He shook his head to dispel the new images that came to him. He was not
Hakkei and Matsuri was not Taishinoufujin. He might have Hakkei's
memories and powers but he was Ryudo Hajime! His own unique person! Yet
in his dreams he would re-live Hakkei's memories of their love-making
and wake hot and hard with need. And four nights ago he had woken
standing next to Matsuri's bed with no memory of how he got there. But
he knew why he had come and had fled from her with soundless steps. That
had shaken him and he worried that it would happen again.

	Yet what could he do except command himself every night before he went
to sleep that he would not go to her? They were all trapped here in this
tiny apartment. He stood for a moment and frowned at the run-down
building that they now called home, then sighed. He took the stairs two
at a time until he hit the third landing and came upon one of their
neighbors. The frail old man was wheezing with exertion as he struggled
with his bag laden two-wheeled shopping cart.

	"Konichiwa, Ichen-san. Let me take this for you." The look of gratitude
that came across the old man's face embarrassed him.

	"Domo arigato, Ryudo-san." Ichen gave him a low bow as Hajime took the
basket by the back and picked it up enough to clear the stairs.

	He stayed one step behind the old man as they made their slow way up.
Ichen invited him in for tea as he opened his door. Hajime politely
declined but cocked his head and took a deep breath as the fragrance of
flowers, a rarity in this dirty and squalid area of the city, wafted
out. Ichen saw that and grinned as he bade him wait a moment. The old
man came back with a huge white chrysanthemum which he presented with a
bow.

	"For your lovely cousin, Ryudo-san."

	Hajime took the plate-sized blossom and bowed back. "She will like it
very much, Ichen-san. Domo arigato."

	The old man beamed at him, happy that his simple gift for service
rendered had been so graciously accepted. Hajime gave a wave as he
turned to head up the hall for their door.

	Matsuri wore a concerned frown when she opened the door to his knock.
The frown changed into a little surprised smile as he presented the
flower. It faded back into a frown as her gaze went past him as she
looked for her missing cousin.

	"You didn't find him?"

	"Yes, I found him, Matsuri-chan," Hajime answered as he closed the door
behind him.

	She watched him comb his hair back with the fingers of his right hand.
It was a thing he did when he was upset.

	"A man called about twenty minutes ago. He said his name was Lebeau
Remy and that he had Tsuzuku with him," she informed him as she went to
the phone and handed him a slip of paper. "He said that Tsuzuku's fever
had broken and he was sleeping and then he invited us all to come for
dinner."

	"What did you say?" Hajime took the paper and looked at the name
followed by a phone number and address.

	"I said that you'd call him back."

	Hajime nodded.

	"Is Tsuzuku with this man?"

	Hajime nodded once more and colored. She raised her eyebrows at that.

	"Who is he?"

	"I don't know!" Hajime sounded frustrated. "Someone with dragon blood.
Tsuzuku seemed to...trust him a lot."

	She gauged that pause, the color and distressed look on her oldest
cousin's face and the choice of wording that followed and blinked in
surprise as she put it together. She giggled. She didn't mean to, it
just came out.

	Hajime looked at her, startled.

	She dropped her gaze and twirled the stem of the beautiful flower
between her fingers.

	"A man, eh? Are you sure, Hajime-san? I didn't think Tsuzuku was..." It
was her turn to pause as she searched for a delicate way to phrase
it..."inclined that way."

	"Yes, I'm very sure, Matsuri-chan," Hajime answered, upset that Matsuri
had figured it out.

	Hajime kept his eyes on the tread-bare carpet and he blushed even more
as he answered. Matsuri realized that he must have seen them together.
She imagined it must have been quite a shock for him and bit the inside
of her cheek to keep from laughing again as she imagined his expression
at that moment.

	*It isn't funny!* she scolded herself, yet the giggle wouldn't go away.
She swallowed against it and hoped she wouldn't get hiccups as the air
went down her throat square.

	"I'm going to put this in some water. It's lovely, Hajime! Where did
you get it?"

	"From Ichen-san. I helped him with his groceries." Hajime's answer
sounded distracted as he headed for the phone.

	She went into the kitchen and listened to Hajime talk to the mysterious
Lebeau Remy as she cut the stem of the flower short and put it in a
small shallow bowl. She heard him accept the dinner invitation when she
took it back out to put in the center of the low table that was the sole
piece of furniture in the living area. She went back into the kitchen to
make a pot of coffee while he finished his conversation and leaned back
so she could see out the door as she set the machine to brew. Hajime had
settled by the table and was staring at the flower. His expression was
calm but she could see the tension around his eyes and mouth and she
knew he was worrying. The afternoon sunlight that streamed through the
window bathed him in a golden glow and she felt herself color. *He is so
handsome!*

	She leaned forwards quickly when he looked up and chewed on her lower
lip as she watched the dark liquid fill the small pot. She had loved
Hajime for as long as she could remember. And for the longest time he
didn't seem to have the slightest interest in her that way. Yet in the
months since they had been here she had noticed a change in the way he
acted around her, how he looked at her when he didn't think she could
see him.

	Then the other night something had brought her out of sleep. She had
opened her eyes slightly to see him standing next to her bed. It had
startled her so much that she hadn't moved, just watched him stare at
her with a strange, longing look on his face in the dim light that came
in through the small window over her bed. He had leaned down and stopped
just short of kissing her, then had turned and hurried away. She had
lain and stared at the ceiling for the rest of the night and began to
hope that her cousin now had the wish to be something more.

	She had been frustrated by the inability to find a chance to be alone
with him. Yesterday when he had gone with her to stand guard against
some of the less desirable elements that shared the building with them
while she did the laundry had been the first time in weeks. She took a
mug out of the cupboard and smiled as she remembered how strangely shy
and quiet he had been as they waited and how his hand had trembled when
he put it against the small of her back as they went back up the stairs.

	She glanced at her watch. Well, they now had a large chunk of time, and
they were together...and alone. She went back to worrying her bottom lip
as she poured the coffee into the cup. She wasn't sure how to broach the
subject. Well, she'd just go with the flow... she took a deep breath,
then took the coffee to Hajime.

	He gave her a distracted smile and a, "Domo, Matsuri-chan," as he took
the mug from her. She stood a little behind him as he took a sip and
felt the beginnings of an uncomfortable silence start between them. She
cast around quickly in her mind for some way to approach him, then
smiled. This always worked for her mother. She knelt behind him and put
her hands on the hard muscles of his shoulders and began to knead.

	"Matsuri-chan, that isn't..." Hajime began as his muscles tensed at her
touch.

	"Hajime-san, you are a bundle of tension. Now hush and relax." She
scolded back with a light, teasing voice.

	He tried, but her hands were not relaxing. In fact, they were having
the exact opposite effect. His heart sped up as the firm caresses sent
erotic tingles down his back and straight into his groin and he felt
himself go hard. He knew he should stop her but Gods, if felt so good!

	She knew that her massage was arousing him. She could feel the fast
beat of his heart through her hands and his breathing had acquired a
slight, irregular edge. Now for the hard part. What if he rejected her?
Well, if he did, then he did and they would deal with it. All she could
do was offer and hope.

	"Hajime-san, I had an interesting dream a few nights ago," she felt him
stiffen, but continued. "In it, you came to my bed and were just about
to kiss me, then you stopped and went away. I was very sad that you
didn't."

	He turned to face her, his expression strange and guarded. "It wasn't a
dream, Matsuri."

	She smiled at him, kept her eyes fixed on his. "I would like that dream
to continue very much, Hajime-san."

	His deep blue eyes seemed to glow with an inner light for a moment,
then he closed them and shook his head. "Matsuri, I..."

	She leaned forwards, unwilling to hear his rejection and covered his
mouth with her own. His eyes flew open and she felt him startle, then
freeze. She ran the tip of her tongue along his lower lip, felt his arms
go around her waist as he accepted her plea for a real kiss. It was slow
and sweet and made her body hot from head to toe. And it was over much
too soon as Hajime leaned back and regarded her with surprise.

	"Matsuri-chan?" He sounded uncertain.

	"Hajime-san?" She tipped her head slightly and gave him an encouraging
smile.

	He didn't know what to say. We shouldn't do this? Gods, why not?! He
wanted her so much that it hurt! All the silent arguments and excuses he
had used to convince himself that this thing should not happen had
dissolved under the pressure of her soft lips. And she seemed to want
him just as badly. That was an incredible revelation. She wanted him
too! Since he couldn't think of anything to say, he leaned forwards to
kiss her again.

	She slid her arms around his waist as she responded with a passion that
surprised him. Her fingers left trails of electric tickles as they
floated up both sides of his spine then back down. He jerked under the
kiss as her hands followed the curve of his hips and came together to
press against his hardness. He reached down and captured her hands as he
reluctantly pulled away from her mouth. Her expression was puzzled as he
brought her hands to his lips and kissed each palm then held them before
him at waist level.

	"Matsuri-chan, are you sure? This is happening so fast and I don't want
you to be...sorry."

	Her expression turned very serious and she caught and held his gaze
with her own.

	"Ryudo Hajime, I have loved you for as long as I can remember. I have
wanted you since I was old enough to understand what that meant. This is
not happening too fast! If anything, it is long overdue!"

	With that she stood up and quickly undid the three angled buttons that
closed the mandarin-styled dress that was the uniform for the restaurant
and pulled it over her head, then tossed it away with a flourish.

	He sat, stunned by her boldness, as heat rushed into his face. His
blood pounded in his ears as she continued to undress before him. The
bra went next, then the panties. She grinned at him with a challenging
gleam in her eyes, then turned in a slow circle, swinging the long hair
of her ponytail over her shoulder as she turned her head to give a coy
glance over her shoulder as her back faced him. He swallowed hard, his
erection straining against the fabric of his pants as she finished her
circle.

	"Well?" She asked with an impish wink and put both hands on her hips.

	It took two tries before he could get anything out. "You are beautiful,
Matsuri!"

	She laughed gently and leaned down, her breasts coming together to form
a seductive cleavage as she took his hands and gave a tug to urge him to
his feet. He rose, still stunned that Matsuri was being this aggressive.
But he decided he liked it as his hands went to the curve of her waist.
He ran his hands up her sides, the feel of her skin like hot satin under
his palms as she set to work on the buttons of his shirt. His hands had
gone down her back and were exploring her firm rear when she finished.

	She slid her arms around his waist and turned her head and rested it
against his broad chest with a happy sigh. She ran her hands over the
hard muscles of his back, exploring the contours of his body as he was
hers, and loved the feel of his skin. It was like silk over steel. His
hard, fabric trapped length pressed against her mound as Hajime pushed
her rear in tight against him. She wanted to see it. She felt herself
color at that thought, but she did! She brought her hands back to his
front and started working on the buckle of his belt.

	She was having trouble with the button that held his pants closed. He
reluctantly gave each cheek of her rear a last gentle squeeze then took
her hands into his own. She gave him a quizzical look as he grinned down
at her.

	"My turn. Sit down, Matsuri-chan."

	She blushed as she grinned back and nodded, took a few steps away and
settled on her knees. He shrugged out of his shirt and threw it to join
her dress in the corner. He was keenly aware of Matsuri's expectant gaze
as he took a deep breath then quickly undid his pants, hooked his thumbs
into the waist band of his briefs and leaned forwards as he took them
down. He  tossed them to the side then straightened slowly, keeping his
gaze on Matsuri's face.

	Her eyes went wide and her whole body turned a beautiful light pink as
she got her first look at his erection. He gave her a mischievous grin
then turned in a slow circle as she had done for him, then mimicked her
ending stance, his hands on his hips and asked, "Well?"

	There was laughter in her voice as she answered. "You are very
handsome, Hajime-san!"

	He moved to sit in front of her, their knees touching as he reached out
and put his hand behind her head and pulled her to him. She put her open
hands on his thighs as she leaned into the kiss, and after a moment her
fingers moved through the fine hairs there creating the most erotic
tickle. She broke the kiss and looked down at his engorged length.

	"Can I touch it, Hajime?" She asked shyly.

	"I would love for you to touch it, Matsuri-chan."

	He thought he was prepared for her touch as she reached down. It was a
feather light caress up each side of his shaft with just the tips of her
fingers. His whole body went rigid and he took in a sharp, short gasp of
air and felt his heart skip a beat as the sensation coursed through him.

	"Hajime?" Matsuri jerked her hands away, startled and a little
frightened by his reaction.

	He didn't say anything, just took her hands and pressed them back
against his length. She met his eyes, saw the desire smoldering in their
blue depths as he gave her a little nod of encouragement. She turned her
attention back to the hot, hardened flesh that pulsed under her hands.

	Hajime moved his hands away as soon as she resumed her exploration of
this thing that would soon be inside her. He leaned back onto his hands
and tipped his head back as her touch got firmer and bolder. She loved
the way little shudders would go through him as she stroked, how his
hips would rock forwards as he tried to get more of his erection into
her hands. She traced the large vein down with her left hand and
continued on to the soft curls that covered his scrotum and traced the
contours of the tightly pulled up balls as the fingers of her right hand
went around the top part of his girth to press and stroke as she ran her
thumb softly across the top of his sensitive tip.

	He gritted his teeth, his breathing going even more ragged as one
delicate hand found his balls to press and tickle as the other tormented
his tip. Need burned through every inch of his body and demanded
release. Release that would only come when he was sheathed in her body.
He grabbed her wrists, careful not to hurt her, as the demands of his
passion threatened to overcome his reason. He wanted nothing more than
to throw her onto her back and drive into her, but he would not. Instead
he leaned forwards to kiss her, then moved back to trace the side of her
face with his fingertips and whispered, "Wait a moment."

	He rose and went to the closet to get his futon for her. It also gave
him the chance to get his desire back under control. 

	Both of his hands closed on her wrists and pulled her hands away from
his flesh as he straightened. For a moment his expression and the fire
in his eyes scared her, then it was gone, replaced by something tender
and gentle. She accepted his kiss and tipped her head into the caress
against her cheek and wondered what he was about as he rose.

	She loved the way he moved as he walked to the closet. The lithe way he
carried himself, the play of muscle under his skin, he reminded her of a
stalking tiger. She smiled and blushed, pleased by his consideration, as
he came back with his futon. She helped him unroll it, moved to smooth
the bottom of the sheet as he knelt beside it.

	"Matsuri." There was an un-refusable tone of command in his voice and a
regalness to his face as he held out his hand.

	*And he doubts that he was a King!* She thought with a smile as she
took his hand.

	He guided her to kneel on the mat before him and ran his thumb over the
back of her hand. There was something he needed to ask so he would know
how to continue.

	"Matsuri-chan, are you a virgin?"

	She colored and lowered her head and eyes, shy for the first time since
their love-play had started.

	"Hai."

	He reached out and put his fingers under her chin and tipped her face
back up.

	"Then let me make you ready, Matsuri-chan."

	"Hai," she whispered back as he leaned in to give her a long, lingering
kiss.

	He guided her down to the futon as he continued to kiss her, stretched
out beside her and put his free hand on her hip, let it wander slowly up
toward her breasts. She tensed a little as he covered one and kneaded it
softly, then relaxed. Her nipple hardened beneath his palm and he opened
his fingers to capture it between his middle and ring finger and
squeezed it gently as he continued his caress. She pressed her breast
into his hand and sighed under their kiss. He slid his hand across her
chest to the other so each would receive equal attention.

	His fingers itched to explore another part of her. He left her breasts
and ran his hand down the soft plane of her of stomach until it rested
on the triangle of soft hair. He ran his fingertips through it and
stroked softly, each time reaching a little lower. She parted her thighs
in silent permission and he slid his hand down to cover her lower lips.
He pressed and rubbed gently then stroked up each side of her slit, two
fingers on either side.

	She wrapped her arms around his neck and feed passionately on his mouth
as her outer lips swelled and opened beneath his teasing fingers. He let
his middle finger dip deeper on the next pass of his hand to run along
the soft hot skin of her inner lips and she gasped and her hips jerked
as it brushed lightly against the hood of skin that covered her clit. He
continued to stroke, each time feeling her open more, each time her hips
coming up to met his hand as it approached her sensitive button. He
stopped and pressed his hand against her whole slit and broke their
kiss.

	"Can I look at you, Matsuri-chan?"

	She blushed furiously as she giggled and nodded. "If you want to,
Hajime-san."

	Oh, he did! He kept his hand against her mound as he left a trail of
kisses as he moved down. He started at the tip of her chin and followed
the curve of her neck down to the space between her breasts. He took a
detour here and covered the far little kernel of nipple with his mouth.
She made a surprised little "Oh!" as he pushed at it with his tongue
then kept it between his lips as he pulled with a kiss, then let it
loose. She giggled as he descended on the other and arched her back as
he suckled. Then it was time to go down.