Switch and Hit, a gravitation fanfic

"No. I won't do it." Suguru stubbornly crossed his arms and looked away.

Tohma just folded his hands with a placid smile. "My dear cousin," he started. "I took you in when your parents disowned you because you would not agree to an arranged marriage. I have not asked for anything in these two years." His eyes squinted as his smile became a little larger. "This is the only thing I ask of you."

Suguru frowned. "Why can't Noriko do it? She always does it." Yeah, because she was, well, female, whereas Suguru was, well, not.

Tohma sighed. "Ryuichi was making the journey here so he could be at the gala, but he got into some trouble with a local lord." His gaze went down and scanned the pages there. Voice indifferent, as if his best friend weren't in any sort of danger, "Noriko went to go fix things. It is taking more time than she anticipated." His eyes came back up, deceptively soft and calm. "It is only for show really. I just need a female escort to ward any dignitaries away and to look for the possibility of weapons. An intelligent escort with a skill for observation." The same mask-like placid smile.

Suguru forced his own deceptive smile on his face. "Even if said female escort isn't really female?"

The smile sharpened and became a smirk. "Of course. Any female that is capable of the job cannot do it. Noriko is busy with Ryuichi and Reiji is representing her father, of course."

"And what of Judy?" Referring to the wife of Tohma's bodyguard.

Tohma waved one hand. "You know the rumors about my escorts."

Who didn't? Rumors abounded that any female escort of Lord Tohma was sleeping with him. It wasn't true of course. Mika would probably kill anybody—male or female—that slept with Tohma. Noriko was Tohma's only female guard and she didn't care that she was at the heart of a supposed scandal. She had already married (it was still undecided if the marriage had been for love or money) and she had enough riches (even without her husband's estate) to survive. She didn't really even care for Court.

Tohma leaned back in his chair. "It would ruin her reputation. She is married, after all."

Suguru placed his hands on the desk. "So you would have me do it?" His smile was quickly becoming strained. "You want me to pretend like I'm a girl? For show?"

Tohma lost his smile. His voice, grave and stern. "Suguru, I ask for one thing."

Suguru looked at the stern, businesslike face of his cousin and let out a long sigh. "Fine. Whatever." Curse the fact that Tohma could totally guilt him into it.

The smile reappeared. "Good. Mika, Reiji, and Judy will teach you today on how you should act. Tomorrow, your dress will be ready and they will teach you on how to hold yourself."

Dress? Suguru hung his head and suppressed his groan.

Suguru forced a small, close-lipped smile on his face and bent as gracefully as possible. He tipped his head as Lord Yuki, his male lover (oh, that would cause whispers), and his lover's bodyguard walked up the stairs to the dais where Tohma and Mika sat. The three bowed (the lover being tugged and forced into it because he had been gaping), whispers were exchanged, and then the three left the dais and started to mingle.

Suguru immersed himself in the crowd and followed the three with his eyes.

Lord Eiri Yuki: Mika's brother, Tohma's brother-in-law. Lord of a small estate. Tall, blonde. Intelligent but prickly, supposedly. His white robes were elegant and pristine. Smooth-flowing. No hidden weapons. A dagger strapped easily at his waist by what looked to be a leather belt.

Male lover: Shuichi something-or-other. Not of noble blood. Short, thin, pink-haired. Multicolored robes a mess. Didn't seem smart enough to carry any sort of weapon though. Bouncing about like a moron and gaping and wondering at everything. Probably not too intelligent, but still. Those messy robes could mean that he was hiding weapons.

Lover's bodyguard: Hiroshi Nakano. Second son of Lord and Lady Nakano. Heir to small estate. Tall, auburn-haired. Probably intelligent, but undetermined. Visibly carrying a dagger at his waist. Probability of hiding weapons in loose tunic and loose pants: high.

Suguru looked up at the dais and met K's watchful eyes. He would have to be careful.

Hiro laughed as Shuichi started babbling at another noble. It was refreshing to know somebody that hadn't been raised to watch every word and every movement. Shuichi whined about something and the sharp-eyed lady he was talking to snapped her fan open. Hiro's eyes went over to her. The fan was moving smoothly through the air, the blades sliding easily, the feathers waving about uselessly. The fan was just a fan. Nothing more.

Hiro let his eyes wander. Every noble was trying to talk to the renowned Lord Yuki. Those who couldn't were amusing themselves by listening to Shuichi's inane ramblings. He, thankfully, was just a spot on the background. His eyes caught on another pair and stopped. He was just a spot to everyone…except one.

A young woman. Glossy black curls piled high, curling around a pale face. Doe-brown eyes. A pink rosebud mouth. Hiro gulped and let his eyes go past her face. A forest green dress with a square neckline. Off pale shoulders and cinched in a bell shape at her elbows. Barely there curves and a wide deep green skirt. One slender gloved hand came up, snapped open a lacquered fan, and hid her face with it. Those lovely brown eyes narrowed dangerously at him.

Hiro forced his eyes away from the girl. Sure, she was pretty, but that was a nasty look she had given him. She was probably just some arrogant noble. Or maybe she was spoken for. What did it matter anyway?

A little later Yuki told him that Tohma wanted to see them. Hiro started to go find Shuichi but then Yuki just pushed him onto the dais. He stumbled unbecomingly, restrained his glare, and then bowed to the Lord and Lady. He looked up…and met the dark eyes of the young woman he had locked gazes with earlier.

Lady Mika Seguchi looked him over and then waved one hand regally. "Eiri, why don't you take this one instead? He's a lot less noisy."

Hiro looked at Yuki and Yuki looked at him. Hiro felt angry words knock against the backs of his teeth, but he restrained them as the blonde turned back to his sister and scowled. "Stop joking, Mika. The brat's easier to deal with."

Lady Mika made a cutesy face and said, "You like him, don't you? Aw, that's so adorable. My brother's in love." Her cutesy face disappeared as she frowned. Despite the glow of motherhood her protruding stomach lent her, her frown was still frightening. "You just had to fall in love with a noisy idiot, didn't you?"

Hiro was ready to protest, but then Lord Tohma caught his attention. "Lord Nakano. I have not introduced you to my escort, here, have I?"

Hiro looked towards Lord Tohma and the young woman. In the background, the siblings continued to bicker. Lord Tohma extended a hand towards the young woman. "This is Lady Sumira Fuki. Lady Fuki, this is Lord Hiroshi Nakano."

She looked uneasy as she extended one gloved hand. Her voice was both low in pitch and volume as she murmured, "A pleasure, Lord Nakano."

He took her hand and brushed his mouth over the knuckles. "Likewise, Lady Fuki."

She let out a stilted titter and murmured, "Please call me Sumira." She snatched her hand back and pointed at him with her fan. "Lady Fuki makes me sound so old." A pink blush was rising to her cheeks.

Hiro looked at her again. "As you wish, Lady Sumira." The pink blush turned to a deeper red.

This girl was probably new to Court. Maybe that had been the reason for her glare earlier. It would make sense after all. She had none of the womanly curves of the older girls. He narrowed his eyes a little. Sure, none of the curves, but she was tall enough to be older. She couldn't be too young with that height.

She turned away from him and focused her attention on the banter between the siblings.

…Something was off about the girl. Maybe she really was young or maybe she had just been introduced to Court late. But something was off. He would have to be careful.

Suguru brought the delicate glass to his lips and sipped at the cool punch. Decked in layers of padding to produce some sort of curvature plus all the layers of his dress was producing way too much heat. That, along with the stupid, heavy wig he was forced to wear…

"Aw, Suguru-kun is so cute." A mocking falsetto.

Suguru clenched his free hand in a fist and turned. K. Of course. He smiled pleasantly up at the tall man and murmured, "I hate you."

K laughed and there was a flash of silver as he swung his sword. "Judy was right. You really can pull feminine coquetry off." He leaned down a little so his whisper would carry. "You might even catch a man with your airs." Another loud, bold laugh.

That was enough. Suguru took a sharp swing at him with his fan. It connected with K's sword hand with a loud CRACK. A yelp and clatter as the sword fell. A low wail as the sword actually hit the ground.

Suguru set down his glass and quickly walked away. K was going to kill him. He was a dead man. A dead man in a dress. A slight giggle that was already edging on hysterical. He placed one hand over his mouth to block the other chuckles bubbling in his throat. Then, stuck in his hysterical thoughts about dying as a woman, he ran into someone.

Slowly, he looked up. The male lover's bodyguard. Hiroshi Nakano. It figured.

"Lady Sumira, are you feeling ill? You look pale." His brown eyes were soft. Concerned.

Something in Suguru warmed at the look. Then he became indignant. He didn't have to swoon like a girl just because he was dressed like one. He tried to straighten. When he couldn't, he realized it wasn't just the thoughts of DOOM and DEATH that were making him slouch. It was also the weight of the fake curls and all the layers of fabric he had to carry.

Ah, damn it all.

"Actually…" He lowered his eyes a little, just as Reiji had instructed him. "I am a little warm."

Hiroshi was already being the gentleman and winding Suguru's arm around his, helping Suguru to the balcony. His voice was light and teasing as he said, "I have heard that is what fans are for, Lady Sumira."

Suguru couldn't help the slight smile. He held up his fan. Not only was K going to kill him, Judy was too. A few blades of the fan were bent at an angle. "My fan has been damaged."

Hiroshi scrutinized the fan, smiling a little. "What did you do to it?"

Suguru looked back. He didn't see K anywhere. "I was just harassing Lord Tohma's bodyguard." He looked up and met amused brown eyes. "He has it out for me."

Cool air surrounded him as they stepped onto the balcony. Relief. Hiroshi steadied him as he sat down on a stone bench and then murmured something about getting him a drink and vanished. Suguru leaned back a little and breathed in. The sweat that had been covering the nape of his neck and his forehead slowly dried. He shut his eyes.

Next thing he knew, there was a soft hand on his forehead and a cool drink in his hand. Holding back his groan, he opened his eyes. Mika was there, looking –who knew it was possible?— motherly. "Drink," she ordered, nodding towards the glass in his hand. He sipped as she touched his cheeks and looked into his eyes.

With a low sigh, she stood and looked down at him. "You feel too warm." She looked back. Lord Yuki was watching the two of them with a raised eyebrow. "Go tell Tohma that Su—" Caught herself and restarted. "Tell Tohma that Lady Sumira needs to rest."

Lord Yuki's eyebrow inched a little higher. "Lady Sumira?" He looked over Suguru and snorted. "Right." He strode from the balcony and disappeared in the crowd.

Mika watched him go with a frown. Then she rolled her eyes. "I should have guessed. Of course he would figure it out."

Ah. So his identity was figured out. He should have been panicking, really. He was much too tired though. And still much too warm.

Mika patted his cheek gently. "You'll go lie down. You're really not used to being in full female regalia. It's tough on women who are used to it, so it would be normal for you to be so tired." She reached up to wipe his forehead. "Sorry Suguru." She offered him a small smile.

Suguru blinked a little sleepily. Then he mumbled, "You're going to be a great mother, Mika."

Her cheeks turned pink and she straightened up with a flustered frown. "You must be really tired."

There was the tap of footsteps against the stone of the balcony. Both Mika and Suguru looked up. Lord Hiroshi was back, looking a little uncomfortable. "Lord Tohma ordered—," here a dark look, "—me to help Lady Sumira to her rooms."

Mika narrowed her eyes at him. Then she nodded once and then gracefully walked back into the crowd.

A hand, large and square and calloused, was held out to Suguru. Suguru regarded it uneasily for a second before setting down his glass and grabbing the proffered hand to pull himself up. It would be such a relief to get out of the dress. He was never dressing up like a woman again. Never ever.

He wound his arm around Lord Hiroshi's and delicately guided them through the crowd to the hallways.

Lady Sumira still looked flushed; her cheeks were a solid pink color. …She had to be new to Court. Everybody in Court had to learn how to endure the heat during the summer months. He had never met a woman who could not.

"This may be rude," he started out. "But I am curious. Are you new to Court?"

She tilted her head back a little and laughed. "I have been in Court since I was six. That is a little more than ten years in Court."

Hiro frowned. No woman would offer their age so easily. "You are sixteen years then?" He would be slapped for this. Or he would be severely reprimanded. Possibly by that already broken fan.

The corners of her mouth dipped down a little. "I am eighteen years. And you, Lord Hiroshi?"

"Twenty-one," he replied, a little confused. This girl—no, young woman was not new to Court. Why couldn't she stand the heat? And eighteen years? With the complete lack of curves? Everything about this situation was sending off warning signals.

Lady Sumira stumbled and only managed to hold herself up by tightening her grip on Hiro's arm. She looked winded and tired as she straightened again and started walking. If it weren't so improper, Hiro would have offered to carry her to her rooms.

She stumbled again, this time nearly falling completely. With a low curse, she untangled her arm from Hiro's and bent down. Hiro merely watched with wide eyes. This lady was throwing him for a loop. Seconds later, she was holding heeled slippers along with her broken fan in one hand and twining the other one around Hiro's arm again. She must have caught his surprised look because she merely said, "I hate these shoes so much." A few seconds later she pulled her hands from her silk gloves and the gloves were bunched next to her oh-so-hated shoes.

As they started walking again, she looked up at him a trifle uneasily. "I apologize for my lack of propriety." A glance towards her gloves and shoes. "I just do not feel well though. Not much of an excuse, I admit, but it is true."

He glanced at her. "It's fine," he assured her. But he was still confused. This young lady was so…strange compared the other women of Court. He looked down to the hand on his arm. Slender in length, but a little wide. And… "Are you betrothed, Lady Sumira?" She didn't seem arrogant, so he had figured that the nasty look she had given him earlier had been due to her being spoken for. But there was no promise ring on her hand.

She gave him a sidelong glance. Then, "I was. Once. But I refused to marry for just the sake of marrying. I forced the betrothal to be broken."

He wanted to ask about her parents' reaction, but her glance slid to his hand and she asked, "And you, Lord Hiroshi?" He had already expected that, but he would have thought it would have been accompanied with a coy look and a breathy voice. Instead she looked him right in the eye; her voice was the same low murmur she had been using.

His stare was unfocused as he delved in his memories. "There was only one girl I would have married." He smiled a little. "Her name was Ayaka Usami. She was originally betrothed to Lord Yuki. But he was…" In love was the term he wanted to use, but he really didn't know if it were true. "…He was already in a relationship with Shuichi. They broke the betrothal. I courted her for a short while, but then she returned home. Last I heard she was married and had a son."

Lady Sumira's eyes had a glint in them as she looked up at him. "Was she the only girl you wanted to marry because you loved her very much? Or is it because you are interested in other things?" Her voice was laden with secret intentions.

Hiro's smile thinned. "It's because I have not met anybody else that I would want to marry. And to answer your questions, I did love her, but I have moved on." Then he, already knowing—and not really caring about—the questions that would arise due to the rumors that were floating around in Court about him, tacked on, "And, yes, my interests lie…elsewhere." She didn't even look shocked; just a slight nod to acknowledge that she had heard him.

They walked a few more feet and then she stopped in front of a door. "This is my room," she murmured in her low voice. "Thank you for escorting me." She bent to curtsey but then wobbled. Her hand shot out to grasp the edge of the doorframe to steady herself; Hiro reached forward just in case, but she seemed steady as she straightened.

She extended one ungloved hand. He grasped it, brought it up to brush his mouth over her knuckles, and then frowned. Gently, he turned her hand over and examined her palm. Old, rough calluses littered her fingers and palm. Confused, he looked up at her.

Looking away in a nervous manner, she retracted her hand. "As a child I didn't listen to my elders. I would ride without gloves on," she explained. Then she shrugged her shoulders. "Now I always have to wear gloves to seem like a real lady." Her smile was wafer thin.

Hiro blinked a few times, completely lost. Then he bowed low. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Sumira." And it was the truth. This lady was so different from any other woman he had ever met.

"Likewise," she murmured. With one last smile, she entered her room and shut the door. Hiro stared at the door for a minute and then, smiling to himself, turned to walk back to the gala.

Suguru placed the green dress carefully on his bed, knowing that if he just left it on the floor like he wanted, Reiji would kill him. At least he was done though. He was never going to wear a dress again. Never. It was humiliating and frustrating and…

He tilted his head to the side a little and regarded the dress. While dressing like a woman was humiliating and frustrating and all other shades of irritating, he had at least been able to meet an interesting man.

He flopped onto the bed, eyes on the ceiling. Hiroshi Nakano. Kind, obviously, and gentle. Forthright and bold, as seen by him divulging the truth of that particular rumor. Humor had shown in the laughter with his charge, the lover, at the beginning of the evening and during the discussion of Judy's now damaged fan. And, yes, there was also intelligence; Suguru had seen it when Nakano had narrowed his eyes just a little when they had been introduced—the bodyguard had known something was off. And, later, in his knowledge of those rumors floating around court and in realizing that the presence of calluses had to mean something. Attractive also. The long, loose auburn hair. The dark brown eyes. The broad shoulders. The easy smile.

Suguru went over the night in his head again, shrugged his shoulders, and figured that it was done and over. He reached down and removed the sole dagger he had strapped to his calf. With an easy twirl, he flung it across the room, embedding it in the wall. Tohma had only said "observation", but Suguru knew better. One never knew when a weapon would be needed.

Two weeks later, Suguru was back in Tohma's office. There again on Tohma's face was that damn placid, mask-like smile. That plus the fact that K and Sakano were also in the room sent little warning bells off in Suguru's head.

"Yes, Tohma?" he asked, helping himself to the chair in front of the desk.

Tohma clasped his hands. Then, "You're going east with me. I have a plant in Eiri's land and there have been some…" His placid smile thinned a bit, revealing the sharpness behind it. "…issues."

Sakano slid a folder forward, flipping it open as he did so. As he leaned back, he pushed his glasses up and started talking, "This is Aizawa Taki." A picture of a man, dark eyes and dark hair and a persuading smile. "He had a dispute with Yuki-san and his relationship with Shindou." Shindou? Ah, the male lover. "Taki disappeared and has shown back up while inciting discontent within Seguchi-san's plant."

Suguru snatched up the folder and flipped through the pages there. The layout of the plant, of Yuki-san's home, a list of the servants therein, a list of the workers in the plant, a list of the people living in the surrounding area… He brought his gaze up, eyes narrowed. "What are you holding back, Tohma?"

Tohma leaned back, smiling still. "We're leaving tomorrow. You are the only one accompanying me." Suguru nearly opened his mouth and asked why, but then he recalled how much Tohma really was in love with Mika. Tohma would leave everyone else here to protect her and her unborn child—as a "just in case". Then, "You will be going not only as Suguru Fujisaki, but as Lady Sumira Fuki."

Suguru leaned forward, placed his hands on the desk, and quite clearly said, "No."

Tohma's smile widened a tad. "Since you are the only one accompanying me, I need someone who can come to the plant and into the conferences concerning this—," a place where a Lady, one of noble blood, would not be allowed, "—along with someone who can mingle in a ballroom and pick up gossip." Which, he had to admit, would be easier for a Lady of noble blood than a mere bodyguard of sorts. Tohma leveled a faintly disapproving look at him. "I thought you would be able to figure that all out on your own, Suguru."

Suguru sighed. He knew he had to do this. Familial duty and whatnot. Reluctantly, "What time do we leave tomorrow?"

A file was placed in front of him; Suguru lifted his gaze and met Tohma's smile. Suguru raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

Tohma sat elegantly in the other chair at the small table. Ark, the bodyguard escorting them to the east, swiftly and quietly entered the room and stood unobtrusively in the corner. Tohma ignored the man and continued to smile. "This? This is your story."

Suguru resisted the urge to sigh and flipped open the file, scanning the contents. Apparently, Sumira Fuki was the younger sister of Suguru Fujisaki. After Suguru had been disowned due to a disagreement over a betrothal, he had stayed with Tohma. After trying to be forced into her own betrothal, Sumira took a page out of her favored brother's book and ran off to stay with a friend of the family, known only as Aunt Fuki, in the north; although Sumira stayed with the Aunt for only a while, this kindness was so appreciated that Sumira took on her last name. Soon, Sumira left her Aunt Fuki's place to stay at Tohma's with her brother.

Suguru closed the file and then tossed it into the fire burning in the hearth. "And so why wasn't I there on the night of the gala? And how will we sneak in Suguru Fujisaki when I am entering as Sumira Fuki?"

Tohma leaned back, folding his hands. "You knew there were others who were watching us, so you took a much needed rest. And Ark is following us only halfway there. We will meet up with your brother—" a fleeting smile "—at an inn at the halfway point." His eyebrows lifted.

Suguru tapped his fingers against the edge of the table, contemplating. "And what of Yuki-san? He knows of me and already suspects the farce."

There was another fleeting smile. "Do not worry about Eiri. He will go along with it." A quirk of his eyebrow. "Are you ready to head out, Lady Sumira?"

Suguru stood, brushed out the deep purple robes he was wearing, and swept back the fake, long, black braid. "Let us go, Tohma."

The horses stopped in front of the manor. Tohma dismounted with an ease gained from practice. Lady Sumira looked uneasily at the ground from her place in the regular female sidesaddle position. Before she could move, Hiro stepped forward and set his hands on her waist, easily lifting her from the saddle and placing her on the ground. Lady Sumira, strangely, turned bright pink.

She fumbled out a "Thanks" and flushed an even brighter pink when she met his eyes.

In the middle of the night, coming from the same direction Tohma and Lady Sumira had, Suguru Fujisaki, Tohma's bodyguard, became a guest at Eiri Yuki's manor.

Suguru folded his hands and shifted his weight. This was the third meeting he had sat in with Tohma, Yuki-san, and the plant manager. Aizawa Taki had had some issue with Shindou being Yuki-san's lover. Tohma, angry that somebody had messed with Yuki-san, had gotten rid of him. Soon after, Taki had shown up at the plant again, persuading the people that Tohma was too shrewd, too greedy, and had caused discontent.

These three meetings had been just the plant manager arguing with Tohma about Taki's claims. These three meetings had been long and boring and fruitless. Suguru shifted again and across the room, Hiroshi Nakano shifted his gaze so their eyes met. The gaze was cool and clinical; still, Suguru felt himself warm.

They had been merely introduced once while he was Suguru and his conversations with Lady Sumira were kind and friendly. He had been right. Hiroshi Nakano was kind and gentle and intelligent. And attractive. Suguru could still feel where, on that first day, Hiroshi had placed his hands to lift him out of the saddle of the horse. Strange that. He frowned a little.

Across the room, Hiroshi's gaze warmed into something friendly. He gave a slight smile and Suguru ducked his head a little, shifting his gaze so he would not get flustered.

Holding the pack of papers close, Suguru sat on the stone bench and peered between the leaves of the branches above him. He tossed the apple he held a few times and then took a big crunchy bite. Shuffling through the papers, his gaze was drawn to the notes written in the margins, notes of the information gained through the conferences with the plant manager. As far as he could tell, Taki was really less concerned about Yuki and Shindou's relationship and more concerned about hurting Tohma.

He took another bite of his apple but froze halfway through the motion when there was a rustling in the bushes. There was a second's delay as he dropped his apple and reached to grab the dagger strapped to the inside of his forearm; he was damn near ready to throw the dagger, when Hiroshi Nakano stepped out of the bushes. Hiroshi stopped at the sight of the dagger, raised one hand hesitantly, and said, "Hi?"

Suguru slumped, glaring at Hiroshi. The other bodyguard settled for laughing and going, "Sorry, Fujisaki, I didn't know you were out here."

There was a moment of silence as Suguru replaced the dagger and then regarded his soiled apple. "You made me drop my apple," he pointed out.

Hiroshi smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." Then, "Do you want to get another one?"

Suguru scowled. "I had a hard enough time getting this one from the kitchen."

"Well, I'll help you." A charming smile from Hiroshi that had Suguru feeling all warm again. "It's the least I could do for making you drop it."

Suguru gathered his papers and stood, kicking aside the apple, knowing some animal would eat it. "Come on then."

Hiro smiled and tossed Fujisaki the new apple. Maiko had been a pain; she had even threatened him with a knife for stealing fruit out of the kitchen. Fujisaki hopped up on the free counter and took a big bite out of the apple. Raising the fruit, Fujisaki inclined his head and said, "Thanks."

Hiro countered with a smile and leaned back on the counter next to Fujisaki. He nudged the pack of papers, eyeing the handwritten notes. "So, what'd you come up with?"

Fujisaki threw him an askance look. "Why should I tell you?" His eyes—a rather entrancing shade of dark brown—narrowed. "You could be a spy for Taki." Fujisaki waved a hand at him. "Really, I don't want to be the cause of the enemy getting information."

Hiro couldn't help the smile that appeared. Beneath the professionalism, beneath the dryness, was humor. He tamped down his smile into an exaggerated frown. "Yes, because all spies stumble around in bushes and help strangers by giving them apples."

Fujisaki ducked his head a little and brought the apple up, but Hiro could see the smile curling his mouth upwards and the slight squinting of his eyes. Hiro stopped. This…all this looked very familiar. He tilted his head a little.

"You're related to Lady Sumira, aren't you?"

Fujisaki fumbled the apple and then, after making sure it was secure, nodded hesitantly. "She's my sister."

Hiro frowned a little and crossed his arms. "But she's not married. So why do you two have different last names?"

Fujisaki twirled the apple in his hands and told Hiro a story about disastrous betrothals.

At the end of it all, Hiro asked, "Why did you break the betrothal anyway? Was there something wrong with the girl?"

Fujisaki snorted. "That's just it."

Hiro's eyebrows shot up. "Oh." Then, "And your sister?"

A crunch as Fujisaki bit into the last of the apple. "She wasn't in love, so she refused. She's a romantic like that." Fujisaki looked over the core of the apple. "What about you, Nakano? Do you have any siblings?"

Hiro rolled his eyes. "Yeah." Before he launched into his tale though, he said, "Call me Hiro though."

Fujisaki smiled. There was something very pleasant about it. "Then call me Suguru."

Hiro entered the large ballroom and looked around reflexively for windows and balconies. Once that was done, he followed the whim to find Lady Sumira. He had questions to ask her. Many questions. It had only been a few weeks since Lady Sumira, Suguru, and Tohma had become guests at Lord Yuki's home. And in between those few weeks he had become absolutely entranced by one Suguru Fujisaki. To think, the whole thing had started with a fallen apple. Lady Sumira's brother was witty and quick and really good looking…

When he spotted Lady Sumira, he walked over to her and bowed. She turned pink when she looked at him, a few shades lighter than the red robes she wore. Her braid was tossed over one shoulder and the end was being fiddled with by slender fingers. Slender fingers that looked so much like Suguru's…He shook his head to dispel that thought and at the inclination of her head, pulled her into the crowd of spinning couples.

The cloth wrapped around her was smooth under his finders as he placed his hand on her waist. "To what do I owe the honor, Lord Hiroshi?"

He could feel the warmth of his cheeks as he looked away and cleared his throat. "Your brother…," he started but then stopped when her face turned pink again. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm not very…delicate."

She gave him a slight smile. "It's okay." Her smile turned mischievous. "I understand that you have been meeting with him regularly."

He bent his head and laughed a little. "Your brother is…" He searched for a delicate word. "…interesting," he finished, a smile on his face. She raised one eyebrow at him, but her face was red. Despite that, he had to ask one question, no matter how indelicate he was being. "I know he was betrothed once, but…does he happen to be…promised to anybody?"

Her eyebrows shot up. "N-no," she stammered. Then, looking from beneath thick black lashes, she murmured, "He seems to be quite taken with you, Lord Nakano."

Hiro grinned and placed an impulsive kiss on her cheek as the dance ended. He walked away as fast as propriety allowed and started scanning the room for Suguru. He knew that it was probably futile—Suguru had confessed that he tended to avoid these things as much as possible—but still, he could try.

Twenty minutes later, still searching for Suguru, screams ripped through the room.

Suguru wasn't sure when everything went wrong. There had been that rather enlightening conversation with Hiro and then…what? He had spent a few minutes, mingling, trying to pick up anything about Taki, when somebody had grabbed him and pulled him in front of the dais on which Lord Yuki and Tohma sat. The cold prick of metal at his throat and the screams of the surrounding people alerted him that this was bad.

A glance over showed that this, unsurprisingly, was Aizawa Taki. He had a grin on his face and his eyes were on the dais. Yuki and Tohma looked cold and unaffected while everybody else around them ran around as if they were crazy. Suguru rolled his eyes at the histrionics.

Taki pressed whatever it was—a knife of some sort, certainly—deeper into his skin and he felt the warmth of blood trail down his neck. A few of the ladies screamed, high-pitched shrieks, but most quieted at the sight. Taki's breath was warm against his neck as he breathed out and said, "Thank you."

There was movement as Taki shifted the hand around his arms to go only around his shoulders, but then Taki was focused on Yuki and Tohma. "You," he hissed. "You bastard."

And then Taki was off, ranting about something or other, some slight Tohma had given him. Suguru really would have paid more attention if he hadn't been more concentrated on trying to make small movements to gain access to the dagger strapped to his arm—the voluminous sleeves to the robes were good for something.

Thankfully, his movements were small enough that Taki either didn't notice them or ignored them. He was just about to take a chance, be swift to grab the dagger and hit Taki, when the blade at his throat was pressed more firmly there. There was a tickle as blood dragged lazily down his throat.

"Doing this, to her," Taki snarled, "must hurt you." But Tohma looked as cool as ever. There was a laugh in Taki's throat as he added, "Everyone knows the rumors about your…escorts." Suguru had to bite his lip to keep from making a stupid retort.

He was getting ready again, ready to take that chance, when, out of nowhere, Taki was tackled to the ground. It was Hiro, doing the whole bodyguard routine. Taki cursed out something, kicked Hiro off of him, and then lunged. Suguru dodged enough so that the blade only caught an edge of his side.

Forgoing the dagger, Suguru moved forward and kicked. Taki's head snapped backwards, his eyes fluttered, and he dropped like a stone. Hiro quickly moved forward, kicking the blade away, using strips of cloth to bind Taki's hands and feet. When he looked up at Suguru, there was a light to his eyes. Then that light dimmed when he looked down.

"Lady Sumira," said softly, "you were wounded. Why don't you—?"

Suguru waved his hand. "I'll be fine. Just get Taki out of here." But Hiro's face was still pinched and pale as if something were wrong. Suguru looked down. The robes he was wearing were red—but, yes, there was a definite dark red stain, spreading and spreading. "Oh. Huh." When the dizziness hit and his legs turned to water, Hiro was there to catch him.

Hiro scooped Lady Sumira up as she faltered. There were already others there, ushering the guests out of the ballroom, dragging Taki out. He—he had to get her to—to someone. To—

And then Tohma Seguchi was before him, feeling her forehead, peeling back her eyelids. His voice was swift, sure. "Follow me."

They went through many hallways, finally ending up at a bedroom. Hiro moved to set Lady Sumira down on the bed as Tohma shut the door and pulled a kit from his pack of clothes.

Tohma damn near threw the box at him as he started pulling the robes off of Lady Sumira. Hiro felt the need to blush but couldn't bring himself to it as he pried open the kit. "Find some bandages and thread a needle for stitches," Tohma ordered.

By the time Hiro had the needle threaded, Tohma had stripped Lady Sumira to the waist. Hiro wanted to avert his eyes, wanted to make sure he didn't glance at anything improper, but was frozen as Tohma plucked the needle from his still hands. Lady Sumira—she was—she was not a she.

There was padding of some sort wrapped around the chest, mimicking a slight bosom; the waist was slight and there was more padding around the upper parts of the hips. As if in a daze, Hiro reached up and rubbed at the end of the long braid; then, firmly but carefully, he pulled the wig from Suguru's head.

The green hair was plastered flat, both by ladies' pins and sweat. The face was still narrow, still pretty, but it was Suguru's face he was looking at. He was silent as he carefully pulled the pins from the dark hair. It took a while, but Tohma eventually looked up and pronounced, with a narrow look, "He'll be fine." Then with a significant look at Hiro, "I just need someone up here to take care of him while I help Eiri clean up the mess Taki left."

There was no reluctance in his voice as Hiro said, "I'll stay here."

Suguru opened his eyes. Alright. A room. A normal bedroom by the feel of the mattress beneath him. He tried to turn. Then, "Owwwww."

There was a muffled laugh by the head of the bed. Hiro was there, sitting in a chair, a bowl of water and cloth balanced on his knees. Both eyebrows were raised, a soft smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.

Suguru stared. What now? He had been injured as Lady Sumira. He could feel the lack of the evil pins so he had to be himself. But how did he explain? He licked his lips, slowly, as a stall.

Hiro's eyes went down to the movement and one eyebrow arched. "I can guess everything that's been going on." Hiro avoided his eyes by looking down and wringing out the cloth over the bowl. "You've had to act as both Lady Sumira and Suguru."A wet squish as Hiro twirled the cloth tighter. "You had to do this to help get Taki." When Hiro looked up, his eyes were narrowed. "So what's the truth in all of this?"

Suguru opened his mouth and let the truth spill out. Unprofessional maybe, but the assignment was pretty much over. Taki was taken care of.

When he was done, Hiro was silent. Then, "What's it like acting like a girl? I mean—" He choked on his laughter as Suguru turned to glare at him. "Sorry, I had to ask."

Suguru let his glare disappear. At least Hiro as smiling. Maybe that was a good thing.

Hiro smirked at him and Suguru felt the good vanish. "So," Hiro began. "You're taken with me?" referring the conversation he had with the putative Lady Sumira.

Suguru sputtered. "That is—I mean—well—"

Finally Hiro an end to his misery. "Suguru," he interrupted, laughter along the edges of his voice. "It's okay."

Suguru looked up, pink in his cheeks once more. "It's okay?" he repeated.

Hiro leaned forward, pressed a light kiss to his mouth, and then leaned back. "It's okay." He smiled. "Now rest. You have to heal." Then, softer, with a slight edge, "You're not allowed to do anything like that again."

Suguru laid down, a smile lingering on his lips.