The morning's sunlight shone brightly through the east-facing windows, casting the room in the warmth of its glow. Summer was at an end, so the soft breeze entering through the open sliding door cooled the entire space. All in all, it was a pleasant morning, and Mikazuki was enjoying it with his boyfriend of 6 months, Kogitsunemaru...
"You cheated!" Kogitsune exclaimed, his booming voice shattering the morning's serenity. "I leave for two seconds and you switch the pieces!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Mikazuki replied, smiling sweetly at his lover from across the game board. "I would never cheat."
"There are more pieces on the board than when I left, Mikazuki. I'm not an idiot!"
"Is that so?" Mikazuki replied, tapping his finger to his chin. "How can you tell?"
"Because," Kogitsune said through clenched teeth, "we've been playing the game for over an hour. I think by now I'd know the setup of the board."
"Really?" Mikazuki asked, brushing the hair from his eyes as he selected another stone. "So you remember every placement of every stone right down to which color was which? That's quite impressive. I wonder," he continued, his tone light and airy. "If I removed all the stones from the board, do you think you could put them back in the right order?"
"Of course not," Kogitsune answered irritably. "That's not what I meant and you know it. I remember where I placed my last stone, and that," he emphasized, pointing to where one of his black stones now lay, "wasn't it."
"But how can you be sure? You said it yourself; you don't remember the exact position of each stone. Perhaps you're mistaken. Who knows, you could be confusing this match with the one we played last week."
"Or maybe," Kogitsune said mockingly, "you're cheating like you always do."
"I don't like your tone," Mikazuki replied, placing his stone on the board.
"And I don't like cheaters," Kogitsune shot back.
Mikazuki glanced up, meeting Kogitsune's heated glare. Though there was a smile on Mikazuki's face, the look in his icy blue stare spoke of silent warning.
"Funny," Mikazuki answered wryly. "You didn't seem to have a problem with 'cheaters' last night." His gaze returned to the board, "or the night before that."
Kogitsune started to speak, but when Mikazuki's eyes flickered up to pin him with another cautionary gaze, his mouth clicked shut. Mikazuki smiled in self-satisfaction, leaning back and lacing his fingers together on his lap.
"Your turn," Mikazuki said, fluttering his eyelashes invitingly.
Kogitsune's eyes narrowed on Mikazuki as he picked up his next stone. He said nothing as he examined the board. In fact, he didn't utter more than three words for the rest of the game. Mikazuki ignored the male's pouting, carrying on as if their brief argument had never happened. But when Kogitsune made his goodbyes without so much as a kiss on the cheek, Mikazuki couldn't help but feel the icy chill of his lover's cold shoulder.
Come dinner, it was even worse. Kogitsune made it a point to sit on the opposite side of the table, so engrossed in his conversation with Tonbokiri that he didn't even bother to play footsies with Mikazuki under the table. But the icing on the cake came after dinner. Like a blow to the stomach, shocking and unexpected, all one could do was curl into a ball and wait for the pain to pass...
All the Swords, with the exception of Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki and Yamanbagiri Kunihiro who were on kitchen duty, filed out of the dining room. Mikazuki slipped between Tsurumaru and Tonbokiri, grabbing Kogitsune's hand and dragging him down the empty corridor to the left.
"I haven't seen you since this morning," Mikazuki whispered, rubbing his body against Kogitsune's muscular frame.
"Yeah," Kogitsune muttered, trying to extract himself from Mikazuki's hold. "I had some... things to take care of."
"Well," Mikazuki said, shoving Kogitsune hard against the wall. "I've been thinking about you all day, and you know what?" he whispered, reaching between their bodies to cup Kogitsune half-hardened cock. "I don't think I can make it your room."
"Mikazuki, I'm not..."
Mikazuki pressed a kiss to Kogitsune's lips, cutting off his lover's protests. "Take me somewhere," he whispered, feathering kisses along the line of Kogitsune's jaw.
"I'm not in the mood," Kogitsune said, pushing him away.
Mikazuki smiled seductively, reaching for Kogitsune's cock again. "Doesn't feel like it to me."
"I said," Kogitsune repeated, moving out of Mikazuki's grasp. "I'm not in the mood."
Mikazuki snorted indignantly. "Is this some kind of game? If so," he replied, licking his lips enticingly, "I like it. You should play hard to get more often."
"It's not a game," Kogitsune answered impatiently. "I just don't feel like it.
"But you always feel like it," Mikazuki chuckled softly, reaching out to thread his fingers through Kogitsune's long white locks. "Usually, I'm the one begging for a break."
Kogitsune jerked out of Mikazuki's reach. "Yeah, well, not tonight."
Mikazuki's smile slipped from his lips. "Is this about the match this morning?" he asked, taking a step forward. "If it is, I..."
"It's not about the match," Kogitsune answered, taking a step back.
"Then what is it?"
Kogitsune snickered humorlessly, shaking his head. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Surprised about what?" Mikazuki asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "If something's wrong, just tell me."
"That's the point, Mikazuki. I shouldn't have to tell you."
"Then how else am I supposed to know?" he retorted. "I can't read your mind! And the last time I checked, things were fine until..."
"Fine?" Kogitsune hissed. "For you, maybe. But for me? Not so much."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Kogitsune took a deep breath, running an unsteady hand through his hair. "The fact that you have to ask is exactly why I can't do this with you anymore."
Mikazuki was struck speechless for several seconds, a flurry of responses forming in his mind, none of which he could seem to verbalize.
"Can't do this anymore?" Mikazuki repeated, his tone saturated with confusion. The words sounded so wrong coming from Kogitsune's lips that it was almost like the male was speaking another language. "I don't understand."
"I'm tired, Mikazuki. I'm tired of trying to force something that should've never happened in the first place. You might not realize this, but it takes two to make a relationship work, and I'm sick of being the only one trying here."
Mikazuki's entire body shook with disbelief. "So, what? You think I'm not invested in this relationship? I do my part, Kogitsune. I show you my love every night I warm your bed. I give you everything and deny you nothing! Even when I'm exhausted and my body is spent, I still..."
"You think this is about sex?" Kogitsune asked, his tone a mixture of anger and frustration. "Love doesn't equal sex Mikazuki!"
"I know that, I'm just saying...
"No," Kogitsune said, shaking his head in disappointment. "You don't know."
The walls of the hall seemed to constrict, closing in all around Mikazuki. His chest tightened, the air evaporating from his lungs. He blinked once, then twice, wondering why his body suddenly felt so very, very heavy.
"I'm sorry, Mikazuki, but I... I can't do this."
A burst of humorless laughter erupted from Mikazuki's lips. "A-are we... breaking up?"
"Yeah," Kogitsune said, the finality in his voice like a knife to the heart. "We are."
