shifting tides

There was a lot that Raijin had never vocalized in his life, contrary to him seeming like an open book. He’d shoved so much down, hiding it behind the charming smile that he wore almost constantly, that he was almost unsure of what his emotions really were at times. The ones he knew best were lust and intrigue, the emotions that had helped him best as a diplomat, but his job in Iga had also been similar to a Kagema, or male escort. He was meant to wine and dine the envoys from other clans and give them whatever they desired. He normally had Geisha, Oiran and Kagema around for such entertainment, but if a member of the envoy asked for him directly, he couldn’t refuse. In fact, it was almost encouraged. The secrets that he’d learned of pre and post-coitus had been incredibly valuable, and that was his main objective; to learn as much valuable information as possible.

Perhaps, this was why he’d taken to indulging in carnal pleasures so heavily. It was something he felt he had talent in, as well as the area he had the most control. It was another way in which he and Hattori were two sides of the same coin. They’d both lacked control of their own lives when they were young but excelled in their areas of expertise; Hattori was a natural-born leader and fighter, but wasn’t the best when it came to interpersonal relations. Raijin was practically born to flutter from wolf to wolf, socializing and learning while strategizing and gleaning the best tactics to use, both in battle and in acquiring what they needed. Together, they were an unstoppable team…when they weren’t wringing each other’s necks.

The Genji man bit his tongue to keep from an outburst. It was no use talking of ‘feelings’ to his cousin. He would always be wrong in his eyes, always immoral and always a disappointment.
He would never be Takemikazuchi. He wondered how many times the Kaicho had wished it had been Raijin that had died instead of his twin.

Hattori mentioned Kuroo and Usagi, and for a moment he went still. Rationally, he knew what he was implying, but he refused to really think on it in that moment because it couldn’t possibly be true. The pair would have surely said something when they’d first met. Kuroo had even been happily hanging around Raijin and Sedna’s litter, doing activities with them and…oh god…acting like big brothers. It was too much, simply too much. He clenched his jaw, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He needed to see Sedna. “Is this all you wanted to speak about, Kaicho?” he said, distancing himself uncharacteristically in speech.

Speech