Hikigane

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Yuya, Hotaru, or any of the other SDK characters. This is very much an AU storyline that takes place after everyone’s butts have been kicked and Kyo regains his original body. Other than that, I have no set timeline for this. I was just having fun with the characters and then WHAM! Heh.

XXXXXX

Yuya wasn’t quite sure how she had wound up on Hotaru's lap with her body pressed against the fire user as his lips slid over hers, but her sluggish brain was assuring her that that was her current location. She had never pegged the stoic seeming blond as a very passionate individual; in fact, he had always seemed rather cold to her. But if the way he kissed was any indication, then that coldness was a mask that hid a nature as passionate and fiery as the element he wielded with incredible skill.

The day had started out like any other, with the group breaking camp and gathering their belongings for the trek ahead. No one really knew where they were going, or why they still traveled together, for that matter, but no one thought to question the current arrangements. After several hours travel they had come upon a village that looked like it had been ravaged by one of the many battles that still occasionally popped up around them. The majority of the buildings were ramshackle at best, but a few still stood tall, proud and whole.

Kyo had deemed it a decent enough place to take a breather, and while Yuya was filling everyone's water flasks from the well she discovered (muttering about lazy samurai the entire time) a fight broke out between Hotaru and Shinrei. Now, this wasn't unusual, Hotaru and Shinrei often fought with each other, but this time they seemed fully intent on causing some serious harm to one another.

Yuya had bolted back to the group when she had heard the first sound of steel clashing against steel, and stood dumbfounded as the half-brothers tore into each other with their weapons and elemental attacks. The rest of the group went on with whatever they had been doing before the fight broke out, but Bon was standing with his arms crossed as he watched the fight with interest.

“Eh, Hotaru stuck his foot in it again,” Bon said in response to Yuya’s questioning look.

The fight escalated, and by this time both Hotaru and Shinrei seemed to be worse for wear. Shinrei had one up on his brother, though, because he was able to close off and heal his wounds due to the control he had over all things liquid. Yuya was starting to consider shooting her flintlock over their heads (or shooting them in the leg, she did have a rather itchy trigger finger at the moment), but before a definite winner could be declared, Bon stepped forward and rammed the combatants’ heads together. The brother's butts hit the ground with a thud, and Shinrei launched into a rant about how you should never interfere in a fight between men. Bon replied by stating that he hadn't seen any men fighting, only a pair of bickering children, so he had every right to interfere and stop the bloodshed. At that, Shinrei leapt to his feet and began to squabble with the muscle bound man, who only laughed in response, causing Shinrei to become even more enraged.

Hotaru gazed blearily up at nothing in particular for a moment, then turned his attention to the newest fight, though fight was a loose way to describe what was going on. Bontenmaru was laughing his head off while Shinrei glared and made strange screeching noises that Yuya thought were supposed to be words, but the water user was so enraged by this time that he was unable to string a single sentence together.

"You always were a sore loser with too much pride," Hotaru stated blandly as he got to his feet, bleeding freely from several deep gashes.

"Keikoku, you bastard! What do you know of pride, you who turned your back on the Mibu Clan first and then dragged me in with your treachery!" Shinrei yelled, so far gone that he had forgotten that the Mibu no longer technically existed as a clan.

Hotaru stared at his half brother for a moment, before turning his back and stalking off with a, "Whatever, I hate water."

He bypassed Akari's cheerful offer to heal his wounds in exchange for one of his secrets and vanished behind one of the empty houses. Shinrei grumbled and rubbed the back of his head, but all the fight seemed to have drained from him and he sat back down in the same spot he had fallen previously. Yuya gave him a once over and saw that he had taken care of his wounds himself and walked over to where she had set down the medicine chest she carried in place of the one that had belonged to Kyoushiro.

"What the hell are you doing, ugly?" Kyo asked when Yuya started checking her stash of gauze, bandages, and the concoction she used to staunch bleeding.

"What does it look like I'm doing, moron?" Yuya shot back, worried about the amount of bleeding Hotaru had been doing and in no mood to put up with Kyo's insults.

"When he's like that it's best to leave him alone," Akira said. "That idiot won't accept help from anyone when he's in that particular mood."

"Heh, sounds like another prideful idiot I know," Bon quipped, earning a sharp scowl and a quick freezing by the ice user.

"Well, I'm not going to sit idly around while he bleeds out from those wounds," Yuya retorted.

"Better hurry," Kyo said. "Because we're leaving."

"You're just going to leave Hotaru-san behind?" Yuya asked, disbelief over the group's insensitive attitudes ringing in her voice.

"That bastard is fully capable of taking care of himself and catching up later if he wants to," Shinrei mumbled, and Akira nodded in agreement.

Yuya's hands clenched, and for a moment it looked like she was about to grab her medicine chest and beat them all over the head with it. Then she let out an irritated huff.

"Hotaru-san and I will catch up then," she said, slung the medicine chest onto her back, and stalked off in the direction that Hotaru had vanished while she ignored the sounds of the group getting their things together to head off again.

It had only been a few weeks since they had defeated the Former Crimson King, but to Yuya it felt as if several years had already gone by. The group was still deep within the Mibu Territory, seeking out those of the clan that had taken to living as far from the central palace as possible. The whole thing had been Shinrei's idea, and the group decided to go along because they weren't sure what to do now that all of their battles had been fought. They certainly hadn't expected to find pockets of resistance to the "demon child" even though the Mibu as a clan no longer technically existed. Their group had shrunk a little, with Benitora taking off to find Mahiro and escort her home (or so he said, Yuya suspected that he had another reason for wanting to find the female ninja), while other various individuals had all headed off in their own directions. Yukimura and his group had also vanished, but Yuya suspected that he still followed them to watch the goings on between them.

Shaking her head, Yuya sighed in exasperation as she searched for the injured fire user, knowing that once she found him she was going to have a fun time getting him to let her bind his wounds.

XXXXXX

Hotaru looked up from where he had crouched, watching as a small spider spun her web in the light that filtered through the cracks in the walls. She was coming. He knew this the same way he knew the others were heading out, and he returned his attention to the web. He could sense her chi as she searched for him through the now empty town, but he also knew that Yuya wasn't the type to leave someone who was wounded alone if there was something she could do to help.

He had known this about her from the time he had fought with Kyo at the first of the Goyousei gates. Yuya had thrown herself between him and Kyo's unconscious body despite the knowledge that she was no match for him at all. She had sparked his interest enough with her actions and words that he had opened up and told her a bit about his reasons and his relationship with Shinrei. That interest had been short lived as his attention had once again been taken up with the fight against Kyo and, later on, Shinrei, but it hadn't vanished completely.

He had found himself watching her at odd moments during the brief time that the group had been together inside the Mibu castle, trying to puzzle out the strange girl and her effect on the others. He really took notice when it became apparent that even Akari, who was the most protective of the group and especially of Kyo, accepted and even seemed to appreciate the girl's presence in the group. He had to admit that Yuya was fascinating to watch. All her thoughts and emotions were clear for everyone to read, and her reactions to Yukimura's, or anyone else's, teasing were spectacular as she exploded either in embarrassment or anger. In a way, Hotaru sometimes felt like he was watching his inner self in action since he never gave vent to his emotions other than those that raged through him while fighting.

As Yuya continued to hunt for him, wisely refraining from calling out to him for he wouldn't answer, he was reminded of when he first really began to take notice and watch her. Which was strange because as everyone in the group knows and keeps reminding him, he has a very poor memory.

The group had once again come upon some dilapidated shacks near a river, and as always Shinrei made a big to-do about "alerting the Clan members of the changed state of affairs", blah blah blah. After ascertaining that the shacks had long been abandoned by the occupants the group had moved on. Hotaru, alerted by a faint scuffling noise and a small, distressed chirp, had hung back to search for the source of the sounds. It wasn't long before Yuya had come rushing out of one of the shacks with her hands cupped together and holding something close to her chest. She had glanced around and her frantic eyes landed on him with a look of sheer relief.

"Hotaru-san, I need you," she said, nearly running up to him and so focused on what she held in her hands that she didn't see his eyes widen slightly in surprise.

When she reached his side, she peered anxiously into his face and then, satisfied by what she saw, returned her attention to her hands and slowly opened them while holding them out to him. Puzzled, he glanced down to find that Muramasa's sparrow, Ruri, lay still and quiet in Yuya's hands, her tiny body looking like a psychotic weaver's dream. The tiny bird had somehow managed to become so entangled by the fine threads that made up what had once been a fishing net that she was rendered completely immobile. Still, she didn't try to struggle as Yuya held her, as if she realized that she were with someone who would help her.

"Will you hold her while I work to get the threads off of her?" Yuya asked, worry over the sparrow darkening her voice.

Hotaru glanced at her, surprised that someone who appeared to be so impatient at times was wanting to take the time to unravel a simple bird from what had to be a thousand knots and individual threads. Green eyes, dark with worry, met impassive tawny gold for a few moments, and Hotaru, knowing that he couldn't abandon the bird when she obviously needed help, voiced his agreement and held his hands out. Yuya gently deposited Ruri into his cupped palms, then reached into her obi to retrieve one of the throwing knives she kept there.

"It will be more comfortable and easier to cut the threads if we sit," she said, and lowered herself to kneel in front of him, and he followed suite. Once they were both settled comfortably on the ground, Yuya picked up her knife and inspected Ruri's tangled body, looking for a place to begin. Once she made the first careful cut of the thread, her entire being focused on her task and it appeared as if she tuned out the rest of the world, which suited Hotaru, because he didn't really want to talk much, anyway. He was too busy trying to sort out his strange reaction to her saying that she had needed him. No one had ever needed him before. Sure, the Shiseiten were his friends, and there was Shinrei and Yuan and his family, but never before had he ever heard someone say that they needed him for something other than killing. It felt strange, almost like he were glowing from some inner warmth he had yet to discover the source of.

As he watched, Yuya's eyebrows knit together in a frown of concentration and he knew she was going to have a slight headache from the eyestrain she was inflicting upon herself. Yet her concentration never wavered, and every time her fingers brushed lightly against his calloused palms, he felt that strange warmth tingle just a bit more.

She was just snipping the last of the threads, taking care to not tug too hard on the strings, for these were the ones wrapped around Ruri's legs, when realization bloomed in such a way that it finally set Hotaru's world back in place, or as in place as it ever was.

I want her.

"There!" Yuya said, sighing as she sat back from Hotaru and watched as the sparrow shook herself, fluffed her feathers, and cocked her head at both blonds.

"Go on, Ruri," Yuya encouraged, smiling down at the little bird. Then she said something that took Hotaru by complete surprise, because he had a feeling she had almost forgotten that he was there. "Go return to Kyo, who needs you more for the reminder of his teacher than he'll ever need me. I know it's only a matter of time before he leaves, and you need to stay with him."

Ruri blinked, then hopped on Hotaru's hand for a brief moment before she took off into the air and headed off in the direction that Kyo and the others had taken. Yuya watched her until she was out of sight, her eyes laced with a sadness that was quickly concealed. She then turned to Hotaru, and her face split with a wide grin that contained nothing but pure happiness over a job well done. Hotaru stared at her, then got to his feet and did something that would have sent his companions into shock had they been there to see. He held his hand down in order to help Yuya to her feet. Yuya blinked at him, placed her hand in his and he gently pulled her up, accepting the surge of desire that went through his body at her touch.

He didn't fight his desire, nor did he try to puzzle out just why he was wanting to claim the woman he considered to be Kyo's. He just accepted it for what it was, and that was that.

I want her.

"Oh, there you are."

Hotaru looked up from where the spider was putting the finishing touches on the web to find that Yuya was standing in the doorway, her face mildly annoyed as she gazed at him in exasperation. She was slightly backlit by the sun, not enough to blind him and turn her into nothing more than a dark silhouette, but enough so that she appeared to be surrounded by pure light as her hair, several shades lighter than his own, gleamed a brilliant gold. He felt his body tighten as desire once again surged to the fore, and he didn't fight it because he felt like it was a waste of time and energy to fight something that couldn’t be changed.

I want her.

XXXXXX

Yuya let out a sigh of relief that quickly turned to slight annoyance when she noticed the blood that was still dripping off of his arms. The drops fell to the floor with a light splattering sound, and even though she knew the bleeding had begun to slow on its own, it still didn't stop the flash of concern over another person's pain, even if Hotaru seemed to be completely oblivious to it. Yuya set her medicine chest down and pulled out some bandages and a salve Kyoshiro had helped her make before they had all parted company.

"Hotaru-san, would you come sit on my medicine chest so that I can bind your wounds?" she asked, and got the response she expected.

"No," Hotaru said flatly. "I don't need you to bind my wounds, they'll heal on their own."

"I know they'll heal on their own," Yuya said, exasperation evident in her voice as she walked towards the stoic fire user. "But they'll heal faster if I bind them."

"No."

"Hotaru-san."

"No."

Yuya gave an irritated huff and stared down at the bent head of the man who was acting like a recalcitrant child and brought out her secret weapon. She held her water flask over his head and tipped it slightly, just enough that the threat was there, but not enough that water would drip on Hotaru's head.

"If you don't let me bind your wounds, I'm going to dump the entire contents of my water flask on top of your head, and I know just how you love water."

Hotaru stared up at her for a moment, then rose to his feet to where he could look down at her as they stood toe-to-toe with each other. Yuya's green eyes gazed impassively back at him, and she jiggled her water flask a bit. "I can still throw it on you, you know."

Hotaru let out an irritated breath that was strong enough to displace her bangs before he stalked over to the medicine chest and sat down. Yuya found herself thankful that he didn't breath fire as part of his elemental talents, because she felt sure that if he did she would have been a very crispy individual indeed.

"Hotaru-san, I'm going to need you to . . . oh," Yuya broke off in mid-sentence as she turned and saw that Hotaru had already removed his torn and blood stained haori. She moved closer to get a look at his wounds, and was relieved to note that the cuts on his arms had already started to scab over. However, he had a rather deep looking gash on his chest that ran from the tip of his collar bone across his chest to just above his waist. While she didn't think it would need stitches, the wound was still bleeding freely, so she set about the task of stopping the bleeding.

She held strips of clean linen against the cut with her left hand while she opened the medicine jar with her right. She ignored the sensation of Hotaru's blood seeping through the cloths and concentrated instead on using a little wooden paddle Sakuya had given her to scoop out the gooey mess from the jar. She then checked the bleeding, and when she was satisfied that the bleeding had stopped, she carefully removed the cloth by lightly dampening it with water from her drinking flask, ignoring Hotaru's grumbled, "I hate water."

The dampened cloth came away easily, and Yuya was relieved to see that the cut wasn't as deep as she had originally thought, but it was extremely angry looking and she felt that the medicine she was getting ready to apply would help speed along the healing process.

"This might sting a bit," she warned him as she began to gently smooth the salve over his chest with her wooden paddle.

Hotaru's breath hissed slightly at the sudden sting, and he let out a strangled sounding, "Ouch!" Reacting to his pain, Yuya leaned forward and gently blew against the medicine, hoping to ease the sting just a bit the way she remembered her brother easing it whenever she herself wound up with a cut or scraped knees. She vaguely wondered why Hotaru's stomach jumped every time she gently blew against the cut, but filed it away as currently unimportant.

Hotaru stared down at Yuya's bowed head, heat pooling in his loins as chills chased themselves up and down his spine every time her moist breath touched his overly sensitive skin. He gripped his lowered haori in his hands in an effort to not bury his fingers in her hair and yank her up his body. He was surrounded by her scent, which consisted of a strange combination of flowers, herbs and gunpowder. And blood. He blinked at that realization and looked a bit closer at her, noticing that some of his blood was staining one of her hands. This struck him as being extremely wrong. Even though he knew she had been traveling with Kyo and had been exposed to more blood than most, he still felt that there was something inherently wrong about his blood being on her hands.

"There. I don't think I'll need to bind it because it looks like it's starting to heal over already," she said as she got to her feet. He knew she was getting ready to move away, he didn't want her to move away, he wanted her, and he reached out and grabbed her left hand.

"Hotaru-san?" she asked, startled, wide verdant eyes meeting tawny-gold, and what she saw caused her to go very still.

Yuya stared at Hotaru, arrested by the almost feral look he was leveling on her. His eyes seemed to have turned to molten gold, and she felt a small shiver of apprehension snake down her spine. That shiver changed into a shudder as Hotaru brought her blood stained hand to his lips and began to clean his blood from her skin. Shock froze her into place as the feel of his warm, wet tongue sliding over the sensitive flesh of her palms and fingers began to slowly warm her blood.

She blinked and came out of her stupor enough to give her hand a tug in an effort to free it. Hotaru growled and suddenly gave her wrist a sharp yank, hauling her towards him. Yuya squeaked in alarm as she lost her balance and crashed into Hotaru's chest, the air rushing out of her lungs with a whooshing noise as for a moment, she feared that the medicine chest would overbalance and tip them onto the floor, but Hotaru easily regained his balance. Despite his slight, thin appearance, he had a hard, muscular chest, and Yuya found herself pressed firmly against it as both of his arms shot out and dragged her forward until she straddled his lap, her hands trapped between them as his arms encircled her body like living steel.

Hotaru nearly groaned aloud when Yuya's heat came into contact with his hardness, and he buried his face in the junction where her neck and shoulder met. He inhaled and drew her scent into his lungs, then exhaled and smiled slightly when he felt a faint shiver run through Yuya's body as his breath came into contact with her flesh. Unable to resist, he opened his mouth and ran his tongue lightly up her neck, then bit down gently on her jaw.

Yuya made a slightly strangled noise and pushed against his chest, instinctively struggling against his possession. He grunted in pain as her pushing hands pressed against his chest wound, and her struggles ground to a halt as her empathy kicked in. Taking advantage of her lack of movement, he eased himself back just enough so that their eyes met. She stared at him, her eyes wide and the pupils dilated. He read confusion and wariness there, but he could also see a small flicker of desire deep in the green depths. He cautiously loosened one of his arms enough to slide his hand up her back so that he could cup the back of her head and tilt it slightly. She blinked at him, but her arms were still pinned between their bodies, and she didn't try to push him away as he gently brought his lips to hers.

Yuya's mind was whirling in confusion as Hotaru gently nibbled at her lips. He kissed one corner of her mouth, then the other before he moved his lips down across her jaw line. She felt as if he was leaving small fire sparks in his wake, and though she could feel his hardening length where she was pressed against him, she strangely felt no fear. She pressed against him again in a bid for freedom, and again his groan of pain stopped her. She knew she should fight, stop him, stop this, because even though her body was slowly responding to Hotaru's gentle kisses, her mind kept flashing to Kyo.

Kyo's going to be leaving soon, the voice that resided in the back of her head whispered slyly.

She had overheard Kyo when he had said as much to Akari one night. The shaman had been quietly talking with him when the subject of what he was going to do now that the Mibu Clan had been defeated was brought up. Kyo had been silent for so long that Yuya, who was listening closely while pretending to be asleep, began to wonder if he had dozed off. When Kyo's answer came, she had had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in denial.

He stated, in no uncertain terms, that he was going to be crossing the ocean to take on warriors who were part of something called the Ottoman Empire that, rumor had it, were the strongest in the world. And according to Kyo, what was the point of merely being strongest in the country, when he could be strongest in the world? Akari had taken a breath, probably to swear to Kyo that she would follow him wherever he went, but he finished by stating that he would be going alone. Even though her heart had rebelled at his proclamation, Yuya knew that he meant every word he had said, and that this time she would be unable to follow him.

Her thoughts scattered as a flash of heat shot through her body and took her by surprise. Hotaru had kissed along her jaw line to her ear, and was now biting down and suckling on the lobe so that hot chills kept chasing themselves along her nerve endings. She let out a harsh gasp as he continued to flick his tongue lightly over the sensitive flesh, then pulled back and blew against the moisture.

"H-Hotaru-san," she managed to gasp out, a small part of her brain screaming that she needed to say something and say something now to put some distance between them and maybe get some sense of sanity in an insane situation.

Hotaru pulled back and gazed at her with eyes that flamed as hot as his elemental attack, and he moved the hand that had been holding the back of her head and gently caressed her face with sword calloused fingers. That touch, an almost ghostly sensation of skin lightly rasping against skin, caused her eyes to fill and spill over onto her cheeks. Hotaru's brows drew together in a frown, and he leaned forward to gently touch his lips to her cheek where the tears had come to rest, and followed the pathway up until he could gently kiss her closed lids.

He leaned forward and placed his lips near her ear and whispered, "Yuya, I want you."

Yuya's lungs filled in a jerky motion as she raggedly drew oxygen into them. Her whirling thoughts finally crystallized into one realization, something that her body had recognized but that her mind had rebelled against. Hotaru was the most honest person in their entire band of rag-tag misfits, because he really didn't care if people knew his thoughts or not. As he always said, he hated what he hated, and, in addition, he liked what he liked. And he wanted her. He wanted her, Shiina Yuya, for reasons that she couldn't fathom.

She shivered as his lips trailed over her face while his hand returned to the back of her head, and a slight tug alerted her to the fact that he had removed her hair ribbon. He burrowed his fingers into her hair and gave a soft grunt of satisfaction as the silky tresses glided through his fingers. He wanted her, he desired her, the woman that had become so used to degrading insults such as "dog-face" and "little girl" that, deep in the back of her subconscious, she had started to doubt her own attractiveness. Yet here was the one warrior that she had figured to be completely immune to any of the rawer emotions like lust and passion seducing her in such a way that her mind had started to become fuzzy and clouded as her body awoke under his tender ministrations.

Yuya shuddered as Hotaru's lips brushed across her forehead and down her nose to ghost across her own. He gently flicked the seam of her lips before he nipped sharply at her lower lip, then soothed the hurt with a slow, sensuous glide of his tongue.

Kyo . . . Kyo . . .

Kyo didn't want her, but here was someone who did. Someone so honest that she could trust in the belief that he didn't have a hidden agenda in regards to his current actions. The knowledge that he honestly wanted her was a balm for the bruises she had been unaware that Kyo had inflicted upon her heart.

Hotaru moaned slightly and moved against her, pressing himself more intimately against the center of her heat. It wasn't quite a full thrust, but it was enough to rub his hardened length against her. Yuya's entire body felt as if it had been jolted by lightening, and with a sound somewhere between a gasp and a sob, she gave over and opened up for his questing tongue.

Hotaru turned his shout of triumph into a harsh groan as Yuya softened and yielded to him. He sank his tongue into the recesses of her mouth, exploring her teeth and the smooth inner walls before returning time and again to rub and stroke against her. His control had been strained to the breaking point when Yuya had opened to him, but he ruthlessly reeled his desire back in check when he remembered that Yuya's first, and most likely only, kiss had been forcibly stolen by Shinrei so long ago. So instead of giving into his desire to take and possess, he changed tactics and began to seduce, tangling his tongue with hers until he managed to coax a tentative response from her.

Yuya felt as if her blood had become super heated and was scorching her nerve endings from inside her veins as Hotaru's tongue danced with hers. He continued to keep her locked to him with her hands trapped between their bodies, and the bare skin of his chest seemed to scorch her fingertips. She was becoming increasingly frustrated with her trapped hands, and when Hotaru left her mouth to trail kisses down her neck, she pushed lightly against his chest. Hotaru grunted at the slight pain, but paused and leaned back to look at her, and she used the opportunity to free one of her hands from its prison.

She reached out with her newly freed hand and gently placed her fingertips against his cheek, staring at him with a look close to wonderment in her eyes. Hotaru slowly moved his head forward so that Yuya's fingers slid along his face, the calluses from her preferred weapon of choice sending tingles down his spine, until the tips of her fingers slipped into his hair and he was able to nestle his cheek against her palm.

Yuya's breath turned ragged as her heart began to beat a harsh tempo against her rib cage when Hotaru turned his face so that he could place a soft kiss in the center of her palm. He then gave the sensitive skin a sharp nip before he danced his tongue across the small hurt. She quickly freed her other hand and tentatively brushed her fingers against the skin of his arm, exploring the muscles and marveling as his skin burned under her hand.

Hotaru watched Yuya's face as she continued to explore his exposed skin. He lightly kissed and nipped her palm, occasionally teasing the sensitive skin with his tongue. He was surrounded by her scent and taste, and he craved more. He loosened one arm from around her waist and slid his hand up her arm until it rested over the one that continued to cradle his cheek. He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her hand so that he could lay his lips against her wrist. He lightly touched his tongue to the spot where her pulse pounded before he gently raked his teeth across the blue veined skin.

Yuya gasped as shivers raced over her body as Hotaru continued to nibble on her wrist. She never knew her wrist could be so sensitive, nor did she think that it could have been connected to the heated pressure that was pooling between her legs. She squirmed, unconsciously grinding her hips in an effort to relieve the pressure.

Hotaru groaned as he felt her press harder against him, and he untangled his hand from hers and thrust his fingers into her hair. He dragged her forward and brought his mouth to hers, slanting his head and thrusting his tongue deep when she gasped in surprise. This kiss wasn't a gentle seduction; rather, it was a kiss of raw possession and pure male need.

Yuya's body felt like it had suddenly roared to life, the heat building so that her skin began to prickle and became hypersensitive. Hotaru used his tongue with the same skill that he employed with his weapon, and she responded to the challenge. Thrusting her own tongue against his, she mimicked the movements that he had taught her while slipping one of her free arms around his waist and splaying her hand against his back. She felt Hotaru's chest rumble as he growled in appreciation and engaged her in a wet, slippery battle of velvet on velvet. She threaded her fingers through his hair and marveled at its rough, satiny feel.

He dragged his mouth from hers and trailed his lips along her jaw before he took her earlobe into his mouth and bit down. Yuya gasped and felt her body arch into his as she dug her fingernails into the muscles of his back.

Hotaru suddenly surged forward and stood up off of the medicine chest so quickly that the box teetered for a moment before it fell over with a loud bang. Startled, Yuya instinctly wrapped her legs around his waist as he held her to him with one arm anchored around her and one hand buried in her hair. He held her face to his shoulder, blocking her sight and she clung to him as he moved around, each step jarring her against him and rubbing her core against his hardness.

Hotaru ground his teeth as Yuya's heat seeped into his skin, and he made his way over to a corner where he had spotted a rolled up futon earlier. When he reached the futon, he quickly stepped out of his geta and kicked the mattress open, relieved to find that despite the rundown nature of the building the mattress was clean and pest free.

Keeping his hold, he knelt down and gently lowered them both until Yuya's back was fully supported on the mattress and he settled against her with a groan of satisfaction. She continued to surround him with her scent and essence, and he couldn't stop the instinctive jerk of his hips as he lightly thrust against her.

She shifted and he leaned back, peering into her flustered face. Yuya blinked, blushed and unlocked her legs from his waist. Verdant eyes were steady on his as she reached up and lightly touched his face with her fingertips. He held himself still as she trailed her fingers down his face and throat until she had reached the edge of the slash that marred his chest. Her eyes sharpened as she gently checked the wound to make sure that the bleeding hadn't started back up.

"Does it hurt?" she whispered, her voice a slight jar to the senses.

“Only a little," Hotaru replied as he lowered his mouth to hers once more, his blood roaring in his ears when she arched beneath him.

Nervous at their new position, Yuya had grasped at anything to slow down their headlong rush into the almost overbearing heat, but all timidness fled under the onslaught of Hotaru's skilled mouth. He trailed kisses over her face and jaw, sliding lips and teeth down her neck as she tilted her head back to give him easier access. She gasped when he suddenly nipped her neck where her pulse pounded against her skin, then soothed the hurt with quick, butterfly light flicks of his tongue.

She felt his hands moving down her back before he lifted her slightly against him. One hand fumbled at her obi as the other crept under the curtain of her hair to rub against the cords of her neck.

Hotaru swore silently as he struggled to undo her obi with a single hand, but the expertly tied knot refused to yield. Frustrated, wanting to feel her skin against his, he concentrated and sent a bit of his elemental powers out into the obi and burnt a line through the top layer of fabric.

Yuya caught the scent of burnt silk, but before she could voice a protest Hotaru had removed her obi and tossed it . . . somewhere. His hands creapt beneath the folds of her outer kimono, parting the opening as they ran up her body and moved her into a sitting position. Yuya's breath left her lungs when Hotaru's palms brushed over her breasts. The thin fabric of her under kimono rubbed lightly against her nipples, hardening them as he passed over and reached her shoulders. He moved his hands softly along her shoulders, gently sliding the outer kimono off of them and allowed the fabric to drop off her arms.

Yuya shivered at the change in temperature, and made a move to cross her arms over her chest in an effort to both warm up and cover what little Hotaru had exposed. In response he leaned forward and gently removed her arms, guiding her to once again lay on the futon as he brought his lips to her throat. He shifted so that one of his legs straddled both of hers, and then clasped her wrists above her head with his left hand.

Yuay felt her pulse hammer against Hotaru's lips and tongue, and she took in his slightly salty scent every time she took a breath. She wanted to squirm and rub her aching center against him, but his current position prevented her from relieving some of the building tension. She whimpered and thrashed her head to the side, her hands fisting and opening in his hold.

Hotaru continued licking his way down Yuya's neck and across her collarbone. He brought his right hand up and gently stroked her breast, enjoying the feel of her hardening peak beneath the soft cotton of her under kimono. She arched her back with a surprised cry when he gently ran his thumb over her stiffened nipple, and he smiled against the juncture of her neck.

He continued to knead her breast, pausing every now and then to gently tweak her nipple between his thumb and forefinger as he kissed his way down her chest. He then began to lightly dampen the fabric around her left breast with his tongue.

Yuya felt as if lightning were running through her body. She whimpered as Hotaru continued to lick around her nipple, and she arched her back in entreaty, not exactly sure what she wanted. All thought fled from her mind when his lips closed over the stiffened peak, and he began to suckle her through the fabric. Every gentle pull of his mouth sent a throb of pleasure into her lower abdomen, and she began to tug at the restraining hand that still kept her wrists captive.

He ignored her slight struggles; effortlessly keeping her wrists caged with his left hand as he moved his right down the seam of her under kimono, and deftly undid the tie at her waist. He smiled against her breast as he felt her stomach suck in as he parted the folds of the final piece of clothing separating her skin from his touch and lightly ran his fingertips over the small portion of skin that had been revealed as the folds fell back.

Yuya actually whimpered as she felt his calluses catch slightly on the skin he had bared to his touch, her shivers turning into shudders as fire continued to race along her skin and bumps were raised on her flesh. She wanted to touch him badly, to run her hands over the muscles of his back, but he continued to hold her captive, teasing her with feather light glides of his fingertips over the skin of her stomach, which continued to jump in reaction.

Hotaru released the nipple he had been teasing and leaned back slightly, giving himself room to part the folds of her under kimono and baring her skin completely to his eyes. Clad only in her fundoshi, Yuya was a beautiful sight to behold, and he let his eyes feast upon the sight he had uncovered. Yuya's face was flushed with pleasure, her eyes had become such a deep green that they appeared almost black, and her coral tipped breasts were heaving as she strove to drag air into her lungs. With an almost contented sigh, Hotaru leaned forward and took her uncovered nipple back into his mouth, wringing a startled gasp from her when he closed his teeth against the stiff nub and began to rapidly flick his tongue over it. His free hand came up and began to gently kneed her free breast, his fingers rolling the nipple until it too hardened with desire.

Yuya's hips shifted restlessly, and Hotaru carefully inserted his knee between her legs, slowly settling his weight until his hardened length rested against her thigh. Yuya froze at the feel of him against her, but another hard suckle and swift pinch caused her back to arch, and he groaned as her leg rubbed against his length, providing the friction he was looking for. His mouth left her breast and trailed icy hot sparks up over her collarbone to the junction where her neck met her shoulders. He gently closed his teeth on the area, worrying the skin slightly before running his tongue over the reddened skin. She was panting now, desperately trying to drag air into lungs that felt like they were starving for oxygen.

He still held her wrists captive, and she began to twist them in his hold, trying to break free as the desire to touch him became almost unbearable. She whimpered when his hot mouth continued to move up her neck until he once again closed his teeth against the tender area where her jaw line began. She turned her head, her eyes opening to slits of the deepest green as her mouth found his. They both stilled when their lips came into contact, her because she still wasn’t sure what to do, and him because this was the first time since he had grabbed her that she had initiated contact of any kind. They stared at each other, and Yuya felt her heart clench when she saw the stark desire and need in Hotaru’s eyes. She had never seen this much emotion reflected in the fire user’s eyes, and she marveled for a moment that he was actually allowing her to see past his bland mask to catch a glimpse of the man at his core.

She sighed, closed her eyes, and leaned upwards to plant a gentle kiss on the side of Hotaru’s mouth. It was the barest whisper of touches, but it sent a hot shudder through his body and his hand clenched against the wrists he held captive. She winced, and he instantly softened his hold as he leaned down and slid his lips over her cheek until he could bury them into the hair that spread out beneath her like a golden rain. He relaxed his hold further, sliding the hand that had held her captive up until he could lace his fingers with hers while another shudder wracked his body when she brought her free hand down and slid her long, slender fingers through his hair.

Yuya marveled, for Hotaru’s hair was much softer than she had originally thought, and while she was a little confused about why he had suddenly stopped and seemed content to simply hold her, it gave her a chance to catch some air and calm her nerves a little. She closed her eyes, simply enjoying the feel of his heat and solidity against her, determined to not over analyze just why it felt so comforting to simply be held. He shifted against her, the hand that had been previously engaged with her breast moving up to gently brush against her cheek, causing her to open her eyes and gaze into his. He was wearing a puzzled expression, his gaze darting over her face as if he were trying to memorize what she looked like.

“Hotaru-sa . . .” she never got the thought completed, for he sighed and leaned down, brushing his mouth over her own with the lightest touch, rubbing back and forth across lips that were slightly swollen and still very sensitive from the passionate kisses from earlier. She didn’t hesitate this time, eagerly opening her mouth to him and moaning as his tongue once again danced with hers. She moved her hand from his hair and down his neck, massaging the muscles there before moving lower, thankful that he hadn’t replaced his haori after she had administered to the wound across his chest because now she could explore the fascinating play of muscles across his shoulders and back.

Hotaru released her other hand and gently ran his fingers down the underside of her arm, pausing to lightly ghost them across her wrist and the juncture of her elbow. He once again moved his lips down her neck, pausing to suck gently at the place where her pulse pounded against the skin. Yuya’s neck arched, and she took advantage of her newly freed hand by burying it in Hotaru’s soft hair as icy hot chills began to race up and down her spine as he moved his lips over her collar bone and back to her breast.

Yuya moaned as Hotaru’s teeth closed gently against her nipple, then drew her breath in with a sharp gasp as he began to quickly flick his tongue over the hardened peak. The nerves that had settled earlier roared back to life with a vengeance, sending her senses into over drive as her entire focus seemed to narrow to his mouth, tongue, lips and fingers; fingers that were currently sliding over the smooth skin of her stomach and reaching lower, coming to rest at the edge of her fundoshi. The hand that had been exploring his back suddenly clenched, her blunt fingernails digging into muscle as callused fingers slipped beneath the cloth that covered the center of her heat. Her stomach muscles spasmed and her legs gave an involuntary jerk when he gently stroked the folds that hid her opening. Gasping breaths turned into whimpers of pure need as he continued to stroke her, his fingers dancing over her with a lightness that she would have thought impossible before now.

Hotaru watched her face as he teased her, his eyes filled with firey heat and possessiveness that few had ever seen. He fought against the almost overwhelming desire to rip away the cloth that covered Yuya’s heat, determined to build her need until she was screaming his name. He groaned into her skin as her shifting legs rubbed against his hardened length, creating friction that was both pleasure and pain as he fought back the need to simply take and take and take until he was wrung dry.

Determined to speed things up a bit, he slid one finger into her damp heat while freeing his other hand from her breast in order to work on undoing her fundoshi. Yuya’s entire body bowed upwards, and he couldn’t fight back the groan of sheer need that ripped through his body as he felt her inner walls contract against his finger. Tiny pinpricks of fire against his back caused him to suck in a deep breath as he finished removing her fundoshi and tossed it to the side. He continued to lightly stroke and tease her as he kissed and licked his way further down her body, pausing to gently run his teeth over her old scar before moving downwards again.

Both of Yuya’s hands were in his hair now, and she was awash with sensations so intense that she didn’t comprehend where Hotaru was heading until he placed a gentle kiss on the blond down at the juncture of her thighs. “Wha,” her question ended on a high keening wail as he brought his mouth down over the center of her heat, closing his lips over an area that she had never known existed. Nerves that were already inflamed turned molten, and her hands gripped his head, whether to push him away or pull him closer, she didn’t know. Her legs thrashed on either side of him, her breath coming out in deep gasps as her lungs worked overtime.

“Hotaru-san, I need . . .” her head bowed backwards as her body continued to absorb his erotic onslaught to her senses as he began to suckle at the center of her being.

Hotaru’s muscles jerked at her words, and even though she hadn’t finished the sentence, hearing her say that she needed something from him sent his own desire up another level. He pulled his finger out and gently massaged her stomach muscles, feeling them jerk beneath her skin. He slid his other hand down and pressed against her inner thigh, opening her even more for him as he continued to suckle and lick and tease the private opening that was hot and ready and waiting for him.

Yuya writhed as fire continued to lick along her veins as Hotaru's skillful tongue teased and licked the bundle of nerves located at the apex of her thighs. He slowly slid a finger back into her heat, but not all the way, and her hips jerked at the sensation of his calloused digit as it lightly stroked her inner walls before pulling out slightly to rub against that region that she had, up until this very moment, been completely unaware of. As her hips rolled against him she reached down and grabbed two fists full of his hair, but she didn't know if she were trying to shove him away or pull him closer to her. Her head bowed back as her neck arched and all thought was beyond her as she seemed to be poised on the brink of . . . something. She was awash with pleasure that was close to pain, and her head thrashed from side to side as she tried to make sense of it. She drew in a deep breath, to cry out or ask a question, when her body suddenly seemed to freeze. The air got trapped in her lungs as the world seemed to suddenly bow in upon itself and around her and go still, only to suddenly shatter into pieces as she clenched and convulsed around his finger, the air rushing out in a soft sigh as her muscles slowly relaxed.

Hotaru turned his head and placed an open mouthed kiss on her inner thigh, his tongue darting out to taste the salty flavor of her skin. His own body was burning with the need to take her, and he couldn’t remember when he had removed his hakama and fundoshi, but he continued to exercise his control, knowing that she was untouched and not wanting to hurt her. He began to gently move back up her body, licking and nipping at her skin while he curled the finger that was still inside her and gently stroked against her inner walls. He was rewarded with a soft moan as her inner walls clenched against him and her stomach muscles jumped. He continued up her body until he once again reached her lips. He blinked when he felt her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back, and fought the sharp sense of denial that roared through his body.

Smoldering gold met sleepy green as he pulled back a short space from her, his eyes widening a bit when her hands came up and she smoothed her fingers over his face. Her eyes traced the patterns she made, then moved down to smooth over the muscles of his neck to his shoulders, before traveling down his chest and ghosting over the still raw wound. Hotaru couldn’t stop the light thrusting of his hips as her hands continued to explore his body. He groaned and dropped his head when her fingers scrapped over the muscles of his stomach, his entire body clenching with raw desire.

“Does your wound still hurt?” she whispered, her hands stilling at his harsh exclamation.

“No, don’t,” he sucked in a breath. “Don’t stop.”

Yuya marveled at Hotaru’s reactions to her tentative touches, and she wanted to explore them more, but he had other ideas. He bit down lightly on her neck as he shifted his lower body to lay flush with hers, and her hands froze at the feel of him poised at her entrance. She wasn’t stupid, she had heard talk amongst the street-walkers and other women during their travels, and she knew that this was going to hurt. Hotaru paused when he felt her stiffen, and he lifted himself slightly with his hands in order to gaze into her nervous features. Her eyes widened when she saw the strain around Hotaru’s eyes and lips, for his eyes blazed with golden fire and need and yet he still held himself back. Something inside her turned over, softened, and warmed. She slid her hands up his back and brought them around to cup his face, slender fingers gently stroking the skin there as she smiled at him. She then leaned up and placed a soft, butterfly kiss on his mouth.

The last thread of his control broke at the feel of her soft mouth against his, and he reached down to position himself at her entrance and slowly began to push. Yuya’s breath sucked in at the feel of him sliding slowly, slowly, slowly inside her body, stretching her and filling her in a way she had never felt before. It hurt, but not as badly as she had heard it would. Her muscles were still lax and warm from her earlier peak, and while she felt a sharp stinging sensation as he pushed past her barrier, it wasn’t as agonizing as she had expected. It wasn’t pleasant, per say, but it wasn’t unbearable, either.
Hotaru’s teeth locked together as he bit back a groan of pure desire as he finished sinking into the depths of Yuya’s wet heat until he was fully clasped inside her body. He paused, breathing heavily as he fought to rein himself in enough so that she would have time to get used to the feel of him inside her. His control slipped as Yuya shifted underneath him, causing him to slide further inside her. He once again raised his eyes to hers, and found her expression dazed and hooded. Tentatively, he shifted again, sliding out of her a bare fraction before thrusting forward again, the entire time keeping a sharp eye on her eyes.

Yuya’s pupils dilated as she felt his warm flesh move inside her, and a warm tingle began to pervade her body as nerves that had never really settled began to return to life. Her eyelids became heavy, and soon she was gazing at Hotaru’s intent face through hooded eyes that were almost black with desire. Hotaru reacted as if that were some sort of signal, and he leaned down and fused his mouth to hers, tongue thrusting deeply as his body began to move in a slow, sensuous pace that gradually began to change to deeper, harder thrusts. Yuya’s entire body shuddered as he began to mimic his hips movements with his tongue, and she moaned, fingers clenching in his hair and against his back in reaction.

The very last semblance of his control snapped when Hotaru felt the dull pain of Yuya’s blunt fingernails digging into his muscles, and he tore his mouth away from hers in order to lever himself up on his elbows so that he had a better angle and sank even deeper into her warmth with every thrust. The small hut became filled with the sounds of wet flesh slapping against wet flesh as his thrusts began to come harder, faster, deeper, harsh breathing and moans adding their own music to the rising symphony of their shared passion.

His muscles clenching with every movement, Hotaru attacked Yuya’s neck with lips, tongue and teeth as his hips jackknifed against her body, driving himself inside her wet heat. She was moaning now, her fingernails digging into his arms where she gripped him as her head arched backwards. His own breaths came out in sharp grunts as icy hot chills raced up his spine. She was his, this woman who had been the only person who had needed him, and that knowledge branded him even as his body branded her. She shifted beneath him, her breath coming in harsh pants, and he knew by the sound that she was once again close to the edge. He levered himself up a bit and balanced on his left hand as he reached between their bodies and touched the core of her heat. Yuya’s body tensed as her muscles seized, clamping down on his length. Once again she was completely silent as the air in her lungs caught, and then she released her breath with a small moan.

Hotaru continued to move inside her softening body until his own muscles clenched and he let out a harsh groan as he emptied himself inside of her. She was his, damn well truly his.

For several moments the only sound in the small hut was their harsh, mingled breathing. Then Hotaru shifted and leaned his forehead against hers before he gently brushed her nose with his and slowly eased himself out of her. Yuya’s breathing, along with her thoughts, were finally returning to normal, and her brow creased with worry as she began to analyze what the possible ramifications of what she had just done with the most unlikely member of their little rag tag group of fighters would hold for her future.

Hotaru, on the other hand, had no such thoughts running through his head. The air in the hut had grown chilly with the approaching night, and the drying sweat on his body was making him cool down, and he felt Yuya shiver slightly against him. He shifted again, reached around Yuya and moved her (while ignoring her started squeak at his sudden movement) so that he could tug her outer kimono out from underneath their bodies, then gently lay it over both of them in an effort to conserve heat.

Yuya sighed as the welcome warmth of her outer kimono settled on her body, then squeaked again when Hotaru wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close until she was flush with his body. She stiffened a little on reflex when she felt his nose brush against her hair as he cuddled her. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed.

Out of all of the guys we’re traveling with, I never would have pegged him for someone who liked to cuddle. She smiled at the random thought as it flitted through her head, and yawned. She resolved to just close her eye and try not to over think things. Everything always had a way of sorting itself out, somehow.

“Hotaru-san?” she ventured softly after a moment, her worries not allowing her a chance to relax and sleep.

“Hmmm?” came the sleepy reply. She was actually surprised that he was paying attention, though it could have been a reflex reaction to her voice.

“What are we going to do?”

“Do?”

“About, well, what we just did.”

“ . . .”

Yuya waited as he paused in thought, not really sure what she was hoping for, a solution to the world’s problems? But the answer that she got was something she should have expected, considering who it was she was talking to.

“What did we just do?”

“ . . . !!!!”

WHAP!

“OW!”

End.

Obligatory author notes: Yes, it’s Hotaru/Yuya, yes, I like Kyo/Yuya but the other fun alternate pairings for Yuya are so rarely explored, and I couldn’t resist. And yes, I know how the manga actually ends, no, I don’t care. That’s why I write FANfiction. XD Comments and criticism is MORE than welcome (really, I love to improve every chance I can get), flames will be laughed at.

Hikigane means “trigger”.