"Exhausting," he said, opening one eye and watching her impassively.

    "Poor darling, did those other girls tire you out?" she mocked, grinning at him. Stretching languidly, she watched him through slitted eyes. He really did seem tired, but there was something else, too—he seemed almost as if he were upset. Savoring his annoyance, she gracefully flipped back the covers of the bed, sitting up and stepping out of it with all the elegance of a queen. "I'm sure it was such hardship, letting them crawl all over you and paw and simper at you."

    "There's more to being the Seitokaicho than letting girls paw and simper," he said, closing his eyes. "Though I doubt you have any interest at all."

    One hand fluttered up to her chest, covering her heart as if stung. "You wound me. You know I adore you." Sarcasm dripped from her words like subtle poison.

    With a humorless laugh, he said, "You adore my money and my house and the status it gives you to be my current favorite."

    "True," she mused, walking toward him. "Those things are nice enough. But," she said, resting her palms on the arms of the chair and leaning towards him, "you know that I adore you, too."

    At that, his eyes opened and he smirked. "Liar," he said, not entirely displeased. Reaching up, he gently stroked the line of her jaw down to her naked shoulder. "Were you waiting for me?"

    She smiled slowly. "If I was?"

    "I'm not in the mood for your games," he said, and though there was no irritation in his voice, she knew that it was just under the surface.

    "It was a bad day, wasn't it?" she asked, her voice full of blatantly false sympathy. "Poor Touga. Shall I rub your shoulders?"

    The smirk slowly left his face. "I don't care what you do," he said, his voice emotionless.

    Her smile didn't waver in the least. It was such fun making him angry—he enjoyed her enough at other times that when she did aim to aggravate him, he generally ignored it. She knew he didn't particularly care about her; he liked her wit and conversation, and she was good in bed, but that was all. She didn't particularly care about him either.

    The only problem was that she refused to giggle and fawn over him the way his mindless adorers did. Sometimes he enjoyed the change. Other times, like now, he was annoyed by it.

    Of course, it wasn't exactly a problem from her point of view. "Heartless beast," she chuckled, sliding herself into his lap. Her fingers flicked along the fastenings of his uniform's shirt, undoing them one by one. "Are you so cold that you won't feel my hands on your body?"

    That gained a small and bitter smile. "That depends." He made no move to stop her; neither did he encourage her. "Can you make me feel anything at all?"

    "I can and I will," she purred, and then leaned down to lick at his bared chest.

    As she'd known, it had little effect. He was in an especially black mood tonight. Turning his face away from her, he said, "Your talents will be wasted tonight. I'm not in the mood for company."

    "Oh, we are upset," she mocked. Parodying desperation, she continued, "Whatever shall I do?"

    "You can leave," he said, apathetically gesturing in the direction of the door. "I would prefer some quiet."

    "I can't very well leave as I am." The girl gestured to her nakedness, and slowly smiled. "And I said that I could make you feel something. It would be a shame if I were to renege." Running her nails across his chest, she lightly teased at the edges of his uniform, pulling it open.

    Touga caught her hands in his, frowning, and held them still. "You bore me. Find some other bed—I've already said that I want to be alone."

    "Poor Touga. Are you feeling sorry for yourself?" His eyes narrowed; she'd hit the heart of the matter. "What's the matter? Some little peasant refuse the royal attentions?"

    "What business is it of yours?" he asked coldly. "Go and bother someone else."

    "So you're human after all," she said, still smiling.

    "And you're entirely too annoying for my taste. Leave."

    "I don't feel like leaving," she chuckled. "I'll stay here."

    His scowl growing deeper by the moment, he asked, low and dangerous, "Do I have to throw you out?"

    Ignoring the threat, the girl smiled brightly at him and stood, sashaying around the chair he sat in, mocking his anger. "So what happened, darling? Did you lose one of your silly kendo matches? Did some girl refuse you? You're such a simple creature—the only time you ever get upset is when someone denies you something." Catching a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye, she saw his hands tightening on the arms of his chair. She was having more effect than she'd hoped for—satisfying. Her smile grew as she continued. "The great and powerful Kiryuu Touga. I wonder how many people know that all you really are is a spoiled little tyrant, the product of years of never having to try for anything at all." Stopping in front of him, she turned to face him and said, with more than a hint of evil glee, "Typical superiority complex. You're a textbook case, darling."

    "Your psychoanalysis is not appreciated," Touga said, enunciating the words carefully. "Get your clothes and leave. Now."

    "Oh, we can't have that, can we. Kiryuu Touga, a textbook case? A standard? How insulting—to think that in any way you might be normal." She took a step closer. "Don't you ever wonder, sometimes, whether you're really worth all the things you have? Don't you wonder whether those girls would still flock to you if you didn't have your money, or your looks, or your charm? Don't you wonder whether all that adoration is deserved?" She smiled secretively. "I think you do. And I think you know, sometimes, that you're right to wonder."

    Touga was still. Silent. His eyes bored into her, blue flames of rage.

    Watching him for a long time had paid off. The girl took another step toward him, flicking her fingers at him in disdain. "They don't really want you. And they're not your trophies—you're theirs."

    His hand whipped out and caught hers, yanking her forward so that she stumbled into him. Deftly, he caught her, throwing her across his lap and planting his hand between her shoulder blades to hold her down.

    Even though she had a good idea of what would happen, she continued to mock him, her nails biting into her palms. "Oh, no, someone's defied Kiryuu Touga. Insolence isn't tolerated around—" She hissed as the first stinging slap landed on her bare buttocks.

    It was brutal. In moments there were tears streaming down her cheeks, the heavy blows coming one after another, without any sort of respite whatsoever. Biting her lip to keep in the cries of pain was all the girl could do to hold herself back—she struggled and scratched and fought, trying to kick and dig her nails into his legs, or push herself up from his lap, but it was no use. He was too strong for her. She knew that she was only wearing herself out more, but she couldn't help fighting.

    The minutes stretched out into eons, her scuffling and the hard smack of his palm against her the only sounds audible in the room. Over and over, the jarring blows landed; she felt as if she might scream sometimes, so painful were they. Each time he hit her, it was placed to cause the most pain, the analytical part of her mind noted, each blow falling in a surprising or already-tender spot.

    The rest of her mind was more concerned with the agony she was going through. Though she tried to hold it back, she could feel the sobs trying to escape her, her teeth sinking deeper into her lip until she could taste the salt of blood.

    It was that salt taste that finally broke her down. Her chest hitching, the girl let out a soft cry, knowing that it was the signal that he'd won. As soon as he heard it, the blows began to lighten. Then, surprising her, he began to caress the bruised skin with the tips of his fingers. The girl squirmed, the gentle touch feeling magnified a thousand-fold by the tenderness of her skin.

    "I'm unwanted, a trophy, with no worth of my own?" Touga asked, and there was a taunting note to his voice. His fingers slipped down, nudging her thighs apart enough to be able to stroke them.

    In spite of the beating she'd just taken, or perhaps because of it, the girl felt the stir of arousal in the pit of her stomach. "That's what I said," she snapped, trying desperately to stem her tears.

    This time, Touga did not slap her. Instead, his fingers crept higher, teasing her desire into full bloom. "Then why are you the one naked and sobbing, and…" His smile was evident in his voice as he probed delicately and then thrust a finger inside her. "…apparently more than happy to be that way?"

    "I'm not!" she protested, trying to push herself up.

    Her movement was met with the withdrawal of his finger and a volley of sharp blows that started her crying anew. "Isn't it strange," he mused between strikes. "I never would have thought you'd have a taste for humiliation."

    "I d-don't!" she cried, trying to squirm away from his hand.

    "For all your psychoanalysis of me, you don't seem to know yourself very well at all," he said, grim humor in his voice. His hand landed once more, hard and punishing, and then moved lower again, finding her admittedly moist passage. Soon the rhythmic movement of his finger inside her had her arching her back, moaning in between sobs. "You enjoy this," Touga said, laughing silently at her.

    "I-"

    "You do."

    There was such assurance in his voice that she snarled, "Fuck you, Kiryuu Touga. If you ever lay a finger on me again—"

    His answer was in the form of another hard slap. "You'll lie there and cry," he said, observing her reaction. Once he tired of simply smacking her, he went back to playing with her, bringing her near the point of orgasm and then driving it back with a few well-placed blows. Again and again he did this, until she was drained and shaking, her body barely able to tell the difference between pleasure and the pain. Her insults gradually faded to mere whimpers. Then, with a soft laugh, he said, "Are you finished?"

    She nodded wordlessly.

    His hand lifted from between her shoulder blades, and he helped her up onto shaky legs, standing as well. Clinging to him, she started to pull his shirt off, and he laughed again and helped her to the bed, his hands busy on her unbruised skin. "You're going to be sore for a while," he whispered between kisses. "Was it worth it?"

    She made no answer; pulling at his pants, pulling him down onto the bed.

    Afterward, her heart still racing and her backside throbbing, she sighed softly and relaxed against his side.

    "Was it worth it?" he asked, and there was a hint, a shading, really, of uncertainty in his tone.

    "I can never stay angry with you," she murmured, the tip of her finger describing circles on his chest. Suddenly she smiled. "I told you I could make you feel something."

    To say the most extenuating circumstances Yasha wrote fall to Touga is a bit of an understatement. Admittedly, special attention was paid to him. Not only because he's Yasha's favorite, but because it took very specific circumstances to get him to behave this way. Once in a lifetime circumstances. The difficultly inherent in getting Touga to snap is also why this girl has a bit more depth than the others, which we preferred to leave open to interpretation. We had a bit of elbow room with the rest of the cast, so Touga was a challenge. Everything had to be JUST so.

    We start off with Touga in one of his classic brooding moods. Perhaps the foie gras wasn't prepared quite to his liking. Maybe his Chopin CD broke. Considering the ease with which he falls into such states, it wasn't necessary to give a reason why. Of course, you're free to blame Akio, as that is the standard for explaining any unfavorable behaviors on Touga's part.

    The keener among you might notice this girl is a bitch. Judging from what you see of his exploits in the series, she doesn't seem like someone that would occupy a high place in his regard. After all, Touga's primarily interested in getting his ego stroked, and this girl doesn't seem amenable to groveling. But this makes her special. She stands out among the drones, and that makes her a rare commodity in Touga's sex life. As explained in the scenario: she's (usually) a welcome break from the throngs he's accustomed to. It's lonely at the top, and it's nice to indulge in the company of someone who doesn't fall all over themselves talking to you. He doesn't have to play prince for her—she has a pretty good idea what he's about and accepts it, apparently preferring it to his Casanova act.

    Is it love? Maybe. There's obviously some emotional attachment between them, and if they don't care about each other they at least enjoy the other's company enough to maintain a working relationship. The girl's motives for provoking him are mostly of an ill nature—she's genuinely amused by pissing him off, which is understandable. He's funny when he's about to blow a fuse. However, by getting him to throw this fit, she's coaxed him into a much faster recovery than would be obtained from his usual brooding, and she acquired his attention when he was being difficult about giving it. For his part, that he stayed in the room at all shows a certain level of comfort with the girl, Touga would've been running for the door the moment she started ridiculing him if he didn't value her at all.

    Most people have a hard time swallowing that Touga can be driven to a breaking point. Touga never loses his cool. Ever. The show didn't help; throughout Touga's trials and tribulations it never becomes anyone's goal to anger him to the point of fury. You don't see him lose his cool in a situation. He always manages to isolate himself and brood when he needs to, so that we aren't shown what happens when he's backed into a corner and an immediate reaction is necessary. Touga does have a breaking point though, and that's how he ends up spanking our vicious little friend.

    Touga's reasons for choosing to punish her are essentially the same as Saionji's, though his wrath was harder earned. An insolent woman, by acting in the manner of a child, earned a punishment fit for one. This is as far as you can compare the two. Touga chose to spank her for wildly different reasons—most, in their own way, more malicious in nature than Saionji's, for their following a stronger line of thought.

    Saionji had set out simply to discipline a bad girl. Touga was less interested in discipline as he was in breaking her. Something Touga is uniquely qualified to do—he does sport a natural flair for emotional manipulation, though he wields it with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Combine that with years of developing quick reactions in the kendo hall and you've got someone who can find the flaws in a person's defense and exploit them quite literally without thinking about it.

    A lot went on back in the recesses of Touga's mind before he started spanking her. He saw that the girl was prideful and considered herself mature. She would most object to being humiliated, and she would be most humiliated at being treated like a child. That she got off on it made things much easier for him—he had an excuse for his actions. Touga chose the one thing he could do that he'd easily get out of when it was over. Had he simply hit her, or yelled at her, he would have been left with the fact that he lost his temper. Spanking, thanks to its innate suggestive nature, allowed him to lead into sex and treat his loss of control like it had been foreplay.

    Sounds like he sat there for a couple hours thinking this through, right? Certainly not. Touga doesn't have to. He's so used to methodically choosing his actions to best benefit him that he doesn't have to spend time or thought on it. It's as automatic for him as defending himself in a kendo match. It's automatic because it defines him. It's what he does best. He wins.

    This would seem to betray a certain familiarity with discipline that Touga really just doesn't have. If secondary evidence would show Saionji growing up in a strict home, the same would indicate Touga's growing up almost totally void of rules and discipline. He was likely raised by a nanny, and chastised by no one; he's not in a position to relate spanking to discipline because he's never experienced it firsthand. Instead, Touga would take the line of logic backwards—he already knows it's sexual, so instead of seeing it as sexual because it's discipline, he sees it as discipline because it's sexual.

    It fits so well here because sex is a language both Touga and this girl speak fluently; her physical defeat was marked by her crying, but she was defeated just as terribly by being turned on. He first claimed a physical triumph, and then enjoyed the psychological one, which doubtless tasted much sweeter to him. A simply physical victory is no amazing feat; he's a strong, able-bodied man very capable of taking down a young woman. Rather than use violence he can't account for, he used an impulse moment of vaguely sexual aggression to turn his situation into a mind game. In this way he can enjoy his winnings on the psychological front without having to face the bottom line: he snapped and hit a woman. That's the whole point of this set-up. All that matters now is how he recalls it, and to his perceptions he didn't. It never happened. If this girl ever pointed out that his victory started with a loss of self control, much like a cat that runs into a mirror, he'll act like that's exactly how he meant it to look.

    What started out as rage ended up a testament to his position of control over this heretofore uncooperative girl, and in a wider sense, proof that Touga always gets the reaction Touga wants. Fetish or not, he'll spank you and by god, you'll like it. He'll humiliate you, and you'll take it. Because he's Touga Kiryuu. And you're just a girl, sobbing on his knee and insisting it doesn't turn you on.

    This is the power of Touga's ego. He gets everything he wants, and he's above having to account for anything. Not only does he effectively end a situation that was going poorly for him, but he created one that worked almost entirely in his favor. That's Touga for you. One minute he's in a horrible mood and blowing his top and the next he's scoring hardcore ego points by giving this girl a little psychoanalysis of his own.

    The amusing twist is that both parties got what they wanted, and both parties will leave the experience thinking they 'won'. Touga got his ego stroked and got over his brooding with some hot sex. The girl got Touga's attention when she wanted it by getting him over his mood, and she also got some hot sex. That's the way he operates: Touga always wins, and women always leave smiling. No matter what.

Essays
Personality + Relationship + Narrative + Miscellany + Music

Context
Introduction + Characters + Reference + Submission

Go Home
Analysis of Utena + Empty Movement