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BronxWench

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  3. Log in troubles

    in Archive Tech Support

    Posted

    We don't actually use security questions, but I was able to locate your account information, and have sent your password information to your email account.

    Please note that before you try to log in under the new code, you need to make sure your password is at least 8 characters. If you haven't read the new FAQs, this one is a good place to start. You might also want to clear your cookies before doing anything.

    Sandcastles and Fireworks

    in General RP

    Posted

    Erion looked at Yuji, and his eyes were wide and bright as he looked at the gorgeous ring, the subtle layering of the metal intricate and elegantly simple at the same time. Tears of pure joy beaded in his silver lashes, but his voice was clear and steady when he spoke.

    "Yuji, I love you beyond the power of mere words to convey. Yes, I accept your ring, and your promise, with all my heart, in love and joy. And I offer you a promise of my own. I promise to love you faithfully for all my days, to make you smile and laugh and scream for all the right reasons, and a few wrong ones as well. I promise to listen, I promise to respect you, and I promise to go wildly astray from time to time. I promise to grow older, but never to grow up. But most of all, I promise to never forget that I love you, with all that I am, and I promise our love will only grow deeper and stronger for all eternity."

    Yuji laughed a little as he slipped the ring onto Erion's right forefinger, and then fished the other ring out of his pocket, asking in a teasing tone, "You think you'd like a ring to go with that promise?"

    Erion blushed a little, knowing he had been just a little eager, but he took the ring with a sweet giggle and held it ready as he waited for Yuji's answer. "Thank you, my love."

    Yuji leaned in and kissed Erion lovingly, presenting his right hand to Erion, his voice husky with love and passion when he answered. "I accept your ring and your promise, my little love. Thank you."

    Erion slipped the ring onto Yuji's right forefinger, and his smile was as bright as the sun itself when he looked up at Yuji. "My husband..." he whispered, his face tilted at just the right angle, and Yuji crashed their lips together in a searing kiss.

    Yuji moaned into the kiss, grabbing Erion's glass and putting it on the table beside them, his other hand grabbing Erion's tie and pulling it loose.

    "My husband." Yuji whispered as he broke the kiss and nibbled on Erion's neck, pulling Erion's jacket off him with desperate urgency.

    "Oh, fuck, Yuki," Yuji moaned, and grabbing the front of Erion's shirt he ripped it open, the buttons flying in every direction, his cock throbbing hard against Erion's ass, as he pushed the little elf against the window, his long fingers tweaking Erion's nipples.

    Erion moaned happily, pushing his ass back against Yuji's thick cock as his nipples tightened and pebbled under Yuji's fingers. He reached up and behind himself to tangle slim fingers in Yuji's hair, his own cock hard and tenting his trousers, and the silk of his tie brushed against his bare skin and made him shiver in delight.

    "Yuji, fuck, yes," Erion moaned between kisses, his whole body tingling in anticipation.

    Yuji growled possessively, and shrugged off his own jacket, ripping open his own shirt and tie and shrugging them off as well, without ever taking his hands off Erion. One-handed, Yuji grabbed Erion's tie and pulled it off his neck, his other hand grabbing Erion's hands and pinning them to the glass above their heads. He wrapped Erion's silk tie around Erion's wrists, and held his hands still above them.

    He continued to nibble on Erion's neck and ears, while his other hand traveled down to Erion's nipples and teased the tight little nubs for a few moments, before continuing down to Erion's belt and with only a few quick tugs, Yuji had Erion's trousers and his pants pooling around the elf's knees.

    "You are too perfect, Yuki. I can't understand how we can see you in peace at home all the time. Hell, I want to pounce you every hour sometimes," Yuji moaned, quickly unfastening his own pants and letting out a soft howl when he pressed his throbbing cock into Erion's ass, the thick shaft sliding against the silken skin of Erion's crack.

    Erion moaned louder, pressing his ass back and writhing to feel Yuji's cock move along the cleft between his pert cheeks. "You're so fucking perfect yourself, Yuji. If I told you how many times a day I think about how good it feels when I have your cock in me as far as it can go... well, let's just say I'm a little pervert and greedy, too." He could feel the heat of Yuji's cock through the fabric that still separated them, and he pressed back again with a wanton little wiggle.

    Yuji growled again, pulling the tube of lube out of his pocket before he shoved his own pants and boxers down, coating his cock with lube one handed, and then grabbed one of Erion's cheeks harshly, spreading them to look at the tight little pucker that lay between his round cheeks.

    "I love you, Yuki," Yuji whispered, and pressed the head of his cock into Erion's tight ass. For a moment nothing happened, then suddenly the head of Yuji's cock slipped into the tight little ass and Yuji howled softly in pleasure.

    "You are just the perfect combination of perverted and greedy and I fucking love it, baby," Yuji moaned, only hesitating for a moment before he started to push into Erion's ass slow and steady.

    Erion's back arched a little, the glorious tiger tattoo writhing on his pale skin, and the burn of Yuji's entry was simply perfect. Erion had to fight the urge to slam himself home on that thick and generous cock, because it was far too delicious to let Yuji control things. The silk around Erion's wrists was incredibly erotic, and the young elf let out the most wanton little mewl.

    Yuji chuckled at the wanton display, and he could feel Erion's desire to have him buried balls deep in that delectable ass, so Yuji slowed his movements even more, and tightened his grip on Erion's wrists a little more, stretching Erion's hands above their heads against the glass, making Erion's nipples touch the cold window pane.

    "You are so wanton, my little husband. You need to learn how to enjoy it. Draw out the pleasure until you forget which way goes up, and honestly don't care anymore," Yuji purred into Erion's ear, nibbling on the rosy tip of Erion's ear, his hand tight on Erion's hip, to make sure that the little elf wouldn't move.

    "Yes, Yuji," Erion managed to gasp out, his spine tingling from the cold glass against his sensitive nipples, his ear tip under such a delectable assault from Yuji's mouth that the young elf could barely concentrate enough to form words. He had to admit that Yuji was right, however. His cock was achingly hard, and precum was already beading on the tip, but there was something so arousing about drawing out the pleasure, about letting Yuji take over. Erion was not truly a submissive, but at this moment in time, he understood exactly how Vale felt, and why Vale was so happy to be Yuji's submissive. Yuji was perfectly masterful, with the exact amount of domination to make Erion delirious with bliss.

    Yuji hummed softly under his breath when Erion gave himself over to Yuji so perfectly, his slender body practically vibrating between Yuji and the large window. Slowly but surely Yuji's cock sank into that tight little ass, and after what felt like hours, his balls were snug against the pale golden globes of Erion's ass.

    Yuji stopped for a moment, to let Erion adjust completely, and then he drew out quicker than he entered, although the movement was still slow. When only the head of his cock was just barely within the round muscle, he stopped again and grinned wickedly, knowing that Erion could see his reflection in the window.

    Yuji growled softly, "Mine," and slammed into Erion's ass so hard that skin slapped against skin, and he set a hard and deep pace, Erion's pink nibbles rubbing against the glass with every thrust.

    Erion yelped when Yuji slammed into his ass, and when Yuji growled his claim into Erion's ear, the little elf could not suppress a shiver of utter delight.

    "Oh, fuck, yes," Erion moaned as Yuji plundered his willing ass, his nipples heated against the chilled glass. "Yours, yes."

    Erion watched as best he could the delicious vision of Yuji behind him, taking him hard and deep, the reflection in the glass shadowy which made it even more inviting. He turned his head a little to sneak a peek at Yuji, and he shivered again at the intense look on his new husband's face. He looked back up at the beautiful pale ring on his right forefinger, and moaned in utter bliss as Yuji drove into his prostate at that exact moment.

    Yuji relished the tight heat around his cock, and the shadowy reflection of Erion's wanton face in the window made it all the more delicious. Yuji slowed his thrusts down again, only a little, so he could kick his pants and boxers off, and then he used his foot to push Erion's pants and underpants down completely, making the little elf step out of them.

    Once Erion's legs were free, Yuji pushed him a little closer to the window, and made Erion press his cock against the cold glass, his precum smearing across the glass as Yuji's pace picked up again, and he moaned hungrily into Erion's neck.

    The friction of the glass against his cock ramped things up a notch for Erion, and he was torn between the wonderful cold pressure of the glass and the intensely perfect feeling of Yuji's cock filling his ass entirely. His head fell back onto Yuji's shoulder as he whined in complete abandon, pushing back against Yuji's cock only to surge forward to return to the feeling of chilly glass against his hot cock. Erion could feel his balls tightening, and his whine became a soft howl.

    Yuji growled with every thrust, his teeth teasing the soft skin of Erion's neck, in between nibbling on his ears, the delicate tips feeling warm against Yuji's tongue. He could feel his balls getting heavy, his orgasm drawing close, but he was not going to spill before Erion did. This night was all about Erion, and he had promised himself that he would wear Erion out before the night was over.

    Reaching around Erion's slim waist, Yuji grabbed the slender cock in his hand and stroked hard, in time with his thrusts, and his teeth scraped against the sensitive tip of Erion's ear.

    Erion's knees nearly buckled when Yuji's long fingers wrapped around his cock, the strong strokes perfectly timed with the the deep thrusts of Yuji's cock. It took only a few strokes for Erion to surrender, his balls tight and ready to empty.

    "Yuji, fuck, I can't," Erion panted, and his cock twitched hard in Yuji's hand as he painted the window with thick white ropes of cum, his ass closing so tightly around Yuji's cock that Yuji could not move for a moment.

    Yuji let out a loud cry when Erion's ass clamped down around his cock, and for a moment he could not move, Erion's cum painting the window with long white stripes. Yuji pulled Erion away from the window, bending Erion's arms back behind his head, milking every drop from the young elf, and when Erion's ass twitched around his cock, his own balls jumped up hard and he spilled himself into the tight heat with a loud howl.

    "Oh, fuck, Yuki!" Yuji screamed, and milked himself into the tight little ass, his hand tight around Erion's waist to keep the little elf upright.

    Erion sobbed with pleasure, his cock twitching as the last drops of cum spattered the window, and then Yuji came, and his ass was filled with the heat of Yuji's cum. Erion's ass tightened again, and he pressed down on Yuji's cock, wanting to milk every drop of that glorious heat from his husband, his nipples hard as pebbles. His wrists were held firmly in Yuji's strong hand, his arms bent backwards, and he was utterly, perfectly at Yuji's mercy, a strong arm holding him up as his knees tried to buckle.

    Yuji ground against Erion's ass, draining himself completely into Erion's sweet ass. By the time the last waves of his orgasm washed over him his own knees were trembling and he suddenly got the urge to just cuddle with Erion. The thought made him chuckle, because he often got that feeling after Vale had given him a thorough pouncing in bed. Yuji drew a couple of deep breaths, to steady himself and then he withdrew slowly, letting Erion's arms go, and loosening the tie from Erion's wrists.

    He turned Erion around and picked the slender youth up, carrying him over to the luxurious couch and sat down with Erion in his arms.

    An invisible servant brought their champagne glasses over and refilled their glasses again, and Yuji grabbed a large chocolate covered cherry and brought it up to Erion's lips.

    "My love? Did I wear you out on the first round?" Yuji asked with a teasing tone.

    Erion looked up at Yuji, his pink tongue licking the cherry lasciviously. "Not quite. Just give me a moment to catch my breath and remember how knees are supposed to work." He nibbled the cherry, his lips soft on Yuji's fingers. "That was outrageous and wonderful. Do you think anyone was watching us in the window? I hope so. I bet we looked utterly perfect."

    Erion wrapped his arms around Yuji's neck, arching his back just a little, sweetly provocative. He took a glass of champagne from the invisible servant, and then giggled a little. "Good idea, borrowing one of Masato's conjures."

    Yuji chuckled and kissed Erion before popping the cherry into his mouth, and accepting the glass from the invisible servant. "Tonight is supposed to be all about you, my love, so I decided that we needed servants. And bringing our own servants did come off just a tiny bit too perverted..." Yuji laughed happily, but then continued. "The invisible ones don't complain. If they do, they'll complain to Masato. Poor things will be in therapy for centuries after they watch what I have in store for you, my sweet love."

    Yuji reached out and grabbed a plump strawberry, dipping it quickly into a bowl of melted chocolate and then made Erion arch his chest, and let the warm chocolate drip down on to Erion's chest and nipples, purring happily, "Mmm, chocolate covered elf. Why haven't I thought of that before?"

    Erion let out a squeal of delight as the warm chocolate covered his nipples, the sensitive little nubs tingling as they tightened just a bit. "I don't know, but I like it. It feels tingly and warm." He licked a little chocolate from Yuji's fingers. "I bet the invisible servants are all going to be horribly jealous and complain to Masato that they want to be visible for a day so they can do wicked things like this."

    Yuji chuckled and dipped the strawberry into the chocolate again, dripping long lines of dark chocolate over Erion's pale golden skin, bringing the strawberry up to Erion's lips to smear them with chocolate before offering Erion a bite of the berry.

    "I could paint you all in chocolate and spend all night licking it off," Yuji chuckled and bent down to scrape the chocolate off Erion's nipple with his teeth, suckling on the sensitive nub. "I'm going to have to lick it all off before we can take our bath," Yuji mumbled, licking the chocolate off Erion's chest.

    Erion barely registered the word "bath," his eyes locked on the sight of Yuji feasting on the chocolate that covered him so liberally. Erion's cock was already stiffening again, and he writhed as Yuji suckled his nipple hard, his back arching into the caress. The strawberry was sweet on his tongue, and mingled with the chocolate, and Erion let out a little gasp as Yuji's tongue dragged across his heated skin.

    "I honestly don't know what tastes better, you or the chocolate," Yuji moaned softly, this time dipping his finger into the chocolate to draw on Erion's chest.

    Yuji grinned goofily at Erion, and kept dipping his finger tip into the warm chocolate as he continued to draw what felt like a kanji symbol. When he was finally finished, Yuji looked at his creation, and laughed happily.

    "Nope. Chocolate is not good to write kanji with. That was supposed to be Ai, but I can't see that now," Yuji said with a goofy giggle, and stuck his finger in his mouth to suck the chocolate off his finger.

    Erion looked up at Yuji, his eyes bright with love. "Aishiteru, Yuji." He arched up to lick a tiny dab of chocolate from the corner of Yuji's mouth, slim fingers tangling in Yuji's hair as he nuzzled Yuji's ear. Subsiding back into Yuji's lap, Erion reached over to snag a plump dark cherry, swirling it in the chocolate and offering it to Yuji.

    Yuji smiled lovingly at Erion and trapped the cherry between his lips. He sucked it slowly into his mouth, letting Erion pull the stem free, then he dipped his head and licked a stripe of chocolate off Erion's chest again.

    "Aishiteru, Yuki. My beautiful little husband. I'm telling you, it's going to take me until tomorrow to realize that you've actually accepted my ring. This is just glorious," Yuji said with a smile, offering Erion another plump strawberry.

    Erion bit into the strawberry, a little juice spilling over his full lower lip and onto his chin. He looked at Yuji with eyes dark with desire, and he lifted his slim right hand, his new ring gleaming softly, and traced the line of Yuji's jaw. "Oh, I've accepted, all right, and it is glorious. So now, you have me entirely at your disposal. What other wonderfully wicked tricks do you have up our sleeve?" He arched his back a little, his tongue peeking out to dab at the strawberry juice on his lip.

    Yuji bent down and licked the juices from Erion's chin up to his lips and then pressed his tongue in to plunder Erion's mouth deeply. When he was sure Erion was utterly breathless, he broke the kiss and whispered, "Oh, that would be telling now, wouldn't it?" At the same time he pressed the sleek bullet into Erion's loosened ass, feathering his finger over the tight opening a little as the toy disappeared inside. Yuji grinned a little wickedly, bending down to lick some of the semi hardened chocolate off Erion's chest.

    Erion's eyes widened a little as he felt the bullet slip in, and he gave Yuji a quick grin as he wriggled a little under the onslaught from Yuji's tongue. His cock was fully hard, and he traced the edge of Yuji's ear, delighted when he coaxed a groan from Yuji. "I guess I'll have to wait to be surprised, won't I?"

    "It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, you silly little thing. That would be like warning you, before I do this..." Yuji said with a grin, and right when he stopped warm chocolate dripped over the head of Erion's cock.

    Yuji chuckled wickedly when he felt Erion twitch in his arms, and he lay Erion's back down on the couch, hooking his arm behind Erion's knees to keep them steady, while his other hand splayed on Erion's chocolate covered chest, to keep him laying down, and finally Yuji's lips wrapped around Erion's cock, a mouthful of champagne in his mouth, the champagne bubbles tickling the sensitive skin of Erion's cock.

    Erion mewled at the sensation of the bubbles along his cock, his eyes widening even more, and he did his best not to wriggle or buck his hips. "Oh, fuck," he whispered, one hand fisting in his own hair while the other gripped the back of the couch tightly. His ass clenched around the bullet, and he gasped as it nudged his prostate.

    Yuji hummed a little, agitating the bubbles of the champagne as he took Erion in all the way, then swallowed the champagne and with it around the head of Erion's cock. He swallowed a couple of times, enjoying Erion's responses, then pulled back, his cheeks hollowed, his tongue teasing the cleft mercilessly for a few moments, before he took Erion in again, to the root. Yuji moaned softly, and when Erion's back arched a little, Yuji pushed another sleek bullet into Erion's loosened ass, holding on to the string to make it slide in slowly.

    Yuji let the small toy slip inside of Erion's ass very slowly, while he fucked his own mouth on Erion's cock, pulling off for only a fraction of a second to take another mouthful of champagne, before resuming his ministrations, his fingers teasing Erion's prostate gently from the outside.

    Erion moaned, his back arching uncontrollably as his chest pressed into Yuji's hand, the two bullets moving inside him in a way to make sparks shoot up his spine. The sparks matched the sensation of the champagne on his cock, and Yuji's wicked tongue as it teased the cleft underneath before Yuji swallowed Erion to the root again. Yuji's finger prodded his prostate from the outside, and Erion felt his balls beginning to tighten.

    "Yuji, oh, fuck, I'm not going to last, baby," Erion gasped, and then let out a soft howl at the combined sensations wracking him so deliciously.

    Yuji teased the cleft of Erion's cock for a few moments, then let the generous cock slip from his lips, and his eyes were burning with lust when he looked up at Erion with a predatory smile and turned on both bullets at once, ramping them up to the second highest setting.

    Erion choked back a scream as his back arched sharply, his body forming a beautiful bow as his balls erupted and cum geysered from his twitching cock to splatter the little elf's chest and face. His ass clamped down on the vibrating bullets, and both Erion's hands fisted in his silver hair as his back arched even tighter, tears leaking from the corners of his tightly shut eyes.

    Yuji gasped quietly at the beautiful image that Erion made as he came, his eyes taking in everything from the beautiful arch of Erion's back, to the white cum splattering his chocolate covered chest, and his cock twitching so beautifully.

    When Erion's muscles began to vibrate slightly under his pale skin, Yuji quickly turned both the bullets off at the same time and pulled Erion into his embrace again, cradling the elf against his chest, soothing his silver hair.

    "You are so beautiful, my love," Yuji whispered, pressing soft kisses to Erion's forehead and cheeks, wiping the tears from his temples gently.

    Erion's muscles slowly relaxed, his breathing a big ragged for a couple of minutes, and then his silver eyes opened wide, filled with a bright happiness. "Oh, thank you, baby. That was wonderful." He shifted a little in Yuji's lap and hissed as the bullets moved and prodded his prostate.

    Yuji smiled lovingly at him, his own cock throbbing gently against Erion's hip. "Do you want me to remove the bullets now, or do you think you can handle having them in for a while longer, my love?" Yuji asked, cupping Erion's cheeks lovingly to look Erion in the eyes.

    "You were perfect. That was so beautiful," Yuji added with a smile, and he wiped a small smudge of cum off Erion's cheek, sticking his finger into his own mouth to savor the taste of Erion's cum.

    "Mm, leave the bullets," Erion murmured. He looked down at his chest, covered in chocolate and cum, and he giggled. "I'm a freaking mess, but I feel so fucking good right now."

    Erion wriggled slightly, prodding Yuji's cock with his hip gently. "How can Vale stand to let you out of bed?"

    Yuji laughed a little, waving a hand at their champagne glasses and an invisible servant handed the glasses to them immediately.

    "He only does because I tell him to," Yuji joked, throwing back the rest of his champagne. He swiped his thumb over Erion's thick bottom lip and tugged on it a little bit, asking in a husky voice, "So, how talented is that mouth of yours? Has Kansas taught you any of his little tricks?"

    Erion's grin was utterly wanton. "Oh, I've picked up a few tricks. I may not be the most talented out there, but I can hold my own." He finished off his own champagne, and slid carefully off Yuji's lap to kneel on the floor between Yuji's knees. The bullets shifted inside his tender ass, and Erion's eyes half closed as he purred a little, enjoying the sparks that flowed up his spine and into his belly.

    Erion looked at Yuji's generous cock, the head almost purple with engorgement and a few drops of precum already dotting the velvety crown. Erion could not help licking away those glistening droplets, savoring the taste of Yuji like a fine wine.

    Yuji sank back on the couch, sliding his ass a little closer to the edge, and spreading his thighs wide to accommodate Erion between them. He smiled down at Erion and told him with an encouraging nod,

    "Don't worry about getting the furniture dirty. Masato assured me that the servants will clean it all up before we leave and the staff here won't notice anything."

    He held out his glass and an invisible servant filled it again, as well as Erion's glass, and then Yuji reached for a strawberry, coating it in warm chocolate, sat back again, arching an eyebrow at Erion, as if to tell him to go on.

    Erion needed no further encouragement, sliding his slim hands up along Yuji's thighs as his head dipped lower over Yuji's glorious cock. His breath was hot as his tongue darted out to lap at the slit, the very tip teasing the weeping opening before Erion wrapped his tongue around the entire head. His wicked tongue dragged across the tender cleft slowly, savoring the small shivers that rippled across Yuji's thighs as Erion's lips sank slowly down Yuji's cock. His agile tongue traced patterns along the underside of Yuji's cock along the way, always coming back to press against the thick vein that ran along the underside.

    Erion's lips were stretched around Yuji's girth, but the little elf showed absolutely no hesitation as he continued his slow descent over that thick cock. He did not even pause when it hit the back of his throat, merely tilted his head slightly and let it slip slowly into his throat, breathing easily through his nose as he swallowed the generous cock to the root.

    Yuji watched with fascination as Erion's mouth sank over his cock, taking him in to the root without hesitation, and when the head of his cock slipped into the elf's throat Yuji's head fell back against the back of the couch, and he let out a loud moan of pleasure, his chest heaving slightly.

    "Oh, fuck baby. That is so good," he moaned, his eyes fluttering closed for the slightest moment, but then focused again on Erion, watching him with rising heat.

    Erion let his tongue slide out past his lower lip to lap at Yuji's balls, humming lightly and sending a vibration up Yuji's cock. It was a delicate vibration, just enough to tease without pushing Yuji too far along, and Erion slowly moved his hands to slide along Yuji's golden thighs a little more as he began to pull back on Yuji's cock as slowly as he had engulfed it. Erion's cheeks hollowed with the suction he created as he withdrew, pulling off Yuji's cock with a soft pop.

    Erion's head dropped lower, and his tongue snaked out to wrap around one of Yuji's balls, caressing it as Erion carefully wrapped his lips around the velvety orb. He cradled it in his mouth, teasing it with his tongue and rolling it slightly before he gently released it and teased the other ball the same way. Then he ran his tongue along the underside of Yuji's cock until he reached the head, wrapping his lips around it and teasing the cleft before engulfing Yuji to the root once more, slow and lascivious. This time Erion's humming was a little louder, the vibrations stronger as he swallowed firmly, his nose buried in the soft raven curls at the base of Yuji's cock.

    Yuji's hands fisted around the edge of the cushions, fighting the urge to fist in Erion's hair and fuck that delectable mouth hard and deep. Yuji moaned softly while Erion played with his balls, the sound growing louder when Erion's lips wrapped around the head of his cock again.

    Yuji let out a soft howl as Erion reached the base of his cock again, and the humming sent sparks flying up Yuji's spine as Erion swallowed around the head of his cock.

    "Oh, fuck, Yuki," Yuji growled and one hand grabbed the back of Erion's head, fisting in the silver hair and pulling gently to get Erion to withdraw a little, and Yuji had to grab hold of himself with all his strength, so he wouldn't force Erion to move.

    Erion managed a wicked little chuckle as he pulled back again until only the head of Yuji's cock was still in his mouth. He took a deep breath through his nose, and then he relaxed his jaw and proceeded to fuck his own face with Yuji's thick cock, holding onto Yuji's thighs to brace himself as he set a hard pace, taking Yuji to the root on every plunge. One slim finger slid under Yuji's balls to press firmly on his prostate, moving in a rocking motion to stimulate it as Erion's mouth worked Yuji's cock.

    Yuji howled when Erion started fucking his own mouth on Yuji's cock, and his head whipped back against the cushions, his hand in Erion's hair fisting tighter.

    "Oh, fuck, baby..." Yuji howled, his eyes fluttering shut, and his thighs parted a little more, to give Erion's probing finger better access.

    After a few minutes, Yuji's moans started to keen in his throat a little bit, and his hips to press upwards a little to meet Erion's mouth. Finally Yuji's head reared up and he howled, "I'm coming."

    Without meaning to Yuji pushed Erion's head down, ramming himself down Erion's throat just as his balls jumped up tight and his cock twitched, thick hot cum flooding Erion's throat. Yuji's head fell back again as he howled his release at the ceiling, his whole body vibrating with the pleasure.

    Erion purred as Yuji came, the heat of Yuji's cum as it slid down his throat making Erion's own cock twitch and drool a long string of precum onto his pale thighs. Erion swallowed hard a couple of times and then pulled back a bit so that he could savor the taste of Yuji's cum on his tongue, the tip caressing the tender cleft under the head as Erion sucked to milk every drop from Yuji.

    Yuji's hand reluctantly let go of Erion's hair, as the little elf pulled back, Yuji reclining limply back on the couch, and his face was lit with a most satisfied smile.

    "Oh, baby, that was perfect. Kansas has most definitely taught you some tricks," Yuji said with a teasing smile, reaching out to stroke Erion's plump lips with his thumb.

    Yuji took a few moments to catch his breath, then he rose to his feet and pulled Erion with him, leading the way to the door to the bedroom. When he opened the door they were greeted by a beautiful king size bed, deep crimson rose petals strewn over the silk sheets, but Yuji totally ignored the bed, and led Erion to the right, towards the bathroom.

    "Let's wash some of that chocolate off you, and then we can enjoy our bath," Yuji whispered, the shower already running when they entered the bathroom, and Yuji tugged Erion on into the large waterfall shower.

    Erion sighed happily as Yuji led him under the water, the cascades washing the chocolate and cum off his chest. The bullets in his ass were still shifting decadently, and Erion found himself shivering a little from time to time as they moved in a particularly intoxicating way.

    Yuji washed Erion thoroughly, and Erion reciprocated as best Yuji would allow, the older man taking charge and Erion giggled a little as he relaxed into the pampering. Yuji's long fingers massaged the shampoo through his hair, and Erion purred out loud at the caress. He put his arms up and rinsed thoroughly, letting Yuji's hands around his slim waist guide him.

    Yuji purred when Erion washed his body, his muscles relaxing and the small aches and pains that he felt after the week washing away under the gentle caresses. He could hear the invisible servants preparing their bath while they washed, and he couldn't wait to try the oversized bathtub with Erion. He knew that he had at the very least two more rounds in him, and he hoped that Erion was up for more, because he loved to drive Erion wild with pleasure and over the edge, and then to take his time with the little elf. Once he deemed them both clean enough, he turned off the shower and stepped out, offering a thick fluffy towel to Erion.

    The bath was steaming a little, a thick layer of fragrant bubbles glistening in the candle light that filled the bathroom, and more rose petals had been scattered on the bath, and around it.

    "Shall we, my love?" Yuji said with a smile and stepped into the bath, holding a hand out to Erion.

    Erion took Yuji's hand with a radiant smile and stepped into the bath, the hot water glorious and fragrant. He sank back and relaxed into Yuji's arms, turning his head to find Yuji's lips and claim a kiss.

    "This is the most perfect night, Yuji. I love you so much, and I'll never forget this, the night you took me as your husband." Erion turned to straddle Yuji's thighs, pressing his lips to Yuji's and kissing him passionately, his half-hard cock pressing into Yuji's stomach, notwithstanding the relaxing heat of the water.

    Yuji laughed a little into the kiss, but then grabbed Erion's hips and turned him around again bodily, making the little elf sit between his thighs and recline against his chest.

    "You are going to wear me out before the night is over, my love," he chuckled, lacing his fingers with Erion's fingers.

    "I've barely caught my breath and you want to go again? Like I said. You need to learn to draw it out and enjoy it for a long time," Yuji whispered into Erion's ear, teasing the tender shell with his teeth, and then suddenly the two bullets in Erion's ass started vibrating ever so slightly, on the lowest setting, and an invisible servant brought them both champagne glasses on a silver tray.

    Erion mewled a little as the bullets kicked into life again, and wriggled a little against Yuji. His cock was twitching with the stimulus, but he took his glass of champagne and sipped it, trying to ignore the teasing vibrations that made him want to be plundered until he was voiceless.

    "Sorry, baby," Erion purred. "I know I'm a greedy little handful, but you're pretty hard for me to resist. I love the way you feel against me and in me, and we haven't had a lot of time together lately, any of us. So, I'm a little impatient, but I'll try to slow down." He pressed down on the bench in the bath, leaning his head against Yuji's shoulder as his cock throbbed against his thigh with the pulsing of the bullets.

    Yuji chuckled and nuzzled the silver hair lovingly, sipping at the wonderful champagne. "I know, my love. You are still young enough to want it right the fuck now, and want it hard. Trust me, I remember what that was like. That is why I am teaching you now. But honestly. I love you, little handful. You remind me to not get too old and boring. And if you are good, I might even consider letting you fuck me at least once tonight."

    Yuji kissed Erion's neck lovingly, and grabbed a small piece of mochi off the tray that the servant had brought in for them, and offered it to Erion, using the opportunity while Erion was distracted to up the vibrations in the two bullets up one notch.

    Erion bit down hard on the mochi as the bullets kicked up another notch, and he made a muffled noise as he struggled with the sticky treat for a moment. His cock hardened even more, lifting off his thigh and twitching, and Erion hastily reached down to press at the base of his cock to try to short-circuit the feisty thing. He managed a soft huff through his nose as he tried to work the mochi into a manageable ball, giving Yuji a slightly indignant look when Yuji chuckled at his state.

    Yuji started to laugh when Erion shot him an indignant look, and asked with a slightly teasing tone, "Do you want me to stop teasing you, my little tiger? I can stop the bullets now, if you want me to. All you have to say is stop. Actually, maybe it would be wise if we came up with a safe word, just to be on the safe side." Yuji wrinkled his brow a little in thought, and seemed to have forgotten all about Erion and his little predicament.

    Erion worked on the mochi a little longer until he had managed to shift the sticky mass into one cheek, his ass sending all sorts of sparks up his spine.

    "Ugh," Erion muttered. "Remind me why I eat that stuff. It's way too much work." Erion made a small face, scrunching his nose as he swallowed the offending candy and took a deep drink of champagne. "And you're not getting off so easily, baby. If getting to fuck you is at stake, I'll take whatever teasing you can dish out."

    Yuji laughed at Erion's words about the mochi, and then laughed even brighter when Erion took the challenge with bravado.

    "Oh, Yuki. I adore you, I really do. Then I accept your challenge and I will play with you like my new little toy," Yuji said, wiping tears of laughter from the corner of his eye. He pulled Erion up on his lap and nuzzled Erion's neck gently, nibbling on the soft skin, until he found a tender spot on the back of Erion's neck, and started working on marking Erion, his hand trailing down to Erion's nipples to tease the tight little nubs, but somewhere on the way, the bullets started vibrating a little harder.

    Erion writhed a little against Yuji as Yuji marked him, but he was careful not to grind on Yuji's cock, and he kept his own unruly cock away from Yuji. He purred when Yuji began to tease his nipples, and he was about to ask a question when the bullets kicked up another notch and a small explosion behind his eyes made him forget what he had been about to say.

    Erion stifled the moan that wanted to erupt, his eyes fluttering closed for a moment until he managed to calm his breathing enough to talk. "So, are there any rules to this game?" he asked as casually as he could.

    Yuji stopped his nibbling on Erion's neck, and froze for just a second. He sat utterly still for a short moment and then grabbed Erion's waist again, and turned the little elf around bodily, making Erion straddle his lap.

    Yuji looked up into Erion's eyes and reached out to turn the vibrating bullets off, needing Erion to be utterly focused while they talked. "What do you mean, are there rules to the game? You need to understand that I have a different understanding of the word game when it comes to sex, than you and Kansas have between yourselves. So, what do you think we are doing right now?"

    Erion looked into Yuji's eyes, slightly wary from the change in Yuji's demeanor. "We have a challenge. I want to earn the right to fuck you, and you've been teasing me. I'm fine with you playing me like your new little toy, and I can take a great deal of teasing and such. I just wanted to know if there were rules like no coming from the bullets, or things like that. Unless you want something different."

    Yuji smiled lovingly, but his eyes darkened a little. "Oh, I want to. But I am afraid that I will be too harsh with you. You can't forget the fact that I am a dom. I like to dominate my lovers. And as sad as it makes me, you do not strike me as someone who is willing to submit even in the slightest. But if you want to try, then I am willing to try too. I would like nothing more than to play with you."

    Erion looked into Yuji's eyes, his own clear and bright. "If I can submit to you well enough, do I get to fuck you? Because if the answer is yes, then I say yes as well. It'll make this a truly memorable night for us both, since you're right. I'm not a submissive by nature. But I do like to play."

    Yuji looked at Erion for a few moments, staring into his eyes to try and see if there was any hesitation or fear in the young elf. When he saw nothing, he grabbed Erion around the waist and pulled him closer, and kissed him soundly on the lips with a small giggle.

    "Alright. Then we'll play just a little. I'll be careful to just keep it light. But before we can play, you need to tell me three things. You need to tell me if there are any things that you will absolutely not do in bed, or do not want. Like being restrained or gagged or toys that you do not want. Second how comfortable are you with things like being ordered to remain silent, or not touching, can you do those without being restrained. And finally I will need you to give me a safeword." Yuji stroked Erion's silver hair softly, and kissed him again, a little gentler, but his eyes were overflowing with love for the young elf. "A part of the game is that you will cry out stop, or no more, but not really mean it. But if you say the safeword then the game ends instantly."

    Erion nodded, his hand reaching up to cup Yuji's cheek. "Fair enough. I don't like whips or belts or things like that. I don't mind being smacked with a hand, but not with an object. That's probably my only limit. Following orders is something I've had engrained in me since I was an elfling of fifteen or so, and big enough to hold a sword. I can be silent or not touch or hold still, and I won't need restraints, although things like when you tied my wrists with the tie earlier, that's just fun."

    Erion looked into Yuji's eyes, his own eyes dark with excitement and desire. "The last thing you asked is my safeword. It's tenshi. If I yell out tenshi, the game ends."

    "Alright. My safeword for you will be fuyudzuki, winter moon. I do like to use restraints, but I will stick to ties and scarves with you, too. Just light stuff. As for me, I do not like to be restrained at all, but I do like to be ordered to be quiet. I don't submit at all, but sometimes it can be fun to try and live up to a challenge." Yuji laughed a little and kissed Erion softly, running his hands down Erion's body, cupping his cheeks.

    "So, are you ready to play now? The rules are, you can't come unless I'm fucking you, no matter how hard I tease you. If you do, then I will give you a couple of minutes to recover, and then you will have to go through another round of teasing without coming before I'll fuck you. If you manage that, I will let you fuck me at the end of the night. Are we agreed?"

    Erion grinned, and a little of the warrior he had been trained to be showed in that grin. "You can restrain me with more than ties and scarves. Like I said, those are just fun, and I don't even think of those as restraints. I hadn't planned on trying to get you to submit, honestly. I'm not a dom, either, any more than I am a sub. I just like sex, and I like challenges, and this is going to be a good challenge. I agree to the rules, and I'm ready to play."

    "Perfect," Yuji whispered, and kissed Erion deeply, his hand fisting in Erion's silver hair, and without warning the bullets jumped back to life, to the third setting. Yuji broke the kiss with a small grin, and turned Erion around again, making him sit between Yuji's thighs, and lean against his chest.

    Yuji picked Erion's hand out of the water and studied their rings for a few moments, then asked, with a sweetly shy voice, "Do you like your ring? I chose it because it sort of reminded me of you. It's Damascus steel, and the grain reminded me of your hair, and I do think that you have a core of steel. I was so nervous you would hate it though. This was the first time I actually chose a ring for my partner."

    Erion settled between Yuji's legs, the small respite from the bullets while he and Yuji were setting the rules enough to let him cope with the delicious vibrations in his ass that teased his prostate wonderfully. His cock woke up again, but Erion was prepared now, and knew what he was going to be able to get away with.

    When Yuji studied their rings, Erion leaned happily against Yuji's chest, still being careful not to grind against Yuji. "Damascus steel? That sounds so beautiful, and I love the patterns, the grain in the metal. It looks like some of the katana I've seen at Kenji-senpai's dojo, the masterwork ones. I love that this reminded you of me, and I'm very flattered that I was the first one you've chosen a ring for." Erion turned his head to smile at Yuji sweetly.

    Yuji nuzzled Erion's cheek, and a faint flush appeared in his cheeks. "It's silly, isn't it? That I would not chose a ring for anyone before you. I tricked Satoshi into choosing the ring that I gave him, and then when Willow and I married she wanted platinum rings because she does not like to wear gold jewelry. So when she gave Satoshi a platinum ring too, Kansas chose the yellow gold. Then Vale came along and chose a ring for the two of us. And then you told me that you wanted to have a union and I nearly panicked. But at the same time, I think it's fitting. Maybe now you will never again doubt that you belong in this family. You are a Hayashi now, even if you have to wait a couple of more years before your paperwork will agree with that." Yuji stroked Erion's arms and chest while he spoke, then his hand slid down to wrap around Erion's cock and stroke it gently for a few moments.

    Erion's eyes fluttered closed for a moment as Yuji's long fingers wrapped around his cock, and then he realized this was part of the game. Yuji was going to give him every opportunity to come before he was supposed to, and it was up to Erion to resist. He managed not to grin as he realized that this was going to be more fun than he expected.

    "Well, I think it's absolutely beautiful, and I love it, and what it means. I'll cherish it always." Erion snuggled closer to Yuji, concentrating on listening to Yuji's heartbeat instead of paying attention to his cock or ass, both of which were definitely happy. Yuji's heartbeat was nicely steady, the man calm and in his element, and gradually, Erion was able to push back the pressing need for release.

    "And I do feel a part of the family now, really I do. I just hate that the paperwork part takes so long, but that's an elven thing, and I'll get over it. We tend to just do things as they need doing, and not worry about the stupid stuff." Erion purred a little as Yuji continue to stroke.

    Yuji laughed softly. "I've noticed that about you elves. Believe me, when I came home from the vacation I was pretty certain that I would have to wait for months before Vale would come after me. He showed up not three weeks later. And Masato..." Yuji trailed off and chuckled loudly. "Don't get me started on Masato. If he gets an idea he just jumps up and runs with it. There are moments when I still wonder how he and Satoshi can be so perfectly matched, because Satoshi plans everything he does in great detail before he sits down and makes a plan and then follows that plan. They rarely, if ever work out, but hey, he does plan."

    "Oh, Masato plans," Erion said with a laugh. "The thing is, he's got plans stuffed in his head that he's had there for over three centuries. He's worked things out to the last detail in advance. And if he doesn't have a plan already worked out, he has a spell. He's utterly meticulous about his magic, trust me. His desks are the exact opposite of his brain."

    Yuji laughed and shook his head a little, his hand drifting down to cup Erion's balls gently, then feathering over the insides of his thighs and the bullets jumped up one more notch.

    "Well, that seems to have escaped my notice, sadly, because I always just see him running off at a moment's notice, whenever he gets an idea. Maybe he plans in secret and then runs off the moment he tells us what he's up to, so we won't get a chance to stop him." Yuji giggled and nibbled on the faint mark he had started on before he and Erion had set the rules. He nibbled on Erion's shoulder for a moment, working his way to the back of Erion's neck again, and then latched onto the mark again, working it deeper.

    Erion had let a tiny mewl escape when the bullets jumped another notch higher, and he realized he was going to have to really focus if he didn't want to spill too soon. The long fingers drifting over his balls were not helping, and neither was the hot mouth working a mark into the back of his neck, although Erion found the idea of the mark to be wildly romantic. Still, his cock was throbbing again, and bobbing happily in the warm water, his ass was setting off fireworks behind his eyes, and Erion was acutely aware of the wonderful thick cock behind him.

    Erion gave himself a mental shake. This was like waiting in ambush for orcs, where letting concentration slip could be a huge mistake. That made Erion giggle, because he honestly had trouble imagining himself not letting himself be ambushed by Yuji. That was when it hit him like a ton of goblins. Yuji had said that Erion could not come from teasing, but he could come from Yuji fucking him, and he had said nothing about Erion not being allowed to tease back a bit.

    Erion shifted position a little, letting his ass brush against Yuji's cock to see what would happen.

    Yuji smiled into the soft neck when he felt Erion squirm a little under his administrations. He could very well imagine what was going through the young elf's head, he had played this game with Satoshi often enough, and hard enough to be able to imagine.

    When Erion shifted and let his ass brush against Yuji's cock a little, Yuji chuckled wickedly, and tweaked one pink nipple teasingly, happy that the little elf had decided to step up his game. Yuji pulled Erion a little closer to his chest, and bucked his hips into Erion's ass, letting his thick cock slide between Erion's cheeks.

    Erion sighed a little, and slid his ass along Yuji's cock with a wicked little wiggle thrown in for good measure. This was going to be the fun part, he decided, seeing how far he could go in trying to coax Yuji into fucking him. Of course, the trick was to get Yuji to cave in before the damnable bullets in his ass sent him over the edge, although the shivers running up his spine felt wonderful, and the teasing of his nipples was actually a relief.

    Yuji bucked against Erion's ass again, holding the little elf tightly to his chest, and with a small smile he teased his fingers around the bejeweled bellybutton, flicking the small blue stone that adorned it. He turned Erion's head to the side so he could plunder Erion's mouth possessively and upped the vibrations one more notch, knowing that he only had three more to go, before the toys would be vibrating at full speed in Erion's ass.

    Erion moaned into the kiss, his ass sending very urgent messages to his balls and his navel chiming in, the heat in his belly coiling tightly. "Oh, fuck," Erion moaned into the kisses, and ground his ass down on Yuji's cock as his fingers traced the shape of Yuji's ears, teasing the shell. He gusted a wanton little sigh, his eyes fluttering closed and then opening, dark with love and desire as he looked into Yuji's perfect eyes. "Oh, how I love you, Yuji, you perfect man," Erion whispered throatily.

    Yuji chuckled wickedly at the response that he got from Erion, and flicking his bellybutton ring one last time, Yuji grabbed him around the waist and turned him around again, but this time he moved Erion to sit on the edge of the tub, his back against the wall.

    "I love you too, you wanton little thing. You are so perfect, and just delightful to play with. Don't touch. Not yourself or me," Yuji said, his voice commanding, and he knelt in the tub in front of Erion, his hands on Erion's knees pushing them as far apart as the large tub would allow. Then he sank down and ghosted his breath over Erion's cock, but did not touch it. Instead he turned his head and latched onto the inside of Erion's right thigh, digging his teeth into the soft skin, working in another dark mark.

    Erion focused on the feeling of sharp teeth working his skin, his hands gripping the sides of the tub to keep from reaching out to touch Yuji. The firmer surface, sitting on the edge of the tub as he was, pushed the bullets into a new configuration, and Erion's prostate was sending all sorts of new colors flashing behind his eyes. Erion tried to ignore the ribbon of precum that drooled forth from his rock hard cock, instead trying very hard to send Yuji a mental image of Erion licking his ear and suckling his earlobe.

    Yuji faltered for a moment in his claiming of his little elf, when he suddenly got this very distinct image of Erion playing with Yuji's ears into his head, and a shiver ran down his back at the thought. He shook his head quickly and continued suckling on the inside of Erion's thigh, until he could taste the faint hint of blood on his tongue. Once he was satisfied he smiled up at Erion, and flicked his tongue against the weeping slit of Erion's cock, moaning at the almost sweet taste of Erion's cum.

    "You are good at this, my love. Very good." Yuji purred and wrapped his lips around Erion's cock, the bullets going up another notch as Yuji's mouth took Erion in to the roots, and he swallowed around the head.

    "Oh, shit," Erion gasped, and he came almost immediately as Yuji swallowed around the head of his cock, Erion's head flying back and smacking into the wall behind the tub with a resounding crack. His back arched as much as possible, and his ass clamped so hard around the bullets that Erion briefly wondered if they would explode.

    Yuji was caught a little off guard when Erion came so suddenly and explosively, but he pulled off so he could swallow every last drop, holding back one little mouthful to share with Erion.

    Yuji milked every last drop from Erion, then eased the young elf back into the tub, and held him tightly, kissing him gently, coaxing his lips apart to share that mouthful of cum with him.

    Erion opened up to the kiss, moaning happily as Yuji shared the cum with him, and there was not a single bit of tension or anxiety in the little elf's body. He might not have managed to best the challenge this time, but he was not taking it as a personal failure, and in fact he actually giggled a bit as he shivered off the last of his orgasm in Yuji's arms.

    "You are too fucking good, baby. That was incredible," Erion grinned.

    Yuji grinned happily and said with a small giggle, "Thank you, my love. I live to please. But one thing I forgot to mention. The game lasts until one of us says the safeword. Since we are not doing a scene like Vale and I do, then there is not predetermined ending. So we can keep this up until you manage the challenge or you can end the games now, by just uttering your safe word."

    Yuji flicked the remotes for the bullets up to the highest setting suddenly, his arm tight around Erion's waist so the little elf wouldn't fly into the wall or worse, and then Yuji reached under Erion and started to slowly tug on the string of one of the bullets, easing the vibrating toy out of Erion's ass.

    Erion gave a small yelp as Yuji turned up the bullets, and then went a little wide-eyed as Yuji eased one out of his ass. "I don't think I'm ready to meet the challenge tonight, baby," Erion admitted, hissing a little as the bullet finally popped out past his twitching asshole. "But I hate to quit." He grinned at Yuji.

    Yuji smiled lovingly and kissed Erion again, tugging at the string of the other bullet, and easing that one out as well, slow and teasing.

    "I understand, my love. I think then we should just go to bed and consummate our marriage. I'll make love to you," Yuji said with a husky voice, his eyes ablaze with love.

    "Mm, that sounds utterly delicious," Erion purred. "I guess I should make it official, then. Tenshi, but next time I'll make it." He wrapped his arms around Yuji's neck and nuzzled in for a kiss. "Now, let's consummate this marriage properly. I have a feeling I'm about to get a lesson in being made love to."

    Yuji wrapped his arms tightly around Erion's waist and kissed his nipple lovingly when Erion uttered his safeword to end their game.

    "I love you, my beautiful little tiger. You are so perfect, and so willing. This was a treat. And we can always play when you feel like it," Yuji said with a smile, answering the kiss with a soft moan.

    Breaking the kiss reluctantly, Yuji rose slowly and offered Erion a hand to get out of the tub again, an invisible servant waiting for them with thick fluffy towels. Yuji wrapped one towel around his hips, then held the other one out to Erion, in a silent offer to help the little elf dry off.

    Erion took Yuji's hand and stepped out of the tub, sliding gracefully into the towel that Yuji held out, accepting the offer of help. He purred a little as Yuji rubbed his shoulders and back with the thick towel, and turned his face up for another kiss, slow and sweet this time.

    "We'll definitely play again," Erion said, his voice full of promise and desire. "It was exciting, and you're so good at this. You sort of make me sorry I'm not really a sub."

    Erion slipped his hands under his mane of hair and lifted it to make it easier for Yuji to dry his shoulders, the wonderful dark mark on the back of his neck vivid against his pale skin.

    Yuji chuckled a little bit at Erion's remark. He caressed Erion's lithe body with the soft towel, enjoying the act far too much, taking extra care to dry the round globes of Erion's ass. "I do love that you are so open about that. I remember how difficult it was for many of you to understand what Vale is, but you have always accepted it without question, somehow."

    Yuji turned Erion around slowly, wrapping the young elf into the towel, and kissed him lovingly, stroking the silver hair as he continued, "I will admit, I am just a tiny bit sad that you aren't a sub, and a tiny bit more sad that even if you were one, you aren't mine to train. If you were to submit to anyone, you should submit to Kansas. Because you would make such a good submissive. You are so eager to please and so willing, which is just perfect for a sub."

    Erion blushed prettily at the compliment. "Thank you, Yuji. You were right, earlier, though. Kansas and I have different games, and then there's Tatsuya and Yuki. That adds kind of an odd dimension to things. Tatsuya is the alpha, but Yuki's no beta. Maybe it's that part of me that shares a soul with Yuki that keeps me from being a true sub."

    Erion shrugged a little, leaning into Yuji as he stroked his hair. "I think we elves need to better understand the whole dominance and submission thing, though. I mean, Vale is utterly at peace now that he can be himself with you, and you treat him like the treasure he is. He's so rare among elves, and he should be cherished. And you love the fierce strong side of him just as much, which is so perfect."

    Erion's arms slipped around Yuji's waist as he nuzzled into the silky golden skin of his new husband. "How could I help falling madly in love with you? You're incredible, Yuji, and I'm so proud to be your husband."

    This time it was Yuji's turn to blush a little and he chuckled softly, nuzzling Erion's cheek, his arms tight and protective around Erion's back. "Thank you, my love. I am very proud to be your husband too. And even prouder to call you my husband. You make me so proud of you, every single day, and I honestly think that I am as excited about your graduation as you are. I'm starting to feel like Satoshi did when Kansas graduated, all mother hen like."

    Yuji laughed softly and lifted Erion's chin to press a kiss to his pink lips. He looked deep into Erion's eyes when he broke the kiss, and continued, "As for you and Kansas... the two of you complete each other the same way that me and Vale complete each other, and Masato and Satoshi complete each other. Kansas is not a dominant, nor is he a submissive. He can handle small games, like his little puppy game, but if you give him too much, he gets violent. You must remember that. I think you do know that, but I just want to be sure. And I love each and every one of my husbands in their own unique way. I love you for your youth, and spunk and the way you fear nothing until you've at least tried once. And you are right, I do love Vale's fierce side just as much as I love his submissive side. I have only ever given control over to Vale's fierce side and the way he claims me... it defies explanation."

    Yuji shook his head with a small smile, his eyes suddenly distant, but he shook his head a little harder and looked at Erion with a loving smile. "What am I babbling about? We have a marriage to consummate, little tiger. How about we try out that bed?"

    Erion looked at the bed, his expression one of careful consideration. "The bed. Hmm. You know, that might be kind of different, and exciting." He looked up at Yuji and laughed merrily. "This isn't a night to be too serious, baby. Let's make love and you can watch me come all undone as you ravish me."

    Yuji laughed happily and grabbed Erion into his arms, lifting the youngster easily, and carried him into the bedroom. He lay Erion on the bed gently, then stood and admired his husband for a few moments.

    "My husband. Forever," Yuji whispered, and let his towel fall to the floor before climbing up on the bed and claiming Erion with a gentle kiss, his cock already semi hard between his thighs. Yuji tangled his fingers with Erion's fingers as he lay beside the young elf, nudging one of his long thighs between Erion's thighs, pressing his groin against Erion's hip.

    Erion's cock was already beginning to stiffen again, but more slowly this time, as if even Erion's boundless energy might have limits. Still, he returned the kiss, sweet and tender, delighting in the feeling of Yuji next to him, and in having Yuji to himself for the night. It had been magical and loving and so completely perfect, and Erion was ready to give himself over fully to his husband.

    "That sounds so right," Erion murmured, his silvery eyes filled with his love for Yuji. "My husband. Forever." He lifted Yuji's right hand and kissed his forefinger, Erion's lips warm against the cool pale ring that marked their love.

    Yuji smiled, a perfectly bright and content smile, the type of smile that had been far too rare on his lips in the past few weeks. "It does sound right, doesn't it? I love you so much, Erion... Yuki. I love that name, have I told you that? It fits you so perfectly."

    Yuji stroked Erion's cheek as he claimed Erion in another deep and loving kiss, his hand feathering up Erion's neck to find one delicate ear, his other hand stroking Erion's side and chest, teasing a tender nipple gently. Yuji pressed his cock down on Erion's cock, sliding them against each other, ever so slightly, his cock already hard and eager, precum pearling at the slit.

    Erion bucked his hips into the contact, feeling his own cock hardening fully in response to Yuji's cock, and he kissed Yuji deeply as he lifted one long leg to drape it over Yuji's hip. His slim fingers slid up Yuji's chest to tenderly toy with Yuji's dark nipples, moving from one to the other until they were both hard little pebbles.

    "Does it fit me?" Erion asked with a sweet smile. "I'll take your word for it. I have trouble with snow, but I'm getting better, I think. I'm pale enough to be a snow tiger."

    Yuji giggled sweetly into their tender kisses, and nodded, "Yes, it fits you perfectly. It is perfectly understandable that you have trouble with the snow, after what happened. But can I tell you something? Something about Kageoshi? I don't want to make you sad, but I think you will like to hear this."

    "Of course you can tell me, Yuji," Erion said, cuddling in close to Yuji.

    Yuji smiled lovingly down at his lover, his husband he reminded himself and his eyes were filled with love when he spoke. "It happened just a few weeks after you first met him. You had become close friends already, and he had already started calling you Yuki, in that sweet way that he did. Anyways, I can't remember exactly what was going on, but the boys were all at the estate, and you were outside with the rest of them, but Kageoshi came inside for some reason. I was standing by the door in the dining room when he came over, heading outside again, but he stopped to talk for a moment. I told him that I was happy to see how well he and you were getting along, and that I thought he looked healthier than he had a couple of weeks earlier."

    Yuji stopped to draw a calming breath, and for a moment his eyes were filled with the sorrow, his grief for the loss of Kageoshi still deep and painful. "And he looked at me, and told me, Hayashi-sensei, I think Yuki is the best friend I ever could have asked for. Even his name is just perfect. Sometimes I get scared though. I get scared that if I try to touch him or hug him, he will explode into a storm of snowflakes and be blown away on the wind. He looks like an angel. A snow angel. His hair is made of snow and even his name is snow." Yuji stopped, his lower lip trembling for a fraction of a moment, but then Yuji smiled again, and stroked Erion's hair lovingly. "He loved you from the first moment he met you, and you made his last months so wonderful. And he adored you beyond measure. You were his snow angel, sent to Tokyo to help him and make him happy. That is how I understood his words."

    Erion nodded, and although his eyes filled with tears, he smiled with such pure joy that Yuji had to smile back. "Thank you. That does help, more than you know. I know he realized that I wouldn't blow away after a while, and he was my little brother, my precious angel. I do miss him still, but I know his spirit has found the peace that he couldn't find here, and I know our love still surrounds him." Erion stroked Yuji's cheek lovingly. "You are so perfect. You heal my heart while you love me so totally."

    Yuji smiled brightly, letting out a small sigh of relief, his long fingers wiping the tears from Erion's lashes tenderly. "I am glad that I can help. I miss him too. I knew him from that day when the boys first met him, and I adored him from that day onwards. I was actually happy to have him as my student, because he was always such a diligent student and so polite and friendly. And of course he realized, he was just always like that, you know. He would get the strangest ideas and notions in his head, and it only made him more precious."

    Yuji kissed Erion again, plundering his mouth slow and tender, then whispered into the kiss. "He is at peace, and his spirit is learning what it needs to. He will find happiness and love and strength in his next lifetime, I am sure of it. How about, tomorrow before we go home, we go to the temple and make a prayer for his soul? You can let him know that we're married now."

    Yuji shifted on the bed a little, and lifted Erion's hips from the bed, his long fingers stroking a few drops of oil over Erion's pucker, the oil slicked head of his cock nudging between his cheeks.

    Erion nodded, his eyes filled with love. "I'd like that, stopping by the temple." He spread his legs for Yuji, his hips bucking slightly as Yuji's long fingers stroked his pucker, the tight little ring twitching eagerly as Yuji's cock nudged it.

    "Oh, Yuji, love me?" Erion asked, his eyes shining.

    Yuji moaned softly and claimed his young husband in a searing kiss as he pushed his hips forward and the head of his cock slid inside the tight ring of muscle.

    "Oh, fuck, Yuki, you are so perfect," Yuji moaned, hesitating just for a moment, before he started pushing into the tight heat, a fraction of an inch at a time, his arms tight around Erion's lithe body, and his lips seeking one delicately pointed ear.

    Erion's back arched deliciously, but the little elf refrained from trying to press down on Yuji's generous cock, instead letting himself enjoy the slow and sensuous pace of Yuji's entry. He mewled as Yuji nibbled his ear, and he pressed his chest against Yuji to rub his sensitive nipples again the golden skin that he adored.

    "Oh, Yuji, yes, just like that," Erion moaned in delight. "That feels so good, my love. You feel so good."

    Yuji pressed his chest down to meet Erion's chest to give the little elf some more friction. When his balls were snug against Erion's ass, Yuji stopped again and looked deep into Erion's eyes, stroking the silken silver hair that he adored, and nibbling a soft kiss from Erion's lips, he whispered, "I love you, Hayashi Yuki, my little husband."

    Then he withdrew slowly and made sure to lift Erion's right hip just the right way, and his cock slid over Erion's prostate. Yuji set their pace extremely slow and languid, teasing the elf's prostate on every thrust, and his lips danced up and down between Erion's ears, lips and neck.

    The minutes drifted away, but Yuji's entire universe shrank down to the lithe silver creature under him, and his mind forgot all names except that of Yuki.

    Erion let out a soft and wanton little howl, his back arching as he opened himself up to Yuji fully, letting his whole world narrow down to the feeling of Yuji's thick cock sliding over his prostate with each tender thrust, the feathered kisses that Yuji rained on Erion's ears, lips and neck a perfect counterpoint. Erion could feel the heat in his belly growing, but it was slow and erotic and very seductive, and he pressed himself onto Yuji's cock delicately, not seeking plundering for a change.

    "Yuji," Erion whispered, his voice filled with awe and love. "Oh, Yuji, my husband, my love, I'm so close."

    Yuji looked into Erion's eyes, his own eyes black with pleasure, and he thrust in a fraction harder. Their bodies glistened with sweat, the candlelight making Erion's skin glow golden, and dark crimson rose petals stuck to his skin, making the whole scene somehow even more erotic.

    "Then come for me, my love," Yuji whispered back, that hot coil in his gut ready to let go as well, and he lifted Erion's right hip slightly again, finding just the right angle.

    As he felt Erion let go and fall over the edge, Yuji opened his soul and reached out tentatively, wanting to feel all of Erion in this perfect moment, and suddenly the thought passed through his mind that he wanted to offer the little elf a bond, but he hesitated, his soul reaching out to caress Erion softly.

    Erion cried out wordlessly as he came, his whole body alive with pleasure, and in the heart of it all, he felt the sweet touch of Yuji's soul. Erion's soul answered, a bright silver moonbeam reaching out to wrap itself around Yuji's soul, and Yuji suddenly felt the all-encompassing joy and bliss that filled the little elf, the pure sweet love that he had for Yuji flowing outward.

    Yuji's voice rose in a cry to match Erion's as the tight little ass tightened even more around Yuji's cock, and he spilled himself into the willing little ass, white light exploding behind his eyes, and his head filling with fireworks, his hips grinding down to milk every drop into the perfect little elf.

    In the midst of all his pleasure, Yuji could feel the touch of Erion's soul, his sweet love filling them both, and Yuji poured back all of the fierce protective love that he felt for the little elf, his heart singing with the joy of their union. And without thinking it through, Yuji wordlessly offered Erion to bond with him, to form a link like the one that Vale shared with all of his other spouses, a link that Yuji often wished that he could share as well.

    Erion did not hesitate, accepting the bond and bonding with Yuji gladly, knowing that for all time they would always be linked. He wrapped his arms around Yuji and held him tightly, pressing himself as close as he could and breathing in the scent of his cherished husband.

    Erion subsided slowly, his orgasm ebbing as he nuzzled into Yuji's chest, tears of pure happiness trickling from his eyes. He had no words big enough to express what he felt, but he knew that Yuji could feel it now, would always feel his little husband as clearly as he felt Vale, and Erion smiled blissfully at the rightness of that. He was truly Hayashi Yuki now, all lingering doubts and worries utterly banished, wiped away by Yuji's love.

    Yuji could not help but laugh happily when Erion accepted his bond, and their souls touched for a moment, and then there was Erion and all of his wonderful wild feelings. Yuji knew that Erion would always feel him now, just like he could feel Erion.

    Their bond would never be as deep as the one that Erion shared with Kansas, but this was more than enough for Yuji, all that he wanted.

    Yuji sighed softly, pressing lazy kisses to Erion's lips, and to his delight the invisible servants eased the covers over them, clearing away most of the scattered rose petals as they did so, and Yuji cradled Erion as close as he could as they sank into the pile of soft pillows.

    "My perfect little husband. I love you, Yuki," Yuji whispered, his eyes already heavy with sleep, but he did not want to sleep until he was sure that Erion was resting peacefully in reverie.

    "I love you, Yuji," Erion murmured, and his eyes glazed over and closed most of the way as he let himself fall into his reverie, the sweetest smile on his face as he nestled happily in the safety of Yuji's arms.

  14. Sasuke/Naruto fics lost!

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  19. Looking for werewolf incest m/m story

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    Sandcastles and Fireworks

    in General RP

    Posted · Edited by BronxWench

    Sand looked over his shoulder at Satoshi, who was fretting impatiently as the elf rummaged in his wardrobe.

    "We're going to the Spring, Masato. It's not a fashion show," Satoshi grumbled, his fingers dancing along his pierced lip nervously.

    "I know that, saiai, and it's irritating to dress in our breeches and tunics only to undress, and then wrap our fundoshi," Sand said mildly. "I know I have some.... aha!" Sand emerged from the wardrobe with a neat box in his hands.

    "What are you up to?" Satoshi demanded, but his heart fluttered a bit as he saw the kanji for one of their favorite kimono shops.

    Sand opened the box to reveal several pristine yukata and obi. "It's always warm enough here, and sometimes I can't be bothered with the fuss of breeches and tunics. So, I brought these a while ago, and I completely forgot I had them. We can bring our robes for the shower, and dry fundoshi for the walk home."

    Satoshi's eyes welled a bit, and he looked at Sand for a long moment before breaking into an utterly gorgeous smile. "That's perfect. That's really perfect."

    "I have tabi and geta, too." Sand pulled out more boxes, and Satoshi started to laugh.

    "How big is that wardrobe?" Satoshi let out a small howl of victory when Sand blushed a little.

    Sand began to peel off his sleep pants. "It's only a minor enlargement spell," he muttered, his cheeks still pink.

    Satoshi was still giggling as they headed off to the Spring. It was mild enough that they had decided to forgo tabi, although Sand stuck them in the satchel just in case it grew cooler. The winter months were usually not unpleasant, but the damage to the mythal meant that there could be slight periods of unpredictable weather. The day felt more like late spring, or very early autumn, however, and they set off happily, elegant in their crisp cotton yukata.

    Satoshi was slightly uncomfortable by the admiring glances from elves that they passed, sure that they were somehow aware that he and Sand had inadvertently and temporarily been divorced, at least under Evereskan tradition. For his part, Sand lifted his chin a bit higher to make sure his dark lovebite was completely visible, and he moved closer to Satoshi, putting his arm around Satoshi's waist.

    Ardiel was waiting at the Spring, near their customary bench, and Sand and Satoshi took their robes with them to the hidden little shower. They hung their yukata and fundoshi neatly and washed scrupulously, Sand delighting in the way Satoshi's ribs seemed almost completely healed, no tenderness remaining when he ran his hands over them.

    Clean once again, they rewound their fundoshi and put on their thick terrycloth robes to walk over to Ardiel, who found Sand's sudden modesty both amusing and sweet. She said nothing, however, and simply took their robes as Sand murmured his shielding spell.

    "Masato?" Satoshi's voice was low and sweet, his eyes downcast and the faintest blush on his cheeks.

    "What is it, saiai?" Sand asked tenderly. His heart skipped a beat, the elf hoping that Satoshi had not suddenly decided that he could not go through with the healing bath.

    "This is going to sound silly, but my calluses are healing." Satoshi held out his hands, palms up, and Sand looked at them for a long moment before his eyes widened.

    "I'm an idiot," Sand said, grasping Satoshi's hands very gently. "How could I forget your calluses?" He murmured the shielding spell again. "That should at least keep them from healing any more."

    Satoshi smiled a little and reached up to touch Sand's cheek gently. The motion was not quite as painful as it had been the day before, and the faintest thread of hope began to creep into his heart. Satoshi pulled Sand down to kiss him. "Thank you, Masato. I played until my fingers bled, for years, just to build those up."

    Sand returned Satoshi's kiss with equal passion, managing to tilt his chin a bit to flash his lovebite again, and then he stepped into the Spring and held out his hand for Satoshi. There was a new stain on one finger, and a small burn mark, and Satoshi looked alarmed. Sand looked down at his own hands, and then smiled radiantly.

    "I was making some healing potions for Ardiel and for us," Sand said cheerfully. "You'd think I would remember that braziers get hot by now." Sand shielded his hands quickly. "Trust me, I'll have them all stained and nicked and singed in no time."

    "So what are we doing, Satoshi?" Ardiel asked. "Do you want to do double sessions, or just a long session?"

    "I want to try for a long session," Satoshi said firmly. "It's feeling better already, I think. Maybe if I stay in longer, I'll be able to tell right away, when I get out." He gave Ardiel a sidelong glance, looking instead at Sand who smiled encouragingly.

    "Whatever makes you most comfortable, cormamin," Sand said. "If you can't stay for that long, we can always take a break and come back. We can even come at night."

    "You're my sole patient," Ardiel said, and her smile was exactly like Vale's smile, bright and sweet. "I can be here whenever you need me to be here, my dear."

    "Let's try, then," Satoshi said, and he took Sand's hand as firmly as he could ans stepped into the warm, silky water.

    They decided to soak Satoshi's shoulder right away, and Sand positioned himself so that Satoshi could recline on Sand a bit, with his right shoulder fully submerged. Sand's strong arms were around Satoshi, and being cradled in Sand's embrace was comforting. Sand had worn his fundoshi without a murmur, and although Satoshi had not said anything, he had noticed that Sand wore his robe from the shower all the way over the the Spring without hesitation. And now he was happily nuzzling Satoshi's hair, one leg bent at the knee to form a warm guardrail to keep Satoshi safely on the bench.

    It was safe, and relaxing, and the warmth of the water as well at the buoyancy made Satoshi's arm and shoulder ache less. Even his hands seemed more relaxed, the muscles and tendons not spasming and aching the way they had been the previous day. Satoshi was actually able to close his eyes for a bit and doze, the sunlight filtering through the blue leaf trees just enough to be soothing.

    Satoshi sighed softly, and righted himself a little bit, although still keeping his shoulder submerged. He looked around the Spring, discreetly he thought, but his eyes narrowed as he suspected everyone there of secretly lusting after Sand. He swirled his hands in the warm water, noticing that his palms had turned whiter than usual, and when he rubbed his feet on the rock bottom of the Spring he could feel the wrinkling of the skin on the bottoms of his feet.

    Satoshi lifted one of his legs and grabbing his foot pulled it out of the water to look at the bottom of his foot, the toes and sole of his foot all white and nicely pruned. Satoshi's brow furrowed and he nearly toppled himself over sideways as he pulled his other foot out of the water too fast, then looked at his hands critically, noticing the pruning on his fingertips and palm. With a small huff he stuck one fingertip into his mouth and gnawed on it a little bit, a small patch of dead skin coming loose and Satoshi almost shouted.

    "Ah-ha! I knew it. Your shield thing doesn't work properly, Masato!" Satoshi twisted around in the water quickly enough to make himself slide off the edge of the seat and fall into the Spring.

    Sand reached out and grabbed Satoshi, pulling him back onto the bench with a shout of alarm. "What are you talking about, verno'amin?" Sand immediately craned his neck to look at Satoshi's back, his heart racing at the thought that Satoshi's scars might be healing. "You're fine. Nothing's changed. Seldarine, Satoshi, you scared me half to death nearly doing that."

    Satoshi stuck his tongue out at Sand, the small piece of dead skin still on his tongue, his teeth nudging at it a little as if anticipating chewing on the skin, and Satoshi shoved his hand into Sand's face as he retorted, sounding slightly brattish, "Look, it came off, and they're all pruned up. The calluses are healing. It took me fucking twenty years to work up those callouses, Masato. Maybe it doesn't work on something so small. Do you know how much it hurts to play until your fucking finger tips bleed, Masato?" Satoshi chomped down on the dead skin in his mouth, and stuck another finger into his mouth to work loose a little more dead skin to eat, without even realizing he was doing it.

    Sand gently tugged Satoshi's fingers out of his mouth, his tone slightly exasperated. "We didn't shield yesterday, which is why you have some healing of the calluses, but eating yourself isn't going to help, cormamin. And you're pruned because we're in the water. Just being wet won't heal them." Sand shook his head slightly, leaning in to rest his forehead against Satoshi's forehead. "And for the record, I drew a bow over and over and over until my fingers were raw. I've poured acids and venoms and all sorts of nastiness on my fingers, sometimes into open wounds. I've burned myself and cut myself and nearly poisoned myself more times than I can count. I do get it, verno'amin."

    Satoshi continued to chew happily on the dead skin he'd nibbled off his pruny fingers and sighed softly. "Sorry, Masato. I could actually feel the calluses when I stuck my finger in my mouth. I forgot that they do prune up and go a little soft whenever I bathe, but it doesn't make them any less," he said quietly, grinning up at Sand a little abashed, his cheeks a faint pink.

    He tugged Sand's hand out of the water and stroked the slender fingers softly, murmuring lovingly, "I do really miss all of your little scars. They made your hands so perfect. Promise you'll go back to your science experiments so you'll get new ones, please." Satoshi's voice turned childish and cute while he spoke and he batted his eyes at Sand with a silly grin. Then suddenly he asked loudly, "Did you see how wrinkly my feet are? I might actually get rid of some of the calluses that I have on my fugly feet."

    Satoshi brought one of his legs out of the water again, far too quickly and grabbing his own foot and twisting on the seat to show Sand the bottom of his foot, he managed to topple himself over side ways, and going under the water, he faceplanted into the side of the elf that sat beside them.

    The raven-haired elf opened his eyes with a small grunt as Satoshi impacted him, his strong arm dropping down almost reflexively to catch Satoshi and right him. Sand was also reaching for Satoshi, his face filled with concern as he looked at Satoshi, water streaming down his face, the imp sputtering a bit. Ardiel hurried over with a towel, her own face concerned.

    "Thank you, selen," Sand said quickly to the other elf. He helped Ardiel to pat some of the water from Satoshi's face as he spoke. "Saiai, your piercings. Really, that could be awkward. I'm not sure Kua could fix that for you."

    The other elf had closed his eyes again, leaning his head back, and there was a small tear slowly rolling down from the corner of his eye. He did not respond to Sand's comment, not even turning to face Sand and Satoshi. Sand was so concerned with Satoshi that he did not register the elf's preoccupation.

    Satoshi sputtered and coughed as he was pulled out of the water by many strong hands, his own hands scrambling for purchase under the surface as he tried to pull his knees under himself. He blushed crimson when he realized that he had collided with their silent neighbor, and he gasped when he realized that one of his hands had actually found purchase on the strange elf's thigh, as Ardiel reached over to dry his face, and Sand spoke to him.

    But before Satoshi could get too embarrassed, he noticed that there was a cluster of tiny golden lights floating on the surface of the water all around them, most of them concentrating around the elf's chest and arm. Looking up Satoshi noticed a tear sliding down the elf's cheek, and without thinking, Satoshi reached up and gently wiped the tear away, whispering, "It's alright, my friend. It will heal."

    The strange elf turned his head and opened his eyes, and Satoshi found himself looking into a pair of green-gold eyes that were cloudy with pain. "It will heal, mellonamin, but there are moments when the price of the healing seems high. Then someone reaches out with a gentle touch, and I remember that there are many kinds of healing. Diola lle, thank you." The elf spoke the common tongue, his accent soft and musical, and his tanned face was thin and drawn with lines of pain.

    Satoshi sat up a little straighter, pulling his hand off the elf's thigh with a jerk, his face flushing dark crimson, and he lowered his eyes. He grinned impishly and poked at his lip piercings shyly as he mumbled, "That's the first time I've heard someone call it a gentle touch, faceplanting into a stranger's chest, and then groping him. I'm sorry. I'm a bit clumsy sometimes. I've been having a hard time dealing with my injuries and that monkey over there only encourages my silliness. I'm sorry I disturbed you."

    Satoshi jerked a thumb over his shoulder to indicate Sand, and glanced over his shoulder to smirk lovingly at Sand quickly to let him know that Satoshi was not upset.

    The elf's face softened a little, and his lips curved in a ghost of a smile. "Faceplanting. Yes, a good description. I'll remember that. I was actually referring to wiping away the tear. My hand is wet, and doesn't do a good job of it that way." The elf looked at Satoshi with grave interest. "You are human, but he is your husband? Captain Santhiel's lady's brother, isn't he?"

    Satoshi sat down on the bench again, crossing his legs under himself, and nodded as he smiled warmly at the elf. "Yes. Sand Iradil. Although he usually answers to Mori Masato now. I only call him Sand when I'm angry with him. I'm Mori Satoshi. And my hand is wet too, you know. I've noticed you crying, both today and yesterday. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be disturbing you like this. I'll try to be less agitated and give you peace." Satoshi's voice was bright and friendly, and far less shy than Sand was used to, when Satoshi was forced to speak with strangers.

    Satoshi did not move though, despite his words, but remained sitting crosslegged on the seat, his back to Sand and his eyes trained on the strange elf.

    "Mae govannen, well met, Mori Satoshi. I am Kerien en Nosse Saeldiron, under the command of Captain Santhiel. Mori is your House name, and Satoshi your use-name?" Kerien winced a little, and the golden lights seemed to gather even more around him as he closed his eyes for a moment, another tear trailing down his cheek. "Amin hiraetha, I'm sorry. It catches me by surprise sometimes. I keep thinking I am used to it, and then I realize that's not possible."

    Satoshi nodded in affirmation of the elf's assumptions, then opened his mouth to tell him well met as well, when Kerien twitched and another silvery tear tracked down his cheek.

    Satoshi reached out hurriedly to wipe his fingertips on the towel that Ardiel had left on the bank beside them, and before he was even aware of what he was doing, Satoshi reached out again and wiped the tear away, his fingertips feathering over Kerien's cheekbone to wipe the dampness from his lashes.

    "What does?" Satoshi asked quietly, his eyes straying down Kerien's shoulder and to the water, where Kerien's arm disappeared under the surface. As Satoshi stared down through the clear water, he suddenly realized that the arm wasn't under the water at all. There actually was no arm, the elf's arm stopping just short of where the elbow should be.

    Satoshi gasped and his eyes welled with tears as he moaned in a painfilled tone, "Oh, gods, you've lost your arm."

    "I shouldn't complain," Kerien said quietly, lifting his stump out of the water. The skin was pink and new, angry at the tip where what looked like a knob of bone was pressing. "The Spring will give me back my arm, and with time and training, I'll be able to ride and fight again. The one who did this paid with his life, and my eagle escaped harm. But it hurts, you see. Mostly when new bone forms, and the skin has to stretch." Kerien let his arm fall back into the water of the Spring. "My healer offered me black lotus for the pain, but it dulls me too much. I'd rather have the pain. But what of you? What happened, if I can ask?"

    Satoshi gasped when Kerien brought the stump out of the water, and tears filled his dark brown eyes as he stared at the pink flesh.

    "I'm so sorry," Satoshi sobbed quietly, his hand pressing against his chest as if to sooth an ache in his heart. A tear slipped down Satoshi's cheek as he asked in an awefilled whisper, "The spring will give you your arm back? You are an eagle rider?"

    Satoshi clapped his hand over his own mouth for a moment, realizing that he was being rude, and clearing his throat softly he shrugged his shoulders and answered the elf's question, his voice slightly shaky, "On the world where we live, we have motorized vehicles, called cars, that can be pretty deadly. I was riding my motorcycle, which is like a bicycle, and I was probably hit by a car, which sent me off the road. I can't remember, really. The last thing I truly remember before the accident is leaving my workplace in a huff. But I was rather seriously injured and my hands were broken. I like to play the guitar, so broken hands pretty much mean I can't play anymore. I've just been a little bitch about it, since I realized, that's why I'm here. Masato is doing this to make me stop bitching."

    Kerien smiled, a definite smile this time, and it made his green-gold eyes warm up. "You make music? I remember hearing that from Captain Santhiel. He said you can create music from anything, and it is enough to make the Seldarine themselves stop and listen. Such a gift, to make music. But you will heal, you know. If the Spring can give me back my arm, it can restore your hands. Maybe, if you heal before I do, and that's likely, maybe you could come and practice a little here, while I heal? I have little to offer in thanks for such a gift, but perhaps I could offer my services as guardian?"

    Satoshi wiped his wet hands over his face to stop his tears and he hiccuped a little bit, his voice slightly childish when he asked, "You really believe that the Spring can heal anything? That it gives you your arm back? Can I see it?"

    Kerien lifted his arm again. "It was ripped off just below the shoulder. One of my companions wrapped a bowstring around the stump so I wouldn't bleed to death, and sent me back to Evereska on my eagle. But you see, so much has grown back already. I'm nearly to the elbow." He flexed his shoulder and extended the stump a little. "It'll take a while, probably another couple of tendays, but I will have an arm, and a hand again. And then Captain Santhiel will put me to work training." There was a quiet pride in his voice, under the pain. "I'll ride my eagle again, and serve Evereska."

    Satoshi reached out hesitantly, and supported the stump as he looked at the pink skin, the unmistakable white end of a knot of bone pushing against the stretched skin. "That's amazing," Satoshi whispered, as he let go again, and he bowed his head slightly. "Thank you for your protection and service, and I hope you will be healed soon, so you can go back to your training. I am glad that your eagle was unharmed."

    Satoshi smiled, despite the tears of compassion in his eyes, and then he cleared his throat softly again, his eyes sparkling slightly. "Maybe I can help you a little. If you don't mind. I know this meditation technique, which helps you push the pain aside. I don't like taking pain medications either, so my uncle, who trained me in my martial arts taught me this trick. Do you know how to meditate?"

    Kerien's eyes widened a little. "I can meditate, yes. We all learn it as part of communing. I wouldn't have thought to use it to help the pain, though. How does it work?" There was a note of hope in Kerien's voice, and his eyes brightened even more. "And thank you for your well wishes for my eagle. Her life is more precious to me than gold. She's my friend and comrade, my lady is, and when I ride her, and she screams her challenge to the wind, well, it's perfect. I carried the adopted son of Arwen Iradil once, and he and my lady screamed together. She liked him."

    Satoshi's eyes widened and he squeaked before he could stop himself, "You're the rider that took my Kansas down from the gate? Oh, gods, he'll be so sad to hear the news of your injury. He still talks about you and your eagle with such joy. He's always wanted to ride the eagles again. Thank you for giving him that joy. He needed it when he first came here. More than you can imagine."

    Satoshi blushed again, and giggled, looking down as he composed himself again, clearing his throat yet again before looking up again. "But yes. I know how to meditate to push the pain aside. It's called bushido, way of the warrior, and it is an ancient technique from my country. It's based in our religion, but you don't need to believe to use it. Do you want to try it now?"

    "You know him? I didn't want to assume that every human knows each other, but I'm doubly glad we've met then. I'm sorry it had to be because you were injured, though." Kerien bowed his head a little. "I'd like to learn this bushido, though, and I'm honored that you'd share your warrior traditions with me."

    Satoshi giggled shyly and shook his head quickly. "It's alright. It's not any big trade secret, and it's not like I'm going to teach you to fight or anything. It's just meditation. But I can tell you that back in the day, when my country still lived by the bushido, there were warriors that could meditate and fight at the same time, willing themselves not to feel the pain, until they were literally cut down where they stood, or they bled out while still fighting. They were formidable warriors."

    Satoshi settled himself more comfortably, settling his feet into the lotus position, while he talked. "As for Kansas, he is my lover as well. We have a complicated family, Masato and I. Kansas has been a part of my life for over ten years now. I took him in when he was a teenager. He is now engaged to Masato's nephew... Santhiel's son, Erion."

    Kerien's eyes widened, and his face lit up. "That much I had heard, that Erion and Kansas were allowed to betroth by Hanali Celanil herself. Captain Santhiel is more than happy about the match between them, you know. He thinks of Kansas as his son already." Kerien looked at Satoshi's lotus position, and copied it, folding his legs and facing Satoshi. His eyes were clear and bright as he waited for instructions.

    Satoshi nodded, the blush fading from his cheeks, but his cheekbones were still slightly rosy. "Kansas loves Erion beyond measure. And he finally found a parent in Eryn. She actually moved to my world and married my father. Like I said, my family is all messed up now." Satoshi laughed brightly, the sound pure and happy.

    "So that's where Arwen Iradil got to," Kerien said. "Your father must be a formidable man. She's a strong-minded elf, with an iron will. I know Captain Santhiel doesn't cross her."

    Satoshi's laugh dwindled to a little giggle and he shook his shoulders a little to relax them. "Sorry. I'm being silly. But now. You already know how to meditate, so just close your eyes and clear your mind. Let your mind empty completely, and try to find yourself in an empty space. Anyway you feel most centered and calm." Satoshi closed his eyes, slowing his breathing to the deep rhythm of his meditative state, and allowed his mind to go blank, retreating to his zen place. "I see my pain as a ball of light, and I picture myself putting the ball of light in a box. It's a box that I can shrink, making it smaller and smaller until I can't even feel the box at all."

    Across from Satoshi, Kerien took a few deep breaths, centering himself and pushing back the constant nagging pain of the regenerating arm, trying to work the pain into something manageable. He finally settled on trying to imagine the pain as a stream, running steadily and he imagined himself stacking river rocks to build a dam and slow the stream. His dam held for a bit and then crumbled, and Kerien gave a small snort of amused frustration.

    "This'll take some work to master, but for a few moments there, the pain was less than usual," Kerien said, pleased.

    Satoshi nodded without opening his eyes, holding his meditative state perfectly while he talked. "It takes time to master it. I've been training Kempo since I was four, so I've been doing this for twenty-eight years. The best way to do this is to think of something that feels familiar to you. Something that you know from your life. I use a ball of light because I've always loved the night, and the stars are like small balls of light."

    Satoshi's bond to Sand opened slightly and Satoshi reached out unconsciously, as if he was trying to find some sort of a foothold, and Sand could feel how Satoshi wanted to reach out to Kerien to help him master the meditation faster.

    Kerien's brow wrinkled slightly as he tried to think of an image that would work. The stream had been familiar, but the image allowed the pain too much leeway. He contemplated using an arrow's flight, and then recalled how his bow had been ripped away with his arm, almost a worse loss since the bow had been his father's bow. Kerien had not dared to ask if the bow had been found after the skirmish. Hearing that it was lost for good was more than he could stand while he was still healing.

    Sand leaned against Satoshi a little, warm and comforting, and sent a silent offer through their bond to facilitate communing between Kerien and Satoshi, if Kerien could not do it himself. He sent a gentle wave of reassurance as well, letting Satoshi know that Kerien would not be offended if Satoshi asked him to commune, since Kerien had accepted Satoshi's offer of help already.

    Satoshi squirmed a little bit against Sand, out of simple shyness rather than anything else, and Sand could feel Satoshi's concentration slip for a moment, but then Satoshi asked very quietly, "Kerien, would you like to commune with me, so I can teach you better?"

    Kerien looked up, briefly startled, and then he smiled. For a brief moment, Satoshi could clearly see the eagle rider Kansas had described so breathlessly so long ago, a merry elf filled with the joy of living and soaring with his eagle.

    "Of course, you're familiar with communing," Kerien said, shaking his head a little. "I swear, the pain's made me completely addled. Yes, if you'd be willing to commune with me, that would help me a great deal to see how you do it."

    Satoshi could feel the gentle push against his thoughts that signaled a bid for communing, and Kerien's green-gold eyes were wide and hopeful.

    Satoshi blushed a beautiful pink and bowed his head as he opened up to the gentle push, and his dark eyes closed again, his mind drawing Kerien in.

    "Just empty your mind again, and sit with me," Satoshi whispered and the emptiness in his mind suddenly filled with an image, what he called his zen space.

    A large traditional Japanese tatami room, with old fashioned furniture appeared around them, a black low table standing in the middle of the room, and Satoshi sat on a cushion in his lotus position on one side of the table. From outside there came the faint tinkling of a creek running downhill, and the room was only lit by a single paper lantern, moonlight filtering in through a partially open door.

    "Please. Sit," Satoshi said quietly, and pointed Kerien to a cushion across the table from him.

    Kerien sat, his missing arm not detracting at all from his supple grace, and he looked around with evident appreciation for the simple furnishings, the spare elegance of the Japanese room. He took a few slow, deep breaths, centering himself, watching Satoshi with those slightly tilted eyes.

    In the Spring Satoshi sat utterly motionless, his head slightly bowed and his eyes closed tight, only his chest moving slowly, rhythmically and Sand could sense that Satoshi was deep in his meditation.

    In the old tatami room, Satoshi opened his eyes and rose from his cushion with a soft smile, and nodded at the elf. "Welcome. This is what I call my zen space. I know now that this is actually a memory from a previous lifetime. I have been a warrior in my country for many lifetimes, and this room once belonged to me, and I used it for my meditations. Please, have some tea with me."

    Satoshi reached out and poured fragrant green tea into a porcelain bowl, serving it to Kerien with a serene look on his face. Then he settled back on his cushion with his own tea bowl, and sipped at the hot drink with a soft sigh of appreciation.

    Kerien bowed his head in the elven manner, lifting the tea bowl with one hand and sipping the tea with delight. The subtle flavor and delicate aroma was very pleasing to his elven palate, and Satoshi could see Kerien's sudden understanding of why Arwen Iradil and Sand had been drawn to the Japanese way of life. It was almost familiar to an elf.

    "The key is to find something that is familiar. Something that has brought you peace in your life. Something that makes you feel safe. My uncle usually thinks of a cherished rock that he found in a river as a child. The rock is shaped like a turtle, and he has kept it in a safe place ever since. I use a few different images, for different things, but for pain, I use a ball of light and a small box. Tell me, what can you think of, that you have cherished in your life. An object is always easier to manage than a living thing."

    Kerien nodded his head and smiled, an edge of sorrow to his smile. "Normally, I'd say my bow. It was my father's bow, and when I became an eagle rider, he gave it to me and asked me to use it well. I was holding it when my arm was taken, and I've been afraid to ask if it was found." Kerien shook his head slightly, dismissing the bow until another time. "The only other thing I cherish, more than my life itself, is this ring."

    Kerien held up his hand, a ring made of mithral braided with green gold on his forefinger. He looked at the ring for a long moment, his eyes filled with a pure love. "My wife put this ring on my finger, and it's never left it since. She should be home soon, my Tathar. She didn't want to go, but it was her patrol's turn to walk the northern paths. I can't wait to see her again."

    Satoshi looked at the ring closely, his own thumb running unconsciously over his own braided rose gold ring. "It is beautiful, my friend. I think it will work well," he said quietly, and suddenly the table and the tea things were gone, and they were sitting so close to each other that their knees were almost touching.

    Satoshi reached out and took Kerien's hand in his, looking the elf deep in the eyes. "Now concentrate on the pain. Focus all of your attention on it, and let it manifest. Do not try to imagine what it will look like, just let it come forth and it will find an image of its own. Focus on the pain and draw it forth."

    Kerien took another centering breath, and his face paled slightly as he let the pain rise up. A cloud seemed to form in front of him, dark and ominous, and lit with tremblings of lightning, and above it rose a shape, malignant and reeking of evil, a woman with black-feathered wings. Her fingers ended in talons, and her bare feet were clawed. Her eyes were red coals above her fang-filled mouth.

    Satoshi was not sure how he knew, but he looked at the harpy and realized it had been this very creature that had taken Kerien's arm.

    "This is good, Kerien. This is good. Now hold that image, hold it in your mind. I'll help you so it will not get out of control. I have it. Now. Concentrate on your ring. See it as a circle around the harpy. See it as a barrier that she can't cross. Start big, so you will contain all of her inside the ring, the cloud and wings and all inside the ring," Satoshi said quietly, his hands tight around Kerien's, and suddenly without meaning to Satoshi opened up to the elf, and poured some of his own strength over to Kerien, to help him concentrate.

    At the same time Satoshi drew some of Kerien's pain into himself, and his body shuddered violently at the intensity of the elf's pain.

    Kerien expanded the ring until it surrounded the the cloud and the harpy, watching as the pain was contained inside the symbol of his eternal love for his wife. The mithral and green gold seemed to glow with a purity against the evil contained within the circle, and Kerien felt himself relax a bit as the pain developed proper boundaries at last.

    Kerien's eyes widened when he felt Satoshi's strength wash over him like a warm wave, and when he felt Satoshi absorb some of his pain, Kerien reached out with his single hand. "Please, elendil, don't. I'm used to it, but at first it's overwhelming. You have your own pain, and mine's too much on top of that."

    Satoshi smiled serenely, and nodded, his voice gentle as he stroked Kerien's hand. "I have lived with physical and mental pain my whole life. My elves have told me time and again, that an elf probably would not have survived what I have been through, so allow me. Just a little," he said, allowing his strength to linger between them, but he did not draw on more of Kerien's pain.

    "Now, my friend. Just hold that pain like that, for as long as you can and need to. When you feel confident enough, try to narrow the ring, force it to grow smaller, while containing the pain. And once you have mastered this, you will be able to manage the pain so well, that you will be able to keep your mind almost completely off it."

    Satoshi smiled at the elf, and then a ball of a sickly greenish light appeared before them, tendrils snaking out to lick at Satoshi's shoulder, hands and leg. Still smiling serenely, Satoshi focused on the orb, and the ball shrank, becoming smooth and the tendrils curled in on themselves as it sank to the floor where an open ironbound box lay. The sickly green ball floated down until it lay at the bottom of the box, and the lid swung closed, then the box shrank rapidly, until it was no bigger than a matchbox.

    Satoshi chuckled a little bit and picked the box up, and placed it in the nesting box that hung from the obi he was wearing over his kimono. "That was the pain that plagues my hands and shoulder now. My older pain is worse, but I can manage that about as well. And you will be able to manage yours just as well. You elves are naturals at meditation it seems. Save perhaps Hawk, but he's more scatterbrained than a bunny, so I can't really blame him."

    Kerien managed to smother a small chuckle, his own pain held firmly in place by the ring. "Heru Iradil would make a nasty sort of bunny, though, most likely all spiky and fanged, like all the Graycloaks. He might be scatterbrained here, but in the heat of battle, he's singlemindedly lethal."

    Satoshi chuckled at the image that Kerien drew of Hawk as a bunny, and he mumbled, "Well, he married Sora, so he has to be either crazy or fearless. Or a bit of both."

    Kerien flexed his good hand slightly, and the ring contracted a bit, compressing the cloud and the harpy, who hissed in rage. Kerien's expression brightened as he felt the pain ease a bit. "Oh, that's good," he sighed in relief. "That's so much better already."

    Kerien took a few deep breaths, savoring the sensation of being in less pain, and then he looked over at Satoshi, those green-gold eyes wise and ancient. "So, if I can ask, what pain is it that you carry, that even elves couldn't bear? If I'm asking too much, tell me to mind my own business, please. It's just that you seem too young for such burdens."

    Satoshi's smile faded and his eyes darkened with sadness, but he did not let go of Kerien's hand. "It is a long story, and not an easy one to tell. And I don't know if telling it now would be wise." Satoshi licked his lips slowly, and drew a deep breath, concentrating on keeping his pain under control.

    "My mother never wanted children, and she liked to remind me of that every chance that she got. My father was busy with his work, and too preoccupied to realize what was going on, or in too much denial. My mother never missed an opportunity to tell me how worthless I was, and how she hated me." Satoshi's voice was calm and steady, but the pain that those memories caused him was more than obvious in his tone.

    Kerien's eyes widened, but he held Satoshi's hand gently and listened silently, letting the pierced man tell his tale at his own pace.

    "Have you noticed the scars that I bear on my back and side? In school, the other children would make fun of me, and bully me. All through school I was berated and belittled at every turn. Sometimes I even had teachers that took part in it, either unwittingly or on purpose. And when I was fifteen, three boys that had tortured me through all of my school years, beat me badly, and one of them set me on fire. That's how I got those scars."

    Kerien's expression was one of dismay and grief. "I can't imagine a mother not loving her child, or that you would want to keep those reminders of such anguish. I heard you asking your husband to shield them, that first day you came to the Spring. He's shielding his own scars as well, it seems. Doesn't it hurt more, to have those reminders?"

    "Strangely it doesn't. Not after I met him. Before I met Masato, I freaked out and went into a rage if anyone touched my scars for too long, and I never showed them to strangers. But Masato taught me that those scars are only signs that I survived. I did not give up. No matter how much I wanted to give up and fade away, I never did. I can't undo my memories. I can't go back and erase the time when I got burned, or when my mother caned me for coming home with my clothes torn by the other children, or when I was raped, or when I found out that Yuji was cheating on me. I can't erase the past. If I could, I would not be who I am. It is exactly because of all that, that I am who I am today. Why I can love the way I do, and face my fears the way I do." Satoshi smiled, and a moonbeam landed on the rose gold rings on his left hand, making them twinkle beautifully. "The scars remind me that I am alive. I survived, and came out of it a little stronger. They are victory marks. And Masato showed me once what I would look like without them, and truthfully, I think I am more beautiful with the scars than without them."

    Kerien nodded. "Scars can be greatly beautiful, it's true. My Tathar had tattoos done to highlight her scars from her many battles. She's even more beautiful with them than she was before." Kerien tightened the circle of his ring even more, smiling a little in triumph as he began to master the technique. "You call your husband Masato, but I know him as Sand. I knew his father, and served with him on a few missions, you know. He was formidable. I wonder, though. Did Masato inherit his father's moonblade?"

    Satoshi nodded in admiration as he watched the ring tighten a little more around Kerien's pain, and he smiled lovingly when Kerien asked about Sand.

    "It's my own silliness, honestly. When he came to Japan to be with me, he decided to take citizenship there, and therefore he had to choose a Japanese name. He chose to take the name Mori Masato. My family name, and the given name Masato. And for some reason the family has begun to only refer to him by the name Masato. I call him Sand when he pisses me off." Satoshi laughed a little bit, the beautiful pink blush blooming on his cheeks again. "But then after my accident, I fell into a coma, and he came in to my mind to pull me out, and we were given the opportunity to see all of our past lives. We discovered that in his first lifetime with me, his name was Masato, and mine was Satoshi. Then when I woke up from the coma, my memory wasn't quite perfect, and I had simply forgotten that he had been born Sand Iradil."

    Satoshi smiled lovingly at the memory, but then looked at Kerien with a slightly puzzled curiosity. "What is a moonblade? I can't recall Masato talking about it."

    Kerien shook his head a little. "If he hasn't mentioned it, then he wasn't the one to inherit it. It's just that I never saw Hawk – Heru Iradil – with the moonblade. It could have gone to Arwen Mist, though, or maybe Arwen Iradil is still keeping it safe." Kerien smiled a little. "Moonblades are very rare. They are gifts from Selûne herself, and there were never many of them. They're handed down in elven families, from parent to child, but it can skip a generation. Anyway, a moonblade can only be held by its rightful wielder. It'll kill anyone else who tries to use it. I just remember Heru Annesath's moonblade, and wondered who held it now. They glow like Selûne herself, and they have a large moonstone in the hilt."

    "That sounds like a beautiful blade. I'll have to remember to ask Masato about it. He only wields a songsword now, and a katana. A traditional sword of my country. They are long and slender, and slightly curved, the sharper edge on the outer side of the blade, and they are made by folding the steel in on itself, up to seven times over. I have trained with a katana since I was seven, and it is a magnificent sword to use. Then a couple of years ago, Masato gave me a songsword, and he has been training me with that since. I am able to take it out of the scabbard now without injuring myself." Satoshi giggled happily and smirked at the elf impishly.

    Kerien nodded. "He's a bladesinger, then? That's a difficult discipline." He grinned at Satoshi and gestured a little. "I have a feeling you can do more than just draw your songsword, though. You carry yourself like a swordsman, and you have the hands of one. It's more than just calluses. The muscle hardens a certain way. Tathar uses a longsword, so I know how it feels. I'm primarily an archer, and trust me, after I'm done healing, my fingers will be bleeding when Captain Santhiel starts me training again. I'll need to build the strength in my new arm to even draw a bow properly, and this hand?" Kerien looked at his hand where it still rested in Satoshi's hand. "The string will eat it alive, even through a glove."

    Satoshi made a small sound of surprise and ran his fingers over the fingertips of Kerien's hand where it rested in his palm. "Oh, that's terrible. And it's too late to ask Masato to cast his shielding spell on your hands. Maybe Ardiel can help you. I will ask her. And then I will ask Masato to teach the healers here that shielding spell of his, so they can use it on warriors like you, so they don't have to lose something as important as their calluses. When I first started playing guitar I played for so long that my fingertips were just raw and bleeding, but I didn't stop. My father had to force me to stop, and only allow me my guitar a few hours a day, to let my fingers heal. Not that that's at all similar to what you do, but at least I understand how important it is to keep those calluses. I feel for you, my friend, because I know how hard Santhiel is."

    Satoshi smiled impishly, and then leaned in a little, whispering as if he was afraid Sand would hear them, "I'll tell you a secret though. I have a daughter who is almost two years old now, and she can wear Santhiel out far worse than his own two sons ever could. I've seen him flee in terror when my daughter comes into the room looking for him. Her favorite game is to use him as a bouncing board."

    "Captain Santhiel is hard on us, but it's for a reason. He's only lost a few elves in all the time he's been Captain of the Vale Guard, and when he has lost an elf, he mourns harder than anyone. We'd all follow him to the Abyss and back. But now I want to meet this fearsome daughter of yours, you know. We might make her the barracks mascot, if we survive her." Kerien laughed, his green-gold eyes bright and easy. "Tathar and I are talking about children. I think maybe after she returns from this patrol, and I'm done healing, we might actually do more than talk. I think I'm ready to hold an elfling in my arms, and know that we'll leave a legacy of our own."

    Kerien tilted his head slightly. "You shouldn't make light of your music. Playing your guitar is a high art here, and we cherish anyone who can make such beauty. The Seldarine themselves call music a gift, and it can heal hearts that nothing else can reach. I've seen elves pull back from fading because of the power of music."

    Satoshi blushed crimson and bowed his head, deciding to let his shyness be an excuse to not acknowledge the praise of his music, but instead focused on his other pride and joy, and his laughter was full of joy when he spoke.

    "I doubt that even a barracks full of elves would survive my daughter. Especially not now that she has a companion in crime in Masato's daughter. Takara will probably just see it as a challenge, how long it will take her to wear all of you out. I also have a son. His name is Ryuu, which means dragon in my language. We are hoping that our wife will give Masato a son as well some day. He's sort of on the short list with her now, concerning kids, because he accidentally got her pregnant only a few months after she had Takara. That's why the girls are born on the same day, exactly one year apart. I got them both for my birthday." Satoshi sighed a little bit, and a look of missing passed over his face, a longing to see his three children again. "They truly are the greatest gift that you can ask for from the gods. It will scare the shit out of you, and half the time you'll be terrified of fucking up, and the other half you'll be terrified that you are screwing your kids up, but then they do something... a smile, a laugh, a flower with the dirt and roots still attached, break your favorite mug, and you just can't imagine anything more perfect than them, and their love, and you know that the world is just perfect, because they are there."

    Satoshi smiled encouragingly at Kerien, and added with a grin, "Even when they are waking you up at five in the morning by jumping on your bladder and utterly ignoring the fact that you are as rock hard as a marble pillar. Hikaru did that once. Climbed into my bed, and poked me in the balls, asking me if I needed to pee that badly."

    "Your wife is named Willow, as I remember. Do you know, your wife and mine share a name?" Kerien's eyes were bright with mischief. "In my language, Tathar means willow. She's a wood elf, and she comes from a very large and very merry family. That's why I really think we can dare to have an elfling or six. If something were to happen to us, her family would raise our children with as much love and joy as they raised Tathar herself. And I hope our children will pounce on us in the mornings and break our favorite mugs and make us question our sanity ten times a day. I can't think of a better future."

    It was Kerien's turn to look a bit shy. "When your children come here, to Evereska, would you think it terrible if I offered your children a ride with me? The thing is, my eagle is always watching, and she's very protective of the elflings as it is. When you ride an eagle long enough, you learn to read each other so well, it's as good as talking. She watches for Kansas, you know. I think she'd give him a flight even without me there."

    "Oh, the kids would love to go for a ride. I won't swear anything about what Willow will say, or Vale and Yuji, but I know my kids would love it. Maybe that's one thing that Takara won't be able to wear out in a day, a giant eagle. And I will be sure to let Kansas know about your eagle. He loved that ride that you gave him when he first arrived here, and it will make him so happy to be allowed to ride her again. Sadly he's left for home now already, but the whole family is planning on coming over when they have their christmas break. I will be sure to bring him to you and you can offer him and the kids a ride yourself. And as soon as I feel up to playing again, I will come here and sit with you and play for you." Satoshi blushed a little and looked down, stroking Kerien's hand gently.

    While they had been talking, Kerien had been gradually shrinking his ring, and he had managed to halve the size of his pain manifestation. He looked at it, startled, and then grinned. "Oh, Satoshi, thank you! I haven't felt this good since I was wounded. This is manageable now, this pain. And I can keep practicing, until I can make it even less, can't I?" He looked at Satoshi with those beautiful shining eyes. "You're a healer, do you know that? You've done as much to heal me as sitting in the Spring. The waters heal my body, but you're healing my heart, and I can't wait for you to meet Tathar. She'll probably hug you half to death, and then smack me for being stupid, and then hug me for good measure. Thank you, with all my heart."

    Satoshi shrugged his shoulders slightly, that shy pink blush still painting his cheekbones. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just something that I was taught, and I used it to escape my pain. I used it to stay sane. Thank you for letting me help. I don't know if I'm a healer, but I like to help people. I often think that my pain is so trivial and so... not fake, but something that shouldn't hurt so much, if you take my meaning. While other people suffer real pain, like you are now. I am glad I could help. And yes, the more you practice the better you will be able to control it. Once you've mastered this vision, then you can even try to play with it. For example, nothing cures pain more than laughter."

    Satoshi drew a steadying breath as he pulled a tiny box out of the nesting box hanging from his obi, and the box grew rapidly, until it stood at about a foot on each side. Then Satoshi opened the box slowly, still breathing deeply, and out of the box there rose a noxious cloud of muddy yellow, the image of a man standing in the middle of it, screaming curses and derogatory remarks at Satoshi. When the cloud had formed into a full human shape, the figure almost solid where it stood, it was about a foot tall on the lid of its box, and Kerien could understand the vile poison that the man spewed from his mouth.

    "This is the pain that the bully who burned me caused me. Sometimes, it helps if you can laugh at your pain," Satoshi said, and suddenly the image of the man stood on the box, dressed in an electric pink tutu, with a purple feather boa around his neck, and sparkly tassels covering his nipples.

    Satoshi looked at Kerien with a small grin, and winked. "It doesn't always work. But I'm getting better at it." The image of the bully Ogawa suddenly began to jerk his hips in a terrible rendition of a Brazilian samba, the sparkly nipple tassels twirling erratically.

    Kerien looked at his harpy and narrowed his eyes a bit, and she suddenly wore fluffy yellow wings, like a newly hatched chick. Her eyes widened in outrage, and Kerien began to snicker in delight as he watched her fuss and tug at her own wings. He watched her for a few moments, and then his expression sobered.

    "Don't belittle your pain. Those are the wounds that are hardest to heal, you know, the ones to the heart. I just can't fathom not loving your own child. That's just... well, I can't even think of words that fit. But at least you've found love, and people who love you the way we all should be loved. And you're braver than many of us elves, no matter how many battles we've seen. You've survived things that we couldn't, and you should be proud of yourself. If you don't mind, I'd be honored to call you my friend." Kerien looked at Satoshi, his expression hopeful.

    Satoshi concentrated on the image of Ogawa, making the image do a little tap dance, before he forced it back into the box and shrunk it down to the matchbox size again and tucked it away in his nesting box.

    "Thank you. I would be honored to call you my friend as well. And thank you, for understanding about my pain. I have suffered from depression most of my life because of it. Even though I had this place to go to, to find solace, depression is not that easily pushed aside. You have also survived a pain, that I doubt I could have survived. Truthfully I do not want to sadden you with the truth of my mother's crimes, I still need to tell my father the truth about those. But she was a cold woman. Desperately cold. What do you say, when my children come, I'll bring them to you, and let you meet them? I'll even ask Vale and Yuji if I can bring Aika and Hikaru. Aika is Yuji's daughter and Hikaru is Vale's son. Now there is someone that could manage to take your mind of the pain for a while. And if your Tathar resists the idea of having elflings, I'll lend you Hikaru to help you convince her. He's that adorable." Satoshi snickered and made a mental note of showing Kerien the picture he had of Hikaru in his wallet.

    "I'd love that, meeting all the children. And if Hikaru is that adorable, I might have to wrestle him back from Tathar," Kerien said, laughing. "She has four brothers and a sister herself, and she loves the idea of having a crowd of elflings to tumble all over each other and us. I don't think she'll need a lot of convincing." He looked at Satoshi with open joy. "Then maybe when you come, one day you can meet my elflings."

    Kerien's hand tightened around Satoshi's hand briefly, and the elf smiled radiantly. "We should probably get back to the Spring, shouldn't we? But I'm glad you faceplanted into me. I was letting the pain win, and missing Tathar, and now I feel stronger and ready to heal. So, thank you, Satoshi."

    Satoshi laughed happily, and smiled when he answered with a wink, "Then I'll lend Hikaru to Tathar to convince you. Better yet, I'll let you both borrow our entire hoard from time to time. All joking aside though, having children is a gift that cannot be rivaled. And I'll be moving to Evereska, in all likelihood, when I've lived out a human life in Japan, so I will be most happy to meet your elflings."

    Satoshi giggled and suddenly the room was flooded with sunlight and birds could be heard singing outside the open door, and then shadows played along the floor, looking very much like the shades of the blue leaf trees that surrounded the Spring.

    "You are right, we should. I'm happy to have faceplanted into you then. And it wasn't quite as uncomfortable as your muscles might suggest. Your skin is very soft, and your reactions are still quick enough to have saved me any damage. If you would like, I can keep helping you for as long as I am here. I do need the practice honestly."

    Slowly the room faded to the black emptiness where they had begun, but the shadows of the blue leaf trees continued to dance around them, and Satoshi eased them slowly out of the communing, allowing Kerien to be the one to end it completely, in case the elf still wanted to say something to him in private.

    "I'd like to practice with you, and once more, thank you. The Seldarine sent you, I know it." Kerien grinned and ended the communing, his grin carrying over into the waking world and making the healer who had been observing him look at him in astonishment.

    Sand felt Satoshi returning from his communing, and he nuzzled Satoshi's hair a little as he held the slender body of his husband close to himself. "Welcome back, verno'amin," Sand murmured into the cherry-red hair. He could feel the peacefulness within Satoshi, and he looked up to see the peace on the face of the other elf.

    Satoshi leaned back with a small sigh and turned his head to nuzzle under Sand's chin, then griped playfully, "I need a cigarette."

    Sand grinned a little and tugged Satoshi onto his lap. "Well, I don't need one yet, so you'll just have to wait." He burst out laughing when Satoshi pretended to pout, and Ardiel leaned over them both with a smile.

    "It's been nearly four hours, so I think you might want to come on out and go home to have some lunch," Ardiel suggested.

    Satoshi's stomach growled loudly in agreement, and he turned around to Kerien as he stood to get out. "I'll see you tomorrow, my friend."

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