Chapter 6 - Identity
Shinji was unsure of himself as he adjusted his nice black business suit on his body, "I thought we were going to a convention?" He raised an eyebrow at Reggie as he fixed the blue tie around the boy's neck.
Reggie chuckled slightly as he finished and turned towards the mirror to adjust his own red tie, "We are." Reggie looked them over one last time then led Shinji out of the bathroom and over to the entryway. Reggie leaned his back against the door to address Shinji before they departed, "Now here's your first test, Shinji," Shinji's head perked up understanding that this whole affair would determine his chances at obtaining Reggie as his Dom. He believed Reggie could provide the kind of safe domination he craved for. "I have my reasons for these rules. You may only speak when spoken to. You will not leave my side unless told otherwise by me. You will take your responses from my queues and you will not allow any other person to touch you. Do you understand?" Shinji nodded solemnly in confirmation. Reggie placed a hand around the back of Shinji's neck and gave him a soft kiss. When he pulled back, he smiled, "Ready to go have fun?" Shinji smiled brightly as his whole body seemed to perk up and he nodded furiously. Reggie turned and opened the door and allowed Shinji to walk out first.
Shinji's jaw dropped when he reached the street and Reggie nudged him to climb into the long black limousine that was awaiting them, driver holding the door open wide. Shinji forced himself to walk forward into the limo and scoot to the far side to allow Reggie to climb in behind him. As they both settled into their seats, the driver climbed in and pulled out into the city traffic.
Reggie smiled as Shinji-the-curious-kitten appeared, his eyes wide taking everything in, not wanting to miss a single detail. He was satisfied by the simple fact that he was causing Shinji's happiness; however, his nerves were starting to creep into him as they were now driving to the convention. He had many reasons to be nervous, the first being Shinji finding out the truth about him, would he still want to be with him tonight? The second reason he was nervous was because he knew he'd be meeting some of his coworkers and he knew exactly how some of them would react to the sight of Shinji, this beautiful optimum of a manga bishie boy. They would attempt to devour him. Reggie had to protect Shinji, but he had to rely on Shinji to also show devotion to him, otherwise his words were meaningless.
As they arrived the crowd was huge. Reggie spoke softly to Shinji, "Don't forget to stay close and follow behind me. I don't want you getting lost now." he smiled encouragingly as the driver opened Reggie's door and the man stepped out.
Shinji followed suit and kept close to Reggie as they were led around by what appeared to Shinji to be an event coordinator. The small Japanese woman spoke quickly and rather softly to Reggie so Shinji couldn't make out anything the woman said, not that he was paying much attention as his focus spun around him taking in all the wonderful sights of the anime convention. His eyes focused on a large banner that hung from the ceiling that announced that the Manga-ka (Manga Author), Yamashita Reiji, of his favorite story, 'The Guardian's Shadow', would be having his own Q&A panel at 11am today. Shinji's heart skipped a beat wondering if Reggie would take him to go see the Manga-ka. They moved quickly past a ton of different booths and rooms, many displaying rare figures, copies of manga's, limited edition artwork, and many more Otaku (Manga Fan) collectables.
As they came to a room Shinji smiled brightly as he realized it was the room where Yamashita-sensei would be in - Shinji looked at his watch - 5 minutes! Shinji continued to follow Reggie as he was led to sit in the far left of the very front row of chairs. Shinji was amazed at just how many people were sitting down, waiting anxiously for the reclusive author, there must have been at least 500 people cramped together in the room. As far as Shinji knew, this would be the first public appearance of the Manga-ka so that explained the huge crowd.
As they sat down in the two seats Shinji wondered, not for the first time, just what exactly Reggie did for a living that made him so much money that he could afford his expensive apartment and this special treatment at a convention he wanted to attend. That thought was pushed from his mind though as the clock hands turned to 11am and a host walked up to a podium off to the side of the table that was centered on the stage that had a banner hanging in front of it with a beautiful picture of the manga characters. The host tapped the microphone slightly, to confirm it was on and working then began to speak. Shinji watched with rapt attention.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are pleased to announce that the famed author Yamashita Reiji-sensei, whose most famous work includes the renowned manga series, 'The Guardian's Shadow' has agreed to have an Open Question and Answers session with the audience present today as well as some e-mails sent to us this last month in anticipation of this event-" at the mention of the news the crowd roared and clapped in excitement and approval, Shinji joined them in the cheer. The narrator smiled and waited for the noise to die down and continued, "This is the first public appearance of the author who has done so well to contain his anonymity so with great appreciation and respect I would like to introduce you all to Mr. Reiji Yamashita."
Shinji leaned forward in his chair in excitement; he couldn't believe he was lucky enough to be one of the few people to actually see Mr. Yamashita in person. He jumped slightly as Reggie stood up next to him, he gave the man a curious expression and his jaw dropped as he was rendered speechless when he realized Reggie was walking up onto the stage. Reggie bowed slightly to the audience and sat down at the only chair behind the table. He leaned forward slightly with a smile and spoke into the microphone, his deep voice reverberated off the walls and surrounded the stunned Shinji.
"Good morning everyone, I am Reiji Yamashita and I am so honored at how many people have come to see me today and am extremely grateful to all the fans across the nations who have supported and loved my works." Reggie didn't look over at Shinji once during his entire event. Shinji didn't know what to think, he never imagined that he could stumble into the life of an author he had loved since he was a kid, and even more unimaginable was that the author would want him in return.
Reggie was nervous, despite how he may have seemed as he answered the questions that were fired his way. Most were simple and about the story itself so it was much easier than he was afraid it would have been. He had to restrain himself from looking at Shinji to calm him; he didn't want to bring any unnecessary attention to the man. He worried about the impact his reveal would have on Shinji but this had been planned long before Shinji tumbled into his arms. He was worried not only of Kengo discovering who he was and try to go after Shinji again but also of the people in his life that might take a fancy to Shinji. He wanted to shield Shinji from the cruel world he had already seen, he wanted to comfort, protect and provide for him. He wasn't sure such publicity would be a good thing for the both of them.
"Yamashita-sensei, are you currently in a romantic relationship and if so who is it?" a young girl asked into one of the microphones placed in the audience.
Reggie stared at her for a second; he had been warned that the audience (whose questions wouldn't be screened like the e-mails) might ask personal questions. Shinji felt his heart skip a beat at the question. He felt fear and anxiety at the thought of how Reggie might answer, he also found himself confused, and Shinji wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to hear Reggie say. Reggie smiled at the girl and spoke into the microphone, "There is a person that I care for; however, I am not certain they feel the same way, I am hoping to find out soon though." Shinji smiled slightly to himself, only Reggie would have been able to manipulate his answer so skillfully but it helped Shinji to understand that nothing had changed on Reggie's side of things, he had always been this prominent author now it was up to Shinji to decide if he wanted the risks and rewards of staying near him.
**********
After the hour of questions ended, and the crowd cheered for Reggie, the Japanese woman that had led them to their seats introduced herself to Shinji as Misaki and Reggie's manager. She led him over to the area where Reggie had been stationed to sign autographs which she informed him would take about another hour and that Reggie had instructed her to inform him that she would accompany Shinji if he wanted to see more of the convention. Shinji looked at Reggie wondering if this was a test of some sort, if he was really allowed to go enjoy himself without the man that had brought him. Shinji smiled with a sigh of relief as he saw Reggie look up and nod at him with a smile, giving a slight wave of his hand telling him he was free to go with Misaki.
Shinji's first stop was the booth that held all of 'The Guardian's Shadow' goodies, Shinji looked at the piles of books and hanging t-shirts on the tables and the grand display of figurines and artwork displayed on the wall behind the booth attendants. He gently picked up the book that was the newest copy of the latest volume of the manga. It matched the one he had at home, today was the actual release day. Shinji smiled at the book remembering the feeling that had gone through him at receiving the first gift he had ever received. It had been the perfect selection and showed how Reggie had actually thought about what he would want.
