Chapter Text
With only a few moments left before the curtain rose, Ryuunosuke took in a deep breath and slapped his cheeks, trying to chase away the nerves bubbling up.
“Are you ready, partner?” Kazuma whispered, flashing a warm, reassuring smile as he squeezed his waist.
He nodded. The supportive gesture was small but enough to bring his confidence back. They had done plenty of practice.
The stage was set like this: cardboard bushes and a painted forest backdrop framed the main props of two columns dressed as pine trees positioned a few feet apart. Ryuunosuke and Kazuma stood in between them, Kazuma’s arms cradling Ryuunosuke’s waist and Ryuunosuke’s head leaned down to rest against his partner’s chest. His nose was full of the clean smell of Kazuma’s green kimono and the sharp tang of the white face paint they both wore. Ryuunosuke had on the white robes of a funeral with the only spots of colour the soft blue of his obi and the crimson rouge painting his eyes and lips. If they were going to turn the ending of this tragic play into a disrespectful tease show, they could at least pay their respects to the proper set dressing.
The curtain rose.
Showtime.
“It will be daybreak soon, Ohatsu,” Kazuma started, steady and confident. “Now is the time to follow through, to set an example for other lovers like us out there.”
“Here then, Toku-sama, between these two trees that grow from the same root, two yet united, just like us.” Ryuunosuke lifted his head and frowned. “But how are we to do it? We promised that we would die together tonight, yet I don’t see any kind of sword on you.”
“Have more faith in me,” Kazuma chided. “I have a knife hidden under my kimono. It will work just as well as any sword.”
“Where is it?”
“Tied to my leg. Will you help me get it?”
“Of course.”
Ryuunosuke knelt down in front of Kazuma as his partner leaned back against the tree-decorated column and lifted his leg to rest his foot against the opposite one. The movement pulled the hem of his kimono up, showing more of the fishnet leggings he wore underneath. Ryuunosuke curled a hand around his partner’s calf, sliding it up to his knee and uncovering even more of his leg. Kazuma reached down and threaded his fingers in Ryuunosuke’s hair.
“You’ll need to go further than that,” he said, tugging his head a little closer.
Ryuunosuke dutifully nodded and continued pushing Kazuma’s robe further up his leg until the fabric bunched at his hip and revealed the tantou knife strapped to his inner thigh.
“You expect to pierce me with this? But it’s so small!” Ryuunosuke complained, turning his face to the audience with an exaggerated pout.
“It is not the size that matters; it’s how you use it.”
“Well, I suppose you must have a point. Many of my clients have said the same thing. Most of them had swords of their own.”
“I wish you wouldn’t speak of your clients at a time like this. I don’t want to think of all the swords you’ve seen now.”
“I’m sorry, Toku-sama, but you must know yours is the only one I care to have inside me.” Keeping his head tilted up to maintain eye contact, he pressed his cheek to his partner’s leg. “May I touch it?”
“You can take the whole thing.”
Ryuunosuke lifted his other hand to splay his fingers across the hilt. He gently slid the knife out of its sheath, keeping his movements slow and sensual. He curled his fingers around the hilt, pressed a kiss to the blade, and offered it up. Kazuma put his leg back down and bent down on one knee so they were closer to eye level.
He took the blade from him and asked, “Are you quite certain you want to do this?”
“For a woman like me, to die for love is the only way to die for honour as a man like you can.” He grabbed Kazuma’s hand and positioned the knife point over his chest. “My heart beats for you, so only you can end it for me.”
Kazuma nodded, tightened his grip, and slashed downward, ripping a long tear in his kimono; the nagajuban underneath stayed intact. Despite how often they had practised this, the action still made Ryuunosuke’s breath catch. His hands clenched in his lap, and he took longer than he should have to get out his next line.
“Toku-sama… You missed.”
“I did not miss; your kimono is just sturdier than it looks.”
“You’re telling me you don’t have the strength to penetrate me?”
“It’s more complicated with your clothes on, that’s all.”
“Then take them off. A little bit of undressing doesn’t bother me, especially if it will give you better access.”
“If you insist.”
He reached down to pull the edge of Ryuunosuke’s obi away from his body and, with his other hand, sawed through it with the knife. The fabric fell away and loosened the rest of his clothes. Kazuma notched the blade into the tear he had made earlier and dragged it down, slicing until the garment was in two pieces. He crooked his fingers under the collar of the nagajuban to get a hold of it and cut it in two, same as the kimono. Placing the tantou on the ground, he slid his hands underneath Ryuunosuke’s clothes on his shoulders. Slowly, he pushed the scraps off, dragging his hands down his arms until his body was fully exposed. Well, besides the costume he had hidden.
Ditching the traditional wear, the last layer was a matching bra and underwear of a vibrant blue and sheer, black thigh high stockings with garters. The sequins on his outfit glittered under the stage-lights with each movement as he lifted his arms out of the remainder of his sleeves and leaned back, resting his weight against the column behind him.
Kazuma eyed him up and down theatrically, but a genuine hunger sparked in his gaze.
“I thought you were supposed to be dressed for our funeral,” he said, picking up the knife again and gently dragging the tip up Ryuunosuke’s stomach until it caught on the edge of his bra, tugging it up slightly. “So what’s this?”
“I didn’t have time to change everything.” He cocked his head to the side and asked innocently, “Is it in the way?”
“I’m not sure, so it would be best to get rid of it too.”
Kazuma angled the blade up further with more force. He pulled at the garment, tearing into it bit by bit, until it finally broke completely with an echoing snap. The two halves drooped down, hanging off his shoulders, to reveal the nipple pasties he had on, in the shape of chrysanthemum flowers with a small tassel attached to the centre, all in the same blue as the rest of his outfit. He shimmied his arms out of the straps, making sure to shake his chest in the process, and let the bra fall to the ground with the rest of the scraps.
“Nothing to stop you now,” he pointed out as he took Kazuma’s hand and directed the point of the knife to his heart.
“Nothing physically, but…” his partner trailed off as he stared down at Ryuunosuke’s chest. With a dramatic sigh, he stood back up and leaned away. “I can’t bring myself to ruin your beautiful breasts. I can’t die with such a sin on my conscience, even for you.”
“Then don’t. There is more than one place on my body you can sink into.” Ryuunosuke clapped his hands in front of himself as if in prayer and looked up at Kazuma from his position on his knees. “Thrust your sword into my throat!”
Kazuma dropped his arm down, curving it just so that his hand held the knife hovering right above his groin. “You really want that? It won’t be quick. You’ll choke on it.”
“I’m willing to take it if it makes this better for you.”
“Then hold still.”
He gripped a fistful of Ryuunosuke’s hair, lifting his head to expose more of his throat, readjusted his hold on the knife, and thrust forward. Ryuunosuke just barely managed not to flinch as the blade hit the prop tree behind him with a dull clunk.
He side-eyed the weapon lodged next to his ear.
“You said you wanted our love to set an example for others… but you’re making it more of an example of what not to do.”
“I’m sorry, Ohatsu, but I just can’t hurt you.”
“I understand. I’ll only ask one more thing then. Let me do it.”
“But–”
Ryuunosuke cut him off and pulled the knife from the post with one hand. “Kuheiji-sama branded you as a dishonourable criminal, but why should we let that be true? Whatever stain this would leave on your soul, I will take instead.” With his other hand, he reached for Kazuma’s obi and tugged him forward. “You’ll be the one to take my blade.”
Kazuma rested a palm on the column opposite him to steady himself and nodded down with a determined expression. Using that as tacit acceptance, Ryuunosuke cut through the thick fabric of his partner’s belt. Next, he tugged on Kazuma’s sleeve, pulling it off his shoulder so the whole garment swung around to hang on just by the other sleeve of his arm that was still propped against the tree. The only thing he had on underneath was a red and black striped corset with simple, matching underwear and fishnet leggings. Now it was his turn to take in the costume change. The way the under-bust propped up his chest was truly an impressive feat.
He should definitely ask Kazuma wear it again sometime. At home.
But moving on.
“I must admit,” Ryuunosuke started as he brushed the knife up his partner’s thigh, “I’ve never wielded a weapon like this before. Please forgive me for any clumsiness.”
“You have always done everything with grace. There’s no need to overthink. I will never regret letting you take me with your capable hands.”
“Then–ah!” The knife caught on the fishnets, and Ryuunosuke accidentally cut them, tearing an uneven hole. The mistake threw him off and he blurted, “Does this mean they have more or less holes now?”
“What?” Kazuma questioned with equal parts confusion and exasperation.
He flushed in embarrassment at going off script, but it made the audience laugh at least so he tried not to focus too hard on his blunder. “I-I think you spoke too soon about my gracefulness…”
But then again, he could have seriously hurt Kazuma, and if he messed up even on this part then-
“It’s okay. I still trust you.”
Kazuma gave him a sudden, genuine smile to reassure him, and Ryuunosuke returned it with one of his own. He continued back to his actual lines. “Then may I remove this?” He pressed a hand to his partner’s stomach, fiddling with the strings of his corset. “It’s a bit unfair if you get to keep more clothes on.”
“Please go ahead.”
Starting from the bottom, he cut through the criss-crossing ribbons, leaving frayed edges in his wake, until the whole thing fell away and he could see the muscled planes of his abdomen.
“There we go,” Ryuunosuke said, letting his hand linger against Kazuma’s newly exposed skin, and enjoying the warmth seeping into his fingertips. “Would you sit with me, please? So we can do this properly?”
Kazuma knelt down into proper seiza in front of him. He didn’t say anything, just wordlessly looking at him and waiting for him to continue.
“Shall I start… here?” he asked as he traced a line across his partner’s stomach with the tip of the knife. “Like a real samurai?”
“Harakiri you mean? You could, but do you really want to move my guts around like that? You would have to go quite deep. I’ll make a mess all over both of us.”
“Then perhaps not. What about your heart? That would be the quickest way, right?”
“It’s already in your hands, Ohatsu.”
“Toku-sama…” Ryuunosuke threw his arms around Kazuma and crashed into him, dragging them both flat on the ground. God, was it a relief to finally unfold his legs after sitting on them for so long. “If only we had more than one knife, so we could end at the same time.”
“It’s far too late for if only’s.”
Now for the hard part.
“You’re right.” Ryuunosuke nodded fiercely. Straddling his partner’s hips, he raised the knife in both hands above his head and took a deep breath; he tried not to shake. He swung down and plunged the blade into the floor right above Kazuma’s head. “…Forgive me, but I don’t think I can do it either.”
Kazuma took his face in his hands. “There is nothing to forgive.”
“But–” He moved his hands to his partner’s shoulders. “But if neither of us can-”
“Calm yourself. We still have time to try again. Let’s take a break.” He shifted to trail his hands down Ryuunosuke’s back to his butt. “Refresh our minds with a different activity.”
“Ah, I see. It would be a shame not to have one more round before we go.”
“I’m glad you feel the same.”
Ryuunosuke smiled and leaned down to press a kiss to Kazuma’s lips as the lights went down to a chorus of cheers and applause.