Title: Peach Books
Author: beyondthemoor on LJ
Length: approx. 1,400 words
Genre: Humour, romance
Rating: T for implied themes
Summary/Prompt: Seiran x Shuurei, 'Peach Books'. (Written for nikolita's birthday-happy belated b-day!)

Had she been looking for them again?

Hadn't they had this discussion?

With a sigh, Seiran felt his shoulders slump as he looked around his neat-as-a-pin room – overly neat-as-a-pin, as if someone had rummaged through it looking for something and had cleaned up after themselves to try and hide the fact they'd been snooping.

Crossing his arms, he surveyed his bed, closet, and few belongings one last time.

Then a slow smirk began on his lips, and he came to a decision.

With that, he turned and made his way to the Kougarou to speak to a particularly resourceful mistress.

His violet eyes glinted in anticipation.

"If her father asks, I know nothing."

The pleasantly intoned disclaimer played through his head again as he shifted the pack on his back, the purchases inside rustling softly.

Of course she would deny all association. Anyone with any sense would. In a way, what he intended to do could land him on the wrong end of a certain over-protective assassin's sword, should he come to find out about it.
But the thought of how his intended would react…

Internally, he couldn't quite bring himself to surrender his amusement to his fear.

The crowds around him were completely ignorant of his inner musings as he passed through them, which was probably just as well. They'd probably stumble backwards in shock to hear some of his plans, and who they were for.

As he rounded a corner, he nodded at the usual merchants he passed, before his eyes settled on his prey a few stalls ahead.

It was the first time his eyes had ever gleamed red upon sight of his Shuurei.

As the young woman felt a familiar presence behind her, she turned to spy the happy-crescent eyes of her…

Her stomach bottomed out as she took in Seiran's placid expression-.

Uummmm…

-The utterly sadistic twinkle in his eyes.

Uh oh.

Her insides coiled faintly in anxiety as he approached her casually.

Oh, those eyes eerily resembled his I'm-aware-you're-hiding-something-and-I'm-going-to-enjoy-finding-out-what eyes, and she was in trouble.

Shakily, she took a quick breath and raised a hand to wave. Perhaps he'd overlook her little intrusion into his room? Let her pretend nothing had happened, that she hadn't snuck into his private area in the house, and that her guilty shame was punishment enough?

And there was of course a chance he didn't know she'd been in his room. Perhaps she was completely over-reacting? Of course she was. Seiran would never seek her out to enact vengeance! She was perfectly fine, perfectly innocent, perfectly safe. She hadn't done anything in the first place… outside of looking…without his permission… or knowledge…

As long as she didn't act guilty, there was no proof or reason to suspect her of anything.

Right?

Spirits provisionally, if superficially, restored, Shuurei turned to smile at her companion.

"H-h-hi Seiran."

Because nothing said 'innocent' like a stuttered greeting.

"Fancy meeting you here, in the market…ahahahahaha…"

The tall man at her side nodded just as innocently at her.

Her insides wound tighter at his nod.

She was doomed.

"Good evening, My Lady," he smiled.

Shuurei felt her hope deflate like a caravan tent.

So very, very doomed.

Why was her father never around when she needed him?

Shuurei fumed as she sat in mortified silence at the desk in Seiran's rooms. He'd inherited a slightly larger room, with a more private entrance and several smaller rooms leading off from it, several years earlier when the outer wall of his previous quarters had fallen down, literally, at the seams. It was a nice upgrade, though it meant he now slept further from the main house (and thus, further from herself and her father). It ensured him far greater privacy. In fact, there were times she hadn't even realized Ensei had been visiting until he'd popped up at their breakfast table with a crazy story about how drunk he'd managed to get Seiran the night before.

This was where he'd asked her to wait for him.

Or, rather, ordered her to wait.

So, left to her own devices and defense, she stewed in her seat and waited for Seiran to return from the kitchen.

Which he did, with a tray of drinks and fruit, and that rucksack still under his arm.

Her eyes narrowed as he entered; she didn't trust the pleasant atmosphere he was aiming at that afternoon. Not one bit. (Then again, she didn't exactly deserve such nice treatment, either. Her guilt gnawed at her insides uncomfortably.)

She trusted him even less when he set the tray down, turned back to close and lock the door behind him.

Because now she felt caged.

But it didn't take the older man long to make her feel even more ill-at-ease.

"A gift."

Oh yes, this was cruel. Cruel in ways only Seiran knew how to be.

Now she felt like a complete heel for sneaking into his room earlier. And he'd gotten her something? Taken completely by surprise, Shuurei couldn't speak for a moment.

"…A gift?"

He held out the bag to her.

Once accepted, hesitantly, Shuurei pulled her eyes away from his—still in their happy crescents—and peeked inside.

"Which one?" she noted several packages wrapped up within the travelling bag.

"Whichever one you wish to start with."

Wariness crept into her gut at his casual, warm tone, but she tried to suppress it.

Well, wariness and something more. His deep voice had been doing things to her insides for a good long time, and he knew it.

She waited, hesitantly reaching her arm out as she kept her eyes on his. It was no use trying to dodge or evade him at this point, she'd already worn herself out with made-up excuses about needing to go to work or clean random, unused rooms in the sprawling residence. He wasn't having any of it.

Now that he had her where he wanted her, she just needed to find out what he wanted.

"Shall I pull them out so you can see them better?"

She nodded, and he set each wrapped package on the table in front of her.

Each was about the same size, and rather square or rectangular in shape.

Her dark brows knit together in confusion.

"They're all the same?"

"From the outside."

Her eyes narrowed at his familiar smile.

Damn him.

He was teasing her.

Irritated now, she made a grab for the closest book, but he grabbed her wrist, leaning over her until she could feel the body heat radiating softly from him.

"What is it?" she asked in exasperation – hadn't he baited her with these items for the past hour?

"Be careful what you wish for," he murmured close to her ear.

She glared at him openly as she snatched the closest package and started unwrapping it.

And promptly coloured red.

"Is this what you were looking for earlier?" he asked silkily.

Her lips sealed tightly together, she felt her flush deepen as he continued to watch her. His long, work-roughened fingers gently slipped a loose bit of hair behind her ear.

"I have it on good authority that this particular volume is very popular with women."

"Er, that's… Ummm…"

Seiran slid behind her, still leaning over so his chest pressed against her back. He felt as much as heard her small gasp, and allowed himself a small smile of triumph.

Reaching around her, he opened the book in her lap and flipped through the pages until he found a particular scene Kouchou had mentioned to him earlier that day. It was illustrated, with a detailed, flowery description of the intimate encounter pictured beside it.

"Ahhh, so that's why this book was such a best-seller… Can you see, Ojou-sama? The way their limbs are-."

"I'm sorry! I'll never snoop again!"

It was so cute, the way she ducked her head and scrunched her eyes shut, he decided as Shuurei hunched in on herself, her shoulders rising in anxiety.

He chuckled lightly before taking a faint breath of her hair, and closing the book in order to hold her in an embrace.

"The next time you want to see them, just ask," he whispered against her ear, and felt her stiffen in surprise.

"But I, that is, they aren't for…"

He kissed her temple.

"Or better yet, come see me and we'll read them together."

With that he slowly let go of her and walked back to unlock and open his door.

He felt her eyes on his back the entire way.

"Those books are yours to keep, Ojou-sama."

"But these are-."

"Perhaps I'll sneak into your room next time to read them?"

Shuurei made an indignant sound, which made him smile. There it was again, that shocked, embarrassed reaction to his indecent proposal. Yet he knew she loved it, and was already anticipating his next visit.

"Well, maybe you should!" she shot back, her cheeks red as her robes.

He laughed at her as he walked back down the hallway to finish his chores.

By the time he went to bed that night, the Peach Books had vanished from his room, and he had no doubt were hidden under Shuurei's bed.

AN: Yes, this is basically every "Naruto" Kakashi x Sakura, Icha-Icha –themed fic, but now based in the SaiMono-verse with Peach Books. Ahh, fandom/wicked interpretation, you never-ending source of amusement and fanservice inspiration. Happy B-day, nikolita! (I know you asked for a sequel... we'll see what kind of free time I can eek out...)

Posted 14 Aug/2010.

/mm