X World

Act 11: Stuck in the Hospital

2010-01-01T19:41:24Z

A/N: Best wishes for a very happy new year to everyone here on LJ! Along with health, happiness, and prosperity, I wanted to wish everyone fabulous stories with lots of love and smut in them, so I'm doing my part to make that happen. :D

I've found out this week that my editor in chief, gwoman is a super hero, just like I've always suspected, and I want to send her my sincerest thanks for helping me to hold it together while also helping me to make this story even yummier than it started out.

Warnings: Angst, fluff, bad language, dirty talkin', explicit good sex (yaoi)

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?
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Missed Act 10? Click here.

I should have tied him to the bed when he tried to leave Soul Society, Renji thought. OK, so the bed's on the floor. I should have put some bolts in and tied him to the wall.

He looked around agitatedly, trying to find the next landmark. It was twilight now and he was surrounded by people walking home from a long day of work or going out to dinner with a date or spouse. Most of them didn't see him standing on the sidewalk and sort of unconsciously walked around him, but since this was Karakura, there were more people than average whom the redhead knew could sense him. Those people usually eyed his shihakusho with surprise or nervousness before they hurried past.

Fuck, where is it? Renji looked to all other corners of the intersection, straining his eyes to find anything that looked like a supermarket. On one corner there was just an office building, so that obviously wasn't it, but the other two had shops, Renji just couldn't find much sign of what it was they sold. He was gripping the little piece of paper with directions in Yuzu's hasty writing so hard that it was wrinkling badly, and he was about to let out a string of curses when he felt someone at his elbow.

“Sir, are you searching for something?” a woman quietly asked him. By her appearance, she seemed to be a business woman on her way home from work, and as Renji looked at her, he saw her eyes slide to the side as she watched the crowd moving around the two of them, her expression willing them to keep moving.

Renji felt a surge of gratefulness in his chest at the woman's kindness. He wanted to thank her, but for some reason he couldn't think of one appropriate thing to say so he just croaked out, “Yeah, I'm looking for a hospital.” Since he continued to find words difficult at that moment, he just held the paper out a little and pointed at the characters. The woman began to nod.

“Oh, yes, certainly. That's not too far from here. Do you mind if I ask why you're going there?” she said, looking at Renji full in the face for the first time. Her eyes were very kind, but there was a pain in them that almost took the redhead's breath away.

What should he say, Renji wondered? Everything that came to mind sounded completely idiotic to him. My heart, my life, my love, the closest person to me – “My friend is there,” Renji said, and mentally cursed himself. The word 'friend' had never sounded so inadequate to him before, but somehow the woman picked up on what he'd actually meant to say, and her eyes grew large with surprise.

“Please forgive me,” she said, dropping her gaze to the ground. “I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I know you...people try to do some good things, but I also know that you come for the dead. I lost my husband not long ago, so if you were going there for that purpose, I didn't want to help you. But for your friend...”

Her tone had softened and she trailed off for a moment, then as Renji watched, she gestured with her head across the street in the direction they happened to be facing. “Just keep following this road; it's maybe a kilometer or so ahead on the right. It will be difficult to miss; it's a huge white building and it has some nice grounds around it. I very much hope that your friend is fine,” she finished, and with a final gaze up at Renji and a small smile, the woman slipped into the crowd and continued her walk home.

The redhead looked after her for a moment, his voice stuck in his throat, wanting to express his gratitude and still not able to think of a thing to say. After a few seconds, however, he flash-stepped across the street and stopped on the corner in front of a sign directing pedestrians to the supermarket, which was behind the shop with the display windows that faced the direction he'd come from. He cursed at it before he decided to go up to the rooftops to travel the rest of the way to the hospital, now that he knew where it was.

Less than two fucking weeks back and he's in the hospital, Renji thought. Yeah, I should have tied him to the wall. He likes being tied up, right? Renji shook his head. Yeah, right. Ten seconds flat and I'd have a hole in my wall and a pissed off Ichigo. Attacking me, more than likely.

Even though he didn't want to think about it, the redhead's mind flew back to earlier in the day. It hadn't started out as one of the blackest days in his life; it had actually seemed like a fairly ordinary one up until late that afternoon when a shinigami that he hadn't recognized had shown up at his office. Kira had been dealing with it; he was somehow amazingly good at handling unexpected interruptions, weeding out people who really didn't need to talk to them, and turning them away without any of them ending up angry.

Renji had been ignoring it and continuing to work on the unending stream of paperwork until he’d heard the man say in an annoyed tone, “Well, all right, if Abarai-taicho doesn't want to hear about the substitute being in the hospital-”

“What?” Renji hadn't realized he'd shouted, but suddenly everyone and everything in the office and outside of it seemed to have been shocked into silence.

He also hadn't realized that he'd stood, but as he had tried to rein himself in, Renji gestured for the man to come over to his desk. The young shinigami’s self-confidence had seemed to waver for the first time, and he’d looked a great deal less arrogant once he had been standing in front of Renji’s desk. Kira had turned to look at Renji the moment he’d spoken, and then looked back at the young shinigami, an icy shade in his pale blue eyes.

“What were you saying?” Renji had asked once the man was still. He was speaking at a conversational level now, but the authority and tension in his voice spoke volumes louder than if he’d been screaming. The young shinigami had actually winced before he spoke again.

“Well, I had been called to report back to Soul Society, but I heard as I traveled to the gate that Kurosaki was in the hospital.” He had seemed almost fidgety then, and after a shaky breath, he’d continued. “So I came here first to let you know.”

“His condition?” Renji's voice had cracked out like a whip, long before he'd consciously thought about saying anything.

The young shinigami had looked back at him with wide eyes. “I don't know, Abarai-taicho.”

Renji had glared down at the man, trying to breathe deeply and not crush his own teeth as his jaws clenched together. “So,” he’d said in a deceptively low tone, one that had made Kira’s eyes flick immediately to his own, “did you get called back here for some sort of emergency?”

“No,” the young man had blurted out nervously, “it was just that my assignment in the living world had ended.”

Forcing himself to take in another deep breath, Renji had let it out slowly before he’d answered. “So you found out that a comrade had been injured and had no indication of how badly, but instead of investigating that you came back to Soul Society because your assignment had ended? Is that what occurred?”

He had stared at the young shinigami, who hadn't been able to meet his eye and had been shifting from foot to foot under the scrutiny. “Well, sir, that's-”

“When does your relief come on duty?” Renji had questioned further.

“Tomorrow morning,” the man had said, looking up at the redhead again, the color draining from his face.

“So Karakura town, one of the areas in the living world with the highest concentration of people with large amounts of spirit energy, is currently undefended. Am I understanding this correctly?” Renji had known he was practically skewering the young man with his gaze, but he hadn't been able to stop. The shinigami in front of him had been squirming where he stood.

“But, sir-”

“Your name and division, please,” Renji had demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

“My name is Nakamura Takashi, Abarai-taicho, and I'm with the 13th,” the young man had said in a barely audible voice.

“Nakamura, please report back to your division immediately for further orders,” Renji had said, his voice now steely and commanding.

“Sir, please let me-”

“Get out of my office!” Renji’d cut him off, his voice raised but not to the level of a shout. He had been able to feel a trickle of sweat sliding down his temple and had nearly bit his tongue trying to keep his jaws clenched together and not yell after the young shinigami that he’d better never see him again.

When Renji had raised his gaze a moment later, he’d happened to be turned in the direction of Kira's desk. The first thing that had caught his eye was the calendar that his vice-captain insisted on keeping in the office in order to make sure he didn't start feeling too self-important, Kira always said. It had been open to September, and Renji had felt his stomach flip over as he’d seen his lover. The picture was a head shot, and it showed Ichigo with his head thrown back against the corner of the elevator, lips slightly apart, eyes closed with an expression seemingly somewhere between pleasure and pain. The redhead's stomach had ground once more, as if it had wanted to chew a hole in him. Ichigo had been calling to him at that moment, and Renji had almost been able to hear his name in the air again as he’d kept looking, had almost been able to taste the younger man coming once more. It just made the reality so much worse, he had thought as he’d mentally come back to his quiet office to find Kira watching him.

Nothing had come out of his mouth when Renji’d opened it to speak, and instead Kira had spoken.

“Just go. Don't worry about it; I'll get it cleared somehow.” The blonde man had been confident and steady, and he had seemed like such a mountain of strength at that moment that it had made the huge knot that seemed to have taken over Renji's chest loosen just a little.

“Izuru...thanks,” the redhead had said. He’d wanted to say so much more, but for some reason both his jaw and his voice had seemed to be almost paralyzed.

The blonde had smiled just a bit, meeting Renji's eyes calmly. “What sort of a friend would I be otherwise? Go ahead. I'll take care of it for you, and I'll watch over everything while you're gone.”

All he'd been able to manage was to nod, and then he was flash-stepping for the nearest gate to the living world. He'd stopped by the Kurosaki house first, thinking that Ichigo might be at their clinic, but the only thing he’d found was the note on the door that Yuzu had left, bless her.

The strangest thing about the experience so far had been not being able to sense Ichigo's spirit energy. Renji was usually able to feel it the moment he entered the living world in Karakura. Ichigo had gotten somewhat better over the years at drawing it in, but the redhead knew that he had become so attuned to Ichigo that he could sense even a bit of his lover's spirit energy from far away. So far, there had been nothing, no sign of it, which caused the stone that seemed to have settled on top of him to gain weight the closer he got to the hospital. But then, Renji's breath caught as he felt it, a thin thread of spirit energy compared to what he was used to, but the relief that washed over him at sensing it nearly caused him to lose his footing and fall to the street below.

Suddenly, he was at the hospital and he was standing outside the correct window on the fire escape. To his surprise, the window slid silently open as he tried it and he climbed inside. Renji shut it just as quietly and then turned around.

His heart thumped once and then seemed to contract in his chest as he looked at Ichigo in the bed. Seeing him tucked into those pristine white sheets, and the contrast his brilliant hair made against the pillow and the bandages wrapped around his head made Renji feel his lover looked smaller, and he was suddenly at Ichigo's side. There was a chair that was sitting right beside the bed, and the redhead immediately thought of Yuzu again and smiled, then felt weird about smiling and stopped.

He looked over at Ichigo again and swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling congested and raw. What should he do? What could he do? Renji cursed quietly as he remembered that there were no other shinigami in Karakura town right now, so if an alert came in, he'd have to take care of it. He checked his communicator quickly, seeing nothing, and willed it to remain quiet for the rest of the night.

“Fuck, Ichigo,” Renji said nearly under his breath. He wasn't sure what he was cursing, exactly, maybe just the feeling of being completely helpless in this situation. But then, as he pocketed the communicator and turned back to the bed, Renji noticed Ichigo's eyelids starting to flutter. His heart felt as if it had turned over or maybe that it had restarted itself as he watched.

“Renji, what are you doing here?” Ichigo asked once he'd blinked a few times but then he stopped, frowning at the IV needle attached to the arm he'd moved when he tried to sit up a little. Renji watched as Ichigo looked back up at him, still frowning in confusion. “What happened?”

The redhead barked out a strangely nervous laugh, his body suddenly shaky with the relief of having Ichigo awake and speaking to him. “You're going to have to tell me, Ichigo. I just got here.”

The younger man continued looking confused for a moment and then seemed annoyed after he tried to scratch the back of his head and seemed to find it painful to touch.

“Fuck,” he mumbled, then gazed at the ceiling, obviously thinking. “Well,” Ichigo said after a moment, “the last thing I remember clearly was seeing this stray dog that was injured and about to get run over again. I couldn't just let that happen, so I ran to get it. I managed to move it off of the road, but I vaguely remember this sharp pain in the back of my head as a car went by. I'm thinking maybe the driver hit me with their side view mirror as they passed me.”

Renji just stared at Ichigo for a moment. He wasn't sure at first what he was feeling; he expected to feel angry after hearing that story, but he wasn't. The redhead just felt so absurdly happy that it wasn't anything worse that he couldn't speak for a moment, but then he did feel a rush of anger at the idea of being left alone, again. I must look like I'm insane, Renji thought, as crazy bursts of anger, happiness, and relief warred for dominance in his mind and in his expression. After a moment, he shook his head and returned his focus to Ichigo, who was looking at his hands and appeared to be blushing. Renji couldn't stop himself from smiling at the sight, but struggled to look more neutral as he reached for his lover's chin and turned Ichigo to face him.

“I'm sorry,” the younger man said, looking stricken. “You came all the way out here just for...this. You must be mad.”

“An apology? Now I can tell you hit your head,” Renji said, knowing that his expression was softening again as he looked at Ichigo. “Look, I'm only mad about one thing. There's only one dog you have any responsibility to. Just don't make me a stray again.”

Well, that may have been the lamest thing I've ever said, Renji thought after he closed his mouth. He was about to speak again, to try to add something so that he could hopefully sound a little less ridiculous, but he stopped as he saw the look on Ichigo's face.

Ichigo's eyes had gotten really wide, and he just looked at Renji for a moment, then he blushed again as he turned away, blinking his eyes too quickly. “Of course not, Renji,” he said, and his voice was rough and low as if...as if he were going to cry, the very thought of which seemed impossible. Then Renji was overwhelmed by the way Ichigo had said his name, low and slow and lingering, as if it was a word that deserved extra time and attention, valued above the others. Suddenly, it seemed as if there wasn't enough air in the room, and Renji was feeling a little dizzy, but then Ichigo was holding out his arms.

“Come here, Renji. Come here,” he said, trying to pull the redhead into the bed with him.

Ichigo waited to speak again until the both of them were pressed together, the arm with the IV in it carefully draped over the two of them and his face buried in Renji's hair. “Did you think you’d come here and find my spirit wandering around with no memories left? Or maybe that I was gone for good? You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?” Renji could tell he was trying to lighten the mood, but the words somehow came out so seriously that the redhead could hardly breathe. “I'm not leaving you,” Ichigo finished, the words barely audible, pressed into Renji's neck.

And now Renji felt like he was trying not to cry as he clutched Ichigo to him, trying to let his suddenly thundering heartbeat calm down somehow. But it seemed there was no way that was going to happen because Ichigo went immediately from murmuring against the redhead's neck to kissing his way up to Renji's earlobe and biting it hard enough to make his lover moan. As their lips came together, it was slow and gentle at first, but the redhead could feel the intensity escalating and pulled back a little to try to breathe.

“Fuck, Ichigo,” Renji muttered, trying to keep his thoughts in order, “calm down. Aren't you supposed to be injured? You are in the hospital, you know.”

Ichigo let out a quiet puff of laughter right by the redhead's ear, making him shiver. “I just hit my head. As I think you know, my head is very hard.”

“Yeah, like a fucking rock,” Renji murmured in return, trying to somehow shift in the small bed so that he wasn't pressed up tight against Ichigo, but his lover kept moving too, until they were lying on their sides flush against one another, and Renji could feel that Ichigo's head wasn't the only thing that was hard.

Ichigo laughed as he saw the surprised look on the redhead's face. “I've heard that getting hit on the head makes you horny, but that's not true.”

Renji looked at him in confusion. “Well what the-”

“It's you, you idiot,” Ichigo broke in, preventing Renji from saying more by pressing their lips together. “This is what you do to me whenever you're around,” Ichigo continued when he pulled back slightly, his breath still hot against Renji's mouth. “Plus, I've got to show you that I'm not going anywhere; you know, make you believe it.”

The redhead was about to reply, but instead he stared over Ichigo's head for a moment and then sat up as the door began to open. He threw Ichigo a glance to make sure the other man had noticed that they were about to have a visitor, then quietly got out of bed to stand by it, waiting to see who came in. Relaxing a little once he realized it was someone who worked at the hospital, Renji leaned against the wall to watch and see what would happen next.

“Oh, you're awake,” the nurse said as she turned on a small lamp by Ichigo's bedside. “I'm glad. We all figured you'd be up soon, though.”

She moved over to Ichigo and took out a small flashlight. “I'm going to have a look at your eyes,” she said as she started her examination. “We want to make sure you don't have a concussion.”

Nodding as she finished looking and noting something in a chart, she turned back to Ichigo. “So, how do you feel?”

“All right, just a bit of a headache,” he replied, fingering the back of his head.

“That's normal, unfortunately, with an injury like yours. We've done some x-rays and everything looks OK, but we're going to keep you here overnight and someone's going to come in like this every hour to check on you to make sure you're all right. We should be able to discharge you in the morning,” she said, nodding.

“OK, thanks,” Ichigo said. Renji could see Ichigo's eyes slide in his direction for a moment before he focused on the nurse again. “I have a question, though. Will this head injury interfere with having sex?”

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, “No, it shouldn't cause you a problem, but I'd advise against trying anything too strenuous for at least the next few days.”

Ichigo nodded and thanked her as she turned the light back off and headed back out the door. Renji hadn't noticed that it had gone from twilight to full dark outside, but he didn't need to be able to see in the dark in order to know that his lover had a smirk on his face now.

“So how did you end up becoming this devious, anyway?” he asked as he settled back in bed with Ichigo.

He could feel the quiet laugh as Ichigo's lips moved to his shoulder. “Too much hanging out with you, I think,” the smaller man said quietly as he pulled back a moment later and then moved to suck on the redhead's collarbone.

“Oh, like you were so...mmmh...innocent before we got together,” Renji replied a little unsteadily as his hands ghosted down Ichigo's back. He growled at the little gasp Ichigo gave moments later as he pushed the hospital gown out of the way and grabbed his lover's ass, pulling the two of them together.

Ichigo's lips faltered then and Renji felt the smaller man moan into his shoulder as he rocked their groins together again. Then their mouths were joined and the redhead couldn't quite figure if it was him or Ichigo who'd started it, but he lost track of that as he felt his lover grinding against him and pushing the top of his shihakusho open. They were both breathless as they separated some seconds later, and Renji felt Ichigo's forehead resting against his as they panted for breath.

“So, how do you want to do this, Ichi,” he asked, and he could hear that deep, rough tone in his own voice, but somehow couldn't manage to be ashamed of even thinking about having sex with Ichigo in his hospital bed, probably because he could see the smirk that had appeared on the smaller man's face even before he'd finished speaking.

“I want you in my mouth,” Ichigo said quietly, against his ear.

Now Renji had to hold back a gasp because of what Ichigo had said and how he'd said it. The redhead could feel his cock twitch in response and ground against Ichigo once more with a growl before he leaned back to quickly throw off the rest of his clothes.

“Sure,” he said, low and dangerously, as he slid back into bed in the opposite direction, “as long as you let me suck you off, too.”

Ichigo gave a low groan as Renji pushed the hospital gown up his chest and he let out a little surprised yelp as the redhead took most of his length in one dip of the head.

“Fuck, Renji,” Ichigo mumbled unsteadily and shivered as he felt Renji chuckle in response.

Renji swallowed around the head of Ichigo’s cock and growled as he heard the younger man’s gasping grunt in response. Maybe Ichigo was right, the redhead found himself thinking, because now that he could feel the heat of his lover against him and hear those delicious noises the younger man was making, the sense of relief he’d felt earlier was back in his chest. It seemed to be washing over the redhead in warm waves as he breathed in Ichigo’s familiar scent and pulled back just a bit to run his tongue over the head of his lover’s cock and taste the well-known tang of the smaller man’s pre-come.

But a flood of something else hit him a moment later as he felt the wet heat of Ichigo’s mouth on the head of his own cock, and Renji gasped through his nose and shuddered as lips continued sliding down his shaft. The redhead slowed his own pace for a second, closing his eyes as the feeling overwhelmed him.

There wasn't anything that the two of them had tried together that Renji didn't like, even though he had his favorites, but somehow the way Ichigo gave head made him glad that he was usually lying down. Something about the way the younger man would wrap his lips around the redhead's cock and slowly suck as much in as he could, the hot look in his eyes, and the muffled groans he'd make never failed to send shudders down Renji's spine and make his legs useless for doing anything like holding him up. Some of it was that Ichigo brought the same intensity and drive for success to oral sex as he did everything else, which made everything he did just that much hotter, but there was something else. Even the first time Ichigo had tried to give him a blow job, it had held Renji – the fact that Ichigo got off on making him come this way. The redhead could see it in the burning gaze Ichigo continued to fix on him, and feel it in the moans that his lover made against his skin. Renji could feel that the sounds Ichigo was making were the same ones he made when he was being fucked good, and he was quivering the way he would when the redhead pushed into him just the way he liked.

Of course, those sounds only intensified when Renji made Ichigo's cock disappear inside his own mouth, licking around the shaft as he pushed the head into his throat and swallowed around it again. Ichigo's whole body jerked then, and the groan he made as he bobbed his head down onto Renji's cock was almost unearthly. As Renji shuddered and tried not to buck forward, he realized that they'd better slow down a little so that things didn't get too crazy, considering that Ichigo had just been injured.

So, he pulled all the way back, still holding onto Ichigo's cock, and pumped it a few times as he licked around the head, alternating long, flat strokes of his tongue with probing the slit and under the flared ridge with the tip of his tongue. Then he pulled back again and blew a stream of air along the wet skin before he took Ichigo all the way in his mouth again.

The effect on his lover was electric; Ichigo stopped completely for a moment before letting out a long moan and a series of uncontrollable shudders. Ichigo started to mimic what Renji had been doing, then, drawing a groan from the redhead.

“Fuck, yeah, Ichigo,” Renji breathed as he moved off Ichigo's cock momentarily. “That's it, suck me off just like that. Fuck that feels good.”

The two of them moved together then, teasing and licking as much as they sucked one another off, and Renji could see a few minutes later as Ichigo was starting to lose it. He couldn't even look at the redhead anymore, and the long moans coming from the back of his throat were almost constant. Ichigo was still shuddering as Renji pulled back momentarily so that he could talk.

“Come on, Ichigo, let me go for a minute. I want to hear you when you come,” Renji said with a smirk.

Ichigo opened big, dark eyes to look dazedly at Renji, but did as he was told, groaning quietly as the redhead's lips slid down his cock again moments later.

“Fuck, Renji,” he murmured, panting. “Fuck, the way you...mhmmm...you're driving me crazy.”

Renji hummed encouragingly, which just caused Ichigo to shiver and buck his hips. The redhead got lost in Ichigo's responses, feeling increasingly turned on and almost drunk off the feeling of being able to draw little noises and moans and calls of his name out of his lover with just his lips and tongue. Finally, as he pushed the head of Ichigo's cock way back into his throat and swallowed, he felt the smaller man convulse and let out a stifled groan at the same moment he tasted that familiar briny tang as Ichigo came for him. Renji was still lost as he swallowed again and again, listening to his lover's cries, feeling slightly ridiculous at the triumphant surge that ran through him after making Ichigo come, but somehow also swamped with the sensation of having arrived back home.

As Renji moved his head back a little he found Ichigo looking him in the eye, a sated smile on his face and still panting slightly.

“You feeling OK?” Renji asked, trying to look into Ichigo's eyes, but between the dim light in the room and the distance between the two of them he couldn't really even tell what the nurse had been looking for.

Ichigo rolled his eyes in response. “Look, I'm fine, OK? If they were even worried about me, they'd be keeping me a few days, not saying they'd release me in the morning.” As Renji met Ichigo's gaze again, he watched the other man's expression change from irritation to intense interest as the redhead's now aching cock twitched.

“Time to finish what I started,” Ichigo growled, trying to pull Renji closer with the hand he had on the redhead's ass, but Renji was wriggling away.

“Ichigo, maybe you should just rest. Your head-” Renji started, then stopped speaking in surprise as Ichigo glared at him and quickly rolled him on his back.

“Don't you treat me like that,” Ichigo said gruffly. “I just hit my head, I'm not dead, Renji. Besides,” he said as he slowly ran his eyes up the redhead's frame, “I want to wipe that look off your face. I want to see that sexy look you get when you come hard, and I know it's not going to take long until you come for me.”

Renji was surprised enough to just shut up, and then watched with wide eyes as the smaller man slid two fingers into his mouth and began to suck on them. He let out a little groan seconds later as Ichigo's mouth closed back over his cock and he felt a slick finger sliding up one of his thighs. Suddenly, the desire to have his lover inside him nearly overwhelmed Renji, and he couldn't restrain a desperate little noise at the sensation of Ichigo's fingers pushing into him, twisting and seeking.

He gave a rough cry as Ichigo sucked almost all his cock in and started stroking his spot at the same time. The surge of pleasure was nearly blinding and Renji felt his hips rocking mindlessly as his body demanded more of all the sensations. Quickly, too quickly, the redhead felt himself nearing the edge of what he could handle. He wanted to warn Ichigo, wanted to figure out some way to make it last, but it all felt so good that all Renji could force out were some strangled moans before he was coming in Ichigo's mouth.

Some time later Renji opened his eyes, blinking as he saw Ichigo sitting back in the bed with a satisfied smirk on his face. When the smaller man saw the redhead's eyes open, he smirked a little wider and smacked Renji's leg.

“Now get back up here,” he said, sliding to one side so that Renji had room to flip around.

Renji was beside Ichigo in moments, pulling the other man close and wrapping his arms around him.

“Yeah, I like this look on you much better,” Ichigo said, smiling as he curled into the redhead's embrace. “Don't worry so much next time,” he continued, his voice trailing off as he yawned.

Next time, Renji thought as he brought his lips down to the wild orange hair and kissed Ichigo's scalp. I hope there is no next time, he wished while sighing because he knew there almost certainly would be.

When Renji woke a half-hour or so later, he found a message on his communicator from Kira letting him know that he was cleared to stay in the living world for the next couple of days due to the substitute shinigami's injury. Conveniently, this led into the weekend, when he had been planning to be here anyway. His vice-captain also mentioned that he'd be on duty to protect Karakura should the need arise through tomorrow morning and that the new shinigami would contact him upon reporting for duty.

Renji stood by the window for a moment and gazed at the sliver of moon that was visible and at the number of stars that were now out before sitting back down beside Ichigo's bed. The orange haired man was still sleeping and actually looked sort of peaceful at the moment, which made the redhead smile. It was more usual that Ichigo would talk or mumble in his sleep and restlessly roll around until Renji grabbed him and held onto him, and only then would he lie still, pressed as closely to the redhead as he could manage.

“Hey.” Renji heard Ichigo's voice, bringing him back out of a light doze. Somehow, the redhead had fallen asleep in the chair as he watched over his lover and waited for a hollow alert that never came, and he rubbed an eye as he looked over at Ichigo, who was glaring at him.

“I didn't want to wake you up,” Renji replied softly, trying to respect the hush in the hospital even though he knew no one but Ichigo would hear him. “I'm on duty until morning, and I figured it would be too disturbing if a call came in.”

Ichigo rolled his eyes as he lifted the covers up and gestured Renji into the bed. “No more than someone coming in here every hour to shine a light in my eyes. Come over here, dumbass, before you fall out of the chair. After we get out of here this morning we can go home and get some real sleep.”

Renji rolled his eyes as he moved over to the bed, trying to scowl instead of grin and also to ignore the warm feeling in his chest at the idea of spending tomorrow in bed with Ichigo.

“So, how long are you here for?” Ichigo asked a little sleepily, and Renji couldn't help but smirk at the quick hopeful look in the younger man's eyes before he turned his face into the redhead's hair.

“I'll be here through the weekend, so I should be able to keep any cars off of you for that long,” Renji replied, enjoying the annoyed look on Ichigo's face before he briefly explained the situation.

“Cool,” Ichigo mumbled in the way he did when he wasn't far from sleep. “My dad had some damned chore around the house he wanted me to do with him tomorrow, so you can help, too.”

Renji just chuckled very low in his chest, listening to Ichigo's breathing even out. He knew he was still smiling like an idiot when he finally dropped off to sleep some minutes later.
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As always, comments about what you liked and what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

-WriterX

Writing Game Piece (with babyluw and spikykun) - Sticky

2009-12-06T14:17:47Z

A/N: For anyone who may not have heard, babyluw and spikykun and I started a writing game a couple of months ago where we all began RenIchi pieces and then passed them along to each other to finish. This is the piece I began babyluw wrote the middle of and spikykun finished. In case you're wondering where this piece would fall in the Stuck...er, universe, let's consider it Act 11.5...a little glimpse into the future. Enjoy!

The other two pieces that we worked on can be found in Babyluw and Spikykun's journals - A Bowl of Soup and Maximum Density (parts I and II).

Much thanks to my super hero beta reader gwoman for somehow managing to review this piece along with her multitude of other world-saving tasks!

Warnings: Bad language, dirty talkin', explicit good sex (yaoi), adult toys!

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?
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It was the unexpected hand on Ichigo's shoulder that caused his body to automatically move from the chair and face the person behind him. He'd been deep into trying to complete his latest lab report before he needed to leave in an hour, and between that and the music in his headphones, Ichigo had been so focused that he hadn't noticed anyone approaching.

His customary scowl loosened a bit as he realized he was holding onto Renji's forearm, his other arm drawn back ready to throw a punch. Renji just looked at him in return, an eyebrow raised.

“I can't believe you just let me sneak right up on you,” the redhead said with a smirk.

“Renji? What the hell are you doing here?” Ichigo asked, his scowl changing to a confused frown. “It's only Friday night. I didn't think you were going to get in until tomorrow.”

Renji shrugged as he used Ichigo's hold on his arm to reel the other man closer in. “I wasn't 'sposed to be here, but I got a request to look into something in the living world today. I think it's more like a bribe, really, since they knew I was coming out here and didn't want to bother to send someone else.”

With that, he bent to kiss Ichigo, deep but short. Renji smiled again as he looked at the younger man when they broke the kiss, and he watched Ichigo's dark, starry eyes refocus on him.

“So, what's the problem?” Ichigo asked, unconsciously leaning closer to Renji.

“We've lost touch with the shinigami who's supposed to be watching over Karakura. He was due to report in yesterday, but we haven't heard from him for the past 24 hours,” Renji replied, then shrugged. “My bet is that he got drunk and passed out somewhere.”

“Do you need help?” Ichigo asked, drawing back a little, fingering his substitute's badge and smirking.

“I was hoping ya might ask,” Renji said, giving him a devilish look in return.

“OK, but I've got to call Chad first. I was supposed to meet up with him and Orihime and Ishida to see a movie tonight, but I'll tell them I won't be making it.”

Ichigo dialed, and then spoke for a few moments before hanging up. “He said to let them know if we want to join them afterwards, since they're thinking about going out for something to eat after the film. I told him we'd call if we did.”

Renji shrugged as Ichigo lay down on his bed and then reached for his substitute's badge. “Hopefully this won't take too long; maybe we can get together with them later.”

Renji stood back a little as Ichigo's shinigami form rose out of his body. “Come on, let's go,” the smaller man said as he stepped outside.

When the two arrived at the missing shinigami's flat a while later, they went in through the sliding glass door on the balcony.

“Don't any of you believe in knocking?” Ichigo asked as they went in.

Renji snorted in response. “I think we all figure it's easier not to make someone answer the door for what looks like nothing to the average person.”

They looked around in the near darkness for a moment before Renji found a lamp on a small table and switched it on. At first, the two of them just stood there and looked around at the mess. Things were strewn everywhere – dirty dishes on the floor, clothes and papers scattered haphazardly, pictures on the wall were tilted at crazy angles. After a minute of looking around, Renji pointed at a figure underneath the blankets on the futon.

“See, just like I thought,” he said as he bumped the mattress with his toe, and he and Ichigo watched the man continue to snore. Renji shook the other shinigami and tried to wake him, but he was sleeping too soundly. Finally, the redhead just shrugged.

“Guess he's gonna be out of it for a while. I think we should plan on keeping an eye on Karakura, at least for tonight.”

Ichigo grunted in annoyance. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“What's wrong? You need to finish that paper or whatever you were workin' on?” Renji asked, leaning up against the nearest wall.

“No, I can do it tomorrow, as long as you can keep your hands off me for an hour,” Ichigo said, looking over at Renji with something that looked suspiciously like a leer. Renji rolled his eyes in response. Ichigo continued, “It's just that this all seems kinda weird. I mean, if the guy's sleeping it off, where are all the empty bottles? The place is basically trashed, so you'd figure they'd be here.”

Renji frowned, now looking around thoughtfully, but was interrupted when his communicator went off. He and Ichigo looked at the signals as he opened it.

“Well, at least it looks like they're in the park,” Ichigo said. “We'll have plenty of room to fight there. Race you?” he asked with a laugh as he bolted out the sliding glass door.

“Cheater!” Renji yelled as he flash-stepped after Ichigo.

The moon was nearing full, so they had no trouble spotting the group of hollows as they approached an open area on the far side of the park. There were six of them, four large and two smaller ones, and none looked like they would be that much of a challenge. Ichigo and Renji looked at each other for a moment before charging in.

“It's just not the same after having fought arrancar,” Ichigo said discontentedly as he sidestepped a large claw coming down for him and leaped to slice one of the large hollows' masks in two.

“Yeah, well, hopefully we'll just make quick work of these and that'll be it. Maybe we will be able to meet up with everyone later if it stays quiet,” Renji replied, blocking a blow aimed at him by swinging Zabimaru in a small arc to push his opponent's large paw back, and then reached out with his sword to shatter the hollow's mask.

It was barely worth coming out here, Ichigo thought. As he was considering that, he used the long tail of the remaining large hollow near him to run up its back and then split its mask from behind as it turned its face in his direction. He jumped to the ground as the creature dissolved and stood in front of one of the small hollows. It wasn't a type Ichigo had seen before, but he was able to note in the split second before the thing opened up its mouth to spit something at him, that the hollow came up just past his waist and appeared to be mostly a big head supported by two flat feet.

“Gross!” Ichigo said with contempt. He dodged most of the missile but ended up getting some of the goo on his hands and right arm as he turned to avoid it.

Now that he was pissed off, Ichigo wasted no time in bringing Zangetsu down on the hollow's big head with enough force to shatter the mask of one of its much larger friends. However, as his sword contacted its target the hollow's head seemed to explode, and Ichigo turned his face away as the front of him was splattered with more of the weird substance that the creature had launched at him from before.

After glancing up to see Renji with a savage grin on his face and chasing down the one remaining hollow, Ichigo turned back to his own predicament. The thick liquid that was now all down the front of him looked transparent and colorless in the moonlight, and the consistency reminded Ichigo of the alcohol-based hand cleaner that was always kept at the handwashing stations in his family's clinic and all the big hospitals. The big difference, as Ichigo found a moment later when he tried to wipe his hands off on some part of his uniform that wasn't already wet, was that although some would rub off when he touched other things, a layer still remained on his skin.

Looking at his hands in disgust, Ichigo brought them closer to his face, trying to figure out how to get the weird liquid off them, when he realized it had sort of a sweet smell. A moment later, Ichigo's hands dropped to his sides as his heart suddenly throbbed hard in his chest once and then settled into a much faster beat than normal. He felt like he was suddenly seeing everything through a delicate red haze and...and he felt good. Ichigo's head tipped back a little as he felt every muscle seem to relax and lengthen and a breathless heat move into his body. He felt great. He felt amazingly warm. He wanted to be touched. His breathing started to pick up as Ichigo brought his gaze level again and saw Renji. Ichigo seemed to see him as he stood there, hair up as usual, resting for a moment to catch his breath, and also saw him with his hair down, uniform off to display his glorious tattoos and hard cock, licking his lips. Not able to hold a moan back, Ichigo started walking towards the other man.
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The whole fight was finished pretty quickly, Renji thought, and he'd been a little disappointed, even though he'd had to chase the last hollow around a little. As he looked up, still grinning at the thought, Renji saw Ichigo headed in his direction, walking sort of unevenly. Renji moved to close the distance between them, worried that maybe Ichigo had been injured, and then was confused as Ichigo just looked into the redhead’s eyes when the two of them came together. Ichigo flashed a broad, affected-looking smile at Renji, and suddenly the redhead felt wet, sticky hands running all over his chest and back as the smaller man moved even closer and pushed his shihakusho open at the chest.

“Ichigo, are you OK?” he asked with some confusion.

“Yeah, I feel...really great,” Ichigo answered drunkenly. “Renji,” he continued, looking straight into the other man's eyes as if he was about to say something important, “I want you. I want you to fuck me. Now.”

“What’s this crap you got all over you?” Renji asked Ichigo, now aware of the fact that the smaller man seemed to be soaked as whatever it was sank into his uniform as well.

Ichigo shrugged sloppily. “The last hollow I fought sprayed it all over me when I killed it. Doesn’t matter. Renji, come on, fuck me,” he repeated, his hand slipping into Renji’s hakama.

Renji hissed as he felt his lover's hand on his cock, and then he realized that the other man was already hard. Ichigo had moved to straddle one of his legs and was rubbing against him and moaning in his ear. Suddenly, Renji was conscious of something different, a flowing, blooming heat everywhere Ichigo’s hands had been touching him moments earlier and where the front of his uniform had been soaked through. Oh fuck, this isn't normal, he thought as his heart sped up to a quick, fluttering beat.

His mind seemed to work overtime for a moment as he suddenly realized that, along with there being no empty bottles in the other shinigami's apartment, there hadn't even been any smell of alcohol as he'd bent over the man to try to shake him awake. Also, his brain was trying to bring up half-forgotten memories of some of the different types of hollows he'd studied in school. Renji vaguely remembered that some of them could secrete poisons or drugs on their skins or in their bites, but they weren't very commonly encountered, so the information was mostly forgotten.

“Fuck,” Renji said, blinking as he tried to keep the hazy heat away from his brain for a few moments longer. “Come on, Ichi, we've gotta get back to your place.”

“No, Renji,” he replied, trying to break away as he met the redhead's look with big, dark eyes. “I want you to spread me open and then lick me and fuck me right here in the grass. Please, come on Renji.”

The redhead bit back a curse as he felt his cock twitch at the thought, but he kept his hold on Ichigo and gathered him into his arms instead. “We've got to get you into the shower, Ichigo. I know you like it when we're in there together with all the warm water running down your hot body and me pushing into you from behind. I'll make you come so hard you'll scream for me.” Maybe we can wash some of this crap off of us, Renji thought, trying to move as quickly as he could before conscious thought deserted him.

Renji almost growled as Ichigo shuddered and groaned in his arms after hearing that. The smaller man held tighter to Renji as they flash-stepped through the city and he licked and bit the redhead's throat. “Hurry, Renji. Fuck, I need you so bad,” Ichigo murmured into Renji's ear, starting to stroke himself through his uniform.
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“Urahara Shop, how may I help you?”

“Urahara, is that you?”

“Yes, what is it?” Urahara asked, trying to focus in on the main voice on the phone despite someone else talking in the background.

“Fuck, thank goodness. It's Abarai Renji...Ichi, not now, gimme a minute,” Renji said, the last part more indistinct, as if he'd turned away from the phone.

Urahara's eyebrows threatened to shoot through the roof. “Abarai-taicho, how may I help you?”

“I was sent here to find out why the shinigami assigned to Karakura hadn’t contacted Soul Society for the past day. Since he seems to be out of commission for the moment, Ichigo and I went out to fight some hollows that showed up. While we were fighting them-” Renji's voice cut off with a sharp intake of breath and then continued a little more softly, farther away from the phone receiver. “Ichigo, hang on. Just...just wait a little longer.” He cleared his throat then and continued in more of a normal tone, “Well, Ichigo was hit with this sticky fluid when he killed one of them, and now it's all over me too. It, uh, seems to have some sort of drug in it.”

“Oh, really? What exactly?” Urahara couldn't keep the smirk out of his voice, but he didn't think Renji would even notice.

“I can't talk about it right now. I'd like you to do a couple of things-” Renji's voice cut off and then continued more indistinctly, “Ichi, you're gonna hurt yourself if you keep doin' that. Use this.”

Urahara listened to the heavy breathing and muttered curses for a few moments and tried very hard not to chuckle. “Abarai-taicho, what is it that you want me to do?”

“Um, sorry. First, get some backup here. Ichigo and I are gonna be, uh...incapacitated for a while. Make sure you tell them that if they run into any small hollows they should keep their distance – a few meters, at least – and to try to kill them with kido. And go get the shinigami who's supposed to be keeping an eye on things here- Fuck, Ichi!”

The last exclamation was muffled as if Renji had nearly dropped the phone. Urahara felt his mouth drawing up into a bigger smirk. “What is it you want me to do with the shinigami on duty here?”

Renji's voice was low and strained. “Make sure he doesn't have any lasting damage. He was completely out of it when we went over to his place. If you can wake him up, get a good description of the hollow so we can pass it around. And, uh, send someone over here.”

Urahara waited a moment as some indistinct sounds came over the phone. He could have sworn the last was a moan, but then Renji was talking again, quickly, as if he was racing against time. “Have them pick up our uniforms, but tell whoever you send not to use their bare hands because both of them are soaked with whatever hit us. Please analyze it and come up with an antidote and once you have some, bring it by here for us.”

“All right,” Urahara said, hearing Ichigo's voice in the background distinctly now. “I should be able to do all that. Is there anything else?”

“Yeah. Don't send Ururu or Jinta over.”

It sounded as if the phone was dropped then, and Urahara could barely hear someone speaking in the background before the connection was broken. The man in the green and white striped hat appeared to think about something for a long moment.

“Hmmm...” he finally said to himself, “I haven't heard of one of those things coming around in years.” And walking calmly out from his kitchen, he went to find Tessai.
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While Renji was on the phone, Ichigo went down on his knees between the Taicho's legs, pushing him back into the desk chair, ripping and pulling until the loose black fabric had been cleared out of his way and the redhead's by now fully hard cock came into view. And when he touched it without a second of wait, was it anything short of amazing? Ichigo looked up at Renji with a wicked grin as he heard the redhead murmur something as the phone fell on the ground, forgotten.

The sticky fluid that seemed impossible to get rid of made Ichigo's hands slick and burned against Renji's already hot and sensitive skin. Both their mouths had slipped open and shaky breaths were the only thing that could be heard in the apartment for a few seconds as Renji watched Ichigo staring at his erection with a hungry gaze.

"Renji..." Like a starved beast, he swallowed the man's whole cock, pushed it all the way back in his mouth, and went up again. "I need you to..." taunting lips ghosted around the head as he licked the slit, "fuck me." He licked with a sharp tongue along the whole underside, followed the vein, and locked eyes with Renji, whose hand had flown to grab Ichigo's hair by the time he finished the sentence.

"Shit!" was all he could say as Ichigo ignored the pulling at his hair and went down once more, slicking him up with saliva. "Ichi, Ichi ya outta stop, I'm gonna-"

Ichigo pulled away completely, and Renji whined as he didn't trip over the edge.

"Oh, no you ain't." Ichigo's voice had dropped a couple of octaves, making him sound nothing but horny. "You see," he said as he moved up to straddle the older man, one hand holding the redhead's large cock steady, the other spreading his own ass, two fingers quickly thrusting deep inside, bringing the warm, eased feeling with them. "I want you to come deep inside of me."

Renji groaned and his hands found a grip on his teasing lover's hips, trying to push him down. "Ichi, please." The hand that was holding onto Renji's erection went up to grab the redhead's shoulder, making him look up so their eyes locked.

"No, Renji, you don't understand. I need you to pound yourself against my prostate and, just as you hit it extra hard, come." He spoke extremely slowly, and when the older man nodded in agreement or surrender, Ichigo dropped himself down.

The puckered ring stretched as it moved down his cock fast, creating an electrifying jolt that ran through his whole body. Renji's sight went black because he was close to losing consciousness, overwhelmed by the feeling, before he managed to pull himself together and look up at Ichigo.

He was losing it. Ichigo seemed unable to close his mouth as it let out shallow breaths, and a trail of saliva dribbled down his chin. His hands and thighs were shaking against Renji's body, and as their hazy gazes locked, deep moans filled the air.

When Renji sat up straighter Ichigo fell back, and they both stumbled to the floor, still linked. Ichigo's nails dug themselves into inked skin, and his eyes fell out of focus as Renji started to move hard, fast, like he had never done anything else in his whole life, like he was born for it. As he thrust and pounded, Renji watched as his lover's expression became something like relief. Ichigo's legs fell wide open, relaxed, and his arms hit the floor right after. It didn't change the sensation of intensity much; Renji could still feel every place Ichigo had touched, as his hands had left a warm, comforting feeling after them. The feeling only grew hotter the longer Renji kept on fucking his lover, until it burned and made him nearly lose his mind.

Renji could feel Ichigo's whole body twitch every time he hit right, and his eyes traveled over a stretched neck, flushed chest, and down to a swollen, hard, throbbing cock. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to the edge and sped up his movements, being sure to hit extra hard as he shot himself loose against Ichigo's prostate.
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"Tessai, I want you to run a few errands for me." Urahara found his old friend sweeping in the basement, the reason a mystery since the place was pretty much a desert and no amount of sweeping would change its appearance. "Do you remember those fun hollows that existed when we started this shop?"

The taller man stopped his cleaning and looked at his boss, signaling that he was listening.

"It was thanks to them we collected the money to start this place... and a lot more if I remember correctly." The fan had appeared in the slight pause and now covered half of the shopkeeper's face. "Unfortunately they were too dangerous for unsuspecting shinigami, and the Gotei 13 had to exterminate them." His eyes seemed to sparkle in the dark shadow his hat created. "Or at least so we thought."
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"Renji?"

The redhead's brow had fallen to rest on Ichigo's chest in the exhaustion that struck him after getting them both off. "Yeah?"

"I'm hard again."

"Yeah, me too," the older man mumbled and some of his strength seemed to return when he opened his eyes to see bronzed skin and abs in an unusual angle, and a rising cock. It certainly didn't help that everything was still glistening with the strange liquid that had merged with sweat and was now topped off with come. He sighed deeply, ignoring the urge to lick his way down over those abs and swallow that hardened flesh. "We should move into the shower." We have to get this crap with the burning sensation off us; who knows what will happen otherwise.

"Will you fuck me there? You said that you were gonna fuck me there, remember?"

Renji just chuckled at how much Ichigo reminded him of a kid at that moment. "Yeah, I'll fuck you there." He pulled out of Ichigo and sat back on his heels, eyes falling to watch how the light pink hole started to slowly close. Ichigo clenched his abs and got up to rest on his elbows. Renji's eyes turned hazy with lust as he watched white fluid dripping out of the small opening. When had he first realized that watching come drip out of a man's ass turned him on so much?

"Help me." Ichigo reached his hand out and Renji grabbed it and pulled the other man up.

Their lips locked and teeth bumped together as they tried to consume each other for a few long seconds before parting again. "Bathroom?"

"Bathroom. Better get the bag."

"Yeah."
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Tessai had been sent to take blood samples and such from the knocked-out stationed shinigami, while Urahara himself went to get the sample from the hollow...that is, Renji and Ichigo's drenched clothes.

He perched on the substitute's windowsill before jumping in and landing on the floor. The place was unusually dark, and as the blond took in a breath through his nose he could smell the action that had just taken place in the room, mixed with a sweet scent that he hadn't encountered in years, and cracked a suspicious smile.

He was suddenly interrupted on his trip down memory lane by a loud "Fuck!" followed closely by a deep moan. The fan found its place in front of Urahara's face in seconds, even if it was far from needed. The shopkeeper swiftly collected the drenched clothes that had been spread out in the small flat and looked one extra time at the closed bathroom door before he was on his way out of the window again.

Damn, he should have sneaked in and taken a picture. After all, material for next year's calendar was needed.
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Ichigo placed his hands on the tiled shower wall to steady himself. His skin burned and he wanted, needed, to be touched again.

Looking over his shoulder he saw Renji watching him, and he cracked a little smile. He knew how much Renji liked to watch him move, just move. So he arched his back a little, retreated half a step so he could lean forward more, teasingly putting his ass up in the air.

But there was a limit to how much he could tease the redhead, considering how much he was being teased himself by those dark crimson eyes just lingering on him. He could feel need pulling at his guts, making his cock spasm and his hole constrict as it wanted to pull something in. It was pulsing inside of him, that deep demanding of pleasure. He wanted to come again and again.

He brought a hand down to his ass, spreading it, hearing Renji take in a sharp breath. Two fingers found their place on each side of his hole, teasingly stretching the fair skin without entering. Ichigo's head dropped. His insides gave a single pulse and got even warmer; he couldn't take it, he didn't want to do it himself. He wanted Renji to do it, he wanted Renji to fill him up, wanted the redhead to fuck him senseless.

"Ren," he whined, lifting his head again to watch the redhead over his shoulder. "I want you inside of me." His knees shook; he was starting to get dizzy, not really knowing why. "It's throbbing inside of me, I need you to push- I need you to fuck me, it's burning."

"Fuck!" Renji called out and took the final step that separated them. His hands landed on Ichigo's hips and he went down on his knees behind the younger man. The hole twitched as his warm breath ghosted over it before he teasingly ran his tongue over it. When he plunged in, he received a loud and deep moan from Ichigo. After a minute he added a finger, to reach deeper, to feel smooth, warm walls, to circle around the younger man's spot before pressing on it lightly.

Ichigo's legs shook and he reached to grab the shower knobs to keep himself up, accidentally spinning one and yelping when cold water hit his back.

The water turned hot fast and was soon forgotten as Renji continued his ministrations, then pulled his tongue out and instead pushed another finger in, circling them around in Ichigo. He started fucking the teen with them while licking his way to the underside of his balls.

Having fingers in him wasn't nearly the same as a hard cock. Fingers moved more smoothly, they bent, they were precise and could press in the most amazing combos. And Renji knew this well as he pulled them out completely, watching the puckered hole close up before he pushed in again, feeling the warm cave clench down and pull him in deeper. He forced himself to look away from the sight and reached for the black plastic bag that had been thrown to the side.

Reaching inside, his hand easily found what he was looking for. Ichigo was near fainting; he couldn't open his eyes, he couldn't control his body as Renji pushed and ran fingertips over his ring muscle. "Fucking tease," Ichigo managed to call out and the fingers stabbed him in response, thrust all the way in and up against that nerve-breaking spot.

Ichigo made a grunting scream as come hit his chest and his legs gave out. His back landed against Renji's chest and he breathed hard into the redhead's chin as he tried to collect himself.

Renji looked over Ichigo's heaving torso, watching the quivering muscles as he ran his fingertips against them, before dropping his hand down a pelvis and making his way behind balls to find the still-twitching hole. He easily pushed in a lubed-up egg-shaped vibrator. Two fingers followed the vibrating pink plastic inside, pushing it up against the other man's prostate.

Ichigo's whole body shook and he pushed himself harder against Renji, who wondered if maybe he had gone too far. Ichigo's ragged breath in his ear, and the shivering legs that pushed weakly against the floor when his toes curled, wiped that train of thought away. Instead, Renji moaned as Ichigo's fingers found his thigh and dull nails dug themselves into tight skin.

"R-Renji."

"Yeah?"

"F-Fuck that feels a-amazing." A tanned hand found its way up to Renji's neck, fingers digging into and pulling red hair.

"I know."

Ichigo's body was growing warmer against his, and the strained cock that was pressing against Ichigo's lower back was starting to hurt. "Let me fuck you while you have that in you."

"Oh god," Ichigo whimpered, his arms giving out as he slid down, then tried to support himself against the floor. Renji had to catch him, reaching with his other hand into the black bag again, this time pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

He lifted Ichigo's arms easily, cuffing them to the pipes along the wall in the shower to hold him up securely enough to kneel shakily by Renji. He got on his knees as well, settling behind Ichigo and running smooth fingertips over the loose opening.

"Want lube?" he whispered huskily while his thumbs massaged Ichigo's lower back.

"Yeah."

The redhead reached for the magic black bag again, pulling out a tube and covering both of his hands with the transparent cream. He spread the glossy lube around the hole before a finger gently slipped in, soon followed by a second.

They didn't really need to do this, Ichigo was more than ready, but it was a nice act they both liked. Renji made a few scissoring motions, being sure to spread the lubricant evenly over Ichigo's inner walls before he pulled away and lubed up his own dripping cock.

"Ready?"

"For you? Always."

Renji could hear the younger man swallow as he pressed the head of his cock against the smooth opening before thrusting into the hotness.

He stumbled forward, resting himself against Ichigo's back as the younger man swayed, hands on the younger's hips as he tried to keep himself absolutely still - something that was completely impossible thanks to the vibrating.

He regained his breath and tried to inhale deeply to relax himself, but it just stayed ragged and shallow and fuck. Ichigo definitely deserved credit for being able to stay conscious for so long with that in him. The older pulled out and sat back on his heels, head resting on the tanned back before him. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stay up and in his right mind if he was going to fuck that bliss.

"Ichi, we can't do it like this." He panted and squeezed in front of the other man, lifting one of his legs so that Ichigo was straddling him and Renji was able to lean back against the tiled wall behind him. "Ya still with me?"

"Y-Yeah."

His hands landed on Ichigo's hips as he angled him down over his hard cock. Sinking into Ichigo was like... it was like the rest of the world disappeared. All Renji could see was the flushed face in front of him, the arms that were raised over his head, the hands locked to the wall above, the parted, red, and swollen lips, the heaving chest, and the dripping cock just above spread legs.

Ichigo lifted his head and it was like orange waves moved and disappeared into the black nothing behind him. Their eyes locked and they were both consumed by the feeling of drowning into the other, a feeling that only grew as they leaned in and swollen lips melted together once again.

Heat was rising through him as never before once he managed to collect himself enough to lift Ichigo up and drop him down again. He slammed himself directly up against the vibrating egg, pushing it more firmly against Ichigo's prostate. Ichigo tried to scream but couldn't manage to get his voice out.

Renji shook, his legs quivering, his hands trembling as they clamped down on the hips in front of him. His lungs couldn't tell if it was time to breathe in or breathe out, and his mind was fighting to remain intact.

They didn't try to pull out or push in or anything, completely satisfied with the already overwhelming feeling, but after a while they started to move against each other automatically. Simple moves - like leaning a bit forward, a bit to the side, once in a while even rolling their hips - but it didn't matter much. The vibrating, the slickness - it consumed them.
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The scent had confirmed Urahara's suspicions about it being the same kind of hollow that had existed nearly a decade ago. Of course, he planned to run a test on the substance to be absolutely sure... and then head far back in the storeroom to see if he had any of the antidote left. From what Renji had said, it sounded like Ichigo got quite an amount of it on him. As he landed outside of his own store, Tessai was already there, having thrown the stationed shinigami over his shoulder.

"Oh my~ we don't need that much blood," he chuckled before they went inside.
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"You okay?" Renji whispered into orange locks as he pulled out, getting his fingers slick once again as he searched for the string and pulled out the toy, which had stopped awhile ago.

"Fine. But I'm a bit sore; I don't think I wanna come again. Not like that, anyway." Ichigo flicked his wrists a bit, finding the little hold and releasing himself from the handcuffs. "You brought the nice cuffs."

"Yeah, they were only to hold you up. Besides, if I was to lose consciousness at least I knew you could get yourself free without having to wreck anything... and you know, save the bad ones for another time." He grinned and leaned up a little to nip Ichigo's jaw before moving to his lips.

Ichigo was still out of it, Renji could tell. His tongue was sloppy, his voice slurry, his eyes bleary - fuck, he looked like… sex.

A nice, long fuck would do that to you, Renji figured. He turned off the water, helping Ichigo up. They weren't going to get any cleaner, that much had been established.

He practically carried Ichigo out of the bathroom and to the bed, pulling back the sheets and placing him there. It only took one look at his stretching form for Renji to sneak under the covers as well. It wasn't much of a surprise, with Ichigo's glazed eyes and pleased expression, whole body still so warm and every bit of him looking fucked out. It wasn't like Renji could have kept away for long.

He kissed him again, amused by Ichigo's soft sounds of satisfaction. The fact Renji'd managed to take the edge off and turn Ichigo into this - a murmuring, clingy mess - was definitely a stroke to his ego.

His eyes snapped open when he felt another stroke, this time to something quite different. He slowly separated from Ichigo's lips, leaning over the other man to inspect his body. He was still shivering, still dirty, and definitely still seemed worn out, and yet, Ichigo was hard again.

Renji found himself fascinated as he ran his hand over Ichigo's body, feeling it twitch and respond to the slightest touch, not to mention the way he was moaning in Renji's ear. As his fingers were moving lower, Ichigo threaded a hand through his hair and clutched. Fuck, just that... It was getting way too hot again.

"Sure you're up for it?" Renji asked, concern in his voice. He wasn't quite sure how the hollow's attack affected Ichigo. Obviously it had made him horny as hell, but if he was still hazy half the time, well, Renji wasn't sure he could do this.

Ichigo's chuckle in his ear, albeit dark and filled with so much lust and heat that Renji's breath caught, was a little more familiar than the previous muddled half-moans.

"Think I could fall asleep like this?" he asked, practically grunting out the words in Renji's ear. "Just kissing you makes me wanna go again. I wanna fuck you; I wanna make you need me as much as I need you right now."

Fuck, you don't even have to try.

Well, he guessed the shower hadn't done much to wash off the stuff the hollow'd sprayed on Ichigo - or maybe it was just him now, his words sending a shudder through Renji's whole body. The redhead soon discovered he didn't really care, already hard by the time his hand clasped around the other's cock. Ichigo's whole body jerked, and his arms wrapped tightly around Renji's neck. Renji could feel nails biting into his scalp - damn, Ichigo was driving him crazy.

He pressed himself completely against Ichigo, slick body against another one, shattered breaths against hot skin. Ichigo was up for this, alright. Renji could have growled at all the sensations hitting him, his body over-sensitized after all the action from earlier tonight. He tightened his fist around Ichigo's cock, making the other man groan into his ear again.

"Haven't given this enough attention, have I?" Renji asked, by now not able to keep the teasing out of his voice. He knew Ichigo loved that anyway, so he hadn't put up much effort. To make sure he got his point across, he started stroking Ichigo, long and slow.

Ichigo answered by thrusting his hips, pushing into Renji's hand insistently, needy. His hand tightened in Renji's hair, pressing him even closer. Renji would have chuckled if he hadn't been busy biting Ichigo's neck.

"Thought you wanted to fuck me," he murmured in a thick voice, and Ichigo cried out, his hips moving more erratically by the second.

"I want to - fuck, Renji - I need you to get me off, I have to feel you, now." His big eyes opened, almost all pupils, and bore into Renji's intently, as if he could make him do as he wished just by thinking it hard enough.

Fuck if he couldn't.

Renji abruptly let go of Ichigo's cock, making the other one practically keen. He pressed his hand to Ichigo's chest and pinned him down so his body wouldn't arch up and he'd fall off the bed or something; he was that out of it. Then again, it was Ichigo. The man could have all the control he desired even while being tied up and fucking blindfolded.

Of course, the memory of that made Renji growl and his cock twitch. He nearly rolled off the bed as he searched for the lube. By then, Ichigo's mouth was latched onto his neck, tongue tracing persistent lines over tattoos he probably couldn't see, and sucking on his pulse point. For a moment, Renji dropped his head and dragged his tongue over Ichigo's ear, cursing his lover's eagerness. He was supposed to focus on what Ichigo wanted, damn it…

He blinked in surprise when fingers started trailing down his sweaty back, gliding with ease over the tattoos on his spine and scraping his ass, teasing. Shit, he's getting ahead of himself. The redhead fumbled the cap off and quickly spilled some lube into one hand. Renji leaned up and pressed their lips together, darting his tongue into Ichigo's mouth to keep him occupied as he reached back with his own, slick hand.

Ichigo's breath hitched at Renji's drawn-out sigh, and it only took a moment for his hand to move lower and find Renji's already there. "Fuck …" he uttered, pulling away from him. Renji had considered protesting against the loss of heat, when he realized Ichigo wanted to watch. Might as well.

Renji pulled back, raising his knee to spread his thighs farther apart and reach deeper with two fingers. By then he was so turned on he didn't even feel the stretch, only mind-numbing relief. He always loved it when Ichigo stared at him as he worked into himself - it felt… intimate in a way he couldn't describe. Then he couldn't look, his eyelids sliding shut by themselves when his senses overflowed, instincts taking over. The heat was guiding his fingers, now. Deeper, harder, fuck, he was thrusting his fingers now, pushing-

He let out a shout and nearly tumbled off the bed when Ichigo's fingertip brushed at his entrance, sending a shock through his already frenzied body. So, Ichigo had had enough of just looking.

"Can I?" he asked, though it didn't really sound like a question - too much roughness in his voice for it to be anything but a demand.

"Yeah," Renji managed to utter, swaying his hips in a way hardly appropriate for a man like him, a Captain, but that never mattered with Ichigo. It sure as hell didn't matter now, Ichigo pushing into him and stretching him, their fingers squeezed together. It would have hurt - it should have hurt - but Renji couldn't find anything wrong with that.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Ichigo rasped next to his ear, too close again. His other hand was stroking Renji's cock while his tongue moved over the tattooed chest, teeth bared at unexpected moments, making Renji moan. They had somehow achieved a rhythm, slowly pushing Renji over the brink.

"It always does when - ah, fuck-" he inhaled sharply, trying his hardest to ignore how expertly Ichigo was wriggling his finger. "It always feels good when you do it."

"I know it does," Ichigo said in a coarse voice, kissing Renji's neck. "You showed me how you want it, remember?"

Renji writhed when Ichigo pushed deeper into him, stroking him just right while picking the perfect fucking moment to suck on his earlobe.

"Now, Ichi..." He couldn't take it anymore. Luckily, Ichigo was in no mood for teasing by now, simply pulling his finger out, along with Renji's, and settling on his knees. Renji couldn't have moved over Ichigo's thighs fast enough, and considered attacking Ichigo when the other man fumbled with the lube.

Finally, the head of Ichigo's cock started easing into him. He made sure to look into Renji's eyes as he snapped his hips forward, pushing into him slowly and making him buck. Fuck, he needed it. Renji forced his eyes to remain open, if only to see that look in Ichigo's dark eyes, all primal instinct and lust - fuck, it was hard to breathe again but Renji couldn't care less.

He tried lifting himself up - maybe to touch Ichigo, maybe to push him back and ride him, just to do something - but Ichigo shoved him back down, nearly snarling, and adjusted Renji's legs so they were wrapped around his waist.

Ichigo wanted it his way, and fuck, that felt good too. All Renji could do was stare up as Ichigo started moving; slower this time, precise, like he was savoring this. And he was. His body flowed, smooth and powerful and wild with every thrust. Renji hastily pulled Ichigo closer with his legs, running his hands over the other's torso weakly. It was quite hard to focus when Ichigo fucked him like that - long drags making every sense heightened, every breath labored.

He pulled Ichigo down again, but this time his lover yielded, pushing Renji harder against the mattress and leaning so close Renji could taste his lips - only then Ichigo ducked his head and kissed his neck instead. Renji let out a frustrated growl to which Ichigo responded by thrusting sharply all of a sudden, making him arch.

"Fuck, do that again…" he managed to say between panting breaths, as if Ichigo hadn't known him well enough to guess he'd done something fucking amazing, as if he hadn't done it a hundred times before. Heady sensations rushed over every inch of the redhead, and he started tugging on Ichigo's hair again, needing to kiss him. Instead of giving in, Ichigo bit Renji's collarbone harshly, and fuck.

Renji's legs clenched around Ichigo's hips, pushing him even deeper, and Ichigo was making so much noise by now that Renji wasn't able tell the sounds apart. He ground his hips against Ichigo's, moving even closer, not even sure what he should be doing as long as Ichigo was touching him.

He was scratching Ichigo's skin, his shoulder blades blindly. So close, but Renji needed more. "Harder, Ichigo, move - fuck me harder…" Damn it.

Ichigo stilled for an insufferable moment, and it was as though time had stopped until his lips were suddenly covering Renji's and his hips were rocking again. The kiss was almost brutal, Ichigo's mouth as insistent as his hips, forceful and demanding. Renji couldn't help but moan when they separated, Ichigo whispering, "Fuck, Renji…"

The sound of his name being uttered so breathlessly made his blood boil. They could have been at it for minutes or hours, Ichigo fucking him into the mattress, their bodies moving together seamlessly. Renji had lost track of everything but Ichigo's mouth, and hips, and hands – which were starting to trail on his chest, teasing him, then moving lower.

When Ichigo leaned down to ravage his mouth again, Renji finally lost it. He came hard in Ichigo's hold, thrashing and groaning as waves of pleasure rolled off his skin, scorching everything in their way.

He was shocked back to the moment by Ichigo's hands gripping him, and low, broken moans filling the air again. Renji hastily looked up at Ichigo, not that he could have perceived anything else, anyway, with the way his entire body was clasped around his lover.

Ichigo's neck was stretched, taut skin glistening with sweat. His swollen lips were parted and a gasp seemed stuck on them, a teasing tongue just barely visible. His eyes were closed, his cheeks flushed, his hair damp, and Renji had seen this so many times before but he still loved every second of it. That was a good one.
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"Ho ho, success!" Urahara cheered while smirking. Finding the dusty antidote bottle had been tricky, considering even with three assistants the shop's storeroom wasn't the tidiest of places. Still, it seemed to have been just as effective as he had remembered, as he watched the hollow-made fluid run smoothly off the shihakusho on his table and into a vial he'd prepared.

No harm in collecting the aphrodisiac for, well, further examinations, after all. He continued grinning as he capped the vial and drew a big X over it with his favorite marker. He quickly slipped it into his pocket and then straightened, picking up the bottle of the antidote. Going to need a lot more of this, and with Tessai off to alert the shinigami…

Oh well. "Off to work!"
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They somehow managed to lie down, splayed on the bed. The pleasure singing in Renji's veins had already drained, but now Renji found all his energy had drained with it.

Still, he was caught in a state between exhaustion and exhilaration, and as long as Ichigo was lying next to him, there was no chance of falling asleep. Whenever Renji would close his eyes he'd just picture them fucking around the apartment (damn, he'd love to take Ichigo in front of the mirror, or maybe against his desk - the height would be about right).

He forced his eyes to open, taking in deep breaths. Slowly, he stretched out his limbs, rolling his shoulders pleasingly. That was definitely a good one. He looked over at Ichigo and was startled to find the other man already zeroing in on him.

Renji chuckled, pushing Ichigo away when he leaned in to kiss him. "Can you sleep now?"

Ichigo grumbled. "Can you just shut up and kiss me?"

Honestly? "No."

It felt strangely like admitting defeat, but Ichigo's scowl was just priceless, so whatever. "Why the hell-"

Renji rolled off the bed abruptly, getting on unsteady feet and opening the window of the now stuffy apartment. The breeze was a blessing on his sweaty skin, and there was a grin on his lips when he looked over at Ichigo again. "You fucking drained me is why. I need to refuel." Looking more closely, he uttered a curse. Ichigo looked like he could barely stand.

"And you could use some food, too." He reached out to pull the disgruntled Ichigo from the bed; after only a moment he seemed fairly content, leaning on Renji more heavily than necessary. He placed his hands around Renji's waist as they swayed towards the little kitchen area.

Of course, then he leaned up and ran his tongue over the shell of Renji's ear, whispering, "I'd much rather eat-"

"Ichigo, I'm serious." It took all his self-control, but finally they made it. He detached from Ichigo's hold almost defiantly and turned towards a random cabinet, scrabbling inside for something sweet. Ichigo was tapping his fingers on the small countertop, obviously restless. Renji stifled a chuckle. They'd damn well better refuel, considering they probably wouldn't get any sleep tonight. It gets in the way of having sex, anyway.

Suddenly, Ichigo stopped his tapping and gasped. "Hey, could you-"

"Fuck you against the sink?"

He could practically hear the leer as Ichigo said, "If you don't mind."

Since you asked so nicely… Renji shook his head and refocused on the task, pulling out a giant cereal box and some chocolate. The former should be sweet. As for the latter, well, maybe he could get Ichigo to - stop it; you're supposed to be the clear-headed one here. "Maybe later."
________________________________________________________________

Renji did fuck him against the sink.

The desk was christened too, and he even got Ichigo on all fours right on the floor. By the time they crashed on the bed again, Renji had proclaimed this night one of the best nights of his life. Twice.
________________________________________________________________

The next day, Urahara found two dirty, tangled men sound asleep in Ichigo's apartment, though not on the bed. They were both nestled in Ichigo's chair, the smaller man resting in Renji's lap, cheek pressed against his tattooed collarbone. They were concealed by blankets from the waist down, with Renji's arms wrapped around Ichigo's hips on top of that.

At first Urahara thought the redhead was trying to keep Ichigo, or maybe the blanket, in place, but the soft snoring filling the room meant… well, he was just holding him tightly - protectively - even while asleep.

"My, my…" Urahara muttered into his fan, observant as ever. Waking them up wasn't an option, now. He'd just have to tease them about all of this tomorrow.

He walked stealthily across the room and placed the antidote bottle on the desk, then turned around just as quietly and left. Considering how much of the aphrodisiac he'd managed to collect, and what a fortune it would surely make, the least he could do was let them have one hell of a morning.
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As always, comments about what you liked and what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

-WriterX, babyluw, and spikykun

Act 10: Stuck Indoors

2009-11-21T05:24:37Z

A/N: This particular Act came into existence centered around a particularly delicious mental picture that figaro_figaro shared with me. Thanks, sis - I hope you think it's found a good home. :D Ha! And I've finally figured out how to make LJ people icons! *does happy dance*

Much love to my super hero beta reader gwoman for helping me figure out how to explain to everyone else what I see in my head!

Warnings: Fluff, bad language, dirty talkin', explicit good sex (yaoi), adult toys!

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?
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Missed Act 9? Click here.

Ichigo woke up slowly, first noticing the little breeze on his forearm, which was currently thrown over his eyes. As he let his arm slide to the side, Ichigo closed his eyes and then opened them again, his blurry gaze taking in the stripes of light that shone through the shutters and then decorated the futon he lay on.

He blinked again and his eyes focused on the large hand he could see splayed across his stomach. Ichigo could feel his breathing pick up as his gaze traveled from that hand up the strong, tattooed arm and finally to Renji’s face. An odd tightness settled in his chest and Ichigo cursed himself for being such a sap at the same moment that he admitted to himself that he loved the redhead so much it felt as if his heart would be crushed under the weight of it.

Shifting to his side, Ichigo noticed that the thin sheet that had been covering them was mostly down at their feet now. It had been too hot to sleep in anything else. The two of them had decided to nap through the hottest hours of their afternoon off after a long sparring session this morning, and then meet up with their friends later. It was still hot, Ichigo decided, but the occasional breeze coming in through the shutters kept it from being too unpleasant.

Ichigo leaned in slowly, caught up the red strands of hair that had fallen across Renji’s cheek, and then tucked them up behind his ear. The redhead appeared to be dreaming about something, and the smaller man just watched his face for a moment, tracking the movement of his eyes behind his eyelids. Seemingly unable to stop himself, Ichigo bent his head and kissed softly along Renji's jaw line. The redhead shifted a little and murmured something in his sleep that could perhaps have been words. Ichigo smiled against the other man's skin and then ran his tongue from the corner of Renji's jaw to his neck and began to kiss his way down the tattoos there.

He could feel his cock start to stir as he breathed in the redhead's scent and felt his lips met by warmth and a slow, steadily beating pulse that Ichigo couldn't resist licking and sucking gently on. Renji sighed in his sleep and pushed his head back further into the pillow so that Ichigo was now presented with a long, delicious expanse of neck and strong, corded muscle.

Ichigo had to pull back a little and just force himself to breathe for a minute because he felt so swamped by the waves of desire and love washing over him. He'd thought...well, he hadn't been sure what to expect when he’d come to visit Soul Society to...to live with Renji for a month. Just the enormity of the idea seemed to stop him for a moment even now. His thoughts picked back up after a second or two, and Ichigo considered how worried he'd been that Renji would drive him crazy, or vice versa, and that they'd fight the entire time. OK, well, they'd certainly had a couple of fights, but on the whole...

Fuck, Ichigo thought as he focused on Renji's face once more, on the whole I never want to leave again. True, he'd gotten bored after his first couple of days with nothing to do but poke around, so he'd requested to be put to work. Fortunately, there were a lot of people on vacation during the summer, so he'd been spending his days substituting for various seated and non-seated members of many of the Gotei 13, wherever the most help was needed. He'd learned more than he ever wanted to know about paperwork, but he'd also been involved in planning, executing, and participating in drills, figuring out where things were kept, requisitioning needed supplies from stores, and all sorts of other things he hadn't known about that kept the Gotei 13 running.

Then he’d come home in the evening...and Renji was there. Sure, there had been the odd day when one or the other of them was late, and the day when Renji's squad had been called to the living world to take care of a disturbance involving a gillian, but otherwise the redhead was there, filling up his quarters with his big voice and body and his infectious grin. Usually, they liked to try to eat not long after they got back from work, but sometimes they just couldn't wait to get hold of one another and Ichigo would find himself twisting with pleasure as Renji made him come, or watching with wide, avid eyes as the redhead came. Dinner just didn’t seem as important.

Of course he'd never admit it to anyone, but Ichigo had become addicted to waking up with the usual addled confusion of trying to throw off sleep only to realize he was completely wrapped up by Renji. Those tattooed arms would be snaked around him, holding him tightly, and those strong legs would be straddling his, or one powerful thigh would have slid between his own.

It had all been so amazingly good that Ichigo had given up trying to fight it, to hold his usual defenses up, and decided he'd just enjoy it because one month really wasn't all that long anyway, unfortunately. So, after he blinked a few more times, Ichigo leaned in again, breathed that familiar scent, and began work on the hollow in the base of Renji's throat, tracing the outlines with his tongue and then slowly sliding into it back and forth.

As he did, an idea started to form in Ichigo's mind, and he could feel a little smirk settle on his lips as he looked up into Renji's face. The redhead was starting to stir and Ichigo bent back to his neck, biting down a little this time, just the way Renji liked, in order to wake him up faster. Ichigo's groin tightened as he heard the redhead gasp in his sleep and then felt him shift his body.

By the time he looked at Renji's face again, Ichigo couldn't hold back a tiny smile as he watched the redhead's eyes open. When Renji blinked a few times and then really fixed his eyes on Ichigo, however, the smaller man drew in a shaky breath and found himself thinking that somehow there wasn't enough air in the room. He kept expecting to get used to the sensation, thinking that they'd been together for over a year and a half, realizing that many other people get tired of their boyfriends or girlfriends in much less time than that, but still there were times like these when Ichigo found himself nearly undone just by a look from Renji. Ichigo knew he was probably blushing as he returned the gaze, but the redhead just gave him a sleepy smile and pulled their bodies together.

“Someone woke up in a good mood,” Renji said as his thigh rubbed against Ichigo's half-hard cock.

Ichigo leaned in and kissed the redhead, his lips only lightly touching the other man's. By the time he drew back, the look in Renji's eyes told Ichigo that the redhead had tuned into what he was feeling. But he just returned Ichigo’s glance as if waiting, slightly smiling as he wrapped his arms around the smaller man's back.

“Hey, Renji,” Ichigo started, after clearing his throat to try to dislodge the huge lump that had settled in it. “Do you remember what you told me a while back? When you said you'd be willing to lie still for me?”

Suddenly, Ichigo thought Renji's eyes looked darker. “Yeah, I remember. Why? Do you want to do that?”

“Yeah,” Ichigo replied, his voice now several tones lower than it had been. “How about right now?”

Renji grinned slyly. “Oh really? OK, how do you want me?” he asked as he stretched a little to help himself wake up.

“How about like that?” Ichigo asked as the redhead pulled both arms back over his head. “Is that comfortable enough?”

“Sure,” Renji replied as he found a good position and settled into the pillows, watching Ichigo as he did.

The smaller man found that his breathing was already starting to get a little out of control as he ran his eyes over Renji's outstretched form. The stripes of light from the window seemed to compete with the tattoos, and Ichigo found that he wanted to trace each line with his tongue.

“One more thing,” Ichigo said, amazed that somehow he'd found his voice. “Spread your legs for me.”

Renji smiled as he did, easing his legs open as he looked at the smaller man. “Only for you, Ichi.”

Ichigo couldn't help grunting as his cock twitched at hearing that and as he watched the redhead open himself up. “Fuck, Renji,” Ichigo muttered, then began running his hands up the redhead's thighs, causing Renji to shudder.

“So damned gorgeous,” Ichigo murmured. He sounded sort of stunned, but he finished eyeing Renji up and down and then continued. “Every fucking inch of you.”

He squeezed Renji's cock once, and reveled in the deep moan that resulted. Renji gazed back up at Ichigo a moment later with a challenging look.

“Prove it,” he said with a smirk, and the heat in his eyes made the younger man squirm.

Ichigo almost growled as he pushed his body up against Renji's and gave him a rough kiss. He was panting as he pulled back a moment later, but he was determined to keep himself under control so that he could give Renji everything he knew the other man liked.

“You're on,” Ichigo replied, his voice low and hoarse. “Maybe I should have gagged you,” he muttered as if to himself as he moved to suck on Renji's collarbone.

“No way,” Renji said in a definite tone of voice, then added in a lower, slyer tone, “Besides, I know you like hearing me run my dirty mouth.”

He finished that with a buck of his hips that brought their cocks together. Ichigo hissed in surprise and then nipped the redhead's collarbone before he looked him in the eye. “Hey, calm down, would you? Aren't you supposed to be acting like you're tied up?”

“Sorry, I forgot,” Renji replied, trying to appear repentant, but there was something around the corners of his mouth that spoiled it.

Ichigo sighed but couldn't help smiling in response. He looked beside Renji's head a moment later, though, his attention caught by the movement of the other man's arms as he breathed. Suddenly overcome with the urge to lick those tattoos because he couldn't remember ever having done so before, Ichigo moved to straddle Renji's waist and bent his lips to the redhead's upper arm.

“What are you-” Renji started, but cut off his own words with a gasp.

Ichigo traced the dark marks with his tongue, sliding further up the redhead's arm to taste each one and then licked lazily up to tease the crook of his lover's elbow. By the time Ichigo was ready to move on to the redhead's left arm, Renji was shuddering and panting underneath him. After Ichigo had slowly traced his way up his lover’s other arm and was sucking on the skin on the inside of Renji's elbow, he had to stop when he heard a low moan.

Renji's eyes opened as Ichigo leaned back, and they were so amazingly dark that the smaller man just had to stare for a moment. He chuckled a little while later and slid out of range as the redhead moved his head forward a bit, trying to take Ichigo's cock in his mouth.

“No, Renji, just relax. This is for you today.” Ichigo slid his hands down Renji's arms and along his sides. He traced ghostly outlines of the redhead's tattoos and of the lines of light scattered across his lover's chest. Following with his mouth and more substantial touches, Ichigo sucked and nipped at each of Renji's nipples, ran his tongue along the other man's ribcage and then slid down to tease a hipbone before he looked up again.

Renji had thrown his head back and had been alternating between groaning and muttering curses, but when Ichigo stopped, he cracked his eyelids to look at the smaller man. Ichigo couldn't help gasping at the sultry look Renji threw him. With his red hair loose around his face, his dark, wild eyes, and the way Renji's body was completely taut, arched up for more, Ichigo almost choked at the sight.

“Fuck, just look at you,” he mumbled, his eyes still moving up and down the redhead’s frame. “I love it when you get like this. You get me so fucking hot for you I hardly know what the hell I'm doing.” He gave Renji a shaky smile. “I've got something special for you today. Do you want it?”

“Yeah,” Renji answered, and it sounded as if his voice were coming from somewhere far away. “I want it. Want you.”

Ichigo smiled again, trying not to make a grin so wide it split his face. “We'll get there, don't worry. First I've got to get you ready for it, though.”

Renji's eyes seemed to get even darker as he watched Ichigo's head move downwards. Ichigo licked down the length of the redhead's cock as he went by, causing a deep shudder to run through the other man. Once he was kneeling between Renji's legs, he frowned.

“OK, lift up a little,” Ichigo said as he grabbed a pillow and slid it under the redhead. “That's more like it,” he said as he spread the other man's legs a little farther.

The first touch of his tongue caused the same strong reaction he usually got from Renji. He'd been holding the other man's hips in anticipation so that he wasn't dislodged when his lover's whole body jerked. As Renji gave a long moan and settled back down to the bed, Ichigo continued teasing the redhead's entrance with his tongue, then chuckled a little as the other man started alternately cursing and disconnectedly talking dirty, trying to egg Ichigo on.

“Fuck, Ichi, yes...mmmh...fuck you feel good...shit, Ichigo...more, please...fuck!”

The redhead cut himself off with a low groan as Ichigo pushed his tongue inside. Ichigo closed his eyes as he stroked in and out of Renji slowly, thoroughly, and listened as the redhead started to come apart, getting even more incoherent. Ichigo loved being able to bring Renji to this state, and he ran his hand over his lover's stomach both to hold him down and to try to soothe the shudders that ran through him. Reluctantly, Ichigo pulled back minutes later and looked Renji up and down.

He was panting and shaking, but the redhead still managed to hold himself in place. Renji opened his eyes moments later, and the dark, questioning look he gave Ichigo almost screamed 'why did you stop?'

“Can't let you come until I give you your surprise,” Ichigo said, answering the unspoken query as he reached over to the head of the bed where he knew the lube was.

After slicking up his fingers, Ichigo knelt between the redhead's legs again and sucked in a heavy breath as he pushed the first finger in. Renji was laying back just watching the smaller man, his gaze hot and heavy, his eyelids flickering at the first deep thrust and then steadying as he continued to fix his dark eyes on Ichigo.

“You should see the way you look,” Ichigo said, and the next breath he took came in shaky gasps. “Fuck, Renji, you make me so damned crazy for you I can barely stand waiting another minute to be inside you.”

To try to distract himself, Ichigo traced the tattoos on Renji's chest with his free hand. They both moaned as he slid another finger inside the redhead.

“Fuck, that sounded good,” Ichigo said in a voice that was more like a groan. He mentally cursed himself and tried to rein his overheated body back in as he twisted his fingers inside the redhead, drawing more noises and broken words that made his groin twist that much tighter. The groan and the shudder he got when he stroked Renji's spot were unmistakable, and Ichigo smiled a little savagely as he rubbed it again and again.

“Ah...Ichigo...fuck that feels good...yeah, just like that,” Renji muttered. Ichigo felt there was no way he could tear his eyes away as he stared at the vision of the redhead writhing in pleasure under his hands, head thrown back with crimson hair fanned out over the white pillowcase, hips thrusting against his hand. The smaller man swallowed as he smoothly slid in another finger and stroked the redhead's spot more firmly, which gained him a sharp sound and a sharper arch to that tattooed neck as Renji threw his head back even further and smiled.

Ichigo cursed as he thrust into his lover a few more times, then drew his fingers out. Renji's intake of breath was shaky, and he cracked his eyelids open a fraction to look at the other man, his dark gaze hard to interpret.

“Close your eyes,” Ichigo said gruffly, his tone affected more by his difficulty with speaking at the moment, because he certainly wasn't annoyed.

The redhead didn't say anything, just let his eyes slide closed again and Ichigo could barely tear his own eyes away from Renji's heaving tattooed chest and widespread thighs to fumble through his little bag at the foot of the bed. Even though Renji had urged him to, Ichigo hadn't unpacked everything yet, one of the reasons being that he had been trying to hide this surprise from the other man. Finally locating what he was looking for wrapped in one of his t-shirts, Ichigo brought the new toy out. It wasn't particularly long, but it had a pronounced curve to it, and it made Ichigo smile just to look at it.

He put more lube on his hands and then applied it to the toy, carefully making sure it was generously covered. Ichigo slid his fingers around Renji's entrance for a moment, causing the other man to jump before he put the blunt end of the toy there.

“You can open your eyes now,” Ichigo told the redhead, then met his wine dark gaze. “I want to really see your reaction to figure out if you like this.”

Renji looked curiously at Ichigo from under half-closed lids, but his gaze was full of heat and adventure as well. Ichigo found himself sucking in a deep, gasping breath as he slowly slid the toy into his lover, watching the redhead's face change as he sighed and then panted, finally making a little noise in the back of his throat as Ichigo found his spot again. After stroking Renji slowly a couple of times, Ichigo smiled as he...turned the toy on.

The redhead's eyes flew open, and Ichigo watched as the expressions on his face went through shock and surprise to confusion to...well, Renji kept gasping as he threw his head back, and deep shivers continued running through his body.

“How does it feel, Renji?” Ichigo asked, unable to see his lover's face now and wondering if it was too much.

“Don't fucking stop,” the redhead responded, his voice low and urgent, and Ichigo felt nearly burnt as the other man turned back in his direction and fixed him with hot, dark eyes. “Fuck, it's...almost...too intense and it feels so fucking good.”

Renji's hips were bucking up to meet Ichigo's hand, and Ichigo thrust the toy in a little harder. “Do you want me to make you come like this, Renji?”

The redhead cried out, his hips seeming to move of their own accord. “Fuck...fuck yes, Ichi...mmmh...don't stop.”

The smaller man just stared as he continued to slide the toy in and out, caressing Renji's spot with long, firm strokes, unable to tear his eyes away from the incredibly seductive way the other man was moving. Ichigo was pretty sure the redhead had no idea what he looked like since his eyes were screwed shut, his head was thrown back, and his mouth was open so that he could gasp and moan. Ichigo felt himself getting unbearably hard as he watched Renji's hips thrust back at him, saw the long muscles in the redhead's thighs stand out as the tension in his lover wound tighter and tighter, gazed at arms where the tattoos stood out in high relief as Renji's muscles bunched up and his hands twisted together in an effort to keep his arms from moving.

There were just sounds coming from the redhead now, no words as he writhed under the strokes Ichigo gave him. At the moment when Ichigo shakily reached out to Renji, determined that he couldn't take much more of simply watching the redhead writhe and moan, his lover's eyes flew open. Renji called out to Ichigo just before he came, and suddenly it was Ichigo shaking as he stroked the redhead with a little more force and watched his lover come so hard that his whole back arched off the bed. Some time later they were both panting as Ichigo stopped moving and just looked at Renji, noticing that the splashes of come streaked across his chest reached all the way up to his chin. Ichigo started feeling like he was going to die if he didn't come right away, and he probably would have done so in seconds, jerking himself off as he knelt between Renji's legs and adding to the white mess already on his lover's chest, but the redhead's voice stopped him. Ichigo looked up to meet dark red eyes and realized he was being watched as well.

“Ichigo.” Renji's voice sounded low and cracked, almost as if it had been unused for a long time. “Fuck me now. I need you, please.”

The smaller man hissed as his cock jumped and he looked away, trying to rein himself in as he realized that listening to what Renji had just said had almost made him come. He shakily picked up the lube bottle and carefully applied it to his aching cock, not looking back down at his lover until he eased the toy out of him. Ichigo met Renji's eyes then, and he was glad he'd waited, because just the glance almost undid him. He slid inside the redhead and stopped dead, trying to hold back the urge to come for a little bit longer.

“Whenever you're ready,” Renji said in a low, sexy rumble, and Ichigo couldn't help but whine in response as he slid back out a bit, then pushed all the way inside his lover. “That's it, Ichi. Fuck me as hard as you need to. I want you to. I want you to come inside me as hard as you just made me come.”

All of the control Ichigo was trying to hold onto seemed to slip away as he listened to Renji, and he found himself making these needy groans in the back of his throat as he moved his hips faster, thrusting his cock into the redhead fast and hard. His sanity seemed to leave him for good as he felt his lover's hips coming up to meet his own, and Ichigo was grunting and panting as he continued to push into the redhead. Moments later, Ichigo howled, both in surprise and at the intensity as his orgasm seemed to hit him like a tidal wave.

Ichigo was still leaning over Renji on his elbows, panting as if he couldn't possibly get enough air, when his senses came back to him. Blinking a couple of times, he lifted his head so that he met Renji's eyes and saw that the other man was giving him a little smile, looking contented and mellow. Ichigo hissed at the oversensitivity of his skin as he slowly pulled out of Renji, and then he flopped to the bed beside the redhead.

Renji chuckled as he reached for the sheet that had been pushed to the side in a heap and cleaned his chest off. “That good, huh?”

Ichigo rolled his eyes. “Like you have to ask. The fucking things you say, sometimes...”

The redhead smiled at that, a wide, sly smile. “Yeah, you seemed to like it.”

“Yeah, well...how about you?” Ichigo asked, sliding closer and pulling Renji nearer by looping an arm around him.

Raising an eyebrow, Renji just looked at him. “Like you need to ask. How the fuck did you find out about...what the hell is that, anyway?”

Ichigo looked down at Renji's chest to avoid his curious gaze, his cheeks burning a little. “Well, I am a pre-med student, you know. One of my classes this semester is on human sexuality, and they mentioned that some men report that prostate stimulation can be much more intense with vibration, so, well, I decided to try it out. You know, in the name of science.”

He looked up with a cheesy smile to find Renji's eyes dark and intense again. “Fuck, Ichi, you talk about me running my mouth. I've got to see that.”

With a laugh that sounded more like a snort, Ichigo broke in. “Yeah, like that would ever happen. Usually it only takes about two minutes of watching before you're throwing the toy across the room and fucking me senseless.”

“Yeah, but you always seem to like it,” Renji breathed into his ear. Ichigo shivered.

“Yeah,” he responded, feeling another shiver run through him. He looked up at Renji and saw that his lover's eyes had softened, and Ichigo felt his chest get that odd tightness again as he swallowed to moisten his suddenly dry throat.

“Love you, Ren,” Ichigo said as his eyes dropped again. His voice was barely louder than a whisper, but he knew Renji had heard because his body was suddenly wrapped by the redhead's.

“I love you, Ichigo,” Renji answered. The two of them lay entwined, feeling each other's heartbeats peak and slow, and finally the redhead kissed Ichigo's forehead.

“Let's sleep for a while longer. We'll go out later,” Renji said, holding back a yawn.

Ichigo hummed his approval as he curled deeper into the redhead's arms and slipped into sleep.
________________________________________________________________

I almost forgot...here's your bonus...

If you were to look on the wall to the right of the bed, you'd find a copy of the Shinigami Women's Association calendar on the wall, open to August. The picture shows a shot of Renji and Ichigo from the side. You can see the redhead’s hands on Ichigo’s chest as he’s pushing the substitute into the corner of the elevator. Renji has a devilish grin on his face and a hot look in his eye, and Ichigo is looking surprised and maybe a little guilty…

If you'd like to see the yummy August calendar entry as drawn by the fantastically talented are_sensei, click here !

As always, comments about what you liked and what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

-WriterX

Click here for Act 11

Act 9: Stuck On-screen

2009-10-23T03:29:44Z

Amazing RenIchi picture!

2009-10-22T01:29:37Z

Let me start by saying that I didn't draw this! My kind friend, snowzapped, who just finished catching up on the Stuck... series I've been working on was inspired to draw the picture after reading. After bouncing around in my seat like a puppy when I saw it, I asked her if it was OK if I posted the link so other RenIchi fans could enjoy it, and snow agreed! So...

Smile for the ladies, kid

...enjoy!

-WriterX

Act 8: Stuck In Bed, Again

2009-09-24T02:12:47Z

A/N: This piece ended up being almost a paired one to Act 7 , so if you haven't already read that act, I'd recommend you read it before this one.

My super hero beta reader gwoman is the best! I am so lucky!

Warnings: Bondage, blindfolding, bad language, dirty talkin', explicit good sex (yaoi), fluff

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?
_________________________________________________________________

Missed Act 7? Click here.

“You've been holding out on me again, Ichi.”

He was still mostly asleep, but Ichigo's head turned a little to orient towards the source of what he heard. The undertone that sounded like a growl and the sound of the words murmured almost in his ear were magnetic and he could feel his insides start to melt and his heartbeat speed up. He let out a little noise as he shifted, as if the sound of that voice pleased him even if it seemed half a dream.

“I know I said I wouldn’t tie you up again if you did, but I decided to anyway.”

A shock ran through Ichigo’s body as the meaning of those words actually registered in his sleepy brain and he quickly opened his eyes to see…nothing.

“Oh, and I added something new this time,” the voice continued, and Ichigo swore he could hear the chuckle in the other man's words even though it didn't emerge. “I hope you like it.”

“Damn you, Renji,” Ichigo replied. He clamped his mouth shut immediately afterwards, however, because instead of sounding angry or even complaining, he realized his exclamation had come out breathy, almost inviting.

Trying to wake up and focus, Ichigo attempted moving his limbs, finding that his wrists were securely fastened together above his head and each ankle was tied so that his legs were wide open. After blinking a couple of times, he confirmed as well as he could that he was also blindfolded.

“Fuck,” Ichigo said after a moment, and although he'd originally meant to use the word to comment on what was going on and express his annoyance, it came out instead in a shaky, stunned tone because of the tidal wave of heat he'd felt sweep through him as he began to comprehend his current situation.

“I see you do like it,” Renji growled in his ear, and Ichigo whined a little in his throat because he could almost feel the weight of the redhead's stare on him as his cock twitched and came to life, and because he could never help what Renji's voice did to him in bed. It always sounded like pure sex to Ichigo, and he got turned on almost instantly when he heard it. He tried to fight his guilty excitement, tried to calm his now elevated breathing and heartbeat, but when he felt a little current of air float over him as Renji settled by his side, Ichigo shivered and was unable to bite back a long moan since he now knew he was naked as well as tied hand and foot and blindfolded.

Renji did chuckle then, and it was right by Ichigo's ear. He couldn't help but move his head towards the source, as if to try to capture more of the smooth, sweet sound that made the heat in his guts twist tighter. “Fuck, you look good enough to eat like this. It's all I can do not to reach out and take a bite,” Renji murmured, and then used his tongue to draw Ichigo's earlobe into his mouth to suck on it briefly before he pulled back a little. Ichigo let out an annoyed grunt at the loss before he could stop himself.

“There's one thing I want you to remember before we really get started,” Renji continued, soft and low in Ichigo's ear. “If you want to stop at any time, just say so and I'll untie you.”

“OK, but I'm not scared,” Ichigo replied, trying to keep his words even against his panting breath.

“Oh, I can see that,” Renji almost whispered into the smaller man's ear, and Ichigo couldn't hold back a little groan as he felt the redhead's breath ghost across the sensitive skin there. “Just so you don't worry, though, I plan to do everything I know you like. I'll keep going until you scream for me and beg me to make you come, but I won't let you until you tell me.”

“Tell you what?” Ichigo asked, confusion swimming up through his lust-hazed mind.

“What you started to tell me that day you came to visit me in my office.” Renji's voice was low and dangerous. “I've been waiting since then for you to spill it, but I think two months is long enough, so you're going to tell me today.”

“No,” said Ichigo slowly, feeling as if he'd been hit by an arctic draft as he suddenly realized what Renji was talking about.

“Oh, yes. And, I'm not even going to have to work that hard, because I know you want to tell me. You will tell me,” Renji continued, his voice low and persuasive.

“No, I...can't,” Ichigo said, starting to feel a bubble of panic rising in his throat. Because you'll laugh at me, you'll think I'm a stupid kid, you'll tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. Because you'll leave me. All these thoughts ran through Ichigo’s mind in quick succession, but then his brain firmly settled on the last and echoed it endlessly. Because you'll leave me.

Renji chuckled, the deep, rich sound sending sparks up Ichigo's spine. “Yes, you can, and you will. You wouldn't have mentioned it at all if you didn't want me to know, so I know you want to tell me. You will tell me.”

Ichigo licked suddenly dry lips and tried not to cry out upon feeling Renji turn his head and drag his lips along the inside of the smaller man's arm to the crook of his elbow. As it was, he was panting and whimpering as Renji licked at the soft skin, then kissed it with open-mouthed, sucking kisses.

“I love the way your body responds to me,” the redhead said, ghosting a hand across Ichigo's ribs and abdomen and chuckling at the resulting shiver. “And everything's going to be so much more intense, because all you'll be able to hear will be me running my dirty mouth, and the only thing you'll be able to feel will be me touching you. I'm going to make you feel so fucking good that you lose your mind, Ichigo, and then you're going to tell me.”

He had opened his mouth to protest, to say something, anything, but what came out was a gasp as Ichigo felt Renji's tongue lick across his bottom lip then dart into his mouth. Ichigo gasped as his own tongue wrapped around the redhead's; the taste of spice, sweetness, and a million other things he could barely identify that made up Renji's familiar flavor suddenly seemed almost overwhelming, and he used his own tongue to try to pull the other man's in further so that he could get more. He thought at that moment that it was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted, and Ichigo's chest was heaving for air when Renji finally broke the kiss.

When Renji pressed their groins together a moment later, and then the rest of their bodies as he gave a quick nip to the corded muscle along Ichigo's neck, the smaller man cried out as his body tried to push back against the redhead's. He groaned as he felt the bonds hold him back; he had only been able to make a very slight movement despite his feverish attempt. Something about being kept in place like that wound the heat in his guts tighter, and Ichigo panted and moaned as Renji's body slid slowly along his. The delicious sound of the redhead's chuckle was in his ear again as Ichigo's cock twitched against the other man's.

“I should do this for you more often. You really like being tied up, don't you?” Renji's voice was low and seductive, and Ichigo almost moaned again just at the sound.

He could feel a blush heating up his face in response, but found after a moment that he really didn't care about that as he felt the redhead pull back a little, and then those big, warm hands started moving up the inside of his thighs. Please, please, Ichigo found himself thinking as they moved farther and farther up, but then one was gone and he was trying to bite back a sharp cry as he felt Renji pinching one of his nipples.

“Fuck, you look sexy like that...all tight and shaking and arched up under my hands...and the blindfold...too bad you can't see yourself. I'm sure it would turn you on, too.”

I don't need to see myself, Ichigo found himself thinking. You're the one person who can turn me on like a fucking light switch. Your voice in my ear, your hands on me, your fingers in me, your hot body all over mine...Ichigo tried to clear his mind so that he could come back with a sarcastic comment, but the best he could do was whimper as he suddenly felt Renji’s fingers in front of his lips as he opened them to speak, then felt those fingers slide inside his now open mouth. Gasping, Ichigo quickly wrapped his tongue around those big digits and started sucking, feeling the heat roaring through him bump up another few degrees as he tasted the slick, salty fluid on them.

“Can you taste how much you're turning me on, Ichigo?” Renji asked, a pleasured rumble rolling through his chest as the smaller man continued sucking.

Ichigo somehow stopped himself from making a frustrated noise when Renji pulled his fingers back, but he couldn't help himself from moving his head forward to try to follow them. He did moan then as he encountered the redhead's lips in a kiss that pushed him back into the pillow. Ichigo's breathing sped up as Renji's mouth moved away again, thoroughly teasing his ear before sliding down his neck to his shoulder and lingering on his collarbone, licking and sucking in a way that caused the smaller man's entire body to twitch and shudder. Renji's hands were busy, as well, teasing his nipples, ghosting along his ribcage and down until the redhead's thumbs were drawing lazy circles up and around Ichigo's hipbones.

The smaller man couldn't keep still now, the heat in his veins scorching him as he twisted and arched in his bonds, letting out inadvertent little noises. He was thinking that his cock couldn't possibly get any harder until he felt a wicked tongue moving along his belly. Ichigo let out a long wail as he felt Renji lick up the pre-come he'd been spilling on himself. He gasped and moaned under the treatment, unable to stop his hips from trying to thrust into the sensation but tied too tightly to move enough to do any more than tilt them up.

“You look fucking delicious, Ichi. I could eat you all up, but that's got to wait.”

Ichigo wanted to scream then, asking him why, but somehow held back. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered that there was something he wasn't supposed to do or to tell Renji, but it didn't seem very clear right now, and it damn sure didn't seem important. Then, all of that was pushed to the side as he felt a slick finger playing near his entrance, and Ichigo almost wanted to cry with relief.

“Please,” he said, his voice low, cracked, and slightly desperate.

He moaned low as Renji slowly pushed one long finger inside him. Ichigo heard the redhead grunt with satisfaction before speaking again.

“Fuck, Ichigo, you always feel so good, so hot and tight around me. And those noises you make when I'm inside you make me fucking crazy.”

Ichigo let out a groan he was unable to keep in at hearing that.

“Yeah, that's it. Let go for me, Ichi. Tell me how you feel.” Renji’s voice wasn’t as close this time, but it was every bit as low and persuasive.

“Fuck, Renji, it...nngh...feels too fucking good. I need more,” Ichigo panted.

He thought the shudders running through him would have thrown him off the bed if he hadn't been tied to it, and Ichigo could barely stop himself from shouting as he heard Renji chuckling and a second long, slick finger joined the first inside him. As it was, the smaller man was panting and twisting in his bonds now, his hips spastically moving, trying to get more. He couldn't stop the flood of sounds coming out of him - gasps, moans, and cursing. His cock was so hard that it hurt, but Ichigo craved more than just release then, he wanted...no, he needed Renji to fuck him.

“Renji,” he started, but then had to stop as coherent speech left him when the redhead slid another finger inside.

The heat was rolling through his entire body now, and Ichigo did feel unhinged as he lay there, convulsing yet held in place, moaning and almost sobbing as the feeling became nearly too good to bear.

“Please,” he tried again, his vocal cords feeling sluggish and almost paralyzed against the tidal wave of sensation drowning him, “Please fuck me, Renji.”

“Oh, I know you'd like that,” Renji said as he pulled his fingers free. Ichigo strangled a frustrated yelp at the loss. “I know you like it when I fill that tight little ass of yours, Ichi.”

Ichigo nearly choked on a gasp a moment later when he felt Renji's slick hand on his cock, one stroke up and down, and then it was gone. He shook as he grabbed onto his bonds, trying to hang on, feeling himself pushed that much closer to the edge.

“Just that look you get on your face when I fuck you and the noises you make...shit, I have to spend the whole time trying to hold back from coming before I get you off. Because when you do come you look so damned sexy that it gets me every time. Fuck, and how you look after I get off...smug and content like all you wanted was my come inside you...damn, it makes me want to do it all over again.”

The smaller man had lost track of where he thought Renji was, hypnotized by the other man's low, sultry voice and almost choking at his tantalizing words. But then, Ichigo's heart slammed against his ribs as he felt the redhead's hand on his cock, and then he half-swallowed a strangled cry as he was engulfed in Renji’s tight, slick heat in one smooth slide.

His heartbeat sounded so loud in his ears that Ichigo could barely hear the redhead's low moan as he finished settling all of the smaller man's length inside him.

“Fuck, Renji, I...fuck, I can't-” Ichigo bit out, trying to speak against the flood of sensation that was overwhelming him.

“Come for me, Ichigo,” he heard the redhead's low voice in his ear, and that was everything he needed.

Ichigo came hard and fast, barely able to move due to his bonds and the redhead's weight on him, and it suddenly loomed large in his mind as his release screamed through him that he was coming in Renji, his friend, his lover...the man he was hopelessly in love with. He realized as his senses began to return to him that his lips were moving. He'd thought he was just mumbling nonsense, but then he realized to his horror that he was saying actual words.

“I love you, Renji. I love everything about you, you big, stupid redhead. I love-”

He cut off the flow of words, slamming his mouth shut. Ichigo felt a trickle of sweat along his forehead now and just kept silent, so quiet that he was hardly breathing.

“Well, you sure are slow,” Renji said, chuckling.

“What?” Ichigo asked, annoyed in his confusion.

He had gone through this scenario in his mind many times before, and most of the time it ended up with Renji leaving. Occasionally in his imaginings, things had turned out well, but none of the scenarios he’d envisioned had turned out anything like this.

“Ichigo,” Renji replied, speaking slowly, “I come out to visit you whenever I can get leave to the real world, we spend all our time together when I'm here, we've been together for more than a year, and you're going to be visiting, living with me for a month soon – at my place, at my invitation. It never occurred to you during all that time that I might feel the same way?”

Ichigo was again glad he was tied to the bed, because he felt a little weak. He sucked in a breath, suddenly conscious that he'd been holding it.

“What?” he asked, stunned. Then, realizing he'd already said that, he continued. “You do?”

“Yes, dumbass. I'm just not very good at talking about these things. I figured you'd get the picture, but I forgot how dense you are.”

“I'm not dense. I...just want to hear you say it,” Ichigo replied, his voice dropping to a murmur after he paused.

Ichigo wondered if Renji had heard the last part, but knew the redhead had when he chuckled. “OK. I love you, Ichigo, you idiot.”

“Bastard. You shouldn't have waited so long to tell me.”

“Moron. You should have figured it out.”

“You-” Ichigo began and then stopped on a gasp as he felt Renji tighten around him. Suddenly, the heat he'd forgotten about came blasting back through his veins and he shook and moaned under the intensity of it. He had been starting to go soft, but now he could feel his cock stiffening and twitching again.

“Fuck, Renji, please, you've got to fuck me. I need you in me so badly. Please.”

Ichigo swore he could hear Renji swallow before answering. “Once wasn't enough, eh?” He felt like smiling because the redhead's voice sounded a little parched and uneven.

“It felt so fucking good, but it wasn't enough. You made me need you. Fuck, I've got to feel you inside me. Please, Renji.”

“Oh fuck,” the redhead replied, and Ichigo's breathing started to pick up even more as he felt those big hands on him trembling. “Fuck. Yes, Ichigo, yes.”

He stopped the redhead with a word as he felt the other man fumbling to get the blindfold off. “No, just leave it on. Please, just fuck me now, Renji.”

“Don't you even want me to untie your legs?” Renji's voice was low and rough, slightly uncertain.

Ichigo thought about it for a moment, remembering the delicious feeling of being held down while he came the last time. “OK, one. But hurry.”

He let out a moan that was halfway to a sob moments later as he felt Renji's length sliding into him, so slowly, so heartbreakingly slowly. It felt so good that Ichigo could hardly breathe, could only lay there with his knee pushed up to his chest and let out a little mewl of pleasure before Renji covered his mouth and swallowed all the other noises he made in their kiss.

That was obviously all the patience Renji had left because the pace he set once he began to move was almost brutally hard and fast, and exactly what Ichigo wanted. He felt as if all his nerve endings were on fire, as if he was being pushed to the raw edge of the amount of pleasure he could handle. Ichigo couldn't decide if he wanted to cry or moan, but he knew even through the haze that his mouth was working again, and he thought he might be stringing together line after line of how much he loved Renji and why. Somewhere in the back of his brain Ichigo was sure that he should feel embarrassed, but he didn't. He felt so good he was certain he had lost his mind.

Then Renji rolled him over so that his folded leg was held between him and the mattress, and now he was being fucked from behind. Ichigo's breath deserted him as Renji started pushing into him harder and faster. He started trembling over his entire body as he felt the redhead's large hand around his cock, and Ichigo nearly choked as Renji started stroking him, slick, fast, and just right. The entire universe seemed to dissolve around him a moment later, though, when he felt the redhead nip the back of his neck, then latch onto it with his lips, sucking and growling.

Ichigo wasn't sure how long his senses had left him when he came back to himself, but he could see again. Renji was the first thing he locked his eyes onto, and he watched in the near-darkness as the redhead's long hair swayed over his head as Renji worked on the bonds tied to his wrists. Once he was free, Ichigo moved to bring his arms down, and the other man looked at him on the bed and chuckled.

“Feel better now?” the redhead asked with a smirk.

Ichigo just nodded and grinned in return as Renji continued. “You know, Ichi, you've got to get better about telling me things. I mean, this was fun and all, but I don't want to have to feel like I’m conducting an interrogation every time there's something important that you're trying not to tell me. Why were you holding back, anyway? Where I come from, this would be considered good news.”

He bit his lip and looked away from the redhead before answering. “I just wasn't sure how you'd react. I mean, I didn't know how you felt.”

“And it never occurred to you to ask, or you thought you were going to get an answer you didn't like?” Renji tried to catch Ichigo's eyes, but the smaller man still wouldn't look up at him. Finally, he sighed and reached for Ichigo's chin and pulled his face up until they were looking each other in the eye. “Look, Ichigo, I'm not going anywhere. I've got your back. I plan to be around, so can you start telling me stuff like this instead of bottling it up and brooding about it from now on?”

“Yeah, I'll do my best,” said Ichigo, a little unsteadily. He was swallowing now against a dry throat and blinking more than he usually did, but found he wasn't thinking about that a moment later as Renji's lips met his again.

“Now finish untying yourself so we can get some sleep,” Renji said as he broke off their kiss. “I'm exhausted.” He grinned as he flopped down on the futon next to Ichigo.

“You? What about me? I was sleeping here, and someone shows up and ties me up and...and...” Ichigo finished untying the remaining sash around his ankle as he ran out of vocabulary and just frowned down at Renji, trying not to crack a grin instead.

“What? Ravishes you? Trust me; it takes a lot more energy to be the one who isn't tied up and moaning.” Renji was positively smirking now, and his voice was low and seductive again.

“Oh, really?” asked Ichigo, fighting the feel of the heat starting up in his guts again. “Maybe I'll have to try that theory out on you sometime.”

Renji had stretched out fully on the bed by now and had put his face into the pillow, but he turned his head slightly to look up at Ichigo with one eye. “Fine, but no tying me up. Sorry. I’m not into it. I will lie still for whatever you want to try, though.”

Something about the tone in Renji's voice when he talked about being tied up seemed to speak of horrors from long past. It made Ichigo bite his lip, sink back to the bed, and wrap himself around the redhead, holding him close. “OK, I won't. I will take you up on that offer, though.”

“All right, but later. Sleep now,” Renji replied, his voice already starting to sound sleep-hazed.

Ichigo was still smiling as he drifted off to sleep moments later.
________________________________________________________________

I realized I have to add a bonus in here, because I promised I'd describe these to all of you, someone was blindfolded during most of the story and it was otherwise dark...

The May picture from the Shinigami Women's Association calendar can be seen over Ichigo's desk, but I wouldn't recommend turning on the light right now. What you would see if there were light is a picture of Renji and Ichigo from the shoulders up. They both have their clothes back in place, and Renji's hair is up again, but they're kissing. Ichigo neck is stretched up to reach the redhead's lips, and Renji's fingers are threaded through the hair on the back of the smaller man's head as he holds the two of them tight together...

Or, if you'd like to see the May calendar entry as drawn by the lovely, talented are_sensei , click here!

As always, comments about what you liked and what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

-WriterX

Click here for Act 9

My first non-fiction post: Writing Game (created w/Babyluw)

2009-09-18T03:05:15Z

Have you ever wanted to be part of someone else's creative process? Did you start a yummy RenIchi or IchiRen piece that you're out of ideas on and would love help with? Do you have a story idea along those lines that you'd like to work on with a bunch of other great
writers?

Babyluw and I worked together to come up with this writing game, which she's kindly offered to coordinate. :D Let us know if you're interested in participating and/or if you have feedback after you read the following rules (keep in mind that we tried to keep the rules fairly simple, since this is the first time this game is being proposed)...

Rules/What to do:

1-Start a RenIchi or IchiRen piece; it's free to go both ways too! :D

2-You are free to write as long or as short as you want on it. There's no limit on how long/short the story should be, but it's to be a one-shot.

3-You are free to skip writing on a piece if you don't have the time or find the inspiration to do so, but you must write on the first one (the one you're throwing into the game).

4-You MUST pass the piece on to the next in line before seven days has passed. We will give everyone a complete list of writers so you'll know in which order to pass things on.

5-Keep in mind that the story should be finished before it would come back to the one who started it*. iow- no HUGE complex plot. If you get a story that you feel won't be done before it comes back to the one who started it, send a request for it to go one more turn - if people approve of that, it will.

6-Don't drive the story into a corner just because you don't have to dig it out of there yourself <3

7-It would be nice if you could leave a little sum of where you're heading - if it's not obvious/pwp (cuz we all know where we're going there >_>)

8-You don't have to follow the sum you get from the previous writer - that's the whole love of it all, you don't know how your own story will be finished ^^<3

9-The one who finishes the story will be the one to spell check and post it into their journal. When you post it, be sure to credit all writers who worked on the story. As for further posting into communities, you'll have to have all the writers' approval before you do that.

10 - We all write differently (first person, third person, past, future, diary style, and whatever); try to keep it in the style that the story started in - if you can't, change it in a way that won't´look weird.

11-When all stories are done and up, we will have a vote to decide the best one! :D

*Rule 5 - The part about it being finished before it comes back to the first person might change depending on how many writers participate.

We're also looking for beautiful betas, so if you feel like you possess that power and have the time and interest, please be nice and tell us. We will give your name to the writer who'll send their finished piece to you - we will of course give the writer's name to you, too.

If you're a writing beta- that's totally cool too! <3 Or if you (the writer) have a beta that you're already married to, feel free to use him/her too, if you want to.

Sooo...if you're interested in participating and/or beta'ing, comment below and let us know. If you have questions about how the game works or suggestions about how to make it better, please also comment below. I apologize in advance for any on my f-list who already saw the version of this posted by babyluw, but I wanted to make sure all our friends heard about this and had a chance to comment and/or participate. Oh, and much thanks to figaro_figaro for bouncing ideas around in my mind by discussion of one superfic to rule them all...I figured this game would be just like practice. XD

-WriterX

Act 7: Stuck in the Office

2009-09-04T00:36:56Z

A/N: OK, so this would probably be my late birthday present to Renji. Who doesn't need a birthday week, after all?

Yay for my super beta reader gwoman for helping identify where the visions in my head aren't coming through clearly for anyone else...

Warnings: um, angst?, bad language, dirty talkin' (I seem unable to write that with a 'g' on the end), explicit good sex (yaoi), fluff, reference/possible spoiler for episode 189-ish

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?
_________________________________________________________________

Missed Act 6? Click here.

Renji stared at the stack of paperwork on his desk and sighed. He had somehow managed to become stressed out and bored at the same time, and wondered why he ever thought this would be a good idea in the first place. The redhead was glowering at the pile of paper as he grabbed the next sheet requiring his attention, wishing that defeating it would be as easy as unsheathing his sword and cutting it into a million pieces.

Fortunately, something drew his attention away from the tedious task. The window and shutter had been open and showing a crescent moon rising in a starry sky, marking the fact that Renji had been in the office all day and would probably remain there for hours yet. Suddenly the window was slammed shut and the shutter was locked, and someone was standing near it, back to the wall, breathing heavily.

Renji was standing now, having moved by reflex, and he eyed the newcomer to the room narrowly until he sensed the familiar reiatsu and noticed bright orange, spiky hair.

“Ichigo!” he almost shouted in surprise, moving quickly to pin his lover to the wall, crushing their mouths together in a heated kiss.

Ichigo struggled under him at first, then let out a relieved sigh as he relaxed into the kiss and ran his hands up Renji's back. After a little while, the two pulled back and just looked at each other for a moment.

“You seem a little jumpy,” the redhead said, closely watching Ichigo's expression.

The smaller man grimaced. “I just spent the last hour trying to get away from Kenpachi and find this place.”

“Well, you can relax,” Renji said. “I didn't pick him up anywhere nearby when I scanned the area after you jumped in here. I keep forgetting that you're not always so good at reading reiatsu.” Then his face lit up with a big smile. “But I can't believe you're actually here!”

“Yeah, well,” Ichigo replied, his expression changing to something stony and dangerous, “I had something to deliver in person, Abarai-taicho.” He fingered the white haori that Renji now wore, and watched as the look in the redhead's eyes changed.

“Ichigo, I meant to let you know-”

“Do you want it or not?” Ichigo asked, cutting Renji off and grabbing the redhead's waist to pull the two of them together. Renji couldn't help letting out a low grunt as their groins came in contact, and he could feel that the other man was already hard.

“Hell yes,” the redhead said in a gravelly voice, his head dipping down to reach his lover.

“Good,” Ichigo replied, moving the last small distance to crush their lips together.

Renji allowed Ichigo to maneuver the two of them backwards as they continued to kiss ravenously. He was starting to lose sense of where they were until the back of his thighs hit his desk. Their kiss broke at the resulting jolt, and as Renji looked down, he could see that Ichigo's eyes had darkened several shades. Feeling his stomach flip in anticipation, the redhead smiled wildly and looked forward to whatever was coming next. He could tell Ichigo was pissed off, but Renji was more than willing to let the other man work it out on his body.

Ichigo seemed to be fighting to keep his expression somewhat blank, but there was a fire burning behind it all and his eyes were particularly scorching. “I want to fuck you on your big, new desk, Taicho,” Ichigo murmured, low and quiet, his voice seeming to vibrate with suppressed emotion.

“Now you're talking,” Renji said as he moved to sit on the desk, sweeping the remaining paperwork into the top drawer.

Gasping a moment later as Ichigo yanked his kimono open and pushed the sleeves back over his shoulders, Renji felt himself shuddering as the other man licked and sucked his collarbone and then trailed up his neck. The high, sharp sound Renji made as Ichigo latched onto his neck just behind his ear and sucked and teased the skin there was completely involuntary. Renji was panting now and moved closer to the edge of the desk to wrap his legs around Ichigo's, trying to move their groins closer together.

Finally, Ichigo raised his head and then slammed their mouths together again. Renji groaned at this, feeling a spike of heat as the other man's tongue forced its way into his mouth and tasted him thoroughly, leaving him breathless. He realized Ichigo had been busy during that time as he felt the sash around his waist loosen.

“Lift your ass up,” Ichigo growled as he broke the kiss and stared at Renji with eyes that seemed all pupil.

Renji leaned back on his hands as Ichigo quickly pulled off his hakama and everything else until he was completely naked. He relaxed on the desk, leaning back on an elbow and bringing one knee up as he spread his legs, watching Ichigo's reactions closely. The younger man's dark eyes took him in hungrily, but there were also flashes of sadness and anger there. Renji almost sighed as he started to sit up to move towards Ichigo, but instead he let out a surprised noise as the smaller man grabbed his thighs and pulled him along the smooth, polished wood to the edge of the desk.

“Come here,” Ichigo said as he dragged the larger man forward, and then bent his head to Renji's chest.

A low moan broke from the redhead's throat as Ichigo sucked and bit at his nipples, pulling them with his teeth much more roughly than he usually did. Ichigo traced the tattoos on Renji's chest downwards with his tongue, finally coming to rest on his left hipbone.

“Fuck,” Renji muttered, low and breathless as Ichigo bit down. He was unable to hold back a moan as Ichigo licked down the crest of bone to the soft skin on his belly and started sucking hard. Renji panted, watching his own hips try to jerkily thrust up into Ichigo's mouth, and then let out a long groan due to the feeling of his movements being held in check by the other man's hands.

Shuddering as Ichigo moved to his other hip to give it the same treatment, Renji found one of his hands moving down to touch his own cock. Ichigo didn't stop what he was doing but caught Renji's wrist and moved it back down to his side. A corresponding shiver ran through Renji's body at the rumble that came from Ichigo's throat, and he found his eyes on the smaller man's reddened lips as his lover lifted his head.

“Just relax, Taicho,” Ichigo said, his voice low and commanding. “I'll take care of this.”

Renji felt a dizzying surge as he noticed that the other man's breathing was every bit as quick and labored as his own. He was too distracted by that to be able to have any control over the gasp and low moan he let out when Ichigo sucked his cock in, and Renji watched as the smaller man's head bobbed up and down twice. Ichigo let go of the redhead's cock with his mouth then, but licked it a few times carefully, his tongue moving over the head in long strokes, licking at the slit to catch the leaking pre-come.

“Fuck, Ichi,” Renji said unsteadily as Ichigo's head moved away from his cock. “I need more, please.”

“Oh, don't worry, Taicho,” Ichigo replied, his eyes still dark and dangerous. “I'm going to give you more right now.”

The redhead gasped again as Ichigo knelt by the desk then shoved his hands under Renji, one on either cheek, spreading him open. A moment later, a strangled sound caught in Renji's throat as he felt Ichigo's tongue sliding along the sensitive skin under his balls, and he had to hold back a shout as he felt that wet muscle teasing his entrance.

“Ichigo…ah…fuck yes,” Renji said, squirming under the wet touch even as Ichigo's hands held him in place. “Lick me good. Fuck, that feels amazing.”

He continued to writhe in Ichigo's hands and swear and groan as the other man licked and teased him. Renji could never help it; whenever Ichigo would do this to him it would always reduce the redhead to simply feeling and muttering, spitting out curses and lewd suggestions. Renji could feel his body squirming, trying to get more leverage so that his hips could thrust up, but between his awkward position at the edge of the desk and Ichigo's grip on his ass, he had to stay in place and it was driving him crazy. He knew he shouldn't be so loud, that even though the evening was advancing someone might still be in the building, but with the constant stimulation of Ichigo's tongue teasing him, Renji couldn't help his obscene words or the increasing volume of his grunts and moans.

“Fuck, Ichigo, where did you learn to-” Renji cut himself off with a loud moan as he felt something long and slippery slide inside him. “Fuck, Ichi! Yeah, that's it. Fuck me with your tongue.”

Renji couldn't help squirming and groaning, trying to thrust himself further forward as Ichigo continued to stroke into him. After a few moments of this, however, Renji started trying to gather his shattered thoughts. He realized he was going to have to do something before Ichigo got him to the point where he was bellowing like a water buffalo. Someone was bound to notice that. Actually, Renji thought, the only time any of the neighbors at Ichigo's place had complained about them had been the first time the other man had tried this on him. The only people who had been home that day lived on the far end of the hall. The note they'd left had been polite enough, but still...

He recalled how pleased Ichigo had been with his discovery that day, to the point where Renji had felt the other man's sly laughter vibrating against his most sensitive skin. Compared to today, the only thing the redhead could feel shaking was one of Ichigo's hands against his ass, as if was he was fighting in order to hold himself back from saying what was on his mind. Renji felt his heart clench painfully as he mentally contrasted the two occasions.

Struggling against the onslaught of strong sensations and the desire to have Ichigo continue until he was no longer able, Renji tried to move things along to get the other man to start talking. “Ichigo, fuck me. I need to feel you in me. I want to touch you. You're making me so fucking crazy, Ichi. Please, fuck me now.”

Renji panted as he watched Ichigo straighten up and paid close attention to the other man's reactions. The redhead's heart sank as he saw the pain still in the younger man's eyes, but he had to smile a little as he saw the obvious lust there, too. His face grew serious as Renji continued to watch Ichigo and realized that whatever anger had carried the other man this far seemed to have abandoned him, and that his expression was wide open, confusion and hurt evident.

Come on, Ichi, tell me what you want, Renji thought as he waited, now almost holding his breath.

“OK, Renji, but you've got to promise me one thing,” Ichigo said, his eyes wide and dark and his lips shiny and reddened.

Renji wanted to reach up and take a bite, but he sat up a little on his elbows and restrained himself. “Whatever you want, Ichi. What is it?” Please fucking tell me!

“You've got to promise,” Ichigo started, his voice breaking slightly, “that you'll let me know when important things are going on with you, Renji. I had to hear it from Uruhara that you got a promotion.”

The redhead almost cringed at the desolation in the other man's voice. “Fuck, Ichigo, of course I promise. And, you didn't have to...go to all this damn much trouble to get me to do it. I'm sorry, uh, for being such a fucking idiot and not letting you know what was going on. I'll try to make it up to you. Will you let me do that?”

“OK,” Ichigo replied, not looking at Renji. The redhead took that opportunity to pull Ichigo to him and kiss him thoroughly, covering his surprised squeak.

“Now, would you please finish what you started and fuck me? I need you, Ichi. I want to feel you in me. And, get those damned clothes off,” Renji growled, pulling the other man's kimono open.

“So impatient, Taicho,” Ichigo said, his eyes mostly playful and lustful now, but there was still a hint of the earlier pain in there, and it made Renji want to take it away however he could.

“You're not in my division, Ichigo. Say my name, please,” Renji asked softly as he leaned back on his elbows again, watching Ichigo strip.

The smaller man stopped for a moment, and then looked away as he answered. “Renji,” Ichigo said quietly, and the redhead felt his stomach contract and his heart pound at the sheer amount of emotion he heard there.

“Fuck. Say it again,” Renji said breathlessly, his eyes trying to search out Ichigo's.

The other man's eyes finally met his, and Renji sucked his breath in as he heard Ichigo call his name as if it were the only word he knew, the only one that had any meaning.

“Ichigo,” Renji answered, trying to put everything he was feeling into that one name, and he watched as a shiver passed through Ichigo's entire body as he listened.

The two of them were suddenly pressed against one another, mouths pushed together in a sloppy kiss in which they seemed to try to eat one another, their hands traveling everywhere. Finally, Ichigo was naked and Renji pulled back slightly, panting, watching the other man pouring lube into his hand.

“Ichi, just fuck me, you don't need to- Fuck!” Renji bit out, gasping at the rush of heat as Ichigo quickly slid two fingers into him, and then slowly began to move them in and out.

“Are you sure?” Ichigo asked, smirking at his lover and looking at him from under orange lashes.

“Get the fuck up here and fill me with your cock before I lose what little is left of my damn mind!” the redhead hissed as he reached for the smaller man.

Renji had managed to get hold of Ichigo and pulled him closer as the smaller man was thrusting his cock through his fist to coat it with lube. Then he did get up on the desk on hands and knees over Renji and started pushing into the redhead the moment their eyes met. Although Renji moaned and almost whined, he held the other man's eyes instead of letting his own slide back and fall closed like they wanted.

The moment Ichigo started to move was almost too much, and Renji tried not to wail with the intensity of the sensation, instead moaning and grunting at the rhythm Ichigo settled into.

“Ichigo,” he said after a few minutes, looking up with wide, feral eyes, “I want you to bite me again.”

Ichigo pulled his face back from Renji's neck to look at the redhead with a little smile and eyes full of heat, but then he just shook his head and moved his lips until the redhead could feel them against his pulse, then lower. When the smaller man did bite him a few seconds later along his collarbone, Renji's whole body convulsed and he held tightly to Ichigo.

“Fuck yes,” the redhead moaned. “Now suck it, Ichigo. Oh fuck, you're good with your mouth. Yeah, suck me just like that.”

Renji's hand moved to his own cock because now he wanted to come so badly he could taste it. “Yeah, fuck me Ichigo. Fuck me as hard as you can. I want to come, and I want to feel you come in me.”

He listened as Ichigo almost choked and let go of his collarbone. The smaller man's dark eyes met his for a moment and everything seemed to stand still until their lips met again and they were both moaning into the kiss, their tongues sliding and tangling as they thrust against one another.

Renji wasn't sure who started to come first even when he thought about it later, but whoever it was set the other off. The redhead was groaning as the first wave of his orgasm began to roll over him when he felt Ichigo start to come as well. Forcing his eyes open, Renji watched as his lover convulsed and moaned, felt as Ichigo's cock pounded into him and filled him. He watched until the body above him went still and then until his lover's arms started shaking because he was still hovering over the redhead. Renji moved one of his legs behind Ichigo's to push forward as he pulled the other man down to him.

Ichigo turned his head up to give Renji an annoyed look after he'd fallen straight onto the redhead's chest, but Renji just smiled. “So, are you still mad at me?” he asked Ichigo.

The other man blushed, and then a quick succession of expressions appeared on his face, including worry, hurt, and confusion, before he looked to one side, trying to hide his face. “Uh, I guess not, but...why didn't you tell me, Renji?”

Sighing, Renji looked up at the ceiling. “You're probably going to think this sounds really stupid, considering where we are right now, but I honestly didn't think I was going to get promoted.”

“Yeah, right. Why wouldn't they make you captain?” Ichigo was scowling again, but Renji laughed.

“Well, thanks for the vote of confidence and all, but I really didn't think it was going to happen. I mean, it started as nothing serious. I was out with Kira one night, and he'd had, well, probably too many and started talking about his captains and what a bunch of liars and crooks they'd been. So, I tried to tell him that not all captains were bad, and I mentioned Kuchiki-taicho and Zaraki-taicho. He, of course, argued that one of them tried to get his sister killed and the other was crazy. I couldn't really say much about that, but Kira went on to say that he might consider someone a good captain if it was someone he already knew and trusted, like me. Of course, the subject changed after that, and I forgot about it. But when we were having lunch a couple days later, Kira asks me out of the blue when I was going to apply to be captain of the third division. When I finished spraying my tea everywhere, I told him maybe he should, and he said that he wanted to work under a trustworthy captain for a while so that he could maybe learn how to be one.

“I didn't take it seriously that day either, but he kept bugging me about it until I finally looked into what it would take to apply. Eventually, I went ahead and did what was needed to throw my name in for it. Months went by and nothing happened. That's really why I never mentioned it; what was I going to say – I applied to become captain of the third division and they're probably still laughing about it? Anyway, I was at work as usual this morning. Nothing out of the ordinary happened until Kuchiki-taicho showed up and told me to come with him. So I followed him and realized after a little while that he was giving me a speech about how to be a good captain. I wish I'd paid more attention because a few minutes later we came to Yamamoto-sotaicho's office and he told me to go inside. I went in, had my haori practically thrown at me, was congratulated on my promotion, and told to get to work. And that's where I've been all day.”

Ichigo snickered in response. “Well, it all makes a little more sense now.”

“How about you? How the hell did you get here, anyway?”

It was Ichigo's turn to sigh. “Uruhara's been bugging me for the past couple of weeks to help him test some new weapons he's been developing. I've been telling him no because I know what that means – trying not to get killed while he attacks me. That's nice and all, especially when I get to try to kill him, but I'm in the middle of preparing for exams. Anyway, the bastard shows up as I'm on my way to class this morning and asks me again. Of course, I tell him no, but he says that he has something he's willing to trade for my help. Then he tells me about your promotion, and says that he's willing to open a gate for me if I come to his place this evening and that he'll make another at midnight so I can get back home.” Ichigo sighed again. “So of course he knew I'd show up. And of course he opens the gate up right by Kenpachi.”

Renji looked down at Ichigo resting on his chest and narrowed his eyes a little. “So why did you come out here anyway? You weren't worried that I wouldn't want to see you anymore now that I'm a captain, were you?”

Ichigo scoffed at that and responded, “No, I was just mad at you.”

But his eyes slid away from Renji's, and the redhead sighed and leaned down to give sort of a hard bite to the other man’s shoulder.

“Dumbass. I thought you knew me better than that by now,” Renji said when Ichigo glared up at him, and then he captured the smaller man's lips again. When they drew back a few minutes later, they were still looking into one another's eyes. After what seemed a long time, Ichigo started to speak.

“Renji, I...” he started, but trailed off, blushing as he looked down.

“What is it?” the redhead asked, trying to catch Ichigo's eyes again.

“Nothing,” he mumbled, burying his face into Renji's chest.

It doesn't look like nothing, Renji thought as he watched Ichigo's blush spread to his neck and ears. OK, take your time, but you'd better tell me soon or I'll figure out a way to get it out of you.

“I think I know how to make all this up to you,” he said aloud after a few moments, bringing Ichigo's attention back to him. “Come on, let's get dressed.”

The two of them got cleaned up as well as they could, and Renji continued talking as they put their clothes back on. “Since we've got a few hours left, I'm going to take you to this place I know that's still open, and we're going to hold hands all the way there. I'll get you a drink if you like while we're waiting for our food, and you can sit in my lap, but we're getting takeout so that we can go back to my new place.”

“When were you going to tell me you moved?” Ichigo broke in, his voice annoyed.

Renji sighed. “I was going to wait until after your exams; I've only been there a couple of weeks. I got a place that's a bit bigger than my last one because I was hoping I could convince you to spend some of your summer break here.”

“We'll see,” Ichigo said, but he now seemed to be trying very hard not to grin from ear to ear.

“Anyway, so we'll get plenty to eat, because you'll need your strength,” Renji said with a smirk.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, since you came all the way here to mark your territory,” Renji replied, shooting a heated look at Ichigo and watching as the smaller man's blush came back with a vengeance, “I can't let you leave without returning the favor. Just wait to see what I do to mark mine,” the redhead almost growled, his eyes sweeping all the way up and down Ichigo's frame. “Don't worry; I'll carry you back to the gate later if you're too worn out to walk.”

Ichigo felt a shiver of anticipation run through his whole body as the two of them flash stepped out the door holding hands. “Pushy bastard,” he said, trying to make the statement sound anything other than low and breathy…and failing miserably.
________________________________________________________________

I realized I have to add a bonus in here, because I promised I'd describe these to all of you, and I couldn't find any way to shoehorn it into the story...

If you were to happen to look in the direction of Kira's desk (and really, who would with all the hot action going on at Renji's), you'd see a calendar tacked to the wall nearby, open to March. The picture shows Renji and Ichigo in profile, their faces close together with Renji smirking and Ichigo with a slight blush. It's hard to tell if they just finished kissing, or if they're closing in for one...

If you'd like to see the delicious March calendar entry as drawn by the wonderful, lovely, talented are_sensei, click here !

As always, comments about what you liked and what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

-WriterX

Click here for Act 8

Act 6: Stuck on the Phone

2009-08-19T03:18:04Z

A/N: I've always been the type of person to want to eat dessert first, and I can never wait to give anyone their birthday presents, so an early happy birthday to Renji! And, for any intrepid readers who read this piece despite all the warnings below, please let me know if I've forgotten anything that should be on the list...

I guess it was only a matter of time, but these two are really bragging about their past exploits in this fic...I think it stands pretty much on its own, but Act 3 , Act 1 , and Act 2 are they ones they're referring to, in case you feel like you're missing anything.

I give a big cheer to my superhero beta reader gwoman for helping me to make this story even better while fighting her way through the resulting nosebleed!

Warnings: (There are lots this time, so I'll punctuate them differently to make them more interesting to read.) Angst! Bad language! Lots of dirty talkin'! Questionable use of technology! Explicit good sex! Toys for adults! Fluff!

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?
_________________________________________________________________

Missed Act 5? Click here.

Ichigo growled at himself for trying to carry too much as he juggled a number of bags from the supermarket while trying to get his keys out of his pocket. Finally opening the door, he put the bags on the tiny counter and then threw his backpack off in the direction of his desk. He realized he was breathing heavily and didn't know whether to roll his eyes or curse at himself as he also found that his heart was pounding.

It had been one year. One year since that night he had agreed to go out drinking with Renji. Well, it was one year two days ago, but this would be the first day since then that he'd see the redhead, and Ichigo felt as if he were about to have a heart attack. He usually felt so happy for the few days before one of Renji's planned visits that his still-customary scowl was replaced by a goofy grin, which always seemed to freak out his classmates and family. But this time he was worried as well. Since he was a college student and didn't have a lot of cash, he figured he would cook a nice dinner for the two of them – something he didn't do a lot. But now, putting the groceries away, he was having second thoughts. What if Renji forgot? What if he thought Ichigo was just a silly kid for putting any significance on being together as long as they had?

He swallowed nervously, thinking about the fact that he still wasn't exactly sure how Renji felt. Ichigo tried reminding himself that they spent their time together as much as possible when Renji could visit, that Renji often let him know how much he liked to see him, and that the redhead sometimes called out to Ichigo while asleep and pulled him closer until they were completely entwined and Renji's overwhelming presence was able to erase the worry Ichigo felt for the other man when he was back in the Soul Society. But then Ichigo also remembered the times when the words he had only admitted to himself recently had been on the tip of his tongue but he'd held back, too afraid to tell Renji that he loved him for fear that everything between the two of them would evaporate and that he would never see the redhead again.

The sound of his cell phone brought Ichigo out of his thoughts. He scrambled to get it out of his pocket, then just stared at it as it rung a second time. The display that usually showed the number calling appeared to be broken; it was currently just showing some weird symbols. Ichigo mentally shrugged as he answered.

“Hello?” Ichigo answered a little absently, his mind already moving ahead to think about the meal he was planning.

“Hi, Ichigo.”

“Renji!” Ichigo found he couldn't even feel self-conscious about the excited tone in his voice, thinking that Renji hadn't sounded much less enthusiastic than he had. Then Ichigo realized that he rarely talked to Renji on the phone because the redhead only ever called if he was in town, so Ichigo asked, “Are you here?”

Renji sighed in reply. “Actually, that's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. There's going to be a stupid drill tonight and the person who was supposed to run it got injured on patrol yesterday, so I'm going to have to pull another shift.”

“Oh,” Ichigo said, looking down and knowing that most of the animation had left his voice but not being able to do anything about it. “I see.”

“That's why I called, because I knew you'd get like that, and I knew you'd think I forgot if I didn't call.”

Ichigo felt a surge in his chest when he realized that Renji had remembered, and that he seemed to think one year together was a big deal, too. Then, something else occurred to him.

“You're calling from the Soul Society? How the hell did you manage that?” Ichigo asked, looking at his phone suspiciously for a moment.

Renji groaned. “I had to call in a really big favor. Don't ask. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be there as soon as I can after I get finished running the drill. The second thing I wanted to tell you is that we've got, well, a little less than an hour before I have to get off the phone and back to work. Because I know you're not good at waiting, there was something I wanted to give you in the meantime, but you have to be willing to do what I say. Do you think you can manage that?”

There was a definite challenge in Renji's voice, and Ichigo snorted in response. “Yeah, sure.”

“I'm serious. Can you?”

“Yeah, sure I can. What do you want me to do?”

Renji chuckled low in his throat. “Is the bathroom door closed?”

Ichigo looked over at it and saw the full-length mirror, which meant it was closed. “Yes.”

“Good. Get the chair in the corner and pull it in front of the mirror.”

Ichigo did, thinking that the reason he'd gotten it was so that Renji could use it while he was studying, but the redhead rarely sat there. Renji usually napped instead or lay on the floor reading or playing with Ichigo's laptop until he got too bored and started seducing the smaller man or bugging him to go out. Ichigo examined the chair for a moment once it was placed; it was low with a flat seat and reclined back, the whole top upholstered with a cushion.

“OK, what now?”

“If you don't have that thing in your ear that you talk on instead of holding the phone up to your head, get it and put it on.”

“OK,” said Ichigo, rolling his eyes but getting his wireless antenna and sticking it in his ear, leaving his phone on the desk. “It's on.”

“Now, sit in the chair, but don't lean back. I want you to take your shirt off. Do it slowly and watch yourself.”

“Renji...”

“I thought you said you could do what I asked you to?”

“OK, OK,” Ichigo grumbled, “but this seems really weird.”

Ichigo felt his stomach tighten as Renji chuckled. The earpiece made it sound as if Renji were standing behind him, talking right into his ear. He forced himself to focus as Renji continued.

“You remember that time in the basement? You said you wanted me feel what you did.”

“Yeah,” Ichigo replied, remembering, his voice low and breathy.

“Well, I liked it. A lot. Now I figured it's your turn. I want you to see what it is I see that makes me so fucking crazy when we're together.”

Ichigo couldn't help the quick hitch in his breath or the shiver that ran through him. “OK,” he said, “all right.”

“Come on, take your shirt off slow. I want you to watch in the mirror as that sexy body of yours gets uncovered.”

Ichigo forced himself to observe in the mirror as he lifted his shirt up, watched as his pale, taut abdomen appeared, looked at his stomach muscles flex as he moved, saw the edge of his own ribcage appear. When he'd pulled the shirt over his head, careful not to dislodge the earpiece, Ichigo looked himself in the eye. His throat felt a little dry and he noted that his eyes seemed darker than normal.

“Looked good, didn't it,” Renji said in his ear, low and seductive. Ichigo felt a familiar stirring in his groin in response.

“Renji...” he growled, not sure how to respond and feeling kind of weirded out that he was getting aroused.

Renji just laughed in response. “Now, take your middle finger and suck it into your mouth. You don't have to get it all the way in there, but get it nice and wet. Make sure to watch. I love watching your cheeks hollow like that when you suck me. And let me hear you sucking.”

Ichigo was starting to forget about feeling weird and was definitely getting turned on. Listening to Renji's voice was a turn-on enough, but he couldn't help getting hot when the redhead talked like that. Slowly, Ichigo brought his finger to his mouth and sucked it in. He purposely made some noisy, smacking sounds as he sucked, and couldn't help a muffled moan as Renji growled in his ear.

“Oh, fuck yeah. Now, take that finger and run it over your nipples. That's it,” Renji said encouragingly as he heard Ichigo's low moan. “Now, take both hands and play with them. Pinch them a little bit, but not too hard.”

Ichigo hissed, and his head shot back as he did what Renji asked. “Fuck,” he ground out between his teeth, and finally let out a gasping groan as he pinched them a little harder and rolled them between his fingers.

“You sound so good, Ichi,” Renji said, his voice low and persuasive. “Now, watch yourself. I know your eyes are closed right now.”

Ichigo's eyes flew open, and he wondered how Renji knew. Then he studied them in the mirror for a moment and noted that his pupils were huge and also that his face looked softer, somehow. His breath caught a little as he saw his own long fingers pulling at his nipples. “Renji, fuck,” he said as he shuddered.

“You're hard now, aren't you?” Renji asked, but it didn't sound much like a question.

“Yes,” Ichigo replied with a growl, looking away from the mirror for a moment, but unable to stop himself from turning back.

“Good. Go to the bedside table and get some lube. There's a box in there I want you to find, too. It's a long black box with a red ribbon on it.”

After a few moments of silence, Renji asked, “Did you find it?”

“Yeah,” Ichigo replied after digging the box out from under a bunch of junk and looking at it for a moment.

“Good. Bring all that back over to where you were, and take your pants off. Remember, go slow and watch.”

Ichigo put the box and the lube on the floor next to the chair and then just stood looking at himself for a moment. His hair looked a little messier than it usually did, and his bottom lip was extra red where he'd been biting it. He had a slight flush over his face and chest, and he shivered as he unbuttoned the top button on his jeans then slowly pulled the zipper down. Ichigo had to bite his lip again to try to hold back a little moan of relief when some of the pressure on his groin lessened as he eased his jeans off his hips and down his legs. He stepped out of them and straightened back up, looking at himself in the mirror.

“Are you naked yet?” Renji's voice purred in his ear.

“Yeah,” Ichigo replied quietly, his voice a little choked as he watched his cock twitch in response to the redhead's voice, or maybe his question.

“Good. Now, sit down, Ichigo. Slide your sweet ass all the way to the edge of that chair. Come on, do it.”

Ichigo looked at his lip held in his teeth for a moment before he did what Renji asked and sat there, his knees close together. When he met his own eyes in the mirror, Ichigo noted a complicated mix of lust and embarrassment there.

“OK, now get some lube out, and don't be shy with it. Get it all over both of your hands.”

Ichigo sighed quietly, his nerves and arousal causing him to shudder slightly. Somehow just the act of opening the bottle awoke something in him, maybe because it was always something that happened before sex. His body obviously remembered, because by the time Ichigo was finished, he was fully hard and his breathing had picked up. Meeting his eyes in the mirror again, he saw that they were huge and dark.

“Now,” Renji continued, “I want you to spread your legs for me as wide as you can.”

“Renji...”

“Come on, Ichi. There's no one there to see you. Come on, do it for me. Please?” Renji asked, his voice a low, convincing purr.

“OK, OK,” Ichigo grumbled, but by then he realized he wanted to. Wanted to do it, and wanted to hear what Renji asked him to do next. That thought caused a spike of hot, guilty pleasure to shoot through him, and Ichigo took in a shaky gasp as he opened his thighs and slid back further on his tailbone because he was almost sure where Renji was going next-

“I know you get shy sometimes, so you don't have to watch at first, but slide one hand down your belly. That's it, past your cock, under your balls. Just play one finger around now. Not too much, just a light touch.”

Ichigo did watch his fingers move down his stomach, leaving a shiny trail, but looked away once they approached his entrance, his face suddenly burning. A moment later, Ichigo's gasp ending on a moan made Renji chuckle in his ear.

“You always like it when I do that. Now, keep going with that hand, but I want you to give your cock some attention, too. Just one good stroke, though, to get it all nice and slick, OK?”

“OK,” Ichigo mumbled in response, but had to muffle his moan a moment later as his fist closed around his cock.

“Let me hear you,” Renji said in his ear, voice low, rumbling, and vaguely dangerous.

Ichigo's only response was a long groan as he slowly stroked himself once. He was panting as he took his hand away and stared into his own wild, almost feral eyes in the mirror.

“Good,” said Renji, and his voice sounded smooth and low and sinful. “Now, you're going to want to watch this. I want you to take one finger and press it against that sweet pucker of yours. Don't push it inside yet, just wait.”

After a few moments of waiting, Ichigo was shaking, and a high, desperate noise made its way out of his throat. Fuck waiting, Ichigo thought, but before he could make a move, he just gasped as he watched his body relax and his finger start to slide inside. Renji answered his surprised moan with a low growl.

“Now slowly push your finger the rest of the way in.”

Ichigo found he was shuddering again and moaned as he pushed his finger in the last little bit. “Don't move for a moment or so,” Renji said low, and Ichigo closed his eyes, almost feeling the redhead standing beside him. “OK, now wiggle your finger.”

Convulsing as he gave a surprised moan, Ichigo opened his eyes back up and watched himself pant in the mirror as he listened to Renji's return groan. “Oh, yeah, Ichigo. You always love it when I do that. I want you to start moving that finger in and out, slowly.”

Ichigo could hear Renji's breathing now as he did what the redhead had asked, unable to stop the gasps and moans as he did. It just felt too good after all the playing and waiting.

“Does it feel good, Ichi?” he heard Renji ask through the haze.

“Yes. Fuck, yes,” Ichigo ground out, feeling as if speech was now a hard-won thing.

“Good. Slide another finger in.”

Ichigo found he no longer cared about the drawn-out groan he made as he complied, and his blood fired a little more as he heard Renji's moan in his ear as he pushed his fingers home and then out again.

“You always sound so fucking delicious when we do this. If I was there, though, I wouldn't be finger-fucking you. I'd be licking you. I'd have my tongue up inside you, and I'd wait until you were making those sounds like you're going to die unless you get some. I'd wait until you begged me to fuck you again, just like the first time. Do you remember?”

The best Ichigo could manage was a sharp sound, almost a wail. Did he remember? He still dreamed about it sometimes, and, oh, those were good dreams.

“Oh yeah, that's it, Ichi. Now slide one more finger inside. We need to make sure that sweet, tight ass of yours is good and ready. Keep fucking yourself, and twist your fingers together when you've got them deep in you. Fuck yeah,” Renji grunted as he heard Ichigo let out a deep groan. “A couple more strokes, and then stop.”

Renji chuckled as he heard Ichigo's frustrated noise. “I know, I know. I'm a bastard. But it's time for your present, now that I know you're ready for it.”

Ichigo stared at himself in the mirror then, watching as he swayed a little. He felt like he was just about out of his mind, and it was almost as if he was looking at someone else through the hot haze. A vision of long, tense limbs splayed out, with a flush over face and chest, and eyes that were half-lidded and looked completely black floated before him in the mirror, and Ichigo watched for a moment as the figure panted and shivered before he reached for the box.

For a long moment, Ichigo said nothing as he opened it and looked his new toy over. “Renji,” he asked when he finally found his voice, “why is it green? And it's big.”

The sound of Renji chuckling in his ear caused Ichigo's cock to twitch in response, and he watched in the mirror as a blush spilled over his cheeks. “I figured you'd like that better than hot pink,” the redhead replied. “Besides, it's a lot smaller than I am.”

Ichigo looked at the toy again for a moment with that in mind, then sighed as he found he had to agree.

“All right, now get some more lube and slick it up good. I'll have to imagine you're doing it to me, because I'd love to have your hand on my cock right about now.”

Listening to that caused Ichigo to moan and fumble a bit before he was finally able to get the bottle open again and get some more lube out. He was panting once more as he finished coating the toy with it, but his attention fixed on Renji's voice once more as he settled back in the chair.

“Calm down, Ichigo. You always get way too impatient when you get all hot and hard. Try to relax and lay back a bit. Start to push it in, but go slow. Trust me, you like it way better like that.”

He could only make countless small gasps as he slid the new toy in, moving it in and out as he needed to in order to get it to fit. Once he'd nearly taken all of it, it was like a revelation to feel it – and watch it – slide the rest of the way in, as if by itself, and Ichigo moaned low, and then again as he heard Renji's groan in response.

“Fuck yes, I knew you'd like it. Just wait a little to get used to all of that, and then I want you to start fucking yourself slowly.”

Ichigo waited for another moment and then moved the toy out just a little, then back in, his hips rocking as he gasped.

“Fuck,” he said, feeling a huge surge of heat.

“Oh, yeah,” Renji replied, his voice low and rumbling. “Fuck, I wish I was there to watch you fucking yourself. I don't think I could just sit and watch you, though. I'd have to touch you. Fuck, I'd have to slide my own fingers into you and then fill you with my cock. I'd get jealous of that toy I bought you because I'd want to be inside you instead.”

Ichigo gave a moan that almost sounded like a whine and sped up a little. Listening to Renji talk about what he would do if he were there was causing the heat in the younger man to rise higher and wind tighter in his guts.

“That's it, give it to yourself good, Ichi. You sound so fucking good. Fuck yourself as hard as you need to.”

Twisting and writhing in the chair as he did, the noises Ichigo made started to become louder and more desperate. He could hear Renji moaning in response as he got himself together enough to speak.

“Renji, fuck, I've got to come,” Ichigo said, low and cracked, through panting breaths.

“Wait just one more moment, Ichi,” Renji responded, low and intense in return.

Ichigo tried, but finally a thin, high moan of frustration slipped out from between his lips and Renji chuckled unsteadily.

“Now, Ichigo, now. Touch yourself for me. Make yourself come, and don't stop fucking yourself while you do.”

All Ichigo could manage was another groan as he grabbed his own cock in his still-slick hand and began jerking himself off. He might have been moaning or swearing or sobbing, but through it all, he could hear Renji's voice in his ear, egging him on.

Ichigo seemed caught on the peak, completely aroused but unable to come, until he saw something out of the corner of his eye. True to his word, Renji had gotten Ichigo a copy of that year's Women's Shinigami Association calendar, and January was open and tacked to the wall. Ichigo's mouth went dry as he looked at the picture again. It was a head shot of the redhead, a profile really, and Ichigo's eyes followed the sight of Renji's arched neck, closed eyes, open mouth caught in a gasp, and red hair spread out on the black carpet below him. The familiarity of it gave Ichigo a jolt in his stomach and he came hard with a drawn-out groan on his lips. He'd seen the expression that day in the elevator. Renji's cock had been in his mouth, and he'd caught a glance of that look as the redhead came.

Somewhere, swimming out of the darkness, Ichigo suddenly heard Renji groan, low and intense. It seemed to come from somewhere that had form and time and other things the smaller man didn't have a good handle on at the moment, so he struggled to make it back. As his eyes started to clear, Ichigo could still hear Renji in his ear, breath loud and unsteady.

“You just came too, didn't you?” Ichigo asked.

Renji laughed and then replied, “If you think I could just sit here and listen to you getting yourself off without having to take care of myself, you obviously think I have a lot more self-control than I do. How about you, are you OK? You went really quiet there for a while.”

Ichigo started to blush as he looked at himself in the mirror again, but found that he no longer felt very self-conscious about lounging naked in front of the mirror, even with the evidence of his previous activities still clearly visible. He felt pleasantly boneless as he half laid, half sat spread out over the chair, but he shivered a little as a draft came from somewhere.

“I feel good, just...a little cold.”

“You always do when you come hard like that. Get cleaned up enough so that you don't stick to the sheets and get into bed. Don't forget to ease that bad boy out of you first, though.”

“Renji...” Ichigo growled the redhead's name, the embarrassed flush flaring up in his cheeks again.

“What?” Renji asked innocently, but Ichigo thought he could hear a note of amusement in there somewhere.

“Just...shut up for a minute, OK?”

After following Renji's suggestions and trying to ignore his heated blush, Ichigo got into bed and curled under the covers and yawned.

“How much time do we have left?” Ichigo asked quietly.

“Hmmm...probably enough for us to talk while you're falling asleep.”

“'m not...that tired,” Ichigo replied, but then had to stop as he yawned widely.

“Yeah, but you usually fall asleep for a little while afterwards, anyway. So, I'll keep you company until you drop off.”

Ichigo blinked sleepily, his thoughts swirling through his mind and not really settling, but he suddenly heard his own voice again. “Renji, do you miss me when we're not together?”

Ichigo nearly bit off his own tongue as he snapped his mouth shut after saying that. He was swearing at his foggy brain and trying to think of what to say to somehow take back his blunt question when he heard Renji replying.

“Fuck, of course I miss you. Like the other day, I was just thinking of you while I was out with a few people for some drinks after work. Ikkaku said something funny, I can't even remember what it was anymore, but I knew you'd laugh like crazy. I almost turned to see your reaction before I remembered that you weren't there.

“Look, Ichigo, I know it's not easy to be with me sometimes and that if you were with someone from the living world that you'd probably see them a lot more often. I just wanted to let you know that I'm glad we're together, and I wanted to give you something in case you got too lonely so you could think of me.”

“Thanks,” Ichigo replied in a low, sleepy voice. “I like it. Don't want someone from the living world, though. Just want you.”

Renji took in a little surprised gasp, but then chuckled to himself quietly as he heard Ichigo's evened-out breath a moment later and the little almost-snore he would make when he just fell asleep.

“Have a good nap, Ichi. I'll be there as soon as I can tonight,” Renji murmured just before he hung the phone up.

It was hours after midnight when Renji finally slipped through the sliding glass doors on Ichigo's balcony. A cold breeze had followed Renji inside, and he watched closely when Ichigo shivered, his breath catching as those brown eyes slid open.

“You're finally here,” the younger man said sleepily, moving a little under the covers so that Renji caught sight of a tempting shoulder and collarbone.

“Yeah, I had to stop by my place on the way here,” Renji said, shifting a rather larger bag than he usually brought from his shoulder to the floor.

“What's all that?” Ichigo asked, rubbing one eye.

“Eh...well, I was looking at a couple of presents I wanted to get you, and I couldn't make up my mind. So, I got them all.”

“Renji!” Ichigo stirred agitatedly in bed, exposing a bare leg this time. “You didn't have to get all of that. I only got stuff to make dinner for us.”

Renji smiled, his eyes tracing the smaller man's thigh until it disappeared under the covers. “I don't have anyone else to spoil, so you're just going to have to put up with it. Besides, I know you're in school and don't have much money. So, are you naked in there?”

Ichigo smiled in return, but tried to hide it by pulling the covers up under his nose. “I guess you'll just have to find out. I was getting a little cold, though.”

“Oh, don't worry; I'll think of some way to warm you up,” Renji replied with a smirk, pulling his clothes off as quickly as he could manage.
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As always, comments about what you liked and what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Also, to see the yummy January and February calendar entries (OK, I'm adding February here as well since I don't have an Act for February and I knew you'd want to see this pic, too) as drawn by the fabulous, talented are_sensei, click here for January and here for February !

-WriterX

Click here for Act 7

Act 5: Stuck in the Produce Department

2009-08-07T03:29:22Z

A/N: I think the start of this idea came to me one day while I was eating lunch, and I happened to have some strawberries and some fresh pineapple. I advise everyone to try these two things together immediately. Yum, yum! Um, I totally blew my length goal this time, so this piece is longer...hope you enjoy it!

All hail superhero beta reader gwoman for helping me to make this story more understandable...I know what I'm writing about, after all, doesn't everyone else? (The answer to this is no...)

Warnings: Bad language, dirty talkin', explicit good sex (yaoi), and some highly inappropriate use of food.

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?
_________________________________________________________________

Missed Act 4? Click here.

“It's not my fault.”

Red eyes met brown as the two shinigami glared at each other.

“Well, it's sure as hell not my fault.”

Ichigo ran through the scenario in his head again. When they'd been woken up in the middle of the night by Renji's spirit communicator showing a hollow signal blocks from Ichigo’s apartment, Renji and Ichigo had both groaned, but decided they should make quick work of it and then get back to bed. Unfortunately, when they had gotten there they found out that the damned thing was the size of a small skyscraper, and fast. They hadn't been able to get it while they were in the air, since it was fast enough to either dodge their blows or snap for them before they could get a swing off, so they had decided that Renji would take one of its legs out and Ichigo would break its mask as it fell, causing it to dissipate before it hit the ground.

It should have worked. It had started well, but as one of the hollow's legs was removed, it had stumbled as it began to fall, knocking into a nearby building. Ichigo had been able to break its mask then, but the thing was so big that it hadn't disintegrated as quickly as expected. The hollow had actually ended up spinning as it fell, its tail knocking Ichigo and Renji into the now half-demolished building. A moment later, the hole in the building was sealed with a pile of rubble as what was left of the hollow slammed hard into what was left of the front of the building. A check to Renji's spirit communicator had showed that it was indeed gone, but now...

Ichigo sighed. “It should have worked.”

Renji shrugged. “Not much point in worrying about it. We should get out of here instead.”

“Hey, Renji, wait a minute-”

Ichigo was cut off, instead having to hastily back away as more rubble slid into the room after Renji tried to clear some away by snapping Zabimaru at it.

“Stop! What are you, an architect now?”

Renji turned, annoyed. “How the hell are we supposed to get out of here otherwise?”

Ichigo considered the question for a moment, then asked, “Isn't there someone who's supposed to be assigned to the town here? Why don't we call them and ask them to find us a way out of here? It would probably be a lot easier for them to see on the outside what might work, rather than just poking around at stuff in here until the whole building collapses on us.”

Renji glared at him for a moment before sighing and sheathing his sword again. “Whatever. I guess. Am I talking to the same guy who charged into Soul Society without a second thought, ready to take on whoever got in his way?”

Ichigo rolled his eyes. “I just figured this would be a really stupid way to die.” Ichigo's eyes flicked quickly to Renji, who was dialing his phone huffily, the way he did things when he didn't want to admit that Ichigo was right. And, Ichigo thought as he watched the redhead, I have a really good reason to want to live.

“Yeah. OK. We're a couple blocks from the substitute's place. No, you won't be able to miss us; just look for the messed up building and our reiatsu.”

Renji snorted as he put his phone away. “It's going to take them a little while to get here, since they're fighting a couple of hollows across town.”

Ichigo looked back at Renji in annoyance. “Why is it that whoever's supposed to be on duty here is never around? Especially on the weekends.”

Renji laughed. “Well, I've read one or two of their reports. Most of the shinigami that get assigned here warn one another to avoid you. They say you're too cranky and bossy.”

Ichigo glowered at the floor. Was he really all that bad? When he thought it over, though, he realized that the hollows usually seemed to arrive when he was in the middle of something else, so he was often testy by the time he arrived on the scene, especially if he ended up having to fight alongside someone who didn't seem to know what they were doing. Of course, Ichigo thought, it was good that not all of their interactions showed up in the reports. A blush colored his face as he remembered asking one shinigami who had said he'd just been stationed in Karakura if he'd seen Renji anytime before he left. The man had responded by smirking at him and replying that Lieutenant Abarai had seemed just fine when he'd spotted him on the training grounds the week before. Just something about his tone had made Ichigo want to kick the guy's ass from here to-

“Hey! What the fuck was that for?” Ichigo demanded, his hand moving to a wet, mushy something that had landed in his hair.

“You looked like you were getting too serious. Here, have a strawberry,” said Renji, throwing another at him.

As Ichigo caught it, he looked around again, this time actually taking in his surroundings. The weak emergency lighting showed the small corner of the building they were in that wasn't in rubble. There were no windows or doors, and they were surrounded by fruit and vegetable displays. Ichigo groaned.

“Shit! This is the closest supermarket to my apartment!”

Renji shrugged. “Well, I guess you'll have to find somewhere else to shop until they can fix this one back up. Here, have another. They're not going to be able to sell any of this stuff, anyway.”

“Why do you keep throwing strawberries at me?” Ichigo asked, glowering at Renji.

“I love strawberries,” Renji said, licking one before taking a bite out of it, then sucking any stray drops of juice away before taking it from his lips and looking innocently at Ichigo.

Distracted by the show, Ichigo let his mouth get ahead of his brain as he blurted out, “Well, I love pineapples.”

Both of them froze then, and the silence seemed to thicken as they stared at each other for a moment. Fuck, Ichigo thought, why the fuck did I say that? His mind reeling, Ichigo tried to think of a way to bring things back onto safer ground when his fingers happened on a mango that had been split into pieces by rubble impact. Desperately, he grabbed a sizeable piece and made a quick, underhanded throw that caused it to hit Renji's cheek with a wet slap, then slide to the floor. Immediately the mood in the room changed as Renji's eyes narrowed.

“Oh, you think you can defeat me, you little punk? We'll see about that,” he said, unsheathing Zabimaru again, and with a flick of his wrist, all the fruit within a yard radius of him was split or shredded.

“Bring it on,” said Ichigo, starting his attack with a bunch of grapes, which Renji dodged.

The corner they were in had been messy already with a pile of rubble near one end and a fine layer of dust over most everything, but it was rapidly starting to look like a disaster area from splatters of fruit hitting the walls and floors as Renji and Ichigo threw and dodged. The messiest things in the room by far were now the two shinigami; Ichigo's hair was dotted with red due to the number of strawberries that had hit it, and Renji had a number of big pieces of pineapple and other things stuck in his hair, which had come down sometime during the battle. Ichigo swiped at his face to get rid of the layer of sticky residue on it as he glared at Renji, feeling the uncomfortably wet, squishy something that Renji had managed to shove down his back when he wasn't looking. Renji glared back and tried to comb some of the sticky mess out of his hair with his fingers. Both of their uniforms had bits of mashed fruit stuck all over them, and neither of the men had conceded defeat yet.

Ichigo had decided to step up his attacks and was about to try to smash a handful of mashed up banana into Renji's face. He noted that Renji seemed about to try the same thing with a sliced-off section of a grapefruit, so he realized he'd have to do this carefully. But, as Ichigo approached the other man, he got distracted by a long, red smear that ran from Renji's jawbone down his neck between the tattoos there. Looks like strawberry, Ichigo thought as he managed to catch Renji's hand coming for his face. A moment later, he was licking the juice away with a broad, flat tongue, feeling the vibrations this set off in Renji's throat.

“Guess the strawberries are pretty good here,” Ichigo said, his voice deeper than a moment before.

He felt the slice of grapefruit drop from Renji's hand, and Ichigo let go of Renji's wrist. Thinking he had to taste Renji's neck again to compare with strawberry and without, Ichigo leaned up and slid his tongue along the redhead's jaw line from near his ear, then dropped down between the tattoos. It tasted so good that he had to sample the tattoos as well, so Ichigo sucked along the black, jagged lines, licking them as he did. The tattoos weren’t as sweet and sticky, they were more salty and spicy, and Ichigo lingered on them for a while.

Ichigo felt a little starry-eyed as he leaned back after a while to look at Renji, but the redhead was breathing hard, his head pulled up and back, and little tremors were running through his body. Licking his lips, Ichigo looked behind the two of them and smiled as he saw a sturdy-looking, circular display table. He nudged Renji back in that direction.

“Come on,” Ichigo told Renji as he cleared the table off with a sweep of his arm. “Sit down. I need to get you cleaned up a little.”

Renji did, then gave Ichigo a wicked, knowing smile that made the younger man's heart and groin jump. Ichigo stood straddling Renji's legs and bent to kiss the redhead, tasting the strawberries still on his lips. He pushed his tongue into Renji's mouth and gasped at the sweetness there, feeling he had to plunder deeper and taste more. Ichigo's chest was heaving for breath by the time he was able to break away, and he felt his cock twitch as he looked at Renji, flushed and panting, eyes dark and promising.

Ichigo pushed the redhead back to lie on the table as he knelt, one leg on either side of Renji. He couldn't resist grinding their groins together as he spread himself out over the other man, and a surprised moan was wrung out of Ichigo at the sharp intensity of the feeling. Relishing Renji's muffled groan, Ichigo moved to his face and licked the spot that had started it all.

“The mango here is good too, but I have to say I like this better,” Ichigo said as he licked Renji's newly cleaned skin.

The redhead tasted so good, of salt and sex and something tangy and hot, and Ichigo wanted more. He started on the other side of Renji's neck then, slowly ran his tongue down the length of it, then biting and sucking his way to Renji's ear.

“Fuck, this is good,” Ichigo mumbled into Renji's ear around gentle licks to clean the sticky juice off of it. “You're fucking delicious. The best thing I've ever eaten.”

Renji's hips jerked underneath Ichigo as he said that and both of them gasped as their cocks were pressed together briefly. Ichigo realized then that Renji had managed to un-tuck his kimono, so he leaned up to let it drop to the floor behind him before he stretched back out over the redhead. Ichigo was trying to focus on opening Renji's kimono to push it out of the way, but his mouth seemed drawn to the redhead's collarbone as soon as it was uncovered. He became fascinated both by the sticky taste there and the redhead's grunts and moans as he licked and sucked at the tantalizing dip.

Finally, Ichigo was able to impatiently push the redhead’s kimono away. He felt his groin tighten at the sight of his lover spread out under him, eyes closed, neck stretched back, and all that red hair spread out like a river of fire. Ichigo tried to chuckle as he noticed that some of what he'd thrown at Renji had fallen into the other man's uniform, but his throat was too dry. He slid back a bit then and bent his lips to Renji's stomach, lapping up a crushed strawberry and watching the redhead's abs contract with a gasp. Ichigo slowly licked that spot clean before he moved on to lick up a sliver of mango that had stuck alongside the redhead’s navel. Lifting his head a little, Ichigo made sure Renji was watching before he sucked it into his mouth and licked his lips. Then he moved back to Renji's belly and sucked up what was left of the mango juice. Slowly, Ichigo picked up each remaining bit of fruit with his tongue and lips and carefully licked and sucked the sticky residue off Renji's skin. He couldn't decide if the hot, intense taste of Renji's skin or the redhead's ever more insistent groans were tastier, but Ichigo finally figured it didn't matter, since he could enjoy both at the same time.

By the time he'd finished cleaning that up, Ichigo could feel Renji nearly boiling underneath him. Large hands had taken residence at his shoulders, clutching a little tighter as shudders ran through the redhead's frame when Ichigo did something else that he enjoyed. Ichigo pulled back for a moment to enjoy the sight beneath him, but Renji groaned and half-opened his eyes.

“Fuck, Ichigo, don't stop now.”

“Oh, I won't,” said Ichigo as he turned his head to one side, nudging Renji's hand off his shoulder with his chin as he took hold of the redhead's wrist in both of his hands.

Ichigo started by licking Renji's palm clean with broad, flat strokes of his tongue. He was watching Renji's face closely as he began cleaning the redhead's fingers, sucking them into his mouth one by one, swirling his tongue slowly around Renji's fingertip then down to the base. By the time Ichigo popped Renji's index finger out of his mouth with a wet smack, the redhead was swearing and gasping, his other hand clutching Ichigo's waist. When Ichigo was finished with Renji's pinky, though, the redhead's other arm had fallen by his side, his eyes were shut tightly, and his body was racked with almost continual shudders. The gasping groan Renji made as the last finger on that hand was released from Ichigo's lips, though, was the thing that made Ichigo growl in his throat. Renji's eyes, now turned to Ichigo, kept him from looking away almost forcibly; the heat there was at a combustible level and drew Ichigo in like gravity.

“Fuck, Ichigo,” Renji said in a voice that was deep and uneven. “You've got to...Ichi…I need you to fuck me. I need you in me so bad.”

Suddenly Ichigo was panting and his cock was twitching. “Yeah, OK,” he said breathlessly, moving back to a standing position and fumbling at Renji's hakama, pulling it off the redhead.

Ichigo felt frozen again as he looked at Renji, spread out and naked. Ichigo didn't know if his cock could get any harder, and a little moan slipped out of his throat as his eyes traced the tattoos up and down the redhead's body. Suddenly, he had a bad thought as he looked Renji in the eye again.

“Renji, do you have any-” Ichigo stopped, his eye having fallen on something as he'd moved his head. He smiled at Renji as the other man quirked an eyebrow, and then moved away to a nearby display.

“So glad we happen to be stuck in the supermarket,” Ichigo said, bringing back a bottle of cooking oil with him.

Renji's eyes widened a moment, then a wicked smirk almost split his face. “Naughty boy,” the redhead said as he sat up and worked to get Ichigo's hakama off as he came near.

Once the two of them were naked, Ichigo got the cap off the bottle and poured some of the oil into his hand, but ended up accidentally spilling some onto Renji's stomach, as well. Ichigo spread it out on the other man's skin, and ended up entranced by the way it made Renji's skin glisten and slide, and the way that it made his tattoos stand out in sharp relief. Tipping his hand over, Ichigo the rest of the oil onto Renji's chest and arms, greedily watching the way it made the redhead's skin shine and feeling his cock twitch as his hands ran smoothly all over Renji. Renji gasped and groaned then, his body twitching and writhing under Ichigo's hands.

“You fucking little tease,” he finally said when he could get enough air.

While Ichigo was hypnotized by Renji's oiled up chest, the redhead pulled the bottle of oil to him and poured some out, rubbing it all over his hands. After he managed to get Ichigo's attention with the movement, Renji gave him a wicked grin before moving his hands down as one of his knees was bending up. While the redhead gripped his thigh with one hand, the other moved further down. Renji suddenly had Ichigo's full attention as he played one finger around his entrance, then slid it slowly inside with a pronounced sigh and his head thrown back.

“Fuck,” Ichigo said numbly, feeling his cock jump as he watched.

Renji gave him a shaky smile as he cracked an eye, then he half-sat up and reached for Ichigo's cock. The redhead smiled more widely at the strangled cry Ichigo gave as he started stroking the smaller man's cock.

“If you don't take care of me, I'm going to do it myself,” Renji said, a dangerous look in his eye. “And, I'll make you come, too.”

“Fuck, Renji, stop,” Ichigo said, trying to break away from the large hand that he really just wanted to keep thrusting into. “Unless you want this to end really quickly. I'll take care of you, don't worry...just keep...doing what you're doing.”

“You like to watch me do myself?” Renji asked and then shivered as he pushed another finger in. His eyes became soft and dreamy, and he watched Ichigo as if from a distance.

“Oh, yeah,” Ichigo choked out, his eyes eating up the sight of his lover finger-fucking himself. “Fuck, don't stop. Keep going.”

Renji had let go of Ichigo's cock, but now Ichigo began slowly stroking himself as he watched the redhead. He loved it when Renji got like this, demanding to be fucked and taking charge of getting what he wanted if Ichigo teased him too much or went too slowly for the redhead's liking. Suddenly, the air seemed too thin, and Ichigo gasped for breath. His cock was almost painfully hard and he wanted to fuck Renji so badly.

“Finish up and come over here,” Ichigo growled and pulled at Renji's thighs. “Put those long, gorgeous legs up over my shoulders.”

Renji looked at him with lust-darkened eyes at half-mast, and then he smiled. Moving to the end of the table, he looped his legs over Ichigo's shoulders and used that to move his ass closer to Ichigo's cock. Ichigo growled as he positioned himself, and then shook as he tried to slide inside Renji as slowly as he could manage. He groaned once he was fully inside the redhead, and Renji moaned in response. In a few moments, the redhead opened his eyes and looked into Ichigo's before a smirk spread across his lips. Using his hold on Ichigo's shoulders, Renji pulled himself back a little and then shoved himself forward with a snap of his hips. Ichigo shuddered and gasped.

“Fuck, Renji, give me a moment or this is going to be one short ride.”

Renji lay a little more quietly then, still smirking, surveying Ichigo with a look that wouldn't let the other man’s racing heart calm down.

“Fuck,” Ichigo finally said, his voice rough and shaky. “You want it hard, Renji?”

“Yes, fuck yes, Ichigo,” Renji replied, his voice low and intense. “You got me so hot for you that the only thing I can think about is you inside me, fucking me good. Yeah, I want you to fuck me hard. I want you to fuck me so hard I see stars.”

Ichigo groaned at that and pulled out most of the way, then slammed back into Renji. The redhead nearly howled at the sensation and reached out for Ichigo's hips, trying to pull him even closer in.

“Oh, yeah, like that, just like that,” Renji said, his words shaky and raw, half-gasped and half-whispered. “Fuck yes, that's good. Fuck me, Ichi.”

Ichigo couldn't respond in words even if he wanted to, all of his breath and strength devoted to driving into Renji, so he continued at that pace, letting Renji's mumbled words guide him. Once the redhead's sentences had changed to disconnected words and obscenities, Ichigo picked up the pace and watched avidly as Renji's body writhed in pleasure, his hips lifting and moving to try to bury Ichigo's cock even deeper inside. Ichigo wanted to grab Renji's cock and get him off, was almost dying to see that look the redhead got on his face as he came like this – the slight flush across his face, his eyes closed and mouth open on a sharp gasp, his head thrown back – but he needed to have both hands on Renji's hips to keep up the pace the redhead wanted. So he just had to watch, and listen, since the flow of Renji's words had changed to moans and growls and gasps.

Finally, just as Ichigo was thinking he couldn't take a moment more and was going to have to come before his whole body exploded, finally Renji brought his hand up to stroke himself. Ichigo tried to bite back a whine as he watched; the sight of the redhead pleasuring himself, however he did it, was almost too much for Ichigo. As Renji arched his back into the feeling, Ichigo snapped his hips forward hard. Growling at Renji's sharp cry of pleasure as he hit home, Ichigo continued to drive into him at that angle, his overheated blood now almost steaming at the redhead's wanton cries.

Ichigo felt his vision getting hazy then, and he almost closed his eyes, but forced his eyelids to remain open so he could continue to watch Renji. Moments later, he saw what he'd been waiting for, and a dizzy exultation rose in him as he heard Renji's sharp cry that accompanied the delicious look on the redhead’s face as he came. Then Ichigo felt his whole body convulsing as he came hard, buried as deep inside Renji as he could manage.

Sometime later, Ichigo blinked at the world coming back into focus. He looked at Renji, still spread out lusciously on the table and looking up at him with a hazy, satisfied expression and Ichigo felt his heart speed up again. He tried to keep his goofy, spreading smile to himself, but Ichigo knew it was still on his face when he turned back to Renji after carefully pulling out and easing the redhead's legs down.

“How do you feel?” Ichigo asked, finding Renji's discarded bandanna in a pile of their clothes and using it to clean the other man up.

“You need to ask?” Renji said, trying to pull Ichigo down towards him once the clean up was complete.

Ichigo resisted, though, quickly sorting through the bunch of clothing on the ground to find which were his. “You should at least put your hakama back on. We're probably lucky no one's gotten here yet.”

Renji grumbled for a moment but did as Ichigo suggested, pulling the other man back down on top of him once he was finished and yawning widely. “I think we haven't gotten enough sleep yet tonight.”

“Yeah,” Ichigo agreed with a laugh, “it gets in the way of having sex.”

Ichigo fought against his eyelids closing but eventually gave up. Surely we'll hear them when they get here, he thought, right?

“Hey, wake up, Ichigo,” he heard near his ear.

As Ichigo shook his head and sat up, he found that Renji was already up and finishing dressing. He pointed to a tall, narrow hole in the wall behind them, just big enough for the two of them to get out of if they went one at a time, sideways. Something that was either dust or smoke was still wafting off of it.

“I heard something and saw a flash, and when I got up, that was there. I don't know where the other shinigami are, though; I got up and went to look for them, but they were gone.”

Ichigo shrugged and stood up. “Maybe there's something else going on in another part of town,” he suggested.

Renji’s communicator beeped, which caused the two looked at each other in surprise, but when the redhead's eyebrows just pulled together in annoyance as he glanced at it, Ichigo relaxed.

“What is it?” he asked.

Renji snorted. “See for yourself,” he said, handing the communicator to Ichigo.

It was open to a message with a subject line of “So cute!!!!” Ichigo scrolled down the page and his jaw dropped as he realized it was a picture of the two of them, looking as if they were asleep, his head on Renji's shoulder and the redhead's face turned towards his. From the random red splotches in his hair and the fact that Renji wasn't wearing a shirt, Ichigo figured that someone had just taken it. He sighed as he handed the communicator back.

“Why is everyone obsessed with taking our picture?”

To Ichigo's surprise, Renji almost looked guilty as he asked. When he raised an eyebrow, Renji began speaking.

“Um, Ichigo, I've actually been meaning to talk to you about that. Do you remember a while back, the whole thing in the elevator?”

“Yes,” Ichigo said quickly, feeling his cheeks heat up with a blush. He had never been able to decide whether the reaction he felt when reminded of the incident was embarrassment or arousal, and finally figured it was sort of a weird combination of the two.

“Well, I just found out a little while ago that Rukia was there.”

“No,” said Ichigo, all the color now draining from his face.

“Yes, actually. And, she'd just gotten a phone with a zoom lens camera.”

Ichigo put his forehead in his hand as he looked at the floor. “OK, so is she trying to blackmail us, or what?”

Renji sighed. “No, nothing like that. Come on, we might as well walk back while I tell you the rest,” he said as he slipped outside.

Ichigo followed him and the two of them walked in silence for a few moments until Ichigo caught Renji’s eye with a questioning look. Renji sighed, and then continued.

“Have you ever heard of the Shinigami Women’s Association calendar?”

Ichigo sighed, and then looked back at Renji. “So, what month are we?” Kind of figures as to why that jerk that he’d asked Renji about had been smirking, Ichigo thought…

Renji looked away for a moment. “Uh, well, the whole calendar for next year is us, actually.”

“WHAT?!”

Renji sighed. “Yeah, it’s all us. I tried to stop them before they could start selling it, I really did, but Rukia figured out what I was up to and, uh, distracted me, and then it was too late.”

“Distracted you? What did she do?” Ichigo asked, looking at Renji suspiciously.

“Uh, she, uh, gave me one of the calendars,” said Renji, turning away in embarrassment and saying the last few words really quickly.

The two just looked at each other for a moment then, since they were outside Ichigo’s apartment. After a little while, they both sighed and made their way up to the balcony. Ichigo’s breath caught as his arm came up to open the sliding glass and he saw his own and Renji’s bodies inside on the futon. They were in a position like the one in the picture they had been sent a few minutes before, and something about the sight made Ichigo’s heart squeeze almost painfully. He was blushing as he looked up at Renji a moment later.

“I guess maybe I see why people keep taking pictures,” Ichigo said, his voice low and soft. “So, the calendar was that good?”

“Yeah,” Renji replied, shooting Ichigo a shark-like grin.

“Guess you’ll just have to get me one, then,” Ichigo said with a laugh as he stepped into the apartment and started throwing off his sticky clothes.

“OK,” Renji replied after a surprised moment as he slid the glass closed behind him. Leaving a trail of clothing in his wake, he grinned again as he followed Ichigo into the shower.
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As always, comments about what you liked and what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated, especially about whether the story length was effective, and whether it was actually hot (as was intended). Thanks for reading!

-WriterX

Click here for Act 6

Act 4: Stuck on a Roof

2009-07-25T01:27:39Z

A/N: For anyone that missed it, my goal for this series of tales is to create a coherent, hot story in five pages or less. I made my length goal this time, and, well, Renji and Ichigo surprised me again. OK, mostly Ichigo this time. Hope you enjoy the results!

All thanks to my superpowered beta reader, gwoman , for helping me to make this story even better while kindly refraining from calling me a stone cold freak!

Warnings: Lots of bad language, dirty talkin', explicit good sex (yaoi), and, er, one very adult toy. But who doesn't like toys?

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?
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Missed Act 3? Click here.

Renji was a little worried about Ichigo. Everything had been going great since he had arrived in the real world, and, now in Ichigo's apartment, he'd been enjoying his boyfriend's very enthusiastic welcome. Unfortunately, Renji had been there only a few minutes when his cell phone went off, warning them both that there were a number of hollows nearby. The signals were showing lower-level hollows that the two of them could easily take care of, but Renji and Ichigo had both groaned at the large quantity.

So, instead of enjoying a night off, they found themselves jumping from rooftop to rooftop in pursuit of a small army of hollows. But, as Renji watched Ichigo fighting (all right, he admitted to himself, so he was checking out the other man even then), he began to notice that Ichigo was moving differently than usual, and the smaller man seemed to be sweating. Also, Renji noticed that if Ichigo moved a certain way, it caused him to gasp as if in pain.

Renji wanted to ask Ichigo about it when they were pushed together for a moment in the fighting, but the second the two of them met back to back, Renji heard Ichigo groan and felt a shudder run through the other man's body.

“Are you all right?” Renji asked, half-turning to look at Ichigo, concern and alarm in his eyes.

“Let's just...finish this as quickly as we can,” Ichigo said, panting, looking back with eyes that seemed to be all pupil.

So, several minutes later, as the last of the screaming hollow masks disintegrated, Renji was surprised to be pushed down to the rooftop he'd been standing on. The redhead looked up at the stars and at Ichigo as the other man loomed over him, seeming to eat up the sight of Renji's body with dark, dark eyes. Renji wanted to ask Ichigo what the hell this was all about, but then his mouth was busy trying to kiss Ichigo back and not being quite able to keep up with the smaller man. The kiss was searing, and Renji felt his cock start to come to life quickly at the way Ichigo moaned into his mouth and shook under his hands. As they broke apart moments later, they were both panting. Renji looked up at Ichigo with half lidded eyes, watching as the other man started working to get his clothes off with shaking hands.

“Not that I mind, or anything,” Renji said in a low, husky tone, “but what's up with you tonight?”

Ichigo fixed Renji with a feverish look as his fumbling fingers worked on the redhead's sash. “Fuck, Renji, it's been almost a month since the last time I saw you. When your leave got cancelled last time, I was annoyed at first and I missed seeing you but...” Ichigo trailed off, looking away, and then stared into Renji's eyes, continuing. “I couldn't stop thinking about you all this week. One of my professors swore that she called to me for five minutes in class and I didn't even notice. I couldn't wait to see you today.”

Renji chuckled ruefully. “I know what you mean,” he said, thinking of the fact that his captain had actually thrown him out of the office earlier today. Byakuya's disdainful look and comment that Renji should get going since he obviously wasn't able to focus had definitely hit a nerve; Ichigo wasn't the only one who had been distracted that week, Renji admitted to himself.

Ichigo blushed as he continued. “I kept thinking about when you were coming by, and I...just wanted to be ready for you by the time you got to my apartment, but then the damned hollows came...”

Renji leaned up to kiss Ichigo again as he slid the rest of the way out of his kimono, letting it drop to the roof underneath him. Ichigo was fumbling with Renji's hakama now, and he helped the smaller man undo the ties before moving to unfasten Ichigo's obi. Watching as Ichigo threw his kimono off, Renji smiled slyly.

“So, what do you want, Ichigo?”

Ichigo groaned then, somehow managing to undo and throw off his own hakama in record time. Once he was naked, he slid down onto Renji, pressing as much of his skin against the redhead as he could.

“Fuck, Renji, I want you. I want you to fuck me. Now. I don't think you understand that I meant it when I said I was ready for you.”

Ichigo took Renji's hand and guided it to his ass. Renji chuckled and spread his fingers out over Ichigo's cheek, then moved his hand in towards the smaller man's entrance. His fingers stopped a moment later as Renji encountered something unexpected. Looking up into Ichigo's dark eyes, Renji noticed a slight blush come across the smaller man's features as his fingers closed around a flared base. A moment later, Renji's blood seemed to catch fire as he watched Ichigo's head snap back on a gasp as he pulled the toy slightly out of Ichigo, then listened to the smaller man's strangled moan as he pushed it back inside.

“You naughty little...” Renji broke off as it seemed to become more important than breathing to kiss Ichigo as hard and long as he could. Renji pressed the two of them closer together as their tongues tangled, and Ichigo started grinding his hips against Renji. The redhead couldn't help himself from trailing his hand down a little farther and grabbing the base of the toy again. He felt a jolt through his whole body at the whining moan Ichigo made as he slid it out, further this time, and then back into the smaller man. Noticing then that Ichigo was rock hard and practically dripping with pre-come, Renji broke off their kiss and just looked at the younger man.

“You really got yourself worked up, didn't you?” Renji said, smirking and trying hard not to lick his lips.

Ichigo blushed a little more and looked away. “I didn't realize what it would be like...the damn thing is about half-full of lube, and every fucking step I took felt like you were thrusting into me slow, the way you do when you really want to tease me.”

Renji felt as if all the blood in his body had been diverted for one purpose. He had to lean up and kiss Ichigo hard, and by the time he pulled back, they were both panting again.

“Now you're talking,” Renji said, sure that he was staring at Ichigo with eyes as dark as the other man's because the only thing he could think about was how many different ways he wanted to take Ichigo tonight. His hand moved back to the toy again, pulling it all the way out, slowly. Ichigo shuddered in his arms with a few broken moans and groans as Renji continued to thrust up against the younger man.

After having pulled the toy free, Renji looked at it for a moment and figured out how to get the cap off. While he poured out a generous amount of lube into one hand, Renji moved Ichigo into a sitting position. Renji coated his cock, replaced the cap on the toy and carefully put it on top of Ichigo's clothes.

“Come on,” he said then, challenging Ichigo with lustful eyes. “Ride me as hard as you need to. You look like you need to come bad. Come on, Ichigo.”

With a hazy half-smile, Ichigo positioned himself over Renji's cock, then cried out as he slid down, rocking back and forth a few times until he could take the whole thing in. Renji hissed at the first contact, and then just greedily watched his cock disappear into Ichigo. He couldn't help making a growling rumble in his chest once he was all the way inside the smaller man and looking at Ichigo's spiky head thrown back against a black curtain of stars.

Ichigo pulled himself up then quickly sank back onto Renji's cock with a drawn-out moan. Renji's hands gravitated to the smaller man's ass, and he pulled Ichigo back to him on the down stroke. As he watched, Renji reflected that as much as he liked to be fucked (and Ichigo had gotten quite good at it), he didn't seem to appreciate it as much as Ichigo. The younger man actually seemed to have a thing for being penetrated, an obsession that Renji was more than glad to help him out with, and not only because he was so tight and willing. Just the sounds Ichigo made when he had Renji's cock inside him were almost enough to put the redhead on the edge of coming; the amazing array of gasps, grunts, drawn-out groans, and low moans always got Renji hard and ready. If that wasn't enough, the way Ichigo looked while he was being fucked just completed the picture. Like right now, Renji thought, gazing up at Ichigo's dark, almost drugged-looking eyes, the half smile while biting his lip, and the way his hips were churning over the redhead's cock; he looked good enough to eat. Renji reached up for Ichigo's lips as he moved his already slicked up hand to the younger man's cock. The redhead swallowed Ichigo's sharp cry with their kiss as he began stroking the smaller man with the same rhythm their hips were following. Minutes later, Ichigo shuddered as he came, spilling hard over Renji's chest and stomach.

As the younger man twitched under the final waves of his orgasm, the redhead managed to roll the both of them over so that now Ichigo was underneath. Renji continued to push into Ichigo, but much more slowly now. After a few moments, Ichigo seemed to come back to himself and looked up at Renji and smiled, his eyes still dark and now half-lidded, his body laid out long and relaxed in a way that Renji never saw other than at times like this.

“What's up?” Ichigo asked, in a low, playful tone.

“You seemed like you needed this too bad,” Renji replied, smirking. “I'm going to keep fucking you until you come another couple of times.”

Ichigo's eyes seemed to get more intense as he smirked back. “Oh yeah,” he said, low and with a little hitch in his voice, as he lifted his legs up, folded them over Renji's back, and then shuddered. Renji smirked as he licked his way up Ichigo's neck then captured the other man's earlobe and sucked on it.

“Tell me how it feels,” the redhead whispered into Ichigo's ear, earning him a shiver and a moan.

“Fuck, Renji, it's as slow as the damn toy felt, but-” Ichigo cut himself off with a gasp at a particularly hard thrust from Renji, then continued. “It’s so good it’s almost too much.”

Renji felt Ichigo's cock stirring back to life between the two of them and chuckled, then moved to kiss the other man again. Ichigo responded desperately, his tongue finding its way into Renji's mouth, and he groaned as he felt the redhead sucking on it. The two of them were panting as their mouths separated, and Ichigo groaned again at Renji's next stroke into him.

“Renji, please, faster,” Ichigo said breathlessly.

“So, does this mean you like it when I fuck you?” Renji asked in a voice that was all low growl, gripping Ichigo's hips as he sped up his thrusts and slammed home a little harder.

Ichigo shuddered and let out a small, helpless sound that made Renji's blood boil, and then he bit the redhead's neck under his ear, sucking hard for a moment before he let go. Renji was panting as he thrust into Ichigo again, earning him a sharp cry as the other man's fingers dug into his back.

“You have no idea how fucking good you feel in me,” Ichigo replied, his voice sounding low and slurred. The eyes Ichigo fixed Renji with were hot and dark and hazy, and Renji could feel his cock twitching in response as he continued to thrust into the smaller man.

The heat in his guts pooled and twisted tighter, and Renji fought the feeling as he reached for Ichigo's cock. Ichigo let out a wordless cry as Renji's fingers closed around him, and the redhead stroked him tight and fast, sliding slickly in the mixture of lube and come pressed between the two of them. As he continued to pound into Ichigo, Renji braced himself when the younger man started to shake and moan as he tightened up around Renji's cock and came in hot spurts all over the two of them.

Pulling out then, Renji just panted for a moment as his cock throbbed and pulsed. He wanted to come so badly, just not quite yet. The cool air helped him regain a bit of his sanity, but that seemed to fly out the window when he looked back down at Ichigo. The other man was blinking, seeming to come back to himself, and when he did he smiled slyly at Renji.

“One more time?” he asked.

Renji couldn't help capturing Ichigo's lips for a moment, swiping his tongue into the smaller man's mouth as if to lick that grin up before pulling back. “Roll onto your stomach,” Renji said roughly, feeling that it took an effort just to speak.

Ichigo looked down at the mess on his skin, but when he looked back up at Renji, something in the redhead's eyes stopped him from commenting. His muscles were still very shaky as he rolled over, but Ichigo stretched and got his knees up under him a bit, and then he looked at Renji over his shoulder with dark, sly-looking eyes and a slight smile.

“Fuck,” Renji said unsteadily. “Spread your legs for me a little more. That's it, just like that,” Renji continued, leaning over Ichigo and then pressing back inside him.

They both gasped then, Renji from trying not to come immediately, and Ichigo because the sensation was almost overwhelming after having come twice already. And, as Renji pulled out slightly and then thrust back into Ichigo, the smaller man bit back a scream. There was something about this position, or maybe just that Ichigo was overly sensitized by now, that made each thrust into him feel so amazingly good that he could barely hang on to his sanity.

Renji couldn't slow down the crushing pace of his hips even if he'd wanted to, but it seemed Ichigo didn't want him to, either. He could hear the younger man beneath him make primitive grunts and moans he'd never heard out of him before, and Renji hissed in surprise as he felt Ichigo raising up on his hands, lifting his hips up further and pushing his ass back as Renji thrust hard into him.

“Oh, yeah, that's it, Ichigo,” Renji said, whispering into the other man's ear. “Work my cock deeper into you. You get me so damn hot I want to fuck you all night. When I felt that plug in your ass, you made my dick hard almost instantly, you sexy little tease.”

Renji felt the heat in his veins almost scorching him as he drove into Ichigo again and again. Ichigo had gotten louder, more frantic, his grunts having changed to almost sobbing moans. Reaching one hand under Ichigo's spastically moving hips, Renji closed his fist around the younger man's cock, his blood singing at Ichigo's sharp cry. Struggling to keep his thrusts even as he jerked Ichigo off, Renji dragged his tongue up Ichigo's neck. Just as the sounds the younger man made continued to get more insistent, Renji reached the nape of Ichigo's neck with his tongue, and after licking it once languidly, Renji quickly bit down, not too hard but with enough force to remain in place.

The reaction from Ichigo was instantaneous and violent. He thrashed under Renji and whined and thrust into the redhead's hand as he came, continuing to shudder long after he had spilled hot and hard all over himself and Renji's hand.

“Renji,” Ichigo said, his voice cracked and dry, his body still quivering.

Renji had managed to hang on as Ichigo tightened and shook around the redhead when he came, had continued to thrust into him to draw Ichigo's orgasm out. However, something about hearing Ichigo say his name like that, as if it were the only thing holding the smaller man from floating away into the night sky, pushed Renji over the edge so quickly that he only had a chance to suck in a quick breath before he was coming inside Ichigo, clutching the younger man tightly, and feeling the burn as his hips continued to move as if they had a mind of their own.

After a long few moments when all he could do was try to catch his breath, Renji rolled carefully from where they had both slumped down in exhaustion, taking Ichigo with him and turning them both on their sides. For some reason, he hadn't wanted to break their connection yet, and he felt his stomach tighten again as Ichigo nestled back against him with a sigh, pushing Renji deeper inside.

Renji buried his face in Ichigo's hair and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, smelling Ichigo's unique scent along with the tang of sweat; he just felt...incredibly lucky. He couldn't really remember the exact moment that he had realized it, but after years of accumulating unfavorable evidence and being continually unable to get any kind of answer from Rukia about how she felt, Renji had finally understood that, although the two of them would always be close, she was never going to choose to be with him. After several black weeks, Renji had forced himself to move on from the idea that they'd ever be together, but once he'd done that, he couldn't find anything big enough to fill the void left from releasing that dream. He'd worked on perfecting his bankai, but his heart really wasn't in it. Going out with his friends, while fun, didn't seem to have the same spark to it, and neither did anything else.

He really wasn't sure why he'd contacted Ichigo to go out drinking that night, other than being able to tease the younger man about finally being old enough to go. Renji sure as hell hadn't expected anything like what had happened once Ichigo had a few drinks in him, and he'd had to cut short their night out and bring Ichigo home so that the other bar patrons would stop freaking out about Ichigo sitting in Renji's lap and having his hands all over the redhead. Like it was any of their business, anyway.

Renji kissed the top of Ichigo's head and felt his heart beat a little faster as the younger man's hands came up to hold the arm he had slung across Ichigo's chest. Every time they got together, every day that passed seemed to bind them tighter together. It made Renji feel scared as well as excited, and it had definitely brought the spark back into his life. Feeling as Ichigo's breathing got slower and slower, Renji shook him gently.

“Hey, don't fall asleep here,” the redhead said, shifting a little and bringing a moan out of Ichigo.

“Why not? I'm comfortable,” Ichigo responded, shifting his head back to look at Renji with a devilish grin.

“Well, we've got to get home and get cleaned up. If we're lucky, we can manage to wash up before I have to suck you off in the shower. Then, I'm going to get the both of us all dirty again.”

Renji felt Ichigo shiver against him. “Yeah, let's go,” Ichigo replied, his voice low and soft.

“Just one thing,” Renji said, holding Ichigo tightly enough to prevent him from getting up. “Will you wear your new toy home for me?”

Ichigo gasped then, and his body shook once, pushing back against Renji. “Yeah, but you'd better be ready to fuck me again once we get there. That thing drives me crazy.”

“I'll fuck you all night. You about had me jumping out of my skin when I felt that damned thing. Just...let me watch you when you put it in.”

Renji slowly pulled his softening cock from Ichigo, then watched with avid eyes as the other man found the plug, put some more lube on it, and then slowly pushed it into himself, head flung back and eyes closed, little noises spilling from his lips. By the time Ichigo was finished, Renji was fully hard again and couldn't stop staring at the other man.

“Come on,” he said roughly, pulling Ichigo to his feet despite the complaints. “Put your clothes back on so we don't have to stop on some other damned rooftop on the way home.”

“You're a mess! And so's your uniform,” said Ichigo, as if it were a realization he was just coming to. Then Ichigo frowned as he examined himself, finding the same sort of state.

“I don't have time to lick you clean now,” said Renji, rubbing some of the come into Ichigo's belly before he tried to help get the other man's clothes back on him. “Let's go,” he continued, tugging on Ichigo's hand.

Ichigo laughed slyly just before the two of them flash-stepped away in the direction of his apartment.
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As always, comments about what you liked and what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated, especially about whether the story length was effective, and whether it was actually hot (as was intended). Thanks for reading!

-WriterX

Click here for Act 5

The Journey Home, chapter 9

2009-07-12T17:42:56Z

A/N: I didn't want to leave any of my readers with a cliffhanger so close to the end of the story, so I'm posting both final chapters this week. Hope you like them!

This chapter is un-beta'd due to the fact that my wonderful beta reader was overloaded this week, and I was feeling prolific, so if you note any issues, just let me know and I'll rework.

Warnings: bad language, angst, suspense, fluff. Also, this story takes place post-series, so there are lots of spoilers/references to things that happened; as a result, I don't recommend reading this until you've completed the series.

Pairings: Mugen/Fuu/Jin

Summary: Chapter 9: In which someone is located under dangerous circumstances, danger and near-death experiences cause the unknown to become the known, and a story causes our three heroes to make a decision.

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?

P.S. Thanks to para_kissu for my icon!
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Missed Chapter 8? Click here.

Jin had only intended to stop in for a couple of drinks since he had a limited amount of money on him. However, as he drank, everything seemed to become so much clearer.

All of his life, Jin had been good at waiting for the correct moment. Good at determining the right time to strike an opponent, at figuring out the correct time of year to do things or the best moment to pick up on an opportunity. However, this strategy had never seemed to work well for his love life. He now realized that he could have waited for Shino until she was ready to leave the island, and that it probably wouldn't have worked out anyway. Someone like Fuu was adaptable and independent enough to be able to spend a lot of time traveling, but Shino probably wouldn't be able to get used to that type of life. So, Jin would have been left to determine what was worse: leaving Shino, trying to drag her around as he traveled (probably making her unhappy in the process), or having to fight and probably kill the other students of his old master time after time because he settled with Shino somewhere. Mugen, who he had often called an idiot, was the one who had chosen Fuu, realizing that she was kind and beautiful as well as a good traveling companion, and made her his. And now he was on his way away from the both of them before they figured out what a weird person he was. None of this makes sense, Jin thought, as his head got closer and closer to the table in front of him...

Fuu had been hard at work for several hours now, going from bar to bar, approaching the bartender, explaining the situation and asking if they'd seen Jin. Occasionally one of them told her that there was someone there fitting his description, but Fuu hadn't actually found Jin yet. She had been all the way up the street that seemed to be mostly bars and was making her way back down it. The next place she had to go in almost made her want to turn around and leave because it looked so disreputable, but Fuu steeled her nerves and walked inside. Going to the bar in the center of the room, Fuu caught the bartender's eye, which wasn't too difficult, since the place was only about half-full.

“What is it, honey?” the woman asked, looking at her curiously.

Fuu smiled at the other woman. She was older, with her hair tied back under a cloth to expose her weathered but friendly looking face, and Fuu could see muscular arms as the bartender leaned on the bar to hear what Fuu was saying.

“Hi. I was hoping you could help me,” Fuu said. She described Jin to the woman, and explained that he'd been missing since late this morning. At one point, the woman started nodding.

“Check in that back corner, honey. A guy that might be the one you're looking for has been here most of the day. I think he passed out a while ago.”

Fuu scurried to the back of the bar and heaved a sigh as she realized that it actually was Jin this time. She tried rousing him, but didn't seem to have much luck, instead managing to help him up by slipping an arm under his shoulders and leaning him on her as she walked. Fuu passed the bartender on the way out and waved.

“Thanks!” Fuu said.

“Hmmm...Actually, he owes us some money,” the bartender said, handing Fuu a bill.

Fortunately, Fuu had just enough money left to cover the bill, so she gave it to the bartender and received a handful of change.

“Take my advice,” the bartender said, bending low so that only Fuu could hear. “Men like that are nothing but trouble. Just get rid of him.”

“Well,” Fuu said, the color rising in her face, “actually, this is my, um, husband's brother, so I can't get rid of him so easily.”

“Oh,” the bartender said, leaning back, “a relative. Well, good luck with that, honey!”

Fuu shouldered Jin, who was still half passed out but seemed to be able to partially walk as long as Fuu didn't let go of him. The two of them made their way down the street to where Mugen had told Fuu they would meet back up, but Fuu didn't realize that they'd acquired a small knot of men following them.

Mugen was really grumpy. He had gone from brothel to brothel and had been unsuccessful, even though he had now mostly finished looking through the red-light district. About to head to one of the last places he had to check, Mugen was suddenly hit by the feeling that Fuu was in trouble. Since he wasn't far from the wall separating the district from the rest of the city, Mugen ran to it and listened.

Fuu had eventually spotted the knot of men as she walked, but hadn't really been able to go faster, not while holding on to Jin. Finally, not far from the spot Mugen had told her to wait, the men had circled Fuu and Jin and were beginning to press in on the two of them. Fuu had tried to do what she could to get them to leave, showing them her bag with the handful of change to prove she had little money, but they didn't seem overly interested in cash.

“Look,” said Fuu, finally getting desperate, “the sword on my back belongs to my...husband. He told me to pass along the message that if anyone is foolish enough to try to bother me that he'd know. Also, he said that if anyone touched me, he would cut off whatever you touched me with just before he killed you. Do you understand?”

They laughed then, and started to close in on Fuu.

Mugen had heard her start the speech, so he knew things must not be going well. But then, he began to panic, because the gate was too far away for him to get out of it and help her. Oh, well, Mugen thought, started with a run and then began scale the wall, using the wall itself and the support of a tall tree planted next to it. When he got to the top, he just looked down for a moment and then froze.

All of a sudden, he had the answer to his question about what it would be like to love someone. There was no question to him any more that he loved Fuu; he felt his chest was about to burst open as he saw the bravest, dumbest thing he'd ever seen. She was surrounded by thugs and still trying to hold up and protect Jin, who looked to be mostly passed out. Mugen suddenly knew what it was like to have all the happiness in his life threatened, hanging by the thinnest of threads, and it seemed like something as simple as taking the wrong step would send everything tumbling over the edge to oblivion. He took a ragged breath as he jumped down from the wall, succeeding at landing on one of the thugs as he'd planned. The other four looked wary as he quickly unsheathed his sword from Fuu's back.

“Go back to the boat, Fuu,” Mugen said, looking at all his opponents.

“But-”

“Go back! You don't want to see this,” Mugen replied, fixing her with a look.

Fuu met his eye for a moment, then nodded. As she and Jin headed back, Mugen gave all of the thugs he faced a frightening smile.

“So,” he said, “which one of you bastards tried to touch Fuu?”

Fuu made it nearly back to the boat, but decided to rest in a little clearing near the cove because she was having trouble carrying Jin any farther. When Mugen came, he didn't want to talk about what had happened, beyond muttering that he never wanted to see fucking Edo again, but he brought Jin over to the boat with him and threw him on the deck.

“Four-eyes will be fine here for a while. Come below,” Mugen said, looking back at Fuu as he went down the ladder.

She followed him, only to be pulled into a hard embrace once she reached the small room below. From her new perch on Mugen's lap, Fuu tried to look into his eyes, but he wouldn't look at her. Finally, she was able to twist her head around to try to meet his eyes.

“What's wrong?” she asked, a little nervously. “Did you get hurt? Are you all right?”

He had still been looking down, so Fuu hadn't really been able to see the expression on his face, but when he finally turned his eyes to hers, she gasped at the look in his eyes. The dark intensity there made her want to squirm, and to hold him back the way he was holding her.

“Fuu, that was the stupidest, bravest thing I've ever seen,” Mugen said in a low voice. “Don't do anything like that again.”

“But, Mugen, what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just leave Jin,” Fuu said, not offended at his seeming orders because of the expression on his face.

“Fuck, Fuu, they weren't interested in Jin! Can you just let the two of us take care of the rescuing from now on?”

“I'll try Mugen,” she said with a small smile as she reached out to run her hands through his hair, trying to smooth it and calm him down.

“Don't just try,” he replied, grabbing her hands with a tight grip in one of his own. “Fuu, I could have found Jin myself. I don't want to have everything taken away now that I've figured out that I love you, you little idiot.”

Fuu might have been angry if she hadn't heard the end of Mugen's sentence, but she felt she'd almost missed it in her shock at what she heard. “What did you say?” she asked, still not absolutely certain of what he'd said.

“Did you go deaf now, too?” Mugen asked, but the expression on his face wasn't smug or sneering, it just continued to be that of a man who had a close call and was anxious not to have one again. “I said you're an idiot.”

“Before that,” Fuu said, feeling her chest suddenly flood with warmth. Now she knew she had heard it, and she wanted to hear it again.

“I said I loved you, you idiot. So don't go running off to the rescue again, because you're not very good at it,” Mugen replied gruffly, trying to cover his worry, relief, and discomfort at having to say something else he had never had to say before.

“OK, OK,” Fuu said gently, hugging Mugen harder. “That's good, because I love you, too.”

“I know, you already said so.”

“I know,” Fuu said, pulling back to kiss him on the forehead. “It's good to hear these sorts of things, though.”

They sat like that for a while until exhaustion set in on them after their long day. Silently, the both of them moved and lay down, still entwined. Sleep took them both moments later.

It was later that night when Jin awoke, staring up into the stars for a good while, wondering where the hell he was and trying to piece together what had happened. He started remembering the day from the beginning forward, and when he got to the letter from Shino, he reached to find that it was still with him. Sighing as he sat up, he looked around to realize that he was back on the boat. Jin searched his memory to find if it held anything about him getting back here, and found only a few garbled scenes that included Fuu, but not much else.

Standing up as quietly as he could, Jin realized he was still moving with a wobble and that his head was spinning mildly, but tried to put it out of his mind. He moved to the hatch that went down into the living quarters and looked down. The light of the full moon flooded into the room below and picked out Fuu and Mugen curled together, sleeping quietly. Jin felt envy, happiness, arousal, shame, emptiness, finality, and a huge number of other things in rapid succession as he looked down at them, their resting forms seeming to shine in the silvery light. Finally, he just felt as if he had to leave, to get away from them so that they could get on with their lives together, without him.

He went to the edge of the ship then, squinting as he looked out over the sea. Jin knew he wasn't a particularly strong swimmer, but he hadn't had any trouble that morning when they had made their way to shore before they walked to Edo. He figured he could do it again in the dark; how hard could it be, after all? Unfortunately, Jin was having trouble making out which way he should go in the moonlight, or maybe it was just playing tricks on his eyes. He finally decided on the correct direction and dove into the water a little clumsily, striking out for what his eyes were telling him was the shore.

After he swam for a good, long while, Jin was starting to wonder what was going on. The shadow that he'd thought was the shore wasn't getting any closer, even though he looked behind him for the boat and saw that it was now a good ways away. Obviously, I just have to try harder, he thought, increasing his efforts to reach shore.

Fuu wasn't sure what woke her, but she sat up quickly, her heart pounding, sure something was wrong. With a sigh of relief, Fuu saw that Mugen was still beside her, now looking up at her with some annoyance after she'd woken him by dislodging his hold around her.

“Something's wrong,” she said, standing up quickly and racing up the ladder to the deck.

Fuu looked around as she reached the top deck of the boat, feeling a little foolish as she looked around and saw only that it was a peaceful night, that the full moon had risen and stars were spangling the sky. Then, with she felt her heart pounding in her throat as she realized that Jin wasn't there. Mugen had reached the deck then, and she turned to him in panic.

“Jin's not here!”

He looked at her for a moment, still trying to wake up, but when her words registered, he looked on the deck where he'd left the other man to find the spot empty. Swearing now, Mugen swept the deck with a glance, then started combing the sea all around the boat with his eyes, starting in the direction going to shore, then looking in the direction that went out to sea. A moment later, he spotted something tiny in the ocean and watched it, getting a sinking feeling in his guts when he realized what it probably was.

“Fuck, Fuu,” Mugen said as he stripped to his shorts. “I'm going to have to swim out and get that fool. I think he was trying to swim for shore, but he's probably still drunk so he went in the wrong direction. He looks like he's starting to drown, though, so I'm going to need you to sail to us.”

Fuu stared at him for a moment. “But, Mugen, I don't know if I can do it.”

“You have to do it,” Mugen said, pulling the anchor in. “And, I know you can. The wind's coming from this direction, so set the sails to catch it and steer the boat in that direction,” he finished, pointing to where he could see Jin's head bobbing up and down, occasionally disappearing under the waves.

Fuu watched as Mugen dove in, and then she set to work. I have to do this, I have to, Fuu thought as she pulled the sails up and fastened them in place as well as she could. Turning the boat, which moved sluggishly at first, Fuu kept her eyes glued on Mugen, and steered the boat to follow him.

Jin had realized he was in trouble, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He knew by now that there was no way he had enough strength to make it back to the boat, but he wouldn't have gone back even if he thought he could make the distance, since he felt unable to face Fuu and Mugen anymore. The moonlit ocean seemed to mock him now, showing him shadows near and far away from him that seemed as if they could be shore. Jin was now feeling drawn to the water itself somehow, almost feeling as if it understood his struggle, and starting to feel that maybe he should stop fighting it.

Mugen swam faster than he ever had before for any reason, mentally swearing at Jin the whole way. He watched as the other man's head started periodically disappearing underneath the waves, and felt an inexplicable sense of relief each time he reappeared. By the time he reached where he thought Jin should be, however, he had to wait, and swim around, and look in all directions before the other man finally appeared above the waves again. The rise of relief, and of fury, came at once, and Mugen found himself hurling curses at Jin as he hauled the other man back to the boat, which was, thankfully, not far away.

“You fucking idiot, trying to swim for shore while it's the middle of the night and you're still half-drunk!”

After having overcome his initial shock, Jin seemed to handle the situation as calmly as ever. “You should have left me,” the samurai said, then coughed up some sea water.

Jin's calmness naturally infuriated Mugen even further. “You asshole! Did you even think about how Fuu would feel about you drowning?”

Mugen glared at the other man as the two of them reached the boat, and he could see that his comment had actually struck a nerve. Jin looked stricken, as if he probably hadn't considered it. Somehow hauling the two of them back up into the boat, Mugen went about making sure they were in a good spot to stop, taking the sails back down, and dropping anchor again as a way to work off some of the anger he'd gotten up while talking to Jin. As he banged around, Mugen was a little surprised to realized that he was angry at Jin for almost getting himself killed, yes, but that he'd also been worried for the other man, and that he now felt a good bit of relief now that he was safe again. He almost cursed himself as he realized that it was a lesser form of what he'd felt earlier that night, seeing Fuu waiting for him when he got back near the boat, knowing that she was safe.

As he finished all of the tasks of securing the ship, he looked at Jin and Fuu. She had started fussing over him the moment he'd been laid on the deck, and she was beside him now, having wrapped one of the blankets around him to help him get dry. Jin seemed to have coughed up most of the sea water he'd swallowed, and the two of them were now sitting on the deck, Fuu going on and on about how glad she was that Jin was OK, and how worried she'd been. After a moment, she looked up at Mugen, worried about him now, and under her gaze he somehow found his anger melting away.

As Mugen looked at Fuu and Jin sitting close together, both of them now looking at him, he felt something else that he never would have expected a couple of days ago. He found himself thinking that the two of them looked good together, and felt an almost possessive pride looking at both of them. Mugen would have mentally dismissed that thought, but a moment later found his mind considering other ways the two of them would look good together before he shut those thoughts down harshly. All right, he thought, this is not the time to be thinking about that, not yet.

Instead, he moved to sit on the deck facing the two of them, completing the triangle, sitting as close to the both of them as they were to each other. Mugen could see a little surprise on Jin's face, but Fuu just waited, seeming to sense something was coming. I must be out of my mind, Mugen thought, but then as he looked at each one of them again, knowing what he'd found out from Fuu today, and what he already knew about Jin, he mentally shrugged, thinking that what he wanted to say couldn't hurt anything.

“OK,” Mugen started, “this has been one of the most fucked up days I can remember in a long time. There have been a lot of people acting like idiots-”

Mugen paused as Jin started to say something, indignantly, but he cut the other man off as he continued. “Yeah, well, I'm not leaving myself out of that. Anyway, I have a story that I'm going to tell the both of you, and I want you to sit and just listen until it's done. And then, I want to go to bed and try to forget that this fucked up day ever happened. OK?”

He shot a look at the both of them, but neither of them disagreed. Fuu actually nodded and looked excited, seeming to perk up at the idea of Mugen telling a story. Mugen cleared his throat and continued.

“First of all, let me say that you see all kinds of things around the Ryukyu islands that you don't see anywhere else, probably because there are a lot of people there who aren't supposed to leave. So, everyone just kind of makes the best of what's going on there and figures out their own way to do things.

“This story goes back to the time when I was a little brat roaming around the islands, trying to keep food in my stomach and find someplace dry when it was raining. I must have been around ten or so when I ran into these blacksmiths for the first time. I did a little work for them, so I ended up spending some time with them and found out what their story was.

“The two blacksmiths were brothers, and they'd learned the trade from their dad, who used to be one of the best smiths in Japan. He was the guy most of the big lords went to when they wanted a new sword, so as you can probably guess, he didn't work cheap. So, one day, some lord wants a sword from the blacksmith, but doesn't want to pay for it. He sends some guys over there during the day to pick his sword up and pay for it, but then sends them back that night, dressed as robbers, to steal the money back and kill the family.

“Well, they weren't counting on the sons having had training on using swords as well as making them, so they were surprised, a number of them were killed, and the rest ran away. Unfortunately, the brothers' parents were killed in the fight, and the lord managed to bring charges against them for killing his men. Because of the fact that there were witnesses that the men were dressed like robbers, and attacked the blacksmith's house, the brothers managed to get a sentence of transportation to the islands, rather than just get executed.

“So, they came to the islands and set up in their trade there, and they did pretty well. Obviously, they weren't making as many swords, but there's always work for someone who can work in metal, the two of them used to say.

“After they'd been there a while, this beautiful widow shows up. She got sent down because she used to have a husband, some rich guy, who was a big drunk. And, when he was drunk, he liked to beat her up. She put up with it for a while, but she was a poor girl who'd made her own way in life, and she wasn't as controllable as some of those noble ladies. One night when he got drunk and finally passed out, she slit his throat and let him bleed to death. Since the guy was some sort of minor noble and his family didn't want the scandal of a public execution, she got sent to the islands.

“Now when I say beautiful, she was probably one of the best-looking women on the islands, gorgeous by anyone's standards. Luckily for her, she ended up meeting the two brothers and scored a job with them, handling the customers so the two of them could focus on the blacksmithing, and a place to stay. Of course, that's where the trouble started, because not only was she pretty, she was kind and smart, too. The kind of woman any man would want, and after not too long, both of the brothers did.”

Mugen shot a look at Jin then, and the other man returned it for a moment, before looking away. Mugen gave a little smirk and continued the story.

“So, it came to the point where the two of them were out in the yard one day, going at it with swords and seriously trying to kill each other over her. She goes out there and steps in between the two of them, which of course stops them, and asks the both of them what's going on. Well, at least that's what she told me. I'm sure she used worse language, though; she had quite a tongue when she got pissed off. Kind of like you, Fuu.”

Mugen could see Fuu's face color, even in the moonlight, and she leaned over a little a smacked him in his knee. The former pirate was smiling even wider as he kept going.

“So, of course, the two brothers didn't want to tell her they were fighting over her,” Mugen said, looking pointedly over at Jin, who met his glance with a glare. “So they both just stood there, staring at each other, until she spoke again. She told them, 'Look, you two idiots, you'd better not kill each other, because I love you both, and I'd be really angry if either one of you got killed.'”

Fuu had clapped one hand in front of her mouth, as if she had said something she shouldn't have, and Mugen watched as Jin looked at her for a moment without her noticing.

“Of course,” Mugen continued, “one of the brothers asks her how she can love both of them, and she sighs. 'I don't know how,' she tells them. 'I just love the both of you, and I don't want to be without either one of you. I know if one of you killed the other, whoever it was would never forgive himself, anyway. So why don't we just figure out some way for all of us to live together? That way, no one has to get killed. Come on, the two of you are brothers. Didn't your parents ever teach you to share?' She told me she went back inside then, and after they stared at each other for a few moments, both of the brothers threw their swords down and followed her.”

“What happened then?” Fuu asked, and then blushed after she realized what she'd asked.

Mugen laughed. “That's what I wanted to know, and she smiled and told me that I'd figure it out when I got older. But then, she kissed both of the brothers and said that after that they lived happily ever after.”

Mugen got up and stretched, then looked down at the other two. “I don't know about you two, but I'm tired of all of the misery that's been going on here lately and I'm ready for some fucking happily ever after myself. I'll be below when you two are ready.”

He took off his shirt and threw it through the hatch to the living quarters below, then followed it down. A few moments later, something that sounded suspiciously like his shorts hit the wall.

Fuu just sat there for a moment, trying to digest what had just happened. Did Mugen just...he didn't just...but he did. He put everything right out there, and...the three of them... She turned her head, looking slowly over at Jin and found him looking back at her in that flat way that he had, his expression giving nothing away. Suddenly, though, Fuu found her mind being flooded with the possibilities for the three of them, and she just continued looking at Jin. After a little while, she smiled at Jin and held out her hand.

“Come on, Jin,” she said, “I'd like some happily ever after, too.” But then she paused, struck by a horrible thought. “Unless you're not-”

She stopped as she felt Jin's hand in hers. “Come on, Fuu,” he said, leading her below.
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Mugen spotted Jin as he came up the ladder and settled next to the samurai on the deck, nearby but not too close.

“You're up early,” Mugen said, looking over at the other man.

Jin nodded, still looking out over the water. He was sitting on the side of the boat where the sky was still fairly dark, and you could see stars. On the opposite side of the sky, the edge of the world was starting to lighten with the sunrise, but it was currently just a line of light along the horizon at that point. Mugen waited, hoping that Jin would start talking about whatever was on his mind, but finally sighed before he started speaking.

“Spill it, four-eyes,” Mugen asked, looking straight at Jin.

Jin looked back, but wasn't even sure where to start. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then finally said, “Why did you do it?”

“What, in the first place?” Mugen asked, to which Jin nodded. Mugen shrugged. “Well, I think I did it because you pissed me off. Then, when I realized you got off on it, I kept encouraging you to watch to rub your face in it, I guess, but also because I got off on knowing you were watching.”

Mugen laughed at the surprise on Jin's face. “Yeah, what can I say, I'm a perv, too. How do you think I figured you out? I figured it was a good idea anyway, so that no one would surprise Fuu and me while we were together, not while you were around, at least.” Shrugging again, Mugen looked at Jin. “What else?”

“The three of us...how is this going to work?”

“I figured pretty much like it's been working, but we all get to sleep together now,” Mugen said with a leer, then laughed. “We have to figure it out, I guess, same as we did when we figured out how to travel together.”

“But, why did you even bring me into it,” Jin asked, a confused look on his face. “I mean, you and Fuu were already together-”

“Yeah, and she was going to be upset without you around, and you'd fallen for her, too,” Mugen replied, looking Jin in the eye. The samurai looked away, then met Mugen's eye again with a look of acknowledgement. “We can't seem to separate,” Mugen continued, “either by choice or chance, and I was just so fucking tired of seeing the two of you miserable when you looked at each other.”

“Besides,” Mugen said in a voice so low that it was difficult for Jin to hear, “this way, if anything happens to either one of us, Fuu will still be taken care of. She gets in too much trouble for any one person.”

Jin nodded. “I understand,” he said, suddenly feeling that he belonged in a way he never had before in his life.

The two of them stopped, watching as Fuu climbed up the ladder. She smiled at the two of them, kissed Mugen, then Jin, and sat between the two of them, filling the space between them and looking out over the sea.

“It's so good to be home,” she said.

“What, this crappy little fishing boat?” Mugen asked, looking at her as if she were crazy.

“Mugen!” she replied, laughing, as she smacked his knee. “I meant that all three of us are together again. Wherever we go and we're together, that's home.”

All three of them just looked out over the water for a while after that, and somehow Fuu's hands found one of Jin's and one of Mugen's. As the sky lightened and the stars disappeared, Fuu looked up at Mugen.

“So, where do you think we should go next?” she asked him.

“Me? Why do I have to decide?” Mugen asked with a sideways look at Fuu.

“Well, we went on a trip for me first, and now Jin; I figured it was probably your turn.”

“Really?” Mugen said with a smirk. “In that case, I think we definitely need to go below for a while longer,” he continued, picking Fuu up and heading for the ladder.

“Mugen, that's not what I meant!” Fuu squeaked. Then, turning to Jin, she cried, “Jin, help me!” before disappearing, giggling into the hatch below.

There was the ghost of a smile on Jin's face as he followed the other two below.
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OK, everyone, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. If you could let me know what you liked about this, what you think could be improved, or if something happened 'off-camera' you wanted to see, I'd much appreciate it. Thanks for reading (and for sticking with it this long)!

-WriterX

The Journey Home, chapter 8

2009-07-12T17:25:36Z

A/N: I didn't want to leave any of my readers with a cliffhanger so close to the end of the story, so I'm posting both final chapters this week. Hope you like them!

This chapter is un-beta'd due to the fact that my wonderful beta reader was overloaded this week, and I was feeling prolific, so if you note any issues, just let me know and I'll rework.

Warnings: bad language, explicit sex (het), voyeurism, fluff, character death, angst. Also, this story takes place post-series, so there are lots of spoilers/references to things that happened; as a result, I don't recommend reading this until you've completed the series.

Pairings/Characters: Mugen/Fuu, Jin

Summary: Chapter 8: In which our heroes sail away, make a terrible discovery, get separated, and attempt to find one another again.

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?

P.S. Thanks to para_kissu for my icon!
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Missed Chapter 7? Click here.

Fuu felt so excited as they sailed out that she ran to the front of the boat to watch the water parting as they moved through it and then closed her eyes to let the salty air caress her face and hair. She decided that she was going to have to stick close to Mugen if she was going to learn anything about sailing, though, so she got her hat, tied it on tightly, and went back to where he was holding the rudder.

“So, will you teach me about sailing?” she asked him, trying not to bounce around in her excitement.

Mugen couldn't help but smile, although he turned away a little, as if he didn't want to be caught at it. “Well, I guess. Most of what I know I just kind of figured out, though; I didn't spend so much time on ships that I've had people who are really good teach me anything. The main trick is figuring out how to use the winds, the sails, and the rudder together to take you where you want to go. Mostly that involves moving stuff around until you go in the direction you want.”

“So that's pretty much it?” Fuu asked, amazed.

“Well, there is more to it than that, like knowing how to tell where you're going, that we're not going to have to worry about too much, since we're just following the coast. We are going to have to worry about stuff like not sailing over things that will gut the boat, evening the weight on the boat if the winds change too much, and trying to avoid storms or find someplace to stay put if one's going on. We'll figure out what to do in a storm if we need to, though.”

Fuu nodded, looking thoughtful, and then looked back up at Mugen with a smile. “OK, so what do we need to do now?”

He laughed. “Not much. The wind's pretty constant right now. I set the sails to catch it just right earlier, so we just have to keep the rudder set so that we're following the coast, but not so far in that it's too shallow or we start running over rocks. Hey, Jin,” Mugen continued, raising his voice a little to catch the samurai's attention as the other man watched the ocean passing by from the side of the boat, “if the wind starts changing direction, you and Fuu will probably have to work together to change the sails. Got it?”

Jin hmmm'ed in response, but then nodded. Mugen continued to answer Fuu's questions about sailing, eventually putting her and Jin to work moving the sails or taking them further down or up as the wind changed, and letting them take a turn at the rudder when he needed a break. Fuu also made a point of periodically studying the sails in a proprietary manner, making sure no new tears appeared, and that all of the seams were holding up. All three of them seemed relieved and happy to be traveling again, and the day was a mirror to their moods, remaining lovely with brisk winds.

As the sun set that day, they pulled in the sails and settled the boat for the night. Gathering around the travel-battered map as they ate, all three tried to figure how far they'd come. Finally, Mugen pointed at the spot he was pretty sure they'd arrived at by the end of the day and nodded.

“So, given how far we got today, and that we'll be sailing with the light, I figure we'll get back to Edo in maybe a week and a half, assuming we keep good winds for most days during that time.”

Jin looked up at the other man, an eyebrow raised. He felt relieved, surprised, and sad that their time together would be over so soon. Jin had to admit that he'd felt like things were somewhat back to normal between the three of them once they started traveling again. However, Jin reminded himself again that he had to get away from his friends before they somehow figured out what he was thinking, because he assumed they wouldn't be friends for long after that. He masked a sigh and just nodded at Mugen instead.

Fuu was excited, though. “Just a week and a half! That's not very long at all. And, then, I can find out how Shino's doing, and we can figure out what we want to do next.”

Mugen leaned his back against hers; smiling in the twilight as he listened to her chattering and listing the things she wanted to see again there. He gave Jin a quick look in the failing light and noted the lack of...anything in his face. Mugen blew his breath out quietly, thinking that it was probably just Jin being himself; he'd seen the lady, she was beautiful and she and Jin seemed to like each other, so the other man was probably just maintaining his usual mask of indifference.

Jin struggled to keep his usual calm expression as Fuu talked. The mention of Shino had made his stomach roll uncomfortably, and he realized it had been a while since he could actually remember what her face looked like. He was suddenly glad that she wouldn't be able to come off the island for a while longer. Maybe he would be able to shake these strange thoughts and desires after some time away from his friends, to somehow forget everything he'd seen and to forget how he'd begun to feel about Fuu. Jin stared out over the water then, filled with black doubt at his ability to do that.

Their days passed quickly, with Fuu continuing to try to learn everything she could about sailing, Mugen ordering everyone around, and Jin assisting, but somehow keeping his distance. Fuu started to become worried after a few days of this, because it seemed as if Jin was trying to avoid her. She tried to tell herself that she was just being silly, but then one day Mugen had told them both to go to the front of the boat in order to even the load. Fuu stumbled as the boat sailed through a particularly large wave, and she slid right into Jin. He moved away from her as if he'd been burned, and Fuu looked at him, her eyes full of hurt.

“Jin, are you upset with me?” she asked. Fuu couldn't think of anything she had done to annoy him, but she could think of no other explanation for what he'd done.

He gave her a piercing glance, but only for a moment. “No, Fuu, I'm not upset at you.”

“Are you...do you disapprove of Mugen and I, then? What's wrong?”

Jin sighed, thinking that he was obviously unable to explain to her that he found many of his thoughts these days taken up with visions of the three of them doing things he had never heard of three people doing before, and that his previous feelings of caring for her as if she were a little sister had changed into a lot more. “No, Fuu. I thought about it, and it's really not my business to tell the two of you what to do. I've just...had a lot on my mind lately. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm upset with you. I'm not.”

Fuu just nodded and fell silent. It wasn't that she didn't believe what he was saying, but she was still confused. She thought about the fact that he didn't seem to want to meet her eye these days, but that a couple of times recently she'd looked up to find him studying her intently before he turned quickly away. Fuu still didn't know what to think, so she just tried to stop worrying about it.

After about a week on the ocean, Fuu had gotten used to the routine on the sailboat, and felt like the seagoing life suited her fine. She loved the days on the water and under the sky, and she loved getting sailing lessons from Mugen. The only thing she really wasn't fond of on the boat was the lack of privacy.

Fuu was very distracted on one day in particular, noticing all sorts of things she wished she could put out of her mind. The day was very sunny and hot, even with the strong breeze they were getting, so Mugen had taken his shirt off. Her eyes seemed attracted to the sight like a magnet, and Fuu found herself watching his abs ripple as he reached up to adjust the sails, found herself almost cheering mentally as he moved again and his shorts slipped a little lower.

When she slipped out of her trance, she guiltily glanced up at Mugen's face, only to find him looking back at her, a big smirk on his face. She bowed her head a little so that her hat shaded most of her scarlet face, hoping that Jin hadn't noticed the whole thing.

By the end of the day, Fuu felt like her skin was practically burning, and her guts seemed like they were filled with liquid flames. She was trying to wind down for the day, trying to think about how tired she was, but the only thing she really wanted to do was to grab Mugen and find someplace where they could be by themselves. Fuu wanted him so badly that she felt her hands ball into fists so that she didn't reach out to touch him.

Finally, as the three of them were getting ready to sleep in the small room below, Fuu felt she had to be by herself for a little while before she snapped. She mumbled something about getting some air and that she'd be back down in a little while, then fled up to the deck. When she got there, she trembled as she leaned against the mast, looking up at the stars and trying to let the quiet ocean sounds soothe her keyed up nerves.

“What's up, girly?” Fuu suddenly heard in her ear, but was stopped from jumping in surprise by Mugen's arms, which had come up around her without her noticing, somehow.

She just looked up at him for a moment, moving from his eyes, down his body, then back up to meet his eyes again. Blushing, she looked away, but Mugen put his hand to her chin to turn her face back to his. Then, they were kissing and Fuu was unable to stop the shudders and the little moan in her throat as his tongue slid into her mouth. It felt so good, but it just made the fires within her roar up higher. She was panting by the time their lips parted, and it was about all she could do to just stare at Mugen, even though she felt her cheeks color.

“You're not really embarrassed about looking at me like that, are you?” he asked.

Fuu looked to the side, trying to stammer something before Mugen interrupted her.

“You shouldn't be. I liked it,” he murmured into her ear. “I liked it a lot,” Mugen continued, pulling her hand forward in his own and bringing the two of them down the front of his pants where he wrapped her hand around his cock, hissing a little as he did. Fuu could feel that he was hard, and she couldn't seem to stop herself from starting to stroke him, her hot blood singing at the rumble in Mugen's chest as she did.

“Feel like you're going to die if you don't get some?” Mugen whispered into Fuu's ear, causing her to blush again, and her hand to slow.

“Yes,” she admitted. “I don't want Jin to feel bad, though. I'm sure he's missing Shino enough without us...doing this in front of him.”

Mugen was silent for a moment, feeling an unfamiliar twinge of guilt, but he pushed it away in favor of more interesting pursuits. “Well,” he said, raising his knee in between Fuu's legs until his thigh brushed her crotch, “we'll just have to be really quiet then.”

Fuu stopped herself from mewling as she felt Mugen's leg there, and let out a mostly soundless gasp a moment later as she rocked her hips on him and the movement brushed against her clit. She gripped Mugen a little tighter then and kept stroking him, her blood singing as she heard his sharp intake of breath and watched his head snap back.

“Yeah, keep that up,” he breathed into her ear a moment later, then teased her earlobe with the tip of his tongue.

Swallowing a groan, Fuu ground into him harder and continued stroking his cock. Their lips crashed together, and their kiss swallowed the little sounds Fuu was making despite her best efforts. It felt so good, especially after waiting for days, that it was very hard for her to keep quiet. Mugen was quieter, but Fuu could feel his back shaking under her other hand as she stroked him and ground against him.

Almost too quickly, Fuu could feel the heat in her work its way up to fever pitch, and then, after hanging there for a few moments, she felt her orgasm roar down on her, leaving her shaking and leaning back against the mast so that she didn't fall over.

Mugen knew he was lost as he saw Fuu's eyes fly open, and then watched her silently shake, her hand still somehow remembering to stroke him. He took her lips again as he came and tasted her low moan before he pulled back a little, then leaned his head against the mast just above her. They both just leaned there for a while, their breathing gradually coming back to normal. After taking a few moments to clean up, they sat for a while, looking up at the stars and leaning against one another.

“So, why didn't you tell me it was going to be like that?” Fuu asked, giving Mugen as much of a dirty look as she could muster against the calm giddiness she always felt afterwards.

Mugen gave her a look out of the corner of his eye. “Eh, well, I wasn't sure it would be like that for you. I mean, I remember what it was like for me, but...well, it turned out all right, didn't it?”

Fuu huffed a little, unable to disagree too much, and leaned into him again, focusing back on the sky. When she started to yawn a little later, Mugen laughed.

“Ready to go to bed now?” he asked.

“Yes,” Fuu smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. She felt too good to be annoyed at him, and instead followed him below.

Jin had tried to block his ears against hearing any of what happened, and was mostly successful, but the few snatches of heavy breath and muffled moans that he did hear just caused his imagination to kick in and start showing him a number of imaginary scenes starring the three of them. He rolled over, trying to find a way to go to sleep and forget everything, and pretended to be sleeping when Mugen and Fuu reappeared some time later. His actual sleep didn't arrive for some time, and it was shot through by dreams similar to what he'd imagined earlier.

As it came near to the time when they should be arriving in Edo, Mugen went ashore one day when they saw a small town in order to ask some of the old sailors there. He was smirking as he got back into their boat.

“They told me we're not far. A few more miles down the coast, and they said we'll see it. Actually, they said we can't miss it, so it must be pretty big. So, I figured we'd go there, take a look, and then double back to find somewhere secluded to leave the boat so we can make our way into town.”

It didn't take them long to find the town, as promised, and they were also able to find a wild, secluded cove not far from Edo where they left the boat before they began walking to town. Fuu was bouncing along and talking to everyone and no one about what a great day it was, and how excited she was to really be able to meet Shino this time. Mugen was walking a little behind Jin and Fuu, and he was watching Jin. There was something going on with the guy, but Mugen wasn't able to put his finger on it. He was almost always expressionless, but Mugen thought Jin had put on an extra level of it today. Shaking his head a little, Mugen kept pace with the other two, but stayed slightly behind.

Jin was feeling a little better now that they were on land again. Being in the boat didn't really seem to be his thing; he appreciated solid ground under his feet. Also, he thought he might be feeling better because it seemed he was going to be able to depart from his friends with them none the wiser about the impossible thoughts he'd been having.

The three of them finally came to the little dock where Jin had left Shino as she traveled to the island.

“Fuu,” Jin said, “the island is that one, over there. Like we talked about earlier, I don't think any men are allowed, other than the monks. Please look in on Shino and find out when she'll be able to leave, and what her plans are when she does.”

“Of course, Jin,” Fuu said, smiling at him as she put a reassuring hand on his arm before she got into the boat and rowed away.

Jin sighed to himself, reflecting on how it was that he could feel her hand almost burning him even through his clothes. A moment later, he heard Mugen let out a snort of laughter.

“Sounds like you're getting kind of soft, four-eyes.”

Jin turned to look at Mugen, meeting his eyes squarely. “You think you have room to talk?”

Grumbling, Mugen turned away. Jin kept himself from smiling, somehow, at the rather embarrassed look on the other man's face.

The island was lovely, Fuu realized as she came ever closer in the little boat. She could see tall trees and complex gardens, but as she was enjoying the view of them, Fuu felt a chill as she realized that it was amazingly quiet, and that she hadn't seen another person yet. After landing, Fuu looked around a little to figure out what to do next, and found a placard attached to a nearby tree with directions to the main building, and an admonition to come up and find sanctuary.

As she walked up the path that had been indicated, Fuu looked around, appreciating the lovely surroundings, but the further she went, the more worried she became as she encountered no one. She had started wondering if it was some kind of weird trap when finally she reached the main building. Fuu sighed with relief as she saw a few people in the distance, some women and some monks working in what looked to be a vegetable garden, and a few people sitting in a grove in the shade.

A voice stopped Fuu as she was ascending the front steps of the building. “What brings you here, young woman? Do you need sanctuary?”

The voice came from a shaded alcove of the building, and Fuu was squinting, trying to see the monk. “Actually, I was coming here to see someone who came here a while ago. Her name is Shino, and I arrived today with a friend of hers who wants to make sure she's OK. Could you let me know where she might be so that I can visit with her?”

The monk came out of the shadows then, and Fuu's eyes widened as she looked at him. He didn't seem too old, but he was leaning on a stick to support him. He looked drawn and thin, as if he'd been ill and still hadn't quite recovered yet. She bowed to him and waited. He sighed, then looked at Fuu and smiled.

“You'll have to forgive me,” he said. “I'm worn out a lot of the time, so I go much slower than I used to.”

“Can I help-” Fuu began, stepping forward, but stopped as she saw the monk hold his hand up.

“I'm sorry, young woman, but I'll have to ask you to keep your distance. I, and most of the people here, have been very sick, and I don't want to see anyone else become sick.”

Suddenly, the foreboding feeling was back, and Fuu's stomach clenched with worry. “Did something happen? I thought it was strange when I came all the way up here and didn't see anyone.”

The monk sighed again, and then motioned Fuu to follow him. “Why don't you come with me,” he said, turning to go back inside. “I'll have to consult my records to let you know about your friend, anyway. I'll explain what happened along the way.”

Fuu quietly followed the monk inside the large, cool building, walking slightly behind him.

“Well, young woman-”

“I'm sorry, I should have said earlier. My name is Fuu.”

“Well, Fuu, something did happen here. I should begin by saying that many of the husbands in Edo aren't happy that we're here; they think their wives should just be forced to stay with them regardless of what they do to them. Unfortunately for us, some of them decided to act on that. A young woman came here a month or two ago, claiming that she was on the run from her husband who beat her. Well, the actual truth, that she told us just before she died, was that one of the richer men in the city had told her that he would forget about the debt her parents owed him if she came here and posed as a woman fleeing her husband. What they didn't tell her was that she had a new western disease and no one knew how to treat it. Of course, by the time we found the truth, many of the people here had become infected.

“Most everyone here was sick for weeks, and many people died. There are still a few who are very sick, but most everyone who survived is recovering now. I'll check through my records now to find out about your friend Shino.”

They had arrived in a small room with a good number of scrolls and a simple desk which the monk slowly sat at and then consulted a thick scroll. After a few moments, he closed the scroll and opened one of the desk drawers, taking out something that looked like a letter. He turned back to Fuu and bowed to her.

“I am sorry for your loss,” he said quietly, and silent tears began sliding down Fuu's cheeks.

“However, I do need to ask, are you here representing someone named Jin?”

Fuu looked back at him, surprised, as she tried drying her cheeks with one hand. “Yes, I came here with Jin. He's waiting on the shore to hear how Shino is.”

Fuu couldn't help crying again then, thinking about what she had to tell him, but her attention was drawn to the letter that the monk slid across the desk to her.

“One of Shino's last instructions was that if anyone named Jin ever sent an agent, or came looking for her, they were to be given that letter.”

Fuu bowed low to the monk as she took the letter. “Thank you, sir. Could you tell me, before I go, can I pay respects to Shino?”

She spent some time in front of the woman's grave, watching the incense burn and mentally telling Shino everything that had happened since they'd left. Fuu finally dried her tears and went back to the boat, her mind turning in circles. How was she going to tell Jin what had happened? I can manage, she kept telling herself as her stomach clenched and she tried to keep herself from crying again, at least until she got there.

As she stepped off the boat, she could see Jin and Mugen waiting for her, and her heart constricted painfully as she saw the two of them. Despite her best intentions, Fuu's eyes were full of tears as she looked up at Jin when she stepped onto the dock.

“Jin,” Fuu said quietly, “I'm so sorry, but there was a terrible sickness on the island and Shino died. I paid respects at her grave for you, and I brought this letter that she wrote before she passed on.”

She handed it to Jin with a trembling hand, her tears overflowing. Jin took it without looking at her, opened it, and began to read.

“Dear Jin,” the letter began. “It feels so odd to be writing this to you. Although I've thought of you often, it somehow never seemed to me that I would meet you again, or that we were meant to be together. Of course, it's only now that I'm starting to realize why. I am hoping that you never receive this letter, but if you did come to see me, please know how happy that makes me. What I'm also hoping for you is that you are with your friends. They must be fine people to be willing to help you no matter what you undertake. Please don't feel sorry that I'm gone, and please try not to miss me too much. I do feel that there is someone out there for you; maybe she's in front of you right now. I'm sorry, but I have to go. I feel very blessed to have met someone like you in my lifetime, and you made me very happy. Please have a happy life of your own. -Shino”

Jin folded the letter and slipped it away. He could feel both Fuu and Mugen's eyes on him, so he slowly looked up to meet them. Fuu was still crying and watching him closely. Mugen was keeping an eye on him as well, but his look was a lot more subdued than his normal brash stare. Suddenly, it occurred to Jin that this was the perfect time to slip away. If he told them he needed some time alone, he could easily get lost in Edo, and then just continue moving along on his own. This is the right thing to do, Jin told himself. Better to leave the two of them on their own, he thought, than to be some kind of obstacle to them, or to have them figure out what he was thinking about and shun him on their own.

So, Jin turned to Fuu then, looking her in the eye. It was meant to be a last look, so that he could memorize everything about her, but Jin could feel his resolve melting as he gazed at her, so lovely even with tears in her eyes. He wanted to wipe them away with his hand, but knew that touching her and then being able to leave afterwards was probably out of the question.

“Please don't cry, Fuu,” he said quietly. “It will be all right. I just need a little time alone to think.”

She nodded and tried to stop crying, wiping her tears away with one hand. Before he turned away, Jin looked Mugen straight in the eye briefly. He tried to convey what he was thinking by slowly nodding once before he turned away. Jin thought he saw Mugen's eyes widen for a moment, as if he'd understood, but the other man did nothing else to give anything away. Both the relief and the melancholy were almost crushing as Jin turned a bend in the road that forked off to go into town and passed out of their sight.

Fuu was still sniffling as she took Mugen's hand, but she burst back out into tears as soon as he asked about what happened on the island. Mugen felt completely panicked for a moment, but then spotted a nearby roadside stand. He found a place for her to sit, and when he came back with tea and dumplings, Mugen told her to tell him the whole story while they ate. Fuu had finally stopped crying once the story was over, and she ate a few more dumplings. Mugen shook his head.

“That's fucked up,” he said, unconsciously pulling her closer to him with the hand he was holding. “Come on, let's get back to the boat before any more fucked up shit happens.”

As they walked, Mugen tried to consider what to do. Mugen had gotten an odd feeling in his stomach when he saw the way Jin had looked at Fuu, but the nod Jin had given as he'd left told Mugen that the other man wasn't planning on coming back. However, he didn't quite know how to tell Fuu, and found that he wanted to put it off, anyway, so the entire afternoon went by and he didn't mention it. The first few hours were fine as they both reminded each other of why it was nice to have some time alone. However, after a while, Mugen could tell that Fuu had started watching for Jin, and by the time the sun had started to set, she looked agitated. It was around the time the stars came out that she really started to get worried, however, finally asking, “Mugen, when do you think Jin will get back?”

Mugen winced, trying to think of a way not to answer, but finally thought it might be better just to get his supposition out in the open and get the conversation over with. “Fuu,” he started gently, “I think maybe Jin wasn't intending to come back.”

Fuu just stared at Mugen, then, tears suddenly running down her cheeks again. “That can't be! I mean, what's he going to do? He can't just leave, not when something like this happened!”

She broke off then, sobbing with her face in her hands. Mugen watched a moment, feeling an unfamiliar twist in his chest and was suddenly glad that Jin was gone. But, the feeling got stronger a moment later when Fuu looked back up at him.

“Mugen, we've got to go find him! I'm really worried about him. He just found out about what...what happened to Shino. I know he doesn't look it, but I'm sure he's really upset about it. We can't just leave him!”

Mugen surprised himself then by almost shouting, “What the hell is up with you, Fuu? It sounds like you're in love with him.”

He just stared at her then, feeling very dangerous and waiting for an answer. Her eyes had gone wide with his last statement, and then her face fell. Fuu's mind was racing, trying to figure out what to tell Mugen. Sure, she still loved Jin, but being in love with him? Fuu just didn't know; she'd let go of the idea of them being together, certainly... She looked back up at Mugen then to see his eyes narrowed, watching her. Fuu sighed and decided that being painfully honest was probably the best way out of this.

“Yes, Mugen, I did fall for him first, before we were together,” Fuu told him, watching his eyes flick away. “I let the whole idea go once he met Shino, because I figured he'd never like a silly girl like me. But, I guess you don't ever really stop loving someone once you start.”

She noticed that Mugen had turned away, and she moved to stand in front of him, and looked up into his eyes. “Yes, I love Jin, but it's different from the way I love you. And, don't you dare think that this means I'm going to leave you, because I'm not. I told you I'd be right here with you, and I will be. I'm just...” Fuu faltered a little, her tears threatening to come back. “I'm so worried about Jin. I just know he's in trouble, and I want to go find him.”

Mugen let out a breath that almost sounded like a sigh while he thought. Fuu had put it delicately, but he almost heard her point out the fact that it would be pretty ridiculous for him to hold something against her that happened before they were together, especially since she hadn't in his case. And, when it came down to it, Mugen really couldn't say he felt jealous of Jin at all, now that he knew that Fuu had no intention of leaving him. Actually, when he thought of his reaction to Jin's rather pointed gaze at Fuu, he couldn't say that it was all jealousy even at the time; there had definitely been some interest in seeing what might happen. Mugen actually did sigh then; he could hardly believe he was OK with the idea of seeing Fuu and Jin together, but there it was. Of course, he had liked being watched, as well as watching, since he was young... His thoughts wandered for another moment before he turned back to Fuu.

“OK, Fuu. Come on, let's go. You're right. I'm sure four-eyes needs our help; he's probably gotten himself into some damn sort of trouble without us around.”

“Oh, Mugen!” Fuu said and flung herself at him, hugging him tightly. “Thanks.”

It took them a quiet hour's walk under starry skies to get back into town. They ended up at a crossroads there, trying to figure out how they would carry out the search.

“My bet,” Mugen said, “is that Jin will either be drinking, or visiting one of the whorehouses.”

“Well, you're probably right,” Fuu said with a sigh. “So, we can split up. I can look at the bars, and you can look, er...in the red light district.”

“No. We can look through the bars together, and then you can wait for me while I look through the brothels.”

“But, Mugen! That will take all night!”

The two of them argued the point for a while, until Mugen grudgingly admitted to himself that she probably was right. His instincts were screaming at him to avoid separating, but there didn't seem much else to do if they wanted to finish their search that night. Eventually, he stopped arguing with Fuu and called her over to him instead.

“Turn around,” Mugen said, and buckled his sword belt on Fuu. She now seemed dwarfed by the sword sticking over her shoulder, and she tried to look up at it.

“I don't know how to use a sword!” Fuu said, looking up at Mugen with an expression that looked suspiciously like a pout.

“I won't be able to take it with me, where I'm going,” he replied. “Anyway, you're not supposed to use it. What you do is if anyone is foolish enough to threaten you, or mess with you, tell them that sword belongs to me. Tell them that if they even do so much as touch you that I'll know, and I'll cut off every part they touched you with, before I kill them. Got it?”

Fuu nodded, trying to look brave, and smiled as Mugen disappeared into the entrance to the red light district. Sighing, she smiled again as she tried to look self-assured, but then actually took on a look of confidence as she glanced up at the sword that Mugen had trusted her with. Fuu then ducked into the first bar along the street to start her search.
________________________________________________

If you could let me know what you liked about this, and what you think could be improved, I'd much appreciate it. Thanks for reading!

-WriterX

Click here for Chapter 9

Act 3: Stuck In the Basement

2009-07-06T23:15:21Z

A/N: Soooo....here's Act 3. I went a little over my length goal of 5 pages, but the whole thing seemed to work together, so I couldn't find anything to cut as I reviewed it. Renji and Ichigo surprised me a little in this story, but it was a good kind of surprise, so I hope you enjoy it!

As always, many thanks to my mighty beta reader, gwoman , for helping me to improve the story!

Warnings: Lots of bad language, minor angst, explicit good sex (yaoi).

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?
_________________________________________________________________

Missed Act 2? Click here.

Ichigo balanced a stack of precariously perched boxes in his arms, somehow making it to the top of the stairs where he put them on the floor right next to a number of other boxes. He started back down the stairs, calling out as he did, “OK, the one you have is the last one-” but stopped as he was cut off by a loud noise.

“What was that?” Renji asked, appearing at the foot of the stairs carrying another box.

“Well,” said Ichigo after trying the door up from the basement, “that was the door slamming shut and locking. It does that sometimes when the windows are open in the house.”

“So unlock it,” Renji said, setting down the large box he was carrying.

“I'd love to,” Ichigo replied, sitting down on the step he'd been standing on a moment before. “The door doesn't unlock from this side, though. We can-”

Ichigo cut himself off as the light bulb over their heads started to dim, and then went out entirely.

“Well, shit,” Ichigo finished, sighing in frustration.

“What the fuck?” Renji's voice rang out in the sudden darkness.

“Sorry, Renji, but this happens all the time, too. The wiring down here is older than the rest of the house, so the light bulbs burn out quickly.”

Ichigo moved carefully down the stairs and over to the shelves along the far wall where he knew the extra light bulbs were stored, but found nothing. “Crap. We're out of light bulbs, too.” He sighed again and moved to the end of the shelves, found a blanket by feeling for it, and shook it out where he knew there was an empty spot on the floor. Then he went back to where he remembered Renji had been standing and reached for his hand.

“Come on over here and sit down,” Ichigo said, nearly stopping mid-sentence as he felt Renji's hand clamp hard onto his. That, and something about the awkwardness with which the redhead was holding his normally very fluidly agile body were both warning Ichigo that something was wrong. He tugged on Renji's hand and managed to bring him to the spot he'd prepared. When they were both seated side by side on the ground, Ichigo turned to Renji in the dark.

“So, what's wrong?” Ichigo asked, trying to keep his voice gentle.

The reply was so long in coming that Ichigo was starting to wonder if he'd have to repeat himself, but finally he heard Renji sigh and then reply in a quiet voice, “You'll probably think it's stupid.”

“Not if it's bothering you this much. What is it?”

Ichigo could feel movement beside him then and figured after a moment that Renji had probably taken out his hair tie and was running his hand through his hair. “Well,” Renji said, “since I was little, I've always lived in really populated areas. Wherever there are people, it's never really dark, even in the middle of the night. There's always light coming from somewhere. The only times I ever experienced real pitch black, like this, were times when something was wrong, really wrong. I've never gotten over the freaky feeling it gives me to be stuck in the full dark like this, I guess.”

Renji fell silent then, obviously sunk into unpleasant memories, and Ichigo bit his lip, wishing there was something he could do to make the redhead feel better.

“Hey,” Renji started, “maybe we could-”

“If your idea involves breaking the door down, or using kido or something, you can forget it. I am not going to have to deal with that maniac-”

“You mean your dad?”

“-calling every day for the next week to complain about how his new son, Renji, broke the house, and as your older brother, it's my responsibility to explain things to you-”

“What do you mean, older brother?”

Ichigo could almost feel Renji's eyes on him, and snickered. “My dad is insane, after all. I was the first boy in the family, so you'd have to be the younger brother. I have to tell you, though, this periodic basement cleaning we’re in the middle of was probably one of the reasons my dad was so happy to hear we're together, because this used to be something I had to do myself. That's why I'm so familiar with where everything is in the basement; I've been stuck here in the dark many times.”

Renji laughed, and Ichigo leaned into him, happy the redhead was at least getting comfortable enough to find something funny. After a moment, Ichigo felt Renji relax a little and lean back against him. Ichigo smiled then as a quick succession of ideas ran through his mind.

“Besides,” Ichigo said as he leaned against Renji some more, gradually pushing him down to the blanket, “a little dark can be a good thing.”

“What do you mean?” asked Renji, and Ichigo was glad to hear the redhead's voice deepening the way it usually did when the two of them were together in a quiet spot in the dark.

“Oh, I'm talking about how you're always so focused on watching everything when we're fucking,” Ichigo said low, as he bit gently on Renji's earlobe, not missing the jolt he felt run through the other man's body when he said the word 'fucking'. “I think you miss some things.”

“But there's so much good stuff to see,” Renji replied, his hands slipping down Ichigo's sides to settle on his ass.

Ichigo chuckled, moved so that he was straddling Renji and then ground their hips together briefly. “I'm glad you think so, but I think you get so focused on what you can see that you don't end up feeling everything the way I do. So, I figured I could use this chance to show you.”

Renji let out a quick gasp, and Ichigo could feel the redhead's hips coming up to meet his as he moved away. “Show me what?” Renji replied, his voice even deeper now, his breath speeding up.

Ichigo leaned back down, bringing their bodies fully together, grinding their hips together hard and slow as he spoke low into Renji's ear again. “Show you how good it can feel when you're not focused on what you can see. I'm going to turn you on so much that you'll only be able to moan and groan for me, and then I'll make you come so hard all you'll be able to do afterwards is pant and lie in my arms.”

Renji's whole body shuddered then, and he brought his hips up to grind into Ichigo's. “Fuck, Ichi,” he gasped, then murmured after a pause, “Just...keep touching me so I can tell where you are. It's too...weird, otherwise.”

“Oh, I'll be touching you, all right, and I'll keep talking, so you'll know exactly where I am,” Ichigo replied, running his tongue down Renji's neck.

Ichigo's blood heated as he heard the sharp intake of breath and felt Renji's neck stretch back under his lips, reaching up to him. “That's it, Ren. I love the way you arch your body up under me when I touch you, as if you always want more. And I'll give it to you. Everything you want me to do to you, I will.”

He spoke into Renji's neck then, between licks and sucks as he traced the tattoos there. “I don't need to see the art on you. Every line is engraved into my brain; I can feel them under my fingertips and taste them when I kiss your skin. I want to trace every one with my tongue because they look so fucking delicious. Every time I see one I can barely restrain myself from ripping all your clothes off because I want to see all of them right away. I want to touch them.”

Ichigo paused to suck on Renji's collarbone before he impatiently pulled the other man's shirt up and off, and then moved to tease the lines he knew were on the redhead's chest. He felt Renji's hands moving up his sides and shrugged out of his shirt when he felt it being pushed up and over his head. Ichigo gasped and leaned back as he felt Renji's big hands move, one to his hip to grind them together, and one to tease and pinch one of his nipples.

“Fuck, yes, that's it,” Ichigo said, low and in his throat. “I love it when you touch me. I can never decide if I like it more when you touch me, because you always turn me into a moaning mess, or if I like touching you better, because of the way you move your body for me and those fucking sexy sounds you make.”

Running his fingers up the redhead's sides, Ichigo felt his cock twitch at the gasp and slight moan he got in response. Ichigo bent again to Renji's chest, this time taking one of the redhead's nipples between his lips, sucking and rolling it with his tongue. He wanted to chuckle wickedly at the strong response he got; the sharp gasp, muffled curse, and arched back just made Ichigo harder.

“Feels good, doesn't it? I told you that you get distracted; I usually have to bite you to get you to react like that.”

Renji's hands were holding hard to Ichigo's back now, and he savored the feeling of the redhead's blunt fingers digging in as he felt for a black ink line down the side of Renji's stomach with his tongue. Ichigo moved quickly then, undoing the redhead's pants and pulling them down and off. The heat in his blood spiked as he brought his lips back, kissing Renji's hipbone and licking it, then biting softly. Renji convulsed in response, a sound somewhere between a grunt and a gasp seemingly ripped from his core.

Ichigo pressed one hand down on Renji's abs, marking the strong shudders as his other hand curled around Renji's cock. The redhead cried out then with something that was probably meant to be a word. Heat like he'd never felt before was flowing through Ichigo's veins as he moved his mouth to Renji's cock and slowly lapped at the head, sucking at the pre-come, making sure he could sample it thoroughly. Renji's gasps and moans just fed the fire, and Ichigo could feel his cock twitching as he ground against the redhead's leg.

“Fucking delicious,” Ichigo said, pulling his mouth back from Renji's cock just a little. “Just like the rest of you. Your body drives me insane. I'm glad I can't see your dick, because when I do, it just makes me want to mount you and ride you until I make you come in me again and again. But then, when I see your sweet ass, I just want to push inside you and fuck you all night, make you scream for more, and pump you full of my come.”

Renji was panting hard and moaning low now, his hips reaching up for Ichigo's mouth, his hands digging into Ichigo's shoulders. Moving up quickly, Ichigo ripped his own pants off before he laid back fully over Renji, their cocks sliding against each other smoothly from the saliva and pre-come. It was Ichigo's turn to convulse a moment later when Renji bit his shoulder, hard enough to bring a groan out of the smaller man.

“Fuck yes,” Ichigo half-moaned, searching in the dark for Renji's pants, then pawing through the pockets. He was betting that after the time they got stuck in the elevator a while ago, he would find something interesting, but he was starting to forget what he was looking for as his head drooped with pleasure at Renji's tongue on his shoulder, lapping at the bite mark.

Ichigo gave a low, knowing laugh as he finally found the object of his search. “Oh I thought you might have started carrying some of this,” he said, popping the cap and slicking his fingers up.

Beneath him, Renji let out a moan that almost sounded like a whine, and Ichigo fought to catch his breath as his cock jumped in response. Moving further down Renji's body, Ichigo pushed one of the redhead's thighs up, pressed one slick finger to his entrance, and waited. Ichigo heard Renji's keen of frustration, but kept waiting until he felt the redhead relax and then pressed a little more. He made a sound like a growl through his teeth as he pushed his finger into Renji slowly.

“You feel so fucking good around me,” Ichigo said as he waited a moment and then began to move his finger in and out as slowly as he could manage. “Tight as hell and smooth as silk. The minute I touch you like this it drives me so fucking crazy I can barely wait to get my cock in you.”

Ichigo began to bite his way down Renji's thigh as he continued to slowly work a second and third finger inside the redhead. By now, just the sounds that Renji was making were threatening to drive Ichigo to the edge, so he knew he'd better move things along before he lost it completely. But, as he pulled his fingers free, he felt Renji move under him, and when Ichigo moved closer to the redhead, the first thing he felt was Renji's perfect ass, right in the air in front of him. Ichigo seemed to lose his ability to speak for a moment and just caressed the other man's cheeks, giving them a bite, then a licking kiss.

“So, this is the way you want it,” Ichigo said in a low voice he hardly recognized. “You want me in you deep?”

An answering groan from Renji seemed to confirm that, and Ichigo couldn't get the lube spread onto his cock fast enough, fumbling the small bottle and hissing as he started to coat his erection.

“Fuck, Renji,” Ichigo said as he tried to hold himself together. “I've got to be inside you.”

Ichigo knelt behind the redhead and swirled a slick finger against his entrance before breathlessly lining up his lubed cock. A moment later Ichigo's stomach tightened as he felt Renji push back when he pushed forward and his cock started to slowly slide inside.

“I don't need to see myself disappearing into you,” Ichigo said, low and husky, “because I can feel every inch as it pushes into you. You feel so fucking good. I love it. I love how you move back against me, the way you tighten around me as you take me in. Fuck, Renji, fuck.”

Trailing off with a moan as he made it all the way inside, Ichigo froze, feeling Renji's wet heat all around him, the sensation of pressure spiking through every nerve, making him feel out of breath. Love it, Ichigo thought as he panted, I love every fucking thing about you, you big redheaded idiot. After a blank beat where the realization of what he’d been thinking hit him, Ichigo just took a breath and tried to rein himself and his racing pulse in. But he forgot about everything a moment later as Renji moved his hips, bringing Ichigo's cock out slightly, then back in. The slick, sliding sound coupled with the surprise nearly made Ichigo come undone, and he grabbed hold of Renji's hips.

“Give me a moment, Renji. Unless you want this to be over almost before it's started, I'm going to need a moment to get used to your tight, sexy ass.”

Ichigo was forced to finish with a groan, however, as Renji still managed to move a little in his grip, forcing the smaller man even deeper.

Panting with the effort of trying to hold himself back, Ichigo asked, “So you want it hard and fast, is that it?”

The fire in his blood nearly scorched him a moment later when Renji replied in a low, muffled voice that sounded as if the words were made with great effort. “Fuck yeah, Ichi.”

Bending closer to Renji, Ichigo's answering groan sounded nearer to a sob as he wrapped one hand around the redhead's cock and grabbed a hip with the other. Ichigo stroked Renji at a quick pace, using the hand that was still slippery from coating his own cock. As Renji shuddered and bucked a moment later, Ichigo slammed into him, nearly coming right then at the wanton groan the redhead let out.

“Oh yeah, fuck that sounded good, that's it, let me know how it feels,” Ichigo growled.

A moment later, Ichigo was on the edge again and being shoved over as he felt Renji come back to meet him with his next hard thrust.

“Fuck, Renji, I'm gonna-”

No way I'm going to come first, Ichigo thought as he sped up the pace of his hand stroking Renji's cock and then licked the redhead's back, under his shoulder blade, near his spine. At the next hard thrust, Ichigo bit Renji there, probably hard enough to leave a mark. Renji cried out under him, bucking against Ichigo and then coming in hot spurts all over his hand. Ichigo rode out the increasing heat and pressure as long as he could, then came inside Renji, making a loud, sharp cry of his own.

For a few moments, all that either of them could do was tremble and pant. Ichigo moved first, sliding out of Renji and nudging the redhead onto his back. He cleaned them both up the best he could with a corner of the blanket, and then curled up around Renji, smiling as his lips pressed into wild red hair.

“Damn, Ichigo,” Renji said, his voice deep and sounding as if it was returning from being long disused.

“So, is the darkness still bothering you?” Ichigo asked, thinking that his own voice sounded like there was a smirk in it.

“What darkness?” the redhead replied sleepily.

Renji had turned to face Ichigo and had curled his head under the smaller man’s chin. Not wanting to move much, Ichigo reached an arm up and craned it around until he managed to pull another blanket down over the top of the two of them. He put his arms around Renji, suddenly feeling very tired himself, and thought he would just sleep for a few minutes before going to try the door to see if anyone had made it home.

About a half-hour later, Yuzu opened the basement door. Her father had left a garbled note about Ichigo and Renji cleaning some things out of the basement and that they would be at the house for dinner. Yuzu had begun to wonder where they were, though, because she hadn't seen them yet. Seeing that the basement door was locked and the light was probably out again, she came back with a flashlight.

“Ichigo,” she called softly as she went down the basement stairs.

As she played the light around, she eventually saw the two men sleeping in an otherwise empty corner. She gasped and quickly doused the light, then ran back upstairs. When she came back a moment later, she had a small digital camera in hand.

“So cute!” she whispered to herself as she took a few shots.

Sometime later, Ichigo woke up to find light streaming down the stairs. He nudged Renji and the two of them got dressed quickly and made their way upstairs, Ichigo mentally noting that he'd need to throw the blankets into the washer before they left.

Afterwards, Renji claimed that it was one of the best dinners he'd had in recent memory. He said his favorite thing had been the place mats Yuzu had made of the picture of the two of them sleeping, and had even asked her to send him a copy. Isshin said he liked the picture so much that he was going to have a poster-sized print made so that his two sons could share the wall with their mother.

It wasn't until after they left that Renji got Ichigo to admit that he might actually like the picture.

“It's just so embarrassing, though.”

Renji smirked. “Sounds like someone else needs to be distracted now.”

“You think you're up to the task?” Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, I know I am,” said Renji, his smile broadening. “I'm going to make you look like this afterwards,” he continued, pulling one of the place mats from his pocket and pointing to Ichigo's picture.

“You kept it?” Ichigo said, reaching for it and missing.

“Come and get it,” said Renji with a wild laugh, taking off in the direction of Ichigo's apartment.
________________________________________________________________

As always, comments about what you liked and what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated, especially about whether the story length was effective, and whether it was actually hot (as was intended). Thanks for reading!

-WriterX

Click here for Act 4

The Journey Home, chapter 7

2009-07-05T17:41:41Z

A/N: This is a piece I was inspired to write after watching this anime, since these characters really got into my head, and because the ending was left a lot more open than I personally liked. Another thing that inspired me here was the difference between what the characters say and their actions, which usually seem a lot more revealing about them and their thoughts and feelings. Because I was interested to explore that, you get to see inside their heads a lot, and my challenge to myself with this story was to write three points of view intermixed in such a way that it didn't interfere with the story, and that it was clear to the reader who the story was following at any given time. Let me know how you think I did.

Again, I voice a big thanks to my beta reader gwoman , a superhero in disguise who helps me improve my writing. If there's anything remaining that's unbeautiful about this chapter, it's solely the fault of the author. : )

Warnings: bad language, explicit sex (het), voyeurism, fluff. Also, this story takes place post-series, so there are lots of spoilers/references to things that happened; as a result, I don't recommend reading this until you've completed the series.

Pairings/Characters: Mugen/Fuu, Jin

Summary: Chapter 7: In which a project is completed, true intentions are discovered, goodbyes are made, and another journey begins.

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?

P.S. Thanks to para_kissu for my icon!
________________________________________________

Missed Chapter 6? Click here.

It was about a week later that the boat was done enough to consider putting it back in the water. Mugen had finished all the necessary repairs with the occasional help from Fuu; Fuu completed the sail repairs a while back, and was done fixing the fishing nets like Mugen had showed her. The two of them had just finished checking the nets together, and Fuu glanced up at the sun, which showed that it probably wasn't quite noon yet.

“Hey,” Mugen said as they finished stowing the nets, “how about we knock off for the next couple of hours? We can probably ask some of the fishing families to help us get the boat back into the water later this afternoon when they get back in, but until then, we can...relax.”

He couldn't help smirking as Fuu turned to look at him, and then his stomach dropped a little as she gave him a suggestive smile in return.

“That sounds good,” she said, turning towards the house. “Why don't we do that?”

Mugen found himself hurrying behind her to close the distance between them and sliding the door shut a little more forcefully than he'd intended. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him then, dipping his head to kiss her slowly and thoroughly, shuddering involuntarily as her arms closed around him and pulled him tight to her. After a moment, they both pulled back and studied one another with dark eyes.

Mugen's voice was deep and a little unsteady as he said, “This is the first time since we were on the road when I'll get to see you in the light. Show me, Fuu, I want to see all of you this time.”

Upon hearing that, Fuu felt a rush of heat everywhere, especially in the pit of her stomach. “I'll show you anything you want to see,” she said, trying to calm the quiver in her voice and knowing that it wasn't there because she was nervous.

She felt both devoured and lifted up by the single-pointed attention in Mugen's eyes as she loosened her sash and let her kimono gradually fall from her, revealing shoulders, chest, arms, belly, and everything else. As she stepped forward from the pile of cloth at her feet, Mugen surprised her by starting to lay hot kisses on her skin in the order it had all appeared to him.

He murmured as he neared her ears, “...so fuckin' beautiful...”

Fuu felt her veins start to run with fire, and she moaned as he moved down her shoulder and arm to circle her palm with his tongue and moved up to suck her fingertips, but when he paused to look up at her face, Fuu looked straight back into his dark eyes.

“Your turn,” she insisted, trying to keep her racing breath out of her words. “I want to see you, too.”

He growled then, and Fuu had to remind herself just to watch as he stepped back, quickly ripped his shirt off, then stepped out of his shorts and geta. She brought her fist to her mouth and bit the second knuckle of her forefinger to try to keep her hands still for a moment as she looked him up and down. The first thing that struck her was his lean, dark frame, hard muscles picked out by the daylight, and Fuu groaned a little in the back of her throat at the leap of fire in her gut. She had seen him before, of course, when she was patching him up, but there was a huge difference between taking bandages on and off and having him standing in front of her looking at her like that, with those searing, dark eyes.

The second thing that struck her, as she moved around him because she wanted to see everything, was the number of scars, especially the ones on his back. She had never really noticed them before, either being distracted by other things or seeing him in dim light, and Fuu felt her heart contract as she looked at each one of them. “Oh, Mugen,” she murmured, reaching out to softly touch a knotted scar just under one shoulder blade.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice still low and thick. “I got stabbed in the back for real that time. Probably not very pretty to look at.”

“Mugen, that's not what I meant,” Fuu said, her voice quiet and a little sad as she continued to stroke the scar, then moved to one a little lower. “You have so many scars...I just...I wish I had been there to help. I wish I could have been there to patch you up. Maybe some of them wouldn't be so bad, anyway...”

She trailed off, and then moved as if in a trance to kiss each one softly, as if she wished she could dismiss all the time and pain each scar represented. After a few moments, Mugen turned quickly and Fuu found herself looking up into his eyes, which made her shiver, since they were as hot and dark as she'd ever seen.

“You're here now,” he said, low and almost in a whisper as he crushed her to him and pushed their lips together with a kiss like he wanted to inhale her.
___________________________

Jin was let off early that day. He had sensed that something was different that morning; he and the butcher were both very silent men, spending the majority of their day in companionable quietude, but he had noticed that the other man seemed somehow on edge that day. Jin waited, figuring that the butcher would come around to what he wanted to say, and eventually he did.

“Jin,” he started, “do you know anything about women?”

Jin sighed. “Well,” he began, somewhat tentatively, “I have, at times, thought I did, but recent developments have caused me to reconsider.”

The butcher, not given to shows of any type, surprised Jin by bursting into laughter.

“I know what you mean,” he said. “I got this gift for my wife for our anniversary today, but I'm not sure if she'll like it.”

'This' was a set of hair sticks. They were carved from dark wood as a set of spirals, their curved edges moving from the tip of each stick to near the end, where the sticks changed to smooth, cylindrical shapes, blunted at the end and decorated with silk flowers and small, hanging strands of pearls.

“I got her a pearl necklace, too, but I wonder if she'll like it. It's hard letting someone know how you feel when you've been together a long time. Time goes by and you settle into life, but I want to make sure she knows how much it means to me to have her with me.”

The big man stopped a moment, having closed the small box the sticks were in, and was now looking at them in his hand. After a little while, he looked back up at Jin and nodded decisively.

“I was going to ask you to take care of the shop when I left early today, but now I think we should both have the rest of the afternoon off. It’s been really busy lately, and I think we both need a break. Why don't you go home and relax? I'll see you tomorrow morning.”

Jin nodded mutely, gathered his things up, and went to the marketplace to buy some of the food and other things that were needed at the house before heading back there.

It was as he was coming along the side of the house that Jin's attention was directed into it through the partially open window. The shutter was propped open to encourage whatever breeze there was to enter, and Jin had just stepped into the right position to see down into the house. His legs seemed to stop moving of their own accord as he saw Fuu from behind as she rode Mugen, her hair flowing down her back and her arms under his, her body and mouth covering his as they moved together. Mugen's large, dark hands made a strong contrast with Fuu's slim, pale hips as he held and steadied her, and Jin could feel his mouth go dry and his brain seem to disconnect at the whole sight before him.

He willed himself to walk on, to shut his eyes, to do something, but all he could seem to do was to stare. Admittedly, he felt prickly all over with discomfort at actually being there, watching, but he couldn't force himself to stop and the discomfort was fast overcome by the feeling of arousal that shot through him as he watched the two of them move together, watched Fuu as she bit and sucked on Mugen's neck as she rode him.

Jin tried to be angry with himself, tried to bargain with himself, tried to appeal to his own pride as a samurai, but nothing helped and nothing seemed able to move him from the spot he was rooted to. He felt helpless against another wash of arousal as he watched Mugen roll the two of them over and then saw the pleasured smile on Fuu's face as he drove into her; and wondered why he was so uncontrollably drawn to watch the two of them, when this sort of thing had never appealed to him before.

Suddenly, the real scene in front of him was gone, replaced by a strong mental picture that was close to what he'd just witnessed, but now he was the one over Fuu, leaning over her, driving into her, hearing her soft cries, and watching her smile up at him, feeling her grab his hips. But, Mugen was right there with the two of them, naked like the two of them and obviously aroused at watching. “Fuckin' hot show,” he commented before he dove in to kiss Fuu, and Jin could feel himself get even harder as he kept thrusting into Fuu and watched the two of them kiss, tongues dancing.

Then he was just standing by the side of the house again, sweating, panting, and painfully hard. He shook his head before taking a step, now that he could again, but his gaze swept the inside of the house before he stepped away. Jin felt his stomach turn over as he locked eyes with Mugen for a split second, and he walked away with the former pirate's ghost of a smirk branded into his mind.

Since it was the heat of the afternoon, Jin was able to sneak away into the woods and take care of himself, but he was still burning even after he finished. Part of it was with shame, but he also found he was still turned on by the fantasy that had come into his mind, and he felt that if he were the cursing type, he'd be doing it now. He'd never even heard of anything like he'd just imagined actually occurring, and he beat the strange visions he’d been having into the back of his mind and tried hard to think.

What was he going to do now? Jin was wishing that he'd never mentioned his idea of going back to Edo to find out about Shino, because now all of them had been working for so long to make it happen that it would be impossible to suddenly back out. But Jin felt like he couldn't be trusted around his friends now that he'd realized what was really going on in his mind. He had come to terms with the idea of Fuu and Mugen together, and was (somewhere, grudgingly) able to admit to himself that maybe they'd be a good match. But, knowing that he somehow wanted to be involved in all of that, Jin was suddenly dreading the travel that lay ahead of them, worried that he would give himself away or that they would somehow figure out what was running through his mind.

After a few minutes of his brain racing in circles, Jin sighed and closed his eyes, got his breathing back in order, and headed back to the house. He settled on the porch after retrieving the packages he'd bought earlier and watched the surf, hoping it would help clear his mind out. A little while later, the front door slid open and Mugen looked at him.

“You can come in, you know,” he said with a definite smirk.

Jin gave him a flat look, then picked up everything and came into the house. Fuu had been straightening some things in the back of the house but came running forward as she saw him.

“Jin! You're home early! It's so exciting; the boat is ready to be put back into the water!”

She looked up at him, her eyes shining and her cheeks flushed with all of the running around she'd been doing, and Jin almost wanted the earth to swallow him up because of the twinge, both of guilt and pleasure, that he'd felt when he heard her call his name.

“That's good news, Fuu,” he replied, trying to quietly sound as if he meant it.

Fuu didn't appear to notice anything odd, taking the packages from him and putting everything away where it belonged, talking about how they were going to ask the neighbors for help in getting the boat back into the water and then probably go for a short sail. She was so keyed up that she just continued chatting non-stop and was almost dancing around. Mugen had settled back on the floor after having opened the front door, but Jin could see him out of the corner of his eyes with a smile on his face that he seemed to be trying to hide, watching Fuu as she moved around and talked excitedly. Finally, Mugen got up and Fuu came over by his side, still so enthusiastic that she was jumping around a little bit.

“We're going out to talk to the neighbors now to see if we can get some help with the boat,” Fuu said, looking at Jin. “Did you want to come with us?”

Jin looked up at the two of them, forcing himself not to sigh. “I'll wait for you here, unless you think my coming along would improve your chances.”

Fuu shrugged. “That's OK, I'm sure you probably want to get out of the sun for a while. I think we'll be OK, anyway; we know some of the people in the village because they've come by when we've been working on the boat to introduce themselves and to see how the work was going.”

Jin nodded and watched as the two of them went out the front, then he lay down for a few minutes, closing his eyes and listening to the breeze coming in through the window and to the surf in the distance, praying (although this wasn't something he did much, not ever having been very devout) that he could somehow lose this strange obsession with his friends.

He was awoken sometime later by the sound of voices outside, so he rose, straightened his clothes, and opened the front door. On the beach in front of the house there were a number of people he thought he'd seen in the village before, and all of them were examining the boat with Mugen and Fuu. Fuu was still so excited that she kept practically bouncing from spot to spot, talking to people and pointing things out. They would look at her kindly and smile, or sometimes burst out laughing as she said something funny, and Fuu laughed right along with them.

Fuu looked up to see Jin, then raced back up the beach to stand in front of him. “Jin! We're ready to put the boat back in the water. Come on and meet some of the people who are going to help us. We're just waiting for one more of the fishing boats to come in, and then we should have enough to move the boat. Come on,” she repeated, tugging at his sleeve.

He looked down at her, so excited and determined, and felt compelled to move forward with her, though tried not to react to the electricity he felt when their arms accidentally collided. She smiled up at him when she realized he was coming with her and dropped her hold, much to Jin's relief and disappointment.

Fuu was still introducing Jin a few minutes later when some more villagers came down the beach and joined the crowd around the boat so that there were finally enough people to move it. Knowing she'd need the energy to push, Fuu tried to rein in her excited jumping around until everyone started actually righting the boat, and then they all began pushing it into the water. It just sat for a moment, then slowly started moving forward, and although Fuu was pushing as hard as she could, she couldn't help letting out a wild laugh as her heart jumped with excitement.

She and Jin were both been near the back of the boat, but Mugen had positioned himself closer to the front. So, Mugen was one of the people who were half-swimming, then actually swimming as the boat was freed from the sand and actually started floating. Quickly, he swam around the side of the boat, then pulled himself up out of the water and onto the deck.

“Get onto the dock,” Mugen shouted back at Fuu and Jin, pointing to one a few yards down the beach. “I'll come back for you there.”

Fuu thanked everyone that she saw as the crowd started to disperse, receiving in return smiles and replies that it was no problem. Watching as the sails billowed out on their boat, Fuu's heart swelled with pride as she noted that there wasn't a loose hem flapping anywhere and that no holes were visible. As she and Jin walked out to the end of the dock, they both watched as their little boat came around in a graceful arc then hovered close to the dock as Mugen threw lines against it to bring it near enough for the two of them to get on. After they were on board, Mugen kicked the line off and then they were heading out onto the ocean.

Mugen watched Fuu for a moment as she just stood near the middle of the deck at the front of the boat, her hands clasped together in front of her as she looked straight up into the sky, then around the boat at the water rushing by and the seagull flying beside them, crying for food. He watched as the wind caused loose pieces of her hair to flutter and lift, and as she ran her hand back through it, a wide smile blooming on her face.

“It's so beautiful out here, Mugen,” she said, turning to him. “I feel like I didn't really appreciate being on the water before, when we were still looking for my dad, because I was thinking about that so much, but it's so beautiful out here.”

He forced himself to turn away a little then, before his smile threatened to split his face. “Yeah, well, glad you like it, but we still do have some work to do here, girly. Can you hold the rudder like this while I go below and check out how the boat's holding up?”

She stepped forward and took the handle where Mugen was holding it, then jumped a little as it tried to move in her hand.

“It feels like it's alive,” she said, looking at him suspiciously.

Mugen laughed. “What you're feeling is the rudder trying to move with the currents. You're holding it to keep the boat going where we want it to go. The way the wind's coming in right now, and the way the sails are turned, if you keep the rudder here, we should keep sailing along the coast. Once I finish looking at everything, we can turn back and tie it up for the night.”

Fuu pouted a little. “Do we have to?”

Mugen shrugged. “We don't have too much daylight left - maybe an hour, maybe two. I don't know this coast, so I don't want to be sailing it in the dark. Plus, I'm still not sure if anything's leaking.”

She paused for a moment, looking down at the rudder, then looked back up at Mugen, smiling again. “Do you think you can teach me how to sail while we're going to Edo? This is so much fun; I want to learn how to do it.”

Laughing, Mugen shook his head. “All right, all right. You think the weirdest things are fun, Fuu.”

“It is fun!”

Fuu was frowning at him now, but hadn't loosened her hold on the rudder, still holding it fast. He laughed again and kissed her, which made her frown disappear, and she was smiling back at him again.

“Maybe it is. Anyway, I've got to go below. Keep the rudder where it is; I'll be back up after I've had a look.”

Mugen watched as Fuu nodded then studied her grip on the rudder, trying her best to keep it exactly where it was. Trying to hide his smile, he turned to go below. Seeing Jin on the back part of the boat looking out over the water, he raised his voice to the other man.

“Hey, Jin, do you want to go with me to look for leaks?” he called, watching as the other man turned, nodded his head, then followed Mugen below decks.

They started in the very lowest level, which was really not much more than a small crawlspace running the length of the bottom of the boat. Mugen started by looking at the lowest seam of the ship, running his hand over it and muttering something to himself, but he looked pleased at what he found. Jin cleared his throat before he spoke.

“How and what do you want me to check?”

Mugen looked up at him, head cocked to one side. “Run your hands over where the wood comes together. If it's a little damp, that's probably OK. The wood's been out of the water for a while, so if the joints aren’t exactly flush, they may feel damp, but they’ll swell and seal after the boat’s been in the water again for a few days. But, if you notice anywhere that more water is coming through, like drops of water or a steady flow, point it out to me and I'll have a look at it.”

The two of them worked together, Jin finding several spots that he called Mugen to have a look at, and Mugen marking a few of them for further work. As they kept at it and eventually moved to the top level - half of which would probably serve as a fish hold as needed, the other half that they had converted into a small sleeping quarters - Jin found himself wondering if Mugen had any idea what he'd started up in Jin's head. Looking at him out of the corner of his eye, he noted that Mugen seemed just as he always did, so Jin mentally shrugged, instead concentrating on his work. The sooner he could get to Edo, Jin thought, the sooner he could leave his friends on their own and hopefully get away from these strange images stuck in his mind.

When the two of them finished and came back on to the deck, they found Fuu still where she had been, singing quietly into the wind as it blew stray pieces of her hair around. The light was starting to leave the sky even though it would probably be another hour or so until full darkness was upon them, and she was dividing her attention between watching the lights appear in windows on land, and on the expanse of sea on the other side of the boat. Both Jin and Mugen just watched her for a moment, then Mugen adjusted the sails as he came forward to take the rudder from her.

“Come on, girly,” he said as he took the rudder with one hand and Fuu slipped her hand into the other. “Let's head back.”

The next week was a blur of activity as Fuu and Mugen made everything ready to leave. Mugen finished the additional repairs on the boat while Fuu insisted on cleaning everything inside as well as she could, and all of them helped to make a list of things they thought they'd need for the trip ahead. Jin brought the provisions back in the early evenings, leaving Mugen and Fuu to pack the boat and make everything ready.

One day, however, Mugen had noticed that it seemed Fuu had been quiet most of the day. At one point she'd gone over to talk to the old man next door briefly and then came back still looking quiet and thoughtful. Finally, he just looked at her and raised her chin up so that she couldn't help but look back.

“What's up, girly?” he asked. “You've been really quiet all day. Not that it's not nice or anything, but I'm starting to worry that you're sick, or something.”

“Mugen!” Fuu said with a laugh. “I'm OK, I've just...well, I've just been thinking.”

“About what?”

“I was thinking that we should probably go to Mr. Yamato's grave and pay our respects. Without him, we wouldn't have any of this.” Fuu gestured at the boat and then looked back at Mugen, her eyes expectant and somewhat hopeful.

Mugen scratched his head. “Why should a dead guy care?”

Fuu sighed. “Well, I don't know, but I thought it was kind of sad that his daughters didn't even come to his funeral. I figured that since he'd been so kind to us, even though he didn't know it, it would probably be the right thing to do to go visit with him, to thank him, maybe. I asked Jin to bring home some incense, so I figured we could make dinner and then bring some out to the grave to visit with Mr. Yamato.”

Her eyes, when she looked back up at Mugen, were large and dark, a little sad, a little hopeful, and it made him just want to take her into his arms and keep away everything that bothered her. Mugen sighed, wondering just when it was that he'd started thinking things like that.

“All right, we can do that,” he said, scratching the back of his head again, feeling a little foolish. Somehow, that melted away a moment later as she smiled wide and jumped up and down and thanked him, kissing him again and again.

The three of them went out to the small village graveyard that evening with a plate and the incense Jin had gotten. Fuu stayed a long while and mentally explained to their benefactor who they were, then went through the story of a lot of their journey, and thanked him profusely for the gift of his boat. Jin followed suit, paying his respects in a proper fashion, and to Fuu's surprise, Mugen mimicked what the two of them had done, then turned to her.

“OK, girly, are you ready to go now?”

Fuu smiled as she slipped her hand in his. “OK, Mugen. Thanks.”

The fireflies had come out by the time they made their way back to the house, the little bugs spangling the trees with blinking, flickering light. Fuu was singing to herself softly, looking up at the stars as she walked, and so she almost stumbled on the small package at the front door. She carried it inside, flanked by Jin and Mugen, and opened it carefully. There was a wrapped bundle of dried fish, enough to keep even the three of them going for a couple weeks, two worn but warm-looking blankets, and a few other things that the villagers had obviously thought they could use on their journey. Fuu felt a few tears slipping down her cheeks and hugged the blankets to her. They smelled like the ocean, as most things did in the village.

The next day, she waited until the fishing boats were all home and went all the way up and down the beach, bowing low to the occupants of each house and thanking them profusely for their fine gifts. Mugen had said nothing about it when Fuu told him what she planned to do, but he accompanied her, usually a few feet behind her and not speaking, but there nonetheless. Fuu smiled to herself a lot that day.

That was also the day that Jin said goodbye to the butcher, having warned him the previous week that he would probably be leaving soon. The man thanked Jin sincerely, saying, “You're some of the best help I've had in the shop since the day I opened it. I hope you get to where you need to go, and that you and your friends arrive safely.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jin replied, bowing to him. “You're probably the best employer I've ever had. I've enjoyed working for you.”

“Well, if you ever find yourself in the area again and needing a job, you've got one with me. Just stop by and it's yours.”

The amount of money the butcher handed Jin for his last day was about five times what he was owed, and Jin looked up at the man with a question in his eye, but the butcher just laughed.

“That's for you, for the road. I'm sure you'll probably need it for something. Good luck to you.”

Jin entrusted the money to Fuu, as had become their custom while traveling, and all three of them made final preparations that evening to depart the next day. When dinner was finished and everything possible was packed, Fuu slipped her hand into Mugen's and the two of them made their way out the door.

“We'll be back later,” Fuu said over her shoulder, smiling to Jin.

He watched the two of them leave, nodding at Fuu, then followed a few minutes later.

Fuu and Mugen slowly walked the path to the hot springs, hand in hand. Fuu was trying to impress as much of it as she could into her memory: the murmur of the trees moving in the small breeze, the half-moon that lit their way to the small, rocky pool.

“I'm going to miss this place,” she said, dreamily.

Mugen snorted. “You're going to miss this crappy, little fishing village? Why?”

Fuu laughed and shook her head. “Because this is the place we first decided to be together,” she said, smiling up at him.

Mugen's heart skipped a couple of beats, then thumped extra hard to catch up. He had never met anyone that could throw him the way she could, and it didn't seem like she was even trying. Mugen was still having trouble getting over the evening when Fuu had first grabbed his hand and started pulling him out of the house they shared with Jin, instead of just going up to the hot spring and waiting for him. When he had asked her about it on their way up the path, she'd just smiled at him and said that she was happy to be with him, not ashamed, and she saw no reason to hide the fact they were together. When Mugen came back from his thoughts, he realized Fuu was still smiling up at him. He bent towards her, waiting until their lips had nearly met to speak.

“Yeah, but we're taking the best part of that with us. We're still together, aren't we?”

Fuu reached up the last little bit and spoke into his lips just before she kissed him. “Yes, Mugen.”

Fuu shivered as she felt Mugen wrap his arms around her, and she leaned into the kiss, flicking her tongue across Mugen's lip and twining her tongue with his as the kiss deepened. She slid her hands down his back then under his shirt and up his spine. The sensation of her fingers moving along his skin caused him to gasp and pull back from their kiss a little, then he took his shirt off and threw it to the side before catching Fuu's lips back up into another kiss.

Mugen couldn't stop his head from tipping back altogether as he felt Fuu's small hand down inside his shorts and on his cock a few moments later, and he bit back something that wasn't sure if it wanted to be a groan or a curse.

“When did you get so bold?” he asked, fixing her with dark eyes.

She met his eyes and watched with a small smile as his breathing picked up. “I think around the time I started spending more time with you,” Fuu replied. Then, feeling a little more uncertain as he continued to stare at her, she whispered, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-”

Mugen grabbed her hand as she started to move away and used his own to wrap hers firmly back around him. “It sure as hell wasn't a complaint. Don't stop, Fuu it feels too fucking good.”

He sucked his breath in as he felt her hand tighten more confidently around him and move in a familiar rhythm that stoked the heat in him higher. Mugen lowered his lips to hers again, and they kissed slow and long. Fuu was the one who broke it this time as Mugen brought his hands up to cup her breasts, one thumb flicking her nipple.

A moment later, she was sucking her breath in as Mugen slid down her body to land on his knees, quickly pushing her skirts up and her wraps down and away. Fuu gasped as she felt his lips and tongue on her, and then she was shaking against the feeling of wet heat as he swiped across her clit. One of her hands found its way into his hair, threading into the strands, and the other one clutched at Mugen's shoulder. After a few minutes of this, Fuu was shaking and gasping, feeling as if she could barely take much more before it sent her over the edge.

“Stop,” she heard herself saying in a low, drugged voice. “Not yet. I need to have you inside me tonight. I want to come like that.”

Mugen forced himself to move slowly, untying her obi and slipping her kimono off, taking off everything else for both of them, and laying her down on a thick, soft patch of grass. And then she was pulling him to her and wrapping her legs around his as he slid inside her. Mugen had to pause then, shuddering a little as he felt her wet heat tighten around him and watched her throw her head back, close her eyes, and smile. He started to move as she opened her eyes again and brought her hips up to his, her hands gripping his ass.

“I'll do the best I can, but you feel so good I'm not sure I'll make it all the way with you,” Mugen said, crushing their lips together.

And then the two of them were lost, Mugen feeling as if he was moving to bring all of the most delicious sounds he could out of Fuu and teetering on the edge at the sensation of her around him, and Fuu wrapping herself around Mugen, moans and groans seemingly torn out of her as the way he moved brought her higher and higher. After they both finished, they lay together very quietly for a while, trying to calm their heaving chests and hammering hearts.

“You do realize that we're not going to be able to do this every day once we set sail,” said Mugen sometime later as they sat in the hot spring pool.

Fuu sighed. “I know. That's one of the reasons I wanted to come up here with you tonight. It'll be strange,” she said, frowning a little into the water.

Mugen chuckled once to himself, then stopped as he pulled her close by his side. 'Strange' probably wasn't how he would describe the sensation himself, especially at her age and since she'd gotten used to having sex every day over the past few weeks, sometimes more than once a day. Well, Mugen thought to himself as he pulled her close and shut his eyes to lean against her, maybe it won't be the same for her as it was for me.

The next day dawned clear and bright with a cheerful, steady breeze. Fuu had awoken extra early to wave to all of the fishing boats as they left the docks, and had then worked over the next hour or so to put something together for breakfast and to help pack the few remaining items. At the last moment, though, she exclaimed something to herself, then said she would be right back as she leaped out of the boat with a little parcel under her arm.

Jin and Mugen watched her run up to Daisuke's porch and talk to him for a few minutes, then hand him the parcel. The old man examined it carefully, then he and Fuu exchanged a few more words before she hugged him, bowed, and waved before running back over to the boat. She smiled at the two men as she got back onboard.

“What was that all about?” Mugen asked.

Fuu shrugged. “I'd been thinking about what we could do for the villagers, since they were so kind. I know we don't have a lot, but I finally realized that I wasn't going to be able to wear that pink dress anymore, so I left it here. It's worn in several places, but I figured someone could mend it, or maybe make something nice for one of their little daughters. Daisuke was nice enough to say that he'd make sure someone who needed it would get it.”

Mugen frowned. “You didn't have to hug the old lecher.”

Fuu laughed. “He said to say goodbye to you both, and to let you know that he'd miss all of us.”

The three of them fell silently to work on the final preparations then. After a few minutes they looked at each other, Mugen nodding as he saw the other two were ready.

“OK, let's get the hell out of here,” he said, slipping the ropes off the dock and bringing the sails up to catch the morning breeze.
________________________________________________

OK, so there was a lot more plot this time, as promised, so hopefully you liked it. If you could let me know what you liked about this, and what you think could be improved, I'd much appreciate it, but please do comment even if you just want to let me know you'd like to read more. Thanks for your attention,

-WriterX

Click here for Chapter 8

The Journey Home, chapter 6

2009-06-28T16:20:01Z

A/N: This is a piece I was inspired to write after watching this anime, since these characters really got into my head, and because the ending was left a lot more open than I personally liked. Another thing that inspired me here was the difference between what the characters say and their actions, which usually seem a lot more revealing about them and their thoughts and feelings. Because I was interested to explore that, you get to see inside their heads a lot, and my challenge to myself with this story was to write three points of view intermixed in such a way that it didn't interfere with the story, and that it was clear to the reader who the story was following at any given time. Let me know how you think I did.

As always, a big thanks to my superpowered beta reader gwoman for helping me to make this chapter even better than it started out.

Warnings: bad language, explicit sex (het), explicit discussions about sex, fluff. Also, this story takes place post-series, so there are lots of spoilers/references to things that happened; as a result, I don't recommend reading this until you've completed the series.

Pairings/Characters: Mugen/Fuu, Jin

Summary: Chapter 6: In which there is a first, followed by awkward conversations.

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?

P.S. Thanks to para_kissu for my icon!
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Missed Chapter 5? Click here.

Mugen awoke with a little shake of his head from a dream about being twisted into strange shapes. When he realized he had fallen asleep curled together with Fuu, his heart started beating so quickly it seemed as if it had jumped into his mouth. He felt amazingly foolish, dangerously happy, and kind of crazy, because he wanted to stay in this cramped posture forever if he could keep holding on to Fuu. Fuu had said she loved him and wanted to stay with him. She loved him, street trash that he was. What could it be like to love, to be loved by someone? Mugen eased out from under Fuu and shifted them both so that she was lying in his arms. Fuu looked very young and untouched as she slept, as if all of the bad things that had happened in her life somehow hadn't changed her. Mugen turned away slightly, thinking of all of the things that had happened in his life that he felt had changed him for the worse.

Suddenly, the last conversation he’d had with Yasu came to mind. They were waiting for Fuu and Ume to come out of the house just before Mugen and Fuu had left, and Yasu suddenly said, “Your Fuu is well named. She can be your true wealth in life if you have the will to hang on to her.”

Mugen had turned to the old man to ask him what the hell he’d meant, aside from ‘wealth’ being a possible meaning of Fuu’s name, but Fuu and Ume had appeared then, and he'd forgotten. He found himself thinking about it now, realizing she had always been able to see things in people that others didn't and to bring out the best in them. She had befriended the giant man with the ugly face, realized that the thief who had pick pocketed them had a reason for stealing their money, and Mugen remembered even more people whose lives she had touched throughout their trip. Maybe, Mugen thought, maybe she sees something in me, too, that even I don't see. He kissed her on the forehead and whispered into her ear.

“Wake up, lazy.”

“Hmmm,” murmured Fuu in a low voice as she stretched and opened one eye, “I had a wonderful dream. I was sleeping. With you.”

Mugen bit back the growl that tried to spring up in his throat. “It wasn't a dream,” he breathed into her ear, “but we fell asleep all twisted up, so we'd probably better soak in the hot springs for a while so we don't end up bent like this forever.”

Fuu looked at him when he mentioned the hot springs and smiled a little deviously; Mugen could feel the heat start up in his guts at the sight. She straightened up and began to stand, her hand going to her back for a moment as she felt it protesting. Mugen smirked and then grimaced a little as his own body protested when he stood. He was at the door in a moment but, when he felt a cold breeze upon opening it, he turned, intending to ask Fuu to grab their cloaks until suddenly his own was tossed in the direction of his face. Mugen shot a dark look in Fuu's direction as he grabbed it from the air, but then he saw her, hand pressed against her mouth to hold her laughter back, as she darted through the door. He slid the door shut silently behind him as he took off after her up the path to the hot springs.

By the time they reached it, they were both a little breathless from running, and Fuu from giggling. But, as Mugen quickly stripped the clothes off his upper half, intending to get into the hot springs as fast as he could due to the chilly evening, something happened that caused him to forget the cold. He happened to glance up after his shirt went over his head to see Fuu looking at his naked chest, then up into his eyes. Her eyes were full and immensely dark in the half-light, but it was really something about her expression that made Mugen's breath skip a little. The air between them seemed to thicken as they watched each other for a moment, then Fuu stepped forward and Mugen put his arms around her to pull her the rest of the way against his body.

Fuu wasn't exactly sure when things had begun to change from humorous to serious, but she did know that something in her gut seemed to grab her when she saw more of Mugen's skin appear as he took his clothes off. She couldn't stop her eyes from sliding up his form, admiring all of it, then staring into his eyes, unable to look away. Fuu felt herself moving towards him as if gravity were compelling her, then she was in his arms and she felt she couldn't help herself from standing on tiptoes and pulling his head down to hers to taste him, groaning as their lips met. He shuddered against her at that and suddenly she was pulled flush against him, but her own hands continued to explore what was now before her, running up and down the muscles of his back and burying themselves in his hair. She felt the heat continue to rise in her, and she knew that tonight she had to find out about everything she'd wanted and been wondering about for a while.

Mugen felt a little breathless with the way Fuu kissed him, and because of her hand running up and down his spine, the other buried in his hair, pushing his head closer to her. The blood was starting to boil in his veins and he almost clutched her as he tasted her sweetness, their tongues tangling together. He wanted her. He wanted everything about her, from her skinny, strong legs to her lovely, wild hair, her spirit, her goofiness, even her occasional crankiness. He wanted to pull the two of them together so they would never be apart again.

“Mugen,” Fuu said breathlessly as she pulled her lips away from his, suddenly needing him to understand, though she felt she didn't really have words for what she wanted to say. “Tonight...I want...I want to show you that I'm yours. I want to make you mine.”

“I am yours,” he murmured very low, his lips now against her hair, and he realized as he said it that it had been true for a while now, that everything he was had belonged to her for some time. It made him feel a little crazy - kind of lost, but even more as if he had found something that he'd always been looking for.

“I want you, Mugen,” Fuu said, quiet and low, her head tilting and bringing her lips back towards his. “Tonight,” she breathed against his lips before she kissed him again with heat and intensity.

Mugen could feel her pulling him closer as she moved into their kiss, her tongue stroking his, one hand in his hair and one on his back. His arms automatically tightened around her as well, and Mugen's pulse began to throb as he felt her press her whole body against his as he did. Everything that had happened in the past few hours seemed well beyond anything that Mugen had previously felt he could expect in life, and it was making him feel almost dizzy with the realization of what Fuu was saying, but he also felt a fierceness rising up in him as he kissed her, a desire to keep her safe from all of the bastards who wanted to steal her, to sell her, to hurt her - a desire to keep her with him forever.

Fuu opened her eyes as their kiss broke due to the need for air, and she found herself staring into Mugen's eyes, unable to look away. They were dark and deep, and all of the secrets of the universe seemed to be contained there; she could see desire, fierce protectiveness, care, and a million other things, and she knew just the sight would have made her gasp for breath if she hadn't been doing so already. She wiggled in his arms a little then, wanting to take her kimono off because she needed to feel more of his skin against hers, but Mugen stopped her.

“Let me do it,” he said, his voice low and thick, and Fuu watched as he untied her obi. She shrugged her shoulders back as the kimono came loose so that it fell to the ground around her feet.

Mugen just looked at her for a moment, his eyes running up and down her slim form, taking her in. As he came back up to her eyes, he could see her looking at him somewhat shyly and he couldn't help smirking.

“You're so fucking beautiful, Fuu,” he said, and he could hear his own voice rough with longing, unfamiliar in his ears.

In return he could see Fuu blush, even in the half-light, and she giggled and smiled. As Mugen smiled in return, he thought that this was probably going to be one of the best nights of his life. He'd already decided that if this time ever came, he was going to have to go as slow as he could manage since she was so small, thin, and delicate. Mugen had to admit to himself that in the past few weeks she'd surprised him a number of times with her hidden strength and endurance, but he wanted to make sure that not only did she have nothing to complain about tomorrow (because he had no doubt she would if there was reason), but also that she was going to want to come back for more. Because, as he watched her while reaching to loosen her bindings so that he could slip them off, he knew that he was going to want more; tonight, tomorrow, and as far into the future as he could see.

Fuu wriggled, trying to help remove her bindings, and saw them join her kimono in the heap on the ground. She watched a moment as Mugen threw his cloak in the grass not far from her crumpled one, and then he was looking at her with dark eyes.

“Lay down, Fuu. There's something we need to do first,” Mugen said, low and barely audible.

She pulled him along with her as she did and smiled into his lips as he kissed her. Fuu leaned into it, thinking she could never get enough of his kisses, and she smiled some more and stretched her neck out as he moved down her jaw, lingered on the spot where her pulse beat, and then kissed down to her collarbone. She found one of her hands tracing his back and sides, following the lines of scars and the belts of muscle, and the other buried in his hair, fingers alternately moving on his scalp or threading through his hair. The lower he went, the more difficult she found it was to keep still, twitching and giving an occasional moan as he sucked and licked at both of her breasts. By the time he'd reached her navel, Fuu was trying not to writhe as she gasped at the feeling of his tongue teasing her there.

Mugen had continued to watch Fuu's reactions as he traveled, and anticipated the bucking thrash when he finally put his tongue on her clit, firmly holding her hips in place with one hand. She moaned low as he continued to lick her, and he could feel her quivering muscles under his hand as he continued. He did the things he knew by now that she liked, building her up quickly to her release. When Fuu came a few minutes later, it was fast, sweeping through her like a wind; she barely made any noise, just a little surprised sound in the back of her throat. Mugen didn't stop everything he was doing, though, just backed off a little to let her catch her breath. When he heard her moan a few moments later, he took it as a sign and eased his first finger into her, hearing her make a sound somewhere between a sigh and a groan in encouragement.

Fuu could feel herself quivering and trembling as Mugen's tongue and hands continued to work on her. She remembered how odd it had felt, at first, having something inside her, but then as she felt Mugen's finger wiggle and move, she couldn't hold back her gasp and moan as she was suddenly flooded with amazingly pleasurable sensations. Now, as he continued to swipe at her lazily with his tongue, keeping her nerves sparking with pleasure, but not giving her enough for to her come again, she found herself almost overwhelmed by the feeling of his fingers inside her as he agonizingly slowly added a third. Her head was thrown back, her breathing quick and rough, and she was digging her hands into the ground to try to remain anchored as her body trembled and shuddered with sensation. It all felt so good that the sounds of her pleasure seemed to be coming out of her throat by themselves: she couldn't hold them back. Finally, after a few minutes, she felt she couldn't wait anymore.

“Mugen, please, now,” she whispered, shuddering as she felt him slowly slide his fingers out of her.

He was panting now, he knew it. He didn't know if his cock had ever been so hard, and the fingers on his other hand fumbled as he slid his shorts down over his hips. Mugen's breath caught in his throat as he saw Fuu look at him, at his cock, and then back up into his eyes, a smile on her face as if she'd discovered a nice secret he had been hiding from her. He nearly lost it a second later as he stroked himself, coating his cock with her essence, watching as her smile widened. As Mugen knelt over her, he struggled to find his voice before they continued.

“OK, Fuu, you've got to tell me if you want to wait, or stop. I don't want to have you bitching at me about this later.”

“What?” Fuu was feeling a little hazy, not sure exactly what he was talking about, so she just looked at him.

“Well,” he said, sliding down towards her further so he was whispering in her ear, “I figure you might be a little sore tomorrow, but I want you to be smiling about it, not mad because I did something you didn't like. OK?”

“OK,” she responded a little breathlessly, her heart pounding in her ears, “just...get over here now.”

Fuu pulled Mugen closer to her and kissed him again, gasping against his lips as she felt something large start to slide into her.

“Wait,” she said, just trying to breathe for a moment, feeling a heartbeat resounding throughout her whole body, wondering if it was hers or his.

“If it hurts too much,” Mugen murmured against her lips, straining to hold himself in place, “you know you can just bite me or something to pay me back. I don't mind.”

Something in his tone of voice caused Fuu to pull back a little so she could look into his eyes. “Did you...like it when I bit you?”

Mugen found he had to look away, but he couldn't stop himself from answering. “Yeah,” he admitted, softly, then buried his face in her hair and the crook of her neck, licking and sucking his way up to her earlobe.

Fuu shivered under his ministrations, and tried not to chuckle as she noticed that his move had placed his bared shoulder and neck right in front of her in a clear invitation. Before she began, however, she spoke up again, “I will, then. Keep going, Mugen.”

He couldn't stop the hiss he gave out as she bit his shoulder just hard enough to make his blood race even faster, then began licking and sucking on the area to soothe it. Mugen was trying hard to keep it all together as he slowly thrust deeper into her at her word; the tight, wet heat was pushing him near the edge, and Fuu's bites and kisses were threatening to send him over. When he was finally hilted inside her, he tried not to move the rest of himself but pulled his head back a little bit to look at her to make sure she looked like she was doing all right. Fuu looked at him then, her half-closed eyes dark and hazy, a sleepy-looking smile on her face. At that moment, she moved under him, rippling her hips a little and gasped, her eyes closing.

“Are you all right,” Mugen asked, feeling that an iron will was the only thing preventing him from moving, but he was still conscious of the jolt of concern he felt, looking at her closed eyes.

Fuu opened her eyes again, taking in Mugen's concern, and smiled, but found talking difficult due to the amplified sensations she was feeling all through her body. “Yes...just...move, Mugen.”

Not bothering to answer, he just did as she asked and pulled out a little so that he could slide back into her. Fuu moved her hips to meet him and moaned softly as they came fully together again. She had to admit, when she'd thought about this in the cold light of day, she had been concerned. Having seen a number of times by now the size of Mugen's cock when he was turned on, she had wondered how it would all ever work. But, the fire in her blood just seemed to keep growing, even after she came the first time, and now that he was actually inside her...the thought itself made her shiver, as did the sensation of him moving in her. The breath caught in her throat and she wound herself around him, moved up to meet him because it felt so good she thought she didn't ever want to stop.

Mugen also found himself having trouble breathing as he listened to the little sounds Fuu made as they came together, the way she held him as if she never wanted to let him go, and the way she bit her lip as they moved, her eyes hazed and half closed. He bent his head down to kiss her again, freeing her lip with his tongue and then swiping into her mouth, tasting everything as her tongue came to meet his and slide against it. He found himself trying to get a hold of his breathing, his pounding heart, and he closed his eyes a moment in order to block out the erotic sight of her, of everything she was doing, but that just made him more aware of the sensation of her against his skin, how he could feel every ripple of her muscles, every shuddering breath. Opening his eyes again, he paused, just watching her, but his eyes threatened to slide closed again as she reached out with her lips for his neck. He shuddered as he felt her there, gently biting and sucking him again.

“You'd better stop that,” he said, suddenly winded as if he'd been running.

She pulled back, a little confusion registering in her eyes over the desire. “I'm sorry, I thought you liked it.”

He snorted a laugh. “I do. Too much. But if you want this to last for more than the next couple of minutes, you'd better cut it out.”

Fuu smiled then, hazily, and pulled back, her arms running down his back and settling on his ass. “OK,” she said, moving her hips against him.

Mugen smashed their lips together at that, muffling Fuu's moan as he drove into her. This is not going to last very long no matter what I do, he thought, the heat and emotion between them almost palpable as he pulled back slightly to get his breath and got lost in her dark eyes, the feeling of the way she moved against him as she panted, and the sounds of the little moans and groans she let out as they moved together. Finally, he couldn't take any more as he felt her tightening around him, the look on her face telling him she was close to coming again. A growl came from deep inside him as he pulled out of her and came on her belly, and he quickly slid his fingers into her and pushed the heel of his hand against her clit, feeling another wave of his own orgasm as she ground against him and came again.

Fuu felt like she was floating somewhere in the atmosphere as she watched Mugen clean her off, his hand shaking a little, and then flop down next to her. She giggled languidly, and immediately curled around him, her legs twisted around one of his, one of her arms possessively around his chest. His heartbeat was raging under her palm, a twin to her own, which she was sure he could feel with her own chest pressed tight against him, and Fuu felt him shiver as her still uneven breathing hit his neck. Moving to bury her face into his hair, she breathed in, savoring the scent of him, feeling something bubbling up in her but too relaxed to think much about it. A moment later, Fuu surprised herself by starting to speak.

“Well, I know I don't have much experience with this sort of thing, but I hope…”

Fuu's brain caught up with her mouth at that point and she gasped in embarrassment, burying her face further in Mugen's hair.

“I'm sorry,” she said, blushing hotly and her voice muffled. “Just forget it.”

Mugen chuckled then and turned towards her, bringing their faces together and putting his hand under her chin to bring her eyes up to look into his.

“I knew this would come up sooner or later, so let's just talk about it now so we can forget it, OK?”

“OK,” Fuu responded, still trying to avoid his eyes out of embarrassment.

“Trying to compare...what just happened between us,” Mugen paused, having trouble classifying what they had just done, since he was still feeling like they were one even though they were no longer joined, “to what goes on in a brothel-”

He broke off then, shaking his head. Mugen had noticed Fuu wincing when he said that word, and he kissed her once, gently, before he continued.

“Well, since you've spent time in some of those fucked up places, I don't think I need to tell you what a scam they are.”

Fuu nodded then, saying, “Yes, they told us how we would get a bonus if we could just get the men drunk, because they put drugs in the sake to make them pass out, and then the bouncers could take all their money and dump them in the alley. If any of them came back to complain, they’d be told that they got abusive and had to be thrown out.”

“Yeah, that's what happens a lot of the time in those fucking places,” Mugen said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, if you want a good comparison, I have to tell you about this crappy job I had once on a pirate ship. I decided to sign on to one a few months after the thing with the damned sugar ship; I figured they'd already marked me as a pirate, so I might as well make some money out of it. But, I was only able to stick with it for a few months. The ship went out and would search, and if we weren't able to take some good cargo or another big ship, we would just stay out on the ocean, for months, sometimes. The pirates were crappy fishermen, so most of what we had to eat after the first few weeks was this horrible dried food. I couldn't even tell what it had been before it was dried, and most of it was so hard you couldn't chew it unless you sucked on it for half an hour, and lots of it was moldy and shit. Everyone was sick most of the time, even me, which was really weird since I'd gotten used to eating the most disgusting, rotten food from the time I was a little kid. Finally, we were off some coast one day around the time it started getting dark, and I just slipped over the side when no one was looking and swam for it. I figured it was better to set off on my own again than to starve to death with a bunch of idiots.”

He looked at Fuu again and, seeing that she was wrapped up in listening to his story, Mugen continued. “Anyway, trying to compare what would happen in a brothel with what we just did is like comparing that dry crap that was supposed to be food with...do you remember that place we ate at in Edo? You know, the place that we had to eat at just before we left for the border because we wouldn't have been able to afford it even if we had all worked for a year. The place I had to carry you away before anyone figured it out because you wouldn't stop eating, even though we had to dine and dash?”

Fuu was suddenly smiling very large. “Yes! That was my favorite place to eat, ever! That was the best food I've had in my whole life!”

“Yeah, it would be like comparing that disgusting dried food to that,” Mugen said, almost smugly, but also feeling a clenching in his heart as he said it. He realized that what she'd said had put it into perspective: this was one of the best experiences he'd had in his whole crappy life.

Fuu stopped a moment, trying to process the conversation. When she did, she looked up at Mugen, her eyes soft.

“Oh, Mugen,” she said, cuddling back into him, holding him tightly.

Feelings that he'd never had before were swelling up in Mugen's chest, and he knew he had better break the moment between them before he said or did something weird or stupid, so he picked Fuu up and threw her over his shoulder instead.

“OK, girly, enough of that. It's bath time,” he said, heading for the spring.

“Mugen! We have to clean ourselves off first,” Fuu said reprovingly, her reply muffled by his hair.

After a lot of splashing and some shrieking from Fuu, the two of them made it into the hot spring, Fuu sitting in Mugen's lap, her arms around him and her head on his shoulder, and Mugen with his arms around her back and her waist, the side of his face pressed into her hair with his eyes closed. Feeling very mellow after their long evening, Mugen found himself considering the fact that he never used to like being touched by anyone. Usually, people actually touching him resulted in their limbs being chopped off, except for prostitutes, but he knew that if he had been able to figure out a way to fuck them without touching them, he would have done it. It used to be that being touched generally meant something bad, but now he found his skin craved the feeling of Fuu's fingers in his, her arms wound around him, her hands tangling in his hair, her lips on his, and a million other touches she seemed happy to give. He could never remember feeling as comfortable and happy as he was when the two of them were wound together or even just holding hands. He rubbed his cheek against her soft hair and felt something loosen in his chest as she hummed happily against him; Mugen felt a little silly for thinking these things, but he also found himself feeling very lucky and very possessive as he curled his arms around her a little tighter.

Fuu sighed as she felt Mugen's arms tighten around her, and she relaxed further against him and into the warm water surrounding her. She had never felt so safe and at home; even during the infrequent times her father was home when she was a very little girl, Fuu never really felt safe, picking up on her mother's apprehension and knowing her father was about to be sent out on some other task. Then he was gone for good and her mother was working a lot of the time. After that, her mother fell ill... But, despite the fact that she'd gotten into a number of dangerous situations while she traveled with Jin and Mugen, Fuu had never felt safer in her life, knowing that the two of them were looking out for her in their own ways, even if they were distracted a lot. And now, with Mugen's arms around her and knowing his intention that they should remain together, she felt as if she had come back to the home she'd never known she had.

After sitting for a while in the warm water, Fuu could feel herself sliding into sleep, her head on Mugen's shoulder relaxing more and more, her body feeling heavy and unresponsive. Sighing, she forced herself to move and sat up and poked Mugen, who was also looking sleepy.

“Hey, girly,” he said with some annoyance, “what's the problem?”

“Come on,” she said, somehow pulling herself out of the water, “let's get back to the house and get some sleep. We still need to be back to work tomorrow morning.”

Mugen grunted in response, slouching into the water further. “Go ahead, I'll follow you later.”

Fuu, half dressed now, stood up straighter and looked directly at Mugen. “No. I want you to come with me.”

That got Mugen's attention and he looked up at her, one eye visible through the hair that had fallen across his face.

“I know it may sound silly,” she said, faltering a little, “but I want to go to sleep with my arms around you tonight. I want to wake up with you tomorrow.”

Mugen looked at her as he climbed out of the hot water, his heart suddenly thumping at a fast pace. It didn't sound silly to him at all; he could imagine it as clearly as if it was something tasty that he'd just put on his tongue, and he wanted it, too. He had just figured up until now that Fuu might not be comfortable admitting what was going on in front of Jin. He forced himself to smirk at her, though, and he felt his mind searching for some sort of comeback and coming up empty.

“All right, all right,” he said, trying to sound put out, but instead it came out soft and low. Fuu was suddenly blushing and he felt his groin tighten a little, even in the cold air. He tried to put it out of his mind as they both dressed quickly against the chill and walked back to the house, but even then their hands somehow found each other and were fastened together before either of them could think about it.

They made it back inside as quietly as they could, and both lay on the opposite side of the fire from Jin, Fuu with her back to it and Mugen facing her. He couldn't seem to stop himself from smoothing a lock of her hair out of her face and behind her ear, even as sleep was taking them both. As he fell into a light sleep, he could feel her, even then, snuggling up against him, her head under his chin, her breath against his neck, her hand against his back.

Jin woke up a little earlier than he usually did the following morning, almost as if something had awakened him, but he sat up to find nothing moving anywhere around him. The breeze blowing in the small window was pleasantly ocean scented, and it appeared to be another sunny day. Finally, he looked across the now ashy fire pit and saw Fuu and Mugen, together. Seemingly unable to help himself, he studied them as he stood up and stretched. Their faces looked so young in sleep, as if they'd let go of everything that might have been bothering them, both with tiny smiles still lingering at their lips. Fuu's head was tucked under Mugen's chin, and they were curled protectively around one another, Fuu's arm across Mugen's back and his arm around her waist. Their other hands were holding onto one another on the sleeping mat, and their legs were comfortably intertwined.

Feeling ashamed again, Jin forced himself to look away, gazing out the small window instead. For once in his life, he felt very unsure about what to do. The twisting feeling was still heavy in his guts whenever he saw the two of them like this. Was he just worried for Fuu or was there something else? He wanted to be happy for them, but somehow, he felt...

Come on, Jin almost heard something within him say, just admit it. You're jealous of them.

He looked down at them again, something wavering inside him, thinking that maybe he wasn't envious so much as feeling left out for one of the first times in his life. Then, he swallowed nervously as Fuu's eyelids started to flutter. She looked up at him, sleepily, for a moment and then her eyes opened all the way with realization.

“Jin!” she gasped. “Oh, I'm sorry, I slept so late today!”

“It's all right, Fuu,” Jin responded quietly, feeling guilt twist in his gut as he realized she was concerned because she hadn't made any breakfast for him.

“No, no, just...go get washed up for the day, and I'll have something ready for you by the time you get back,” she said, struggling to get up against Mugen's arms pulling her tighter against him.

“Mugen,” she whispered loudly, “let me go! I need to make something for Jin to eat before he has to get to work!”

The other man grunted something unintelligible, but Jin could swear he saw a broad smirk on his face before he turned over, letting Fuu go after something happened that gave her a fierce blush.

“Go on, Jin,” she said, trying to ignore her red face. “I'll bring some food out on the porch for us to eat since someone's too lazy to get up.”

Jin retreated quickly, after hearing a mumble from Mugen that sounded like, “Whose fault is that?” and seeing Fuu's blush flare again. After quickly getting ready for the day, Jin was back again, waiting on the porch, when Fuu appeared after a few minutes with a tray of food and tea. She smiled at him and then set to pouring the tea. Jin watched her hands moving surely and her graceful neck bending as she leaned over what she was doing. He wondered, as she handed him a cup, how it had happened that he'd missed her transformation from a skinny, gawky adolescent into the slim, lovely young woman in front of him. More than that, he wondered how Mugen had noticed it and he hadn't.

As they ate, Fuu gave her usual running commentary, talking about the nice weather and letting Jin know how the work on the boat was progressing, but eventually came around to what she really wanted to say.

“Jin,” she started, a little softly, “I'm really sorry that I was so upset last night. I didn't mean to yell at you, but I was so worried. I hope you can forgive me.”

“It's all right, Fuu, I'm not angry with you,” Jin replied, taking a sip of his tea instead of sighing.

“Is...everything all right, then? You haven't said anything at all today about what happened, but you still seem...disturbed, I guess. I don't know, maybe I'm imagining things.”

“I am worried about you, Fuu,” Jin said, looking her in the eye for one of the first times that morning.

She looked right back at him, saying, “Jin, you don't have to worry. Mugen and I are going to be together. We agreed last night. Everything will be fine.”

Jin continued to look at her, then dropped his eyes, not sure what to say next. Should he remind her that Mugen had run off before and that they'd only run into one another by chance again? Remind her of the fact that the other man was a criminal and probably not the most honest person? Tell her that a samurai's daughter shouldn't be with a former pirate? Then, he found himself thinking of the way the two of them were together, the way he had caught Mugen looking at her, and found himself wondering if any of his comments would even be fair. He could tell Mugen was in love with her, even if the other man didn't know it himself. Instead, he hmmm'ed and took another sip of tea, trying not to look at Fuu for the moment.

“Did you two have a fight?” Fuu asked him. This brought Jin's eyes back up to Fuu in surprise that she somehow seemed to know.

“Really, it was nothing, Fuu,” he lied, feeling an uncomfortable twisting in his stomach as he avoided her eyes.

“Well, as long as you two aren't going to start trying to kill each other again,” she said, giving Jin an odd look before changing the topic.

Fuu was feeling very puzzled as she took the dishes back into the house, and was about to walk by Mugen distractedly when she felt a hand on her ankle. She looked down to see him looking back up at her with a sly smile on his face, so Fuu returned his smile as she got rid of the dishes and lay back down next to him, cuddling into his chest.

“What's up?” Mugen asked. “You have this funny look on your face.”

Fuu sighed. “Jin's just acting kind of strange,” she replied. “Did you two have a fight?”

She felt Mugen shrug and grunt. “Not really,” he said, but he wouldn't meet Fuu’s eyes when she pulled back to look at him.

Fuu sighed. “I guess you two will have to work it out, but please, no killing one another, OK?”

Mugen smirked. “I'll do my best,” he said, getting up and pulling Fuu along with him. “Come on, let's get to work.”
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Hrmmm...now that I'm looking back at it, this chapter was mostly about having sex or talking about it. Hope you liked it! XD I promise, there should be more plot next time... If you could let me know what you liked about this, and what you think could be improved, I'd much appreciate it, but please do comment even if you just want to let me know you'd like to read more. Thanks for your attention,

-WriterX

Click here for Chapter 7

The Journey Home, chapter 5

2009-06-21T16:33:05Z

A/N: This is a piece I was inspired to write after watching this anime, since these characters really got into my head, and because the ending was left a lot more open than I personally liked. Another thing that inspired me here was the difference between what the characters say and their actions, which usually seem a lot more revealing about them and their thoughts and feelings. Because I was interested to explore that, you get to see inside their heads a lot, and my challenge to myself with this story was to write three points of view intermixed in such a way that it didn't interfere with the story, and that it was clear to the reader who the story was following at any given time. Let me know how you think I did.

Also, big thanks to my wonderful, lovely beta reader gwoman for helping me to improve this chapter while she was way too overloaded for me to think she would be able to manage it (I now know my suspicion about her being a superhero is true).

Warnings: bad language, explicit sex (het), explicit discussions about sex, fluff, voyeurism, suspense. Also, this story takes place post-series, so there are lots of spoilers/references to things that happened; as a result, I don't recommend reading this until you've completed the series.

Pairings/Characters: Mugen/Fuu, Jin

Summary: Chapter 5: Forecast: Hot to begin with, followed by storm clouds and lightning...

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?

P.S. Thanks to para_kissu for my icon!
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Missed Chapter 4? Click here.

Some nights, they were too tired to do more than hold each other while they soaked in the hot water and tried to get rid of their sore muscles. But there was one day that had started out hot and breathless and had continued getting hotter. They were working inside the inner compartments of the boat that day, Fuu helping hold curved wood in place along the side and bottom of the boat while Mugen nailed it into the hull. There were several big sections that had come loose and they had to work together to put them back in or replace them altogether. Fuu had thought that they might fight, having to work that closely together on such fussy things, but instead she found herself noticing the lamplight playing on Mugen's chest, the sinewy muscles in his arms as he worked, and the way his shorts hung low on his hips. She had expected to be grossed out by all of the sweat, since it was a hot day even though they were out of the sun, but she found herself enjoying the way he smelled and feeling like she wanted to take another bite out of him. Mentally she slapped herself, thinking, girl, you've got it bad.

For his part, Mugen had been fairly silent as well since he was distracted by the smooth lines of her body as she reached up to hold things over her head, the way her lovely neck stretched out so that she could look up and her long, beautiful legs (since Fuu had hitched up her skirt due to the heat and the work). He found himself imagining her legs around - All right, he told himself, not now; don't think about that now.

Their traditional nap really only made things worse. Fuu fell asleep fairly quickly, even though she was afraid she wouldn’t, and was followed by Mugen. Some time later, Mugen was woken up by hearing his name, but when he opened his eyes, he realized Fuu was still asleep. He was about to close them again when he realized that she must have been dreaming. Her lips were parted, open on a moan, and she was holding him tightly and slowly grinding against him. Mugen could feel parts of him stirring to life and had to bite back a noise of his own when she mumbled his name again in her sleep. He slowly extricated himself from her arms and was about to slip away, hoping a long swim in the cold ocean would calm him down when Fuu woke up, confused, and finally spotted him near the door.

“Mugen?”

He tried to smirk and not leer at her. “Get up, lazy. We should get back to work.”

“But I was having such a nice dream...”

“I know,” he said, his smirk growing. “It sounds like I was in it. I want to hear all about it tonight.”

Fuu blushed but recovered a moment later, looking back up at him from under lowered lashes. “All right,” she said, smiling herself.

Mugen felt like he couldn't make it to the cold water fast enough. Dinner was an even more silent affair than it usually was; the electricity between Fuu and Mugen was almost visible. Mugen touched Fuu's shoulder blade in order to get past her at one point and he could feel the ripple of her skin as she shivered at the simple contact and gasped, then bit her lip. He balled his other hand into a fist at that, trying to get his patience back, but all he could think of was how he wanted to touch her again later with nothing in between them to spoil the effect.

Fuu almost fled to the hot spring that evening, her clothes landing in a heap as she rinsed herself clean and then slid into the hot water. It didn't feel all that hot against her skin, since she felt as if she were already burning up. She waited impatiently, trying to distract herself by counting stars until Mugen arrived, her fingers twisting together underneath the water as she fidgeted, trying not to get started without him.

Mugen hadn't even looked at Jin as he'd left that evening, instead hurrying up the path to where he knew Fuu was. He was already half hard and had his shirt off by the time he got to the hot spring. Mugen and Fuu just looked at each other for a moment when he arrived and then she was launching herself from the water. Mugen caught her in his arms as she came to him, mouth over his and her hands tangling in his hair. Fuu was making a helpless sounding noise in the back of her throat as they kissed, and she shuddered as he brushed his fingers under her naked shoulder blades, and suddenly Mugen was panting as hard as Fuu, pushing his tongue into her mouth and gasping when she sucked on it. They continued to kiss each other breathless and then pulled their faces back for a moment to gasp in air, dark eyes locked on each other and the rest of their bodies still held tightly together.

“Please, Mugen,” Fuu said, shuddering again as he leaned in to lick and suck down her neck, “ever since this afternoon, I-“

He looked up at her, stopping her with his intense eyes. “Yes,” he said, lowering them both down to the grass. “Tell me about your dream.”

Fuu blushed again but was hoping he hadn’t noticed in the half-moonlight. “We were together, and we didn’t have anything on. You started kissing your way down me, and then I saw your head between my legs. I don’t know what you were doing, but it felt…wonderful. But then, I woke up because you left.”

She seemed as if she was pouting at that, and Mugen smirked in response. “Well, let’s see what we can do to make all of that come true,” he responded, starting by kissing his way down her neck and collarbone to her breasts.

He was doing all he could to hold himself back, to try to be gentle, but he couldn’t help catching her nipple in his teeth, once it had hardened, and pulling slightly. Fuu gasped and arched into him, throwing her head back and he growled, his fingers tightening a little on her other breast. Mugen moved his head over to give her other breast the same treatment as his hands began traveling lower. His fingers moving along her stomach caused her to shudder, but when his first finger touched her clit, her hips jerked forward and she cried out, half stifling it at the end as her hand flew to her mouth.

“Don't,” Mugen said low, sounding dangerous and aroused. “I'm going to make you come screaming tonight, and I want to hear it.”

Fuu's eyes widened. “What about the neighbors?”

“Hey, they're the ones that think we're married. Don't you think they would think it was weird if we weren't having sex?”

Mugen was sure she blushed that time, even watching her in the half-light. He smirked as he eased himself further down her body. “Just relax, Fuu. I think you'll like this.”

Fuu gasped for breath, then couldn't help but moan as she felt his mouth on her. She felt like she had to writhe because it almost felt too good, but she tried to keep her hips still so that Mugen would keep doing what he was doing. And, oh, it was setting every nerve in her body on fire. She didn't want to make so much noise so that she was disturbing people, but she couldn't seem to keep silent. As his tongue swept over her clit, Fuu could feel answering waves of heat in her nerves, and her little yelps and moans seemed as if they were moving farther away, beyond the roaring in her ears.

Mugen paused for a moment, just looking at Fuu. The view from down the long line of her body was causing the heat in his guts to pull tighter, and he growled as he reached up to grasp one trembling breast, his fingertip flicking the nipple before he squeezed the whole thing gently. He just watched for a breath as she made some more of those sounds that stirred his groin and arched up into his hand. His smirk was almost a grimace as he lowered his head once again, concentrating on continuing what he'd been doing and not taking Fuu right now like the ache in his cock was begging him to do. But, as he continued licking and sucking on her, just the taste of her causing his already tight groin to tighten further, he couldn't help playing one finger by her entrance then slowly pushing inside her during her hip thrusts. He watched her face closely as he continued pleasuring her with his tongue; there was a twinge of what looked like pain at first, and then, as he began to twist and wiggle his finger in her, a gasp of pleasure.

“Mugen! Please, don't stop, I'm-” Fuu cut herself off with a groan, her hips bucking up.

In response, he intensified what he was doing with his mouth, holding her hips down with his other hand, and pulled his hand back to drive into her once, with some force. It wasn't quite a scream, but Fuu came then, hard, Mugen continuing to stroke and lick her until she fell silent, her skin shuddering and rippling as she lay gasping.

It took a few moments before Fuu came back to herself, but when she did, she rolled onto her side, moving Mugen with her, and then slid herself down on the soft grass so that she and Mugen were eye to eye. Her stomach tightened as she met his intense gaze, and she kissed him, tasting herself on his lips.

Mugen had watched Fuu closely as the waves of her orgasm washed over her, watched the slight flush color her face as she called out, watched her writhe and buck her hips, felt her clench around his finger as she came. This had all caused the ache in his groin to grow and he had been unable to keep himself from thrusting against the ground he lay on. It hadn't helped much, but it had kept him distracted enough that Fuu had been able to roll the both of them to their sides and come face to face with him, then start kissing him. He responded almost desperately, shuddering as he felt her start to suck on his tongue. Then he was surprised again as she pushed him the moment their mouths parted, rolling him on his back. She was watching him with her dark eyes and a grin, moving lower on his body, and he could feel the breath stick in his throat as he watched her start to fumble with his shorts.

He wanted to tell her that she didn't have to do anything and that he could take care of himself, but the words died before he could form them as he watched her delicate hands undress him, and he lifted his hips so she could slide his clothes off. She looked him over after she did, and then met his eye again with a look that could probably be termed hungry. He shut his eyes for a moment and felt the skin of his stomach ripple with her touch, then his eyes flew open again as he felt her hand close around his cock. Mugen took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but he knew that whatever happened was going to go quickly, especially since he could feel himself twitch in her hand as he watched her slide down his body, licking her lips.

“Fuu,” he managed to grind out, his voice gravelly and hard to hear, “this isn't going to last-”

“Shhh,” she said, and he had to watch her, hypnotized, since her lips were now hovering right over his cock. “Let me do this. Just...tell me if I'm not doing something the way you like.”

Fuu was feeling very nervous, since she'd never done this before, and also still very aroused, even though she felt completely warm and melted from coming as hard as she had a few minutes before. The way Mugen's eyes looked when he watched her never seemed to fail at setting off the heat in her guts, and something in her had almost combusted at the way he'd let her undress him, and at seeing him naked, spread out underneath her. She could feel him make a noise as she took him into her mouth, and she had to push his hips down as he thrust further into her mouth, but she made her own noise of amusement, which made him shudder.

Hmmm…Fuu thought, and then moaned in the back of her throat as she brought her mouth back down over Mugen’s cock. She could feel his hips thrust against her hand, and she could feel him twitch in her mouth as her lips moved over him. Laughing then, she brought as much of him into her mouth as she could and continued moving her head up and down over him.

The spike of heat Mugen felt when he saw Fuu take him in her mouth was overtaken moments later when he could feel the vibrations of her moaning and laughing. He tried to keep his hips still but all his body wanted was to get more of that wet heat and he found himself thrusting into her delicate hand that had more strength than it originally appeared. He wanted to ask her if she was sure she hadn’t done this before, or to tell her to just keep going, but all that he could manage was something between a groan and a growl. Fuu seemed to take this as encouragement and sped up a bit, which he could barely take, and so he actually had to speak up.

“I'm gonna come,” he said, not managing to say it loud, but he could tell that Fuu heard him, since she paused momentarily, her dark eyes boring into his, and he could feel her lips forming into a smile around him. But then she was diving down on him again and his breath was stuck in his throat as the hand that was holding him down flexed into his hip, kneading him like a hungry cat, and then everything but her was lost in the fireworks behind his eyes.

When the world came back, Mugen opened his eyes and realized he was clutching Fuu's shoulders. She was looking up at him with dark, dark eyes and a smile on her lips that was somewhere between sly and shy, and Mugen surprised himself by hauling her up against him so they were face to face. After staring into each others' eyes for a moment, one of them moved forward and suddenly they were kissing again, long and deep and slow.

Fuu squeaked with surprise as their lips separated and she felt herself being carried upwards. She found herself grabbing onto Mugen's shoulders as he held her bridal style and then she realized they were moving.

“Come on; let's get cleaned up,” Mugen said, smirking. “So far, we've just gotten messier.”

And then they were both in the hot spring, Fuu letting out a little shriek of surprise as she hit the water, and Mugen pulling her forward against him to sit in his lap.

“A little warning would be nice next time,” she said, trying to eye him with a glare but knowing she was probably failing at looking angry.

Fuu curled her arm around Mugen's back and leaned into his chest as he held her close. She closed her eyes and let the warmth of the water soak into her, but it was nothing compared to the warmth of her singing heart; she felt as if it were expanding, filling the starry night around them.

Jin slipped as silently as possible from what had become his favorite spot to keep an eye on the hot springs. He mentally sighed, unable to explain what was going on. By now he'd gotten used to what he was doing, but he couldn't say he was feeling too good about himself because of it. He just wasn't able to stop himself most of the time. At least they wouldn't be able to be surprised during an inopportune moment without backup, he told himself. Then, as he slipped inside the house and tended the fire, he sighed as he reviewed he previous thought. It really wasn’t a very good excuse.

The work on the boat continued to progress well; after a few weeks, it looked as if they were nearing the end. On one particular day that week, however, the work almost ground to a halt.

The day had dawned hot and had only gotten hotter as each hour passed. There were some clouds, but they only seemed to serve to keep the heat in and weren't really much good for shade. Fuu found herself squinting against the intense heat and sunlight, and the more the day wore on, the more she stabbed herself with the heavy sewing needle. Mugen had started out the day fine but, as it went on, he found that more and more things weren't working as expected – the wood didn't line up the way it should, the nails went in crooked, the new wood he was trying to plane came out cracked. He found his temper heating up along with the day.

By the time the sun was high overhead, Fuu was swaying with the heat as she worked, and caught herself at one point from falling over. She somehow got herself up and staggered over to Mugen.

“Do you want to have a nap,” she croaked, her throat almost too dry to speak.

“No,” he growled, “I'm behind where I wanted to be. I'm going to keep working; take a nap if you need to.”

So weary and fried that she ignored the implied criticism, Fuu stumbled inside and collapsed onto her sleeping mat. After only an hour or so she awoke, however, burning up and feeling no more rested or refreshed than before. She brought some water outside for herself and Mugen, but he ignored her when she brought it around.

Even though it was still amazingly hot, Fuu noticed as she sat back down to her work that the sky was now almost entirely covered by thick, dark clouds, and there was a hot wind rolling in from the direction of the sea. Squinting her eyes against the blowing sand, Fuu continued her work until she heard a yell from Mugen's direction.

Mugen had been both jealous and angry that Fuu took a break, but he'd kept working since a good deal of the things he'd tried to fix that morning needed to be redone or were still in progress. Things still continued going badly and he had barely noticed when Fuu came back an hour later, still looking hot and being unusually quiet. He had hit himself with the hammer once that morning and just sucked it up, but when he hit his hand with the hammer that afternoon, hard, it seemed to have also taken out his last nerve, and he yelled in pain, but also in frustration.

Fuu came running around the edge of the boat, worried about what might have happened. She saw that it looked as if Mugen had hit himself with the hammer, so she went to retrieve the tool from the edge of the sea. When she came back, she also had cupped some seawater in her hand and brought it over to Mugen.

“Put your hand out,” she said, then tipped the seawater over the wound.

Mugen breathed in around his teeth from the sting, and something in him finally seemed to snap.

“Fuck!” He yelled, but he was pretty sure no one but he and Fuu heard it because, even though it was still intensely hot and muggy, the wind from the sea had picked up to the point where it was now a low howl. “What the fuck am I doing, working like a fucking slave, hanging around with you and four eyes...fuck, I could be getting drunk now, or going to a whorehouse instead of working in the sun all day so I can help out Jin...”

He trailed off, mumbling and swearing to himself. Fuu just stared at him for a moment, unable to know what to make of this while still in her heat-induced stupor.

“What?” she said. She thought she might have said it too softly to be heard over the wind, but Mugen turned to glare at her.

“You heard what I said, you flat-chested little bitch,” he yelled.

Fuu's eyes widened and she bent forward a little, feeling as if she'd been hit in the gut. “You're such a jerk, Mugen! I hate you!”

Then, realizing what she'd said, Fuu's eyes widened again, this time in horror. She started crying then and ran back into the house, sliding the door shut hard behind her.

Mugen just watched her go for a moment, and then there was a crazy sliding feeling in his stomach. Good, he thought to himself as he strapped his sword on and began walking. Now things can go back to the way they were. Suddenly, his mind treated him to a quick review of how things had been: always going from one town to the next because someone was probably after him, not because he had anywhere he wanted to go; mostly being broke and starving because anytime he actually got some money it only lasted a day or two before he passed out while drinking or slept at a brothel and then woke up in an alley with his pockets empty; and always traveling through places full of people who didn't care if he lived or died (or, probably, would prefer that he die so they wouldn't have to deal with him and could steal his minimal possessions).

He stopped for a moment, realizing that his feet had just taken him down the beach instead of to the road into town as he'd planned. The rain that had been threatening all day had just begun and was blowing at him in the hot wind that howled on. Mugen spotted a gnarled driftwood log and sat down, ignoring the rain in his face. Fuck, he thought, drawing his hand through his hair so that he could see again and trying to think.

Meanwhile, Jin had arrived home to find Fuu curled up in a ball of misery, sitting in seiza position and collapsed forward with her face in her hands. She looked up quickly when Jin walked in and then started crying again, curling back up on herself. He approached and knelt by her, speaking to her quietly.

“Fuu, what's wrong?”

“Oh, Jin,” she began, sitting up a little so she could look at him. “We had a fight and I told Mugen that I hate him! I'm sure he must have left.”

She buried her face in her hands again, crying even harder and bent back into her previous posture. Jin sighed, wanting to put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but feeling odd about doing so. Instead, he decided he would try to say something to try to calm her.

“Fuu, maybe it's better this way-”

“Better?! How could it be better?” Fuu broke in, sitting straight up with what looked like anger on her face. “Jin, maybe you don't understand, but I love Mugen. There's no way it could be better if he's...if he's gone.”

Fuu faltered as she finished and then resumed crying, curling back in on herself. Jin bit his tongue and tried to think of anything to do to improve the situation. Then, he heard...something outside. Thinking that it might be Mugen, he turned to Fuu as he rose.

“Fuu, I'll be right back.” he said quietly, and slipped out of the house.

Mugen ran through the possibilities in his head. Telling her that he had lied, while truthful, was unlikely to get him out of trouble this time, Mugen realized. More lies were right out, since he figured at this point that he’d have a hard time getting her to believe the truth. So, he thought to himself, I think maybe the only thing I can do is to just throw myself on her mercy and beg her not to leave. Sitting and considering the idea for a moment, Mugen felt his pride stirring in resentment, but then shook his head. This is probably the best thing I’ve ever had going, Mugen thought, I’d be stupid not to go back. He shrugged and grinned, standing and pushing his hair back again, feeling a rivulet of water making its way down his back as the rain continued on with no sign of stopping. As he made his way back down the beach, he found himself thinking about the fact that she seemed to be a gambler, so maybe she'd understand.

He got as far as the hut that stood next to theirs and was turning the corner to approach the one they'd been staying at when he almost ran into Jin. He nodded at Jin and tried to step around him, but narrowed his eyes when the samurai continued to stand in his way.

“What's up, Jin?” he asked, low and dangerous against the rain, but still audible.

“Why don't you just leave her alone?” Jin said, meeting Mugen's eyes.

“We had a fight.” Mugen said, shrugging as if he was trying to get something off of his shoulder. “I need to talk to her.”

“Mugen,” Jin continued, still staring at him, “I know you're just going to leave Fuu one day. Why don't you just keep going now so that she can get over her heartache and move on?”

Mugen felt a shot of rage jolt through him. “What is it with you? I'm not leaving Fuu.”

“Well, what is it you think you have to offer her? What do you know about loving someone?”

Thoroughly furious, Mugen kept speaking instead of reaching for his sword only through a hard act of will. “You're right, Jin. I don't know a fucking thing about it. Of course, that may be because I only ever hung out with the very worst people during my life, mostly because before I met you two, no one else would hang out with me. Maybe I could have learned about it from my mom, but I was so young when she was killed that I can't even remember her name. You're right, I don't know anything about it, but I'll learn. For her, I'll learn. Now, get the fuck out of my way.”

Jin stood his ground, and Mugen started to reach for his sword before they were both surprised by a voice from behind them.

“Great samurai,” Daisuke said from his seat on his porch, “I have been waiting for a chance to meet and talk with you. Could you possibly join me for some tea?”

Jin was looking at him in confusion for a moment before he looked back in front of him to realize that Mugen wasn't there anymore. He looked behind him just in time to see Mugen slipping inside the front door of the hut they were staying in and sliding it quietly closed. Jin sighed and looked back up at Daisuke again, nodding and stepping out of the rain onto the other man's porch.

Mugen turned as he slid the door shut, finding Fuu still in a ball on the floor, her head in her hands. She looked up a little as he entered, as if expecting Jin to return, but when she saw Mugen instead, Fuu sat straight up and stared at him, tears still staining her cheeks.

“Mugen,” she said, half sorrowful, half hopeful, still not really sure it was him.

And then, Mugen surprised even himself as he was suddenly on his own knees in front of her, grabbing her tightly around the waist and hugging her close, his face pressed to her side.

“I'm sorry, Fuu, it was all my fault,” he said, slightly muffled as he spoke against her.

“No, it wasn't, Mugen,” Fuu replied. “I shouldn't have said that. And, I should have told you as soon as I knew,” she paused and swallowed, “that I love you, Mugen. I have for a while. I was just afraid that you'd make fun of me or that you'd leave...”

Fuu trailed off, breaking into tears again, burying her face into Mugen's back as she cried. She felt like such a fool, but so relieved that he was here and that he was holding her. Then she felt him moving again, so she sat back up again to face him. He had an odd, fierce look on his face, and he reached up to wipe the tears off her cheeks with a rough hand.

“Don't cry anymore, Fuu,” he said, his voice low, then he continued, almost to himself. “Jin's right; I don't know anything about this sort of thing.” Then he looked her in the eye and said, “But, I do know that I want to be with you. I'm not going to be leaving you, girly. Understand?”

“Do you...do you really mean it?” she asked, still sniffling a little as she met his eyes.

“Like I'm the kind of guy to say some shit just because I think you'd like to hear it. Yes, OK?”

“OK,” Fuu replied, starting to smile for one of the first times that day.

And then Mugen was hugging her around the waist again, so she leaned back over him, resting her cheek on his back. A moment later, she realized he was saying something that was hard to hear over the rain pelting the house from outside, so she bent her head close to his and gently asked him to repeat it.

“Wherever we go, we should go together. So don't you go running off, either.”

“I'm right here, Mugen,” Fuu said quietly, “I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere without you, ever.”

Fuu put her arms on his back, then, trying to hug him in their awkward position without really wanting to move, and she heard another muffled pronouncement.

“When we have another one of these stupid fights and I start running my mouth again, can you remind me that I'm being an idiot next time instead of running off?”

Smiling against his back, Fuu responded, “Yes, Mugen, yes I will. As long as you do the same for me.”

“Fair enough.”

Fuu felt the arms around her waist tighten, so she snuggled into Mugen a little more as she closed her eyes. She felt like her heart was going to explode it had opened so much. Mugen wanted to be with her, too! Fuu smiled as she nuzzled her cheek against him a little more.

Jin sat and waited for the tea to steep with Daisuke, listening to the rain on the water in the distance and watching the drips as they fell off of the porch roof. It was still cloyingly hot outside, so he wasn't uncomfortable in his wet clothes, but something was making him squirm a bit. For some reason, he found himself not wanting to look at the old man as he went about pouring them tea into cracked cups.

They both waited a few minutes for the tea to cool down before trying to drink it, the old man looking out over the sea and Jin finding his eyes straying to the hut where he, Fuu, and Mugen were staying. He hadn't heard any shouting, or indeed, any sounds at all over the rain once Mugen had gone inside. Jin wasn't sure what he'd expected, but minutes continued to tick by with no one issuing from the door and no loud noises from that direction, either. Finally, Daisuke picked up his cup and drank, nodding, so Jin followed his lead. The tea was surprisingly good, he found, as he drank his first sip.

“It's a fine thing to have such good friends,” Daisuke finally said, breaking the silence after his second sip of tea.

Jin found he couldn't keep from looking the old man in the eye anymore, and found a curious intensity and interest there.

“Hmmm,” he replied, trying to keep it sounding non-committal but as if he agreed somewhat. He found himself wondering where the old man was going with his comments.

“But,” he continued, “sometimes, when someone has friends that he knows well, he gets the idea that he knows what's best for his friends, more than they do themselves. Don't you agree, great samurai?”

Jin just looked at him this time, taking another sip of tea against his suddenly dry mouth. Daisuke continued as if Jin had replied, however.

“I may be an old fool, but the few things I've learned in life have taught me that it's best to let your friends make their own mistakes in matters of the heart. Especially since what you might think of as a mistake might end up being the best thing in the world for your friends.”

Daisuke nodded to himself as he took another sip of tea and looked back out at the ocean. It was still raining but it was falling less strongly, and as Jin looked, he could see that there was a thin front line in the clouds that had appeared over the horizon along the water. Some of the remaining rays of daylight could just be glimpsed through that line, shining out over the sea, picking out wave tops like stars. Jin watched this with the old man for a few moments until the light disappeared entirely, leaving crimson and purple tinged cloud edges in its wake.

“You know,” Daisuke began, “since I'm old, I spend a lot of time wondering about things, since I can't get around like I used to. I wonder about your friend, for example.”

“Mugen,” Jin said, almost a question.

“Yes, that's what Fuu called him. Seems like he's lived a pretty tough life, orphaned at such a young age and having to fend for himself. Myself, I was pretty lucky. I grew up fishing with my parents, and I was married and had a child before they both had died. But to grow up like Mugen! What kind of a person would I have ended up like? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have lived to be as old as I am; I figure I probably wouldn't have lived to grow up at all. What would that have been like? What do you think you would have ended up like, great samurai?”

He chuckled, not really expecting an answer. Jin took another sip of tea as he rose to his feet, and put the teacup on the table.

“Thank you, sir, for your hospitality,” he said, bowing slightly to the old man. “I have other things I need to attend to, however.”

Daisuke nodded at Jin and chuckled again. “Go ahead. I figure they've made up by now,” he replied. The old man's sounds of amusement followed Jin the whole way next door, until he slid the door shut behind him.

Fuu was still more or less in the same position as when he'd left earlier, but now Mugen was wrapped around her and she was curled up on him. The two of them appeared to be asleep and they were both smiling slightly. As Jin looked at them, he noted that they both seemed so young, much younger than the two of them actually were, due to the relaxation on their faces usually absent when they were awake.

With all sorts of wild feelings of shame, regret, jealousy, and happiness for his friends churning in his stomach, Jin sat and tried to meditate for a while before he finally gave up and lay down to sleep. As he closed his eyes, he found himself both hoping that he could stay with Fuu and Mugen for a while longer, and that he would be able to separate from them, because he wasn't sure what would happen if he stayed too long.
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Well, that's all for now. If you could let me know what you liked about this, and what you think could be improved, I'd much appreciate it, but please do comment even if you just want to let me know you'd like to read more. Thanks for your attention,

-WriterX

Click here for Chapter 6

The Journey Home, chapter 4

2009-06-14T15:08:39Z

A/N: This is a piece I was inspired to write after watching this anime, since these characters really got into my head, and because the ending was left a lot more open than I personally liked. Another thing that inspired me here was the difference between what the characters say and their actions, which usually seem a lot more revealing about them and their thoughts and feelings. Because I was interested to explore that, you get to see inside their heads a lot, and my challenge to myself with this story was to write three points of view intermixed in such a way that it didn't interfere with the story, and that it was clear to the reader who the story was following at any given time. Let me know how you think I did.

Warnings: bad language, explicit messing around (het), explicit discussions about sex, fluff, voyeurism; also, this story takes place post-series, so there are lots of spoilers/references to things that happened, so I don't recommend reading this until you've completed the series.

Pairings/Characters: Mugen/Fuu, Jin

Summary: Chapter 4: In which neighbors are met and our three adventurers settle in, the nights get hotter, and work begins.

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?

P.S. Thanks to para_kissu for my icon!
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Missed Chapter 3? Click here.

Fuu was had never felt more protected as she made her way along the beach towards the other houses in the little village. After a few moments of walking, however, she realized there was a tiny, stooped, very elderly man on the porch of the house nearest the one with the boat they had been looking at. Moving closer, Fuu smiled at the man.

“Hello, sir,” she began, “do you know if there's a head person or someone like that in this village? I have something I need to talk to them about.”

The man smiled a gap-toothed grin in return, and then appeared to consider the question. Finally, he spoke with a slightly wheezy low voice.

“Well, this is a pretty small place, so no one's really in charge. Some of the people here look up to me because I'm so old, but some of them just think I'm an old fool. I'll be glad to try to help you if I can, though. What's your question?”

“My friends and I-”

“Oh, I'd say one of them is more than just a friend from the way you two were holding hands and talking,” the man said, shooting her a sly grin.

Fuu could feel her face heat up. “Well, one of them is my boyfriend, I guess you could say.”

“Oh, so that's why he's glaring at me right now! Why don't you sit down while we're talking? That way I can see him better so I can run away in case he comes over here to kill me because he doesn't like the way I'm talking to his sweetie.”

Fuu felt a blush on top of her original blush as she sat down. She didn't deny that Mugen might come over, either, but she didn't think he would kill the old man unless he tried to do something crazy...

“So, what's your name, young lady?”

“It's Fuu. What's yours?”

“Daisuke. It’s very nice to meet you, Fuu. It must be my lucky day; not every day that I have a young, beautiful woman visit me. So, what's your question, again?”

“Well, sir, we were wondering about the boat next door. My boyfriend thinks it's been abandoned, and we were hoping that we could fix it up so that we could reunite my other friend with his girlfriend. They got separated and she lives far from here, so it would be much easier for us to get there on the sea.”

He appeared to be considering all of this for a moment. “Well,” he finally said, “the people around here wouldn't mind you fixing old Yamato's boat back up. They'd probably like it better if you decided to settle here; lots of the young people these days are moving away, and even with the small number of houses we have here, there are a few empty ones.”

Daisuke appeared to be thinking or reminiscing for a few moments, but Fuu eventually became too curious to remain silent any longer. “What happened to Mr. Yamato?”

The old man looked back at her, fully back in the present. “Oh, now that's a sad story. He passed on a few months ago, and the neighbors all decided to pull his boat out of the water so that it wouldn't sink, but no one can take on an extra fishing boat right now; everyone is too busy as is. His wife died a long time ago, but they did have two beautiful daughters. Unfortunately, those two were so interested in becoming rich that they married two of the wealthiest men in the town just down the road and never visited him after that. They didn't even come to his funeral; they sent two maids, instead. So, his boat just sits there, and his house, too. No one took anything out of it, because no one here really has anything everyone else doesn't already have, so you should find most of the tools you need there.”

Fuu looked at him again. “So, no one will mind if we stay and fix the boat up?”

He nodded. “Usually, the way these things work is that if something new happens, everyone comes to ask me about it first. I tend to hear everything that happens because I spend most of my afternoons on the porch listening to everyone who comes by. So, when the neighbors come by to ask questions, I'll explain it to them in a way they can understand.”

Fuu leaned over and hugged him. “Thanks so much, Daisuke!”

He laughed. “I'm glad to help, especially after that hug. But, there was one thing I wanted to ask you. Are you sure the other man with you is your friend? The way he looks at you and your boyfriend, it seems like he's jealous.”

“Oh, no, I'm sure that can't be right,” Fuu responded, shaking her head, “like I said he already has a woman he's in love with. From what I've seen of her, she's very beautiful. She looks like she probably has a lot better manners than I do, too. I guess I'm too used to saying exactly what I think; a lot of men seem to think that's a bad thing.”

Daisuke laughed again. “Oh, I think it's good to see a young woman like you who's so unafraid of life. Don't let other people's opinions weigh too heavily on you; now that I'm an old man I can see how much that bogs people down in life.”

Fuu smiled at him again and rose. “You're probably right, sir. Thanks for everything, and thanks especially for agreeing to help us. I really appreciate it.”

“It was nice to meet you, Fuu, and no need to be so formal. I look forward to having you and your friends as neighbors.”

Fuu ran back to Mugen and Jin excitedly, grabbing Mugen’s hand before she started speaking. “According to our next door neighbor, Daisuke, the man who owned this boat, Mr. Yamato, died a few months ago with no one to inherit anything of his. The neighbors pulled his boat out of the water, but no one has the time to keep up with it. He says they would probably be glad to see someone working on the boat that could use it, and he suggested we stay in Mr. Yamato's old house while we’re here. He also said he’d explain to everyone else what’s going on so that no one will give us any trouble.”

Mugen looked at her with a crooked smile. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let's move in.”

Fuu smiled back at him and the two headed for the little house near the boat. Jin felt his stomach flop over, watching the two of them, but he followed them inside.

The three of them did a quick inventory of everything there, Mugen looking over the woodworking and carpentry tools while Fuu swept out the dust that had accumulated. Jin was looking over the outside of the house and the surrounding area to see how defensible it was when he noticed a path that had been beaten into the forest behind the house. Following it for a little while brought him to a little clearing where there was a hot spring that had obviously been built up over the years by the people at the nearby village to be a little bathing area. When he came back and announced the news to his other two companions, Fuu squealed with delight and jumped up and down.

“I'm going to go up there after dinner and have a long bath,” she announced with enthusiasm. Then, as if on cue, her stomach growled and she looked concerned. “We don't have any food, though!”

The three of them began to discuss what to do about dinner, Mugen's stomach chiming in with Fuu's, when they heard a knock at the door. They all looked at one another, then Mugen whispered to Fuu.

“Go answer it, and I'll back you up,” he said, drawing his blade.

She nodded and then waited until he was standing beside the door before she opened it.

“Hi, are you Fuu,” said a child's voice.

Fuu gave a quick look at Mugen that he interpreted as everything being OK, so he quietly sheathed his sword again. He watched as she smiled at the person at the door.

“Yes, I am. Who are you?”

“My name's Yuji. My mom told me to come over here and give this to you.”

He uncovered the basket in his hands, which was filled with grilled fish and rice balls. Fuu somehow stopped herself from salivating, knelt down and took the basket from his hands and hugged him.

“Oh, Yuji, thank you so much! We were so hungry, since we walked all day to get here!”

“She said that you probably would be, so she said she was sending this over to welcome you and your husband and brother-in-law here.”

Fuu froze for a moment and turned just her eyes over to look at Mugen and Jin. Jin looked as stone faced as ever, but Mugen looked...well, Fuu had never seen him blush, but he had a look on his face that seemed close. He had begun to open his mouth as if to say something when Fuu began talking rapidly and loudly before Mugen said anything to give them away. She could just imagine him yelling that she was not his wife...

“My...husband Mugen and my...um, brother-in-law Jin and I send our thanks. Where do you live? I'd like to stop by later to thank your mother in person and bring your basket back.”

“We're three houses down from old Daisuke. See you later, Fuu.”

The little boy ran off down the beach as Fuu slid the front door shut. Both of the men were looking at her with expressions that asked for an explanation as she turned back around. Fuu shrugged and shook her head as she brought the basket over. Suddenly, she had an idea, and shook her head some more as she spoke.

“Oh, that Daisuke! So that's what he meant by saying he would explain what I told him 'in a way they can understand'! Sorry, guys, I guess he figured the other people in the village would think we were weird, otherwise.”

Mugen snorted as he reached for some food. He had to admit to himself that when Fuu had called him her husband it had given him a very warm feeling in the pit of his stomach, as well as a little bit of fear (after all, Fuu did eat a lot…), but he reminded himself that she just said it to go along with the cover story the old man had given them. Still...he chewed a little more thoughtfully and slowly than he usually did.

Fuu was enthusiastically digging into the food, but she was also watched Mugen and Jin closely. The two of them seemed a little thoughtful, but otherwise were just acting the way they normally would. She mentally shrugged and set into enjoying the meal in earnest.

Once the food was gone, Fuu shook out the cloths that the food had been packed in over the fire and folded them back up neatly into the basket. That done, she picked up her little travel bag and looked over her shoulder at the two men who were sitting wordlessly by the fire, Jin in a meditative posture and Mugen stretched out, picking his teeth the way he did after a good meal.

“OK,” she said, “I’m going to go check out the hot spring! I’ll see you guys later.”

Jin nodded without looking at her, and Mugen grunted, still staring into the fire. She smiled to herself as she went out the door and followed the path Jin had described earlier.

The moon was still fairly full and the stars had all begun to come out when Fuu arrived. She found the small hot spring pool easily enough. Since she was alone, she quickly undressed, washed up, and eased into the steaming water, sighing with contentment once she was finally in the water. Easing herself back along the rounded rocks that had been piled up over time, Fuu sank down to cover herself in warm water up to her chin and leaned her head back gently against the edge of the pool so she could enjoy the heavens spread out up above. The sound of the waves hitting the shore was slightly muffled by the trees around her, and it was constant and soothing.

Ten minutes or so after Fuu left, Mugen stood in one smooth movement with a catlike manner. He stretched briefly, and then turned to head to the door.

“Where are you going,” he heard Jin’s even voice ask from behind him.

He laughed a little, very low. “You know where I’m going. Why are you even asking? But, if you’re still worried about Fuu, you’re welcome to tail us again, but if you fuck things up and she spots you, I really am going to kill you.”

Mugen paused a moment before opening the door, glancing back at Jin who was looking up with a strange fire in his eyes. “Worried, my ass. I know why you’re going to follow us, you fucking perv, just don’t make so much noise this time.”

And then he was gone, leaving Jin looking at the floor, then at his clenched hands. He struggled for a long time, trying to keep himself rooted to the spot, but eventually couldn’t seem to help it and drifted quietly out the door, closing it silently behind him.

Fuu’s eyes had slid mostly shut as she had relaxed into the warm water and allowed it to ease away the soreness of all the walking she’d done recently, but she sat up and her eyes flew open as she heard a noise nearby. Then, she saw Mugen walk into the clearing in front of her, and watched as he stopped near the hot spring pool, looking down at her. She had half-expected, and half-hoped he would show up, and she felt her heart leap and then start to beat fast as she smiled a little shyly up at him. Fuu watched intently as he took off his red vest, then her breath caught a little as he eased his shirt up over his abs and chest, then over his head. Staring as he turned to drop his shirt with his vest, Fuu watched as the moonlight played over the flex of his muscles, and she felt something raw and hot start up in her guts. Her fingers twitched under the water, wanting to reach out and feel how his skin would react underneath her hands.

Mugen had been watching her the moment he'd gotten close enough to see her eyes. It was harder to see her exact expression in the soft silvery glow, compared to the light of day, but he swore he could see her eyes darken as he began to strip, and thought he heard her gasp as he took his shirt off. He paused for a moment after he kicked off his geta and watched her, taking in her wide eyes with their gaze intent on him, her lips shiny and softly parted. Feeling himself start to react at the sight, he grinned down at her, one of his hands resting near the waistband of his shorts.

“Do you want to see what the rest of me looks like, Fuu,” Mugen asked her in a low voice, almost a growl.

Fuu shook her head a little, as if she had been snapped out of a trance. “Yes.” she said, but the tone of it sounded like she had really meant to say 'of course, keep going.'

Mugen grinned a little wider. “Then show me, too,” he said, watching her intently.

Hesitating only for a moment, Fuu put her arms behind her and pulled herself out of the hot spring, perching on the edge of the rocks lining the pool. For some reason, she no longer felt nervous about the idea of being naked in front of Mugen. Maybe I've lost my mind, she thought, but a moment later she forgot about any misgivings as she felt a tantalizing hot spike run through her insides as she saw Mugen's eyes seem to become all pupil, the arm at his waist tighten, and his breath pick up as he looked at her.

He forced himself to just watch, taking a good look at her as she pulled herself out of the water and sat on the edge of the rocks. The moonlight and the water rolling off her skin caused her to look as if she was shining, and his eyes lingered on every inch, her long neck, laid bare by her raised hair and lack of clothes, her upper and lower curves, her long legs, and...Mugen finally realized he was staring, and forced his eyes back up to hers, trying not to hyperventilate. She was smiling, he realized, and then he had to force himself to pay attention, since she was saying something.

“Your turn,” she said, her smile almost a smirk.

Mugen resisted the urge to reach out and grab her and instead slipped his shorts off slowly, watching her every moment. The sight of all of Fuu, steaming and wet by the side of the hot spring, had a predictable effect on him, and he was wondering what she would think. She didn't seem to be used to this type of thing, and Mugen didn't want to scare her away...

Fuu watched as Mugen turned slightly to drop his shorts on the pile with the rest of his clothes and the moonlight caught him, then she did gasp. He was...big. She really hadn't been sure what to expect, only having seen this sort of thing before once when she was out with a group of girlfriends and they had surprised some lovers in the woods. Fuu also knew that she had seen most of him before, as well, when she was treating him and Jin when they'd been injured, but it wasn't the same thing at all, she thought to herself, not at all. She half closed her eyes against a sudden roil of heat from below; she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do, but she felt in her bones then how much she wanted Mugen. At the same time, she felt a little fearful as he turned back towards her and she examined him again. She couldn't imagine being able to fit that anywhere in her body, but something in her wanted to try.

Watching as a number of things played out in her face, Mugen waited, standing under her gaze. When she finally looked back up into his eyes, her own immensely dark and her face serious, he could see her desire, and her apprehension, too. He smirked at her as he settled on the other side of the hot spring facing her, dangling his feet into the water.

“Show me some more, Fuu. I want to watch you come again. I want to see you touch yourself this time. Pretend it's me touching you.”

He felt his blood start pounding in his ears as she let out a little moan after listening to him. Fuu leaned back a little after throwing her cloak over a boulder behind her and spread her legs a little wider. She heard Mugen make a noise somewhere between a growl and groan as she did.

“You, too,” Fuu said in a breathy, low voice she didn't really recognize as her own.

Mugen chuckled. “If you think I'm not going to be over here doing myself while I watch you, you're crazy,” he said as he grabbed his cock and began stroking it, breath hitching a little the moment he touched his overheated skin. Despite the rush of sensation, he forced himself to keep his eyes open so that he could watch Fuu's every move.

She felt the little noise was ripped from the back of her throat as she watched Mugen touch himself. It had turned her on to watch him stroke himself even when she couldn't see anything, but now...she could feel her insides melting away with the heat, and she couldn't stop herself from moving her hands lower and lower. When she finally tentatively touched her clit, her head flew back on a choked gasp at the intensity of the feeling. Fuu brought her head back up and saw Mugen's eyes intently on her, one hand still stroking his cock, the other fondling his balls.

“Oh, Mugen,” she said, low and soft as she dipped a finger into herself, mimicking what he'd done earlier that day. His eyes seemed to bore into her then as she thought she heard a growl from his direction. She watched his hands for a moment as she began to work on her clit, gasping again at what she felt. Although she couldn't decide whether it was hotter to see Mugen jacking off or watch his smoldering eyes as he watched her, watching him in general seemed to intensify the feelings running through her so that it seemed she was trembling on the edge far faster than before. Fuu cried out, then called his name as she came, the night dissolving into a white brightness behind her eyes for a moment. But then she opened her eyes again just as quickly, not wanting to miss anything, and was rewarded a moment later as she watched Mugen come with a shudder and a quick exhale of breath and his eyes still locked on her through the whole thing.

Mugen braced himself with his dry hand as he cleaned his other one off by wiping it in the grass. His muscles were all a little shaky after having come, so he just sat there for a moment, continuing to look at Fuu. She was still leaning back against the rock, but now all her limbs were loose and long, her legs splayed open a bit, and her eyes half-lidded and dark as she met his. Mugen felt a spike of heat as he looked at her and closed his eyes for a moment, willing himself to relax, reminding himself that he wanted to draw her in, not scare her away. And then, when he reopened his eyes, he saw Fuu smile at him. His heart nearly stopped as he saw it, and it seemed all the good things in the world were contained there, everything he could want for the rest of his life. Mugen felt he would be willing to raze cities with his two hands and his sword just to see that smile again.

Fuu felt hazy and content as she watched Mugen afterwards, and smiled at him to let him know how good he made her feel. She watched as he looked at her then, his eyes two dark, dark pools and his face intense, and she wanted to be in his arms again more than anything. Smiling even more widely, Fuu slipped back into the hot spring and held an arm out to him. “Come here,” she said, moving to one side to make room for him.

He was silent as he slipped into the pool and sat beside Fuu, but he snaked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight to him, trying to stop a little shiver as she folded herself the rest of the way around his chest to hug him to her for a moment. When she pulled back a moment later and he looked down into her dark eyes that looked at him so intently, he had to bend to kiss her again, feeling as if he were pulled to do so by gravity. They kissed slow and sweet and long, until they were both gasping for breath when they broke apart. Fuu leaned her head down on his shoulder as she held him close, and they were both silent for a long time.

Fuu could hear Mugen's heart thundering in his chest, and knew that her own was pounding just as hard. She felt an overwhelming wave of warmth spreading through her, and just wanted to stay with him like this forever, holding him and feeling his arm as he tensed it against her, pulling her closer. Moving her head up slightly, Fuu kissed the side of his neck, slowly, until she felt him making an almost unheard low noise in his throat. Fuu turned her eyes up to find Mugen looking back at her, his eyes dark and half-lidded.

“You'd better stop that now,” he said, a lazy smile starting up on his face, “we're going to have a busy day tomorrow, so we should head back to the house and get some sleep.”

“What's the plan for tomorrow?”

“You and I are going to work on getting the boat back together while Jin finds some work so that we can have a way to get some food while we're here.”

Fuu felt excited, suddenly. He wanted her help with the boat; they were going to work on it together! And, there would be food! She laughed and hugged him tighter, then climbed out of the hot spring, pausing for a moment on the edge for her loose muscles to start working again.

“OK,” she said, pressing a last kiss into Mugen's cheek before getting up and beginning to dry herself off and dress. “It sounds like fun. Are you coming?”

Mugen looked up at her, the smile on his face much bigger now, and with a definite sly edge to it. “I just came a few minutes ago, but if you wait a few more, I'm sure I'll be up to it again.”

“Mugen!” Fuu was trying to sound disapproving or shocked, but the giggle afterwards ruined the effect. “I meant are you coming back with me?”

“I'll follow later. I want to spend a little more time in here now,” Mugen answered, leaning his head back to look up at her.

“OK,” Fuu said, smiling, “I’ll see you back there.”

Jin was again feeling some rather unfamiliar things, including some self-revulsion this time. He really couldn’t make an excuse as to why he followed along after Fuu and Mugen this time; it was pretty much undeniable from what he’d seen the last time he’d watched the two of them that Fuu was there by her own choice. But, for some reason, now that he’d started watching them, it seemed to have gotten into his blood; he couldn’t make himself stop. And this time…he’d never seen anything like that before, the way she touched herself when Mugen asked her to, the way she watched him, never taking her eyes off of what he was doing, and seeming to like it…

Women just didn't do that, at least not any of the ones Jin had seen or been with. They were more modest, more shy, they just didn't show themselves off like that, or show that they liked anything like what had gone on. He'd never had a woman look at him the way Fuu looked at Mugen, either, like she wanted to eat him or own him or mark him as hers, but the way she held him looked like she wanted to protect and love him. The whole thing was so...primitive was the only word Jin could think of, but he could feel his body responding as he thought of everything he'd just witnessed, so he forced himself to turn away and silently head back to the house they were staying at, already ashamed at having pleasured himself once as he watched the two of them put on their unknowing show, he knew he'd feel worse if he had to do it again while watching the two of them cuddled together in the hot spring. He made a mental note that he needed to speak to Mugen and tell him to stop teaching Fuu to behave like that; a lot of men could accept that Fuu may have been with someone else before she was with them – gods knew there were a lot of widows these days – but if she behaved like that…

First, though, Jin thought a bit guiltily, he had to get back to the house. He put another log on the fire to keep the house warm against the breeze coming in off of the sea and sat in meditation, trying to calm his racing heart and traitorous thoughts. A few minutes later, Fuu came back in. Jin could hear her clearly as she moved quietly around the house, getting herself ready for bed. Eventually, he opened his eyes to watch her through slightly lowered lids, not wanting her to realize he was looking. She was laying a sleeping mat out on the floor, and seemed the same as she always had, just happier. Somehow, Jin couldn't reconcile how he saw her several minutes ago with how she normally was; to him, it didn't seem like the two could coexist, or that somehow, she'd be different, but instead, she still seemed to be the same as she ever was. Jin fully opened his eyes, feeling very confused.

Fuu saw Jin stir as she lay down to sleep, and she smiled before closing her eyes. “Good night, Jin.”

“Good night, Fuu,” he answered quietly. He watched her for a moment as her face relaxed, but still held the remnants of an angelic smile. After a while, he rose as quietly as possible and went outside.

He met Mugen slightly off the beach along the little path that went to the hot spring. The other man was positively swaggering, but something in his face was softer than Jin had ever seen it before. He was happy, Jin realized, and something in his gut twisted at the feeling he had to have this conversation with him, but he thought it was important to do for Fuu.

“Mugen, you should stop teaching her to do those things,” Jin said, quietly, not meeting Mugen’s eyes.

“So you were watching, you pervert,” said Mugen hotly.

Jin’s face snapped up in surprise, but he saw Mugen was looking at him with a smirk. “Relax, four eyes, I knew you were there. But, I’m not teaching her anything. Asking her to do some things, sure, but it’s her choice whether or not she wants to do them. I don’t control her mind or anything, and I'm not going to make her do anything she doesn't want to. What’s wrong with what she does, anyway? Do you think she should feel guilty because she’s enjoying herself, or something? I feel pretty sorry for any woman you’d fuck, then.”

“I’m just concerned for Fuu, that when you leave her, if she behaves like that for another man-“

“Who says I’m going to leave her?”

Jin could see that Mugen was furious now, glaring at Jin as he pushed past him and went inside. Jin sat for a long time in the hot spring that evening, staring up at the stars, but no answers came to all of the questions running around in his head.

Fuu woke early the next day, but she found that Mugen had beaten her. After a quick wash up and dressing, she spotted him down the beach a little, fishing. She was going to speak when she approached him, but instead was silent as he grabbed her and kissed her thoroughly, then grinned and handed her a string of fish.

“Food,” she yelled excitedly, then hugged Mugen tightly.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, but she could see that he was trying to turn away before she could see the smile on his face. “I figured you could start getting these cooked up so that lazy ass in there will have something to eat before we tell him he has to get a job. I’ll be in later, so don’t let him eat everything.”

“OK,” Fuu said, kissing him on the cheek before running back inside to cook the fish.

The three of them ate fairly silently that morning, and Mugen and Jin both seemed to refuse to look at one another. Eventually, Jin left to go into town and Fuu and Mugen went out to look at the boat. She turned to Mugen before they started work and asked, “Did you two have a fight again?”

Mugen grunted and didn’t look at her. “It’s nothing. Let’s get working.”

Fuu followed Mugen around and inside the fishing boat, listening as he pointed out all of the areas that needed work or replacement. Some areas needing repair she could easily see, and others she couldn’t really spot even when Mugen pointed them out closely. Finally, he seemed finished with his once-over, so Fuu spoke up.

“So, what did you need my help to work on,” she asked.

“Something I’d never have the patience to do,” he said, going to a storage chest and emptying it of yards and yards of heavy, off-white material. “I need you to check the sails. If there are any tears, mend them, and check all of the seams around the edges. If there are any that are torn out or weak, repair them, because a few hours in a good sea wind will rip apart any that aren't solid. OK?”

Fuu nodded, a little put off by his tone, but still proud to have a job that only she could do. “OK, but you could say please.”

Mugen turned to her with a smirk as he pressed his body up against hers. “How about I ask real nice like this,” he said as he dipped his head down towards hers, his lips meeting hers, softly at first, then more demanding as she opened her lips when he did and moaned into his mouth. They only broke apart when both of their chests were heaving, and Mugen looked down to her slightly flushed face and into her eyes, thinking they were as dark and shiny as the night sky.

“OK,” she said after a moment, when she'd gotten some of her breath back, “that's much better.” With a starry smile, she made her way into the house to get the sewing kit. Mugen grinned after her with a feral look and then started work on the boat repairs.

Fuu had begun sewing the sails, only to find that between the heavy needles and tough material that she kept poking holes in her hands. After thinking about it for a little while, she took some of the spare material used for patches and made little sewing gloves for herself. Once she had those, her work became much easier, even though Mugen laughed at her when he saw what she'd done. Fuu kept them both well-supplied with water, because the day had dawned clear and became hotter with every passing hour. The breeze off of the water had kept things pleasant until the sun was high overhead, and it had become almost unbearably hot over the hour or so following that. Fuu found herself swaying in the heat, even under the shade of her hat, trying to focus on her stitching even as her eyes wanted to close against the heat and the glare.

Mugen had paused his work in irritation about how hot it had become and was studying Fuu from the shade of the side of the boat. He watched her slim neck bowing and her head listing to one side as she tried to keep her mind on what she was doing, but was obviously losing to the heat. They had both been hard at work all morning, and Mugen poured the last of his water over his head and picked up his long-ago discarded shirt, deciding it was long past time for a break. He walked over to Fuu and picked her up, ignoring her complaints.

“Break time,” he said, as he shouldered her, chuckling to himself at her complaints that trailed off as they made it inside the house, which seemed cool and inviting after the heat on the beach. The house had been cooled by the sea breezes and was near enough to some tall trees so that it was in shade most of the day. Fuu took off her hat and sat for a moment, watching as Mugen drank some more water, then handed the cup to her to take a drink.

“Let's have a nap until the worst of this heat is over. We can start back up again later,” Mugen said, pulling her down with him onto the floor.

She protested for a few moments, but then settled into his arms comfortably, yawning as she realized how tired she was. Fuu blinked sleepily as she looked into Mugen’s eyes in extreme close up and then felt them start to fade away as her eyes became more closed than open.

Mugen watched her face as she slipped quickly into sleep; her arms still close around him. She had laid her head on his shoulder, but her arms were wound around his shoulders and one of her hands was in his hair, occasionally softly moving on his scalp. He suddenly realized how tired he was, as well, and felt his eyes shutting slowly on the sight of Fuu’s sleeping face.

Fuu woke first, and she could tell from the light and the heat that probably only an hour or two had passed, but it was a lot cooler since the sun had traveled behind some of the taller trees at the rear of the village. There were still hours until sunset, and plenty of light. She watched Mugen sleep for a moment, and he looked younger than she could ever remember having seen him, almost peaceful. Unable to untangle herself from him, she began kissing along his jaw line, giggling softly as he made a few funny faces before finally waking.

“Hey, sleepyhead, we should get back to work,” she said, knowing a wide smile at seeing him awake was undercutting her teasing comment.

“Nag, nag, nag,” he said, sitting up, but she could see that he was trying hard not to smile in response.

The two of them ran outside again, teasing each other and laughing like children. They talked occasionally, still teasing, as they both fell back into their work. The sand was still warm from the sun, the breeze coming in from the ocean was cool, and the day was still fine, so the work went smoothly. Fuu waved to some of the fishing families as they sailed back home for the day and to their next door neighbor as he called out to them. She also laughed to herself as she watched Mugen glare at the man after she had waved.

Jin had found a job in town pretty quickly, at the local butcher's shop. The man didn't comment on anything, but after watching Jin's skill with a blade for a few moments, he told him he was hired and gave him a mountain of fish to prepare. The butcher was a big, quiet man who seemed to be well-respected among the townspeople who stopped by to shop, and Jin found the day passing by quickly, the routine seeming almost familiar even though he was new to it.

When the end of the day came, and the big man paid him and said he would see him tomorrow, Jin felt oddly at peace in a way he hadn't in a few days. He quickly went about buying some food at the market and made his way back to the house he, Mugen, and Fuu had moved into. He found them still at work, the light of the day probably an hour or so away from fading; Fuu squealed as she saw that he had food and followed him into the house as Mugen stripped to his shorts and took a short dip in the ocean to clean the dirt and sweat off.

“So, how was it,” asked Fuu as she went through what Jin had brought and started to prepare dinner.

“It was fine, Fuu. I got a job with the butcher, and it looks like I should be able to work there until the boat is fixed.”

Fuu nodded as she continued cooking. She thought about asking Jin some more, but since he had been so silent lately, even more than usual, she figured now might not be the right time. Instead, she started singing softly as she worked, cutting vegetables for a stir fry as the rice cooked. Jin sat as if he was meditating; Fuu thought she could tell that he wasn't, but didn't bother him anyway.

“What's that terrible noise,” she heard a few moments later, and brought her head up to see Mugen standing in the doorway, still dripping from his swim.

“You, coming into the house,” said Fuu, throwing a random piece of food at him, which he caught and ate. She tried to hide her smile as she went back to her preparations for dinner.

Mugen sneaked a look at Jin and smirked, then sidled over behind Fuu and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him and bending to run his lips along the line of her neck. He smiled against her neck as he felt a sound that she tried to keep in her throat and as she simultaneously stretched her neck back some more to give him more room.

“Mugen, not now,” she said quietly, her voice shaking a little.

He gave her neck a final kiss and straightened up, releasing her. She shot him a look somewhere between murderous and wishing they could continue before the color came up in her face and she turned back to her work. Mugen smiled again and moved away to put his shirt back on. When he shot another look over in Jin's direction, he could see a little reflection in the light from eyes that were a bit open, and snorted quietly to himself.

Fuu chatted, mostly to herself, through dinner, glad that they had food. Mugen put in a few sarcastic comments here and there, and chuckled as she would elbow him or answer him with a sharp comment of her own and the ghost of a smile. Jin was silent, watching the two of them, feeling an unfamiliar hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hoped that they would be finished with repairs on the ship soon so that they could get underway, because he didn't like what watching them made him feel. Or, that he couldn't seem to stop watching them and feeling left out.

After dinner, as usual, Fuu announced her intention to visit the hot springs, then disappeared out the door. Mugen took off a few minutes later, after shooting a smirk in Jin's direction. Jin struggled with his conscience for a while, but finally left after them.

Their days fell into a like pattern, Jin leaving for work in the morning as Fuu and Mugen set to work on the boat, naps in the afternoon followed by more work, dinner when Jin came home, and then evenings at the hot spring. Fuu and Mugen would tease and banter with each other as they normally did during the day, and seemed to have an unspoken agreement that although some fooling around and holding each other was fine during the day or naptime, the hot spring seemed to be the place where they could explore each other more.
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Another non-cliffhanger! I feel cliffhangers are a cheap way to keep people coming back; I prefer people keep reading because they like the story. : ) If you could let me know what you liked about this, and what you think could be improved, I'd much appreciate it, but please do comment even if you just want to let me know you'd like to read more. Thanks for your attention,

-WriterX

Click here for Chapter 5

Act 2: Stuck In an Elevator

2009-06-11T02:43:25Z

A/N: After the first RenxIchi piece I was inspired to write, I have been flooded with more ideas. So, I'm planning to create a series of one-shots (acts) for this pairing around the theme of being stuck. Since I've never felt my short game is as strong as my long one, my self-challenge will be to write each piece in five pages or less. The way it's working out, each piece won't be exactly plot-less; you'll be able to see the development of Ichigo and Renji's relationship over time and some plot elements will probably run from one piece to the next, but, well, these are my stories, so they'll probably all be very lemony.

Also, everyone hail my mighty beta reader, gwoman , for helping me to make this story even more yummy than it started out!

Warnings: yaoi, explicit good sex, lots of bad language...

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?
_________________________________________________________________

Missed Act 1? Click here.

“So, tell me again why we're stuck in here,” Renji said, stabbing the button of the floor they wanted to reach with his finger.

“Cut it out, would you,” Ichigo said with some irritation, grabbing Renji's hand. “They know we're here and they're going to get someone to fix the elevator as soon as they can. Pressing the button won't make it work any faster. We're not even supposed to meet up with everyone else for hours yet. And,” he continued, looking at Renji with a half-glare, “as to why we're here, this is the only mall I know of in town where they carry anything even remotely cool for someone your size.”

“Why is what kind of crap you wear so important,” Renji said grumpily, looking at his reflection.

The entire inside of the elevator was covered in mirrors, so Renji turned to the nearest one to look at his new outfit in the mirror straight in front of him. As he did, though, Renji noticed Ichigo's eyes following his own. He watched in a side reflection as Ichigo's gaze trailed over his new t-shirt, a close-fitting black one that faded to grey around a dark red dragon that looped its way back and forth over his chest. Ichigo's eyes lingered at the edge of the shirt where it nearly met with the top of Renji's low riding blue jeans, the younger man's face now showing a look that seemed hungry and intense. Renji rolled his shoulders a little, closely watching Ichigo, who was now completely distracted by the teasingly quick view of powerful abs marked with black ink lines. Ichigo's eyes now fell to Renji's groin, then down his thighs, and all the way down to the squared toes of the black leather motorcycle boots the redhead was wearing. The whole thing hadn't taken more than a few seconds, but Renji was now smirking widely, slightly turning from Ichigo so that he didn't see the expression.

“So,” Renji drawled, “about how long do you think it'll take them to get us out of here?”

“Uh, I don't know,” Ichigo responded, “maybe an hour. They said they had to call someone, and since it's Saturday-”

“Good,” said Renji, turning suddenly to use his body to press Ichigo's into one of the back corners of the elevator. “Then we should have plenty of time for this.”

He used the gasp Ichigo gave as their hardening cocks rubbed together to capture the other man's mouth, pushing his tongue in to bring Ichigo's out, and sucking on it when it came out to play. Renji wrapped an arm around Ichigo's waist, pulling them even closer together, but he pulled back a bit when Ichigo broke away from their kiss. The smaller man was trying to look disapproving, but his eyes were dark and his face was flushed, and Renji was thinking of using his tongue to open those lips that had closed in a thin line when Ichigo spoke.

“We shouldn't...not here.”

Renji smirked again, moving closer so that his lips were almost brushing Ichigo's ear, and whispered. “You said yourself that it's going to take them some time to get us out of here. Besides, after seeing you look at me like that, I'm willing to have you pick whatever you want me to wear every day I come to see you.”

Ichigo's flush had darkened and he had shivered at feeling Renji's breath in his ear, but he looked the redhead in the eye, and Renji pulled back slightly, admiring the effect. The next moment, he bent in again, capturing Ichigo's lips once more, but this time moving very slowly, flicking his tongue along the upper lip, then the lower one, then sucking Ichigo's bottom lip into his mouth as he brought one hand back along the smaller man's neck. Renji began stroking his thumb along the nape of Ichigo's neck, trying to locate the spot he'd found the last time they were making out. Suddenly, Ichigo sighed into their kiss and Renji knew he'd found it; the smaller man's whole body seemed to relax before his hips bucked up against the redhead's.

Fighting back a growl, Renji quickly unbuttoned Ichigo's shirt then just looked for a moment at him, stretched back against the wall, his flushed, half-lidded expression and half-naked chest reproduced in the mirrors around them numerous times. Renji's own expression was somewhat feral, and he watched as his own hands slid down to grab Ichigo's ass and grind the two of them together.

They were both breathing hard by now, and Ichigo stretched his neck back as Renji came in closer to attack it, starting with nibbling, licking kisses just under the smaller man's ear, then moving down his jaw and his throat. The redhead kept his grip on Ichigo's ass and kept their hips grinding together the whole time, enjoying the deep groan he got as he bit and then sucked on the other man's collarbone. Meanwhile, Ichigo had worked one hand onto Renji's scalp and threaded it back through his hair, causing his hair tie to twang somewhere across the elevator, while the smaller man's other hand was in a near death grip on Renji's shoulder.

Renji almost growled as he looked Ichigo in the eye again, seeing eyes so dark they were almost all black, lids at half mast, and a pink tongue coming out to wet his now redder than normal lips.

“Put your legs around my waist,” Renji commanded, moving even closer to Ichigo's body, unable to stop himself from grinding against the smaller man again.

Ichigo smirked, but his eyes were still dark and promising as he did what he'd been asked, locking his ankles behind Renji's back. Renji stepped forward again, still gripping Ichigo's ass, aligning their cocks before he ground them together again, pushing Ichigo up so that his back rested against the elevator wall. The redhead rolled his head back for a moment, following Ichigo's hand as his fingers trailed against Renji's scalp then tangled somewhere back in the length of his hair. Renji lowered his lips to Ichigo's chest then, biting and sucking at first one nipple, then the other, grinning wickedly at the other man's throaty groans.

Then, Ichigo was lifting his head for another kiss and their mouths came together as if they had both been starving, tongues twisting and writhing together as Renji fought to keep up a smooth rhythm as he continued to grind the two of them together. But, as Ichigo broke away and began trailing hot, licking, nipping kisses down Renji's jaw line and neck, the redhead was lost, his breath coming harsher as he forgot himself in the sensation.

Bang, bang, BANG. Renji stopped moving and just stood for a moment, trembling a little as Ichigo sucked on his earlobe.

“Why'd you stop,” Ichigo's voice whispered in his ear, and Renji felt a shudder run down his spine at the heat there, but he managed to chuckle dryly.

“Unless you want anyone outside figuring out what we're doing, I thought we'd better stop,” Renji replied. “But, I think I've got a better idea now. Put your legs down.”

Ichigo did, and then surprised Renji by sliding his fingers under the edge of his shirt and down into his jeans to caress circles around his hipbone. Renji gasped, then looked at Ichigo, knowing his gaze was dark with lust, seeing the reflection out of the corner of his eye.

“I've wanted to do that ever since I first saw you with these on,” Ichigo admitted, coming in for a kiss.

The kiss was wild and hot and Renji could feel Ichigo's fingers just down his pants, teasing him. The redhead broke away with a growl and pulled back from Ichigo.

“Behave yourself,” he said, rather breathlessly, before he knelt in front of Ichigo.

Somewhere along the way down to the floor, Renji had managed to unbutton and unzip Ichigo's jeans so that when he reached his destination, he had pulled them down to just above the smaller man's knees. In the next second, Renji could hear Ichigo's hiss as he took as much of his cock as he could into his mouth, and then his moan as the redhead growled around him.

“Fuck, Renji,” Ichigo said, and Renji smiled as well as he could at that moment, knowing that Ichigo was trying to keep it quiet, which made the redhead feel challenged to make the younger man come loud and hard.

He began moving over Ichigo's cock then, sucking and licking low as he came down the length of him, twisting his fist on the base as he moved his lips up and down. The sounds that Ichigo had begun to make were a lot quieter than they normally were, but it made Renji smirk all the same. Then, Renji's lips made an audible 'pop' as he slid them off the head of Ichigo's cock, and the redhead's smirk got wider as he heard the noise of frustration from the younger man.

“You've got something to finish down there,” Ichigo said, scowling down at Renji, but the redhead could see his flushed cheeks and his dark, dark eyes and wasn't fooled that he was actually annoyed.

Renji ran his middle finger inside his mouth teasingly, slowly, and he watched Ichigo's eyes lock onto him doing it, watched the beat of his chest rising and falling pick up pace. Finally, Ichigo closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall again, spreading his legs as much as he was able.

“Fuck, do it,” he said, low and intense, and Renji could feel his own cock pulse with heat and desire as he watched Ichigo's do the same.

And then Renji's mouth was back on Ichigo's cock again, sucking him in as if he were starving, a finger playing at his entrance. The redhead loved the sound Ichigo made - somewhere between a grunt and a moan - as he slowly pushed his finger inside.

“So fucking slow,” Ichigo complained, then groaned low as Renji twisted and curled his finger, searching for the spot that would make the other man see stars. He laughed in his throat a few seconds later as he found and caressed it, which caused Ichigo to make a muffled soft sound as he bit his lip, but a pronounced thump followed as he threw his head back hard against the wall. Renji looked, as well as he could, at the long lines of corded muscle reflected back an infinite number of times in the mirrors, and at the open, almost relieved look on Ichigo's face and something in him seemed to break loose. He growled in his throat, causing Ichigo to hiss, his hips jerking spastically, seemingly unable to decide whether he wanted to get his cock deeper in Renji's mouth or impale himself further on the redhead's finger.

Renji took Ichigo deeper into his mouth, fist twisting on the rest of him as he swallowed around the head of his cock and rubbed that spot insistently. Ichigo's hips started bucking violently at that, and he called for Renji in a soft voice before letting out a cry (louder than he'd wanted to, the redhead mentally smirked to himself) and coming hard.

Renji swallowed him down, then just backed away a little to look at Ichigo for a moment, admiring his flushed but relaxed face, the way his hips were still bucking a little, though slowing down. Then, he started trying to pull Ichigo's pants back up over his still quivering thighs, until the other man cracked an eyelid and took the job over himself.

“You'd better put all of that away, you sexy bastard. Otherwise, everyone will want some,” Renji growled, still kneeling, and was reminded of the fact that he'd started all of this but still hadn't finished by the throbbing of his cock in the tight jeans Ichigo had picked out for him.

“Oh, yeah?”

Ichigo was suddenly on him, and Renji found himself now sprawled out on the carpet, eyes of the darkest chocolate boring into him.

“Just look at yourself. I shouldn't have picked these damned clothes out for you, because I've just wanted to take them off and fuck you since the moment I saw you in them.”

“Come on, then,” Renji said, his voice somewhere between playful and dead serious, deep and low.

Ichigo's eyes seemed to darken further and to almost burn as he spread himself out over the redhead and pressed their lips together hard, pushing his tongue into Renji's mouth as he pushed his shirt up, splaying his hands out over Renji's chest. They were both panting when Ichigo went for the zipper on Renji's jeans, pulling it down slowly, smirking at Renji.

“So fucking slow,” Renji growled, meeting Ichigo's gaze and trying not to smirk himself. But, a moment later, his fly was down and somehow, between the two of them, Renji's jeans were slid to his thighs in record time and then Ichigo's mouth came down around his cock, slowly sliding the redhead in as deeply as he could, tightening his lips and throat around the shaft.

“Fuck, Ichigo,” Renji ground out, not sure if he was even speaking a human language at the moment, his arousal taken to new heights as he watched reflections from several different angles of Ichigo's cheeks hollowing and his orange hair bobbing up and down as he sucked Renji off. Renji watched as Ichigo's hands traced one of the black lines that cut jaggedly down his chest and then veered off to trace one that went much further down. Renji could feel the sharp edge of his release approaching and gasped as he felt Ichigo growl in the back of his throat. The careful fingers teasing his balls a moment later were just too much, though, and Renji called out to Ichigo as he came, shuddering as he felt Ichigo swallow around him.

When he came back to his senses a few moments later, Renji saw Ichigo kneeling beside him, watching with dark eyes and the hint of a smile. “Come here,” Renji said as he reached up to crush the younger man back to him, their lips hard together and their tongues sliding against one another, and then they were face to face, panting, staring into each other's eyes. Renji's heart was still pounding, and he smiled a little as he realized that Ichigo's wasn't far behind his.

He was about to say something when there was a crackling from the emergency call speaker, and then a voice.

“Hello, gentlemen?”

Ichigo was up in a moment, standing by the box and pressing the return call button.

“Yes?” he said a little breathlessly.

“I just wanted to apologize that you've been stuck in there so long. We had to call around to find a technician, but finally someone has arrived. They're working on the issue, and hopefully we'll have you out of there in a few minutes.”

“All right, thanks,” said Ichigo, then let the button go as he turned back to Renji.

The redhead was standing now, clothes back in place, but he was looking around for something. Ichigo raised an eyebrow, then bent over to pick something off the floor that he handed to Renji. Nodding in thanks for his retrieved hair tie, Renji quickly put his hair back up, using the mirror to check how it looked. Once he was finished, he turned to Ichigo.

“Everything OK?” he asked.

Ichigo stepped around him, looking at Renji from all angles. His eyes were a little darker when he returned to where he'd started. “Yes,” he responded. “How about me?”

Renji chuckled as he pulled the younger man close and gave him a plundering but quick kiss.

“You look fine,” he said as he released Ichigo.

Suddenly, the elevator started moving again and the two of them gathered the packages they'd gotten and were ready to leave as the door finally slid open with a 'ding' of arrival. They walked out of the elevator only to be met with a crowd, mostly women, all of whom seemed to be staring at them. Some were actually taking pictures. They began slowly walking forward, pressed together a little, and Renji bent to ask Ichigo a question.

“What's wrong with these people?” he said in what was probably supposed to be a whisper but was really pretty audible.

Ichigo, wondering the same thing, turned a little to see the extent of the crowd, and he noticed that there were people crowding the hall all the way back to the food court tables across an open terrace from the elevator. But, as his gaze came back around, he noted something that caused his mouth to open in horror.

“Renji, those were two way mirrors!”

“What's that?”

“It means that everyone on the outside could see through all of those mirrors in the elevator! Fuck, let's get out of here!”

Renji chuckled as he grabbed Ichigo's hand and began running for the exit. He didn't care that anyone saw him having sex, but apparently it bothered the younger man.

“I told you everyone else would want some,” he said, laughing, as they bolted through the door.

Meanwhile, Rukia was sitting at her (as it turned out) rather strategically placed table in the food court, very happy that she'd paid a little extra to get the phone with the telephoto lens, flipping through the large number of pictures she'd taken over the past half hour or so. This will be one of the biggest years ever for the Shinigami Women's Association calendar fundraiser, she thought...

A little while later, Renji and Ichigo were not far from the mall, standing in the shadow of a dumpster in a small alley, both still panting a bit. Renji couldn't help turning to Ichigo and watching his chest move as he breathed, smirking as he started to speak.

“You know, I think we should try that again, with me standing and you up against the wall, but we need to wear a lot less this time.”

Ichigo rolled his eyes, but this time he was the one grabbing Renji's hand and starting to run. “Well, come on then,” he replied, with a wolfish grin of his own.
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As always, comments about what you liked and what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated, especially about whether the story length was effective, and whether it was actually hot (as was intended). Thanks for your attention!

-WriterX

Click here for Act 3

The Journey Home, chapter 3

2009-06-07T15:37:27Z

A/N: This is a piece I was inspired to write after watching this anime, since these characters really got into my head, and because the ending was left a lot more open than I personally liked. Another thing that inspired me here was the difference between what the characters say and their actions, which usually seem a lot more revealing about them and their thoughts and feelings. Because I was interested to explore that, you get to see inside their heads a lot, and my challenge to myself with this story was to write three points of view intermixed in such a way that it didn't interfere with the story, and that it was clear to the reader who the story was following at any given time. Let me know how you think I did. Um...additional note about this chapter...some things I didn't expect happened in this chapter. Please let me know what you thought, and I'd like to ask you to bear with me...I swear it's going somewhere good.

Warnings: bad language, explicit messing around (het), explicit discussions about sex, fluff, voyeurism, suspense; also, this story takes place post-series, so there are lots of spoilers/references to things that happened, so I don't recommend reading this until you've completed the series.

Pairings/Characters: Mugen/Fuu, Jin

Summary: Chapter 3 - In which a situation heats up considerably, a surprising discovery is made, plans are laid, opponents are confronted, and a new quest begins.

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?

P.S. Thanks to para_kissu for my icon!
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Missed Chapter 2? Click here.

When Fuu opened her eyes to the shaded light filtering through the trees above, she surveyed the camp to see that Jin and Mugen were both still there, both appearing to still be asleep. Her heart sped up in her chest, and Fuu smiled at herself, a little ruefully. Reviewing the speech she'd given the night before, she felt silly and wondered why either one of them was still here. Shrugging and thanking her luck, Fuu quietly got her bar of soap and small towel and began her usual morning ritual when the three of them were on the road – finding a source of water so she could get washed up to face the day.

A few minutes later, Mugen opened one eye. He looked over at Jin, who still appeared to be sleeping, and smiled a sly smile. But, as he made to get up and sneak off into the nearby woods, he heard a low but commanding voice behind him.

“Where are you going,” Jin asked.

Mugen half-turned around to face him. “To take a piss.”

“Fuu's getting washed up. Wait until she gets back.”

“Listen, four eyes, that's why I'm going now. I'm going to take a piss, and then I'm going to find her so that we can make out some more.”

“Not while I'm around.”

Mugen sighed. “Yes, that was the idea, not to do it while you're around. But, if you're worried I'm going to rape Fuu, you're welcome to come and watch; just stay out of sight, you kinky fucker, so you don't scare her. I don't mind; I've done some of my best work in front of an audience.”

Jin was so shocked that he just sat there for a moment, watching Mugen's back disappear into the undergrowth. Did Mugen really think that Jin was just making excuses so that he could watch the two of them? Jin found sweat beading on his forehead, and he shook his head a few times as he mentally argued with himself for the next few minutes, then silently got up to follow the two of them.

Fuu had found a place slightly downhill from where they had camped where there was a spring bubbling out of some rocks that opened out into a wide, shallow pool lined in soft, white sand. The pool ended up as a small stream on the end opposite the spring, and flowed away down the hill. She had stripped down and swum around a bit to get wet, had washed up, and was now finishing rinsing herself when she heard a noise. Fuu was standing waist-deep in the water, so her arms automatically went to cover her chest as she turned to the source of the noise.

Mugen had spotted her through the trees as she'd been rinsing herself off, and had reached her as she was standing back up in the pool of water, her wet skin and hair shining in the morning sun. As he stepped into the clearing, however, he stepped on something that made a noise loud enough for Fuu to notice him, and she immediately covered her breasts, looking up at Mugen with a little fear in her face. When she saw it was him, though, she just looked a bit annoyed.

“Mugen! What are you doing here?”

Mugen smiled a lazy smile. He had thought his hard-on that morning had been because he needed to piss, and it had diminished after that, but thinking about her as he had come to find her, and then seeing Fuu naked, well, it was back, and then some. He rubbed himself through the front of his pants and watched Fuu's eyes go wide, so surprised that her arms relaxed a little, but not enough to see much.

“I came here to see you.”

His voice was low and rough; he barely recognized it. Fuu's eyes fell to the water in front of her as she blushed and her shoulders slumped a little.

“But I...I mean, you always told me-”

“I was a fucking idiot and a liar for saying those things. Can't you see what you're doing to me just by standing there,” he said as he rubbed himself again, eyelids falling slightly against the sharp pleasure.

Fuu's eyes were very wide now as she watched Mugen. “What...what are you doing?”

He smiled slyly. “Come over here and I'll show you. But first, I want to see you. Come on, show me.”

She stood up straight again and moved very slowly, but did let her arms drop to her sides. Mugen sucked in his breath as he watched her breasts appear. She was right, they were bigger than they appeared they would be when she was dressed; not large by any stretch, but then, the biggest tits were always the ones that sagged a lot as women got older, as he knew well from all the time he'd spent in brothels. But, medium sized ones like hers...and oh, they looked nice, shining like the rest of her wet body in the morning sun, the tips drawn up, probably because of the cold water. He wanted to have his hands on them, jump forward and grab her, but instead he touched himself again, watching her and seeing her face flush a little as she watched him curiously.

“OK,” she said, determination on her face, “I'm coming out now, Mugen. Turn around, you've seen enough for now.”

He grunted with disappointment, but did as she asked. As he waited to hear her voice again, he slipped his hand inside his pants, stroking himself a few times, eyes nearly closing against the rush of pleasure this time.

Fuu quickly got dressed, throwing her wraps on loosely after having toweled herself off with record speed. She didn't stop watching Mugen, and noticed that it looked like he was touching himself again. This brought up a rush of heat and wetness in her, and she felt her breathing pick up as she neared Mugen's back.

“OK, so show me,” she said, watching him turn back around.

Mugen turned around and took his free hand to guide one of hers into his pants and wrap it around his as he stroked himself. His eyelids fell to half mast as he felt her small hand on his, following his movements.

“That's it, Fuu, just like that,” he breathed, his voice low and husky. She watched as he leaned back against a nearby tree, his head tilted back and his breath hitching as both of their hands continued to work on him. She had to remind herself to focus on what her hand was doing in order to resist an urge to bite him again.

“You think you can do this solo,” Mugen asked after a few moments, his half-lidded eyes staring into hers, a hazy half-smile on his face.

Fuu gasped against another rush of heat, then returned his smile. “Yes,” she replied, “I'll take over.”

Then, she was touching him. Her hand slowed a little as she tried to take in what she was feeling. He was hot and smooth and hard and so big in her hand. How would she ever... Fuu cut her thoughts off, blushing at where that had been going. She turned her attention back to what she was doing, trying to mimic the hold and the speed Mugen had been using earlier. Fuu felt a rush of triumph and a wash of heat in her guts as she heard him make a noise somewhere between a groan and a growl.

“That's it, Fuu, just...hold me a little harder,” Mugen managed to get out in a gravelly voice. A moment later, when she did, he gasped and shut his eyes briefly against the assault of sensations kicking his body into overdrive, not the least of which was the feeling of her small hand on his cock. He forced himself to partially open his eyes moments later, then to grind out to her in a barely audible voice, “Yeah, that's it. Just like that.”

Fuu used her free hand to pull his head down into a kiss, but didn't stop what her other hand was doing, even as she became lightheaded at the feeling of their tongues moving together again. Mugen answered in a growl as she helplessly moaned into their kiss, and he wrapped one of his arms around her waist to pull them tight together. His breathing had sped up so that he was nearly panting now, and he said into their kiss, “A little faster, Fuu.”

When she did as he asked, his whole body arched like a bow into the lightning bolt of feeling. Fuu, unable to resist any longer, bent her head to his neck again and began nipping him up and down its length, following up with licking kisses. She felt him shudder beside her, and his arm tighten up around her waist.

“Fuck, Fuu, I'm-” Mugen started, then made a sharp noise as he found his release. He clutched at her and the tree trunk as he shuddered through it, then stilled her hand as he smiled a hazy smile up at her.

“You've got good hands, Fuu,” he said, trying to smile his sly smile but knowing he was probably failing miserably because he could feel it trying to take over his face, practically shouting to the world that he'd just come very hard.

She blushed with a shy smile as she wiped her sticky hand over his belly, trying to collect up as much of the fluid as she could feel. “Just a quick study, I guess,” she said as she eased her hand out of his pants, trying not to spread any of the stickiness anywhere else. Once her hand was free, she looked at what it contained a moment, curiously.

Mugen smirked as he watched her and slid to a sitting position along the tree, but he never would have admitted he had done it because his legs were still shaking from what had happened moments before. “Never seen that before?”

Fuu's blush deepened to crimson as she wiped his release on the grass, then washed her hands off in the nearby pool. “Of course not!”

Trying to ignore the thoughts that sprung up at hearing that Fuu had never seen a man's come before, Mugen said, “Well, I hope you're going to be seeing a lot more of it. What are you doing all that for, though?”

Fuu came back to sit beside him and sighed. “Well, I may not know everything, but after the women at the first brothel I was trapped in finished laughing at my lack of knowledge, they did tell me a lot of things. One of them was that that,” she said, pointing at where she had wiped her hands in the grass, “is what can get you pregnant.”

“Well, yeah, but only if you get it in your-”

“Yes, Mugen, they mentioned that, as well,” Fuu cut him off sharply, almost able to feel the heat radiating off her face. She didn't think she had ever blushed so much in her entire life, and hoped too much blushing wasn't a fatal condition. Maybe she would just have to go around with a red face for the rest of her life, at this rate. “But, I figured better safe than sorry, so I decided to wash off my hands, too. I don't think we'd get too far trying to get away from the people looking for us if we had to deal with me getting pregnant, too.”

It felt very weird to say all of that, and Fuu snuck a look at Mugen to see if he was looking at her like something was wrong with her head, but he just shrugged and nodded. Fuu settled beside him, equal parts of fear, confusion, heat, and comfort running through her. I guess Mugen was really serious about staying together, and whatever that might mean, Fuu thought. But suddenly, her attention was caught by Mugen, spreading out her cloak on the grass under the tree near him. Then, by his crooked smile as he turned back to her.

“Come here,” he said, gesturing to the cloak, “lay down.”

She must have looked at him in confusion, because he smiled a little wider. “You didn't think I was just going to leave you hanging, did you,” he asked.

Fuu was suddenly conscious again of the heat that had pooled in her guts, and between her legs. She tried not to gasp or cry out as she moved her hips and sensitive parts slid against one another and oh, the stab of heat and pleasure was so intense. Her clouded eyes lifted to see Mugen beside her, his smile looking sly again, as if he hadn't missed all of that. She was moving to do as he had asked when a thought floated to the surface, and she turned to him.

“OK,” she said, “but go wash your hands before touching me. As far as I remember, I wasn't the only one with my hands down your pants.”

He smiled even wider at that, but went to do as she asked. “So bossy,” Mugen said as he settled back down at her side.

For a moment, Fuu lost her nerve as she looked up at him, wondering what she was doing and realizing she had no idea.

“Fuck, Fuu, don't look at me like that,” Mugen grumbled, low in his chest, “this is for you. If you don't like it, tell me to stop and I'll stop. OK?”

“OK,” she said, lowering her eyes for a moment, feeling silly, then looking up into his eyes again and knowing she could trust him.

Fuu could feel his hand traveling lightly up her thigh now, under her kimono, and it felt so good that her eyes closed by themselves. She heard his voice come to her again, though, through the haze.

“You've got to tell me how you want it, harder or faster or slower or softer or whatever so I can get you off, all right?”

“Yes, Mugen, yes,” she answered softly, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks again. She wasn't sure if she was answering his question or commenting on the feeling of his hand cupping her groin, though, but the thought was lost a moment later as his hand moved up, pushing her wraps away. She gasped and her body arched up, her head thrown back, as she felt one of his fingers tentatively touch her, then dip into her a little. As her whole body shuddered at the intensity of the pleasure, she heard Mugen make a noise that sounded like a growl.

“You're so wet,” she heard him say softly, “did it turn you on to do that to me?”

Fuu turned her head to the side, half hiding her face in her hair as she felt her cheeks start to flame again. “Yes,” she whispered, despite herself, “yes.”

And, suddenly, she was shuddering again as she felt Mugen's hand move over her clit, the feeling so intense it tore a moan out of her throat. “A little softer, but just like that,” she said as she felt his hand move over her in a good rhythm. She could feel the fire building in the core of her and her eyes closed to savor the feeling, which led to her gasp, half of surprise, half of pleasure moments later when Mugen kissed her breathless and then moved down to layer her neck in kisses. Fuu realized after a little while that he was murmuring into her throat as he kissed her, and tried to calm the loud pounding of her own heart in her ears to hear him.

“I liked having your hands on me. I felt like I was going to come just from that.”

A violent shudder tore through Fuu on hearing that, and due to what he was doing to her, and she let out a strangled gasp.

“That's it, come for me.”

“Just a little faster now, Mugen,” she breathed, moaning low when he complied, “oh, that's it, just a little-”

Fuu cut herself off with sound somewhere between a groan and a yelp as she came hard, seeing a bright whiteness from behind her eyelids as she clutched at Mugen, panting. She was still trembling and panting as she came back to herself sometime later, hearing Mugen murmuring in her ear as he relaxed on one elbow at her side.

“Good girl, Fuu.”

She turned to him then and grabbed him into a hug, pulling him half down on top of her. She could feel him chuckle into her neck, and she could also feel his arms going around her, holding her as tightly as she was holding him.

“Boy, you sure are grabby after sex,” he said, murmuring into her neck, to which she sighed and nuzzled her face into his hair. She had expected it to be coarser than it was; it felt heavy and silky against her face, and Fuu raised one of her now-heavy arms slowly to thread her fingers into his hair and massage his scalp. Mugen tilted his head back a little and growled at this attention, causing Fuu to giggle at his breath along her throat.

“I like feeling you next to me,” she said in a heavy, sleepy voice, not really listening to what she was saying, but more fascinated with Mugen's hair.

Mugen felt his heart speed up in response. “Can't argue with that,” he answered, tightening his grip on her and kissing her neck lightly, breathing in her just-washed scent, his eyes closing for a moment.

“It makes me wish I could wake up like this every day,” Fuu said, then blushed after her mind caught up with her mouth.

She felt Mugen's soft laughter rumbling in his chest, and against her neck, too. “Sure, if you don't mind four-eyes being right there.”

Fuu tilted her head to the side to catch Mugen's eye at an awkward angle, unwilling to let go of him to face him more directly. “Are you mad about that? I just...I missed you both so much, I really didn't want us to split up again, unless there was some real reason for it.” She turned her head away a little as she felt her face coloring again and her voice dropped to a whisper. “I missed you more, though,” Fuu admitted.

Mugen had to turn his eyes away this time, nuzzling into her neck some more as he felt his heart speed up again. Did she really mean it? How was it that just the simple things she said got him so worked up? He tried to bring his spinning thoughts in to form something that sounded like a reply. “No, I'm not mad. I kinda like having Jin around sometimes, especially since you get into trouble so much.”

“Mugen!” Fuu was laughing, though, and continued, “I know it probably sounds ridiculous, but, well, when the three of us are together, I feel...” She trailed off, clearing her throat nervously, then tried again. “Well, my dad left when I was probably 3 or 4, just old enough to run behind him for a while as he disappeared. My mom had to work really hard after that just to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. She brought me to a neighbor's house so they could take care of me for the first year or so, but after that, I was pretty much on my own. I had friends to play with sometimes, but I tried to keep house, and cook dinner for my mom when she came home because she was so exhausted most of the time. I remember seeing my friend's families sometimes, and being so jealous in my heart; wanting a dad who would look after me and a mom who could spend time with me and not always look sad and tired. Then I would feel really bad afterwards. Around the time I was 11 was when my mom started to get sick. I started subbing for her at the teahouse when she was too sick to go in, and eventually, by the time I was 12 or so, she was so sick she couldn't get out of bed most of the time. So, I basically took over her job, and also tried to take care of her when I wasn't working. Then, I was the one who was tired all the time, and always hungry, since most of the money had to go towards medicine. When I met you guys, she had been dead for several months, and I was still sort of reeling from everything that had happened. But, when we were traveling together, I felt safe and happy most of the time. What we had we shared, and we could depend on each other to look out for one another.”

She turned to look at Mugen again, trying to catch his eye. “I guess what I'm trying to say is that for the first time I can remember in my life, I felt like I had a family like everyone else. Well, better than everyone else, in my opinion.”

Mugen looked up at her for a moment, then buried his face in her hair and neck again. He felt confused in a way, but the quick beating of his heart hadn't slowed down at all. A family, the three of them? He didn't quite know what to think of it, but he had already decided he wanted to be with Fuu, and having Jin around really wasn't so bad either. Mugen let his lips play softly along her neck as he thought about that, and felt her relaxing under him, her breathing becoming very slow and regular.

“Hey, Fuu,” Mugen said, tilting his head a bit to look up at her, “don't fall asleep.”

“But it's already night again,” she said sleepily as she buried her face in his hair, “so it's time to sleep.”

“How long do you think it will be before Jin comes looking for us?”

Mugen rolled to the side a little as Fuu sat up, the look on her face saying that she'd forgotten he was waiting for them.

“Go on ahead. I'll follow a little later. But first, I need to get cleaned up because I'm a little...sticky,” he said as he began shucking his clothes off and heading for the nearby pool, “besides, I think some cold water would probably do me some good right now.”

“Mugen!” Fuu half-shrieked as this was going on, catching a full view of the back of him as he headed for the pond. She blushed crimson as she made her way a little way into the forest and stopped among the trees so that she could re-wrap herself.

“You know, I can still mostly see you from here,” she heard Mugen's voice from the pond, “not that I mind or anything.”

“Mugen,” Fuu said again, but her voice couldn't seem to decide whether to be outraged or think the whole thing was funny, “I'll see you back at camp.”

Mugen swam a little, as best he could, since the water in the little pool was fairly shallow. Once Fuu was out of earshot, he said in a conversational tone, “You'd better get back to camp, you kinky bastard, because she'll probably expect you to be there. You're welcome, by the way, because I heard you enjoy the show.”

Jin had been struggling with some completely unfamiliar feelings for a little while now. Things like shame, guilt, and...envy? He had only intended to watch to make sure that Fuu was all right, and not being raped or molested against her will. But, he had watched, spellbound, as she'd shown herself to Mugen, even though all he could see was her slim back. His mouth went dry several seconds later when she'd turned around and come out of the water to retrieve her clothes. Jin told himself to close his eyes, but instead had run them over her slimness and her delicate curves, her breasts with their drawn up nipples, her ass that had made him clench one of his fists because he wanted to reach out and grab it.

He had almost turned away when his attention was drawn back. Jin could see Mugen turn towards her as she approached him, fully dressed now, and he could see that the former pirate was touching himself. He felt the corner of his lip lift as he considered the sight – classy, Mugen, he thought to himself. But what happened next had him staring again as he watched Fuu's hand disappear into Mugen's pants, and then, as it was just her hand on him. And Mugen appeared to be enjoying it, as well, Jin noted sourly, watching the other man as his head lolled back on the tree and his body arched under Fuu's hand, but Jin couldn't ignore the escalation of heat in his guts, and lower as he watched Fuu press against Mugen, and then bite along his neck as he made a muffled noise, obviously having come hard.

Jin was floored by the sight. The women he had been intimate with during his life had allowed him to make all the moves, had all been fairly shy and retiring when it came to sex. Just watching Fuu push Mugen against the tree and make him come while biting him had caused him to become so hard that it was almost painful. And now, as he watched Mugen ask Fuu to lay down, then proceed to pleasure her with his hand, Jin knew he would have to do something, because watching Fuu writhe under Mugen's touch and cry out and call his name was becoming his undoing. He was so hard that the feeling of his clothes against his cock when he moved was somewhere between painful and extremely arousing. So, when he did finally reach in and touch himself, Jin had to bite back a moan because it felt so good he could hardly stand it. He continued to watch Fuu's face as he stroked himself, breath hitching as he faintly heard her gasps and cries. Jin gasped harshly when she came, then sped up and finished himself off.

He hoped he hadn't made any noise, but he couldn't tell, since the world had shrunk at that moment to a bright blindness. As he cleaned himself off the best he could, Jin started to feel some unfamiliar guilt and shame for spying on his friends, because obviously Fuu was there by choice, especially since Jin could easily see her pulling Mugen in to cuddle with him after she came and burying her face in his hair. He also felt something completely foreign to him, especially coupled with either of those two, so he denied to himself that he was feeling left out, he was just tired from his journey and out of sorts.

Starting and frowning at Mugen's words, which broke him out of his thoughts, Jin was suddenly furious with himself; for staying, for getting caught, and for spying on his friends, then jerking off like a ten year old. He moved as quickly and quietly as he could back to where the three of them had camped for the night and sat in a meditation pose, trying to calm his breathing down as much as he could.

Fuu wound her way back to camp, not really hurrying, but not moving slowly either. She felt...good somehow wasn't enough. She felt radiant, and she knew she had a smile she couldn't keep off her face. She moved fluidly along through the trees, her limbs feeling strong and clean, her steps sure even though her legs still felt a little wobbly. Seeing a flower, she picked it and wound it into her hair as she put it up for the day. As she reached camp, she saw Jin sitting in meditation, so she quietly began to unpack some of the food Ume had given her. For some reason, she looked back at Jin for a moment, realizing her eye had picked up that he seemed to be breathing hard. She shook her head to shake the thought off and continued putting out food for breakfast. A few moments later, she saw Jin stir out of the corner of her eye and looked up at him with a smile.

“Good morning, Jin. I hope you got some sleep last night.”

Jin looked at her for a moment, struggling to keep the normal calm look on his face, and thoughts of her pleasuring Mugen or writhing in ecstasy out of his mind. “Good morning, Fuu. I slept well.”

“Are you hungry? We actually have some food this morning, if you are.”

“Where did you get all of this,” Jin asked, looking at the nice selection of rice balls, fruit, and other food that had obviously been well-packed for travel.

“Oh, Ume gave me this before Mugen and I left,” she responded. When Jin just looked confused, Fuu continued, “I guess Mugen didn't fill you in about them last night. They're a really sweet farmer couple who took us in just after Mugen sprung me from the brothel. Ume was really kind and packed us all of this food, and even gave me this beautiful new kimono and the other clothes to help me change the way the way I look.”

Jin took this all in, nodding. “How did you meet them?”

Fuu shook her head as she finished setting the food out, then grabbed a rice ball. “Mugen was the one who found them. I think he met Yasu on the road when he was coming to get me. Ume knew something about it, but she wouldn't tell me, she just laughed when I asked about it.”

Fuu didn’t notice since she was eating, but Jin just stared at her for a moment at all of that. Mugen found someone to help them? The idea puzzled him to no end. He was thinking about that and reaching for some food, because he figured he should move fast before it was all gone, when Mugen appeared on the edge of the little clearing. Jin didn’t think it was possible, but it seemed like there was even more casual swagger in his step than ever, and he smirked at Jin as he made his way forward. But, a moment later, Jin watched as his face changed, in response to the angelic smile on Fuu’s face as she looked up at him, and he gave her a crooked but genuine smile, his eyes widening a little as he looked at her. Fuu smiled even wider as he sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist. As he watched this out of the corner of his eye, a thought hit him like a hard blow across the face. They’re not just fooling around, they’re in love, he realized, as he watched their expressions. In light of this realization, Jin felt his stomach and his fist clench, and he glared at the ground. If Mugen really did care about her, he thought to himself, he’d leave her alone so that she could find and marry some respectable man. His thoughts were cut off by voices, however.

“Hey, where did we get all this food,” asked Mugen, reaching for some as he asked.

“Ume packed it up for us,” said Fuu after she swallowed the mouthful she was eating, “but don’t eat it all! We need to share with Jin, too.”

She giggled as she handed Jin one of the rice balls, smiling. He took it without a word, nodding, and tried to eat, but his stomach was a bit on edge. Of course, he had always felt watching the two of them eat was a little nauseating, anyway, so he turned away as he tried to eat.

After they finished, Fuu asked, “So, Jin, what are your plans? Did you think about what you wanted to do next?”

“Well, I was thinking that I should see if I could find out how Shino is doing. I know she won’t be able to leave the island for another couple of years, but I wanted to make sure she’s all right and make plans for when she’s able to go.”

Jin had actually surprised himself a little by saying that; he had entertained some thoughts of heading in that direction, but in actuality, he had felt very much at loose ends when the three of them had separated. He had gotten used to having an objective to his traveling, even if it had been vague much of the time, rather than just keeping on the move in order to avoid having to fight more of his old master's pupils.

Fuu nodded at Jin's statement, however, and Mugen looked at Jin with a raised eyebrow, then shrugged. “Sure, why not. Let’s figure out how to get there.”

Fuu had pulled out her map then and the three of them had begun trying to figure out the best way to get back to Edo from where they were. Mugen had offered a few suggestions at first, but eventually had gotten bored of listening to the other two make elaborate plans, especially when they started trying to figure out how to get around the checkpoint that had nearly gotten them killed the last time they went that way. He wandered around the clearing they were camped in for a little while, plucking a twig off a nearby tree to pick his teeth with, and then paused by the side of the hill that overlooked the ocean. Just the smell of it was something Mugen found calming, and he spent a moment watching the shimmering blue-green waves through the trees that surrounded him. Then, he wasn’t seeing the waves really, as his brain started working on something that had just occurred to him. Once he worked it through, he turned around to his two companions.

“Hey, I have an idea,” he said loudly, still picking his teeth.

Jin gazed up at him with a flat look on his face, and then immediately looked back at the map, ignoring him. Fuu, however, seemed excited.

“What is it, Mugen?”

He stepped back over to the two of them, and squatted down to look at the map again. “OK, so we were saying earlier that we’re about here, right? Well, if we go back west a bit, maybe half a day’s walk, maybe less, there’s a medium sized town near the coast; the one where I found out about the Yakuza planning to sell Fuu. When I was walking there, I remember seeing a little fishing village a mile or so outside the town. Only a few houses, really, but there was one thing there that might help us. There was a boat that had been abandoned recently. From what I could see, it would probably take maybe two or three weeks of work to make it seaworthy again. Once we’d done that, we could sail there, around the coast and back up. That way, we wouldn’t have to walk the whole way and we wouldn’t have to go back through that stupid checkpoint again.”

Mugen liked the way Fuu was looking at him, all big-eyed and smiling like he was her hero, but Jin was giving him the fishy eyeball again.

“How do you know the boat is abandoned?”

“It was pulled out of the water, which they usually aren’t, and it…well, I could just tell it had been a while since anyone worked on it. Boats deteriorate fast if someone isn’t maintaining them. It looked like a boat that someone used to put a lot of work into, but sometime in the last month or so no one's been working on it anymore.”

“What about pirates,” Jin asked, trying to skewer Mugen with a look.

Mugen laughed. “No pirate would even think of attacking a crappy little fishing boat like that, because there wouldn't be anything on board they'd want. On the other hand, from what I remember, there would be plenty of room for the three of us. We could fish along the way, too, if we needed to, and there are plenty of little islands we could stop at to get fresh water. Should be a much easier way to get there.”

“But we'd be going in one of the directions where the soldiers are searching.”

“True. We'd have to decide if we want to risk it. Of course, all of the other directions we could take to get to Edo are directions the soldiers have fanned out in, as well, so we'd be taking that risk pretty much any way we decided to go.”

Jin and Mugen glared at each other for a moment, almost looking as if they wanted to take up arms over the question, when Fuu's voice interrupted.

“I think it sounds like a good idea. I think with the new kimono and hat Ume gave me that it should help us some in dealing with the soldiers, plus the fact that there's three of us now instead of just two. What do you think, Jin?”

She turned hopefully to Jin, eyes bright and smiling at him expectantly. Jin opened his mouth, wanting to say something against the plan, but then closed it again a moment later as he realized that, if it worked out the way Mugen said, it was a good plan. Sighing once, he finally answered.

“All right. But, I hope everything is as you describe it, Mugen, otherwise we'll be in bigger difficulties than we are now, since it's in the middle of the area where the soldiers were dispatched, and it's in the opposite direction of where we eventually want to go.”

Mugen gave him a sidelong look. “Yeah, yeah, just wait until we get there. You're going to be kissing my ass because it's going to work out even better than I said.”

Jin just glared at him again, but he and Fuu were getting themselves ready to begin traveling, so he joined them. Minutes later, they all set out, rejoining the road they'd left the night before and going back in the direction Fuu and Mugen had come from the previous evening.

“From what I remember of the distance,” Mugen said as they began walking, “we should get there today with an hour or two of light left, so we should be able to settle in there by tonight.”

Jin hmmm'ed noncommittally and Fuu nodded from between the two of them. Today, it was her little hand that reached out for Mugen's, but once he felt it, he reached out to her as well and pulled her hand into his with a gentle but firm grip that wouldn't let her go. His eyes flickered to the side as their hands met, and he watched as her face formed a small but unmistakable smile.

Fuu seemed to be feeling more like her usual self, since she kept up a stream of commentary on the countryside, the lovely day, the other people passing by, and how excited she felt about the prospect of sailing somewhere. Jin would sometimes nod or hmmm in response, and Mugen would occasionally jump in with a teasing comment, to which Fuu would respond, but their former bickering seemed to have turned into bantering without the two of them realizing it. The anger that used to be on their faces after one of these exchanges had turned into fleeting looks between the two of them and smiles neither one of them was really able to hide.

They made good time on the road that day, only stopping once to eat the rest of the food Ume had packed for lunch. Fuu was glad that her energy was back, and for once she didn't seem to have trouble keeping up with the two men. They only ran into one potential situation when they'd been on the road a couple of hours and were nearing a hill when suddenly they saw rows of troops crest the hill, heading in the opposite direction they were traveling in. Fuu's grip on Mugen's hand tightened convulsively, and he could see her face whiten under her hat.

“Just relax,” he told her under his breath as he tried to keep his own steps as regular as possible and to look the soldiers over without appearing to. Mugen wasn't looking at him, but he could almost feel Jin readying himself for the possibility of battle, as well.

The soldiers continued to march in their direction as the three kept on their path. Mugen could feel Fuu's hand start to shake a little in his, but her steps were sure and she kept her eyes on the ground like a lot of young women might do in the presence of many strange men. Mugen could feel himself start to tense a little in anticipation as the troops neared them. Three rows of three, and an extra guy. He and Jin could take them, he was sure. Looking over at Jin, he could see that the samurai was calm as usual, and he met Mugen’s eyes with a look that told him he was thinking the same thing. The troops were nearly to them, and Mugen was about to tell Fuu to run into the nearby woods while he and Jin faced off with the soldiers but then...they began marching by, line after line. Finally, they were gone and the three friends stopped for a moment, looking behind them as the soldiers passed out of sight. Exchanging looks for a few silent moments, the three of them then got underway again.

“See,” Mugen smirked at Jin and spoke in an undertone, “I told you nothing would happen.”

Jin gave him a dour look but said nothing as they continued walking. The next couple of hours on the road were fairly uneventful, with Fuu gradually unclenching Mugen's hand after the incident with the soldiers, and it looked as if there were about two hours or so until sunset when they all saw it.

There was a small trail that ran off the main road to the left, through a clearing in the woods. After a couple of yards it opened out into an open expanse of earth where there were six or eight houses. They were simple looking probably one room affairs that all had gardens in the backyards and front yards that consisted of several yards of beach, with the ocean beyond. There were a few fishing boats tied up at the docks nearby, but there was one that had been grounded next to a house on the far right that sat a little apart from the other houses, just beside the woods. From where she was standing on the main road, Fuu thought the boat looked fine, but she could see Mugen eyeing it closely and nodding.

“This is the place,” he said, turning slightly to Jin.

Jin hmmm'ed and the three of them headed into the little village to check the boat out. Mugen watched, trying not to smile as Fuu made a quick circuit of the boat, looking at everything excitedly.

“It looks fine to me,” she said, smiling at him.

Mugen turned away a little to hide his answering smile. “Well, it's not in bad shape, but it probably won't float right now. It definitely needs some work in order to put it back on the water, two to four weeks' worth, now that I look at it closely.”

Fuu nodded and looked at Jin, who was looking at the boat somewhat blankly. He felt a little lost; he knew nothing about boats and would have to take Mugen's word for it if he said two weeks or twenty. Since he was obviously lost in thought, Fuu turned to take in the rest of the village and gasped a little. She moved closer to Mugen again, not really noticing as their hands found each other again.

“Do you think we should find someone to ask if this is OK,” Fuu asked.

“Nah, it's obvious no one's used this boat for a while. The bottom wood is so dry that it's obviously been out of the water for weeks, and I can see just by looking at it that no one's been working on it during that time, either.”

“Mugen! We should ask anyway, just so people won't give us any trouble about it. In case you haven't noticed, there are a bunch of other people living in this village.”

He looked at her for a moment, puzzled as to what to do. Usually, in this sort of situation, he would usually just take what he wanted, not talk to people about it.

Fuu broke his line of consideration by suggesting, “Why don't you let me take care of that? I can do it. I don't mind.”

Mugen spared a glance for the rest of the little fishing village. It seemed like any number of other spare, run down, tiny villages that he'd ever been in. He didn't see any tough looking people, but it didn't mean he wasn't suspicious they weren't around somewhere.

“All right, but don't go far, and if it takes too long, I'm going to come and get you.”

“OK,” said Fuu with a big smile, big enough that it made Mugen wonder what he had possibly said to deserve it.
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Ummm...so, that's the chapter; I hope it wasn't too weird. If you could let me know what you liked about this, and what you think could be improved, I'd much appreciate it, but please do comment even if you just want to let me know you'd like to read more. Thanks for your attention,

-WriterX

Click here for Chapter 4

The Journey Home, chapter 2

2009-05-31T16:56:50Z

A/N: This is a piece I was inspired to write after watching this anime, since these characters really got into my head, and because the ending was left a lot more open than I personally liked. Another thing that inspired me here was the difference between what the characters say and their actions, which usually seem a lot more revealing about them and their thoughts and feelings. Because I was interested to explore that, you get to see inside their heads a lot, and my challenge to myself with this story was to write three points of view intermixed in such a way that it didn't interfere with the story, and that it was clear to the reader who the story was following at any given time. Let me know how you think I did. This is a long piece and not finished yet, but I have plenty done so that I can continue posting chapters each week for some time to come, if people are interested, so let me know if you are.

Warnings: bad language, fluff, explicit messing around (het), suspense; also, this story takes place post-series, so there are lots of spoilers/references to things that happened, so I don't recommend reading this until you've completed the series.

Pairings/Characters: Mugen/Fuu, Jin

Summary: Chapter 2 - In which certain confessions are made, a relationship changes, another journey begins, and a friend reappears.

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?

P.S. Thanks to para_kissu for my icon!
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Missed Chapter 1? Click here.

“Oh!” Fuu's free hand went to her mouth in her shock, and she looked back at Mugen. She thought she could see him shrug a shoulder in the dark.

“Ah, whatever. It's really no big deal, having a price on your head. I've had one lots of times. Just leave wherever it is you are and go somewhere else; travel for a while and that's usually the end of it.”

They broke off at that point, looking over their heads as they heard a bunch of people entering the room. Since the wood floor was thick and well put together, they couldn't distinctly hear what was being said, but it sounded like Yasu and Ume were being asked if they had seen anyone matching Mugen's and Fuu's general descriptions; they were saying they hadn't. This went on for a little while, and they could hear people moving all over the room, then all of them left and the door was shut again.

Mugen and Fuu didn't speak for several minutes after that, waiting to see if anyone came back, but Fuu was also thinking. Mugen had heard on his way to get her that she probably had a price on her head, and it wouldn't be hard to figure that being connected with her might get them to realize he also had a price on his head. Why had he decided to come for her, then? She looked over at him and saw him looking at the ceiling, trying to gauge whether anyone was coming back. Her curiosity was overcoming her; she had to ask. When she realized she was still holding tightly to his hand, she squeezed his hand. He looked over at her, questioningly.

“Mugen, if you thought I had a price on my head, why did you come for me? Wouldn't that be dangerous for you,” she whispered into his ear as quietly as she could.

He shrugged again. “My whole life's been dangerous,” he responded in her ear, “besides, I know you really need my help the way you're always in trouble, so I thought it would probably be best if we kept traveling together.”

He knew he'd said the last bit in a rush, and he was glad it was dark in the room so Fuu couldn't really see the look on his face, but he wasn't ready at all for what happened next. Suddenly, Fuu was half on top of him, hugging him tightly to her.

“Oh, Mugen,” she whispered into his ear, feeling like she was going to cry, “thanks.”

Between Fuu's body on top of his, and her whispering into his ear, Mugen felt himself start to stir underneath her. One of the things he'd fantasized about a number of times had her murmuring 'Oh, Mugen' to him again and again, and it seemed at least part of him remembered that very well. He felt a spike of pleasure shoot through him as she moved to slowly look up at him, and he closed his eyes against the intensity of it. When he opened them again, Fuu was looking at him with confusion in her wide eyes, so he knew she'd felt it, too. So, he did the only thing he could think of (the thing he could think of most, anyway, with her face just inches from his); Mugen closed the gap between them and kissed Fuu.

He could feel her shiver as their lips touched and carefully moved together. Mugen kissed her slowly and gently, not wanting to scare her off, sliding his hands slowly up her back. Fuu gasped when Mugen outlined her lips with his tongue, and he dipped into her mouth just a little, tickling her, trying to coax her tongue out. When they both pulled back moments later, they just looked at each other for a while, each trying to catch their breath. Fuu's eyes were clouded with confusion, even though she was smiling fuzzily. She looked like she was trying to remember something as she started whispering.

“But, Mugen, I thought that you...thought...” here, Fuu seemed to remember and her head dropped. Mugen thought he could see her face coloring, even in the dim light, one arm moving up to her chest as if to shield herself from his sight. She faltered, but continued. “I thought you...didn't like me like that.”

She couldn't even look at him right now. Fuu felt so embarrassed that she wished the earth would open up and swallow her. She realized she was half laying on him and started to move away, but she felt his hands on her back, holding her tight to him. Fuu looked up at Mugen in confusion.

Mugen was mentally running back through all of the things he had called Fuu, because he could see them all in her face right now. She looked sad and ashamed and humiliated, and Mugen wanted to do anything he could think of to wipe that horrible look off her face. He looked her right in the eye.

“Fuu, I lied,” he said bluntly, and reached back in to kiss her again.

This kiss was harder, a little more desperate, and Mugen knew it, but he wanted to convince her that he was for real. She shivered and moaned almost inaudibly into the kiss, which made Mugen reflexively pull her even closer to him. Maybe if she could feel what she's doing to me, he thought...As he opened his mouth, using that to open hers, he pushed a little past her teeth this time and coaxed her tongue out to play with his. Once their tongues were dancing in complicated patterns, their breaths panting and hitching with barely smothered and swallowed moans, Mugen moved under her a little, aligning their torsos. They had both paused for a little air, their chests heaving, when he slid his hands to the small of her back and pulled her closer into him while he ground into her, sliding his length against her so that she could feel how turned on he was. His breath hitched and his eyes darkened, sliding halfway shut against the assault on his senses, but the affect on Fuu was more pronounced. Her eyes flew wide open and she gasped silently as her head flew back a bit and she clutched Mugen, a deep shiver running through her frame.

He immediately froze, looking into her eyes as they came back to his. “Did that feel good, Fuu,” he asked as he bent his lips to her ear.

She'd been focused on kissing Mugen, as if it were the only thing in the world, so she was surprised by the wave of pleasure that washed over her and felt so good it was almost overwhelming. She looked at Mugen again when she could, feeling as if she were drunk once more, looking at him through half-open eyes. “Oh, yes,” she said, just knowing there was still a shudder in her voice as she answered.

“Good. Do it again,” he whispered in her ear, then moved to suck on her earlobe.

Despite the fact that she felt like she should be embarrassed, or something, her hips took over and bucked against Mugen, and her breath hitched as she felt another intense wash of pleasure as she had before.

“Good girl,” Mugen said, and Fuu felt a dark joy run through her as she heard that his whisper was hitched and ragged and she knew what she was doing was impacting him, too, “keep going. Use me to make yourself come.”

“What about you,” Fuu asked, even as her hips bucked against Mugen again, seemingly on their own, causing her to close her eyes against the onslaught of sensation.

Mugen gritted his teeth and hissed as he was hit with another spike of pleasure that threatened to overwhelm him. What about him? When the hell had anyone ever cared about that? He put that aside for the moment to focus on answering Fuu.

“Oh...it...ah...already feels good. But, you can try this if you want.”

He grabbed Fuu's bucking hips and ground her against his length as he slid her all the way up and down it. She shivered again and her breath hitched as she picked up the pace, doing as he'd showed her. Mugen captured her mouth again and they kissed hard and sloppily, trying to swallow their low growls and moans within it.

Fuu felt so impossibly good that she hardly knew what she was doing, she just knew not to stop. She was shaking hard now, trying to hold back the moans that wanted to come out as she ground herself against Mugen’s hard body, and she felt something building fast in the core of her. Speeding up her movements at this feeling’s insistence, she gasped as she felt something inside her suddenly seem to snap, and she lost herself to the feeling washing over her and the sensation of Mugen against her.

Mugen watched her with half-lidded eyes as she rode him, looking at her flushed face and the way her body shook and arched. He hadn't let go of her hips, but he wasn't holding them hard, not wanting to scare her off or make her change her mind. This was one of the most erotic sights he'd ever seen, watching her pleasure herself, and he was painfully hard from simply seeing it. He was used to having to do all or most of the work to get himself into such a state, but the most he could do from here (well, without worrying about freaking her out) was to kiss her, or to lift his hips up to meet her as she slid over him. The first time he had done that, mostly involuntarily, he had felt her give a strangled cry into their kiss, so he continued to do it, establishing a rhythm with her. As he watched now, though, he knew the moment Fuu started to come. Her face flushed a little darker as her neck arched, her eyes closed, and her abdomen contracted as her hips snapped forward along him.

“Good girl, Fuu,” he breathed into her ear, “come for me.”

All the overwhelming sensations caused Mugen to take in a sharp breath, and he felt the edge of his own release close by, but what pushed him over a moment later was Fuu's dark eyes opening, boring straight into his, and her low murmur of “Oh, Mugen,” just before she was hit by another wave of her orgasm. He came so hard that it felt like his whole body had contracted and then released, but he could feel Fuu against him, grinding into him and biting his neck as his head snapped back. When he came back to himself she was still on top of him, holding herself up a bit on her elbows and licking and kissing at the spot along his neck.

As he opened his eyes, he saw that she was watching him now, and as he watched, she smiled at him, looking a little shy, but very happy and content. Before he could help it, he was smiling back at her, with a bit of slyness in his smile, since he was now feeling like the cat that ate the canary.

“How do you feel,” he asked.

She paused to look at him a moment, her chest still heaving for air. “I've never...felt like that before,” she replied, blushing a little, but still smiling. Of course she had...tried some things, after having talked to some of her older girlfriends, but nothing she had done on her own felt anything like what she had just done with Mugen; this had been so much more intense.

Mugen felt his heart slam once, hard, in his chest, before it took off erratically again. It had been settling down, but after that... Suddenly, he had a thought – this was how he would make her want to stay around. She had seemed to like it, so if he could keep pleasing her, she probably wouldn't want to run off with some stupid samurai or some boring rich guy. His sly smile widened a little as he looked her in the eye again.

“Oh, that was very nice, I agree, but I can show you some things that will make that seem pale in comparison. Do you want me to?”

“Yes,” Fuu said, the word out before she had a chance to think about it. When she realized what she'd replied, she blushed crimson and her heart pounded so loudly she was afraid Mugen would hear it, but didn't try to take it back. Because she knew she wanted this, wanted Mugen, loved him so much it had been hard to breathe when he wasn't around. She knew that he probably didn't love her the way she loved him, but he had cared enough to come and get her whenever she was in trouble and he had told her he wanted to keep traveling with her, so at least she knew they would be together. It wasn't some kind of perfect love story like she had dreamed about when she was a little girl being told old tales by her mother, but it was real and she could touch it, and she felt so good when she was with him, even when they were arguing.

Mugen hadn't been sure what to expect, but his heart shot off wildly once again when he heard Fuu's reply. He could see her face darken with a blush after she spoke, even in the near dark, but noticed that she stayed with her answer. His arms around her tightened involuntarily and he kissed the top of her head. He felt a surge inside him, and knew he wanted her, wanted everything about her; wanted her to be his forever. Shaking his head a little, Mugen cast around for some way to break out of this mood before he said something he was sure that would scare her off. He grinned to himself and shifted a little under Fuu.

“Lift up a little bit, Fuu,” he said.

She looked at him oddly, but did as he asked. He reached his hand inside his pants and cleaned himself up as well as he could, then used the nearby straw to wipe the resultant mess on.

“Mugen!”

Fuu was trying to sound indignant, but she spoiled it by giggling afterwards. She lowered herself back down at his side and slid her arm over him, her head resting on his chest, just under his chin. She snaked one of her legs over one of his and pulled him solidly to her.

“Tired,” Mugen asked, knowing what the answer probably was.

“Yes,” Fuu whispered back, realizing her eyes were barely keeping themselves open.

“Then sleep for a while. We'll figure out what to do next once they come to get us out of here.”

Mugen could tell when she'd fallen asleep, moments later, because she relaxed against him a little, but still didn't let go of him. When he looked down into her face, she still had a little smile, and looked to be resting very peacefully. He felt a surge again in his chest, and he could feel his arms around her tightening a little. Was it supposed to feel this good, he wondered? Because when he could actually induce a woman to have sex with him, he was used to feeling guilty (when some of the prostitutes would burst into tears or immediately push him away), annoyed (when he would get kicked out of the brothel before he even got a chance to catch his breath and finish getting dressed), wary (trying to figure out what the very infrequent women he'd ever managed to pick up wanted from him), or any number of other unpleasant things afterwards. But, Fuu had smiled at him, had looked right into his eyes and called for him while she came, had held onto him and still was, even in her sleep. It all made him feel stupidly, amazingly happy; his heart was still hammering in his chest, he couldn't stop touching her, watching her face with its lovely smile, even in sleep. Mugen was a little scared somewhere inside, since he had never felt anything like this before, ever in his life, but most of him was just amazed, pleased, and just...content. He somehow felt like his life would be OK if the two of them just stayed like this forever. So thinking, he finally slipped into sleep himself.

About fifteen minutes later, the floor above quietly slid back to reveal the two of them. The light from Ume’s lamp showed the two of them still entwined together, asleep with smiles on their faces. She chuckled quietly.

“Well, I guess those two settled some of their differences,” she whispered into Yasu’s ear, “let’s leave them for a little while longer.”

He nodded and silently replaced the floor, putting his arm around his wife’s shoulder as they quietly walked out of the room.

“Do they remind you of anybody,” Yasu asked her.

Ume was chuckling again as she slid the door shut and put an answering arm around her husband.

When Mugen and Fuu came back up a while later, the four of them had a brief conference. Yasu was dead set against the two of them leaving right away, trying to convince them to stay for at least another few days before setting off, but Mugen was set on going, saying that any soldiers would have a lot less chance of finding them if they were on the move. It looked like the two were going to argue like that for a while until Fuu finally broke in.

“Mugen's right,” she said, sadly looking at Ume, “we've put the two of you in great danger by just being here. Thank you for protecting us, but the longer we stay the greater chance there is of someone happening to notice us or hearing something about us, no matter how well we're hidden. We're both used to being on the road while having someone looking for us; we've done it before and gotten away, and I have no doubt we can do it again.”

The four of them just looked at each other for a while after that, and then Yasu nodded.

“All right, all right. I had no idea you were as stubborn as he is; you two make a good match.”

Fuu blushed at this, but couldn't help her eyes straying to Mugen, whose attention was taken by listening to Yasu. Her blush turned even deeper and she looked down when she realized that Mugen had a mark on his neck where she'd bitten him earlier. She looked to the side of her when she heard a low chuckle and realized Ume was smiling at her in a knowing way. Fuu smiled back despite her blush and tried to listen to what Yasu was saying.

“From what I heard from the few of my neighbors who stopped by, and from overhearing the soldiers talking, it seems they've been sending out people mostly to the north and the northeast of the city, only a few to the west over here and none to the south, since that way leads to a peninsula. So, hopefully that should help you to plan your journey.”

Mugen nodded. “I think we should wait another few hours until it's full dark, and then leave so hopefully no one will see us. If the moon is still like it was the other night when we came here, we should be able to travel for a good while and make it far away from here before we need to rest again.”

“All right, then,” Ume said, standing, “have a couple more hours rest before you go. I'll call you when the meal is ready, and you can have something to eat before you set out.”

They had pulled out Fuu's map once they were alone again and discussed which way they should follow for a while until they settled on following the road that ran in front of Yasu and Ume's farm east for several miles until it neared the ocean, and then cutting across to follow the coastline. They figured they could fish until they found a town, and then they could both find some work and figure out what to do next while they earned a little money.

After that, Mugen was back sitting against the post along the outer wall while Fuu slept on the futon. He could see that she was still tired, so he had convinced her of this arrangement. Besides, he thought as he watched her sleep, if he had gotten in there with her, they probably wouldn't have gotten much sleep anyway.

He realized he must have been more tired than he'd thought when his light doze was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door followed by Ume's face in the doorway.

“Dinner is ready whenever you two are,” she said, then slid the door shut again.

Fuu was sitting now, stretching and yawning. Her brown hair hung long down her back as she looked up at Mugen with a smile.

“Why don't you go ahead. I need a few minutes to get myself back together, and then I'll be in.”

Mugen smirked at her. “Why bother, you look like you always do,” he said, skipping a beat as if he was finished and watching as Fuu started to frown and open her mouth to yell before he leaned down near her ear and finished what he was saying, “fuckin' hot.”

Fuu just sat there for a moment, her words forgotten, her mouth a little open as a blush colored her cheeks. Mugen was chuckling, happy with the impact he'd created, and so was unprepared a moment later when Fuu turned towards him, face flushed and eyes half-lidded.

“Mugen, you jerk,” she said in a low, husky tone that sounded as if she had wanted to call him something else entirely, “you made me totally forget what I was going to say.”

Since he'd been fascinated by this change, Mugen had missed that Fuu had moved her head closer to his as she talked, and now was taken by surprise as she kissed him, her lips soft and hot against his. He growled in his throat as a shudder of pleasure ran through him and he moved to deepen their kiss, moving again to pull her to him as she gasped when their tongues slid against one another, twisting together. It ended too soon, though, and Fuu sat back away from him as they separated for air.

“We'd better stop now before we miss dinner entirely,” she said.

Her dark eyes and flushed face said to Mugen that she hadn't really wanted to stop, though, and he grinned at her in response, knowing that he was still panting from their kiss himself.

“All right, all right. I'll tell them you'll probably be there in an hour or so.”

Fuu gave a short laugh, her eyes still dancing. “I'll be in there as soon as I can, because otherwise you'll eat everything! Go on, I'll be right there,” she said as she stood along with him, searching her bag for a comb and starting to put her hair in order.

The meal was generally quiet; the older couple understanding that the younger ones wouldn't want to tell them where they were going, but the feeling was congenial. Ume had made lots of food, and both Fuu and Mugen thought it was some of the best food they had ever tasted, but they tried not to stuff themselves, knowing they'd be on the road all night.

As the time came near to leave, Ume called Fuu over into a small room nearby, saying she wanted to talk to her for a few minutes. When they were both inside, Ume turned to Fuu and took her hand.

“I see things have changed between you two,” she said with a smile.

Fuu blushed bright red. “Yes, I...”

Ume laughed. “There's no need to be embarrassed! I was just being nosy. And, since I'm old, I can't resist giving you a piece of advice. Your Mugen reminds me so much of my Yasu when he was that age. Yasu was terrible at telling me how he felt, but I could always see how much he cared by what he did.”

Fuu could see the older woman's eyes change a little, and she thought that Ume must be remembering those days, because she smiled so widely. After a few moments, Ume shook her head and turned back to Fuu, still smiling.

“All right, enough of that. One thing I wanted to tell you, the soldiers that came didn't have a good description of Mugen, except that he was wearing something red and had dark hair. Which could describe just about any man. But, they had an excellent description of you, down to what you're wearing.”

Fuu looked nervously down at her pink kimono. It was the only thing she had to wear, even though it had been through a lot during her journey here. She looked back up at Ume with the same nervous look. The older woman smiled and pulled something up from behind her, shaking it out as she did.

“I made this for one of my granddaughters, who's a little younger than you, but I think you two are about the same size. Try it on and see what you think.”

Fuu took the kimono from Ume and looked at it. It was made of a heavy dark blue fabric with a graceful drape to it, and it had tiny stars embroidered into the fabric in no particular pattern with a lovely silvery thread. Gulping, Fuu tried to hand it back to Ume.

“This is too nice, I can't take this,” she said, feeling guilty.

Ume shook her head. “You'd better take it, because you need it. Besides, my granddaughter is a little spoiled, anyway. I can make her a new kimono some other time, but I can't make one for you later. Try it on.”

Shaking a little, Fuu put on the beautiful outfit to find that it fit well. She turned back to Ume and spread her arms out. “What do you think,” she asked.

Ume smiled again. “I think it looks beautiful on you, and I'm glad you're taking it, because it suits you. Now, I also packed up some food for you to take with you,” she said, putting it in Fuu's travel bag, “and take these, too. They should help you change your appearance, as well.

'These' were a broad brimmed straw hat and a short cloak, both of which Fuu put on before she hugged Ume.

“How can I ever thank you enough for helping us,” she said into Ume's shoulder, trying not to cry.

Ume hugged Fuu, then pulled back to look her in the eye. “I'm just passing along help that Yasu and I got when we were younger and in a situation like yours. If you can, please pass the favor along sometime in the future.”

Fuu nodded, wiping under her eyes. “Thank you. I will if I can.”

The four of them met again on the back porch of the house and gazed at the moon for a moment, which was now nearly full. After Fuu thanked Yasu and Ume again, and Mugen mumbled something which only the old man seemed to be able to hear, the two of them set off into the night.

Fuu looked over to see that Mugen wore a short cloak like hers. She was glad for it, as well, since tonight was a bit chillier than the previous one. She looked over at Mugen, who was returning her look.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand, “let's get going.”

They set out at a good pace, being rested and having eaten, and they walked mostly in silence, Fuu being very conscious of the fact that they were being searched for in the area. They did remain holding hands as they walked, however, and Fuu was reminded of that fact by a strengthened grip on her hand after several hours of walking, at the point she had begun to suggest they cut south to try to hit the ocean. She and Mugen had drawn up short since there was a shadowy figure standing in the road along their path, but deep in the moon shade caused by a stand of trees.

“Get behind me,” Mugen muttered, pulling her arm around to his side.

Fuu was a little annoyed about being dragged around, but knew this wasn't the time to argue about it. She stood behind Mugen, looking nervously over her shoulders to be sure there wasn't anyone behind them, too, but it did seem to be just the one person.

“What do you want,” Mugen yelled at the silent, frozen figure.

Then, the figure began to move, slowly and with great deliberateness. He stepped out into the moonlight and cast a dour look at Mugen.

“Well, you certainly know how to get a lot of attention in a short amount of time,” a familiar, calm voice sounded out.

“Jin,” said Mugen, more of a question than a statement.

“Jin!” Fuu excitedly went forward to hug him with one arm, her other hand still firmly holding onto Mugen's.

After that, the three of them just looked at each other for a moment, Jin registering their joined hands and letting out a “Hmmm.”

“Well,” said Mugen after another moment, “I guess we're not going make it too much farther tonight. Let's find somewhere we can build a fire, at least.”

They headed up a hill near the road, to the south, and found the top of the hill slightly hollowed out so that they could build a small fire without making it visible outside their area. After quickly gathering firewood, a fire was started and the three of them gathered around it, as if they had never stopped traveling together.

Fuu found that she couldn't stop smiling as she looked at the two of them. She was just so happy that the three of them were back together; she found herself starting to say any number of things, but as she thought about them, she felt they would come out sounding stupid, so she didn't actually speak up. After a few minutes of sitting, however, Fuu felt as if she were being hypnotized by the fire, and felt her head nodding lower and lower, but didn't have the energy to bring it back up.

Mugen and Jin had been silently studying one another for a few minutes. Mugen was feeling something unfamiliar in his guts towards the samurai; he was wondering why he was here, and replaying Fuu hugging Jin in his mind. He shrugged it off, however, remembering how she had still held his hand tightly while she had hugged the other man. But, he still felt suspicious towards Jin, and he was sure his face was showing it.

Jin had been splitting his attention between Fuu, who he could see was falling asleep, her back up against a rock and her head nodding, and trying to figure out what was wrong with Mugen's neck. Not getting anywhere with the latter since Mugen was only half turned towards him, Jin finally spoke, in a quiet tone.

“It looks as if Fuu's fallen asleep, so now please tell me what's been going on here,” he asked, looking at Mugen over his glasses.

“Nothing much to tell,” Mugen replied, turning to face Jin, “she got into trouble again, I heard about it, and I came to bail her out.”

“She looks like she's been ill.”

Mugen glared at Jin. “The fucking asshole who tried to sell her to a brothel this time drugged her first to knock her out, and he gave her way too much. She's way better today, but she's still been sleeping a lot.”

Jin started to 'hmmm' in response, but ended up swallowing the sound in surprise as the light from the fire hit Mugen's neck full on for the first time as he twisted his head away from Jin in annoyance. It couldn't be...Jin tried to get a better look, but Mugen was glaring at him again.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Jin's eyes narrowed. “So, what's going on between you two?”

He let the question lay there, accusatory-sounding, as he dropped his eyes to stare at Mugen's neck. Mugen, watching him, reached up to touch the spot on his neck, then chuckled low.

“Oh, so she left a mark? I had no idea she was so possessive-”

“Mugen,” Jin interrupted, “the only thing I want to hear you tell me about this was that you did not just wait until I was out of the way before going back so that you could take advantage of Fuu-”

“Take advantage of her! Listen up, asshole, if that's the type of guy I am, I wouldn't have spent a small fortune over the years trying to pay for sex.”

Mugen was trying to keep his voice low so he wouldn't wake Fuu, but Jin was really pissing him off. As it was, by now he was speaking in a low but violent tone.

“You just sound like you're fuckin' jealous. If I was 'taking advantage of her,' as you put it, why the hell would she still be here right now, sleeping? Why wouldn't she complain to you the minute you showed up? This is Fuu we're talking about here. She's not shy about complaining.”

He waited for a response from Jin, looked at him to see if he could tell what the samurai was thinking, but Jin was just looking down, as if considering something. He was thinking, hard. It just seemed wrong to Jin; he couldn't get his head around the idea of Fuu and Mugen...together. After all, she was a samurai's daughter and Mugen, well, was probably a child of prisoners, if he'd ever even met them...

Mugen, irritated about waiting for a reply that never came, raised his voice a little, automatically. “Is this why you came? Why are you here, anyway?”

Jin snapped his head up to glare at Mugen. “About two days ago, I was passing through a town where I happened to hear the story of some wild man who broke into a brothel in Nagasaki, stole the most beautiful woman there after killing all the security, and burnt the place down afterwards. The story ends up by saying that all the women escaped, most of whom are still being searched for by the brothel owners.”

Mugen chuckled. “Good. I hope they never get found.”

“So, I came to find the two of you, because I assumed you were the one who had done something so stupid-”

“Stupid! What the hell was I supposed to do? Leave her?”

“You could have done something more subtle so that you didn't draw so much attention to yourself. The story I heard also said that it was now suspected that the two of you were two of three people who had prices put on their heads by the shogun and so all the soldiers in the area were looking for you.”

Mugen glared at Jin. “OK, so I went a little overboard. It's just that...when I found her, well, with the drugs, she looked like she was dead.”

Mugen's voice had slipped to barely a whisper and he stared at the fire a moment while he remembered the horrible empty feeling in his stomach that had started off the flood of adrenaline he had been surfing on to kill all the security guards. Remembering where he was after a moment, Mugen shook his head violently to clear it, and then turned back to Jin with a scowl. Jin was watching him, and had no expression on his face. Maybe that was what infuriated Mugen, because he forgot all about Fuu sleeping and shouted at Jin.

“Look, four eyes, if all you came to do was to act smug and tell me what an idiot I am, you can fuck off. Fuu and I are going to be traveling together; we'll be OK.”

Jin stood smoothly then, still looking at Mugen. “All right, if that's what you-”

“Please, Jin, don't go.”

Fuu's voice stopped both Jin and Mugen, and then they turned in her direction. She had started to wake around the time Mugen was responding hotly to Jin calling him stupid, but she only fully woke up around the time Mugen had turned his face towards the fire after telling Jin he had thought she was dead when he found her in the brothel. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the lonely, empty look on Mugen's face, and she had still been thinking about it when she saw that Jin was getting up to leave. It was panic, remembering how she had felt the day the three of them split up, that had made her speak up, and now she colored a little as the two of them turned towards her. She cleared her throat nervously, then continued.

“I missed you two so much when we split up that I thought I was going to die,” she said, feeling tears begin to slip down her cheeks and ignoring them, “but when Mugen came to get me, I was so happy. And, now that you're here, Jin, I was hoping we could all travel together again. If you've got somewhere you want to go, we could all figure out a way to get there. Mugen and I were really still trying to figure out what to do next. I know it probably sounds ridiculous, but I could barely stand it if we got separated again so soon, just after we all found each other again. Please Jin, will you at least spend the night here so we could all talk about it in the morning?”

Jin looked at her for a moment, seeing that she was still crying a little. Fuu moved over to take Mugen's hand, since he was glaring at her for revealing to Jin that they didn't have much of a plan at the moment. His expression softened a bit once their hands were together, and he held tightly to hers.

“All right,” Jin replied, still with a fairly expressionless face.

“Do you promise,” asked Fuu, trying to wipe her tears away with her free hand.

“Yes,” said Jin, sitting back down in front of the fire, “why don't you get some more sleep now, and we can talk about everything tomorrow.”

Fuu looked from Jin to Mugen. The former pirate was still somewhat irked at Fuu for letting Jin know what was going on, and a little confused as to why she still wanted Jin around, but he was feeling less suspicious of Jin with Fuu's hand in his. Also, there was not much he felt he wouldn't do to stop her from crying.

“Yeah, get some sleep, Fuu. We'll be right here. And stop crying, girly, before your eyes fall out or something.”

She looked up at him from under wet lashes. “All right, Mugen, you big jerk. Good night.”

Fuu's voice had been soft and much calmer, almost delicate, and she smiled at Mugen as she squeezed his hand before letting it go in order to curl into her cloak and lay down in the nearby grass, falling asleep moments later. Jin cast a final look at Mugen before closing his eyes, and after a while, Mugen did the same.
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OK, so even though it's a little shorter this week, at least I was able to cut it so that it wasn't really a cliffhanger. : ) Anyway, if you could let me know what you liked about this, and what you think could be improved, I'd much appreciate it, but please do comment even if you just want to let me know you'd like to read more. Thanks for your attention,

-WriterX

Click here for Chapter 3

The Journey Home, chapter 1

2009-05-25T00:24:00Z

A/N: This is a piece I was inspired to write after watching this anime, since these characters really got into my head, and because the ending was left a lot more open than I personally liked. Another thing that inspired me here was the difference between what the characters say and their actions, which usually seem a lot more revealing about them and their thoughts and feelings. Because I was interested to explore that, you get to see inside their heads a lot, and my challenge to myself with this story was to write three points of view intermixed in such a way that it didn't interfere with the story, and that it was clear to the reader who the story was following at any given time. Let me know how you think I did. By the way, this is a long piece and not finished yet, but I have plenty done so that I can continue posting chapters each week for some time to come, if people are interested, so let me know if you are.

Warnings: angst, bad language, violence, killing, vandalism, fluff; also, this story takes place post-series, so there are lots of spoilers/references to things that happened, so I don't recommend reading this until you've completed the series.

Pairings: Mugen/Fuu

Summary: Chapter 1 - In which Fuu gets into trouble again, and guess who comes to the rescue?

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?

P.S. Thanks to para_kissu for my brand new shiny icon!
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Contrary to popular belief, Mugen was not a stupid person. He was just not a deep thinker, and he worked best on the fly, like in figuring out how to behead someone with a scythe on a chain when all he had was a sword.

In particular, there were some things he didn’t like to think about much at all. Like his past, for example. He had exaggerated, he knew, when he said he hadn't known his parents. He did have a few very fuzzy memories of someone he remembered as his mother, of her fishing while he played in the shallows, of her tucking him into bed. Mugen remembered her trying to smile for him, but thinking back on it as an adult, he could see the deep sadness in her eyes. And, of course, whenever he started thinking of her, he was immediately reminded of his clearest memory of her, coming home to find her with her throat cut, their shack nearly torn to pieces. He had been old enough to walk and talk and more or less take care of himself at the time (maybe about five, he thought), but he was too small to bury the body. So he had left, and had begun a long career of stealing to try to survive.

But, lately, there was something that had been on his mind most of the time. It had started out innocently, at first, due to the fact that his traveling companion Fuu was always complaining or talking about something, which really got on his nerves, so he teased and argued with her in retaliation, and because he thought it was fun. But, then, he had started to notice some other things about her.

His whole life, Mugen had become used to the stares of pretty much everyone he met – stares of disapproval, disgust, suspicion, fear, and anger. Even for the women he paid for would look at him with boredom, fear, appraisal (if they thought there was anything else they could get out of him), or that deep sadness like he remembered in his mother’s eyes. But Fuu was another story. She wasn’t afraid of him, and although they argued (a lot), she mostly looked at him like he was…a person. Not like the street scum he was all too aware that he was. But the longer they traveled together, the more he saw in her eyes. She had cried when she found him on the beach after the ship had blown up, thinking he was dead (Jin later told him that she had been running up and down the beach all day, refusing to stop looking until she found him). It had been her little body, thrown fearlessly across his own, that had stopped the killing blow from falling. She had looked at him with fear after that fight with Sara, not of him, but for him, worrying about him, telling him that she didn’t know what she’d do if anything happened to him. And, it had been her voice that had called him back from the crow men after he’d been cut up, shot, and half blown up, calling him back into life. It had been her that had cared for him after she called him back, when he hadn’t been able to do anything more than collapse on the sand and bleed.

After they had been traveling together awhile, he found that he couldn’t bring himself to frequent brothels anymore, because they couldn’t give him what he wanted. Sure, he wanted sex, but he found that he craved it with someone who would know him, who would look at him like a person. Someone who looked at him like Fuu did, he finally admitted to himself the day he realized he didn’t want to fuck a prostitute after looking into their dead eyes that hardly seemed to notice he was there. So, he would still disappear occasionally, but he would usually find somewhere to get a few drinks, then find a remote spot where he could fantasize and do himself until he was nearly exhausted, hoping he could stop thinking about Fuu for a while, because he burned for her like he never had for any other woman.

Mugen thought that this hadn’t escaped Jin’s notice, however, having run into him once when he was coming back to their camp from one of his late nights out. He had given Mugen a funny look, since he was coming in the opposite direction from the nearby town, but he hadn’t said anything. Mugen had purposely given him a fucked up smile, as if he was just coming back from scoring some farm girl, but he somehow didn’t think Jin really bought it.

The reason that Mugen didn’t want to think about Fuu right now was that he had seen it for a moment in her eyes, a flash of that deep sadness, as she had turned to go down the road she’d chosen. Mugen had wanted to say something, to go after her, but had forced himself to keep walking away. He was a former pirate, a wanted man. And, he knew, those were some of the reasons why he kept teasing and arguing with her even after he started wanting her; to push her away before she could push him away, to let her know he was a bad person that she shouldn't be with. It was probably better for her that he keep going. Definitely better.

But, every step he took seemed to weigh his feet down more. His stomach felt like it had lead in it, and no matter what he did, he couldn’t stop thinking of her. He tried to walk with the same spring in his step that he usually did, but it seemed flat to him. The silence seemed unnatural. He felt like he would have even welcomed a disapproving “Hmmm...” from Jin.

As the sun got lower in the sky, Mugen saw a town in the distance. He sighed, thinking that maybe getting roaring drunk that night would be a good way to get his mind off of things (off of her, his stupid brain reminded him). Fortunately, the guy with the scythe and the old samurai had some money on them that the three of them had split just before they all left. Jin had complained a little about it at the time, but Mugen had reminded him that they wouldn't be using it anymore, and that the three of them would need it for traveling, and he had shut up. Slouching along into town, Mugen made his way to the first bar he found and began ordering drinks.

Fuu felt as if she was wandering in a daze after having left the crossroads. She looked like she had every time Jin caught her crying; she had a big smile on her face and was trying to look as if she hadn't a care in the world, but if anyone who knew her was looking, they would have been able to see how overly bright her eyes were, and how she would occasionally try to quickly dab at the corners of them.

She felt as if both of her arms had been ripped off. Of course, she had been most taken with Jin when they first met, and what girl wouldn't be? He was most of the things that mothers told their daughters to look for in a good man. After they met Shino, however, Fuu had started to try to look at him like more of an older brother, and was mostly successful, but still loved him just as much. However, the one who had driven his way most deeply into her heart was Mugen. He was the kind of man every mother warned their daughters against, and he was the one she had fallen for hardest. Although she secretly liked arguing with him, she thought it was pretty clear, based on what he would always tell her about how flat-chested and unattractive she was that he wasn't interested in her at all. But, she found herself turning over things in her mind, wondering what the burning look he had given her at the crossroads had meant, why he came to save her, why he kept protecting her if he really didn't like her.

Fuu finally put it away as too confusing, and just focused on her walking. By late afternoon she had reached Nagasaki, and a little while later, had found work in a busy tea room along one of the main streets through town. The shop was owned by a kindly old man who, after asking if she had relatives in town she could stay with, assured he that she could sleep in the small room off the kitchen for a couple of days until she could find a place of her own. After a busy evening rush, Fuu tucked herself under a scratchy old blanket and tried not to cry herself to sleep too loudly. She was plagued with visions of a life in front of her, one where she never left this town, working, marrying, raising kids, eventually growing old and dying. It seemed repulsive and lifeless, and she wanted to be back on the road again with Mugen and Jin more than anything she could imagine.

Mugen was well into fulfilling his earlier wishes, sitting slumped in a corner with a bottle of sake in one hand. He had forsaken the dish some time ago, and was currently entranced by trying to watch the level of sake in the bottle as it swished around in his grip. He had been happily ignoring all of the other bar patrons until part of a conversation from some nearby men caught his attention.

“...so he's going to sell this waitress to pay his gambling debts to the boss. You remember the guy, the old one who owns the tea house in the center of Nagasaki? He says she's young and pretty, though a little clumsy, and she just arrived in town, has no family. He said he's going to drug her tomorrow night and that we can pick her up to deliver her to the brothel to get the boss's money. You're coming along, right?”

Suddenly, Mugen was on his feet. His heart was pounding, and he was trying to find the source of the words he'd just heard, but as soon as he stood up, he realized he'd made an error, because the room started to spin. “Shit,” he slurred as he stumbled to the floor, bottle of sake falling from his hand as he passed out.

Some time later, when he came to, he was annoyed to find that not only couldn't he identify who had said what he'd heard earlier, he'd also spilled some of his sake. Finishing off the rest of it, he staggered out of the bar, determined to go to Nagasaki. He made it about two blocks before finding a small alley that he staggered into, sitting down 'to rest for a bit', vowing before passing out again to make it out there to save that idiot Fuu because she was obviously in trouble again.

When he woke up again it was very bright out, and Mugen had a terrible headache, a foul taste in his mouth, no money, and some confusion about what he was doing passed out in an alley. As he walked down the street through town, memories of the previous night gradually came back to him, and he finally remembered what he'd heard. His heart started racing again, and he looked wildly around, but couldn't see anyone who looked at all suspicious; it was late morning and people were shopping in the market and enjoying the sunny, summery day.

He ignored them as he neared a stream that ran at the borders of the town and dunked his head and rinsed his mouth out. Something that never happened to him had started; he was doubting what course of action he should take. What if it wasn't even Fuu? What if she didn't want to see him if he came out there? Why should he even care about this? But, his heart was still pounding in his mouth, and his body was itching to run, to go. Suddenly, the thought floated to the top of his mind that he should go now, save Fuu, and think about it later. Sounds good, Mugen thought, heading to the road back in the direction of Nagasaki.

After walking for about an hour or so, however, Mugen started to feel somewhat panicked, thinking about how long the trip had taken to get to the town he had just left, and since he wasn't too sure how far away Nagasaki was anyway. He was sure he wouldn't arrive on time, and was growling to himself, feeling like carving something up, when he heard a wagon in the distance. It was behind him right now, but it was moving at a good clip, and it was going in the direction he was walking. He smiled to himself, waited for it to pass, and then drew his sword as he silently climbed onto the back. Moving quietly up through the hay in the back, he reached the back of the driver and tapped him on the back of the neck with his sword.

“Just ignore me back here and everything will be fine, old man. Take me to Nagasaki as quickly as you can, and you'll live.”

To his surprise, the old man looked back at him, in the eye, and stopped the wagon. “No,” he said, “if you’re going to kill me, you might as well do it right here. I’ve lived a long time; it’s not a bad day to die.”

Mugen sat up and stared at the man for a moment. “What?”

“I’m not going to go off to some shadowy place so that you can kill me and hide the body somewhere. So, kill me here, if you’re going to, so that at least my wife will know I'm dead. I have to warn you, though, these horses are a little hard to handle.”

Staring at him again, Mugen tried to drill a hole in the man’s head with his gaze. He didn’t know a damn thing about horses, he just had to get to Nagasaki as quickly as he could! When he began thinking about Fuu in trouble again, and being unable to help her because he couldn’t get to the damn city, Mugen’s shoulders fell a little. He wasn’t used to feeling helpless. Sheathing his sword, he stared at the man again and prepared to do something he hadn’t in a very long time.

“Please.”

The old man looked at him again, suspicion in his eye. “What? I couldn't hear you.”

Mugen sighed. “I need to get to Nagasaki by tonight. Some mob guys are going to take my girl and sell her to a brothel unless I stop them.”

My girl, Mugen thought, why the hell did I say that? But he shook that thought off after he realized that the old man's face had changed. He looked Mugen in the eye again, speculatively this time. After a few moments of this study, Mugen got impatient. He made to get off the wagon.

“Fuck it, old man, I'll find some other way-”

He stopped when he felt a hand on his arm.

“Come on and sit up here. You can tell me more about this while we go to Nagasaki; I was going there anyway to deliver this. I know a shortcut we can take through the forest so we should be there by nightfall.”

Mugen was dumbfounded, but climbed in the front of the wagon to sit next to the old man. He just stared at the man for a moment, wondering if this was some sort of joke, but the old man just kept driving, then looked at Mugen for a moment as if waiting. Shrugging, Mugen summarized what he had overheard, and his suspicions that they had been talking about Fuu. The old man nodded.

“So, what tea house was she working at,” he asked.

Mugen looked down for a moment. “I don't know. She just got the job.”

“She's not your girl yet, is she,” the old man asked, but it sounded like more of a statement. Mugen looked back up then, and glared at him.

“All right, all right, you don't have to answer that,” the old man said, with a trace of laughter in his tone, “I think I know who they were talking about, though. There's only one man who runs a tea shop in the center of town who has that bad a gambling habit, and that's Taichi. I can drop you by there before I deliver this.”

Mugen looked at the old man again before preparing to say something else he wasn't used to saying. “Thanks.” After a few moments of silence, though, Mugen couldn't help asking, “Look, old man, not that I'm complaining or anything, but why the hell are you helping me?”

The man looked at him and burst into laughter. “Well, let's just say that I wasn't too different from you when I was your age. Who could resist, anyway, helping to save a beautiful young woman from danger?”

Mugen grumbled, “She's not beautiful. She's skinny and annoying, always complaining, and she eats like crazy-”

“You really love her, don't you?”

After gulping, Mugen stared at the old man with something between incredulousness and panic. He then shook his head and frowned at him. “Shut the hell up, old man!”

“All right, all right, no need to get excited. I'm getting tired of hearing you call me old man, though; my name is Yasu.”

“Mugen,” the former pirate mumbled, sinking down in the wagon seat. How the hell does this old guy know so much, he wondered to himself, then thought, I'd better not keep talking, or he'll figure out everything about me.

“Well, Mugen,” Yasu said, turning off of the main road, “this is the shortcut I was telling you about. It's a little hilly, but the horses are up to it. People don't usually take it, since they're worried about robbers, but the robbers only bother to attack rich people; they're not interested in an old farmer with a load of hay. So, we should be to Nagasaki by somewhere around nightfall.”

The trip was hilly, and thickly forested, but uneventful, although Mugen several times sensed that there were a number of people in the trees, just beyond what he could see. He was prepared for an attack, but Yasu didn't seem at all worried, paying attention to the horses and his driving. The first stars had begun to come out in the sky when the wagon finally pulled up in front of a prosperous looking tea house. Mugen had been jumpy for the last hour or so, watching the sun go down and the sky darken, and now he felt his stomach lurch as he noticed that the tea house was closed, although it looked as though there were some lights on in back, which probably meant someone was still there. His hands balled into fists as he jumped off the wagon, ready to run inside, when a quiet voice made him turn back for a moment.

“Mugen, if you two end up needing some help, my farm is on the road we met on, about a mile back from there. It's the only farm in that area with a large pond in front, near the road and the house.”

Mugen just stared at Yasu for a moment. People just didn't help Mugen; they never had, not as a child, and not now. He didn't know what to say, so he kept it simple before he broke into a run for the back of the tea shop. “Thanks. And, sorry for earlier.”

He shook his head to himself, wondering. Was he losing his edge? Did people no longer find him scary? Or was it Fuu, somehow, even though she wasn't here, because she never seemed to run out of people who were willing to help her? Throwing those thoughts aside, he went into the tea shop through the back door and found a short, thin old man sitting at a table in the kitchen, looking down at a small traveling bag that Mugen recognized as Fuu's.

“Where the fuck is Fuu,” Mugen asked, unsheathing his sword.

The man looked up at him, then shuddered, his eyes wide with fear. “I...I thought she said you weren't traveling together anymore.”

Mugen looked at him through narrowed eyes. “OK, old man, you've got a few minutes to explain where she is, and what's going on. If you don't start right now, I'm going to cut your head in half. Understand?”

He nodded, fearfully, and began, “Fuu came to work here yesterday. Since she was new in town, had no relatives, and was so young and pretty, I knew I should sell her to pay off my gambling debts, because the Yakuza has been pressing me so hard-”

Mugen moved his sword to the man's neck, pressing it in a little bit. “I don't care about your fucking problems. I want to know where Fuu is right now, who has her, and how to get there. Spill it.”

“Two men came to get her. I don't know their names, but they were tall and both of them wore those blue outfits the Yakuza usually wear around here. They probably don't have her still, though, because the red light district isn't far from here, just to the south-”

The man broke off as he felt Mugen's blade cut into his throat a little. Mugen was growling at the thought of some other man getting to Fuu first, and felt like he wanted to tear whoever it might be up with his fingers.

“Sir, please,” Taichi's voice sounded again, thin and reedy, throwing Mugen back into the present moment, “I'm just trying to tell you what you asked.”

“Make it quicker,” said Mugen, pulling his sword back a little and staring the man in the eye.

“The two of them said that they could take her to the Sakura House and get a good price for her due to her looks and youth. But, she just mentioned you and your other companion as she started to fall asleep from the drugs. If I'd known you were still with her, I never would have-”

“What drugs,” Mugen asked, realizing he'd forgotten that from the previous night.

“I just gave her something to put her to sleep so that the Yakuza people wouldn't have any trouble when they got here.”

Mugen was seeing red, now. “You stupid fucker,” he said, nearly spitting in the man's face, “have you seen how small she is? How did you know how much to give her?”

The old man blanched, but continued. “One more thing. The Yakuza overheard her talking about the two of you just before she fell asleep. They said they were going to look into whether she was some girl that the shogunate had put a bounty on, along with her two bodyguards. If it was her, they were planning on buying her back from the brothel and giving her to the shogunate, since the bounty was a lot more money.”

Mugen couldn't hold himself back any longer. He sliced the man's head off with one stroke, then cut his body mostly in half with another. Wiping the blood off on the man's clothes and grabbing Fuu's bag, Mugen left.

“Fucking asshole. That'll teach you to mess with other people's stuff.”

Mugen found the brothel easily enough, several minutes later. Walking by the open cage/windows on the outside, he had to agree with Taichi's assessment as he ground his teeth. All of the women there were beautiful, and many were young, as well. Probably the most expensive place on the street, Mugen thought as he ground his teeth again and went inside. He gave his sword over to the man at the entrance and went into the main room.

“Let me see all of the girls you just brought in,” Mugen began, watching the senior prostitute closely, “I'm looking for one in particular. She's kind of short, with brown hair up in a messy bun, probably, in a pink kimono, with brown eyes. I'm here to buy her.”

Yeah, right, Mugen thought to himself. I'm going to kill a lot of people and get the both of us the hell out of here. As he watched the woman's reaction to his words, Mugen saw her eyes jump a little, which meant to him that she recognized Fuu from his description, but then her eyes looked down and away. Oh, Mugen thought to himself, they've received orders to hold on to her.

“I'm sorry, sir, but we haven't gotten in any girls like you describe,” she said, bowing.

“OK, I'll just keep looking for her, then,” Mugen said, heading for the front hall. He got his sword back from the man at the entrance and quickly beheaded him as he slipped the sheath over his shoulders. Sprinting back into the main room, Mugen found the senior prostitute sitting and smoking. He put his sword under her chin and pressed upwards.

“Get up, bitch,” he said.

Once she was up, Mugen twisted one of her arms behind her back and pushed on it, keeping his sword near the back of her neck. “This way, you can say you didn't cooperate. But, you'd better bring me to where she is, or I'll kill you right now. Clear?”

She nodded and began moving through the ground floor hall, briefly looking at the headless man near the entry door. The woman brought Mugen to a small doorway and opened it, gesturing to a body on the ground.

“We couldn't do anything with her when they brought her, so we just put her in here.”

Mugen pushed the woman away from him as he entered the small storeroom. Fuu was half-laying on her back in sort of a crumpled posture, as if someone had just thrown her down to the ground. She was very pale, and Mugen couldn't see her breathing. His chest and stomach lurched as he knelt by her.

“Fuu,” he said, grabbing her hand. Her hand was very cold, and she didn't move at all.

Mugen turned furiously as he heard something at the door. There were a couple of men there, obviously the tardy brothel security. He saw red as he stood up, his sword trembling in his hand from the overload of adrenaline pouring into his system.

“You fuckers,” Mugen grated out, “I'll kill all of you!”

Sometime later, Mugen came back to himself a little. His chest was heaving as he tried to get more air in. Blood was spattered everywhere, and there was a pile of six or seven men in the small hallway. He had to admit that he'd lost count, and there were body parts strewn everywhere, so counting them now was difficult. But, in the sudden quiet, Mugen heard something from behind him. A little moan sounded out, and he snapped his head around to look at Fuu again. He stepped back out of the hall and across to her and laid his head on her chest. It was slow, but he heard her heart thump.

Relief washed over him like a warm blanket, and he sighed as he straightened up. But, then he heard more voices out in the hall, and Mugen realized that they were in trouble again. He quickly pushed the bodies out of the doorway and shut the door. He looked around for something to secure it and found some spare lumber of the type they used to create the cage/windows for the brothel. He was able to secure them across the door and behind some heavy shelves on either side of the door. Once that was done, he used the small oil lamp that someone had left behind to investigate his surroundings.

The storage room had no windows, which was unfortunate, but after several stays in jail, Mugen had learned that things are not always as they seem in buildings. He had noticed that the exterior of the brothel was covered with showy, but not structural, siding. On one occasion, Mugen had been able to break out of a cell whose wall had been old and partially crumbling inside, so he searched for the signs in the storeroom.

He laughed to himself as he saw some long, deep cracks from floor to ceiling and an indentation where someone had hit the wall with something heavy. Just a little more...he picked up a shorter piece of lumber and began working at the dent. After a few minutes, the wall started to crack more, and to crumble, creating a hole. It was at this point that he began to hear voices at the door, and it sounded like some attempts to get in. Putting the piece of lumber down, Mugen looked around for something bigger, and found a medium sized barrel. He used this to batter the wall a little longer, and the hole became big enough for he and Fuu to slip out of, just before the bottom fell out of the barrel. Lamp oil spilled all over the outside wall and pooled inside the storeroom. Ignoring it and tossing the ruined barrel to the side, Mugen looked through the hole he'd created to find a quiet street. It seemed everyone was attending to the disturbance he'd made inside the brothel. Going back to pick Fuu up, Mugen slipped through the hole in the wall and outside.

Just then, one of the security men rounded the corner, nearly bumping into Mugen before he came to a stop. As he was going to call out, Mugen shifted Fuu to his shoulder, cut the man nearly in half, and then grabbed the torch he had been carrying. He threw it behind him into the storeroom and smirked as he saw the brothel set ablaze.

“Fucking assholes.”

They hadn't met anyone else that challenged them as they made their way out of the city and into the surrounding wilderness. Mugen had thought about it, and decided that would be the most difficult way to trace them. Besides, if they made it out of town, chances were that no one would follow them, anyway.

He had to admit, though, that he felt a little worried as he carried Fuu. She felt so light, almost as if she wasn't there, and she was so still. Mugen almost wondered if he'd imagined hearing her while they were in the storage room. It was fairly warm that evening, but she was cold, almost icy. After a while, he took his red shirt off and used it to wrap her in. It wasn't a lot to keep her warm, but at least it was something. Finally, he came to a spot where he could start a fire where it would be hidden from the surrounding area, so he put her down and quickly did so. Once it was going, he moved Fuu nearer to the fire. He sat there for a while, trying to think about what to do next, but eventually just found himself staring at the fire. Suddenly, there was some stirring by his side and as he looked down, Fuu opened her eyes.

“Where am I,” she asked weakly, her eyes up on the forest canopy and stars, but when she turned to face him cried, “Mugen!”

Her face had an expression that was incredulous, but happy. “You came back for me!”

He smirked down at her, trying to ignore the flood of relief that was rushing through his chest. “Yeah, well don't get too excited. I heard you got yourself in trouble again, so I had to come and bail you out.”

“Thanks,” Fuu answered, but it was little more than a whisper. She was clutching her middle as a look of pain crossed her face.

“I'm sorry,” she said, just before she rolled away and towards some nearby bushes and was sick to her stomach.

Mugen just sat, his hand balled into a fist, as he thought of the old man who had sold her. If he had been here now, he would have killed the old bastard again, but probably slower. Suddenly, he had a thought and began digging through Fuu's bag. She usually carried a small bottle for water, which he found and brought out and handed to her, tapping her back with it, since she wouldn't turn back towards him.

“Here, rinse your mouth out.”

She took the bottle and did so, then wiped her face off before she rolled back towards the fire, shivering. Once there, she looked back up at Mugen.

“What happened? The last thing I remember was talking to the tea house owner where I'd been hired in Nagasaki.”

Mugen snorted. “That old man was a gambling fiend who ran up a bill to the Yakuza so big that he needed to sell a waitress to the local brothel in order to get out of it. I overheard the plan last night when I was out drinking and realized I'd better come and save your ass again.”

Fuu clutched her stomach again, wincing. “Why do I feel so sick?”

“That fucking asshole gave you some kind of drugs to knock you out so the Yakuza guys could deliver you to the brothel. I figure whatever he gave you is making you sick.”

Mugen paused, looking down at her, feeling something wrench in his chest as he took in how pale and weak she looked, still shivering even though the night was pleasant.

“Look, Fuu, why don't you just try to sleep it off? You'll probably feel better in the morning.”

“OK,” she said, laying back down on the ground, pulling Mugen's shirt close around her. She seemed to fall asleep almost immediately, but was still shivering as she lay there. He watched her for a moment, then shifted so his back was resting on a large rock and the rest of him was up against Fuu's side as she slept. He hoped that between him and the fire that she would warm up, and it seemed that after a little while she was resting more comfortably. Scanning the forest brought nothing but the normal night sights and noises, and Mugen looked up at the stars through the canopy.

For all that she complained, and for all that he complained about her, Mugen found himself thinking about the fact that Fuu was really pretty useful. She was good at getting people to help them, she was a pretty good cook when they had food, she had managed to patch him and his clothes up a number of times, somehow making them both look good as new afterwards, and she'd even managed to save his ass a couple of times, too. And, there was the thing that Mugen was a bit reluctant to admit, even to himself – he liked having her around, even though she annoyed him and they fought sometimes. He liked the way she looked at him, and the way it made him feel.

Maybe, he considered, he should keep her around. She definitely needed his help, because it seemed there were still people looking for her, and she was just too good at getting into trouble. Maybe he could tell her he'd keep her around if she would cook and patch him up when he needed it.

He shrugged a little, to himself, and leaned back a little further on the rock. Mugen decided he would sleep on it, and after a final scan of the forest, he fell into a light sleep that any nearby intruders would break. He slept through until dawn.

Mugen was awoken the next morning by the thought that he wanted to keep her around, followed by the thought that she would probably just end up leaving some day to marry some rich guy or something. So, how could he make her want to stay around? He thought about that as he carried her, still sleeping, to the edge of a nearby stream and fished for a while to catch some breakfast, then brought them all back to where they’d camped the night before. Once the fire was built up and the smell of cooking fish began to arise, Fuu woke up. She looked over at Mugen and smiled.

“Good morning,” she said as she moved nearer to the fire, “the fish smells delicious. I’m starved!”

“Yeah, well, just don’t eat it all,” Mugen replied, trying not to smile himself at the fact that she was sounding more like herself.

Unfortunately, after eating only one, Fuu looked ill again and stumbled off into the nearby forest to be sick. Mugen felt his fist clench up again as he finished the fish. When Fuu came stumbling back into the little clearing after having made her way down to the stream to clean up, Mugen had already put the fire out.

“Come on, let’s get going. I know a place where we can get help and maybe stay for a little while until you feel better, but it’ll probably take us a good part of the day to get there.”

“OK,” Fuu agreed. She was trying to look like her normal perky self, but she just felt so tired, and she really had felt starved when she woke up. Now she felt sick and starved. Also, now that she was walking around, she felt tired and dizzy, but she was determined to do her best to keep up with Mugen.

From the time they started through afternoon, Mugen thought it would be best to keep to the woods in sight of the road, in order to avoid notice, and pursuit, if there was any. Fuu did her best to keep up, hardly speaking in order to keep her strength up, but she kept stumbling over hidden rocks and roots. Finally, after one of her stumbles where she nearly fell over, Mugen caught her by the hand and hauled her back up. Instead of letting go, though, he kept a hold of her, and she tightened her hand around his. It actually seemed to stop most of her stumbling, which is what Mugen would have said if she had said anything, but neither of them did. They both just kept walking without looking at one another, but both with small smiles.

As the afternoon wore on, Mugen knew that they hadn’t been going as quickly as he’d hoped and that they wouldn’t reach Yasu’s farm until after dark. They had moved to the road an hour or so ago, but this hadn’t helped their progress, since Fuu had continued to go slower, finally squatting down in the road to rest around the time the sun had left the sky. She looked up at Mugen with a sad look on her face.

“I’m sorry, Mugen. I’m just so tired. Just give me a little while to rest and I’ll keep going.”

Instead of answering in words, he just scooped her up and carried her. “Eh, whatever. Just rest for awhile; I'll be able to go faster like this.”

Mugen had meant to sound as if he were teasing her, but it came out sounding sort of concerned, instead. He wanted to kick himself for sounding like such a sap, but since he was walking, he just tried to play it off, not looking down at Fuu until he felt her head on his arm.

“Thanks, Mugen,” she said, quietly.

When Mugen looked down, it appeared as if she were already asleep. He tried to walk more quickly, but smoothly, so that he didn't wake her up.

He wasn't sure how late it was when he spotted the large farm with the pond in front, he only knew he'd been walking for a couple of hours in the dark, thankfully lit by a mostly full moon. Luckily, it still seemed there were lights on in the house, so Mugen approached and knocked on the front door, hoping it was the right place.

“Who's there,” a man's voice boomed out from behind the door.

“It's me, Mugen, and I have Fuu with me.”

The door slid open quickly to reveal Yasu. He looked at Mugen and nodded.

“Come on in,” he said, pulling the door shut behind them quickly, then looked at the two of them more closely. “Is she all right?”

“That bastard who sold her decided he had to drug her so the Yakuza wouldn't have any trouble taking her away. I thought she was dead when I first found her she was so still and cold. She's warmed up a little, but she hasn't been able to eat all day and she's been exhausted. I finally had to carry her the rest of the way here.”

Yasu nodded thoughtfully. “Well, that would explain what I heard. One of my neighbors was telling me that he heard there are some soldiers from Nagasaki in the area looking for a man who stole a woman from one of the brothels and burnt it down.”

Mugen's black expression now turned sheepish, but Yasu just laughed. “Don't worry, we've had to hide things over the years, and some of them have been a lot bigger than people. Let's get someplace for Fuu to lay down, though, so that my wife can have a look at her. Ume has had a lot of experience with treating sick people; I'm sure she'll know what to do.”

He led the two of them into a small room and laid a futon out on the floor. Mugen laid her on the futon, then sat against a post along the outer wall of the room and waited. Fuu had slept on through all of this. Though her face looked peaceful, Mugen still found himself worrying; in the past, she would definitely have woken up through all of the noise and movement.

After a few minutes, an older woman appeared, hair neatly done up and dressed in a spotless kimono. She had looked to be kindly, but got a steely glint in her eye when Mugen refused to leave.

“You must leave so I can examine her.”

“No way! She'd freak out if she woke up in a strange place and I wasn't around to explain everything to her.”

“It's OK, Mugen,” came Fuu's voice from the futon, “I'm awake now.”

Mugen looked over at her, trying not to look sheepish, or too relieved. “That's good. I was just explaining how you'd be yelling and calling me a jerk if I wasn't around when you woke up.”

Fuu still looked a little pale and weak, but laughed at that. “I probably would. But since I'm awake now, I'll be OK. Could you give us a couple of minutes here?”

Heading for the door, Mugen replied, “All right, all right. If you manage to get into trouble in the meantime, though, just scream.”

Fuu rolled her eyes at that, but she also laughed.

Mugen sat near the door in the hallway, listening to the quiet murmur of the women's voices in the next room. After a few minutes, Ume came back out.

“She's going to be fine; she'll probably be back to normal by tomorrow. She's sick to her stomach and dizzy because whoever drugged her gave her too much, probably assuming she weighs much more than she does. She's so thin,” Ume broke off, shaking her head disapprovingly, “well, I'll bring some soup and rice for you two to eat. Fuu should probably try the soup first and see how her stomach does.”

When Ume brought the food and left it with them, the two of them ate mostly in silence, Fuu drinking her soup and asking for Mugen's, and Mugen eating all of the rice. Once she was done, Fuu tried to sit up for a while, but ended up almost falling over since she was nodding off back into sleep. Mugen forced her to lay down, secretly afraid that she would split her head open on the wood floor when she passed out, and she was asleep again in moments. He took the position along the wall that he had before and slept while sitting, but didn't wake during the night as he feared he might.

There was a good bit of sunlight when he did awake, and he looked over at the futon to see that Fuu was awake as well. She smiled at him.

“Good morning,” she said, sitting up.

Mugen stretched himself out, feeling some stiffness in parts that had been uncomfortably set most of the night. Fuu was still looking at him, a little shyly it seemed, and she spoke again.

“Mugen, in case I didn't say it before, I wanted to thank you. I know you didn't have to come to help me out, but I'm really glad you came.”

He felt himself getting a little embarrassed, facing her gratitude while knowing about his own ulterior motives. “Ah, it's nothing, really, I was getting bored where I was, anyway. Come on,” he said, standing up and reaching down for her, “let's see if we can get something to eat out of these folks.”

“OK,” she said with another smile, putting her hand in his.

After breakfast, Fuu helped Ume wash dishes and work on preserving some of the plums that had been harvested from the small orchard behind the house. Mugen went outside to chop some wood.

“So,” Ume asked Fuu, looking at her sideways as they worked, “how long have you known Mugen now?”

Fuu thought about it. “I don't know, exactly. A couple of years, maybe a little more?”

“You're really in love with him, aren't you?”

Fuu just stopped work and stared at Ume, trying to think of what to say. Did she? She did. She did love him. She looked back up at Ume sadly.

“I guess I do.”

Ume laughed. “What's the sad face for?”

Fuu sighed. “He doesn't like me. He tells me all the time how ugly he thinks I am.”

Now Ume stopped her work and laughed loudly until tears formed in her eyes. “Oh, I doubt that's what he really thinks.”

Fuu just looked at her again with confusion turning to thoughtfulness, and went back to work.

Meanwhile, Mugen had made short work of a pile of logs and was dousing himself with water to try to cool off. Just then, Yasu came around the corner of the house, a concerned look on his face.

“What's up, old man,” Mugen asked him, shaking his hair out and trying to dry himself off a little with his shirt.

Yasu sighed. “We're going to have to get you inside. One of my neighbors just stopped by to pass along some gossip that there's a division of soldiers looking for whoever burnt that brothel down, and the girl he took. They're doing a house-to-house search of this area, so he wanted to let me know they're only a mile or so down the road.”

Mugen looked at Yasu as he was shuffled inside the house. “We should probably just leave. I bet we could get out of here more quickly than they could get here.”

Yasu shook his head. “How do you know they don't have other soldiers out combing the countryside? Just lay low for a little while. We've got space where you can hide.”

He leaned into the kitchen as they passed it and murmured something to his wife. Fuu came out moments later, looking from Mugen to Yasu.

“What's going on,” she asked, looking apprehensive.

“I'll let Mugen explain it to you,” Yasu said, taking the two of them into a side room they hadn't been into before. He moved a low table out of the way and used a tool he had in his pocket to lift out a section of the floor that looked like any of the other fixed sections. Mugen looked down into the resulting hole, seeing straw spread on the ground and what looked like boxes or bundles in the farther darkness. He looked at Fuu and gestured to her to get in, and then followed her.

“Once I put this back, you can't see that this piece moves. As long as you're quiet, no one should be able to find you. Just wait until we come back for you,” Yasu said as he lowered the floor back in place.

It was very black once that had happened, and the both of them waited a moment for their eyes to adjust. Mugen felt Fuu's hand shaking a little beside his, and he grabbed a hold of it under the guise of pulling her closer to him so that he could whisper in her ear. He almost wished he hadn't ever had to touch her, because now that he had, he wanted to do it all the time.

“What's wrong,” he whispered in her ear.

“What's going on? Why are we hiding in here,” Fuu whispered back.

“Well, as far as I can tell, it could be one of two things. One, someone really important owned that brothel I got you out of and they got the soldiers in town out looking for us. Otherwise, it's probably because there may be a price on our heads set by the shogun. Some of the Yakuza guys who picked you up told the gambler you used to work for that they were going to check that out.”
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...sorry for the cliffhanger, but I think I'm running out of room for the length of this post. I guarantee that the next chapter will not only resolve this particular situation, but that things will heat up considerably. : ) Anyway, if you could let me know what you liked about this, and what you think could be improved, I'd much appreciate it. Thanks for your attention,

-WriterX

Click here for Chapter 2

Lack of Sleep, Part 2

2009-05-20T03:01:32Z

A/N: This is the first piece of fanfiction I ever wrote, and I was inspired to write it by reading a piece that I can no longer remember the name of (dammit!) that delved a lot into Rangiku's inner musings, which started me thinking of the disparity between what people often think of themselves, and of others' views of them...then, this story was born. I think my main writing challenge for this piece was to work with multiple points of view and not cause whiplash in the reader, so please let me know what you think of the outcome. Also, since there's a lot of clothing removal in this story, I was forced to look some things up (I found the definitions on Wikipedia, so they must be correct, right?): haori - the white thing the captains wear; kimono - the outer black jacket all the soul reapers wear; hakama - the black pants; kosode - the white under kimono piece. If anything else doesn't make sense, I must have spelled it wrong. BTW, this is set about ten years in the future, but no real spoilers; I had other things to focus on in this story...

Warnings: dirty talking(!), explicit good sex (het), fluff

Pairings: HitsuMatsu

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?
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We were pulling off each other’s clothes as fast as we could, our mouths locked together and our tongues battling. I had already gotten his kimono and haori off, and I moaned into his mouth as his tongue tickled mine, finally ripping his kosode off and throwing it away in the direction of his desk. As I closed my eyes against the pleasure of having Toshiro’s hands grabbing and playing with my tits, I could vaguely see a shower of papers as one of the stacks from his desk fell over.

My hakama had gone somewhere in the direction of the window, and I could feel Toshiro growl into my mouth as I finally felt his fingers inside me and he felt how wet I was for him. I gasped and arched against him, my eyes rolling back into my head as he plunged his fingers back into me, a little harder. I had been trying to yank his hakama off, and I had been close to succeeding, but suddenly my hands felt nerveless, and all I could do was cling to him. After all of this talk, I was not far from coming now, and he was quickly pushing me over the edge. I couldn’t let myself get too far ahead of him, though, so after I had recovered a little, I quickly snaked my hand into his hakama, as I had in my dream earlier. He groaned loudly into my ear as I closed my hand around him and stroked him. A little keening sound escaped from me as I discovered that either this was real, or this dream was even better than the last one, since there was a lot more there to grab this time. As he thrust his fingers back into me, though, a yelp was torn out of me and my hand went a little slack as a hot wave of pleasure rolled over me and my vision clouded over for a moment. Coming back to myself, I could see Toshiro grinning a bit wickedly as he moved down my body, his fingers inside me twisting around in a way that kept wringing small moans out of me.

“You’re close, aren’t you?” he said, more of a statement than a question. “Let’s see if I can help.”

I nearly came when I saw where his head was settling, and then something rose up in me as I felt his tongue brush across my clit a moment later, his fingers thrusting into me at the same time. I arched my back and ground myself onto him, and a sobbing wailing sound rose up in my throat as he thrust his fingers into me again and again while he teased my clit with his tongue. I came so hard I raised the both of us off of the couch several times as my body spasmed with it. I think I did scream his name that time, and it took me a few moments to stop shaking and focus my eyes again.

When I could see again, I shook a little as I felt Toshiro pull his fingers out of me, and I watched as he slid his hakama off his hips, stood and stepped out of it. He had the biggest, yummiest looking cock I had ever had the pleasure of viewing, and I guessed he had enjoyed the show since it had felt hard as a rock earlier, and I could see pre-come leaking out now. A moment later, I nearly came again as I watched him take the hand he had been stroking me with and begin to stroke himself with it, coating himself with my juices. My whining moan joined with the rumble that came from the back of his throat as he touched himself, and I could see him watching me as he did.

Suddenly, I didn’t want to wait any longer, and I sat up, grabbing him and pulling him forward onto the couch. He stumbled a little and ended up kneeling between my legs. We were both panting now, and he looked at me, grinning a little.

“I guess this means you’re ready for me?”

I smiled then, and looked at him with my lust-clouded eyes. “Can’t you see how much I want you, Toshiro?”

His smile was gone then, and he pierced me with that look again. I welcomed it, staring back into his eyes with equal intensity. Our lips came together again, and he swallowed my keening sounds with his kiss. Once we disentangled from that, we moved around a bit to try to get more comfortable on the couch.

“Just one thing, though…since it’s been a really long time, and since I’ve never, ah, tried anything quite your size, go a little slowly at first so that I can get used to you.”

Something about that must have turned him on, because I saw his cock jump, and he made that growling sound in his throat again as he came closer to me, then his lips were on mine and his tongue was claiming my mouth again. My tongue tangled with his, and my moan when I felt his cock between my legs was muffled by our kiss. A second later, I could feel his hard length start to push into me. So slow…it was torture, waiting for him. I began to pant and keen into our kiss, needing, wanting more. I locked my legs around his and tried to pull him forward while wiggling around to take in more of his cock, but he wouldn’t budge. So, I broke our kiss and looked him in the eye, panting.

“OK, you tease, I can’t wait anymore. Give me everything, now.”

A moment later, my head snapped back and my back arched as he thrust the rest of the way into me. I could hear a noise in the distance as I felt a red haze fog everything over for a moment. He was big enough that I had expected it to hurt, at least a little, but it felt…so good… I took a big, ragged breath, and then my hearing kicked back in.

“Rangiku, are you OK?”

I looked back at Toshiro, who was looking concernedly at me, and I smiled. A big and goofy one; I couldn’t help it. I felt just as giddy as I could when I’d drunk a lot of sake, but way, way better. Jackpot!

“Yes, I’m fine. More than fine. Just give me a few more seconds before you move again,” I said, starting to kiss and lick on his pale neck. I could feel his sharp intake of breath under my lips, and the world started turning once again as I felt him move back out of me a bit, and then thrust back in, tearing a little gasp out of me as the pleasure bore down on me like wildfire.

The longer this went on, the hazier things got. Pleasure burnt on all my nerve endings like a sun, and my sight and hearing were left in the shade of that. I could hear what must have been me distantly; moaning, gasping, almost screaming Toshiro’s name at times, begging him to fuck me harder…I could see him looking into my eyes as he thrust into me again and again, pushing me nearer to the edge. I came back to myself a little as I saw him speaking to me.

“Rangiku…I’m almost…I can’t-“

“Don’t hold back,” I told him, “come for me.”

“But I want you with me.”

“Don’t worry about it-“ I started to tell him, but I was cut off as he gasped my name, and I knew he was coming. I smiled widely, but then my expression changed as he reached my neck and bit and sucked it. Hard enough that I knew there would probably be a mark, and the sensation lanced through me, bringing out a gasp. And then he licked it. A wide, flat-tongued lick. It pushed me so far over the edge I didn’t know where the edge was. I am sure I was screaming Toshiro’s name again, somewhere in the red haze, but I didn’t know anything else other than him at that moment, and I wrapped myself around him as tightly as I could as the wave crashed over me.

When it receded a bit, all of my nerve endings were still ringing like bells, but my other senses started to work again. The first thing I noticed was both of us breathing hard, and I opened my eyes to see Toshiro leaning over me, supporting most of his weight on his arms. His eyes were half closed again as he looked at me, and I could see contentment in there, as well as some tiredness, and a number of other things I couldn’t tell.

“Come here, you,” I said, giggling, and pulled him in so that he was laying on me, his head on my breasts. I wanted to feel his full weight on me again. Since his cock was still inside me, my move had the delightful side effect of pushing him further in again. I moaned a little, appreciatively. But then I could feel Toshiro pulling his head back a little, to look me in the eyes. I looked back at him, seeing that he looked very serious all of a sudden.

“Rangiku, I love you,” Toshiro said, simply. “I probably should have told you before, but-“

I hugged him to me again, as tightly as I could. My heart, which had started to slow down, was now beating so fast it felt like it would jump into my throat. The rest of me seemed torn between crying and laughing; I think I was doing a little of both. I had really begun to think, after many years, that I was destined never to find someone I could be happy with, but now I knew I was dead wrong; I had just never met anyone who had made me as happy as Toshiro could.

“Oh, Toshiro,” I said in his ear, when my voice finally worked again, “you make me feel like I’m 16 again! I love you. I have for a while; I don’t know how long.”

When he pulled back to look me in the face this time, I noticed that his expression was now surprised, but happy. He didn’t look like he was facing a herd of hollows this time, and something else clicked into place in my foggy brain.

“You didn’t know, either, did you? We’re both pretty dense, I guess,” I said, laughing a little. My laughter caused me to clench harder around his cock, which stirred in response as he groaned. Oh, what a nice dream this was turning out to be.

He cleared his throat a little. “What do you mean, you don’t know how long,” he asked, ending by kissing along my jawline.

I lifted my head to him to give him more to kiss. “Well, I just realized it recently, but when I thought about it, I realized I’d loved you for a long time without admitting it to myself.” I closed my eyes to focus on his kisses, but then a thought occurred to me, and I tipped my head down a little to look him in the eye again.

“Toshiro,” I started, “can I ask you something? It’s only based on what I know about you, so don’t get offended, but…was this your first time?

He blushed a little (which was so adorable!) and dropped his eyes. I knew the answer then, before he told me, and a shiver ran up me. Again, my insides clamped down on his cock, and I could feel it throb in response. I moaned quietly in the back of my throat.

“Yes, could you tell?”

“No, that’s why I asked. I just knew that, well, it wasn’t likely that you’d ever…um…well, I’d ask you to excuse my nosiness, but I guess you know by now that I had a reason.” I was smiling widely by now, I knew, with my discovery, which had both touched me and turned me on again. “I just wanted to say two things about it. First, I feel honored that you trusted me with your first time. Second, how did you learn all of that amazing stuff?”

This time, when Toshiro looked up at me, he was smirking. I gave a little gasp; I liked it, it was a sexy look on him.

“Well, even though someone is always teasing me about being a bookworm,” he said, giving me an accusing look and thrusting into me for added emphasis, “there’s a lot of good information in books. I have to admit, though, most of my information lately has come from a beautiful strawberry blonde who comes to me in my dreams and tells me what she likes.” He lowered his lips to my ear and whispered, “And what you told me in my dreams has proven to be very accurate.”

Now it was my turn to smirk. “So, does this mean you’re rested enough for round two?” I felt his cock jump in response.

“Well,” he said, turning to look into my eyes again, “since we’re both being so nosy, I have another question for you, first. How long is ‘a really long time’?”

Ah. It was my turn to look down. “I don’t know exactly…somewhere around ten years, I guess.”

He was very still for a moment, then started to say, “Rangiku, I’m sorry-“

I looked back up at him, right into those blue-green eyes. “Don’t be. In a way, I’m glad you asked. I’m sure you’ve heard rumors about me over the years. People do like to talk, don’t they? Especially when it’s something racy. Well, I know I’ve been the target of lots of made up stories over the years, but I only want to say a couple of things about what I’ve heard. By now, you know me, and I hope you know that when I’ve made up my mind about something or someone, I remain loyal. I’ve never wanted to be with someone I wasn’t close enough with to be family, and that’s how I feel about you. Unfortunately, I guess that’s caused lots of sour grapes stories from people I’ve had to turn down.” I shrugged. “That’s about it, I guess.”

I almost held my breath as I watched him. I know some people would always think of me as the slut of the Soul Society, even though there was no proof (just ask my neighbors…). I just hoped Toshiro wasn’t one of those people.

Toshiro was laughing. “Relax, Rangiku. I trust you. I wasn’t trying to accuse you of anything; I was just curious. Besides, if anyone would know that you couldn’t possibly have the time to do even half of what people talk about, it would be me. But,” he said shifting his hips a bit, “I’m not really interested in talking about any of that right now.”

After that, neither was I. “OK,” I said, “but there’s something I want to show you.”

He glanced down at the rest of my body, then looked back into my eyes with a raised eyebrow, as if to wonder if there was anything I had left to show him that he hadn’t seen. Now it was my turn to smirk. “Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

I quickly dropped one hip, and used the other one and my knee to turn us over. Now, I was hovering over Toshiro, and I leaned down to kiss him. He tasted so sweet, and I dipped my tongue into his mouth to wrap it around his. Before I got too hooked on that, I pulled away to begin kissing down his neck, talking as I did.

“If your dreams were anything like mine, I never had a chance to do anything like this…” I trailed off to lick and bite on his collarbone. Even the sweat I tasted seemed somehow biting and clean like a winter breeze. “I hear that some men like this more than what we just did, but, well, I’ll let you judge for yourself.”

I’d come to his chest, and I spent a little time biting and sucking on his nipples, getting some satisfying groans and growls in the process. I kept kissing down to his navel, licking lightly around the rim, and hearing a muffled growl as I did so.

“Toshiro, I love hearing those sexy noises you make. Don’t hold back. I want to hear how what I’m doing makes you feel.”

Then, there was his sweet cock in front of me, jumping. I licked my lips, and began by licking the slit. Then, I took just the head into my mouth, and used suction to gradually pull more of it in. Since he was a bit too much for even my big mouth, I gripped the base of his cock and moved in rhythm with the strokes I began taking, moving my lips up and down, sucking and twirling my tongue around as I went.

I started hearing the most delicious sounds; gasps, moans, and growls. I picked up the pace a little, but I had to stop after a few minutes. He was back to the same yummy dimensions he had been before, and there was no way I was done with riding that this evening. I heard a disappointed sound as I stopped, and looked up into Toshiro’s lust-clouded eyes.

“Sorry,” I said, a little short of breath, “we can finish that another time, but I need to feel you in me again now.”

I moved fluidly over him, and as I saw what I had said registering with him, it was my turn to moan as I worked myself down his saliva-slicked cock. He bucked up into me helpfully then, and we both gasped at the sensation. I slid back up a bit, and then down harder, taking in more of his length. The gasps and moans just rolled out of my throat, and when I looked down to see the heated look on Toshiro’s face, I sighed out his name as I pushed myself back further onto him. When I finally had all of him back in me, I paused for a moment, savoring how full and how deliciously hot it felt. I looked down to see Toshiro watching me, and I whimpered at that look in his eyes, and bent to kiss him as I began a rhythm, sliding back and forth and impaling myself on his cock. I shivered as I felt my clit rubbing against him, which caused me to lock my feet under his legs so I could use the couch to push against, and I increased my pace. All of the sensations I was feeling seemed to become magnified; I could feel Toshiro’s hair against my cheek, his tongue teasing my lips and I could feel the growling in his chest resonate against my tits. The heat that had been curling in my stomach began to reach outwards like a sun, liquid heat moving through my veins. I moaned Toshiro’s name into his mouth as I sucked on his tongue. I wasn’t going to be able to last much longer, and I started moving even faster. My body seemed to have a mind of its own, and I jammed my hips up and down desperately, trying to get more and more of that delicious hardness and friction.

“Toshiro, I-” I started, but couldn’t keep up words as I mumbled off into extended moaning.

“Go on, Rangiku,” he panted, “I’ll be right with you.”

The world went dark again, and I could hear myself moaning and yelping as the heat wave washed over me again and again. I dimly heard Toshiro calling my name somewhere in amongst the crashing of the waves. After a few moments my senses had come back to me, but my strength seemed to have left, so I shakily lowered myself to the couch, cuddling next to Toshiro.

“Toshiro, my love,” I said, wrapping my arms around him, our chests touching as we both panted, trying to regain our breaths.

“Rangiku,” he said sleepily, kissing my neck, “we should get up.”

“You’re right. We will. I’m…I’m just so tired right now. Give me a few minutes, and then we’ll get up,” I said, curling my legs around his and hugging him even closer.

I could feel him sigh contentedly against my neck, and I closed my eyes and slid into a warm darkness.
__________________________________________________________

Kira knew it was early. He knew that the sun had really only barely started to come over the horizon. He knew that most people would still be in bed, and part of him wished he was, too. But, he had wanted extra time to work on his bankai, and after talking to Amagai Taicho about it, he had said that as long as the squad didn’t have any special assignments, it would be fine if he came in early and spent his afternoons training.

So, even though he wasn’t a morning person, Kira had begun coming in early. It usually took him several hours to get in his stride, feeling like he was sleepwalking until the sun had risen to a certain point. He had decided to start the day off with a walk over to the 10th division headquarters to try to clear his head, carrying a pile of paperwork for Hitsugaya Taicho that he had needed to get off of his desk since yesterday. Hitsugaya was one of the few people he could count on to be at his desk at this time of day, he had found. Although it seemed like Hitsugaya had been coming in earlier and earlier lately, looking tired. Kira was thinking about this, and several other things; at least, this is what he vaguely remembered when he tried to think about why he had just walked into the 10th division office without knocking.

On his first step in, he frowned to himself. The taicho wasn’t at his desk. The second step had him raising an eyebrow; it looked as if one of the omnipresent piles of papers on Hitsugaya’s desk had been blown over. On the third and fourth steps, Kira started to have some uncomfortable realizations. There was no open window. There were things other than simply papers all over the floor. His momentum carried him a little further, and by the time he had come to the realization that he wasn’t alone in the office, Kira was about a foot away from the couch in front of Hitsugaya’s desk.

The first clear thought that surfaced was that if he was caught here, he might have a difficult time surviving it. As he turned to creep out of the office, though, he turned in the direction of the couch, and couldn’t help but look. The captain and vice-captain of the 10th division were actually both in the office at this hour, and they were dead asleep on the couch. Facing each other, they were in each other’s arms, and their legs were entwined. Hitsugaya’s kimono and captain’s haori were a bit precariously draped over both of their midsections, but that was the only thing the two of them were wearing. Matsumoto had her head resting on one of the couch pillows, and her face buried in Hitsugaya’s hair. Her own hair had slipped back as she slept, revealing a small, circular bruise on her neck, about an inch below and slightly behind her ear. Hitsugaya’s head was resting on Matsumoto’s breasts. Both of them were smiling sweetly in their sleep. They both looked exhausted and happy.

Using all of the guile he had learned while becoming a Soul Reaper, Kira backed soundlessly out of the office and shut the door quietly. He just stood outside the door for a moment, hoping not to hear anything. His hopes were answered. He turned to walk away, but stayed for a moment, uncertainly. Surely, someone else would just come along…

His thoughts turned back to the last time Matsumoto had come drinking with the group, and the little scene that had ensued. He remembered seeing how disappointed she had been when she was awakened. Kira thought about it a moment more, and decided that everyone deserved some happiness, especially those who had been marked so heavily by the things that had happened a decade ago. But what should he do? The door locked from the other side, so he couldn’t…well, maybe he could try that technique. It was a low-energy technique that he had been taught while out in the field at one time. Something that could be used with guile to cause openings that had doors, but no locks, not to open.

He pointed at the door and murmured, “Stick.” A soundless white flash came out of his hand, and he waited a moment. After that, when he tried the door, it refused to open. He smiled, and turned away to take the walk back to the 3rd division offices.

“Oi, Kira.”

He winced as Renji’s voice brought him to a stop and turned him back around.

“Hi, Renji.”

“I came to see Hitsugaya Taicho, too. Is he here yet?”

“Ah, the door seems to be stuck, and no one answered my knock, so I’m just going to try to come back later,” Kira responded, sure a trickle of sweat was starting from his forehead, and hoping that would satisfy Renji and get him to leave, as well.

“Oh, let me try it. I bet I could open it!”

“Renji,” said Kira, much more quietly, his hand now on his friend’s wrist, preventing him from touching the door, “don’t go in there right now. If you have something you need to talk to Hitsugaya Taicho about, come back later. Maybe an hour or so.”

Renji stared at him for a moment, his face screwed up with a questioning look. Then, suddenly he began to laugh. Loudly.

“Be quiet, Renji!” hissed Kira, “If you have to be so loud, let’s go outside!”

“OK, OK,” said Renji, much more quietly, following Kira up the hall. “I just can’t believe those two have finally stopped mooning over one another and done something about it! I mean, after wasting my day off trying to help Matsumoto a couple of weeks ago, and then I come to find out the guy’s not even in the Soul Society at the time-“

Now it was Kira’s turn to look puzzled. “Do you mean the day you followed Matsumoto all over town while she was doing her shopping, yelling ‘Toshiro’ after her and making weird noises? How was that supposed to be helping her? She hasn’t come drinking with us since!”

“Sheesh, I was just trying to get the two of them together. You’d think neither of them knew how they felt about one another.”

Kira laughed a quiet laugh as they went through the door out to the courtyard. “Well, I think they both know now.”
________________________________________________________________

The thing that woke Hitsugaya was the light. There was too much of it, and it was at the wrong angle. He sighed; he had overslept. Then he started noticing some stranger things. Something was pressing up against his back and his front, and his pillow was…different. He opened his eyes and just blinked for a moment as the memory of the previous evening came flooding back into his mind. Then he did two things that were very unlike him. He smiled; a full, open smile, and then he just looked at Rangiku for a moment, enjoying watching her sleep, seeing the morning sun turning her hair into a red gold cloud around her sweet face, and feeling lucky and…happy. His arms tightened around her just a bit and she sighed in her sleep, and murmured what sounded like his name very, very low. After a few more moments, he sighed again and leaned over her ear.

“Rangiku. Wake up.”

He licked the outside of her ear and sucked on her earlobe briefly. Then he started kissing his way down her neck.
________________________________________________________________

I was starting to float out of a heavy, sleepy darkness to a string of sweet kisses. These weren’t any kisses; these were kisses that probably were hot and sweet enough to wake the dead. Which was good, since I hadn’t been alive for a long time now. I could feel them burning a trail down my neck, so I moaned and lifted my head to give more room for the kisses to travel.

Suddenly, one of my ears woke up, too. “Wake up, Rangiku,” the voice whispered in my ear. My nerves jumped. This wasn’t just any voice. “Toshiro,” I said, my eyes flying open.

He was nibbling at my ear, holding me as close as I was holding him. We were tangled together on the office couch. I didn’t know where our clothes were. My heart started galloping as scenes from last night flooded back into my mind. Suddenly, my throat felt a little tight, and I pulled back to look him in the eye.

“Toshiro, you’re still here. You didn’t disappear this time. I’m so glad.” I hugged him tight again, my heart hammering so hard in my chest I knew he could feel it.

His voice sounded a little thick, and I could feel him swallow against my forehead before he answered, “Yes, Rangiku, I’m here. I won’t be disappearing anymore. I will be here for you.”

We held each other silently for another moment before he looked down at me again. He was smiling slightly, and bent to whisper in my ear. “Unfortunately, I think we’d better get up, though. I don’t know what time it is, but judging from the sunlight, it’s later than when I usually get to the office. We’re probably lucky we haven’t had any visitors yet.”

I sighed expansively. “Right, as usual, taicho,” I said, with a mischievous smile. We both unwound ourselves and began the search for our clothes, locating them and handing them off as quickly as we could. Once we had reassembled our outfits, we hastily dressed and then examined each other, pulling things back into alignment and trying to smooth out hopeless wrinkles. I tried to work with his hair a bit, but it just ended up looking wilder than ever. I couldn’t help it at one point and started laughing, trying not to be too loud. Toshiro looked at me then, growling, “Matsumoto!”

I saw a sparkle in his eyes, though, that probably meant he was trying to keep it together, too. I took a deep breath and stopped laughing, smiling into his eyes instead. I quickly checked my appearance in the little mirror I kept in my desk. I combed my hands through my hair a bit to smooth it, and checked to be sure it didn’t have any strange knots in it. I also checked my neck where Toshiro had bit me, and sure enough, there was a small mark. I looked over at him, rubbing my neck and smiling. He gave me that look again, and then smirked.

After we had finished dressing, I noticed that the couch looked a bit like a disaster area, so I…turned the cushions over. It looked pretty normal then. The only thing left was to clean up the papers, but as I looked over, I saw that Toshiro had begun that task. He looked up at me.

“Ran…um, Matsumoto, while I’m working on this, could you get us some tea, and maybe something to eat?”

“Right away, taicho!” I said with all of my normal cheeriness, but feeling it for real now. When I went to the door to open it, though, it was stuck. I frowned a bit as I pulled on it, then harder, and then finally had to yank on it with all my weight before it would come open.

“That’s weird,” I mentioned as I went to start the tea, “the door was really stuck shut. I don’t think it’s ever done that before.”

I shrugged as I went out and put the water on to boil. As that was going on, I flash-stepped out and quickly picked up some fruit, rice balls, and other tasty things for breakfast. I was starving, and, although he probably wouldn’t admit it, I was sure Toshiro would be, as well. I smiled as I paid and flash-stepped back to the office, just in time to catch the boiling water. As the tea steeped, I made plates of food for the both of us, then poured the tea and brought everything back into the office. Toshiro had just finished re-stacking the papers, and I put the tea and food down for him.

“Eat up, taicho!” I said, with a grin. He smirked at me and sat down. I had crossed over to my desk and had started on one of the rice balls when there was a knock at the door. I hadn’t been able to close it again all the way because it was still sticking, so the knocking had revealed Renji at the door. He had an odd look on his face, as if opposing forces were warring in his mind. I didn’t think much of it at the time, since I was trying hard to make it look as if Toshiro and I hadn’t just woken up from rolling around on the office couch for a good portion of the night last night.

“Vice-Captain Abarai, how nice to see you,” I said, hoping that sounded like my usual, bubbly self. “The taicho and I were just having some tea; would you like some, as well?”

He closely examined me closely for a moment, and then nodded. “That would be nice, thanks, Matsumoto.”

When I returned with the tea, Toshiro and Renji were deep in conversation about something. I went back to my desk and ate while working at reducing my standard towering stack of paperwork. The fruit I had picked up was really yummy, and I enjoyed some of it as I reviewed and signed off on a number of things. I looked up a while later when I realized that Renji had said something to me.

“I’m sorry; I missed what you were saying.”

“I’m just leaving, Matsumoto.”

“Good bye, Renji,” I said, smiling, “stop by any time!”

When he had left, I looked over at Toshiro. He looked up at me and sighed.

“I know I just asked for some, but could you please get some more tea, Matsumoto? I have a feeling I’m going to be asking for this a lot today.”

I smiled. “It’s my pleasure, taicho. How about if I just keep it coming today?”

He nodded and smiled as I came to take his teacup. He also wrapped his hand around mine for a second as I he handed it to me. I smiled at him a little wickedly and then went to make more tea.

By the time I got back to the office, however, we had more visitors. Ikkaku had shown up…with Yumichika. I got a hint of suspicion at this point. Ikkaku had definitely come by to meet with my taicho before, for a variety of reasons, but never before with Yumichika. I figured that Yumichika tried to stay away from a lot of the administrative tasks that fell to Ikkaku, thinking them ugly. I greeted them, and offered to make them tea, which they refused, but they both gave me rather searching looks before going back to their talk with Toshiro. I went back to my desk to get back to work, and became more suspicious still when it seemed like Ikkaku was having difficulty getting to the point of why he had come. I tried to dismiss my thoughts and again attacked my paperwork, but my suspicion came back in full force when a half hour after they left, Iba from the 7th squad showed up. He actually looked somewhat nervous, but accepted my offer of tea. Oh well, at least I would be kept awake by running back and forth to the teapot all day, at this rate. I brought more tea for Toshiro, as well. When I got back, I didn’t even bother to listen to what they were talking about, but left tea for the two of them. Toshiro was looking annoyed, and Iba seemed to have a sheen of sweat on his forehead. A little while later, I said goodbye when he left.

“Nice to see you, Vice-Captain Iba!”

I tried to shut the door behind him, but it was still sticking, so I had to settle with shutting it most of the way. After I did, it creaked back open a few inches. I sighed, and made my way back to my desk. I glanced up at Toshiro as I sat back down, and caught him looking at me. I smiled, and he answered it. After getting back to work for about ten minutes, we were interrupted again.

The captain and vice-captain of the 4th squad were calling on us. My suspicion had now flared to monumental proportions. They had never visited us before, for any reason. When I brought some tea and cookies back and we began to talk to them, however, I went from suspicion to near certainty. They wanted to know about the health of the squad members, and were particularly concerned that they had been getting reports about Toshiro and I, that we looked like we hadn’t been sleeping well lately. I forced myself to look demurely into my teacup, because I knew that if I looked at Toshiro, or probably even near him, I would laugh so hard I would end up on the floor. After a half-hour or so of discussing the health of the squad, and assuring them that we would both try to get more sleep, I saw them to the door.

After closing it as well as I could, I turned back to see Toshiro with his elbows on his desk, his head cradled in his hands. I went over to sit on the edge of his desk.

“What do they all want, Matsumoto?” he said, exasperation all over his features.

I sighed, and began speaking in a low voice. “Well, I’ve seen this behavior before. Specifically, during the time I was reporting to another taicho who was not as considerate, handsome, and, perhaps more importantly in this case, truthful, as my taicho today is. We had a string of visitors from most of the protection squads one day; well, actually, it was that way for most of the week, but after the first day, I remarked on it to a friend who let me know that my taicho had lied to a number of people, saying he had slept with me. Apparently, he wasn’t happy that I’d turned him down, and that was his way of getting back at me. So, from what I can see, someone has figured out that something changed between us, and has spread some words around. From what I saw last time, though, it didn’t seem like anyone was bold enough to come out and ask if anything is going on, so I guess we’ll just have to put up with a lot of visitors for the rest of the week.”

Toshiro brought his head up out of his hands. “That’s it?” he asked, with a snort of derisive laughter, “I thought there was some sort of problem.” He looked at me again, this time with a devious smile. “I guess we’re doing a good job of acting like we normally do, though…they’ve all left seeming confused.”

I smiled back at him, up to the challenge. “Shall we continue on then, taicho?” I said, then in a somewhat louder voice, “Would you like me to bring us back some lunch? This has been a bit of a busy morning for meetings, so I don’t think either of us will have time to go out.”

Toshiro looked back at me, the smile in his eyes this time. “Thank you, Matsumoto, that would be nice.”

Practicing my flash steps again, I went out and got us some soup and dumplings for lunch, and then decided to get some edamame, too. By the time I got back to the office, Captain Ukitake had shown up. There was now a huge pile of candy on Toshiro’s desk, and I grabbed a handful as I put the lunch on his desk.

“Ukitake taicho!” I said, “Thanks so much for bringing the candy! I’m lucky that my taicho is so generous and will always share with me.”

Toshiro pretended to glare at me, but I could see that it was mostly to prevent him from laughing. Ukitake practically beamed at me.

“You’re welcome, Matsumoto,” he said, and then continued to enthusiastically talk to Toshiro about nothing of consequence for another few minutes before he left, saying that growing young men needed their meals. I was lucky I hadn’t been eating anything then, or I would have choked on it. Toshiro was glaring at Ukitake for real as he walked to the door. I waved.

“Goodbye, Ukitake taicho!” I said, “Come by anytime!”

Toshiro then glared at me for a moment for real. I bent my head behind my somewhat shorter stack of papers and tried to laugh quietly. By the time I was done, he looked like he was in a better humor, too.

“Taicho, try to have something to eat before anyone else shows up,” I suggested with a smile.

We both ate as quickly as we could, while working on the ever-present paperwork. I had finished the soup and most of the dumplings, and was working on the edamame when I felt eyes on me. His eyes. I looked up, and he was giving me that look. An appreciative shiver passed through me, but I was curious.

“What?”

He sighed, his voice sounding a little growly. “Rangiku, could you finish those later, maybe?”

“What?” I said again, working on the one I had in my hand. Repeating how I had eaten all the others, I put the pod in my mouth, then sucked on it as I pulled it out to get the yummy spices off of the outside. Then I used my tongue to push the pod open and fish the beans out. Then, I looked up at Toshiro with a smirk, finally understanding. “Ah. I think I will finish these later.”

Then there was another knock at the door, which we both started a little at, and the afternoon round of visitors began. Some of the more memorable visits were from Captain Kyoraku and Vice-Captain Ise, wanting to discuss the captain’s ideas about having our divisions work more closely together and a visit from Vice-Captain Hisagi wanting to talk to Toshiro about an article he was working on. I ran back and forth making a lot of tea, and tried to laugh silently behind my shrinking pile of papers when things got too silly.

Finally, we were nearing the end of day. Which was good, because I was getting very tired. The couch was looking really good. I felt as if it was calling to me, but I was struggling not to answer. Looking across at Toshiro, I could see that he looked like he was starting to feel it, too. I was about to say something to him, but then there was another knock at the door, and Yachiru burst in and ran to my desk. “Ran-chan, I need to talk to you!”

Yachiru hadn’t grown as much over the past years as my taicho had; she still didn’t look like she was past 7 or so, and she still acted much the same as she always had. I smiled.

“Sure. What is it, Yachiru?”

She frowned and looked at Toshiro. She leaned nearer to me and whispered loudly, “Not while Snowy is here!”

I thought I could see the vein on Toshiro’s forehead pop out from across the room. He was busy pretending he didn’t hear, though, and slogging through his paperwork, so I walked out into the hall with Yachiru.

“So what is it that Hitsugaya taicho couldn’t hear?” I asked, sitting beside her on the floor of the hallway.

“Well,” she said, looking straight at me, “there were a bunch of people talking today, and saying that Snowy is your boyfriend. Is that true?”

I shrugged. “Well, I guess that’s true, now.”

“So, what does it mean?”

I looked closely at her for a moment. “What does it mean that he’s my boyfriend?”

She nodded vigorously.

“Well, if you have a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, it means that they’re someone special to you that you want to be with always, someone that you like a lot.”

Yachiru looked a bit puzzled. “Like Ken-chan and me?”

“No, no, um…well, there are special feelings that you have, and special things that you do when you’re boyfriend and girlfriend to show how much you like each other. I tell you what,” I said, pulling a handful of candy out of my pocket, “I can’t explain it to you very well, but I bet Ken-chan could. Why don’t you take some of this and go ask him?”

Yachiru smiled and grabbed all the candy. “OK, thanks, Ran-chan! Tell your boyfriend I said goodbye, too!”

I went back into the office, noting the time and that it finally meant the long day was over. I sighed with relief and looked at Toshiro, smiling a bit wickedly.

“Yachiru says goodbye!”

Toshiro smiled and sat back in his chair as I perched on the edge of his desk. “So, I guess it’s official now?”

“I guess so,” I said, pocketing some more candy from the still large pile on Toshiro’s desk.

Something happened that was quick enough that I couldn’t track it, and then I was sitting on Toshiro’s lap.

“So, do you really want to be with me always?” he said quietly, against my ear. I turned my head a little to look at him with some suspicion. He was smiling mildly, with some self-satisfaction. I guess he had listened into the whole conversation out in the hall.

I sighed and looked down at him, smiling back, as if caught. “Well, that’s true.”

Suddenly, he was laying a burning kiss on me, and it was all I could do not to moan loudly into his mouth. After we both pulled back, panting, I thought about it a moment, and decided that maybe I could pay him back a little for his self-satisfied eavesdropping. I looked him in the eye, trying to look quite serious.

“There is one more thing I needed to tell you, taicho.” I looked down at my hands, wringing them a little bit, and then looked back up at him, biting my lip. He was hooked; he looked concerned. “I didn’t want to at first,” I continued, “but, well, I guess I should now…” I trailed off, looking at him. He looked very concerned now. OK, enough build-up.

“Taicho, I had a dream about you last night…”

He gave me a look between narrowed eyes, then smiled, somewhat grudgingly, as if caught. “Is that so, Matsumoto? Well, maybe we could discuss it at my house over dinner.”

I smiled. “Maybe I can finish my edamame then.”

Our faces had somehow gotten closer over this exchange, and suddenly our lips met again. I definitely felt hungry again, but I was starting to think dinner could wait. Maybe a late dinner, in bed…
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Kira had finished his training for the day, come back to the office for something he had forgotten, and spotted the papers for Hitsugaya on his desk. Since it was on his way back home, he had grabbed them thinking that he would drop them off on his way.

As he approached the door, hand raised to knock on it, Kira noticed that it was already open a bit. And, through that bit, he could see Hitsugaya’s desk chair, which was very occupied at the moment. Matsumoto and Hitsugaya were kissing, Matsumoto’s hand on the side of Hitsugaya’s face, Hitsugaya’s hand fisted in the back of her kimono. He could also hear a low sound coming out of the room, but stepped back into the shadows of the hallway before he could see or hear anything else. He smiled to himself. Maybe he would stop by tomorrow, just before lunch or so…
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...so, anyway, comments about what you liked, or what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

-WriterX

Lack of Sleep, Part 1

2009-05-20T02:56:51Z

White Day, or Stuck In Bed

2009-05-18T03:02:25Z

A/N: This is the first piece of RenjixIchigo I was inspired to write, and I challenged myself to do the following: write it in five pages or less (OK, I didn't quite make that one, I admit...I'm...what's the equivalent to long-winded when it comes to writing? Long written?), and write it by White Day this year (which I didn't quite make, either...). Despite all that, I was pleased with the final outcome.

Warnings: PWP, yaoi, MILD bondage, explicit good sex, lots of bad language...

Usual disclaimers: I don't own these characters and don't make any money for these writings; I'm just creating these stories to entertain myself and (hopefully) you.

The people in this story are fictional, and so you might see them doing things that aren't strictly safe from a sexual standpoint. You are a real person, so please be safe when you play! If you want more information about how that all works, please click here ...there are plenty of other sites with good info on the web, too, so check them out and be safe.

Oh, yes, one more thing. All of the people depicted in sexual situations my stories are intended to be and considered to be by the author of the legal age of consent in any jurisdiction, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. OK?

_________________________________________________________________

The first odd thing that Ichigo noted as he blinked sleepily was that although it was still dark, his room was dimly lit by two squat candles on his desk, the surface of which had been cleared of its usual mess of papers. Then, as he tried to stretch, he noticed that he was unable to bring his arms down from behind his head. This caused him to wake up more quickly than he normally did, twisting his head and flexing his arms to see that his wrists were tied in what looked like heavy black silk.

“What the hell-” he began half under his breath, but was cut off.

“You look good like that, Ich,” a deep voice came from in front of him.

Ichigo had been on the verge of a smart remark, but his mouth just remained open instead as he brought his head up to see Renji, the other man's almost naked body lit and shadowed by the flickering candlelight, his face mostly in shadow behind his long hair. The stripes of shadow, tattoos, and Renji's black briefs reminded Ichigo of a tiger, and the look in the redhead's eye was as predatory. The overall effect caused a sudden heat to coil in Ichigo's stomach, and then he found his disturbing discoveries weren't over for the evening. First, though he remembered going to bed in boxers and a t-shirt, he didn't have them on anymore, just his comforter half covering him. Then, he realized his legs were open. Wide open; as wide as they could be on his double futon, and he glanced down to see his ankles secured to the bottom posts of the frame.

Instead of feeling panic, however, Ichigo felt more heat rising in him, especially as he looked at Renji again, his heart pounding and his mouth suddenly feeling dry. He could feel his cock twitch against the covers and he mentally snarled at the traitor before turning to Renji.

“What the fuck is this about, Renji?” he asked, trying to sound commanding, but wanting to kick himself for sounding low and breathy instead.

Renji chuckled as he moved closer, and Ichigo felt his stomach fill with butterflies as his fingers inadvertently reached out, despite his hands being tied. “This is about the fantasy you told me about the night we went out drinking, Ichigo. Don't you remember?”

Ichigo didn't remember much about that evening a couple months ago, except going out to a bar with Renji, and the first drink. The next thing he remembered was the following morning, waking up in his boxers with a nasty headache and his limbs wrapped around a mostly naked Renji in his bed. Since then, they had been seeing each other as frequently as both of their schedules would allow (usually for a couple of days every other week), but even though Ichigo wanted to, he hadn't been able to have sex with Renji yet. Not that he was afraid, of course, but...something just kept holding him back. They had done plenty of other things, though, and as Ichigo looked back at Renji he could feel the heat throbbing in his veins as he looked at the redhead. He bit his lip against a whimper as he surged against his bonds, wanting to touch Renji but not having enough play to even really get off the bed. Renji smirked at him as he sat on the bed next to Ichigo.

“I know you could get out of these if you really wanted to, so just consider them a reminder. You said you wanted to know what it felt like to have someone else in charge for a change, so just relax. Unless you're scared?”

The quirk of Renji's eyebrow was enough to bring a growl out of Ichigo. “I'm not scared.”

“Good,” Renji replied, sliding down to move over Ichigo. “And just so you don't get worried, I'm only going to do things we've done before. Anything else I'm going to make you beg me for.”

“Beg you?! That's not going to happen,” Ichigo replied. He wished his voice had sounded more confident and less shaky, but he found he didn't care that much, since he had his eyes on Renji's lips, hoping that they were going to connect with his.

“Oh, just wait,” said Renji softly, and when Ichigo felt the redhead's breath ghost across his lips, he gave a tiny gasp at the feeling, but then Renji's lips were on his and he couldn't help but groan into the other man's mouth.

Then he felt Renji's tongue tracing his upper lip before it dove into his mouth, and Ichigo closed his eyes against the shudder that rolled along his skin, his indrawn breath pushing his chest against Renji's. For a moment, everything was tongues twisting together, and heat seeming to roll off him in waves, but then Ichigo opened his eyes as Renji's mouth moved away. It took all the self-control he had not to whimper, and the younger man suddenly felt the trickle of sweat at his temple and noticed how hard he was breathing. I am not going to give in, Ichigo told himself, but then he bit his lip against the sound he was making at the sensation of Renji kissing his way down his jaw and onto his neck. He couldn't seem to stop himself from stretching his neck out to give the redhead more room, though, and he felt Renji chuckle against his throat.

“Don't bite your lip off, Ichigo. I want to hear how you feel. Besides, you're always bragging about how you moved in here because your one neighbor is deaf and the other one is always away on business...”

It couldn't hurt anything, could it, Ichigo thought as a quiet moan forced its way out of his throat as Renji slowly swirled his tongue around the hollow at the base of his throat, then moved to lower territory.

Still, he almost choked trying to get in more air as Renji moved his lips to one nipple and began sucking and biting. The redhead's hands weren't idle, either, as he moved them down Ichigo's sides, one moving under him and squeezing one cheek. Ichigo would have had his hands buried in Renji's long, silky, red hair, he would have been tracing those irresistible tattoos with his fingers, but instead he clamped them down on his bonds and tried to hang onto his sanity.

Renji had moved down Ichigo's chest a bit and was kissing and licking his way along the edge of his ribcage. No one but Renji knew that he was exquisitely ticklish in that area, but the redhead was touching him softly enough so that it didn't quite tickle; instead the ghostly sensation brought a groan to the younger man's lips that was almost a sob and his skin kept shuddering with the feeling of it. Ichigo could feel the beads of sweat gathering at his temples as he fought to hang on, but his conscious thought kept slipping away. He moaned loudly as Renji swept the covers away and pressed into his body hard for a moment, grinding their groins together.

“That's it, Ichigo,” Renji's voice said, softly, in his ear, “you're always so worried about being the one in control, being out front, taking care of everybody. Now I'm going to take care of you,” and then the redhead moved again and Ichigo had to catch his breath.

But, Ichigo thought, he had learned that now Renji was naked too, and that the redhead seemed to be just as turned on as he was. Ichigo tried to formulate a comeback reply but a second later, all his thoughts were swept away again as he felt Renji's lips on his stomach. Ichigo could feel the redhead kissing and licking his way lower and he pulled against the black silk again, tensing as he tried to arch up and couldn't get very far. Please, he found himself thinking, cracking an eye open, watching Renji's talented mouth getting closer to his twitching cock. And then, he gasped and moaned as the redhead licked him once, quickly, from base to tip.

A moment later he moaned again, this time in some frustration as he felt Renji move further down, now between his legs, gently biting his way up Ichigo's thighs. Ichigo growled as he felt Renji chuckle against his skin, but then he gasped again as he felt Renji's tongue traveling up again, the sensation magnifying the farther back up his thighs the redhead's mouth went.

Ichigo was panting, straining at his bonds again as he felt Renji's warm body move away from him, and he nearly moaned his frustration. As it was, he couldn't hold back a thin noise of desperation as he opened his eyes to see Renji pulled back from him slightly, just running his eyes up and down Ichigo's frame. When he saw Ichigo looking back at him, Renji chuckled.

“Sorry, Ichi, you just look too sexy all stretched out and struggling like that; I had to take a good look.”

“Bastard. Don't leave me hanging,” Ichigo surprised himself by saying, then clamped his mouth shut, mentally kicking himself.

Renji laughed outright this time. “So bossy, even when you're tied up. Yes, sir,” he said, bringing himself back between Ichigo's legs, “I just wanted to let you know that I lied a little before. I am going to do something we haven't done before, but probably because you didn't know about it.”

For some reason, Ichigo wasn't nervous, hearing Renji say that. Instead, his eyes were slipping closed, because he could feel the heavy silk strands of Renji's hair across his abdomen, the redhead's breath across his stomach, his cock, on his balls, then lower. Ichigo couldn't help tensing against his bonds when he felt where Renji's tongue finally touched him, though. The sensation was too intense; he was shaking and swearing with it, he hadn't realized how it would feel. How good it would feel.

Then, it stopped and he saw Renji's head pop up, grinning like a madman. “Ichigo, are you OK?” he asked, mock concern in his voice. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Fuck, no,” Ichigo spat, before he could think about it, and then felt his face heating up.

Renji just grinned a little harder, if that was even possible. “OK, then,” he said, his head disappearing again.

And, oh, there was Renji's tongue again, teasing tiny touches and long, wet strokes playing around Ichigo's entrance, making his whole body shudder and roll as nerve endings he didn't know he had lit up like sparklers. Ichigo's breaths were coming in harsh gasps and his eyes rolled back into his head as the sensation overwhelmed him. He could hear himself whimpering after a while as he tried to tilt his hips up to Renji, to more of that feeling; somewhere, Ichigo knew he should probably be embarrassed, but he was too far gone to care. Then, he felt the redhead's hands under him, lifting him and opening him up, and he felt a growl against his skin and Ichigo answered without meaning to in a deep groan.

As he relaxed against Renji's touch, abandoning himself to the flood of sensation, Ichigo suddenly felt something else new as he felt the redhead's tongue go from licking to pressing against him, and then he felt that wet muscle inside him, and he gasped, struggling as his eyes flew open. Then, Renji's head appeared again, and Ichigo could feel the compression and heat in his guts flare as he looked into those dark, lustful eyes. Renji smiled then, slow and sly looking, and smoothed a hand down Ichigo's abdomen.

“Just relax, Ichi. I promise you'll like this, too.”

And then, he disappeared again and all Ichigo could see was his own cock, twitching. He hadn't thought it could get any harder, but he realized he'd figured that wrong as he felt Renji's tongue at his entrance again and somehow made himself relax against the surge of impossible, intense feeling as the redhead pushed inside him. Ichigo realized after a while that breaths were coming out like sobs now, and he was starting to feel like he had to come soon or his whole body would explode. He finally collected himself enough to speak, though he wasn't sure it was going to make any sense.

“Renji,” he said, in a drugged-sounding voice he barely recognized, “please, touch me.”

Renji's face was visible again after a moment, his smile amused and his eyes even darker than they had been. “Oh, I'm already touching you, Ichi,” he said, running his hands from underneath Ichigo to ghost them down his thighs, “was there something particular you had in mind?”

“Bastard,” Ichigo growled, twitching from the feathery touches, “fuck, I've got to come, Renji. Touch me, please.”

Renji looked amused, raising a tattooed eyebrow. “Oh, you want me to touch your dick. OK, but there's something I want, too,” he continued, his voice lowering. “I want to get my fingers inside you. But, since I suggested it, you've got to convince me you really want it, first.”

And then, Renji disappeared again, his tongue continuing to lick, tease, and push into Ichigo. The smaller man writhed in his bonds for a moment, then the siren call of his nerves seemed to pull him under again until he was moaning and trembling. Finally, feeling he couldn't take it much longer, Ichigo found his voice.

“Please, Renji, please touch me. I can't take much more-”

Ichigo broke off in a gasp as he felt Renji chuckle against him and push his tongue farther inside.

“Renji, please, I trust you. Touch me however you want.”

He felt the redhead shake his head a little against him, and then Ichigo gasped as he felt the muscle inside him twist, and he was shaking uncontrollably now.

“Please, Renji, please, I want to feel you in me.”

The last had come out in a barely audible low tone, almost a moan, and Ichigo was afraid Renji hadn't heard him, but the redhead appeared then, a dangerous smile on his lips, and Ichigo looked into his eyes, feeling caught.

“Sure thing, Ichigo, when you ask so nice.”

He could see Renji's cock twitching as he reached for something under the bed, and Ichigo shivered as a breeze passed over parts that were now very wet, but a moment later Renji was fully back up against him as he brought up a little bottle. Renji then poured something into his hands and proceeded to rub it a bit before coating the fingers of one hand with it. The redhead knelt over Ichigo as one hand strayed low while the other approached Ichigo's cock.

“Now, just try to relax,” Renji said as he grabbed hold of Ichigo's cock.

Ichigo felt the finger playing at his entrance also as Renji started to stroke him. He whimpered at how good Renji's lubricated hand felt around his cock, and then gasped as he felt that finger push gently inside him. Ichigo was thinking it felt odd, a little uncomfortable, but he was distracted by Renji's hand on his cock, slowly stroking, but then the finger inside him twitched once, and he threw his head back, closing his eyes on a groan as a previously unknown wave of pleasure swamped him.

“Breathe, Ichi,” Renji murmured, stroking his cock again.

Ichigo was getting used to both of the hands on him, the one stroking his cock, but never getting up enough of a consistent rhythm to get him off, and the other plunging inside him, slowly adding another finger, then a third. He had expected it to hurt more, and each change did feel a bit uncomfortable at first, but once he had gotten used to more inside him, each thrust felt better, each twist of the fingers inside him wringing out another moan or deep groan at the amazing sensations they were sparking off. Finally, Renji touched something inside of him that made him see a blinding white light from behind his eyelids, and when he could see and speak again, Ichigo just started spitting out a torrent of words, his body at the driver's seat, mind no longer in charge.

“Renji, fuck me, please, please, I need it.”

“What?” Renji asked, staring into Ichigo's eyes again, momentarily stopping his hands. Ichigo moaned in frustration.

“Please, Renji, please fuck me. I need you inside of me. I want to feel you come in me when I come. Please, Renji, please,” Ichigo begged, not caring about anything except filling the craving that had been growing in him. He moaned again with sort of a half-whine as Renji slid his fingers out, but then groaned as a bolt of pure lust shot through him as Renji grabbed the lube bottle again and coated his hard cock with it. Ichigo and Renji watched each other then, Renji trying not to shut his eyes at the feeling of stroking his long-neglected erection, and Ichigo just enjoying the show, until he couldn't wait anymore.

“Ren, please, now,” Ichigo said on a moan, straining against his bonds, wanting to reach out and touch Renji, or touch himself, or both, but still just barely able to move.

“You sexy bastard,” Renji said, gravelly and low as he watched Ichigo writhing, “just calm down, Ichi, I'm coming.”

And then, Ichigo could feel something pressing against him, and he gasped as he felt Renji slowly start to slide into him. Ichigo immediately started panting at the feeling of heat and pressure, and at the sensations sparking off in his nerves. When he could feel Renji stop, fully inside him, Ichigo couldn't help letting out a sound somewhere between a moan and a whine. Renji looked down at him in concern.

“Are you OK, Ichi? Do you want to stop?”

Ichigo shook his head, trying not to writhe around since the feeling was already almost overwhelming him. “No, Ren, fuck it feels good and almost too much and...just...give me a moment.”

Renji waited, motionless, watching Ichigo as the smaller man continued to tremble and strain at the sashes tying him to the bed. He growled as Ichigo's eyes finally opened again, looking so dark they seemed black, the expression on his face completely open for once, and completely lustful.

“Move, Renji, please, fuck me now.”

Ichigo gasped at the sensation as Renji pulled out of him a little, then slid back in carefully. He almost howled as he felt Renji brush up against the spot he'd hit earlier, and Ichigo tried to move under him to position himself so it would get hit again, but moaned in frustration as he couldn't get that far. After a few moments, Ichigo decided it just wasn't enough.

“Renji, untie my legs. I need you deeper in me,” he gasped, meeting the redhead's eye when he looked at Ichigo in surprise.

Ichigo moaned again when Renji started to move away from him to untie his ankles, and spoke again, “No. Can you do it without...I need to have you in me now.”

Renji was definitely smirking now, but Ichigo was glad the redhead actually had made some sense of what he'd been saying. Lifting Ichigo up as much as possible, Renji slid as deeply into him as he could, drawing another moan out of the smaller man. Then, he leaned back and untied each ankle, slowly. Ichigo was sweating and swearing, writhing against his remaining bond when Renji straightened back up, his own eyes dark with lust as he looked into Ichigo's.

“Did you like that?” the redhead asked, smirking, as he slid quickly out, and then as quickly back into Ichigo.

After a moan he couldn't help, Ichigo looked back up at Renji as he twisted his legs around the redhead's waist. “Fuck, yes. But I want more, Renji.”

The redhead growled as he complied, each thrust going deeper now. Ichigo twisted his hands into his remaining sash, grabbing onto it as if it could prevent him from losing his mind as the feeling of heat in his guts spiked higher each time Renji drove into him. He cried out sharply as Renji drove into that spot inside him again that made the darkness behind his closed eyes go white, and Ichigo moaned as he felt Renji chuckle in his ear, then angle himself so he kept driving into that spot again.

“Harder, Renji,” Ichigo breathed, when he could get out words around his moans and groans, and the last thing he remembered was making a surprised noise before the sparks behind his eyes rolled him under like a tidal wave.

When Ichigo came back to himself, he wasn't sure how much later it was, but he could see that the room was now lit only by the few orange stripes of light that the streetlight cast through his blinds. As he moved a little, Ichigo realized that he was still naked, but he was now untied and had been cleaned up, and most of his skin was pressed against what his clearing eyes recognized as an also naked Renji. Ichigo bit back a groan as he felt his groin stir to life again as he watched Renji's face in repose, and his eyes traced the tattoos that ran down his neck. But then, he heard a chuckle as Renji's eyes sprang open.

“So, you finally came to! I was worried I broke you.”

“Not a chance,” Ichigo replied, but his voice was soft, and he smiled in what he realized was probably a very loopy way as he met Renji's eyes.

“So, next time, are you going to tell me what you want before I have to tie you up and torture it out of you?” Renji asked.

“Is that why you...”

“Yes, idiot. I thought you wanted this, but I knew you'd never tell me, so I had to be sure.”

“OK, but, I kind of liked it,” Ichigo said, wondering why he wasn't self conscious about saying that right now.

Renji sighed and rolled so that the two of them were face to face. “I could tell. OK, I promise to do it again sometime if you start telling me what you want. Deal?”

“Deal,” said Ichigo, smiling and running a finger along one of the the tattoos on Renji's chest.

“So how are you feeling now?”

“Better than I have in my whole fucking life.”

“Good,” Renji smirked, pulling Ichigo tighter against him. Ichigo tried not to moan as he felt his cock twitch again at the movement, and looked away from the expanses of naked skin and tattoos in front of him to try to distract himself. His alarm clock happened to be the first other thing he could see in the darkened room, and he momentarily stared at the late hour showing on it.

“Huh, I guess it's White Day,” he said, then, looking at Renji in suspicion, “hey, is that why you-”

“I figured you'd like this better than candy or flowers,” the redhead said with a smirk.

“Fuck, yes,” Ichigo replied against Renji's neck, trying not to bite him but not able to figure out if it was in irritation or arousal. “But it's supposed to be a holiday where you give things to girls.”

“Is that so,” Renji replied with a smirk. “In that case,” he continued, followed by a pause where the redhead reached under the bed and then threw the bottle of lube at Ichigo, “I think you'd better give me something, just so we're even.”

“You're on,” said Ichigo as he slid down along Renji's body, finally giving in and licking along the tattoo on his neck.
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...so, anyway, comments about what you liked and what you thought could be improved would be much appreciated, especially about the story length, and whether it was actually hot (as was intended). Thanks for your attention!

-WriterX

Want to find out what happened next? Click here.