Genre: Drama

Pages: 42

Content: "That man is just like a drug..." Saitoh fantasized about seducing the mysterious Aoshi as the story began.  The opening scene cuts to the Gion festival in Kyoto.  Aoshi walked through the merry streets, staring at the masks children wore.  Each mask reminded him of Hannya and his deceased men.  As the festival wore on into the night, Aoshi watched the dancing and listened to the music, appearing to be a little bored.   Aoshi was joined by Saitoh, who was patrolling the area in his uniform.   "Those masks reminds you of Hannya, don't they?" Saitoh casually remarked.  Aoshi fell silent and a little shocked Saitoh had deadpanned his thoughts.   Saitoh sighed and wondered out loud why Aoshi hung onto that kind of past so tenaciously.  "I can't just forget it..." Aoshi said quietly. To lighten Aoshi's mood, Saitoh asked Aoshi to come to his house for some watermelon.   Aoshi smiled slightly, "Yes, I'll come."

Saitoh led Aoshi through a patch of woods silently.  Aoshi stared intently away, leaving Saitoh to ask himself what could be in Aoshi's mind.  Finally they arrived at Saitoh's home.  Aoshi knelt primly in the living room while Saitoh served him the promised fruit.  Aoshi took a bite into   the watermelon and looked at it.  "Not sweet?" Saitoh asked when Aoshi didn't take another bite. 

"When I was young, I couldn't eat watermelon because it reminds me of human flesh.  At that time, blood flowed freely everyday..." Aoshi replied.

"I see, so why are you able to eat it today?"Saitoh asked. 

"Because tonight there's a full moon." Aoshi answered but he could not take another bite and placed it back on the plate.

"Do you have a lover?" Saitoh asked suddenly, changing the subject.  Aoshi looked over to him, a little annoyed and replied. "None of your business." Saitoh went on to tell Aoshi stories of geisha houses and how some of the prostitutes would leave their clients in midst of their passion.  Subsequently, the client would pay more or any amount of  money for the woman to return for the rest of the night.  Part of the popular prostitutes' art IS teasing the client. "Why are you telling me this?" Aoshi said, not understanding Saitoh's hidden meanings. "Do you really need me to explain it to you?" Before Aoshi could answer, Sano banged on the door and invited himself into house. While Sano ate the sliced watermelon hungrily, Saitoh grabbed him and threw him face down on the mat.   "Let's show our guest how cute you can get..." Saitoh said as he untied Sano's pants.  Aoshi got up and started to head out of the door.  "I'm sure you want to be alone," he said. 

"Are you running away?" Saitoh said firmly.  Aoshi looked over his shoulder to Saitoh.  "Sit down, Shinomori." For reasons unknown to himself, Aoshi obeyed.  While Sano and Saitoh put on the sex show for their guest, Aoshi picked up his unfinished watermelon and ate, focusing on it instead of the sex act.  When he finished, Aoshi stared intensely at his left hand that's covered in the melon juice.  As if his mind was somewhere else, he slowly licked off the sweet fluids from his fingers and wrist.  Saitoh suddenly noticed Aoshi and watched him do this, looking past Sano.  Aoshi cast a final seductive glance at Saitoh and took his leave.  Saitoh, while he was recalling Aoshi's seductive acts displayed before him moments earlier, achieved orgasm.  While Sano lay spent on the floor, Saitoh lit up a cigarette and looked up at the full moon.   Some where in the woods, Aoshi walked slowly toward the city to his home.  A small string broke loose from one his sandals, temporarily impeding Aoshi's journey.         

Conclusion: There's a lot of historical details that I am sure have significance but I am not familiar with. The detail about the moon and why it changed Aoshi's demeanor that night.  Unless the implication's that on the nights of the full moon, everyone's a little mad.  I really love Aoshi's finger licking scenes because it portrayed the kind of Aoshi I love the most: the one that seduces.  It took me a little bit to understand why Saitoh wants Aoshi to watch a sex show. I may still be wrong but I think Saitoh had intended for Aoshi's sexual side to come out right then, except Aoshi was the one who left Saitoh thinking about him. In between the lines, Saitoh also thought Aoshi's a sort of a tease--as he had accused him of indirectly.  Saitoh was certain Aoshi knew how powerful his sexuality was and how much others wanted him.  Perhaps so, but Aoshi never displayed it.  Senri does the best Aoshi-as-Seducer I've ever crossed in Aoshi zine collection. Beautiful sexual psychology. 

The Images in this review belongs to and copyrighted to Senri-Sensei.  The text belongs to and copyrighted to Laguna for Aestheticism.Com and may not be distributed in part or whole without permission.

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