Jump to content

BronxWench

Archive Mod
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    22,603

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    665

 Content Type 

Posts posted by BronxWench

  4. Looking for werewolf incest m/m story

    in Originals

    Posted

    We treat that information as confidential, and we do not encourage the posting of email addresses or other personal information in what is essentially a public venue. If that email address is posted here, it will be removed.

    Please email us as explained above, and your request will be forwarded to the author.

    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."

×
×
  • Create New...