[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Vale slid out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake Willow as he slipped on his sleep pants and a t-shirt. Vale gathered up Michi who was just beginning to stir, and nuzzled the little half elf as he padded downstairs to warm her bottle and give her some mashed rice and milk, and a bit of mashed banana for breakfast. He crooned to her softly as he tucked her into her high chair, giving Michi a teething rusk to savage while he made her meal.

"You're getting so big already, my sweet Michi." Vale smiled at her over his shoulder, earning a giggle from the little girl as he spoke to her in elven. "I'm getting breakfast ready as fast as I can, do you see? Of course you do, my little elfling. Your atar usually does this, but it's nice to have a chance to have breakfast with you."

Vale finished his preparations and sat down to begin feeding Michi, offering her a spoon of rice and milk and getting a happy coo as she took the food.

"There we go," Vale crooned. "Isn't that good?"

"You are so good with her, and with all the children, anoramin." Sand sat next to Vale, his blue eyes a bit dark.

"'Quel amrun, ithilamin," Vale replied, leaning over to kiss Sand sweetly. "Do you want to take over feeding Michi?"

"Not at all, a'maelanoramin." Sand leaned into Vale, his mood still strange and their bond still full of turmoil. Michi looked at her chichi, her small face starting to crumple a bit, and Sand reached out to stroke a velvety cheek. "Hush, tinuamin, my daughter, my sweet one. Do not fret. Atar is just a little worried about ai'atarlle, your little father, your tousan. And atar realizes he has been a fool once again, and did not understand what your cormatar, your heart-father endured."

Sand's gentle voice soothed Michi, and she settled back down quickly, opening her small mouth for her food and managing not to spew most of it. As she ate, Sand's long fingers tangled in Vale's hair, teasing out the sleep tangles and playing with the soft waves.

"It helps to talk, ithilamin," Vale said, his voice warm with his love for his elven husband. "I think we're all a little worried about him. He seemed so surprised to realize that even we elves suffer from depression and madness. I wish I could've told him that we could fix this with magic, but we can't."

"His bond feels a bit less dark, but he does not rest the entire night." Sand sighed a little, turning his head to nuzzle Vale. "I could feel his pleasure with Erion, but there was a sorrow to it at the end, a dreadful feeling. It felt like Satoshi was letting go a bit."

Vale's green eyes widened slightly, and he opened his own bond with Satoshi. The bright green he had revealed yesterday was still there, but a little dimmer, and Vale's heart jumped painfully. He let his love for Satoshi flow steadily along the bond, not trying to flood Satoshi, but just to gently warm him, his green eyes darkening slightly as he looked back at Sand.

"It feels a bit like fading, you're right. But he needs you to be strong for him, ithilamin. You can't fall apart." Vale nuzzled Sand, finding Sand's lips and kissing him gently. "Talk to me. Share it with me, and then you need to talk to him."

"You have lived through this pain, anoramin. How did you cope?" Sand asked plaintively, his blue eyes wet with unshed tears.

Sand almost never wept, and the sight tore at Vale's heart, knowing as he did how much the moon elf loved Satoshi. Vale fed Michi the last few bites as he answered, his voice soft and yet strong, his love for both Sand and Satoshi in every word.

"I didn't cope. Not at first. I was doing the same thing, letting go. It's hard to explain how much it hurts to someone who hasn't felt that sort of depression, but I suppose the closest I can come is that it feels like the world would be better if you left it." Vale looked over at Sand, his green eyes beautiful and warm. "It seems silly in retrospect, to think one person is responsible for all the pain in the world, but at the time, you're really sure that if you let go and fade, everyone will be better off, and happier in the long run."

"But that is not so, it was never so, not for you or for Satoshi," Sand protested. His fingers drifted through Vale's hair, the touch feather light but enough to make Vale smile.

"Of course it isn't, but this isn't a rational illness. You aren't thinking clearly, because for whatever reasons, you just know that you're too broken to be fixed, and not worth the effort to try." Vale turned his head to nibble another kiss from Sand. "What saved me from fading was Satoshi reaching in and lifting enough of the pain away to let me remember that I was loved. I wasn't sure what was real at that point, so I couldn't be sure that Yuji loved me, or that any of you loved me. I was always pretty sure that I loved Yuji, though. I don't know why. It was more than the bond, though."

Michi was done with her solid food, and Vale wiped her little face clean and lifted her from the high chair, settling her in his arms and offering her the rest of her milk in her bottle.

"But anyway, I don't have Satoshi's gift, not even close, but I can help a little. I can peel away some of the muddiness and pain that runs through our bond, and it helps, a little." Vale sighed as Sand wrapped his arms around Vale and Michi. "At least he was able to eat dinner. I don't absorb his pain into myself as much as he did mine, so I can do some every day, to help. I want to do some every day. Seldarine know, Satoshi kept me alive long enough to be helped. If I can do even just this little thing for him, I'll be happy."

"How do I help him?" Sand asked. "I fear that I will do the wrong thing, or say the wrong thing, and make his pain greater, and I could not bear that. At the same time, I cannot let him slip away from me. I cannot lose him, anoramin."

"Love him and be utterly honest with him," Vale said promptly, no hesitation whatsoever in his answer. "The worst feeling is knowing that people are holding back and not telling you the truth. No matter how much you hurt, knowing that the people you love are hiding how they feel from you hurts even more. You might think you're helping, but you're not."

"And if it hurts him more?" Sand asked, the grief in his voice plain.

"Then you deal with that, but out in the open." Vale lifted Michi to his shoulder, rubbing her back gently. For some reason, Michi did not seem to spew her milk for Vale, and he was fast becoming the official Michi burper. Sand stroked Vale's arm as Vale continued. "Ithilamin, we know we're fucked up, Satoshi and me. I'm mostly back together, but I have a small hiccup every now and then, and Yuji picks up the pieces and gets me back on my feet. But it's not a secret, so you're not telling us something new. What we don't know, but really need to know, is that you're there beside us and that you love us no matter what, that no matter how dark it gets, you're not leaving. Satoshi, he can hang on if you give him that to hold on to, Sand. I'll try and lift enough of his pain, like he did for me, and you let Satoshi know that he can't possibly do anything to lose you. Give him that to hold on to, and love him with every bit of that wild, fierce soul of yours." Vale leaned in and kissed Sand again, deeper this time, offering his own love and strength to Sand freely. "Amin mela lle, ithilamin. Are, tulre, ten'oio. Sii' auta a'ho. Leneema yeste' nat' ro elea na antalle."

Sand returned the kiss, plundering Vale's mouth sweetly and enjoying the feel of Vale in his arms, until Michi let out a small squeak to reminder them both that she was there. Vale laughed a little, nuzzling the small half elf as he felt some of the turmoil fall away from Sand, the moon elf's eyes a bit brighter now. Sand kissed Michi's velvet cheek, earning a little coo, and he stood, lithe and handsome, snagging two mugs of hot tea before heading up to find Satoshi.

Sand slipped quietly into his bedroom, Satoshi still curled up in the bed. Sand put the mugs of tea down on the nightstand before he climbed carefully into the bed, Satoshi's eyes opening almost the moment Sand did so.

"Good morning, saiai," Sand murmured, leaning over to press a kiss to Satoshi's forehead. "I have brought you some hot tea, if you wish."

Satoshi rubbed at his eyes harshly, as he crawled from underneath the covers, his voice rough with fatigue. "What time is it?" he asked with a small frown, and held out his hands for the mug of tea.

"It is early, saiai, just past sunrise. I went to attend to Michi-chan but Vale had gotten there first." Sand helped Satoshi to sit up and handed him the tea. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Satoshi mumbled into his mug as he blew on the hot tea, and took a careful sip. There were faint shadows under his eyes and his eyes did not sparkle like they always did. "I need to start thinking about getting back to work, Masato. I've been away for over a week now. We're never going to get Kohaku's new album done in time, if I keep getting sick like this," Satoshi said quietly, putting such a derisive sneer into the word "sick" that it sounded like he was berating himself with only that one word.

Sand shook his head a little. "That is the last thing you should be worrying about right now, saiai. The most important thing is getting you back to feeling better. Matsu-san and Kohaku-san understand that your ankle makes work difficult, and I am concerned about your depression."

Sand took a deep breath. "I am afraid, saiai. I am afraid that I am losing you to this inner darkness, and I am afraid that I will not know what to do, or how to help. I can fight what comes, even that filth that reached out for you at tousan's house. I know how to deal with such threats. But I am so afraid that I will do or say the wrong thing, and I could not bear to cause you more pain."

Sand's voice was calm, his blue eyes clear and filled with nothing but love as he looked at Satoshi. "I will be as strong as I need to be for you, saiai, if you can forgive me when I am clumsy."

Satoshi put his mug down on the nightstand and eased himself into Sand's arms, his eyes welling with tears and his voice trembled. "I am always afraid that this time I'll lose to the darkness. I'm sorry, Masato, that I'm so broken. But you give me strength. I'm not as afraid now as I've always been before. I trust that you'll catch me if I need you to. The only thing I know makes things worse is if you pretend to know what is best. If I say I do not like something and you say that I do, you understand?"

Satoshi nuzzled Sand's chin slightly, and a small sob escaped. "I wish I wasn't this broken and damaged, because I never want to see you so scared, or so sad. I'll try to get better soon. I promise. I'll fight, so you don't have to lose me to this darkness. You are my light in this, Masato, you really are."

"Do I do that to you, saiai? Do I pretend to know best for you?" Sand pressed a kiss to Satoshi's forehead. "I am so very sorry, and you are right. I will not judge like that. But you must do something for me. Do not call yourself broken, for you are not broken. You are more whole than any of us could have been had we endured what you have. You are so very strong, but even such strength as you have needs help, and I will be that. I promise you that, my Satoshi, my soul. I will always catch you, and I will never let you fall away from me."

Satoshi looked up with great alarm in his eyes and his voice pitched a bit, as he started speaking hurriedly, almost panicked. "I didn't mean that you do pretend to know best. It's just something that most people tend to do when I'm like this. Nobody ever means to, but they always end up doing it. You haven't don it so far. Actually you've been more understanding and loving than anyone has before. Please, I didn't mean that you do pretend to know what's best for me."

"Do not worry, saiai. I do know that sometimes I can be overbearing. Vale has told me often enough himself, and in much sharper terms." Sand smiled a little and stroked Satoshi's hair tenderly. "I am glad that I have not done so, but if I do, you must not hesitate to tell me to shut up. It is simply that I want so much to help you, and to be at your side through whatever comes."

Satoshi breathed a little easier, but his eyes were still glazed with tears. "Be prepared that I might get pissy with you if you do. I'll try not to, but I can't promise. My temper is very unpredictable when I'm like this, and it gets even worse when I start on my meds. The first weeks when I start my meds are the worst, but then I should level out. But I think I can promise you this, I won't call myself broken any more. Never again. Even though I feel like I'm broken, you do have a point. Many others would have been far worse, had they lived through my childhood. I can't remember how many times Yuji left my house in tears after only spending a few hours there." Satoshi lifted his chin a little, timidly asking for a kiss as he snuggled closer to Sand.

Sand kissed Satoshi, a long, slow, sweet kiss that held all the love that Sand could pour into it, a gentle plundering of his beloved husband. He did not break the kiss until they both needed to breathe, and then he looked into Satoshi's gorgeous eyes and smiled, his face radiant. "Get as pissy with me as you need, and I promise that I will understand. We will do what we can to help ease the worst of the side effects of the medications." Sand dipped in to kiss Satoshi breathless yet again. "We will do this together, for together we are stronger than any darkness."

Satoshi nuzzled Sand's neck, and settled into a comfortable cuddle, his voice a fraction stronger when he answered. "You need to understand that by pissy I mean, I can fly into a rage over the tiniest thing. Sometimes there isn't even any reason to be angry, I just get mad. I don't know why it is, but my doctor said that it's probably related to the way my mother would sometimes get violent with me for no reason at all. And about the medications, it takes time for my body to adjust to them, so I'll be a little up and down at first, but it usually only takes a couple of weeks until they start to do their job properly. Do you really think you can do something about the side effects?"

"I think I understand what you mean by pissy, my heart, and I will not take it personally. I will remember, and understand." Sand wrapped his arms around Satoshi and cradled him close. "As to the side effects, I do not see why we cannot help. I will speak to okaasan and we will either find a way to ease the side effects, or we will simply recreate the medications from our own herbs and agents, and do so without such side effects."

Satoshi sighed loudly, and relaxed perfectly into Sand's arms. "Oh, that would be wonderful. Some of the side effects are just nasty. One of the medications I've taken over the years made me gain like twenty pounds. Another one made me want to sleep all the time. I didn't take that one for very long, but the one I got instead made me unable to sleep. Then there is another one that makes me completely emotionless. I just go into this slump, and stay there, never feeling good about anything."

Satoshi nuzzled Sand's neck and nibbled softly on the warm skin, as he continued. "But those are all meds that didn't work very well. Well, except for the one that made me fat. My doctor seems to think that one works well for me. But last time he put me on meds, we found a combo that seemed to work very well. But there are still side effects. There always are."

"We will look into this, then. If we can tell okaasan the names of the medications that the doctor is likely to give you, she can begin to investigate." Sand purred a little as Satoshi nibbled. "I will make anything that she wishes myself."

Satoshi hummed in response and nibbled on Sand's neck some more, scooting closer to throw one muscled thigh over Sand's hip, and tugging on the elf to come closer. Sand complied eagerly, pulling Satoshi over his thighs and nibbling on his pierced lower lip, long fingers gliding up to toy with Satoshi's nipple piercings.

They took their time, and Sand made tender love to Satoshi, bringing his beloved pierced imp to a shattering orgasm as he opened his bond wide to wrap Satoshi in all his wild, fierce love. Sand cradled Satoshi for a bit, kissing away the tears of pleasure that beaded in Satoshi's lashes. When Satoshi began to deepen their kisses, Sand lay back and parted his thighs, and Satoshi loved Sand with all the pure sweetness of his beautiful soul until it was Sand's turn to cry out his pleasure, his radiant face damp with tears of love and joy.

[Elven: I love you, my moon. Today, tomorrow, forever. Now go to him. Let the first thing he sees be your face.]

[Funny Typos]

Oh, I'll have to save a few of my NaNo doozies for here. I've been trying to at least fix the really bad stuff as I go, but yeah... nothing like sprint writing to make for great typos!

And by the way, you are rocking NaNo!!! Way to go!!!

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[Phishing Scams: a New Drinking Game?]

Government in exile. Drinks are on me.

[Phishing Scams: a New Drinking Game?]

Now that brings up an interesting little thing I've noticed. I do NOT get bombarded with offers to enhance my breasts, firm my rather callipygian buttocks, smooth my skin, or erase my wrinkles. I'm not at all sure if I should be relieved or insulted.

Maybe I just need another drink.

[Story Hidden]

Thank you for correcting the author's note, and the story should be visible once again!

[Phishing Scams: a New Drinking Game?]

Not to mention the raging hordes of deposed nobility that desperately need my help to claim their funds, for which they will reward me substantially. I'm all agog at the prospect of untold riches, and being permitted to rub elbows with the highest echelons...

If we're drinking, make mine a Guinness.

[Story is Missing]

Your story is now visible again. Thank you!

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Eryn looked over her shoulder as she caught Satoru, calling out, "Masato? Use our bathroom." Eryn turned back to Satoru, her arms tightly around her husband as they sank to the floor together.

"You're trembling like a leaf, melamin. Just catch your breath a moment." Eryn reached out with her healer's senses, feeling the effects of the terrible stress on Satoru.

It was second nature for Eryn to act, and she immediately reached out for the healing energy granted to her by Corellon. Satoru's heart was weakened by the stress, damage done over the years as he worried about his son and endured his loveless marriage, and Eryn repaired it without hesitation, the warm glow of the healing soothing Satoru a bit. There was a tiny weakness in an arterial wall, and Eryn healed that as well, all in the space of time it took to press a kiss to Satoru's temple.

"Do you know what she is?" Eryn asked. "Between Masato and me, we are a formidable source of protection, and if you can tell us what we face, the three of us can protect Satoshi."

Satoru shook his head, his eyes a little desperate. "No. I don't know. I suspect she's a ghost. She's followed him ever since he drowned when he was one. But I have no idea why. Or where she's from," he said with a small sob, tears in his lashes.

Eryn nodded. "That's more than enough, melamin. It doesn't take much to sense her evil. She reeks of it. But what do you mean, he drowned when he was one?"

Satoru looked up at Eryn with a faint surprise, as if he expected her to remember the incident, but then he remembered that she was not the mother that had given birth to Satoshi. He leaned into her embrace and sighed, relaxing a little bit. "When he was one, and had just started walking we took him to the small park across the street. I was walking with him near the bank of the pond there, while Shizuko sat on the bench with Yuki. Kenji-san was with us. I only looked away for a moment, while talking with Shizuko, and off he went. The next thing I knew, I heard a splash, and Kenji-san yelled, and by the time I got into the water Kenji-san was already pulling Satoshi out."

Satoru gave a small sob, shivering as he continued. "He wasn't breathing when we pulled him out, but Kenji got him breathing almost instantly. He didn't breathe for maybe a minute. But Kenji had to fight to get them both out of that pond. It was as if someone was pulling them in. That pond isn't very deep, not deep enough to drown a grown man, but Kenji had to fight to get out. Satoshi has been afraid of water ever since, and he fell in that pond again when he was seven or eight, and that made him terrified of water, to the point of having panic attacks when he had swimming lessons in school."

"Oh, melamin, I had no idea," Eryn said. "Our poor sweet boy, no wonder the pond in Evereska frightened him so at first. Do you think she was responsible for how hard Kenji-san had to fight to save Satoshi when he was one?"

Satoru nodded his head hard. "Yes, I have no doubt of that. Kenji had bruises on his legs and his jeans were torn, as if someone had ripped them. He told us he had gotten snagged on something, but those scratches were not made by anything but human hands."

Eryn kissed Satoru tenderly. "There are so many things in the world that we can't explain easily, but at least we can do something useful. I'm going to make up the bed in here for Satoshi and Masato, and then I'm going to deal with his new injuries. Poor boy, I can't do much about the ankle since the hospital has records, and he'd have too many questions to answer if he healed suddenly." She stood, holding our her hands to Satoru as he stood with her, and she went up on her tiptoes to kiss him again. "You go see how they're doing in our bathroom."

Satoru wrapped his arms around her small waist and held her tightly, kissing her deeply. When he finally broke the kiss, he ran a hand over her raven hair, his eyes shining with love. "Sometimes I forget that you aren't his birthmother. I doubt you will ever realize how much it means to me, how much you love him. Thank you for being such a perfect woman, Eri-chan," he whispered and kissed her again, before he left to go and check on Sand and Satoshi.

Eryn made the bed up with clean, sweet-smelling sheets, fluffing the pillows and putting a summer-weight comforter on the bed. As she worked, she murmured a soft prayer in elven, invoking the protection of all the Seldarine on everyone in the house, and especially on Satoshi. By the time she was done making the bed, she could see the delicate traceries of her divine magic, visible only to her, sealing the doors and windows and forming a protective shield around the bed.

Sand helped Satoshi to remove his t-shirt and sleep pants, careful to avoid tugging on any of the new gashes and gouges from whatever evil was so intently pursuing his beloved husband. The air around them both was slightly charged with arcane energy, Sand still very much alert.

"I do not know if you want to shower fully, saiai. Perhaps we can sit you on the shower stool, and you can hold that leg out?" Sand looked slightly dubious. "I do not think there is any plastic wrap in here, although I can run to the kitchen and get some."

Satoshi shook his head, sounding scared when he answered, "No, please don't leave me alone. I can hold my leg out of the way. There should be a bucket in the cupboard under the sink. I can use that to rest my foot on. Please don't leave me alone."

Sand lifted Satoshi's chin to look him in the eyes. "I will not leave you, then. Do not worry, watashi no kokoro." Sand looked in the cupboard and found the small bucket, placing a small towel on its bottom to cushion Satoshi's foot. "That should help a bit."

Sand turned on the shower, adjusting the water to a comfortable temperature and using the hand-held shower head to rinse Satoshi off carefully, starting with his thick hair and being especially careful to use a gentle stream of water to flush the wounds on Satoshi's back and legs. Even so, Sand winced, knowing that it had to sting, and he pressed a kiss to Satoshi's temple. "I am so sorry, saiai. I do not mean to cause you pain."

Satoshi turned his face to seek out Sand's lips and murmured as he nibbled on Sand's chin, "This is not pain. What happened in that room was pain, and when my ankle broke was pain. But this, this is not pain. It just hurts a little, but that's just because I'm a whiny idiot." He tried to smile as he spoke, but the fear in his eyes made his smile seem disingenuous.

"You have been very brave," Sand assured Satoshi. "I will admit that my hand trembles right now like leaf in a windstorm." Sand lifted his head, feeling the pull of divine magic, and he smiled a little as he turned back to Satoshi. "Atara is calling down the protection of the Seldarine. Can you feel it, just a little?"

Satoshi nodded his head slowly, cocking his head a little as if to listen. "Is that, that weird tingle that I get at the back of my head?" Satoshi scraped his teeth over his lip, tearing open the small wound he had gnawed into his lip the night before, and his eyes went a little distant for a few moments. "It sounds beautiful," he said quietly, with great reverence in his voice.

"You hear it as music?" Sand looked pleased. "I imagine it is beautiful in all the ways it can be felt or touched or heard." He stroked Satoshi's hair lovingly. "I will add some of the protections I learned in the Weave, and between our two forms of magic, I think we can rest tonight safely."

Satoshi blushed faintly, and almost whispered as he dunked his head under the flowing water, "I can hear music in everything. Even in you. The most beautiful sound I know is your heart. Yours and the kids' hearts."

"Aishi teru, watashi no kokoro." Sand's voice was soft, but the light shining in his eyes was only for Satoshi.

There was a gentle knock on the bathroom door, and Satoru's voice came through the door. "Satoshi-kun? Masato-san? May I come in?"

Satoshi looked at Sand urgently, and Sand reached for a washcloth so that Satoshi could make himself decent. Sand slung a small towel around his own slim hips.

"Come in, tousan," Sand called, looking up with a smile for Satoru as he came in. "We are nearly finished. I just want to be sure I have left nothing in any of Satoshi's cuts."

Satoru lifted the folded pajamas that he was holding and smiled a little when he spoke, "I brought you pajamas. How are the cuts? Are they bad?"

Satoru moved over the shower and Satoshi leaned forwards to let Satoru look at his back, as he answered, "They burn like crazy, but I don't think they're that deep. Are they still bleeding?"

Satoru inspected the cuts gently and hummed a little in his throat. Sand noticed that Satoru avoided touching the burn scars on Satoshi's back, and Satoshi shivered slightly when Satoru's fingers brushed against the edges of his scars.

"They are bleeding a little still, but okaasan says that helps to clean out the wound," Sand replied. "I would like her to look at these, though." Sand stroked Satoshi's hair tenderly. "If you do not object, of course, saiai."

Satoshi shook his head. "No, I want to get rid of these. I don't want to end up with scars from that... that... thing," Satoshi answered with a tremor in his voice.

Sand nodded. "Then we will ask okaasan to heal you." Sand turned off the water and reached for a towel to wrap around Satoshi to dry him off.

Satoru held out his hand to Satoshi, and said, "Here, let me help you dry off, so Masato-san can wash off. You are covered in glass dust as well."

Satoshi reached out his hand, trying to rise without letting go of the towel.

Sand chuckled slightly, watching as Satoshi attempted to keep himself covered, and ducked under the water fully, letting it rinse through his long hair thoroughly.

Satoru handed Satoshi a dry washcloth and averted his eyes as he took the towel to dry Satoshi off. Satoshi leaned against the towel rack to keep the weight off his broken ankle while Satoru worked, his free hand clutching the washcloth tightly to his privates. A faint blush crept up his cheeks when Satoru dried his backside and legs gently, and then he shivered as Satoru quickly ran the towel over his scarred back and side.

Sand watched, trying not to smile a little at his shy and beautiful husband, washing quickly and turning off the water before reaching for a towel to dry off. Sand noticed Satoru's eyes flickering to look at his back, and his smile emerged. "I will tell you the whole story behind those one day, tousan, if you wish."

Sand knelt to help Satoshi get his pajama pants on, slipping them under the towel and standing gracefully to kiss Satoshi gently on the lips. "Shall I brush your hair?"

Satoru nodded at Sand with a smile, then he cupped Satoshi's face between his hands and kissed him on the forehead. "I'll leave you two be now. I love you, Satoshi-kun. My sweet little boy. And I love you, Masato-san. Son," Satoru said softly and hugged Sand tightly before he turned and left the bathroom.

Satoshi sighed a little and nodded at Sand. "Let me brush your hair then?"

"I would enjoy that, saiai." Sand helped Satoshi put on the pajama shirt and settle his crutches, and they went out into the hall and down to the guest room. Satoru and Eryn were waiting there, Eryn looking tenderly at Satoshi.

"Alright, sochi-san, let me take a look at what that hag did to you." Eryn helped Satoshi to sit on the bed and ease off the pajama top, and she nodded. "Nasty piece of work, isn't she? We can heal this up perfectly, without a trace."

"Do not forget the legs, okaasan," Sand said. "They are gouges mostly, about as deep as those gashes."

Satoshi blushed heavily as Sand mentioned the scratches on his back and mumbled into his chest as he spoke to Eryn. "Can you fix those over the clothes? I don't know how I feel about exposing my butt to you."

Eryn smiled at Satoshi sweetly. "Of course I can, my dear. Just relax and lean on Masato and let me work my healing." Eryn let the warm energy rise as she held her hands over the gashes on Satoshi's back, her magic healing the wounds without leaving the faintest mark behind. Much to Satoshi's relief, he could feel the healing extend beneath his pajama bottoms, and down along his legs as well.

Satoshi let out a small sigh of relief as he felt the magic heal his wounds, and he shuddered slightly as he finally relaxed into Sand's arms. Suddenly he sobbed loudly and large tears rolled out of his lashes, as he whispered in a trembling voice, "I was so scared."

"Oh, saiai," Sand replied, holding Satoshi close and kissing his soft hair. "Of course you were scared. I was scared myself, when I felt you being pulled away from me. I did not want to let you go, but for a moment, I was so afraid that you would be hurt worse because I was holding onto you so fiercely. But then I realized that was what she wanted, to make me let you go, and I was so very angry at her then." Sand kissed Satoshi's hair again. "I will never let her have you, watashi no kokoro, never."

Satoshi clung to Sand almost desperately as he started crying in fear, and his words were hard to understand through his sobs. "I felt like I was being torn in two, but I didn't want you to let go. I held on to you with all my strength, and I knew that you wouldn't let go. But she was so angry that you wouldn't let go."

Satoshi struggled to gain control of his sobs, but he only managed to make himself choke a little as he tried to force his tears back. "I fell into such a deep sleep. I was so tired and so low that I fell into a very deep sleep. And then I started to have a nightmare about what happened at the pond. And that's when she started pulling me out of the bed."

Satoshi sobbed even louder, looking up at Satoru. "I know this is the same thing that tried to get me when Yuji pulled me into the pond at Kenji's house. And when I fell into the pond in the park when I was a kid. I just know it. It feels the same."

"It's alright, my sweet boy," Eryn soothed, rubbing Satoshi's back gently as Sand held him close. Satoru leaned in to wrap his arms around both Satoshi and Sand.

"I'm glad Masato held on, and didn't let you go. If he made her angry, we know he did the right thing," Satoru said, his own lashes wet. "We're not going to let her have you, my sweet son. It took me all this time to find my way back to you, and I can't lose you now."

Satoshi fisted his hand in Satoru's t-shirt and clung to his father and Sand desperately, as he cried. There was a timid knock on the door and Momo came in to wrap his arms around both Satoshi and Satoru, trying to reach to encompass Sand as well.

Sadao hovered in the doorway, uncertain, but obviously wanting to come and help as well.

Eryn waved Sadao in, urging him to come over to the bed as well. "You're a part of this family now, Sadao-san. Don't be shy."

Sadao wrapped his arms around Satoru and Satoshi from the other side, his eyes locking with Momo's eyes for a moment as they both clung tightly to the stricken imp. Sand was crooning gently, his faintly scarred fingers stroking Satoshi's hair as he opened his bond to wrap his love around Satoshi. Satoshi shifted a little, burrowing in closer to Sand, and a faint glow was visible for a moment, looking like it came from beneath Sand's skin.

Momo gave Sadao an almost apologetic smile over Sand's head, and Sadao blinked his eyes a couple of times, before he shook his head and closed his eyes as he rested his chin against Satoshi's shoulder, his hand reaching up to tangle in Momo's hair.

Momo smiled at Eryn as he felt the strong fingers of his lover tangle in his hair and that smile told Eryn that Momo was now utterly confident that he and Sadao would last a lifetime together.

Slowly Satoshi's tears dried and his sobs slowed down, but his bond with Sand was pulsing with a jumble of emotion, the strongest of all utter exhaustion.

"I know, saiai, I know. We are all tired now, I think." Sand looked around at all the beloved faces, his smile sweet and radiant. "I think Satoshi needs to sleep now, as do we all. Thank you all so much, for your love and your strength. I believe we will be able to rest now without any more interruptions."

Sadao patted Sand's shoulder as he nodded, and Momo pressed his forehead against Satoshi's temple quickly as he whispered, "Aishi teru, onii-san," which won him a small weak smile as Satoshi whispered back, "Aishi teru, ototou-san."

Momo slung an arm over Sadao's shoulder and kissed him sweetly on the cheek as they both bid good night and left the room.

Satoru kissed Satoshi's thick hair before he rose and offered Eryn his arm. "Good night, my sweet sons. Sleep well," he said quietly and walked out with Eryn.

Satoshi sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve as he nuzzled into Sand and started to draw his feet up on the edge of the bed, but the cast got in his way and he only managed to tuck one heel up on the edge of the mattress, the cast covered leg resting on the floor. "Masato-chan. My ankle itches like crazy."

Sand smiled very gently. "Do not tell our queen," he said softly, and whispered a cantrip, a small gentle hand scratching the itch away as Satoshi sighed in bliss. The cantrip did earn Sand a little pout and Satoshi told him, "Oh, that's cheating. Ninety percent of the pleasure of scratching is actually getting to scratch it. But that feels better, poldoramin." Satoshi gave Sand a sheepish little grin and tilted his face up for a sweet kiss, Sand pouring out his love as he pressed his lips to Satoshi's lips.

Sand eased Satoshi's cast-covered leg onto the bed, and helped him to settle into the comfortable bed, pulling up the clean sheets and lightweight comforter as he cradled Satoshi in his arms. "This part, you can tell her," Sand murmured, and the glow from his telkiira intensified as a powerful shield of protective magic wrapped itself around the husbands and then spread outward to encompass the house, pushing any residual evil out and away.

[ERR HELP?]

What was your pen name in the archive? Also, if you can let us know the subdomain and story name, we can check and see what our records show, if anything.

Thanks!

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Haedrith made a neat entry in his ledger and closed it carefully, placing his pen back on the stand. Sitting back, he rubbed his eyes lightly with the tips of his fingers, feeling more and more frustrated by the moment.

Haedrith had gone to the Apprentice Master and described the young elf wizard to the Master carefully, only to be told that no apprentice of that description was a member of the Tower. The Master did tell Haedrith that those mages who were visiting the Tower but who were not members often brought their own apprentices as well, and he would have no record of those young elves. Haedrith had thanked him politely, and returned to his library.

That avenue of inquiry had proved a dead end, but Haedrith still had the young elf's terrified claim that his master would turn him into a drider. It was a rare mage in Evermeet who would deal with the drow, and Haedrith did not think it was something any sane mage would brag about openly, either.

Because Tower Reilloch prided itself on the wideness of its scope of knowledge, Haedrith had a fairly extensive collection of tomes and scrolls related to the drow and their Dark Seldarine, and to the Underdark where they built their vast dim cities and waged their brutal wars against each other and just about everyone else. Haedrith had never met one of the obsidian-skinned elves, but he had learned their language just to read some of the tomes.

According to the tomes, driders were a punishment visited upon the drow by their goddess, Lloth, the Spider Queen. Those drow who fell into disfavor were turned into creatures with the upper body of a drow and the lower body of a giant spider. The drow also dealt with demons freely, and even mated priestesses to glabrezu demons to produce draegloth, vicious warriors that were actually seen as a sign of Lloth's favor.

Haedrith reasoned that any people capable of that would think nothing of binding a balor to their service, and this mage that had kidnapped Erion had either been allied with drow or, Corellon defend them all, been a drow himself. Haedrith's turquoise eyes widened as he considered the possibility of a drow loose in Tower Reilloch. That was enough to send the graceful sun elf all but tearing out of the Tower to find Khaleth.

Khaleth was at his home, and when he took a look at Haedrith's expression, he dragged the librarian out into the garden.

"What's got you looking like a pixie got in your smallclothes?" Khaleth asked, arching a brow at Haedrith.

"Drow." Haedrith put a hand on his chest, his heart thundering as he caught his breath.

Khaleth looked briefly startled. "Where?"

"In the Tower, you idiot mage!" Haedrith smacked Khaleth's shoulder in frustration. "Try to pay attention and follow along."

"You run in and gasp one word at me, and I'm expected to follow along?" Khaleth snorted a little. "You need a vacation. Preferably one very far away from here. Perhaps even on another Plane."

"Khaleth, try to focus," Haedrith snapped. "Erion's kidnapping, if you'll recall? I was trying to leave it be for a bit, as you advised, but this apprentice came in and was poking about in the section reserved for the Lower Planes. Since Erion mentioned a balor, that made me curious, and I went to offer my help, in my capacity as Master Librarian."

"And the apprentice was a drow?" Khaleth asked, his blue-green eyes wide.

"If you please, Master Idiot. The apprentice was quite nervous and tried to hide the tome he was reading, and then shrieked something about his master turning him into a drider before he ran off with the tome." Haedrith looked triumphant, and sat back.

Khaleth narrowed his eyes and looked at Haedrith, pained. "That's it? Did you see the tome?"

Haedrith shook his head. "I didn't need to see it. I know every tome in the library."

"That's possibly the saddest thing I've ever heard," Khaleth said, looking at Haedrith and shaking his pale head.

"Would you stop that?" Haedrith demanded. "I have a life! I have two lovers who are very devoted and enthusiastic! I am not a pathetic elf locked away in a dreary parchment-filled room in a dank Tower, you overgrown faerie!" Haedrith shoved Khaleth hard, frowning at his friend.

"I'm sorry," Khaleth replied, looking contrite. "You're upset and I'm teasing. Go on, please?"

Haedrith ran a hand through his red-gold curls. "The tome was On Tracing Bloodlines and True Names of the Lower Planes and the young elf took it and fled like the Lower Planes were on his heels. Whoever his master is, he's not kind. I decided to ask the Apprentice Master about him."

"Haedrith! What part of 'talk to no one' was difficult for you to comprehend?" Khaleth had gone quite pale.

"I'm not a complete idiot. I told the Apprentice Master that a young apprentice had left a trinket in my library, which looked to have some sentimental significance. I have a reputation for being very orderly and precise, and it's entirely believable that I'd track down an elf to return something." Haedrith patted Khaleth's shoulder. "I described the apprentice, but the Master didn't know him. He said he might have been apprenticed to a visiting mage."

"Which is when you decided it had to be a drow? Like dhaerow wouldn't stick out in the Tower?" Khaleth shook his head. "Have you taken up lotus to while away the hours with your scrolls?"

Haedrith grabbed a silk cushion from a nearby bench and threw it at Khaleth. "You've heard, no doubt, of glamors? Those simple little spells that can change appearances? Maybe when you were actually studying as opposed to hiding from your master?"

"The Tower's warded," Khaleth protested, fending off the cushion.

"Not if the enchantment is on an artifact, and reinforced with faerzess," Haedrith exclaimed triumphantly. "I can read drowic quite well, and they can use the natural magical ambiance of the Underdark to bind spells onto jewelry and such. Like their House insignias that let them levitate."

Khaleth clutched the cushion Haedrith had thrown at him, his blue-green eyes wide. "Wait, you're on to something here. That could work. It could fool the wards."

"Now, if you want to talk about a nightmare come alive, think of a drow possessing ancient high magic." Haedrith looked at Khaleth levelly. "We need to get to the bottom of this, and I have a plan."

X X X

"Are you awake?" Haedrith peered around the tall stack of tomes on the long table, his red-gold curls tumbling over his shoulder.

Khaleth looked up at his friend. "I am now," he muttered, turning another page of the tome he was pretending to read.

"Good. Has anyone been checking out the shelves we're interested in?" Haedrith kept his voice so low that no one further away than Khaleth could have heard him.

"No, and the little pendant I cooked up has been quiet as well," Khaleth replied just as softly. "If anyone's using faerzess magic, it isn't in the library. I need a reason to wander the Tower."

"With your luck, you'd just run into your master, and you know how well that'll go." Haedrith shook his head. "I'll sneak you up some food in a little while." He turned and walked slowly away, stopping to adjust a tome and tidy a scroll or two on his way back to his desk.

"Perfect," Khaleth muttered gloomily, and let his head fall forward onto the tome again.

[Wrong Area]

http://comics.adultf...hp?no=600060825 - X-Men in comics

Exact same story is also under X-Men. http://xmen.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600090901 My thought is that the one under Comics needs deleting.

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

The walk through the beautiful little town had Vale smiling nonstop, not the least because Yuji's fingers were laced with Vale's the entire time. It was such a public declaration of their love for each other, and although Vale knew how much Yuji loved him, it was quite another thing to have Yuji be openly demonstrative.

The people of the village were a bit shy, although there were other foreign visitors to the many onsen of the region. Unlike those visitors, Vale's fluent Japanese and perfect manners earned him many approving smiles, and within minutes the various shopkeepers were treating him like any other Japanese customer. Yuji could not help smiling proudly at his elf as Vale chattered about pottery, and obi, and whatever else had caught his eye.

They strolled a bit further along the road, Vale exclaiming in delight as they crossed lovely bridges over the river as it ran through the town itself from the large lake above. There were waterfalls, and breathtaking trees, and Vale's elven soul drank in the natural beauty blissfully. Vale could only imagine how it would look in winter, and when he asked Yuji, Yuji told him that the ryokan was open all year round, and they could certainly return in the winter.

By the time they got back to the ryokan, it was nearly time for dinner. The room Yuji had booked for them had a beautiful private dining area, a low traditional table with large cushions set on tatami mats, and Yuji looked at Vale, his perfect eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Why don't we have dinner in our room tonight, my love?" Yuji asked.

Vale looked at Yuji with a radiant smile. "That sounds perfect, and we can relax in the onsen afterward. You order for us, a'maelamin, alright?"

"Relax?" Yuji murmured, so low that only Vale heard him clearly, his chuckle sweetly wicked.

Vale smiled back with perfect innocence, but his green eyes were almost dark with heat. "I find it very relaxing."

Yuji just chuckled again, and went to speak to the manager about having their dinner in their room, while Vale admired the view of the river, watching it tumble over the rocks as it hurried down the mountain. The sky was a clear and flawless blue, with only the occasional fluffy white cloud passing overhead, seeming to brush against the mountain. Yuji could feel Vale's delight through their bond, and the sense of peace and joy that emanated from the elf made Yuji's heart soar.

Dinner was a completely traditional meal of sushi, soup, rice, grilled freshly-caught fish and perfectly prepared pickled vegetables, with warmed sake, and both Vale and Yuji changed into yukata before settling in to enjoy the meal. Yuji insisted on feeding Vale little bites of things, and Vale felt the endless outpouring of love from Yuji through their bond, wrapping him in a cocoon of perfect joy. Vale was reminded all over again of that wonderful vacation, when he had first met Yuji and found himself falling in love with this amazing man.

They ate until the edge was off that hunger, but another hunger had been growing throughout the meal and Yuji pulled Vale into a kiss, plundering Vale's sweet mouth languidly, his fingers lightly tracing the triple spiral that graced one pointed ear. Vale gasped a little into the kiss, his fingers sliding into Yuji's hair to trace the shell of Yuji's ear, teasing the earlobe with a soft tweak. They only broke apart when Vale heard the soft sound of the maid's approach, and Yuji sat back with a wicked twinkle in his eyes, arranging his yukata to hide his erection as he looked over at Vale. Vale's cheeks were faintly pink with arousal, and his plump lips were sweetly kiss swollen as Vale folded his hands over his own lap quickly.

The maid cleared the dinner things with deft grace, and left a pot of tea and some small sweets, bidding them a good night as she backed out and slid the door closed behind her. Yuji waited a moment, and then pulled Vale back into his arms, nibbling Vale's lips and tugging Vale's yukata open a bit, the snowy white juban beneath falling open as well to reveal the elf's golden skin. Yuji's fingers dropped to open Vale's obi, unwinding it and putting it to one side as he slid the yukata and juban off Vale's shoulders.

Vale's back arched as Yuji's hot mouth closed over one pierced nipple, Yuji's tongue dragging over the tight little nub before pearly teeth tugged a golden ring sharply. Vale swallowed a moan, his cock jumping as Yuji's tongue swiped over the nipple again. Yuji alternated licks and tugs until he had Vale's nipple as hard as a pebble, and then he switched his attention to the other nipple as Vale arched his back in a bid to find a little friction for his needy cock, his slim fingers tangled in Yuji's blond hair.

Yuji got Vale's yukata off entirely, the elf utterly naked now and glorious, his green eyes nearly black with desire and precum beading on the head of his cock. Yuji looked at his husband thoughtfully, debating for a moment, and then he reached out and traced the emerald circle that graced Vale's neck, murmuring, "Akira."

Vale's eyes went molten with need, and right before Vale muted their bond Yuji felt a surge of pure joy as Vale knelt, his hands flat on his long thighs and his golden head bowed in perfect submission.

"I am yours, tura," Vale murmured, his voice husky as the elven word for master tumbled from his lips.

Yuji felt his cock jump at the name, something Vale had proposed that add to their contract after the night in the club with Cho and Kai. Vale found that referring to Cho as Mistress Cho had added to the experience for him, and although he was not a full time permanent submissive like Kai, Vale wanted to offer Yuji that extra bit of submission during their scenes. Yuji found it just as arousing, knowing how powerful Vale was in his own world, and he had to bite back a moan of his own as he looked at his glorious husband.

Yuji stood and crossed over to the shoji hiding the bedroom, sliding them open and walking into the bedroom to look in his overnight bag. He found the bag of holding containing their toys that he had packed, and pulled it out. Yuji carefully removed his own yukata and juban, and put on a fundoshi before gathering up the toys and returning to the living room where Vale knelt in perfect patience.

"Akira. Lift your hair away from your neck," Yuji ordered.

Vale slid his hands under the back of his thick mane, lifting it away from his neck, and the gesture made his back arch, his pierced nipples presenting perfectly. Yuji swallowed another moan at the sight of those hard little nubs with their golden rings, and he fastened Vale's green leather collar around the elf's neck.

For his part, Vale had to bite back a small moan at the sight of Yuji in fundoshi, the cloth bisecting Yuji's perfect ass and making Vale nearly dizzy with desire. The cotton fabric did nothing to hide the fact that Yuji was fully hard, and Vale could practically taste that glorious cock as he darted the tip of his tongue out to moisten his lips.

"Very nice, Akira," Yuji said, his voice throaty. "I like my pet in his collar." Yuji looked at Vale, still sitting back on his heels with his hands under his hair, and he smiled hungrily. He reached out, his long fingers teasing the golden rings in Vale's nipples, tugging them a little before twisting then sharply and coaxing a tiny gasp from the elf. "You may put your arms down, Akira, and hold them out for me."

Vale complied instantly, Yuji purring a little at the perfect response. He put the green leather cuffs on Vale's wrists and then on his ankles as well, and used his hands to maneuver Vale into position, the elf kneeling and leaning forward so that Yuji could fasten the wrist cuffs to the ankle cuffs. Yuji pushed Vale's face down onto one of the dining cushions, tugging the elf's hips up so that Vale's ass was in the air.

Yuji quickly used the spreader bar to set Vale's thighs apart and hold them in position, running his hands up the tender flesh inside those long thighs teasingly before wrapping a cock ring around Vale's straining cock. Yuji parted the golden globes of Vale's ass, looking at the twitching little pucker between them and slipping his thumbs into the ring of muscle. Yuji tugged a little, opening Vale's ass and feeling Vale tremble slightly beneath his hands.

"I love your eager little ass," Yuji murmured. "It's always ready for me, isn't it, Akira?"

Because Yuji had not yet told Vale to be silent, Vale dared a response, his voice husky with desire as he murmured, "Yes, tura."

Yuji released Vale's pucker and reached for a silken blindfold, wrapping it around Vale's eyes and tying it carefully. Vale trembled again, his nostrils flaring slightly as he took a quick breath, but he remained perfectly still as Yuji reached for the golden beads he had brought.

"Akira. From this moment on, not a sound," Yuji commanded sternly. He picked up the string of golden beads he had brought, and he used his thumb to pull a little lube out of Vale's ass, smearing it over the tight pucker before he began to feed the beads in one at a time. Vale trembled a little harder, and Yuji paused, feeling carefully for their muted bond and sensing only excitement and pleasure from his elf.

When Yuji had the last bead inserted, he pressed on Vale's ass to get the elf to lower it to his heels once again. Yuji then reached down and lifted Vale's shoulders, easing the elf upright, his wrists still bound to his heels, his thighs spread to keep them from touching his engorged cock, and the blindfold covering Vale's green eyes.

"Very pretty, Akira." Yuji walked around his elf, surveying the delicious sight, the remote to the beads in his hand. He thumbed it on, turning it to the lowest setting and watching Vale's nipples harden and the tip of his tongue dart out to moisten his lips. "Are you thirsty, my Akira?" Yuji chuckled a little as Vale considered the question. After a moment, Vale nodded.

Yuji opened a bottle of fine whiskey that he had brought from home, pouring some into a tumbler, knowing Vale's keen hearing and sense of smell would identify it immediately. Yuji took a swallow, savoring the flavor, and then took a smaller sip and held it as he crossed back to Vale. Yuji slid his fingers into Vale's hair, tightening them as he pulled the elf's head back and pressed his mouth to Vale's mouth. Vale's lips parted, and Yuji let the whiskey trickle into Vale's mouth slowly, the elf swallowing the liquor as Yuji's tongue tangled with his.

Yuji stepped back and looked at Vale, his lips kiss-swollen beneath the silken blindfold. Vale's cock was thick and hard, and he had kept his face tilted upward even after Yuji released him, the dark mark on Vale's neck showing beautifully against the pale gold skin.

Yuji moved closer to Vale, straddling the elf's spread thighs, and he pressed his groin forward. "Akira. Move the fundoshi aside and free my cock."

Vale nuzzled his face in, feeling where the fabric edge was, and he carefully caught it between pearly teeth, tugging it out and to the side until he had shifted it past Yuji's balls, the movement making the beads in his ass grind against his prostate. Vale then worked to get the cotton over Yuji's thick cock, tugging firmly as he leaned his head backward and then to the side. It took a bit of effort, and he was trembling by the time he was done, but Vale finally freed Yuji's cock. Vale was rewarded by the feeling of Yuji's cock against his lips.

"Use that talented mouth of yours, Akira," Yuji ordered. "I want you to bring me just to the edge, but don't make me come."

Vale parted his lips, his tongue snaking out to taste Yuji's precum before the tip slipped below the head to taste the sensitive cleft. At the same time, Yuji increased the vibration of the beads filling Vale's ass, and the elf sucked in a quick breath through his nostrils, his hands clenching helplessly as light exploded behind his eyes. It took a monumental effort of will, but Vale dragged his attention back to Yuji's cock, and he slid his mouth slowly down the thick shaft, his tongue stud teasing the vein that ran along the underside, until Yuji's cock hit the back of Vale's throat.

Vale withdrew slowly, his tongue swirling along Yuji's cock, the beads in his ass igniting all sorts of sensations that shivered up and down Vale's spine. Even the slight movement of sucking Yuji's cock was driving the elf wild as his prostate was stimulated by the vibrating beads, the blindfold darkening a little where it absorbed the tears that leaked from Vale's eyes. Yuji moaned a little as Vale slid forward again, and then sucked hard as he withdrew, almost desperate to bring Yuji to the edge.

Yuji fisted his hand in Vale's hair, tugging the elf off his cock with a soft pop. "That's enough, Akira." At the same time, Yuji thumbed the remote in his hand all the way up, and watched as Vale came undone, his back arching as his mouth opened in a silent scream, the stimulation of his prostate too much for the elf as a dry orgasm ripped through him. Yuji managed to catch Vale as he tilted, the elf shuddering violently in Yuji's arms, and Yuji thumbed the remote to turn the beads off as Vale went limp, only the spreader bar and linked restraints keeping him from total collapse.

Yuji reached down and eased the beads out of the unconscious elf's ass, and then stroked Vale's thick hair tenderly before freeing Vale's wrists and removing the spreader bar. Yuji removed the blindfold, kissing the tear-damp cheeks before wiping them with the silk, and he was rewarded by watching Vale's eyes flutter open, and then widen a little.

"Akira." Yuji watched as Vale immediately focused on him, any panic nipped before it could begin. "You are so very beautiful, do you know that? I love to watch you come undone like that, to know that I can take you over the edge and see you helpless with pleasure."

Vale shivered a little, but his green eyes were calm and filled with utter love and trust, his muscles relaxing as Yuji spoke. Yuji eased Vale upright again, the elf sitting back on his heels and laying his hands flat on his thighs.

"Bend over, Akira, and present yourself properly," Yuji ordered, and Vale smiled as he moved to comply, his chest against the floor and his ass in the air. Yuji stroked the round globes tenderly, parting them and pressing his cock against the loosened pucker, breaching Vale in a single fluid thrust until his balls were pressed against the pale golden skin of Vale's ass.

Yuji wrapped long fingers around Vale's hips, holding the elf tightly as he set a hard pace, pounding Vale's ass and riding Vale's already sensitive prostate hard. Yuji was already close himself, and he reached down between them to press firmly on the base of his own cock, pushing back his own orgasm as he continued to fuck Vale. The elf ground back against Yuji's thrusts, wanting Yuji buried in him fully, his back arching in bliss.

Yuji finally knew he could not hold back any longer, and he reached around Vale to remove the cock ring, Vale trembling a little as his aching balls drew up. At the same time, Yuji pulled Vale upright, slamming the elf down on his cock fully, and Vale's head fell back on Yuji's shoulder as his balls emptied at last, Vale's cum spurting across the room in thick ropes as Vale's ass clamped down on Yuji's cock like a velvet-wrapped fist.

Yuji sank his teeth into Vale's shoulder as he came, his cum searing as he filled Vale's ass with an endless stream of cum, feeling Vale shuddering in his arms. Vale's tight ass milked Yuji dry, and Vale finally went limp against Yuji, shivering with the intensity of his release as Yuji eased his cock out of Vale's ass and guided them both down to the floor, turned Vale around to face him.

Yuji's fingers slid under Vale's sweat-tangled hair, his perfect eyes locked on Vale's eyes. "Akira. You were perfect." Yuji unbuckled the collar and slid it off, leaning in to steal a kiss as Vale huffed a small laugh.

"That was amazing," Vale said, his eyes bright. "I thought my balls were going to explode."

"You're alright?" Yuji asked, stroking Vale's face tenderly. "I don't think I've ever seen you quite pass out like that."

"I'm fine, my love," Vale said, and his bond opened up to flood Yuji with love and a wonderful peace. "What I would like is a nice soak in the onsen."

"I think we can manage that," Yuji said, chuckling a little. He stood up and helped Vale up, the elf still trembling slightly. They went into their private bathroom and washed each other thoroughly, Vale purring as Yuji lathered his hair and rinsed it, and then they climbed into the onsen, the heated mineral spring water making Vale moan very quietly as he curled up next to Yuji.

Yuji and Vale soaked contentedly for a bit, until Vale's fingers began to travel along Yuji's thigh, making Yuji look at Vale and chuckle as he nuzzled Vale's thick hair.

"You're insatiable," Yuji grinned. "You're worse than fucking Willow."

"You're irresistible," Vale countered, his eyes filled with love as he straddled Yuji. "I can't get enough of you." He lowered himself onto Yuji's thick cock, muffling his sigh of pleasure in a kiss as Yuji pulled him close. "And this is going to be a perfect weekend."

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Haedrith picked up the last book from the long table, examining it carefully and running slim fingers over the leather spine. He crossed the library in quick strides, graceful and serene, and tucked the book back in its proper place on the correct shelf, looking around and smiling at the order all around him. It was the most satisfying part of Haedrith's job, being able to keep the library organized, and being able to lay his hands on any book that was requested, no matter how obscure.

Oh, there were always those mages who forgot to return things, or who used his books for all sorts of ridiculous purposes, but on the whole, Haedrith loved what he did. When it was quiet, he was free to read whatever tome or scroll he desired, and a large portion of the library was devoted to historical treatises, folklore of the various races of Toril, languages, poetry and even some mildly scandalous family histories for some of the oldest of the sun elf Houses. Those were a guilty pleasure Haedrith saved for very stressful occasions.

Today, however, Haedrith was feeling quite good. It was a lovely sunny day, and the light streamed in through the narrow windows that ran from the ceiling down nearly to the floor. The smell of parchment and ink and leather bindings mingled with the scent of flowers, and from years of long practice, Haedrith looked at the sun patterns and knew it was nearly time to head home and greet Herenith and Aira. Haedrith smiled as he sat at his desk, picking up a parchment and making a quick note to himself for the next morning.

There was the sound of light footsteps, and Haedrith heard someone in the shelves behind him. Haedrith tilted his head, listening to see if he could pinpoint the exact shelves being perused, a small game he played with himself. The library was set up like a great wheel, with Haedrith's desk at the very center of it all. Lines of bookcases, positioned back to back, radiated out like so many spokes, and at the far end of each spoke was a long table and chairs, lit by the tall windows. Delicate brass columns rose from the center of each table, topped by a glow globe, to provide illumination at night or on gloomy days.

The footsteps had headed to the area reserved for information on the Lower Planes, specifically the Abyss, and Haedrith felt a curious unease begin to grow in the pit of his stomach. He had told Kansas that he would try to find out any information that he could about the identity of the mage who had kidnapped Erion, but so far, he had come up with nothing.

Haedrith had debated speaking with his friend, Khaleth, a mage who been successfully dodging his master for many years. Khaleth had a peculiar and often inappropriate sense of humor, but he had somehow managed to work his way into the affections of both Haedrith and Elenwen, when she was alive, and Khaleth was one of the few people on Evermeet that Haedrith trusted without reservation.

Late one night, over too much wine and too little food, Haedrith had finally caved in and told Khaleth of what had happened to Erion, of how his young lover had been abducted while Between, right off an elfship. Khaleth had agreed that it took the kind of power that no one mage could muster, and when Haedrith mentioned a balor, Khaleth had hushed him urgently, paid their bill and dragged Haedrith to the librarian's home. Once there, Khaleth had triggered a cone of silence around them before letting Haedrith tell him about the balor. Khaleth had been oddly quiet after Haedrith finished.

"This lover of yours, he's a star elf?" Khaleth asked, and for once there was no humor in his eyes.

Haedrith's turquoise eyes widened. "Erion's part star elf, not full blooded." He looked into Khaleth's ocean colored eyes, the blue green color so familiar, a reminder of all he had loved, and he took a deep breath. "You heard about the aredhel who came here from Sildëyuir? Santhiel en Nosse Sulandorn?"

Khaleth's eyes widened to match Haedrith's eyes, and he ran a hand through his pale white-gold hair. "The prince of the elen'Quessir? The one who pretty much shoved it up the ass of the Court and told them Evermeet was a bunch of dhaerow with shit for brains?"

Haedrith looked slightly pained. "I don't think I'd describe him quite like that, actually."

Khaleth lunged forward and grabbed Haedrith's arms. "You met him?" he squeaked.

"He's Erion's father, and don't you dare tell anyone that," Haedrith replied, wriggling a little as Khaleth's fingers dug into his arms painfully. "You're hurting me, mellonamin."

"Oh, shit! Amin hiraetha, selen'amin," Khaleth said, letting go of Haedrith and rubbing Haedrith's arms. "It's just that he's sort of a personal hero of mine. He refused to give Tower Reilloch the old high magic, because Evermeet didn't rush to help Evereska. You have to love an elf like that."

"Erion was tortured, Khaleth. This isn't one of your jokes, or time to melt into a puddle of hero- worship over his father." Haedrith spoke much more sharply that usual, and Khaleth sat back in surprise. "The mage that had him taken wanted to know about his father. This was no accident. Erion was targeted because of his star elf blood, and the mage found out who his father was. He also found out that Santhiel is still alive."

"Who have you told at the Tower?" Khaleth asked, and his voice was deadly serious.

"Aside from you? No one," Haedrith replied, his heart hammering in his chest.

"Keep it that way." Khaleth had changed the topic abruptly, and that had been the last they had spoken of it.

But now, Haedrith listened to the light footsteps and then the soft rustle of scrolls being shifted, a tome sliding carefully off the shelf. Haedrith debated with himself for a few moments, and then stood up and smoothed his robes. He walked around through the shelves, approaching the figure bent over the table.

"Is there any way I can help you?" Haedrith asked, keeping his tone bright and utterly innocuous.

The figure straightened up abruptly and spun around, revealing himself to be a very young elven apprentice mage. His style of robe marked him as a wizard rather than a sorcerer, and his pale blue eyes were wide as he looked at Haedrith.

"Oh!" The young elf tried to stand in front of the tome on the table, shifting back and forth from foot to foot in agitation. "No, thank you, really, I'm fine, and I was just going to check something quickly and then I have to leave, really? Sir?"

"It's alright, child," Haedrith said soothingly, holding out one hand. "Did your master send you to look for something? I'm always happy to help the apprentices find what they need, you know. And if I'm not here, any of my staff can help."

"Oh, no, Master Librarian, I don't want to be any trouble, really, I can just muddle through this on my own because my master will be very angry if I don't anyway and –" The young elf choked back a sudden sob. "He's going to turn me into a drider, I know it!" The apprentice grabbed the tome, shoved it under his robe, and ran out of the library with a wail, leaving Haedrith standing there with his mouth hanging open.

Haedrith started to walk back to his desk slowly, and stopped to look at the shelves as he passed. He knew every book in the library intimately, and it only took him a moment to remember what book had occupied that space on the shelf, the tome that the young apprentice had taken.

"On Tracing Bloodlines and True Names of the Lower Planes," Haedrith said, and he left the library abruptly in search of the Apprentice Master, determined to find out who that young elf was assigned to.

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Eryn looked at Momo and shook her head a little, laughing. "What things have you been telling Sadao-san?"

"Only that if we're lucky, you're making chicken curry tonight," Momo replied cheekily, and Eryn's smile grew even brighter.

"I can't tell you how good that makes me feel. Honestly, I was so sure I wasn't doing it right at all, and Kokoro-chan's been so patient." Eryn looked over at Satoru and laughed again. "And you, my dear, just tell me you like everything I make."

"These sweet rolls are very good, Mori-san," Sadao said politely, and bowed his head a little, still feeling slightly awkward about the impromptu invitation.

Eryn looked at him sympathetically. "We do tend to be a little relaxed about our sons dropping in for dinner, although when Satoshi-san and Masato-san come, they bring the grandchildren with them. It's much livelier, but I do enjoy it. Momo-san tells me you have a son?"

Sadao smiled brightly as he nodded. "Yes. Ichirou. He's just turned eight, just last week." Sadao slid his hand over the side of his thigh, as if to reach for his wallet, but then hesitated and a faint blush painted his cheekbones pink.

"Oh, do you have pictures? I would love to see them," Eryn said.

Sadao gave a shy little chuckle, his cheeks darkening slightly, but he rose from the couch a little to pull his wallet from his back pocket, and pulled out a small fold out plastic album. Reaching across the table he showed it to Eryn, pointing and flipping through the album. "I took this one when he was barely two hours old. This is his first birthday, his first day at school. This is his first swimming lesson. And this one is the newest, taken on his birthday last week." The love in Sadao's voice and the beautiful smile on his face showed how much Ichirou meant to his proud father.

"He is so handsome, Sadao-san," Eryn said, her own smile warm and genuine. "It's a marvelous age, isn't it? You start to get a sense of who they'll be when they're grown."

Sadao nodded and glanced at the pictures before he put them back in his wallet. "He looks an awful lot like his mother at the moment. I'm hoping he'll look more like me one day, but who knows," he said with a small shy laugh. "But you are right. I do sometimes see a glimpse of the man he will become. Although things are hard for him now, he is still taking them in stride, and dealing with them far better than I would have imagined. And he's got an attitude sometimes. He trains judo, and is adamant that I'm a wuzz because I train Shorinji Kempo." Sadao laughed brightly, and shook his head a little.

"A wuzz?" Eryn asked, slightly puzzled. "I'm still learning Japanese, so sometimes I miss a word. Masato says that eventually, I will learn all the wrong words from my grandsons. But he doesn't train in the same discipline as you? That's very interesting. Is he not interested or did you want to give him that independence?" Eryn caught herself and covered her mouth with a slim hand. "Listen to me, asking so many questions! I am so sorry, Sadao-san, and I apologize for being such an inquisitive person."

Sadao bowed his head respectfully as he answered with a warm smile, "Oh, do not apologize, I am quite happy to answer. A wuzz is a weak man, someone who lacks physical strength. I wanted Ichirou to make the choice himself, and my father was sneaky enough to take him to Judo training. My father has been training Judo since he was a young man, and I started in Judo. My father is in his seventies and still training, but Judo just did not feel right for me. It's too violent, or rather too physical. There is far less focus on the spiritual side of it. Shorinji Kempo on the other hand is balanced between the physical and the spiritual. We spend equal time with both, and must master both to advance in our discipline. Ichirou is a very spirited boy, so sitting and meditating for hours on end, as he puts it just did not fit him."

"Ah, that must be why Masato enjoys it so much. He has always been drawn to the spiritual as well as to the martial, and it does sound like Shorinji Kempo is exactly what he'd like. I'm surprised Yuki had stuck with it, though." Eryn smiled happily. "We place a great deal of importance on training, both martial and spiritual, where I'm from, so it does make me happy to know that it is as respected here. Satoshi does not train with you, though, does he?" She looked over at Momo and Satoru, who were discussing something that Momo had been learning, and her eyes grew warm. "I love to see them together like that."

Sadao blushed faintly as he glanced over at Momo and the sparkle in his eyes belied how deeply he loved the young rascal. "They are remarkably alike, if I'm not too bold to say so. Mamoru-san always speaks so fondly of you both, that I must admit that I have been looking forward to meeting you both. I am just still a little tentative when it comes to meeting my partner's parents. But to answer your question, then no. Mori-kun does not train at the dojo, he only trains with Ishikawa-san, privately." Sadao stopped for a moment, and seemed to consider his next words carefully, before he asked, "If it is not too impolite of me, what is your relation to Masato-san? You look so much like him that I would almost dare to guess that you are siblings."

Eryn clapped her hands softly to her cheeks, her blue eyes dancing with merriment. "You're impossibly wonderful, Sadao-san. Masato is my son, the youngest of my three children, and I am eternally in your debt for mistaking us for siblings."

Sadao's eyes widened impossibly and he coughed a little, asking, "Your son!? And Hayashi-kun is your grandson? That can't be..." he trailed off slowly and his eyes moved over to Satoru for a moment, and then he looked back at Eryn, looking puzzled. "But Mori-kun... he's your son..." Sadao turned his eyes back to Satoru, blushing faintly, and his voice was a little shy when he asked, "Forgive me for my rudeness, but this is your second marriage? For you both?"

Satoru snickered a little bit and said with a teasing tone, "She loves hearing that." He gave Eryn a little nudge, nodding at Sadao. "Yes, this is our second marriage. Satoshi is my son from my first marriage and Masato is Eryn's son from her first marriage. And according to Satoshi they found each other first, so they get around the step brother label."

Sadao blushed a little and laughed shyly. "Oh, please forgive me. I got terribly confused for a moment. So you two met after Masato-san and Mori-kun were married?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Eryn said. "I had just assumed that Momo-san told you. I was widowed when Masato was just a baby, and honestly, I really hadn't taken time to think about marrying again. I was busy with the children and with my work, and then Masato moved here, and I came to visit, and well, I fell in love." She looked at Satoru, her eyes shining. "But I do think we actually managed to marry officially before they did, although they were very much a committed couple first." She laughed brightly. "And Yuki is my daughter's eldest."

Momo gave a small giggle and said with a teasing tone to match Satoru's, "We've been a bit busy, so I hadn't gotten around to mentioning that, actually."

Sadao gave a terribly embarrassed giggle and shook his head as he nudged Momo with his elbow. "Mamoru-san," he said quietly, then turned to Eryn again. "Now that you do mention it, I do remember Masato-san talking about his mother getting remarried, but somehow I just did not make the connection. Ishikawa-san was also very happy in sharing the news that his brother in law was getting remarried. So, late as it is, congratulations to you both."

"Thank you so much," Eryn said. "I'm afraid we're a rather confusing bunch." She gave Satoru a look that was filled with love for her gentle husband. "But I wouldn't change a thing. I'm completely happy, even if the titles get mixed up. I'm happy to be sobo, really!"

Sadao nodded his head with a smile, lowering his eyes to the coffee table when Satoru leaned over and kissed Eryn gently on the lips. Momo noticed the embarrassment on Sadao's face and impulsively leaned over and kissed Sadao softly on the cheek, whispering, "Don't be so shy. They do that all the time. Some days I knock before I come in, just in case they're copulating on the dining room table."

Sadao giggle snorted loudly and his eyes sparkled with his love for Momo. "Mamoru-san, you're terrible, you know that." Momo smiled and stole a quick kiss from Sadao's lips before he smirked at his lover and nodded. "Meh. You like me that way, so why not?"

Sadao gave a small shrug and nodded. "That is true. I do like you. Even though you are sometimes impossibly rude. I do apologize, Mori-san. Mori-san." Sadao bowed his head at both Satoru and Eryn and then turned to Eryn again. "So, all the children call you sobo?"

Eryn laughed as she looked at Momo and shook her head. "I don't think we've gone quite that far, but I've never been ashamed of loving my husband." She turned back to Sadao, not even the faintest trace of a blush on her cheeks. "And yes, the children all call me sobo. I can't differentiate, especially when I've known Akira so long as well. They're just all so wonderful."

"Oh, so the Hayashi children both call you sobo as well? How wonderful. You do have the most loving and caring family, from what I have heard. I will admit that I do wish things were that easy in my family. Ichirou is struggling with exactly that problem, who is sobo and who isn't," Sadao said with a small bow of his head, and his smile faltered for a moment.

"I'm so sorry," Eryn said, laying a slim hand on his very gently. "It's terrible when the children get caught up in the foolishness of adults. They're such a gift, and we need to cherish them, and let them know how loved they are. Just love him like you do, and he'll be fine."

Sadao lay his hand over Eryn's and nodded. "I do love him, and I take care to tell him that every day. But it is his mother's side that worries me. She remarried last year, and they recently had a child of their own. Her husband isn't altogether happy about raising Ichirou and his parents refuse to call Ichirou their grandson. He gets confused by that. That the new baby is their grandchild but he isn't. But thankfully my parents both love him as much as any grandparent is able to, I think. If not more."

Sadao smiled again, the sadness leaving his eyes as he continued, "My siblings both think I am crazy for allowing Ichirou to stay at my parents house, since my parents are retired and in their seventies, but they insist. So he spends at least one night with them, when it is my week to have him. He stays with me one week and then with his mother one week."

"Of course they love him. If he is anything like his father, how could they help it?" Eryn smiled. "I hope to meet him one day, if I can. If I can be so bold, I think my son has chosen very wisely when he gave his heart to you."

Sadao blushed heavily and bowed his head, then burst out laughing when Momo leaned into him and whispered loud enough for Eryn and Satoru to hear him, "See. I told you they would adore you just as much as they adore me. Hell, the way you're smooching up to them, I'm getting scared I'll get replaced soon."

"Mamoru-san," Sadao squealed, trying to stop his giggles, and Satoru growled playfully as he reached across the table and thunked Momo on the head with a newspaper that had been lying on the couch beside him. "Momo-kun, stop being such a wise ass," Satoru said with a laugh, and Momo blew a raspberry at his father.

Eryn shook her head at the two of them, laughing as she turned to Sadao. "They're irresistible, these Mori men." She stood and smoothed her skirt a little. "And I think I'm going to start on the chicken curry." She smiled at Sadao. "I never mind company in the kitchen, so feel free to wander in and chat."

Sadao rose from his seat and bowed, swatting at Momo when the imp reached up and patted Sadao's ass lovingly. "Thank you... stop that... And thank you again, Mori-san for inviting me to dinner. I do apologize for the inconvenience."

Momo tugged on Sadao's belt to make him sit down again, and rolling his eyes at his lover told him, "You can take it easy on the Mori-san, you know. I know that okaasan wouldn't mind if you just call her Eryn-san."

"You're no inconvenience, ever, Sadao-san. Please consider yourself always welcome here." Eryn bowed a little, her grin suddenly impish. "And I do actually prefer Eryn-san. I keep looking for Satoru's mother when people call me Mori-san."

Sadao bowed his head and smiled shyly. "Forgive me. It is just the way I am raised. Thank you again, Eryn-san. I will do my best."

"There's nothing to apologize for, simply because you have lovely manners," Eryn replied. "But really, I feel as though you are a part of our family already, as connected as you are to so many of us. You must tell me over dinner how you came to work for Kenji, though."

Sadao nodded and glanced at Satoru. "Thank you. I do feel so welcomed already, and I do consider both Masato-san and Hayashi-kun as friends. It is a pure joy to train them both. They are so focused and so determined in their training. I do not remember ever having trained a man Hayashi-kun's age that had such a focus and determination for his training. In all honesty he reminds me of Mori-kun when he started his training at the old dojo."

Eryn nodded. "It's our tradition, in our family, to begin training quite young in the martial arts. Yuki has been training since he was old enough to hold a weapon, and his father is a very strict taskmaster."

"Oh, his father is in martial arts as well? I would enjoy meeting him some day. Hayashi-kun is one of my favorite students, as mean as it is to have favorites. Please do not tell him that I said that." Sadao blushed faintly, and smiled. "But they are both very proficient. Truthfully me and a few of the other trainers, we sometimes sneak up to the house after hours on Thursdays to watch Mori-kun when he's training with Ishikawa-san. And we usually end up watching Masato-san in his kenjutsu training too. They sometimes train with long swords as well. Now those are gorgeous weapons."

Eryn laughed delightedly. "Come chat with me while I cook, Sadao-san. We'll let our men set the table, shall we? Or they can sneak out to the garden and have a cigarette." She led Sadao into the kitchen, moving with her usual graceful efficiency as she began to make the curry while Sadao set up the rice cooker.

"My son in law is quite proficient, although our martial arts varies quite a bit from your forms. Satoshi, though, oh, my. I've watched him at the estate when he and Masato spar, and he is just extraordinary. And as far as the long swords, those have always been Masato's weapon of choice. He's quite good, isn't he? And Satoshi is picking it up so quickly as well. It's so wonderful to watch them." Eryn gave Sadao another impish grin. "I might have to spar with them one day, to give them a challenge."

"You train martial arts too?" Sadao asked with a little bit of surprise in his tone, but there was no judgment in his tone, only curiosity.

Eryn nodded calmly. "It's our tradition I am accredited a master in my particular form." She began to laugh. "It did come in handy, raising two sons and a daughter who made them look positively innocent."

Sadao laughed quietly, and bowed respectfully. "Well, then I should address you as sensei, now shouldn't I? I have noticed that the girls that I have trained are often better than the boys, at least up to a certain age. They seem to be able to focus better than the younger boys. But when they reach their teens they do sort of even out, if you understand my meaning. But I have to agree with you about Mori-kun. Even as a child when he was starting in Kempo... It was a joy to watch him. I have never in my life seen such a focused four year old. He never got caught up in the hijinx that the other children sometimes got up to, and I often got the feeling that he got annoyed when the other children broke up the training with their antics. Satoshi was all about his training from the moment he walked into the dojo." Sadao let out a small giggle. "And when Ishikawa-san finally got him to take the training sword he was just as focused in his kenjutsu training as well. I felt so sorry for him though. Ishikawa-san chased him around with that bamboo sword for the better part of a week before he finally took it. Mori-kun was only eight at the time, and he did not think that kenjutsu was his thing. But he proved to be a natural at it. I honestly think that he is only surpassed by Ishikawa-san, and Yori-sama."

Eryn nodded, hearing the deep love in Sadao's voice as he discussed training his students. "I will have to go one day, and watch them all at the dojo, I think. I wouldn't presume to spar there, though. But tell me, did you always want to be a sempai? Is this what you studied for, or did the dojo call you away from another path?"

Sadao smiled brightly and shook his head a little as he helped Eryn slice some vegetables for the soup she had simmering. "Actually I am a qualified elementary school teacher, but I have never actually taught anywhere, save for my one year training position. I started training Kempo when I was seven. My father wasn't all that happy with my choice, since I had been training Judo since I was four, but it soon became obvious that Kempo was my discipline. I trained with Ishikawa-san for many years, and he became my sempai, eventually. Then when he was kicked out of the old dojo I was one of the students who followed him, and he gave us a position at his dojo. Then when I finished my university studies, Ishikawa-san offered me the position of sempai, at the dojo, and it only felt natural to take it. I honestly think that I was always meant to be sempai. Although my teacher's education does come in handy when training the youngest groups. They do sometimes lose their concentration and start acting wildly."

Eryn laughed brightly. "Really, it does, doesn't it? Back home, I'm a doctor, but I've always had an interest in alternative treatments as well. I honestly haven't bothered to try to transfer my license here, but I can't seem to keep my nose out of things. Poor Masato, Satoshi hurt his ankle, and I was so sharp with Masato because he took Satoshi to the hospital instead of calling me. I owe both of them an apology, I fear."

Sadao helped Eryn bring the dinner over to the table, Momo and Satoru appearing as if lured in by the delicious scent of chicken curry. Satoru had a couple of bottles of wine, and Momo grabbed a beer, and they all settled in around the dinner table.

"I heard about Mori-kun's injury. Do you know how serious it is? Because I know Ishikawa-san was devastated to hear that Mori-kun's ankle is broken. Ishikawa-san is very afraid that it will affect his training and maybe even render him unable to continue his training," Sadao asked with genuine concern in his voice.

Eryn sighed a little. "There is a break, and some small fractures as well, but fortunately no ligament damage. Satoshi is very lucky, but he needs to stay in a hard cast for six to eight weeks, so he won't be able to train for a bit. The good news is that they do believe it will heal cleanly, and with some physical therapy, he should be able to go right back to training and everything else he loves so much." She arched a brow, looking so much like Sand for a moment that Sadao's eyes widened a bit. "I'll be taking a look once he gets the cast off, of course."

"I am glad to hear there are no ligament damages. A break can heal cleanly and leave no permanent damage, so he should be able to continue his training once he's healed. I have dislocated my knee, and damaged ligaments and it's an injury that has plagued me since. I've dislocated my knee three times now, and my doctor says that if I do it one more time, I can kiss my career good bye," Sadao said, adding with a warm smile, "Ever the doctor, huh?"

Momo made a small humming sound through his nose, asking, "Is that why you always wear that knee brace when you go to training?"

Sadao nodded. "Yes. It helps to keep my knee stable, but it's not a guarantee. Ishikawa-san has it worse. He's dislocated his shoulder numerous times. It's so loose now that he can almost pop it in and out of socket himself."

"Always the doctor," Eryn smiled back. "You know, I wouldn't mind taking a look at your knee sometime. Conventional medicine is marvelous, but there are alternative treatments that can do quite a lot of good. I think a closed mind is perhaps the worst disease out there. And as far as Kenji, he needs to be careful with that. I've lectured Masato about that very thing. Just because slamming your dislocated shoulder into a marble column worked once doesn't mean it will work every time."

Sadao gave a small grimace at the description. "He had not told me that he had dislocated his shoulder. Thankfully it hasn't been an issue in his training, but I will be sure to ask him about it next time I see him. Ishikawa-san has grown quite used to his shoulder, it's affected him for quite a few years. Although I think it did get worse after he fell down the hillside by his house. He landed on his bad shoulder and there was some bleeding in the joint." Sadao stopped, deftly avoiding the offer of looking at his knee, until Momo nudged him and said, "You should let okaasan take a look at your knee. She's a sort of spiritual healer, she has healing hands. And you wouldn't even have to drop your pants for her."

Sadao blushed heavily and shook his head, mumbling into his chicken curry, "Mamoru-san! Don't say things like that." Momo laughed teasingly and winked at Eryn.

"All my foolish little birds," Eryn laughed, shaking her head at Momo but unable to resist his sweet charm. "I'd be happy to take a look at your knee, Sadao-san, and even if you did need to drop your pants, I'm a happily married woman these days. You'd be quite safe." Satoru burst out laughing at the look on Sadao's face, and Eryn made a little face at her husband.

"As far as Masato's shoulder goes, I wouldn't worry too much about it. He hasn't been idiotic enough to damage it in a while, and he's remarkably resilient." Eryn shrugged. "He also has enough sense not to push himself beyond his physical limits. The one I worry about is Yuki, who simply refuses to admit that he has limits."

Sadao took a couple of slow breaths, the blush fading from his cheeks, and he managed a somewhat shaky smile when he looked up. "Thank you for the offer, Eryn-san. I would appreciate it if you could take a look. And forgive me for the rudeness, but I think I wouldn't mind dropping my pants for you, just for Mamoru-san's comment."

Momo made a loud indignant noise, and then let out a short yelp of pain, as Satoru grimaced and muttered, "Hell, boy, are your shins made of steel?"

Sadao laughed a little shaking his head, his eyes sparkling as he visibly relaxed finally. "I do understand your worries about Hayashi-kun, Eryn-san. He is a very driven boy, but he will soon grow out of thinking he is invincible. At least he complains enough when he's looking at his bruises in the showers after training."

Eryn laughed in delight. "I can't tell you how happy that makes, both that he's training hard enough to get bruises, and that he's complaining about them. There might be hope for the little rascal yet." She looked around the table brightly. "Now, it's such a lovely evening. Shall we have dessert in the garden?"

"Now that's an idea," Momo said loudly and clapped his hands with a smile. Sadao smiled lovingly as he looked at Momo, then he bowed to Eryn as they rose from the table.

"Thank you very much for dinner, it was delicious. And if your dessert is anything like your sweet rolls, I am afraid you will have to roll me out the door when I am done," Sadao said with an almost impish smile, and Momo grabbed him around the shoulders, whispering loudly in his ear. "Oh, we won't be rolling you anywhere, except up the stairs and into my bed."

Sadao blushed heavily and hung his head, muttering, "Remind me once again why I like you, please?"

Momo grinned wickedly and leaned in even closer, whispering very quietly into Sadao's ear, the blush in Sadao's cheeks deepening with every word, but the sparkle in his eyes growing brighter.

"Oh, lovely, I'm so glad you're staying the night," Eryn said, her smile radiant. "I'm an early riser, but I'll try to be quiet, so you young things can sleep in. Now, you all get settled in the garden, and I'll get the dessert for us."

"I'll give you a hand," Satoru offered, and gave Eryn a gentle kiss on the lips. He waited until Momo and Sadao were safely in the garden before he turned back to Eryn. "What did our son say to make that poor Sadao blush so furiously?"

Eryn smothered a quick giggle. "The truth? It was utterly innocent. Momo told Sadao that Sadao likes him because he's sweet, and kind and funny, and gives a wicked backrub, and is totally useless in the kitchen, but he makes up for that in bed."

Satoru gigglesnorted as he got down the larger teapot. "Do we even want tea, or should we stick with the wine and maybe some sake?"

"They're staying here tonight, so why not get the sake?" Eryn laughed as she pulled out the tray of tiny pastries she had made, delicate little one-bite shells of almond pastry filled with different fruits and dusted with finely grated chocolate.

Sadao stretched languidly as he and Momo went out on the backporch, smiling when Momo sidled up behind him and wrapped strong calloused hands around his abdomen, where his shirt had ridden up out of the waistband of his jeans. "So, I like you because you're kind and sweet and give a good backrub, huh?"

"That's what you always say, so yeah, I figured that was the case," Momo said with a small nibble to Sadao's neck, and he spun around in Momo's arms, tugging the slightly taller man down for a kiss.

"I like your parents. They're so open and honest and welcoming. Although the complete disregard for formality is a little disorienting, I like them. They are a lot like you to be honest," Sadao whispered between nibbling kisses and Momo nodded as he pushed in for a proper kiss.

"They couldn't care less about the whole being gay thing. I mean, come on, look at them. Tousan only has me and Satoshi, and we're both gay, although Satoshi has kids. He's probably more bi, than gay. And Masato is the same. Okaasan comes from a place where gay marriage is considered just as normal and natural as straight, and they even encourage their youngsters to explore both sides. So, just relax and be that idiotic sweet goofy guy that spills soda on my jeans just to get them off me."

Momo giggled as Sadao pinched him and snorted, "That was an accident, you moron."

"Yeah, whatever. Just keep telling yourself that." Momo said with a teasing tone and dove in for another kiss when he heard Eryn and Satoru nearing the door to the garden.

Eryn and Satoru exchanged bright smiles as they saw Momo pull Sadao into a kiss, the love between the two men so obvious and so pure that the happy parents leaned into each other for a moment, Eryn tilting her face up for a kiss and Satoru obliging happily. Momo let Sadao up for air in time for Sadao to catch the last lingering nibble of Eryn and Satoru's kiss, and Eryn smiled at the two lovers.

"I was going to make tea, but it's the weekend, so we brought wine and sake instead." Satoru held up the bottles as Eryn set down the platter of tiny pastries. "I thought we'd have a small dessert so no one needs to be rolled up the stairs tonight unless they absolutely want to be, that is. I think I might prefer a slow sashay myself." Eryn gave a little yelp as Satoru hugged her from behind and nuzzled her ear.

Eryn caught Momo's eye as he was pouring sake, and she gave him the tiniest nod and a huge smile, and was rewarded by the most beautiful smile imaginable from Momo.

Sadao blushed a little as he stepped back from Momo, bowing his head shyly, snickering a little at the comment about sashaying up the stairs. Momo glanced at Sadao as he started pouring the sake and asked quietly, "Please stay the night?"

Sadao nodded slowly, looking at Eryn and Satoru as he answered, "If you two do not mind, I think I would like to stay the night." Sadao caught the small look and bright smile that passed between Eryn and Momo, and he gazed up on Momo with such immaculate love that Satoru leaned over the table and squeezed his hand quickly. "You are welcome to stay for our sake. Welcome to the family, Sadao Hajime. From now on, I want you to call me Satoru. No more of that Mori-sama stuff."

Sadao's smile was as beautiful as Momo's as he accepted a cup of sake, and he nodded. "Thank you both so much for your hospitality. I do feel so welcomed and wanted that I hardly know how to react. As for the morning, Eryn-san, I never sleep later than seven. I'm usually up at five all mornings and sleeping in is sleeping until seven. So I hope you do not mind some company in the morning."

Momo let out a small playful groan, and nodded emphatically at Eryn, his eyes dancing with mirth. "Yeah, yeah, just go ahead and laugh at me, okaasan. Me and my fucking morning glories."

Sadao's bright laughter rang out over the garden and Momo smirked into his sake cup.

Eryn pulled Sadao down so she could kiss his cheek lightly. "Welcome to the family, my dear Sadao. You're both welcome and wanted, I promise you, and I'd love some company in the morning." She looked over at Momo with that impish twinkle in her eyes, and Sadao recognized it as Erion's look. "And as for you, sleepyhead, you miss the best part of the day. Dawn's the most perfect part of the morning."

Eryn curled up and helped herself to wine and a pastry, utterly pleased with the way the day had turned out, as Momo blew a raspberry at her with a smirk.

"Morning doesn't start until ten at the earliest," Momo muttered, and Satoru snickered.

"No, no, Eryn-san's right," Sadao laughed. "It's the best way to start the day, watching the sun come up." He flashed Eryn a grin. "Although Masato-san doesn't agree at all."

[Discontinued]

If it does come back, you know I'll be delighted to participate!

[Plagiarism]

This is truly ridiculous. I will do all I can to help. Starting with nasty reviews. I've had this problem too but not on this scale or anywhere like this level.

The best thing is to let a moderator or administrator know, and we'll get right on it. We have zero tolerance for plagiarists, but we'd also rather not have to put out a flame war at the same time.

We have lots of room in the Hall of Shame to hoist those nasty plagiarists...

[Plagiarism]

Please take a peek in the Hall of Shame for our newest member.... hysteria101.

[Plagiarism]

One of the things that we try to discourage here on AFF is flame wars on review boards and in our forums. Right now, it appears that the reviews are being deleted almost as fast as they go up, and there has been no response, but we'd like everyone to keep in mind that a flame war isn't going to help resolve this any faster, since it will require the moderators to have to go and deal with that issue on top of the original plagiarism report.

We do understand how frustrating this is, and I know Danyealle has mentioned that she herself went through the grief of being plagiarized. We're authors as well, and we take this very seriously. Trust us to do the right thing here, and we'll get this resolved as fast as we can!

Thanks!

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Despite Satoshi's protests, Sand insisted on carrying him all the way to the car, easing Satoshi into the passenger seat as gently as possible to avoid jarring his ankle any more than necessary.

"I'm not an invalid, Masato-san," Satoshi muttered, but despite his protest, just the effort of putting on dry sweatpants had his ankle throbbing.

"Of course you are not, saiai. We shall be sure to have a jog together tomorrow morning," Sand replied, nibbling a kiss as he adjusted Satoshi's foot gently.

Satoshi contented himself with a small glare as he waited for Sand to come around and get into the driver's seat, buckling his seat belt and starting the engine as the garage door opened. Satoshi had grabbed a hoodie as well, and he dug in the pocket to find his cigarettes, lighting one up and smoking almost furiously. Sand drove well past the pond before he hit the button to open his window and let some of the cigarette smoke out, and Satoshi looked over at Sand from under lowered lashes.

"I'm sorry, Masato. I should never have gone down to the pond." Satoshi's voice trembled just a little bit, and Sand looked over quickly. "I don't even know why I did it. I didn't go downstairs planning to be an idiot."

"You are not an idiot, saiai. Far from it," Sand said calmly, his eyes on the road as they left the estate. "You were doing what any father would do. You were protecting your children. In your place, I would have done the same thing."

"No, you wouldn't," Satoshi replied, and there was a bitter note in his voice that made Sand look over again. "First of all, you wouldn't have stood there yelling at the pond. And second of all, you wouldn't have fallen on your ass and gotten dragged in."

"Probably not," Sand agreed. "I would have loosed a meteor swarm, or frozen the pond solid before summoning a pit fiend to rend the creature. I might even have cast a hellball on the pond, and we would be picking bits of the lawn from the front steps of the academy. It would take Vale every ounce of his considerable charm and skill at hacking to deal with the local authorities, and Willow would still use my head for soup."

"But at least you would have done something other than scream and nearly get killed," Satoshi retorted. He lit a fresh cigarette, his ankle aching despite Sand's taking care to avoid the rougher spots on the road.

"Satoshi, cormamin, you did what you thought you needed to do for our children. Do you know how much I love you for that? I know how terrified you are of ponds like that, and yet you faced that fear and acted to defend our children." Sand looked over and flashed his radiant smile. "You are so incredibly brave sometimes that it quite takes my breath away."

"It was stupid, not brave, and I'm paying for it now," Satoshi insisted, but he did manage a very small smile. His expression sobered quickly, though, and he looked over at Sand, who was waiting patiently for the light to change. "You'll call about getting a fence put in?"

Sand nodded, reaching over to cup Satoshi's cheek lovingly. "I promise, saiai, as soon as they are open, I will call and arrange to have someone there immediately to fence off the pond."

Satoshi nodded, putting out his cigarette, his gorgeous eyes still troubled. "She can't get in, can she? To the house?"

Sand shook his head. "Nothing harmful can enter the house. One of the things I did in the Weave was to acquire some very powerful spells of protection, the kind that are bound in mythals." He tapped his chest where the telkiira rested. "I placed one on the house, and the estate's walls and gates are warded as well. I just did not tell Willow how powerful the spells were. She believes that I used the ordinary protection spells any wizard can cast."

"And you'll take Ryuu and get omamori? It'll make him feel safer." Satoshi looked at Sand, the elf serene as he drove onto the hospital's grounds and headed for the parking area.

"I promised him, and I will keep my promise. Vale and Yuji can supervise the fence people, and Kansas and Erion can help us hang the omamori. You will make sure we hang them in the right places." Sand parked as close to the entrance as he could. "Shall I get a wheelchair, or shall I just carry you?"

Satoshi blushed a little. "I don't know if you should carry me. Maybe if you put your arm around me on my bad side, I could hop."

Sand made a noise somewhere between a snort and a raspberry. "And maybe I can give you wings like my faerie dragon, and you can fly in. Saiai, you have been wincing and pale the entire way here, and if you think that I cannot feel your pain through our bond, you are quite wrong. You have been breathing the way you do at the dojo as well." Sand arched an elegant brow. "I can actually hear the bone grating against itself where it is broken, cormamin."

Satoshi let out a small breath, sagging back against the seat a bit. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to distract you while you were driving, but it's pretty bad." He looked at Sand, his gorgeous eyes nearly black with the pain. "Just... whatever's faster, poldoramin."

Sand nodded, and slid out of the car quickly, hurrying around to open the door on Satoshi's side and scoop his beloved imp up in his arms. "We will call it panic adrenaline if we are asked, hmm?" Sand quirked a wry little smile at Satoshi and snuck a quick kiss before hurrying into the emergency entrance.

Once inside, Satoshi was placed in a wheelchair immediately, and whisked off for x-rays and examining while Sand took care of the paperwork before being escorted back to join Satoshi. The doctor looked extremely young to Sand, younger than Kansas or Erion, and he shot Satoshi a mildly dubious look.

"As I was saying, Mori-sama, I'm not sure how to explain this injury. Your ankle is very badly injured." The doctor looked over at Sand.

"I am Mori Masato, Mori-sama's husband. Please continue, ishi-sama." Sand laid a slim hand on Satoshi's shoulder.

The young doctor nodded, and continued in a brisk tone. "The ankle is broken here, and it is also fractured here and here. It looks as though it was twisted while it was broken." He looked sharply at Sand's hand, but Sand's fingers were far longer than the bruises that were darkening on Satoshi's ankle.

Sand was relieved to see that Satoshi's skin was no longer that awful blue, and when Sand touched the ankle, it was warmer. Satoshi was still in pain, however, and his face was pale with the effort of not screaming and sobbing. Sand looked up at the doctor expectantly.

"You were in the garden when this happened, Mori-sama?" the doctor asked.

Satoshi nodded, reaching for Sand's hand and gripping it tightly. "It was the stupidest thing. It was dark, and I didn't want to put on any of the garden lights and wake anyone. I tripped over a tree root or something. There's a stand of trees right there, and somehow, I got my foot all tangled up in the roots." He smiled a little, managing to blush. "My husband found me stuck like that."

"I woke and saw that my husband was gone, and I went to look for him," Sand said smoothly. "He often goes out for a cigarette in the night if he cannot sleep. When he did not return in a few minutes, I became concerned, and went to see if something was troubling him." He looked at the doctor, his blue eyes utterly guileless. "I fear it was a bit difficult to free his ankle, and I may have bruised him somewhat in my efforts. I was rather frantic, you see."

Satoshi looked at Sand, and the doctor could see the love that passed between the two husbands, and he nodded, relieved that he would not need to pursue that possibility. He paused to make a note, his handwriting even worse than Momo's scrawl.

"Well, then. We need to get this set and into a cast as soon as possible, but the first thing will be to get you something for the pain." The doctor looked at Satoshi, shaking his head slightly. "I don't know how you're not screaming right now."

Satoshi blushed and ducked his head, and Sand made a small noise.

"My husband has a yon-dan in Shorinji Kempo, and he has been using the meditation techniques he has perfected at the dojo to control his pain," Sand said, the pride in his voice evident. "He is very strong-willed, my husband." Sand looked at Satoshi with great love.

The doctor nodded again, and prepared a syringe, cleaning a spot on Satoshi's ankle before injecting a local anesthetic. "We will have a prescription for you to take home, but this should help during the process of setting the bone and placing the ankle in a cast."

Satoshi sighed as the medication took effect, his foot now blissfully numb. "Oh, that's so much better."

"Mori-sama, if you will wheel Mori-sama and follow me?" The doctor led them to another room, and both Sand and Satoshi insisted on Sand's remaining while Satoshi's ankle was set and wrapped in a hard plaster cast. Sand grew pale as the doctor manipulated Satoshi's ankle, the grating of the bones utterly clear to his elven ears, but he was please when the doctor took another x-ray to confirm that the bones were properly aligned before he began to apply the cast.

It was already light by the time the doctor was finished with Satoshi, and the imp was exhausted from the long night and the pain. The hospital pharmacy had filled the prescription for pain relievers, they had been given crutches for Satoshi to use, and the doctor himself had escorted them to the car, finding himself drawn to the obviously devoted husbands. He had helped Sand get Satoshi settled in the car, and stayed with Satoshi while Sand ran back into the hospital to get some cold sweet tea and buns for Satoshi to nibble while they drove home.

Kansas was waiting when they got back, his beautiful grey eyes a little pale until he saw the pair emerge from the garage, Satoshi on his crutches and Sand hovering like a mother hen until Satoshi took a giggling swipe at the elf with one crutch. Kansas jumped up, his eyes darkening nicely as he hurried over to kiss Satoshi and hold him tightly.

"Ryuu's fine. He slept with Erion and me, and he didn't even wake up when we got up at dawn. Erion's still all bundled up with him, but I couldn't go back to sleep, baby." Kansas looked into Satoshi's gorgeous eyes. "Are you okay?"

Satoshi sighed, leaning in to kiss Kansas tenderly. "My ankle feels a little better, but I'm pumped full of fucking painkillers. The rest of it, well, let's just say I'll feel better when we get a fence around that fucking pond."

"I will call as soon as they open, saiai," Sand confirmed. "But I think we need to get you to bed. You have had no sleep all night, and a great deal of stress and anxiety, and you will be the better for some sleep."

"Only if you bring Ryuu in when he wakes up," Satoshi said. "He's been upset enough, and I want him to see that I'm okay."

"I'll help you get upstairs, baby." Kansas moved to one side of Satoshi, and Sand took the other, and they helped their husband up the stairs carefully, Satoshi wanting to try hopping his way up. The pain medication made him a bit giddy, and he wound up giggling and falling into Sand, but they all finally made it to the top of the stairs.

Sand got Satoshi into clean sleep pants and a t-shirt, and tucked him into their tatami bed, pulling the light summer comforter up and tucking Satoshi in with many sweet kisses. Kansas stood behind Sand, waiting for him to finish, his dark grey eyes brimming with love for the pierced imp and the elf.

"I am going to make some tea, saiai, and leave a message for the fence company," Sand said. "Will you be able to rest?"

"I'm fine, Masato-san." Satoshi's gorgeous eyes were already starting to close, exhaustion taking its toll. "Go have your tea and make your call. I'll be here."

"I'll stay with Satoshi until he falls asleep," Kansas said, pulling Sand down for a kiss. "Thank you, my love, for taking care of him so well."

Sand smiled at Kansas, returning the kiss tenderly. "Thank you, my sweet Kansas. I would not have known if not for you, and we might have lost him. There are not words enough, but just know that I love you without end, beloved."

[Week 56: 10-30-11]

Pen Name: BronxWench

Story link: For Ferelden

Review Replies:

Type of fic: Flashfic

Rating: Adult+

Fandom: Games > Dragon Age: Origins

Warnings: AFFO, ChallengeFic, M/M, NoSex

[Month 2: 1 Oct 2011]

Pen Name: BronxWench

Story link: The Accident

Review replies link: BronxWench's Review Replies

Prompts Used: One word prompt; phrase prompt; three element prompt

Type of fic: FlashFic

Fandom: Original > Paranormal/Supernatural > General

Pairing: N/A

Warnings: AFFO, ChallengeFic, COMPLETE, MCD, NoSex, Violence

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Sand had been stroking Ryuu's knee when Ryuu had begun telling Satoshi about the pond, and he felt a chill run up his spine as Ryuu said he had warned Takara. Sand managed to keep his face from showing his apprehension, but he knew that Satoshi would have picked up on it through their bond.

Sand could not help but recall the conversations he had had with Kenji regarding the odd history of the Ishikawa and Mori families, and how both had been plagued by strange occurrences. Certainly, Kenji believed that something did lurk in the depths of the pond on his estate, and Sand was not at all ready to say that the pond on their estate was not similarly endowed. Vale did say that he had gated off the smaller koi pond, to keep the koi from going into the larger pond.

When Ryuu's voice grew very small and frightened, and he begged Satoshi not to let this mysterious "she" touch him or his sisters, Sand grew very cold inside, both with fear for the safety of his children, and with grief that Ryuu had held such fear inside himself all day, alone.

Ryuu was tightly held in Satoshi's arms, nuzzling into Satoshi's chest and looking terribly small and forlorn, and Sand ached to do something more than sit on the floor and watch helplessly as Satoshi comforted the frightened boy. There was still a small part of Sand that feared encroaching on that closeness between Satoshi and Ryuu, a part that remembered how angry Ryuu had been with the elf who had barged into their lives.

Yet Satoshi had arranged for all the children to be listed as theirs, Sand and Satoshi's children, as far as the family registry was concerned. Legally, Sand was also Ryuu's father. Emotionally, Sand was Ryuu's devoted father, loving Ryuu with the same limitless love he had for Takara and for Michi. Sand gave himself a stern mental shake and moved closer, graceful and elegant, to lean against Satoshi's legs, his fingers still tangled with Ryuu's fingers. He listened to Satoshi's gentle and loving reassurances, his blue eyes filling with tears.

Without losing the gentle grip that Ryuu had on his fingers, Sand eased himself up onto the bed, wrapping his free arm around Satoshi so that he was cradling Ryuu in the warm space between his fathers. Satoshi shifted a little, leaning into Sand and moving Ryuu between them so that Ryuu could look up at Sand as well. "I will help, urulokiamin, my dragon. I will be here with chichi to keep you safe, and to help watch out for Takara-chan and Michi-chan. We will keep them away from the pond, and nothing will get inside our house to hurt any of you."

Ryuu sniffled a little bit and looked up at Sand, his eyes dark with tears. "But what if she gets into the pool? Or the onsen? Then we can never go swimming again."

"We will not let her into the pool or the onsen. We will hang omamori to keep her away." Sand looked at Ryuu very seriously. "We will pick them up at the temple together."

Ryuu nodded slowly and looked up at Satoshi, who nodded in agreement, adding to Sand's words, "You and tousan can go after breakfast tomorrow and buy some omamori at the temple. I think that's a very good idea."

Sand leaned in to kiss Ryuu's thick hair tenderly, his love for Ryuu evident in his voice and touch. "I do not think Mama will mind if I ask Jaral to watch over you a bit. He can see things that I cannot, and sense things before I can, and he can always reach me to tell me that you need me. I think Mama will not be too angry if he sleeps in your room with you, but for tonight, maybe it is best that you sleep with chichi and tousan."

Ryuu stared up at Sand, his eyes clearing a little, and he nodded as he considered Sand's words. As Satoshi stood with Ryuu in his arms, Ryuu looked very seriously at Sand and said, "Then we will have to move Buronzudoragon's bed up on the shelf, because Buronzudoragon likes to tease Jaral, and then Jaral pretends to try to eat him."

"Well, then, we cannot have them playing and keeping you up all night." Sand looked at Ryuu, his expression just as serious. "We will make a proper dragon's nest on the shelf. That is a very good idea."

"And Jaral can have a bed by the foot of my bed."

Sand nodded. "I think Mama would like that better than Jaral sleeping in your bed."

"Yes. Not only Mama but me as well," Satoshi interjected, and nuzzled Ryuu's cheek, the boy rolling his eyes at Sand as he muttered, "It's not like Jaral's feet are always dirty. It was only that one time."

Sand looked at Satoshi, nodding a little as Satoshi stood with Ryuu in his arms. "Come on, watashi no ryu. We'll go get tucked in together," Satoshi said, his voice thick with love.

"I will go and ask keifu to double check all the doors and windows tonight, especially in Mama's room, and I will check our windows, and then we will bundle up together and snuggle." Sand stroked Ryuu's hair, the small fingers still firmly tangled with the fingers of Sand's other hand. "We will even make room for Buronzudoragon."

Ryuu smiled a little bit and Sand saw that mischievous glint in his eyes again, as the little boy said over Satoshi's shoulder, "I don't know if there is space enough in your bed for all three of us and Buronzudoragon. He's very big now, you see." Ryuu smiled his impish grin, that looked so much like Satoshi's, but then he went very serious again and spoke in a low voice, "And Takara's window. Don't forget to make sure that is locked too."

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Vale made a soft noise, somewhere between a purr and a growl, as Yuji worked his claim mark into Vale's neck, his back arching just a little to press his pierced nipples against Yuji. Vale's long fingers tangled in Yuji's hair, and when Yuji's lips found Vale's lips again, the elf returned the kiss with renewed heat, his cock already hardening between them. Yuji chuckled a little as Vale's cock prodded him, and Vale looked at him in mingled desire and amusement.

"Now that we've taken the edge off, it's my turn to enjoy the rewards of a successful hunt." Vale's hand slid down, stopping to toy with Yuji's nipples as Vale turned his head to nibble Yuji's ear, sucking his earlobe and scraping his teeth lightly over it.

Yuji moaned as Vale teased his sensitive ear, his own cock beginning to thicken again as Vale tweaked his nipple until it was a hard nub. With a small growl of his own, Vale shifted Yuji onto his back, straddling Yuji and nipping his way down Yuji's throat, careful not to leave a mark until he reached Yuji's collarbone, where it met his shoulder. Vale bit harder and sucked, working the golden skin until he had a deep rosy mark to show for his efforts, and he reared up to look into Yuji's perfect eyes.

"Mine," Vale murmured, his voice husky. "My husband, my chosen lifemate, mine."

Yuji shivered a little at the predatory look in Vale's eyes, his cock hardening even more at the way those green eyes raked him, Vale's tongue peeking out to moisten kiss-swollen lips. There was something about Vale when he got like this, demanding and possessive, that made Yuji marvel even more at the other side of his elf, the side that submitted to Yuji so completely and without hesitation.

Vale leaned in again, and his mouth fastened on Yuji's nipple, teeth scraping lightly as his tongue stud laved the tender nub until it was hard, the sensation making Yuji's cock fully harden against Vale's stomach. Yuji's long fingers clenched in Vale's gold and emerald hair as Vale moved lower, his hot breath just teasing Yuji's cock as Vale parted Yuji's thighs and raised his knees, lifting Yuji's balls to swipe that wicked tongue underneath them.

"Roll over," Vale ordered, and Yuji turned over, bringing his knees beneath himself and letting Vale lift his hips. Vale moaned a little as he spread Yuji's ass cheeks and bent in to swipe his tongue over Yuji's pucker, and Yuji sucked in a quick breath as Vale's tongue stud teased the muscle lightly. Vale licked again, letting his tongue probe gently, teasing Yuji's ass, and Yuji pressed back a little, his cock jumping slightly at the pressure against his asshole.

"No moving," Vale said, his voice thick. His tongue swiped again, and Yuji moaned as the tip pressed harder. Vale slid his thumbs in closer to the tight little ring, and he swirled his tongue almost lazily around the wrinkled opening. Without warning, his tongue breached Yuji's ass, pressing in, the tongue stud hooking a little as it worked past the muscle, and Yuji moaned loudly. Vale pulled back and pressed in again, his tongue firm as it went deeper this time, opening Yuji as Vale began to tongue-fuck him.

Yuji's cock was rock hard now, and beginning to drip precum, but Vale was entirely focused on Yuji's ass, his thumbs pressing in to open Yuji further as he used his tongue to lubricate the tender opening. Yuji did his best to hold still for Vale, but it was nearly impossible as the elf found Yuji's prostate and probed it firmly, making Yuji howl and press back.

Vale slid his tongue out of Yuji's ass with a breathless laugh, his thumbs still holding the pucker open. "That's so delicious, that eager ass. I want you, Yuji."

"Fuck, Vale, yes," Yuji growled, pressing back again. "Just fuck me, baby."

Vale reached around and ran his palm over the head of Yuji's cock, collecting Yuji's precum in his hand. Vale spat in his palm and then used Yuji's precum and his spit, along with his own precum, to slick his cock before pressing the head against Yuji's ass. Yuji took a shallow breath as Vale pressed the head of his cock past that loosened muscle, sinking into the heat of Yuji's ass with a loud moan, his slim hands wrapped around Yuji's hips tightly.

"Tight, so tight," Vale moaned blissfully, and he pressed his cock all the way into Yuji's ass in a single thrust, his balls slapping against Yuji's ass.

"Oh, fuck," Yuji howled, the burn of Vale's entry just the right side of painful, and he ground his ass back against Vale as he sucked in another breath, the elf pausing to let him adjust. Yuji bucked his hips again once he was ready, looking over his shoulder at Vale. "Move," he rasped, needing Vale to take him.

Vale pulled back and slammed forward, hitting Yuji's prostate dead on and making Yuji scream as fireworks exploded behind his eyes. Vale's piercing dragged over that sensitive bundle of nerves as Vale withdrew, and Yuji gave himself over the the relentless waves of pleasure as Vale fucked him hard and fast. Vale leaned forward, his teeth working another rosy mark on the back of Yuji's shoulder as his hand wrapped around Yuji's cock and began to stroke it. At the same time, Vale reared back, pulling Yuji upright as Vale sank onto his heels, his hips thrusting as Yuji sank all the way down onto Vale's cock.

Vale screamed, his voice ragged as his balls drew up. His cum was searing as he filled Yuji's ass with spurt after spurt, and Yuji ground down to milk his elf dry even as his own balls tightened with a spasm that was almost painful, his cum splattering the ground, Vale's hand and his own chest as he screamed through his own release. Yuji turned his head and found Vale's ear, scraping his teeth over the rosy shell and sucking the tip to coax the last screams from his elf. Vale's arms wrapped around Yuji, holding him against Vale as they shuddered and twitched through the last of their orgasms, both utterly sated and spent.

Vale carefully eased himself out of Yuji's ass, and Yuji turned around to wrap his arms around Vale as they clung to each other, their breathing still ragged. Yuji leaned his forehead against Vale's forehead and chuckled.

"We need to do this more often," Yuji said, his eyes bright with his love for his elf.

Vale answering chuckle was tired but happy. "We do, don't we? I suppose we should get back, though." He reached for his belt, rummaging in the small pouch of holding until he came up with a healing potion, which he offered to Yuji. He grinned as Yuji drank it down and sighed happily.

They washed quickly in the small stream, at least enough to allow them to dress, and Vale grinned at his laceless breeches, reaching back into his pouch and pulling out a leather lace. Yuji nearly fell over laughing.

"Thinking ahead again?" Yuji laughed.

"I can't seem to get the hang of that fucking mending cantrip. Fucking transmutation spells," Vale grumbled cheerfully. "But the non-magical solution works just as well."

They dressed quickly, gathering up their weapons and Yuji reached for Vale's hand again as Vale Planewalked back to the Cloaktower and his office. There they took a fast shower, changing into their regular clothing and walking back to the Neverwinter house to use that portal to return home. They stopped and bought meat pies and cool tui at the market, eating on a bench in the park near the house, Vale leaning into Yuji and angling for a kiss afterward. Finally, having put it off long enough, they went through the portal and back into the hubbub of family life in Tokyo.

Yuji and Vale stepped through the portal to be greeted by a screaming half elf, who flung himself at Vale with a desperate ferocity.

"Chichi! Oniisan saw something in the pond and it scareded imouto and anikisan too and you need to make it go away!" Hikaru wrapped his arms around Vale's neck so tightly that Vale looked at Yuji, wide-eyed.

Willow stuck her head out of her study to glare at her husbands. "It's about time you two got your little asses home," she said. "Maela and Sorien stayed to give a hand with the kids, and I sent Sand and Satoshi to bed before they collapsed. If you two are feeling that fucking perky, you can go help."

Vale smiled at Willow sweetly. "Of course, lirimaer. We'll take care of dinner, and everything, not to worry. You go write, my queen."

"Fucking blonds," Willow muttered, going back into her study and closing the door with a gentle click.

"Now, what's all this fuss about, sochi-chan? What did Ryuu-kun see?" Vale asked Hikaru, trying to pry the little half elf loose.

"I don' know," Hikaru said, reaching for Yuji and burying his face in Yuji's neck when his tousan took him.

Yuji looked up as Erion came in with Takara in his arms, the little girl's chin wobbling a little as she hung on to the young elf. "What happened, my love?" Yuji asked, looking at Erion.

Erion looked at Yuji, his silver eyes wide. "Honestly, I don't know. Ryuu was by the pond, and Takara ran over to play with him like she always does, and he just pushed her away from the pond and told her to never go near the water. He was being protective, honestly, not mean, but I think it was the way he said it." Erion nuzzled Takara. "He got a little intense, but he was being the best oniisan and taking very good care of Takara, right, princess?"

Takara looked at Yuji seriously, her gorgeous eyes exactly like Satoshi's eyes. "I don't go in the water anymore. Oniisan says so, it's bitten."

Erion grinned at Takara. "Forbidden, princess, which is a big and fancy way of saying no."

"He saided no, too." Takara nodded firmly. "Can I have pocky?"

"Let's get some pocky for everyone, okay?" Erion looked at Yuji and Vale, shrugging a little as he carried Takara to the kitchen to choose the flavor of pocky she wanted.

"Chocolate," Hikaru called, wriggling to be put down. "Anikisan says I don't eat strawberry." He flashed Yuji and Vale a sunny smile as he ran after Erion.

"I suppose we'd better ask Kansas about this," Vale said, watching Hikaru dash off.

Yuji shook his head. "Let's hope it's nothing." He could not help the unease that crept over him, though, remembering how Kenji was as emphatic about keeping Satoshi, Ryuu and Kansas away from the pond at his estate. He shot Vale a troubled look, and they went out onto the deck to look for Kansas.

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Vale reached around Yuji to lace his breeches, cupping Yuji's cock quickly. "I don't know, Nancy. That's an awfully big pencil in your pocket."

Vale spun away before Yuji could swat him, slipping on his own finely woven breeches, making a little show of tucking in his own cock before lacing them deftly. Vale watched in open appreciation as Yuji slipped the green leather tunic on, and then Vale helped him with the light but incredibly strong mithral chain that went over the tunic. Vale purred as he helped Yuji belt on his dagger, his green eyes glittering.

"You do look good in armor, a'maelamin," Vale said admiringly. He belted on his own daggers and went over to a rack in the corner, taking down the beautiful crossbow Yuji had used before. Vale paused to consider the bolts arranged in neat bundles. "Shall we give the bugbears a sporting chance, and make this a little more fun?"

Yuji looked at Vale, his battle robes fitted and sleek, and he licked his lips. "What did you have in mind?"

"Just a small enhancement for damage on your bolts, and my arrows." Vale took down a longbow, inlaid and elegant, examining it quickly. "I'll refrain from magic unless necessary. I feel like indulging in a little bloodletting." He strung the bow, testing the draw and smiling.

Yuji's breath hitched a little at the sight of Vale drawing back the bowstring. With his blond mane loose, Vale was the epitome of the elves of stories, lethal and beautiful, and when he turned to look at Yuji with that pleased smile, Yuji all but growled. In two quick strides, Yuji was beside Vale, his hand fisting in the elf's hair as he pulled him in for a possessive kiss. Vale returned the kiss with equal intensity, his green eyes bright, and Yuji was reminded that this was not Akira. This was his battlemage, fierce and wild and fully his equal.

"I'm ready," Yuji said, his voice thick with all sorts of desire. Part of him craved the release of the hunt, the chance to vent some of his pent up frustration and anger on the bugbears, the almost sexual release that came with watching an enemy fall. The largest part of Yuji, however, looked forward to the aftermath of the hunt, when he could claim his elf and be claimed, celebrating his victory by burying his cock in the velvet heat of Vale's ass.

Yuji was enormously surprised when Vale slammed him against the wall, his lips close to Yuji's ear. "I don't mind you flirting with Nathe, but he's not yours to fuck. I don't share with him."

Yuji gave a small oomph as his back collided with the wall, and the heat in Vale's voice made him shiver, but Vale's words sobered him a bit and he grabbed Vale's chin with one hand to make the elf look him in the eyes, his voice equally heated as he answered, "I understand. I won't pursue this then. I'll only tease him with my flirting, but no more, my love. And if you want me to stop flirting with him I will."

Vale leaned in to kiss Yuji, plundering his mouth. "Good. Let's go kill some bugbears, then. We'll travel my way this time." Vale took Yuji's hand, lacing their fingers together firmly. "Don't let go."

Yuji had enough time to look at Vale curiously, and the world around him went blurry and grey. It was only for a moment, but when Yuji blinked, he realized the world was still grey, although no longer out of focus. They were standing in a hallway of sorts, a corridor lined with doors that seemed to extend forever, and Yuji's grip tightened on Vale's hand.

"Where are we?" Yuji asked in a soft whisper. Everything felt muted, and even Vale's voice sounded somehow less than whole, as though part of it had been sucked away.

Vale looked over at Yuji, and Yuji realized with a start that Vale's eyes were far more grey than green here. "It's a nexus Plane, of sorts. This one is mutable, and the destinations behind the doors changes depending on where you want to be."

"So, we could get to Tokyo from here?" Yuji asked, his perfect eyes widening just a little.

"In theory," Vale replied calmly, heading towards one door. "I haven't tested that yet, though, so I can't say for certain. I portaled to Tokyo the first time because I didn't know it well enough yet. I have to be able to see my destination very clearly to use this place."

Vale opened the door, and Yuji could see a blurry landscape, green and brown, and smelling like the outdoors, and he let out his breath quietly.

Vale grinned suddenly. "This is just a quick shortcut. We'd still be walking up the stairs back at the Tower, but instead, here we are."

They stepped out into a small clearing, the rocky mountainside leveling out briefly. The sun was coming up, warm and bright through the trees, and the air was crisp. Vale settled his quiver more comfortably and pointed off to his left.

"That way is a dwarven clanhold, the Ironfist clan. Good dwarves, and solid. Sand knows their king." Vale looked at Yuji. "The bugbears used to infest the old clanhold, until they were driven out. Now they've settled in some of the abandoned orc caves. They'll be crawling home about now, and we can pick off the first few easily enough."

Vale led Yuji to the right, down a narrow trail. Not too far along the trail was a small ledge overlooking the trail, and Vale picked his way up a slightly precarious set of footholds to the ledge. A few scraggly bushes gave a small amount of cover, and Vale crouched behind them with Yuji beside him.

"We'll be able to take them by surprise, but they're not quite as stupid as they look," Vale murmured. "The one to look for is the shaman. He'll be wearing a fur robe, and a necklace that's probably all teeth. He can cast certain divine nature spells, like calling up vines to entangle us. I can dispel pretty much anything he can cast, but I'd rather not waste the time, so if you spot him, put a fucking bolt between his eyes."

"Do they have mages?" Yuji asked, his voice just as soft. He was relieved when Vale shook his head in response. "Then I'm not worried." Yuji loaded a bolt into his crossbow, breathing deeply and centering himself, his eyes fixed on the trail.

Vale remained crouched, watching the trail as intently as Yuji, his head cocked slightly as he listened. Yuji listened as well, and he realized he could hear very faint voices, gruff and guttural. He looked at Vale, who nodded and grinned, moving further back against the stone wall of the ledge at the far end. Vale waved Yuji into staying where he was, and Yuji nodded and turned his attention back to the trail.

The first bugbears appeared, and Yuji could not help but wrinkle his nose, both from their stench and from their appearance. They were furry, with nasty looking tusks jutting up from their lower jaws, and they carried mostly axes and maces, but one or two had crossbows, creaky and nowhere near as refined as the one Yuji carried.

Vale was still crouching down, and he caught Yuji's eye and nodded as he stood, graceful as he whipped an arrow out of the quiver, nocked it and fired, the shaft burying itself in the leading bugbear's throat. Yuji stood just as gracefully, his crossbow thrumming as his bolt shattered the skull of the bugbear right behind the leader.

The bugbears collapsed into chaos, milling about and roaring as they looked down the trail. Vale and Yuji were each able to pick off another couple of bugbears before one looked up and spotted Vale, and then Yuji.

"Look! Skinny elf and human," the bugbear announced.

"Not lots meat," another grumbled as a few more bugbears ran up the trail.

The first bugbear growled. "Shut up. Not as tough as dwarf. Dwarf too chewy."

"Oh, we're not on the menu today," Vale chuckled, nocking an arrow and firing.

"Is not-many you. Is many us," the bugbear countered in a crafty tone. The other bugbears roared, and the crossbow wielding bugbears began to load their weapons. They were slow, though, and Vale and Yuji targeted them to lethal effect. As many as fell, however, more seemed to arrive, and Yuji began to wonder if this was perhaps a little more than anticipated.

Vale was unconcerned, however, and was happily taunting the bugbears by assigning them nicknames before firing at them, two or three arrows appearing with breathless speed. Yuji himself was reloading and firing as rapidly as the crossbow would permit, his aim as lethal as Vale's and his heavier bolts doing more damage. As Vale had warned, there was a shaman, and a bolt struck him at the same instant as an arrow, making Vale crow in triumph.

But the bugbears still came, and Yuji was getting low on bolts. Vale's quiver was empty, but he was still firing, phantom arrows appearing and solidifying as they streaked toward their target. Yuji's eyes widened again, and he fervently hoped his crossbow was similarly endowed. A movement at the rear of the group caught Yuji's eye and he spotted a second shaman, reacting without even thinking and placing a bolt between the bugbear's eyes.

With the second shaman dead, the bugbears fell into panic, and began to withdraw as best they could. Yuji's crossbow thrummed as he fired the last of his bolts into the stragglers, looking over to Vale. The elf let out a scream of triumph, slinging his bow over his back and leaping lightly down to the trail, his dagger in his hand, moving from bugbear to bugbear.

Yuji scrambled down to join Vale, and realized that Vale was dispatching any bugbears that still lived, slitting their throats with utter dispassionate efficiency. Yuji watched for a moment, a little shocked at Vale's ruthlessness, and the elf looked up.

"We took down their shaman, and they have no other healers," Vale said calmly. "The wounded will most likely only die from infection, and if they live, they'll just be hunted down later by someone."

Yuji looked down at the knife in his belt, and drew it, moving over to a wounded bugbear. Most were dead outright, Yuji and Vale having been accurate and deadly, but this bugbear had moved at just the last moment, and the arrow had pierced his lung. Bloody froth covered the bugbear's lips and tusks as it tried to snarl. Imitating Vale's method, Yuji grabbed the top of the furry head, yanked back and drew the blade across the bugbear's neck in a single swift motion, watching the light die out of its eyes.

Yuji watched the blood flow over the blade of the knife and splatter his hand, the bugbear falling dead at his feet. Vale's words rang true, and Yuji moved slowly over to another half dead bugbear and drew the knife quickly across its throat, cringing slightly at the small wheeze that erupted when he severed its windpipe, but then he let go of the furry head and nodded at Vale. "Any more survivors?" he asked, his eyes ruthlessly detached, much like Vale's.

"Try that group, and I'll check here." Vale gestured and Yuji nodded, finding one more survivor and dispatching him swiftly. He stood after wiping his knife off, sliding it back in its sheath and looking over at Vale. All of the bugbears had been males, and warriors aside from the two shamans, and Yuji felt a curious sense of relief. He was aware that many females on Toril fought as fiercely as the males, but he was glad he had not been faced with having to fight one yet.

Vale slid his own dagger back into his belt, his green eyes shining. "This way," he said, and Yuji followed Vale down a smaller trail to another little clearing, this one with a small stream. Yuji moaned happily, stooping and washing the blood from his hands, watching as the stream turned pink for a bit until his hands were clean. Vale had washed as well, and when Yuji finished and stood, he turned to see Vale leaning against a tree, his eyes dark with desire.

Yuji growled low in his throat, his cock hardening almost instantly as he looked at the blond elf leaning so casually against the tree. Even without his magic, Vale was a formidable hunter, and Yuji found that sexier than he would have believed. Vale watched Yuji with those impossibly green eyes, his own breeches straining their laces, and Yuji licked his lips as he strode over and fisted his hand in Vale's hair to pull the elf into a searing kiss.

Yuji let his crossbow fall to the soft ground, his fingers already working the buckle of Vale's belt as he plundered the elf's willing mouth. Vale let his longbow fall as well as he unfastened Yuji's mithral chain and drew it over Yuji's head, the supple green leather tunic warm under Vale's hand.

They managed to kiss through most of the process of shedding their clothing, Yuji tearing Vale's breech laces in sheer frustration to Vale's great amusement. Yuji snarled a little and tugged Vale down, flipping the elf onto his knees and tugging Vale's hips up before spreading his ass cheeks apart. Vale's tight pucker was already quivering, and Yuji growled low in his throat as he leaned over to swipe his tongue over the ring of muscle.

Vale moaned and pushed backward, his cock hard and weeping precum. "Come on, Nancy," Vale said, looking over his shoulder with a smirk. "Let's see that pencil."

Yuji chuckled darkly, and pressed the head of his cock against Vale's unloosened ass, groaning a little as he breached that tight heat. Vale snarled a little at the burn, but pressed himself backward to take more of Yuji's cock until Yuji gripped Vale's hips to hold him in place. Yuji pressed forward at a slower pace, giving Vale a moment to adjust as Yuji sank to the hilt in Vale's ass.

"Fuck, Vale," Yuji groaned, Vale's ass so snug around his cock that Yuji was not sure if he could even move. Vale ground down and moaned loudly, and Yuji pulled back almost all the way before slamming forward and making Vale scream with bliss.

Yuji set a fast and hard pace, pounding Vale's ass furiously and hammering the elf's prostate relentlessly. For his part, Vale bucked backward, meeting Yuji's thrusts with wanton abandon, his breath ragged as he was plundered thoroughly.

Yuji knew Vale was getting close when the elf reared up, and Yuji caught him around his slim waist, one hand stealing up to tug on Vale's golden nipple rings and coaxing a howl from Vale. The elf turned his head a little, and Yuji's lips found the shell of his ear, Yuji's tongue teasing the triple spiral that pierced Vale's exquisitely sensitive ear, and Vale came undone.

Screaming so loudly that Yuji's ears ached, Vale stiffened as his balls emptied all at once, his cum arcing clear across the small clearing as his ass clenched Yuji's cock like a steel fist wrapped in velvet. Yuji growled and sank his teeth in Vale's shoulder, howling around the pale golden skin as his own cock jumped and filled Vale's tight ass with cum. Yuji shivered as Vale ground down, the elf wanting every last drop of cum that he could coax from Yuji.

Yuji was trembling, his muscles ready to give way, and he slid his cock out of Vale and eased the elf to the soft ground, lying down to face his fierce and wanton elf. Vale tilted his head back, offering his throat, and Yuji moaned as he worked the soft flesh of Vale's pulse point, the mark darkening further as Vale purred. Yuji lapped where he had bitten, and then nipped his way along Vale's jaw to seek Vale's lips, drawing the elf into a searing kiss, pulling Vale close as their hearts slowed down to a normal pace.