The Hummingbird (part 4)

[krystalkatzfics]

Title: The Humming Bird

Author: krystalkatz
Rating: G (for this part)
Length: chaptered
Genre: Au,

Pairings: Matsumoto Jun/Ninomiya Kazunari

Disclaimer: I only own the plot

Jun wanted to stay with Ninomiya for the rest of the day but what he wanted and what happened were two completely different things. After Ninomiya’s speech about not expecting anything more than living and working at the Hummingbird until he became too old or not worth enough to be kept, he had wanted to say that it didn’t have to be that way but he would be lying. The world wasn’t that fair.

  They had stared at each other in silence for a while and Jun was almost happy when there was a knock on the door and his advisor announced that his brother wanted to see him. Ninomiya had smiled and turned his attention to his case and now Jun was staring at his brother.

His father was still only the emperor in name, everybody in the palace knew that Satoshi and Sho had start to run everything for three years due to their father’s failing health. If it was possible Satoshi would have wanted to decline the position but he was the eldest and it was his duty. Jun respected him for it but felt the pressure of it had sucked the life out of Satoshi and made him cold.

Even now he was looking at him with expressionless eyes from behind the impressive desk. The air was so thick with tension that Jun could feel it prickling at his skin, after a while Satoshi gave a cough and then said carefully “Masaki and father said that you brought a guest for the summer festival…”

“I did...” Jun confirmed with a short nod and he saw Satoshi blink a few times, clearing his throat again

“So who is she?”

“The whore you hired…” Jun muttered sharply though he didn’t want to use that term when talking about Ninomiya but he knew it would have a biggest impact. He was right Satoshi got up from behind his desk and stared at him even more intently,

“You brought the woman from the Hummingbird here?” Satoshi asked softly and Jun found himself staring at the floor, no matter how old he got his brother would always make him feel like a baby. “Is this your way of getting back at me because of what happened?”

“No, this is not me ‘getting back at you’” Jun sighed softly “You wanted me to be normal, Nii-san… I like Kazumi-chan…”

“Like? You like her” Satoshi said sharply “Jun, she is a whore… At the most you could make her a mistress… Perhaps not an official one… But…”

“Calm down, even if I asked her to take on that position she would refuse me...”

“I see, that is good news” Satoshi sighed, sinking back into his chair and covering his eyes with his hand “I know you think I am trying to control you, but I am just worried about you…”

“I know…” Jun said though he didn’t really feel it. His whole life he had been over shadowed by all of his brothers, well maybe not so much Masaki but Satoshi and Sho. It wasn’t their fault but as the youngest he couldn’t help but feel it. That was half of the reason he enjoyed the way Ninomiya looked at him, even if it was just his training while they were together he made him feel special. “Can I go? Kazumi-chan is waiting…”

“Yes… After the summer festival mother wants you to start looking in to marriage…” Satoshi told him and with a quick nod Jun turned on his heel and left. A marriage he guessed that it would happen one day, soon he would be shipped off into his own home somewhere like Sho and Masaki, close enough to the main palace to be of support to Satoshi but far enough away not to cause problems. He headed back to Ninomiya’s room shocked when he saw his mother’s chief maid (and his father’s suspected lover) leaving the room.

“Thank-you, Ninomiya-chan… I will see you later” Nanami said brightly as the door closed the maid bowed politely as she walked past “Your highness”.

Jun pushed the door open and Jun was surprised to see a smile on Ninomiya’s face. Strangely Jun felt a knot of anger in his chest as he slid the door closed

“What did Nanami-san want?”

“She knows my sister, Jun-sama… When I arrived she thought that I looked similar…” Ninomiya told him softly sitting on the gold edged seat running his hands over the ivory hair brushes.

“Then she knows you are a man?” Jun asked sharply, his eyes narrowing. He wasn’t angry with Ninomiya but he couldn’t stop the anger from his meeting with Satoshi from escaping,

“No, Jun-sama…my sister calls me her younger sister” he admitted softly turning to face him a sad smile on his face.

“And your sister is well?”

“Yes, she has a child…” Ninomiya nodded “The man that she lives with treats her as a wife or at the very least a mistress…”

“Kazu-kun… You know that I… With you… I cannot officially recognise you as my mistress…” Jun told him

“I know, Jun-sama… I told earlier that I would not expect anything more than you have already given me… But I am happy for my sister”

“If circumstances were different…”

“Yes… But they are what they are…” Ninomiya smiled reaching out he took Jun’s hands with more boldness then he had showed in the past three days and Jun looked down at him, his lipstick was fresh and the prince was tempted to smear it again he even brought his thumb up but the whore kissed it lightly, Jun got to his knees and rested his head on his legs hugging him around the waist. “Jun-sama, is everything okay?” Ninomiya asked running his fingers through the princes hair.

“Yes… No, not really, my brother wanted to tell me that they would be arranging my wedding after the summer festival…” He said loving the feel of the hands in his hair. He was surprised when they stopped for a few moments. He looked up at Ninomiya and he was almost disappointed that his face was formed into an almost doll like smile and the fingers started again. The prince sighed with guilt nuzzling at the legs, he couldn’t give him anything other than these four days but he still wanted him to love him. He felt selfish, but right now he wanted somebody to care about him most.

“Jun-sama…” Ninomiya started but was stopped by a knock on the door, reluctantly Jun got to his feet and smoothed out his clothing, “Come” Ninomiya called and instantly rose to his feet as Satoshi came in followed by Sho and Masaki.

“See I told you she was beautiful” Masaki was telling Sho who gave Ninomiya a small dip of the head, the whore gave a politer bow and still stood with his head bowed nervously.  

“Brothers, what is the meaning of coming here?” Jun asked really not liking the way that Satoshi was staring at Ninomiya,

“We just wanted to see your guest, or were you going to keep her in here all day?” Masaki asked suggestively from anyone else it would have sounded offensive, somehow though Masaki made it cute.

“No we were just talking” Jun told them

“I see…” Satoshi said his eyes never leaving Ninomiya.

“Ninomiya perhaps you would like to walk in the gardens?” Masaki asked and Ninomiya looked so happy about the idea Jun couldn’t find a way to refuse.

“If that is okay…” He said and Masaki laughed showing him the way out. All five of them were walking in the garden but it seemed like Masaki and Ninomiya were walking closer together that was considered appropriate and Jun followed closely trying his best to openly scowl.

“You really are cute, Nino-chan” Masaki said as the crossed a little red bridge that was arched over a small manmade stream.

“’Nino-chan’ Ohno-ouji?” Ninomiya said softly with a confused smile on his face.

“Well, ‘Ninomiya’ is such a mouthful, and ‘Nino-chan’ is cute and it suits you…” Masaki beamed happily as if it explained everything, while Jun’s eyes narrowed wondering how many times Masaki was going to call Nino ‘cute’ in one day. He knew his brother didn’t mean any real harm by what he was saying but that didn’t stop the anger building in his chest.

“I see, thank-you, Ohno-ouji” ‘Nino’ murmured,

“Masaki… It is confusing if you keep saying ‘Ohno-ouji’ there are four of us” Masaki laugh and Jun watched a slow surprised but happy smile form on Nino’s face, his eyes pretty were much sparkling with happiness and before he could stop himself Jun pushed his way in between them.

“Are you forgetting who you are with?” he asked in low voice, and Nino’s face fell just slightly and he hung his head.

“No, Ohno-ouji…” He murmured

“Jun, you should not be mean to Nino-chan…” Masaki said “Or I really will try to steal her from you…”

“Rumour has it, you already have three mistresses, do you want to add a fourth?” Jun snapped, he didn’t mean too, out of all three of his brothers Masaki was the one he could talk to the most but he didn’t like the way they had been talking to each other.

“… Not really… But Nino-chan…” Masaki stopped his mouth hanging open slightly and when Jun turned he saw his mother and sister-in-laws walking towards them. Jun really did tense this time as he stood as close to Nino as possible.

“Do you two wish to bring shame on to our family? Guests are arriving and you are arguing over whore like dogs for meat…” The queen said coldly, his mother was a fine actress normally she acted the part of a submissive woman but there was little doubt as to who was the real power behind the throne. Jun wasn’t sure who had told her that Nino was a whore but he suspected that Satoshi had told his wife and she had told her.

His sister in law was staring at Nino with more than a little dislike on her face, she acted the same way to any new woman in the compound and Jun realised that the next four days were going to be harder than he thought and that he really was in love in with Nino already.

TBC

A/N: Hmm I settled for just using ‘ouji’ as the titles for all of the princes because I thought that using the real titles of the imperial family would get a little confusing xD  I woke up at my normal time and got ready and then realised I didn't have too >.< *Baka Krys*  I hope you enjoy ^.^