Way of the Sword

CHAPTER 10

Just a few more steps, thought Hiro, as he saw the door to the training hall finally come into view. At this rate, Hiro knew that he would have no energy to practice. Frowning, he turned around and looked at the source that had was draining his energy. Sano continued to be uncooperative, and dragged his feet slightly, causing Hiro to actually pull the taller man.

“Dang it Sano! Stop making it difficult! You act like if I asked you to go eat Kaoru-san’s food or something!”

Sano tried to cross his arms while trying to shake off Hiro’s grip at the same time. “Yada! I don’t want to train right now!” In response to his outburst, the grip on his arm tightened.

“It’s better to train in the morning! And knowing you, you probably won’t want to train later either!”

“I rather ‘train’ in other areas, if you know what I mean,” murmured Sano. He tried to wrap his free arm around his lover’s waist, only to be hit on the head. “Ouch!”

“Baka.” Hiro now had both of his hands gripping on Sano’s one arm, hoping that the extra hand would make the pulling much easier. “We did more of that ‘training’ since I’ve gotten here than anything else. Come on, you’ll thank me later for this.”

“But I had too much to drink last night,” protested Sano. “I need rest, not some sweaty workout.” This received another swat on the head. “And you hitting me on the head isn’t going to make me feel any better!”

“I had more to drink than you so stop complaining!” Hiro panted. “I’ll make it up to you later, so come on!” Hiro turned around to glance at his lover with huge eyes and slightly pouted lips. “Please?”

Sighing, Sano finally chose to walk on his own behalf. “Fine.” He reached out and palmed Hiro’s cheek to steal a quick kiss on the lips. “You better make it worth my while later,” Sano said, letting his hand fall.

“Thank you.” Hiro planted a quick kiss on top of Sano’s forehead. As he looked up, he saw a hooded head peaking above the wall surrounding Kaoru’s home. “Sano! Look!”

Sano turned around only to see a couple of butterflies floating in the air. “What? The butterflies?”

“No. There was someone there a minute ago, looking over the wall. Funny, he’s no longer there...”

“Come on.” It was Sano’s turn to pull on Hiro’s arm. “Stop wasting your time thinking about what you saw. The faster we get this training out of the way, the sooner you can make it up to me.”

“Hai.” Hiro let himself be dragged towards the training hall, mysterious person he had just seen slowly becoming a distant memory.

***

Pulling the hood closer around his face, K walked away from the dojo. That was too close for his comfort; for the first time, he had almost gotten caught. He had gotten a fairly good layout of the place before that long brown head caught him looking. Looking up into the sky, K hurried his steps. After staying up all night to finish another job, he was tired and wanted to rest as soon as possible. He also wanted to come back at night to stake out the place more carefully. After all, he had a name to live up to and coming into a job that was already muddled up like this, it was better to be careful. Deep in contemplation, K walked slowly along the dirt path. When he finally reached the outskirts of the town square, he finally made a decision. He would seek help from an old friend. Hopefully, that idiot friend of his would be adequate enough to take on this job.

***

Shuichi leaned against the door frame. The open entry way provided the opening in which a gentle breeze came through, causing pink strands of hair to sway and to provide a cool touch to the forehead. Closing his eyes, the serene picture of the trees and the line of laundry drying disappeared, only to be replaced by this morning’s events. Unconsciously, Shuichi touched his lips and could almost still feel Yuki’s breath on them. He smiled blindly into the sunlight, recalling how wonderful Yuki tasted, the tingle that stayed on Shuichi’s lips long after Yuki’s own left. After their kiss, Yuki had left, saying that he had couple of things that needed to be taken care of but will be back soon. In fact, the blond had promised to help give Shuichi a bath. After a few days of not bathing, Shuichi felt sticky and gross. He also figured that the warm water could only help with the soreness he was feeling from his body. For the whole morning, Shuichi had been waiting patiently at his room, going so far to open the sliding door in hopes of catching a glance of Yuki. Instead of seeing his new object of affection, he had seen Megumi arrive and depart again with Kaoru and Kenshin, something about being short handed at the clinic. Hiro and Sano had left after them, in order to help a friend of Sano’s and said they would be back early that evening. Yahiko had trailed after them, saying that he was going over to help over at the Akabeko. Now, it was just Shuichi and Yuki at home and the pink haired boy was sure that Yuki would come by soon. The waiting seemed to take forever and test the little patience that the boy had. Never in his life had he waited so long, so much, for something he desired that moment.

His eyes still closed, Shuichi thought of all the scenarios with Yuki that could happen that day. After his bath, maybe Yuki would stay with Shuichi, maybe even spend the night. The thought Yuki of spending the night in his room made Shuichi a little hard. Recognizing the sudden pulsing at his groin, Shuichi tried to calm himself. It would be nice if Yuki would help scrub his back, thought Shuichi. The made Shuichi get even harder, as his teenage hormones took over. He imagined gentle, yet strong hands kneading his back. He could almost feel Yuki’s hands on his shoulders, even smell the musky scent that Shuichi have started associating with the man. In fact, he could almost believe that Yuki was shaking him lightly. A slight frown crossed his expression and his closed eyes tightened even further. Funny, why was he imagining that he was being shaken?

“Oi! Shuichi! Wake up!”

At those words, eyes flew wide open as Shuichi realized that the man of his desire had been in fact shaking him all this time. Brilliant violet eyes stared at the tall blond man before him, taking in the view of the chiseled face, how the bangs lazily framed the cheekbones in a picturesque way. A huge grin spread across Shuichi face as he said, “Gomen! I didn’t hear you. I guess I was lost in my own world.”

Yuki offered his hand to the seated boy. The older man was stricken with beauty at how Shuichi’s face lit up as if the boy’s eyes contained all the stars in the sky. “It’s alright. Come on, I’ll show you to the bathtub.”

Shuichi took the slender hand offered to him, feeling the hard, but smooth skin formed there by the many years of yielding the sword. As soon as he stood up, Yuki let go of his hand and Shuichi could not help but feel a little disappointed at that action. Still, the anticipation of spending time with Yuki quickly melted the disappointment away and with a cheerful smile, Shuichi followed Yuki out of the room.

As he led Shuichi to the bath house, Yuki felt a queasy feeling in his stomach. Without a doubt, he knew the feeling was from being so close to Shuichi. This feeling of nervousness was new to the swordsman, the same man who could infiltrate an enemy camp without a blink of an eye. Yet, that fearsome man now forgot his own name just by being near Shuichi. That same nervousness was what promoted Yuki to pull his hand away. Just thinking about holding Shuichi’s hand caused sweaty palms in the older man. So funny how he never had to worry about sweaty palms when he had to yield a sword.

As they continued to make their way through the outer porch way, Shuichi began to feel lightheaded. He felt like one of those old men that was always visiting his uncle, the same old men that wheezed and could not get up without panting. Shuichi ran a hand down his side and stomach just to make sure he did not have a big belly like those old men. A hand touched a wall as Shuichi began to pant lightly. Walking those eight meters caused him to break a light sweat and Shuichi never felt so out of shape in his life. As he continued to walk slower, the gap between him and Yuki grew. Focusing his attention to walking forward and using the wall to help him, Shuichi continued to walk, his steps growing slower and slower. It was not long until Shuichi managed to stumble forward.

Yuki turned around as his keen ears picked up the heavy breathing and the slow footsteps coming from behind him. He turned around and was surprised to see Shuichi so far behind him. His surprise grew even further as Shuichi stumbled and fell forward. In a blur, Yuki was suddenly in front of Shuichi and the blond caught the falling boy.

In a daze, Shuichi realized that he was in Yuki’s arms and that his face was in Yuki’s chest. Shuichi pulled his face away, partly so that he could breathe and also to look at Yuki’s face. “Oops. Sorry.” Shuichi attempted a little bow, which was difficult from his current position.

“Baka.” Yuki sighed as he rearranged the boy in his arms. With ease, he lifted the boy, supporting Shuichi at his upper back and knees. “If you don’t feel well, let me know. You shouldn’t push your body so hard. You’re not completely healed yet.”

Shuichi snaked his arms around Yuki’s neck to get more comfortable and also to make sure he would not fall out the arms supporting him. “Sorry again. I didn’t realize I was so weak. And I’m sorry that you have to carry me.”

“Baka,” Yuki whipsered quietly as they reached the bath house. He carefully put Shuichi back on the boy’s feet. “I don’t mind carrying you. I do mind you falling flat on your face because you don’t have the strength to walk properly.” Yuki tried to straighten himself after putting Shuichi down, only to find out that the boy still had his arms around the blond’s neck.

Shuichi could not help but stare into the beautiful hazel eyes in front of him. He only looked up when he realized Yuki was calling his name. “Yes?”

“Do you think you can let of my neck now? I’m not as young as I used to be and my back can take me stooping only so long.”

As a streak of pink danced across his face, Shuichi hurriedly removed his arms. “I’m sorry! I didn’t realize I was still holding on to you.” After hearing his own words, Shuichi’s blush grew even deeper, as he realized that he sounded slightly moronic.

Looking down at those large violet eyes, Yuki could not help but crack a tiny smile. “Hmph.” His hand motioned towards the tub already filled with hot water. Little wisps of steam rose from the hot water, almost settling like a fog onto of the big tub. “Well, there you go. I’ll be just outside the door. The door will be open so just call out if you need anything.”

Pink shocks of hair bounced up and down as Shuichi quickly bowed his head. “Thanks!”

Hiding a smile, Yuki grunted and left the room, leaving the object of his desire.

Shuichi watched Yuki’s back as the taller man walked out of the slightly steamy room. Looking at the inviting water, Shuichi could see patterns on the water made by the sunlight streaming in through the high window. Quickly shedding his clothes and leaving a messy trail from where he was standing to the tub, Shuichi soon reached his destination and climbed into the tub. He could feel the slight stinging from where the water touched his still healing cuts and slight hiss escaped from him. Trying to ignore the annoying stings of pain, Shuichi lowered himself into the water until his tiny body was emerged. Resting his head against rim of the tub, Shuichi let out a happy sigh, fully enjoying the warm sensation covering his aching body. It felt as though the water miraculously washed away all the pain from the previous days.

Grabbing the small bath towel and the bar soap lying on the wooden bench next to tub, Shuichi proceeded to soap himself up. As he worked the soapy towel over his body, he started to hum. Soon, the humming grew into a song, as he sang out the words with gusto. Soap suds began swish around in the air, matching the rhythm of Shuichi’s song.

A golden eyebrow cocked up as Yuki listened to the melodious voice streaming out through the open door. The ex-assassin had been sitting on a stool, just outside the doorway, leaning his back against the wall. He had to admit that the boy was a good singer. The song was stupid, but the voice was not half bad. The eyebrow cocked up a little further as he picked up on what sounded like water splashing. He wondered as to just what kind of a bath Shuichi took.

With newfound energy from the warm water, Shuichi jumped. He continued to sing in a strong voice as he washed his legs. He picked his foot out of the water and leaned it against the rim of the tub. Singing even louder, if it was possible, he washed his foot, careful to wash every inch of skin. With both of his feet clean, he proceeded to wash his back. Opening the wash cloth, he twisted into a rope. One hand grabbing each end, he tried to wash his back. Unfortunately, the cloth was too short for him to use it with ease. Struggling to hold onto the cloth, to angle his arms just right, Shuichi continued to try to wash his back. His singing dropped down in volumes as he continued to struggle. With a tremendous effort, Shuichi tried to move the cloth to the one spot he kept on missing. The extra movement caused one of his hands to lose grip and the sudden action threw both of his arms out into the air, causing the boy to lose his balance. With a thud, Shuichi landed on his butt, back into the water.

Hearing a sudden noise, Yuki jumped up in alarm and instinctively ran into the room. He was greeted with the sight of Shuichi singing in a tub of soapy water and a wash cloth thrown across the room. Water overflowed from the tub, creating a small ocean on the floor. “What happened? Are you alright?”

Shuichi stopped rubbing his butt to see that Yuki had entered the room. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just fell while trying to wash by back.”

“Oh.” While Yuki didn’t know what kind of answer he was expecting to hear, it certainly was not that. “If you are alright, I’ll be outside again.”

“Wait! Do you think you can help me scrub my back?”

After a slight pause, Yuki nodded. He walked towards the dropped cloth and picked it up, making his way back to the tub. After placing the cloth on the bench, Yuki untied his top and folded the clothes neatly, placing it on the driest part of the bench.

Shuichi blushed as Yuki’s chest was exposed. Maybe Yuki misunderstood what he wanted, Shuichi thought. Not that he minded, but he really wanted to get his back clean. “Uhm, why did you take off your top?” he asked tentatively.

“So it won’t get wet.” Yuki reached for the cloth again and dipped the abused cloth into the water. After the soaping the cloth, he turned to Shuichi. “Turn around.”

Still sitting in the tub, Shuichi turned around so that his back faced Yuki. He felt gentle hands and the slippery feeling of the cloth dance across his back. With a contented sigh, Shuichi closed eyes. The strong hands on his back gave a sense of security to Shuichi. He wondered how those hands would feel across other parts of his body. He tried to dismiss that thought quickly, before he got himself into an embarrassing situation. Remember, he told himself, you are sitting naked in a tub of water in front of a gorgeous guy - save the dirty thoughts for later. Just as he felt himself calming down, he felt the hands on his back dip lower, just barely brushing against where his crevice started. A slight shudder ran through the tiny body and all coherent thought flew out Shuichi’s head.

Yuki marveled at the slim body beneath his hands. He realized that although Shuichi looked small, the boy was not frail. Underneath his hands, he could feel the muscles. The blond was careful to be gentle and made sure to clean every inch of skin exposed to him. Yuki took pleasure in running his hands over the lithe body but was anxious for more. It took all of his self control not to just take Shuichi right there and then. Straining against his willpower, he dared his hands to venture lower, just where the back started to curve out again, but no lower. He felt Shuichi tremble and stopped. “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” croaked Shuichi. He winced at the sound of his voice, realizing that he sounded just like when he was going through puberty. h cleared his throat. “Yes,” he repeated more deeply.

“Hmm.” Yuki continued his action of scrubbing the boy’s back. By now, he was sure that Shuichi’s back was clean, but he could not bring himself to stop. Shuichi let a small moan escape and tilted his head back. As a swordsman, he was taught to take advantage every opening so Yuki did just that, he took the chance to plant a kiss on the exposed neck.

Another moan escaped from Shuichi and he reached with his right hand to touch Yuki’s face, not an easy feat since Shuichi was still facing away from the blond. The kisses on Shuichi’s neck deepened and Shuichi moaned louder. His hand strayed away from Yuki’s face and he reached towards the soft hair and absentmindedly played with the strands.

The feeling of Shuichi’s fingers playing at his scalp caused Yuki to break off his kiss and sigh deeply. Needing to taste more of Shuichi, he turned the pink haired boy around so the two were facing each other. Without any hesitation, Yuki closed in on the distance and planted his mouth firmly on Shuichi’s lips.

“Mmmm.” Shuichi hugged his arms around Yuki’s slender neck. He gasped as he felt Yuki’s tongue enter his mouth, teasing his own tongue.

“Ahh.” His hold on the neck tightened as Shuichi tried to pull himself up, wanting to taste more of Yuki, feeling the need to get closer to Yuki’s body. He succeeded in standing up without breaking of the kiss.

Yuki slowly let his tongue explore Shuichi’s mouth. He wanted to take his time, it was never his style to rush into anything. After all, it was his calm demeanor that had kept him alive through the war. He was in no hurry to lose his calmness now, especially when it was more gratifying to take his time. As his arms hugged around the wet body, Yuki drew the boy closer, relishing in the feeling of skin against skin. Hearing Shuichi’s moans made Yuki incredibly aroused and he craved for more. He broke off the kiss slowly.

“Wait,” said Yuki, as he walked away.

Shuichi nodded. He shivered slightly as he felt the drying water on his skin causing the air to feel colder and he was vaguely aware that the bath water was no longer steaming hot. He saw Yuki reach into the cupboard on the other side of the room and pull out a large towel.

Yuki used the towel to wrap Shuichi’s naked body, including his arms. Then, he picked the boy up, carrying Shuichi in the same fashion as before.

Shuichi freed one arm from the towel’s grasp and hung his arm around Yuki’s neck, feeling safe in the arms supporting him. The feeling of safety deepened as the two silently made their way towards Shuichi’s room.

***

In the crowded tavern, a pleasant hum of conversation could be heard. Despite the noise around them, two figures sitting in the corner conversed in whispers.

“So, will you take on the job?” asked K. He watched his friend stuff another mochi into his mouth. For the millionth time since K had met Ryuichi, he wondered how someone who acted like such a child could be such a deadly assassin.

“Mmmmhmm,” nodded Ryuichi, his mouth full of mochi.

“Good. Let’s stake out the place after midnight. Maybe if we are good, we will get to finish our job then as well.”

“Mmmmhmm,” replied Ryuichi, his mouth already full with another mochi.