The Rising Sun & the Morning Calm

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Angela looked at the stoic man who stood in front of her. Genzo was tall for a Japanese man, about 6'2'', and his short black hair was impeccably spiked in a cavalier messy style. He was also extremely muscular which she could see even under the thick cable knit of his sweater. His jeans clung like second skin to a pair of strong thighs and one of the nicest asses she had ever seen on a man. Had she not met Noboru, she would have had a difficult time concentrating under his gaze. As if sensing her physical appreciation for her new bodyguard, Noboru shot her an amused look out of the corner of his eye and cleared his throat loudly. "Oh, uh, nice to meet you, Genzo. I'm Angela Baek." She held out her hand. Genzo looked at it, then at Noboru who nodded silently in permission before taking her hand in his and shaking it. He had a strong, commanding grip.

"I will let the two of you talk in privacy," Noboru informed her before exiting the room. He said a few things in Japanese to Genzo that she couldn't quite understand, which he responded to simply by bowing.

"Shall we sit?" She motioned to the couches.

"If you wish it." His accent also indicated that he was born in Japan.

"How old are you, Genzo," she asked as he sat down.

"I am three hundred and twelve," he replied offhandly.

Obviously he shared Noboru's condition. "So you've known Noboru for a long time, then?"

"I have."

After becoming accustomed to Noboru's warm and affectionate manner, it was odd to talk to someone who did behave in the reserved manner that was indicative of the Japanese. "How do you feel about having to follow me around?"

"If Noboru-sama requests me to look after your safety, I would not deny him."

"No, Genzo. I asked how you felt about it."

"I do not have the luxury of indulging my feelings about things," he said pragmatically.

She shouldn't have been surprised by his response. "Well, I appreciate your taking the trouble." He nodded but said nothing. "I only ask a few things." When he remained silent, she took it as a cue to continue. "The first is that you have to remain in the waiting area. The second is that if anyone asks you what you are doing here, you have to tell them that you arrived early for an appointment."

After a period of silence, he spoke. "Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Very well." He stood up. "If Noboru-sama agrees, I will abide by your wishes."

"Thank you." She had intended to get to know him better but apparently he didn't consider this a social visit.

As if on cue, Noboru walked into the living area. "Well?"

"I have received my instructions, Noboru-[donno]." He saw Angela look up in surprise when he referred to Noboru as "lord".

They exchanged a few words in Japanese and Noboru turned to Angela. "I will return in a moment. I have a few things to discuss with Genzo." Walking outside his apartment, Noboru closed the door behind him and regarded Genzo with curiosity. "So, what do you think?" he asked in Japanese.

"It's not my place to say," Genzo replied politely.

"Genzo, you're my friend and I value your opinion. Please, speak freely."

After hesitating a moment, he said, "I'm not accustomed to her ways. She will resist my presence." He paused, the remarked, "She asks very peculiar questions."

"Such as?"

"She asked how I 'felt' about my assignment." He scoffed at the idea of asking something so ludicrous. "Pointless."

"She's concerned about the feelings of others. That's how she is."

"I don't understand why we can't simply install security cameras in her office," he suggested with a hint of irritation. "It's far safer and much more efficient."

Noboru found it strange that he was reacting so strongly to his new appointment. "As a physician, she must maintain the trust of her patients and to surveille them without their knowledge could result in a great many legal problems for her. Her life has already been thrown into disarray because of me. I don't wish to make it any worse for her."

"[Wakarimashta]. I will return tomorrow. [Oyasumi-nasai, gozaimasu.]" Bowing his leave, Genzo stepped into the elevator and was gone.

"He's an interesting one," Angela commented archly when Noboru had come back inside.

"Genzo is very Japanese, if you had not already been able to surmise," Noboru agreed.

"How did you meet him?" She patted the spot on the bed next to her.

Sliding onto the bed, he put his head in her lap and played with her hair, enjoying the silky feeling of the strands between his fingers. "Genzo, like most Japanese, is extremely private. I would not divulge anything about him without his permission out of respect. What I can tell you is that he is [shinobi]."

She sat up straighter in amazement. "Genzo is a ninja?"

"Yes." His eyes crinkled at the corners at her surprise.

"Wow. I have a samurai boyfriend and a ninja bodyguard," she thought aloud. "When did my life get so interesting? Hey!"

Grabbing her, he rolled her on top of him. "Ride me."

"Noboru, do you ever get tired?" Underneath her, she could feel he was already hard as a pipe.

"I have waited four centuries for you," he drawled as he parted her lips. "It will be some time before I am tired."

She sighed as he slid inside of her. "You'll have to lick me down there a lot then. Otherwise I won't be able to walk." When their pubic bones were rubbing against each other she closed her eyes at how good it felt and began stroking the firm plane of his pectoral muscles.

Untying her robe, he slipped the silky material off her shoulders and cupped her breasts. "As often as you like," he promised. He enjoyed watching her as she braced herself against his chest, leaning on her arms as she stroked him. Looking at him, she felt like she would drown in the blue of his eyes and as he thrust against her, she threw her head back and writhed as she came. When he was sure that the last of it had passed, he pushed her roughly off his cock and placed her on all fours. Spreading her cheeks, he drank in the salty taste of her before filling her again with his aching warmth.

Slowly he began fucking again her and as they continued, he increased the speed of his thrusts until the loud sounds of their hips slapping together filled his apartment. He could practically feel the cream churning in his balls as it prepared to burst free and he could tell by the gutteral noises she was emitting that she was close as well. Placing a hand on the small of her back to stabilize her, he grabbed her long hair in his fist and yanked back harshly, forcing her head up and her arms off the bed as he arched his back and slammed the first shot of cum deep within her. She screamed, shaking helplessly in his grip as she exploded around him and he began growling all sorts of obscenities in Japanese as he injected her with load after load of hot fluid.

Releasing his grip on her hair, she fell face down on the mattress and smiled as she felt his cock twitch a few times before lying quietly inside her. Feeling the warm rivulets of his cum sliding down her thighs, her muffled voiced floated up from the bed, "Your poor sheets. I think we have to do laundry."

Noboru threw his head back and laughed at the exhaustion in her voice. Leaning over her sweat-stained body, he licked her ear, making her tremble as he pulled out of her with a wet plop. "Sleep, [Sensei], you must work tomorrow," he murmured. Too tired to argue, she rolled on her side and in minutes was snoring softly.

When he was sure that she was asleep, Noboru put on a pair of black silk pajama pants and went to his study, which was outfitted with multiple computer monitors. Donning a headset, he turned to one of the screens. "Daisuke. What news?"

A man sat down in one of the displays. "Nothing yet, Nagamori-sama. We are still trying to track his movements."

"Keep me informed. I also need Angela's mail to be forwarded to my address."

"Of course, sir. I will see to it."

Removing the headset, he closed the door to his study and made his way back to bed to find Snotty curled up in the warm spot he had vacated. The kitten opened one eye and when he saw that it was only Noboru, he closed it and went back to sleep. "[Baga]," he chided. "Get out of my space." As if understanding, Snotty grudgingly stretched and got up. "Arigato, Snotty-kun." Spooning Angela to him, he joined her in her slumber.

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donno: title of lord (Japanese)

wakarimashta: I understand (Japanese)

oyasumi nasai gozaimasu: good night (extremely formal, Japanese)

shinobi: ninja (Japanese)

sensei: teacher, in this case doctor (Japanese)

baga: stupid (Japanese)

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"Nagamori-sama, so good to see you again."

The dulcet tones of her voice grated on his nerves even as his member slowly woke. As she did every night, she visited him in his prison and with his heightened sense of smell, he could tell if she was within a mile of him. "I'm afraid I can't say the feeling is mutual," was his flat reply.

Moving lithely on her perfect legs, the [kitsune-sukai] laughed and as if conditioned, his cock began to fill and swell. "You say that every night and every night I leave with your essence dripping between my thighs." She looked at the monstrous wolf lying in the corner of the cell with hunger. "Apparently the feeling is mutual in at least one part of you," she pointed out smugly as she confidently massaged his hardening rod. Ashamed of his body's betrayal, he turned his head and tried to look away. Bringing her hands to her shoulders, she pushed her robe off and the silk fell in a liquid pool around her slim ankles.

Turning him on his back, she straddled him such that they faced the other's genitals, his member pointing angrily in her face. Staring at her cleft, his cock jerked of its own volition and his head emerged fully from his foreskin as he achieved his full size. Without saying anything, she swallowed him and pushed her cunt into his face. Unable to resist, he let his tongue slip out and he tasted the addictive fluid that she released as she moaned her pleasure on his cock. When she felt him throbbing, she released him with a loud groan and began riding his tongue as she stroked his shaft with her hands until she climaxed on his muzzle with an ecstatic cry.

"Now it is your turn, my insatiable beast," she purred as she lowered her hips over his cock. Sliding slowly until the full length of him was inside her, she began rocking against him, feeling him throb inside her. With a triumphant shout, she felt the molten heat of his seed splash against her and she continued to stroke him until he fell back exhausted. Giving a satisfied sigh, she scooped up her kimono and left the dungeon, but not before whispereing, "Until tomorrow, my wild lover." Soon after, he heard a second set of footsteps.

"[Oni-san, o genki deska]?"

Noboru bristled at the sound of the intruder's voice. "Go to hell, Saburo," he snarled from where he lay.

"Is that any way to greet your family? You wound me, brother!" Saburo knelt down and supported his weight on Noburo's katana. "It's a beautiful sword, isn't it? [Chichue] really should have given it to me, but of course it went to his favorite son, the one who would carry on the family name," Saburo sneered. "Oh it broke his fragile heart to learn that his eldest who he loved so much had perished on the high seas," he wailed melodramatically. Leaning closer, he added, "He's dead now, by the way."

Tears slid down Noboru's muzzle at the news of their father's death. "I never knew that you hated me so much," he whispered.

"That's because the two of you were so preoccupied with all that Bushido shit." He forced his brothers face off the ground and gripped it in his hand so that their eyes were level. "Wake up, Oni-san! Honor, family, loyalty -- these things have no place on this earth. The world belongs to the strong and ruthless, which is why the shogun will crush the kingdom of Chosun, and then! Then, when he has a firm foothold on the mainland, he will force the Emperor of Ming to submit to his will and slay anyone who would dare defy him." His eyes narrowed as he smiled. "It will be...glorious."

"You are a sick man, Saburo. You have my pity," Noboru muttered weakly.

Angered by his indifference to his words, he pierced his brother's hide with the katana. "I'm sick? You're a fucking mongrel! Fitting, actually, as you seem to prefer fucking bitches," he spat. "Although that witch who visits, you...damn! I almost envy you at times."

Wincing as he withdrew the blade, Noboru calmly looked his brother in the eye and vowed, "Someday, Saburo, the wrongs you have committed will be revisited upon you."

"Lucky for me I never believed in that Buddhist shit either," he scoffed. "You know, it really was a shame that I never got a taste of that Chosun whore. Everyone else seemed to enjoy her, even if she was lower than an anim-"

With lightning fast speed, Noboru lunged at his brother, knocking him onto his back. Momentarily stunned from the fall, Saburo's eyes widened in fear when he found himself staring down Noboru's muzzle right into his ice blue eyes. "Saburo," he snarled, "someday has come sooner than either of us anticipated." With an angry roar, he took his brother's neck between his jaws and tore the front of his throat away. Saburo choked on his own blood as he bled into his windpipe, gasping for breath.

Grabbing his katana, Noboru regained his human appearance and sprinted out of his cell. A harvest moon hung low in the sky, a large yellow galleon floating in the black sea of the night. Near the cliff overlooking the ocean, he saw the white body of the fox-witch outlined in the moonlight. Stalking noiselessly behind her, he grabbed her and turned her around. Surprised, she let out a soft cry when she turned to meet Noboru's blue stare. "I am afraid we will not be meeting tomorrow, or ever again for that matter," he growled before reaching back his arm and severing her head with a swift stroke.

Removing her kimono from her headless body, he wrapped himself in it and watched as her blood seeped into the ground. Letting his breath out slowly, he closed his eyes as the cool night breeze wafted over him for the first time in almost half a year. Looking across the ocean, he thought of the people on the other side.

There was work to be done.

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kitsune sukai: fox witch (Japanese)

oni-san: older brother (Japanese)

o genki deska: how have you fared (Japanese)

chichue: extremely formal title for father (Japanese)

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"Preposterous! What reason could I possibly have for trusting you?" The man in red official robes glared down at Noboru's kneeling figure.

"You have none, and I can give you no assurances," Noboru conceded. "All I have is my word that on my honor, I speak the truth." Unapologetically meeting his eyes, he argued, "You know yourself that the Japanese have been scouting the coastline of Chosun for years. It is exactly as you feared. The shogun, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is planning an invasion of your country and unless you heed my warning and warn your monarch, there will be nothing left of this peninsula when they arrive!"

Admiral Yi Soon Shin, commander of the Left Cholla Navy, examined the kneeling samurai thoughtfully. Though he was wary of anyone Japanese, his intuition assured him that the man before him was not dissembling. Nodding for him to stand up, he gestured for Noboru to sit with him at his table, causing his staff to cry out in rage. Regarding them sternly, they submissively retreated under his glare.

Pouring a cup of tea, he offered it to the samurai with both hands -- a show of respect. Noboru returned his diplomatic gesture by accepting the cup with both hands and a bow of his head. "Please, tell me one thing." He watched the man's face closely for his reaction. "Why would a samurai, a warrior of Japan, know how to speak the language of Chosun?"

Noboru looked down at his cup and thought of Ji Eun. "I loved a woman who was of your country once. She saved my life even though I was a stranger and a foreigner. She was beautiful, intelligent, and loving, and she died after being raped at the hands of my countrymen." He looked into the admiral's eyes, his blue ones flashing with unfulfilled vengeance. "I will not bestow my allegiance upon a country that condones such practices. My code of honor as a warrior forbids it. I cannot undo the fact that I could not save her, but out of love for her memory, I can do what little I can to protect her people."

"What is your name?" the Admiral asked.

"I am Nagamori Noboru Takeo Tsuneo." He bowed deeply to the Admiral. "I offer you my sword in service to your people."

"It's a trick!" a captain named Yi Young Nam shouted. "He's obviously a plant sent here by the [Weh Nom] to feed us misleading information! [Jang goon], don't be taken in by his deception!"

"[Dagk chi ji mott halgga]? You will hold your tongue, Yi [goon gwan]!" Admiral Yi roared. Young Nam angrily lowered his eyes and stepped back. Turning back to Noboru, he looked at him earnestly and said, "It was not an easy task for you to bring me this information. You have risked much. I am grateful to you for your help and I will send word to the capital immediately." He chose to ignore the murmurs of displeasure behind him.

Feeling the venomous stares of the Chosun soldiers on his back, Noboru leaned forward and lowered his voice conspiratorially so that only the admiral could hear. "It would seem that you have made your situation considerably more difficult by following your instincts. You endanger your own position by going against popular opinion."

The admiral smiled faintly. "That is something that I have learned to grow accustomed to." Standing up, he motioned for Noboru to follow him. "Come, let me show you to your quarters."

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weh nom: derogatory term for Japanese people (Korean)

jang goon: admiral / general (Korean)

dagk chi ji mott halgga: silence (imperative, Korean)

goon gwon: title of captain (Korean)

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Sitting with the Admiral in his study, Noboru waited for him to finish reading the letter from the capital and was dismayed to see him lower the sheet of rice paper with a heavy sigh. Handing it to Noboru, he scanned the Chinese calligraphy in disbelief and cried, "They cannot be serious! How can they turn a blind eye to your warning?"

"It would not be the first time," Yi replied wearily. "The court believes that by assuming their enemy is weak, it will in fact be so."

Slamming his fist on the ground, Noboru stared at the ground in anguish. "The Japanese army has amassed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and an armada of ships is preparing as we speak to carry the invasion force to your shores! In less than a year's time the country will be laid waste!"

"I can only do so much without the permission of my sovereign." He had pushed King Son-jo to the limits of his patience more times than he wished to recount. His longtime friend at court, Minister Yu Song Ryong had all but destroyed his political career by defending Admiral Yi's actions to the king, time and time again.

Setting the paper back on his desk, he looked despairingly at the Admiral. "What will you do now, my friend?"

"The only thing I can do. Be as ready as possible for the moment when the invasion arrives. If their army intends to be the master on land, then I will make my navy mistress of the seas and force them to retreat by cutting off their lifeline to Japan." He refolded the letter calmly. "I will not surrender my country to them so easily. They must kill me first and I will not make it simple for them."