Way of the Sword

CHAPTER 5

The morning sun shined down upon two tall figures walking down a dirt path. The two men attracted many stares from the people walking by them, majority of those stares coming from women. Sano and Yuki just ignored these curious glances and continued to walk towards Eguchi\'s home.

Sano looked at his companion from the corner of his right eye. As usual, Yuki wore a stoic expression, his facial features refusing to give away any hint of emotion. After rolling a ball of saliva in his mouth, Sano spat on the ground. He sighed and snuck another look towards the companion on his left and knew that a conversation with the man to make the walking more fun was out of the question. If Sano wanted entertainment, he would have to find it on his own. A grin formed on his lips as his mind turned towards an image that certainly would entertain him. With long reddish brown hair, gray eyes, and lean muscular body, Hiro was more than pleasing to the eye.

The grin on Sano\'s face grew even bigger as the image of Hiro wearing the green gi top formed in his mind. The deep green material only enhanced the natural beauty that was already there: the smooth white skin and that gorgeous mane of hair. Sano ran his hand through his own brown locks, just imagining what it would feel like to run his fingers through Hiro hair. Would it be soft and smooth? Or would it be thick and coarse? A slight shudder passed through Sano\'s body as he wondered how other parts of Hiro’s body would feel; what shade Hiro\'s nipples would be, how hard his stomach would be, how his mouth would taste. These thoughts were abruptly stopped as Sano realized he began to feel a tiny bit of pressure from his groin. Not a good time to get excited, he told himself. After all, he thought, I wouldn\'t want Yuki to think he turns me on. The fighter snuck another look at his blond companion, to see if the stoic man noticed anything.

At that moment, the figure dressed in white pants and black gi top could have cared less what was running through Sano\'s mind. Yuki had his own problems to deal with. The blond walked silently on the path, not making a single sound, as expected from a former assassin. His katana hung comfortably next to his left hip, despite the law that forbid people to carry swords. A slim hand unconsciously reached for the handle of the katana. How ironic, thought Yuki, that a former assassin would be attracted to someone so innocent.

The hazel eyes flickered slightly, as Yuki thought about the past evening\'s events. After Hiro had been moved to another room, everyone else had dispersed to go to bed. Yuki, without really thinking, volunteered to watch over Shuichi. He had stayed up the whole night, changing the wet cloth on the kid\'s forehead, making sure his condition stayed stable. On more than one occasion, Yuki stopped himself from stroking Shuichi\'s cheeks or to grasp the sick boy\'s hand. Yuki\'s grip on his katana tightened as he reflected on how little self control he had, how weak he was. It was still a mystery as to how a stranger could have such an impact on him. Sure the boy was pretty, almost angelic, but he could be a real monster when he wakes up. The kimono the boy was wearing yesterday was made of silk so he probably came from a wealthy family. The little angel might actually be a spoiled monster. Yuki knew this and much more, but still, he could not stop the growing fondness for the mysterious boy. His body shook from a silent laughter. Who would have imagined that he, Yuki Eiri, a feared assassin, would fall for some rich kid? But despite all the warning bells that rang off in his head, Yuki could not help himself but to help the kid. He wanted nothing more than to find the men who hurt Shuichi and torture them, slowly, making them feel the pain the boy went through. Yuki\'s eyes widened, as he felt alarmed at the intensity of his feelings toward the boy. He should really stop thinking about Shuichi, after all, why would anyone, let alone Shuichi, fall in love with a cold blooded assassin as he?

Yuki’s self contemplation stopped as he realized that he was a few feet away from Eguchi\'s front gate. The muscles in his body tensed up as Yuki got into his attack stance. Next to him, Sano also stopped and he raised his clenched fists. Green eyes searched the area but detected only the leaves rustling from a slight breeze. His ears only detected the soft twinkling coming from the wind chime. However, despite what these two senses told him, Yuki knew that behind that gate, it was anything but peaceful. Yuki’s nose smelled out the fresh blood from Eguchi\'s house.

\"Oy,\" said Sano. He lowered his raised fists. \"I think whoever was here already left.\"

Yuki nodded. \"For a guy with half a brain, you are right.\"

Sano let out a growl underneath his breath and gave the blond next to him a sharp look. “You\'ll pay for that later. Right now, we better go take a look inside.\"

The former gangster walked cautiously towards the front gate. Sano open the gate and entered. Yuki, on the other hand, opted to jump over the wall and landed without making a noise on the front yard. \"Show off,\" muttered Sano. He looked around the yard and the sight that greeted his eyes made him wince.

Hanging from the tree were two men, now mere corpses. Each body was hung by the neck from the same tree branch. One of the bodies had a katana driven through its chest. The other body, slightly smaller, had long, thin needles covering the chest and neck. From the looks of it, both bodies had broken necks, most likely caused by the hanging. Tiny rivers of blood from both bodies collected underneath to form a pool. On the base of the tree, the name \"Mizuki\" was carved.

“Let\'s go,\" Yuki said. \"We don’t want to be found here.\"

***

A figure clad in a gray kimono paced up and down the porch. The overhead provided shade from the noon heat for the pacing man. The man’s eyebrows scrunched together to form a worried expression. Haruki had every right to be worried. His nephew was missing. The business owner tried not to panic, after all, there have been other times when Shuichi forgot to mention he had plans. Perhaps his energetic nephew was just spending time with his friends. However, Haruki desperately wanted to know Shuichi\'s whereabouts to satisfy the growing uneasiness settling in his stomach. The business man made up his mind to wait until tomorrow to file a report with the police. Until then, he could send his men to scout the area for his nephew.
A girl came into the yard and bowed. \"Excuse me, Shindou-sama.\"

Haruki stopped his pacing and directed his attention to the servant. \"What is it?\"

\"The police are here. They are waiting out on the front porch.\"

A bead of sweat formed on Haruki’s forehead. Were they here because of Shuichi? The uneasiness inside his stomach increased, making him want to throw up. \"Show them into my study.\"

\"Hai.\" The servant bowed politely and walked out backwards.

Trying to control his breath, he walked towards the study. \"Please,\" Haruki whispered, \"please don\'t let this have to do with Shuichi.\"

***

Shuichi found himself in the midst of a fire. Flames were all around him, getting close to his kimono. He tried to run, but he could not find a way to escape. His pink hair was drenched with sweat and his hair stuck to his forehead. His wheezing breaths seemed so loud, drowning the crackling of the fire surrounding him. Around him, the walls of flame grew higher and higher. Throwing his arms in front of him, he attempted to shield himself from the flames. Shuichi closed eyes, waiting for the flames to engulf him.

A cool, welcoming breeze swept across his sweaty face. Shuichi opened his eyes to see a figure approaching to him from above. A human being with wings, just like in the stories his uncle had told him. The winged man came closer. Shuichi saw the man\'s gentle hazel eyes and Shuichi no longer felt frightened. The man reached out his arm, offering his slim hand. Shuichi grabbed it, knowing that this was the only way to escape the flames.

***

It was late afternoon when Sano and Yuki returned back to the Kaoru\'s dojo. As they walked through the gate, they were greeted by Yahiko.

\"Hey everybody!\" yelled Yahiko. \"Sano and Yuki are back!\"

Hiro’s eyes lit up from Yahiko’s announcement as he hurried out to the front porch. The anticipation of seeing Sano had caused knots to occur in Hiro\'s stomach. Out of nowhere, a brown wooden pole was tossed at Hiro. He caught it, without hesitation. He looked at his catch and a frown came across his face. \"My bo (1)?\"

\"Yo!\" greeted Sano. \"Your sensei said to deliver that to you. Thought you might need it. He said to take your time and get better soon. Something about you will be needing all your strength to carry out some sort of punishment or something.\"
The gray eyes got visibly wider upon hearing the last comment. Hiro shrugged. Guess it can\'t be helped, thought Hiro with a small smile. He nodded towards Sano\'s direction. “Thanks.”

Sano hoped he was not grinning like a maniac. The sight of Hiro excited him. \"No problem.\" He hurried over to his guest room. \"Yuki can tell you guys what we found out. I\'ll be taking a nap.\"

Kaoru appeared from the kitchen. \"What about dinner?\"

Sano\'s face blanched. \"Uhm, I\'ll pass. Especially since Jo-chan is cooking.\" He chuckled as he walked away from the insults Kaoru was tossing at him. The real reason he needed to go to his room was to calm himself down. His groin area was getting too hot for him to feel comfortable around everyone. Especially if dinner meant looking at Hiro. Sano entered his room and stripped. The cool air on his heated body made Sano shudder slightly. He laid down naked on his futon, trying to ignore the throbbing between his leg. The image of Hiro that refused to go away was not helping Sano. He laid on his stomach, his now hard cock buried in the futon.

\"Dang it. You are not gonna get anything so just go away already!\" he growled. After many minutes of tossing and turning, the exhaustion from the travel finally hit, causing the man to fall asleep.

***

\"Sano,\" whispered Hiro.

Sano looked down and he saw the object of his affection. The ex-gangster\'s eyes widened at the sight of Hiro on his knees and hands, his ass an inch away from Sano\'s hard cock.

\"Do me already,\" whispered Hiro.

Sano\'s mouth went dry at the pleading, seductive look Hiro gave over his shoulder. Hands groped the ass presented in front him, triggering a sigh from the kneeled figure. Sano\'s index finger entered Hiro\'s entrance. Another sigh escaped from Hiro, making Sano\'s heart race. Sano added a second finger, then a third, Hiro\'s sighing turning into quiet moaning.

\"More,\" commanded Hiro hoarsely. Sano traced his fingers towards Hiro\'s hip, making the bended figure shiver. Grasped the smooth hip below him, Sano slowly pushed his dick into Hiro. Sano let out a long and low moan. So tight. He drew back out and slammed in again, this time a little harder, his hands grasping Hiro\'s hip in a tighter grip. Sano threw his head back.

\"Come on,\" whispered Hiro. “Faster. Harder.\"

Sano moaned and his body reacted to obey Hiro\'s command. The thrusts came faster and harder. Sano\'s moans became louder, mixing in with Hiro\'s. The sight of the glistening body in front of him, the sweet noises coming from Hiro drove Sano to come. Sano moaned loudly as he exploded inside of Hiro, as a delicious sensation sent shivers throughout his body.

\"Eeek!\" Sano sat up in shock. He was still naked, just as he was when he fell asleep. Except now, his hand was sticky and so was his penis. Dang it! Sano quickly dressed and headed out to get himself clean. He hoped he had not moan out loud during his sleep.

Along the way back to his room after going to the kitchen, Sano noticed a faint light coming from the dojo. He tensed up, wondering if an enemy had managed to sneak in without alerting him, Yuki, and Kenshin. Sano walked as quietly as he could toward the dojo door. Whoever was inside was quiet; Sano could not even hear anyone breathing. Just as Sano was about to open the door, he found himself facing a long wooden pole half an inch away from his face.

\"Sano?\" asked the owner the weapon.

The voice was awfully familiar. Sano looked up and found himself staring into a pair of gray eyes. Despite the tightening of his throat, Sano managed to squeak out, \"Hiro?\"

\"Don\'t go sneaking around like that!\" chided Hiro lightly. \"I thought you were an intruder or something!\" Withdrawing his weapon, Hiro smiled, his gray eyes twinkling. He was more than relieved that the mystery person happened to be Sano. \"What are you doing out at this time of the night?\"

Sano took off his shoes and entered the dojo. \"I woke up suddenly and couldn\'t go back to sleep. By the way, what are you doing at the dojo with your injuries?\" Sano peered down at Hiro.

\"Ahh. I was taught that the best way to heal was to keep using your muscles, especially for soreness. The gash on my leg isn\'t too deep and because it is stitched up, I shouldn\'t have any trouble getting in a little karate practice.\"

Sano continued to peer down at Hiro. \"Just this morning, you had trouble standing on your own two feet. I don\'t think it\'s a good idea.\"

Hiro continued to smile. A blush crept along his face as he realized that he enjoyed the fact that Sano cared about him. \"Oh. My leg is a lot better know. A littl weak still, but I can practice.\"

A delightful thought came across Sano’s mind. \"Can I watch?\"

The blush on Hiro\'s face deepened. \"Sure, but I have to warn you, it is nothing special.\"

Sano walked towards the side of the dojo so he would not be in the way of Hiro. \"Oh, I doubt it.\"

\"Alright.\" Hiro walked back towards the middle of the dojo and continued to practice with his bo. The movements he had learned since he was young helped him relax, putting his mind at rest. He started to forget his surrounding, that the man he was attracted to was sitting a few yards away. The familiarity of the movements, knowing how to move next calmed not only his mind, but his body as well. As he continued the practice, the sore muscles loosened up. The movements of the bo stopped as Hiro decided to take a quick break. He still had to be careful about his injured leg. A loud clapping came from the side of the room, startling Hiro. He turned around to see Sano walking towards him with a huge grin on his face.

\"That was cool! You have some serious skills.\" Sano had never seen anyone move so beautifully with a weapon before. Sure, Kenshin was good, but his actions were not what could be called as beautiful.

Hiro blushed. He felt really stupid, knowing that he blushed whenever he heard Sano\'s voice. Sano would surely notice if Hiro continued like this. \"You are too kind.\"

\"No, I\'m not.\" A wicked idea came up in Sano\'s mind. If his idea worked, he would be able to tell Hiro how he felt. \"Would you spar with me? Just a light spar since you are injured.\"

Hiro looked thoughtfully at Sano. \"Alright.\"

\"Good.\" The two men stood face to face and bowed. \"Onegashimasu (2).\"

\"Onegashimasu,\" said Hiro. He stepped up with his left leg and raised his left fist, using his right to protect his stomach area.

Hmmm, Sano thought. Hiro\'s position minimized Sano\'s hitting target. Well then, Sano thought, I just have to widen my hitting area. The ex-gangster pushed off and ran straight towards Hiro.

Hiro saw the attack coming and moved out of the way by pulling his left foot back and shifting his right foot, giving him the perfect angle to attack Sano. A fast, but controlled, reverse punch found its target.

Sano blinked in surprise at the speed of Hiro reaction. He knew he could not block Hiro\'s attack, it was too fast. Instead, Sano rushed in at the same time, hoping to get his attack in first. Hiro\'s fist landed squarely on Sano\'s stomach, but the punch was pulled back fast enough so that it did not hurt.

Hiro jumped back after his attack and narrowed his eyes. A pair of gray eyes stared across his opponent. Could it have been an accident? though Hiro. Sano just smiled in front of him. No, Sano was good enough of a fighter to make every one of his moves intentional, Hiro was sure of it. Hiro thought back on Sano\'s action. Just when Hiro punched, Sano had lightly grasped Hiro\'s groin. If that was an attack, that was a really cheap shot, thought Hiro. However, if that was not an attack but something else....

\"Oy,\" called out Sano. \"Are you still basking in the glory of that punch you got in? Or is that all you\'ve got?\"

The corners of Hiro’s mouth turned upward. “I’m just getting started.” The grin on Hiro’s face grew wider. If Sano wanted to play, Hiro will definitely not lose. With those words, Hiro struck at Sano.

He’s fast, thought Sano, as he barely had time to dodge towards his right side. But Hiro had read his move and followed Sano. Shit, thought Sano, but I still have time to attack. Sano did a roundhouse kick.

Hiro saw the leg coming. He cupped his hand around Sano\'s groin area and quickly let go. However, his action caused him to receive a kick at his arm, which moved just in time to block his side. Both fighters took some steps back, eyeing each other.

\"Heh,\" muttered Sano under his breath. His heart was beating fast and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Heat radiated from where Hiro’s hand has been. This was getting to be fun.

Trying to catch his breath, Hiro tried to control his breathing. He was sure Sano could hear his heart pounding. Balancing his weight a little more on his front foot, Hiro posed to strike again. To Hiro\'s surprise, Sano was no longer in front of him. Hiro spun around, anticipating Sano to be behind him.

From the air, Sano grinned. He landed right behind Hiro\'s just turned back and grasped Hiro\'s ass cheeks. \"My point,\" whipsered Sano into Hiro’s ear. Before letting go, Sano gave a squeeze. The tightness of the muscles in his hands caused Sano to growl softly. The growl quickly turned into a shout of surprise.

Stifling a moan caused by having his ass fondled, Hiro quickly moved his hand behind him. After finding his target, Hiro gave a light squeeze on Sano’s now hard cock. Hiro smiled when he heard Sano’s shout and released his hand.

With a raised eyebrow, Sano turned Hiro so the two men were face to face. \"I think we both have the same idea,\" whispered Sano. \"Why don\'t we see each other\'s skills in that area.\" He was replied by Hiro warm lips encasing his own.

NOTES:
1. Bo - A weapon. It is a long wooden pole, about an inch wide and usually a fist taller than the user’s height.
2. Onegashimasu - When sparring during practice, it is polite to say it to each other.