Arislan spun across the gymnasium floor, his bare feet landing lightly on the bright red mat as he executed another flawless tumbling run. He had carefully waited to have the gym all to himself - one never knew whether one's classmates would find gymnastics laughable - and he was thoroughly enjoying the chance to exercise his little-used skills. These days the only contact he had with the mat was as a member of the school's wrestling team.
He had just paused to brush a sweaty strand of silvery-blond hair out of his eyes when he overheard the voices in Noin-sensei's office.
"I've done something horrible," a deep voice confessed, and Arislan's eyes widened as he recognized the voice of Zechs-sensei. Good breeding would dictate that he not listen... but he found himself compelled by the guilty tone of Zechs's rich voice.
"What could be so bad?" Noin asked, her tone of voice indicating that she wasn't really listening.
"I found these pictures under my door this morning," Zechs answered. A long pause followed.
"Well, it seems that Sally was in fine form."
"Is that all you have to say?"
"What do you want me to say? Should I point out that you don't look like you were enjoying yourself very much?"
"I wasn't, but that's not the point! This afternoon, I happened to see Chihaya in the stables taking pictures."
"Ah, so he really is the one behind the pranks?"
"That's what I thought," Zechs answered grimly. "I took his camera from him..."
"And?"
"I paddled him. Badly." Another long pause.
"How badly?" Noin asked in a hushed tone.
"I drew blood," Zechs admitted in a shamed whisper.
"Oh, Zechs..."
"I know. I know! But that's not even the worst of it!"
"It's worse?"
"I had the film developed. Look at these! Pictures of his classmates clowning and smiling at him!"
"So that means..."
"He was innocent! And I just..." Zechs' voice trailed off.
"Oh, Zechs," Noin said again helplessly, and from the next room Arislan could hear the sound of a man struggling to choke back his sobs. "I know you asked Sally to play spanking games with you because you wanted to be mastered... and I know it wasn't enough for you. But Zechs, you can't satisfy that need by becoming a master yourself! You're just not made for it!"
"I know," Zechs answered mournfully. "A real master wouldn't let his anger overrule him."
"Some day you'll meet your real master." Noin's sigh was echoed by Zechs. "But until that day you'll just HAVE to be more patient. Don't take it out on the children any more."
"I didn't mean to hurt him," Zechs said, and his voice broke piteously.
Arislan smiled slightly, and went back to his tumbling.
Noin left some time later, and Zechs stayed behind to collect himself. What was done was done, and nothing could change that. Noin was right, though. He really did need to get control of his temper...
He stepped out of the office to find that one of the students was in the gym, stretching out his long legs... right under the ventilation shaft that led to the office. If he'd been there during Zechs's confession... why, he'd probably snooped and overheard everything!
"What are you doing there?" he snapped, his brows drawing together angrily.
"Stretching," the boy answered, glancing up through silver-blond bangs at him.
"Spying, more likely. Come over here." The boy rose in one smooth movement and padded over to the edge of the gymnastics mat with unconscious grace.
"Is there something you want of me?" the boy asked, his smooth tenor voice graced with an aristocratic accent.
"What's your name?"
"Arislan."
"Hn. Well, Arislan, you seem to enjoy eavesdropping on your elders. There's only one cure for that sort of behavior," and Zechs pulled his paddle from its loop on his belt. "Drop your trousers."
"No, you drop YOUR trousers!" Zechs froze for a long moment while the commanding voice echoed through the empty gymnasium, then his brows drew together angrily.
"Why you..." he snarled, reaching out to grab the boy by one slender arm -
Zechs blinked in astonishment as he realized that he was lying flat on his back on the mat. That frail-looking kid had flipped him! With a second furious growl, he surged up onto his feet again and scowled at the boy.
"How dare you!" he snapped. "I'll punish you for that!" He charged again, intent on using his greater weight to bear the boy down onto the ground - and he found himself face-down on the mat, with Arislan's slender limbs tangling his as he struggled fruitlessly to get free.
"No, I think I'll punish you," Arislan whispered in his ear, chuckling softly each time Zechs attempted to wrench free. "And you'll love it. You should be thanking me, Zechs, now that you've finally met the one who will master you."
"Stop this at once!" Zechs snapped, giving another violent heave before going limp in the boy's unbreakable grip, panting from the effort.
"No, I don't think I shall," Arislan answered musingly as one slender hand trailed down over Zechs' stomach to find his hardening manhood straining against the fabric of his trousers. Arislan smiled smugly. Zechs could probably break free at this point, but he was noticeably not resisting any longer. "Parts of you seem to be enjoying this, Zechs."
"Stop," Zechs gasped, helplessly arching into the boy's slender hand as a deep blush heated his cheeks.
"You don't sound as though you really mean it, Zechs," Arislan breathed into his ear, and Zechs shuddered, his own breath catching in his throat. "You feel guilty for what you did to Chihaya, don't you?"
"Let go-"
"Don't you?" Arislan repeated, squeezing just hard enough to get Zechs' undivided attention without really hurting him.
"Yes..."
"You may address me as Master," Arislan said, giving him another careful squeeze. "Or sir, if you prefer."
"Yes, sir."
"I'm going to help alleviate your guilt, Zechs, and you'll thank me for it afterward. First I'll punish you for your mistake."
"Yes, sir," Zechs whispered, his whole body trembling with delicious fear and new-blooming joy.
"Then, you'll apologize to Chihaya and his guardian."
"But-"
"You'll do as I say, Zechs," Arislan said sternly, giving the older man a sharp slap on the thigh. "And I say that you owe him an apology."
"Yes, sir," Zechs whispered, and closing his eyes he let his cheek rest against the smooth surface of the mat.
"After you've atoned for your mistake, you'll be my own slave, Zechs. You'll do as I say, and you won't give me cause to punish you needlessly. In the future when I paddle you it will be for our mutual enjoyment, but for now you do have a severe punishment coming to you."
"Yes, sir," Zechs answered, and bit his lip. There was nothing more wonderful or more terrifying than to be truly mastered...
"Remove your clothing and get on all fours," Arislan said, releasing him abruptly.
"Someone might come in, Master," Zechs said, but he was already disrobing, his face burning with a deep blush.
"They won't. I locked the door, and Noin-sensei won't bother us," Arislan answered. "Do hurry; I shouldn't want to have to punish you for delaying in addition to the punishment you've already earned."
"Yes, sir," Zechs said anxiously, divesting himself of his remaining clothing as quickly as possible. It was unbelievable, that this slender, beautiful boy could control him so utterly, but he was scrambling to obey...
"I only tell you this so that you won't have any unnecessary fear, but will fear only those things that you should."
"Yes, sir," Zechs said, and dropped to his hands and knees at Arislan's feet.
"Let's begin, shall we? I promise, this part won't be pleasant for either of us. In the future, you'll refrain from doing that which will displease me."
"Yes, Master," Zechs whispered, and bowed his head, bracing himself for the first blow as Arislan fished the paddle out of Zechs's clothing and circled around him slowly.
Master had been right. The paddling was sharp and brutal, without any of the caresses or teasing or talking that accompanied play. Zechs whimpered in spite of his best efforts to remain quiet, and the sound seemed to spur Arislan on, for he paddled him even harder, and Zechs prayed that Master would tire soon, because he couldn't bring himself to beg for mercy. He bit his lip, hard, and struggled to remain perfectly still, to show by his obedience that he accepted the punishment for what it was, that he understood that he deserved this...
"Are you sorry for what you did?" Arislan asked abruptly, and the paddling stopped.
"Yes, Master!" Zechs cried, his voice broken. Arislan knelt in front of him, and laid the paddle down, and brushed the silky pink hair from Zechs's eyes.
"Don't worry so, my poor Zechs. All will be well. You will never repeat this mistake again, and you will please me. Have you learned from this mistake?"
"Yes, sir," Zechs whimpered, his eyes filling with tears until his Master's face blurred in his vision.
"And in the future, even if provoked by a student, you'll ask my permission before you act."
"Yes, Master," Zechs said, shivering with a mixture of happiness and dread. Was Master satisfied with him?
"Good boy," Arislan said, and stroked Zechs's long hair and wiped his tears away. "Now you've been suitably punished, but I think a reward is in order as well, since you have proven yourself to be biddable."
"Master..." Zechs whispered in a delirium, and gazed up at Arislan adoringly.
"Also, I hardly think it would be wise to go about in this condition," Arislan added, indicating the prominent bulge in his own trousers. "Now is your opportunity to show your willingness to please, Zechs." Zechs reverently kissed the hand that had whipped him, and as Arislan indicated, he carefully unfastened his Master's trousers and worshipped his manhood with lips and tongue.
"Good boy," Arislan sighed. "Do get it good and wet, Zechs." Zechs obeyed, his cheeks flaming with a fresh blush, and he turned as ordered to present his punished backside. It hadn't been wet enough. Zechs bit down on his own knuckles to stifle a cry of pain as Arislan entered him, but the pain was also right and good, and he revelled in it, and the pleasure rolled through him in a flood, mingling with the pain till the two were indistinguishable. Master's hand stroked him, and Master's manhood pierced and filled him, and the tears of pain and shame and unutterable joy rolled down his cheeks at last as he reached his fulfillment, a violent climax that wiped away all the lonely nights, all the half-hearted sessions with Sally, all the ugly little doubts and jealousies that had plagued him.
"Good, good boy," Arislan whispered, and pulled Zechs into his arms to hold him while he wept, stroking his Zechs's long, silky hair. "My beautiful boy. You please me well."
"Master," Zechs sobbed, "I've wished for you for so long..."
"And I'm here, now," Arislan said, smiling gently and bestowing a sweet kiss, the first kiss, on his new slave. "And you shall never again lack my guidance."
"Thank you, Master," Zechs sighed, and buried his face against Arislan's shoulder, hugging him as tightly as he dared. Happiness was his, beyond his dreams, and the minor shame of having to apologize for his bad behavior was well worth the chance to please his Master again. And poor Chihaya... He certainly deserved an apology.
"Khushrenada-kouchou, I'm sorry to be doing this at such short notice."
"Well, family emergencies do arise," Treize said, one eyebrow quirking as he glanced at Kagetsuya. "We'll make do as best we can with a substitute until you return to us."
"But I have no idea how long this will be..." Kagetsuya said, hoping that Treize didn't hear the unspoken thought "if we ever return." Indeed, if there was an Earth left to return to... and if Chihaya still wanted to live here... if Chihaya would even speak to him after the horrible thing he had done...
"Don't worry on that account. I'm sure we'll be able to temporarily fill the position until your return. Only do please notify me as soon as you know anything for certain. And please give your poor mother my highest regards?"
"Of course," Kagetsuya said. He might just come back on his own, even if Chihaya didn't want to return. He should at least finish out the school year... if there was a school left after all was said and done...
"So you have to go back to Eden?" Wufei asked, willing himself not to cry and make it even harder for Chihaya than it already was.
"We have to leave tonight," Chihaya answered, and impulsively swept the Chinese boy into a tight hug. "I'll miss you, Wufei..." Chihaya felt it was kinder not to explain that Eden was preparing to reach its verdict on the fate of the Earthians... but the weight of this secret was such a burden, and it was horrible not being able to tell Wufei everything.
"I'll miss you, too, Chihaya," Wufei whispered, and brushed impatiently at the tears that welled up in spite of his wishes. He didn't want Chihaya to leave unhappy!
"I'll come back as soon as I can, I promise!" Chihaya declared, and buried his face against Wufei's thin shoulder. "With or without Kagetsuya," he whispered to himself.
Wufei and Chihaya released each other, each making an attempt to smile bravely for the other's sake. Then with a sigh Chihaya unfurled his wings and disappeared into the night. Wufei stared into the darkness for a long time, then curled up on the bed with his stuffed Panda, his tears wetting its black-and-white fur. With his closest friend gone, and Meiran miles and miles away, Wufei was lonelier now than ever before.
The End
Yoiko -- Please send feedback to the author at: mightyyoiko@hotmail.com
(:./knm/wilmington14)
