gym class that day didn't help; nor did the fact that someone had forgotten to give him lunch money.

That bastard!

…

Kyo got up from the bed. Slowly, his hands trembling with ire and frustration, he pulled the door aside. And with both his fists tightly clenched, and his arms tense by his side, he went downstairs: he'd have to swallow his pride if he wanted to swallow anything that day. He entered the dining room; the music was still playing:

"A maiden fair to see, the bud of minstrelsy…"

"Ah!" exclaimed Shigure, looking up "My youthful ward! Finally, you've gotten up and decided to eat some dinner!"

"Shut the hell up" said Kyo. And, walking over to him and grabbing the remote for the sound system, he turned off the music "I don't want any noise when I'm eating…"

Then, still in perfect silence and glaring daggers, Kyo sat down and started to eat; very hungrily, too.

"I'm sorry if it's cold" said Shigure "But you were waiting upstairs for over two hours…"

"Did I" retorted Kyo, despite his full mouth "Or did I not tell you to shut the hell up?"

"Very well" said Shigure "I won't talk."

And there they ate, silent as sushi. Shigure gazed shamelessly and lovingly at his ward, whilst said ward made a point of looking only at the food. It was all very tense; only in between a plate of noodles and some intricate delicacy involving shrimp crackers did Kyo finally ask a question that had been burning:

"Why isn't Yuki here?"

"Yuki?" said Shigure as naturally as if they'd been discussing the whole time "He went to the principal's office, didn't I tell you?"

"For so long?" asked Kyo.

"Well, afterwards he went out with some friends…" said Shigure "Or fan-girls, I wouldn't know… At any rate, he isn't coming home any time soon… Why?"

"Just asking…"

There was a brief pause.

"Are you picturing a threesome?" said Shigure.

Kyo dropped his plate; he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"What?"

"A threesome" repeated Shigure "You know, sex: with me, you, and Yuki. Me doing you and then him in turn; and then him doing you, and you doing him, and then both of you licking my…"

"Shut up!" interrupted Kyo, horrified "Just shut up! How do you even think of those things?"

"Oh" said Shigure with a grin "Then it's just what I thought…"

"What?" said Kyo.

"You don't like it when I talk about that because you're jealous" said Shigure.

"What?" cried Kyo, stuttering "What? I… I… No! Never!"

But now he was looking at the ground and blushing so furiously that it was obvious that, even if Shigure's comments made no real sense, they'd succeeded in making him first imagine the threesome and then feel jealous; and that was just what the Dog had wanted.

"I'm leaving!" declared Kyo finally "I'm going to go take a bath, that's how dirty I think you are!"

And once again, he stormed out of the room; and once again, Shigure just smiled:

***

Kyo was lying in the bath. The water was warm, and the room was filled with steam; but he wasn't happy… He'd gotten hard thinking about that threesome with Shigure and Yuki, and it was very uncomfortable. He would've touched himself, if it weren't for the distinct feeling he had that Shigure might see him… And that was just wrong.

Well… at least that bastard hadn't barged in while he was bathing; though of course the locked door might have helped at that a bit.

Kyo finally decided it was time to end the bath: he got up, and wrapped a white towel around his waist. Then, he looked at the clothes he'd been wearing, smelled them, and saw that they desperately needed washing, soo he grabbed them in a little bundle, unlocked the bathroom door, and stepped out into the corridor.

Then, pair of hands caught him:

"Surprise!"

It was Shigure's voice. Oh horror! Both of his strong arms were wrapped around Kyo's naked torso, and the cat-boy felt an abnormally large bulge pressing through the Dog's fancy kimono.

"You horny dog!" cried out Kyo "How many times do I have to tell you, I don't want to have sex with you?"

"Oh really?" said Shigure "Then what's this?"

And with one gesture, he took of the towel that was hanging around Kyo's waist; Kyo was even more horrified. The cloth fell to the ground, revealing his aching erect member.

"Shigure, no!" protested Kyo "No, don't!"

He didn't seem strong and angry anymore… he was just frightened.

"I love you, you silly little kitten" whispered Shigure tenderly into his ear, not letting him go "What's there to be afraid of?"

And he began to gently touch Kyo's erection.

"Oh…" said Kyo, blushing "Oh, Shigure, no, please…"

But he didn't do anything to stop him; already, the cat-boy was getting wet from the touch.

"Don't be afraid, Kyo" whispered Shigure into his ear "I know it's big, but you've already taken it once. You can take it again…

***

"I hate you, did you know that?" said a naked Kyo to a naked Shigure, as the latter carried him to his bed, several rounds of sex later.

"Really?" said Shigure as they got in front of the cat-boy's bedroom "Because that's not what you were saying a few minutes ago when you were up against the wall begging me to make you…"

"Okay, that's enough" interrupted Kyo, pulling the door aside "You can put me right here…"

Shigure obeyed, and gently let him onto the bed. It was raining outside; Kyo was already getting sleepy.

"I bet you're happy now that I had the principal and the fan-girls stall Yuki, aren't you?" he said..

"You did that?" exclaimed Kyo. He would've gotten mad, but he was too drowsy.

"Yup" said Shigure, with a sly grin "All by myself… Now, if you'll excuse me… open up your legs, we have some unfinished business…"

"You sick bastard!" laughed Kyo.

But this discussion did not have time to get to its logical conclusion, because both of them then heard the front door opening. Steps came in: the Sun had long fallen, and Yuki was finally home.

"Shigure?" shouted Yuki from downstairs "Are you here?"

"Yeah!" laughed Kyo weakly "You can't do me now because Yuki's here!"

Shigure smirked:

"I guess you won this round…" he said "Feisty little kitten!"

And he went on to exit the room; but Kyo stopped him:

"Wait!" said the cat-boy, without getting off of his bed.

"What is it?" said Shigure; he turned around.

"Next time…" said Kyo, snuggling into his sheets, his eyes closed tight "Arrange for Yuki to have a sleepover!"

And the Cat fell asleep.