Shadow Wolf (Shinobi Saga)

by Sessha Batto

  “No, not at all,” Shouhei assured him. “If anything I’m more comfortable with the whole idea now that I know your motivation. I was afraid it was all some elaborate hoax. I’m not sure I could take that. Are you sure I’m suitable though? I’m not much of a catch.”

  “You are certainly more suitable than I am. You’re not a whore, after all. You’re a good man, Shouhei, and I think you two will be a good match. Would you like to meet him?”

  “I’d like to clean up first, make the best impression I can. I need all the help I can get.”

  “You’ll be fine,” the shadow wolf assured him. “Let me show you to your rooms. Once you’re ready we’ll have dinner.

  When Yoshi returned later to collect him, he was amazed at the change. “Shouhei, you look great. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in dress clothing.”

  “I never had a reason to dress up,” he replied with a shrug. “I didn’t even own anything appropriate. I had to go shopping before I left.”

  “They suit you,” Yoshi purred. “You look good enough to eat.”

  Shouhei blushed brightly at the compliment, whispering “Thank you,” as he examined his feet.

  ****

  “Yuu, I’d like you to meet the new liaison from Kobayashi shuudan.” The Shuhan turned to study them closely as Yoshi continued. “This is Abe Shouhei. Shouhei, this is Kai no Yuu, Shuhan of the Hokkaido shinobi.”

  “Shuhan-sama.” Shouhei bowed deferentially. “It is an honor to meet you.”

  “I am glad you are here, Abe-san. Yoshi has been missing his friends. Perhaps now he will be less lonely.”

  “Perhaps we all will,” the shadow wolf added cryptically. “Shall we eat?” He waved them toward a low table set for three. “A toast,” he suggested. “To friendship.” All three men emptied their saucers, only to have Yoshi refill them.

  By the time the meal had ended the shadow wolf had made sure both Shouhei and Yuu had more alcohol than they would normally drink. Not so much that they were drunk, just a little looser than usual. “So, Yuu,” Yoshi whispered. “Shou's very sexy, isn’t he? Shall we get him to join us?”

  The young Shuhan studied the scarred man, eyes lingering on his broad chest before traveling to the bulge in his pants. Red flooded his cheeks as he looked up at his lover and nodded his agreement. Yoshi smiled widely, kissing Yuu deeply before turning to Shouhei and doing the same, watching the younger man with one eye to observe his reaction. When the kiss broke he took both men by the hand and headed toward the bedroom.

  Once inside Yoshi slowly began to unbutton his shirt. “I want to see you two kiss.” He smiled as their embrace became more and more heated. “Don’t forget about me.” He stretched out naked on the bed and beckoned the pair to join him.

  Yuu mewled loudly as twin tongues made their way down his torso, tickling and teasing every sensitive spot they came across until they reached their goal. Shouhei swallowed his erection as the shadow wolf slid two fingers into his tight heat, making the Shuhan cry out and writhe wantonly at the sensations.

  Shouhei held his breath as he slowly slid into the clutching heat of Yuu's body. It had been so long since he’d been with anyone he could only pray he’d last. “Your turn, sexy,” Yoshi whispered in his ear. He felt the head of the shadow wolf's erection push through clenching muscles and his mind spun from the conflicting sensations of pleasure and pain.

  Yuu was the first to move, bucking his hips as he pleaded for Shouhei to do something... anything. The shadow wolf pulled back, until only the tip of his erection was still sheathed, then stilled. This allowed the scarred man to push back onto his length before thrusting forward.

  Shouhei soon developed a rhythm, eyes falling shut and face almost glowing with pleasure as he lost himself in the amazing sensation of filling and being filled. “Your skin is the softest thing I’ve ever felt,” he whispered to the Shuhan before kissing him aggressively.

  “Oh Kami, so, so good.” Yuu tightened his hold on broad shoulders and spread his legs impossibly wide. He rained kisses over Shouhei's face, paying particular attention to the puckered scar and felt him speed up his thrusts as the sensitive flesh was stimulated.

  The Shuhan cried out as his erection ground against the hard ridges of Shouhei's abdomen, until he finally came with a piercing wail, shooting his seed between them. The scarred man thrust raggedly a few more times into the strangling passage as the shadow wolf launched an assault on his prostate.

  Yoshi pulled out of the quivering form, watching in satisfaction as the sated pair snuggled into each other, kissing and cuddling before drifting into sleep, the shadow wolf forgotten. He slipped off the bed, his erection slowly softening as he headed into the bathroom to wash up. Then he slipped out into the night to walk the dark streets and dream of home.

  ****

  Shouhei woke up a short time later, smiling as Yuu snuggled tighter against him. He ran his hand through soft strands as he pondered the absence of the shadow wolf, arm tightening around the slumbering Shuhan when the door slammed open and an unfamiliar man stormed in.

  “Enough.” Takumi yanked back the covers and dragged his brother to his feet, “You have dallied with this old whore far too long.”

  “Who are you calling a whore, asshole?” Shouhei surged out of the bed and freed Yuu from his brother's hold. He pushed the Shuhan behind him protectively and assumed an aggressive stance. “You have no right to come in here and manhandle him.”

  “Who the hell are you?” Takumi growled. “That piece of shit has turned my brother into a whore just like himself.”

  The scarred man hauled his fist back and punched the Shuhan's brother hard in the face. He took advantage of his surprise and followed through, pushing him to the ground and straddling him before pinning his arms to the floor. “How dare you speak to your Shuhan like that. As for me, I am the new liaison from Kobayashi shuudan, and a friend of Takahashi-san's. If I hear you refer to him as a whore again I will not hesitate to kill you, regardless of who you are. Now apologize to Yuu.”

  “I will not,” Takumi hissed. “He needs an heir.”

  “He needs to be happy,” Shouhei retorted.

  “If he will not choose a spouse one will be chosen for him. This cannot continue.”

  “Fine.” The scarred man turned his back on a furious Takumi to face the Shuhan. “Yuu, will you marry me?” he asked. “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I don’t want to take a chance on losing you. I promise to keep you safe and spend the rest of my life working to make you happy.”

  “Yes, Shouhei, I’ll marry you.” The Shuhan moved forward to kiss his intended, much to his brother's distaste.

  “Urgg,” Takumi groaned, throwing his arm over his eyes. “Oh my Kami you’re naked!”

  “Not very observant, is he?” Shouhei muttered.

  “My brother has always been an ass,” Yuu explained. “He was my Father's favorite, he was a bastard, too.”

  “Do you have any other brothers or sisters?” Shouhei muttered as he nibbled on a delicate ear.

  “Stop that,” Takumi shrieked. “You can’t marry him. He's a man.”

  “Is it expressly forbidden?” Yuu asked coldly before answering the question himself. “No, it isn’t. You want me married, fine. He asked, I accepted, decision made, subject closed.” A rumbling clatter filled the room as hidden guards came to the Shuhan's aid, grasping Takumi's arms and hustling him out the doors. “Where is Yoshi?”

  “I don’t know,” Shouhei replied with a shrug. “He was gone when I woke up.” He paused for a long moment. “I won’t hold you to it, you know. Not if you don’t want to.”

  “Hold me to what?”

  “You don’t have to marry me. I know I put you on the spot. I just couldn’t stand the way he was bullying you.”

  “Did you mean what you said?” Yuu asked.

  “Of course I meant it. I had resigned myself to spending my life alone a long time ago. Then Yoshi wrote to me, offering me a chance to st
art over, a chance to have everything I never thought I'd have. I know I’m not much of a catch, you’re so beautiful and I’m—” Shouhei trailed off, hand going to rub the scar on his face.

  “You are beautiful too.” The Shuhan ran his hands over a firmly muscled chest. “It's just a scar.”

  “The last person I tried to get close to told me it made them sick. I didn’t bother trying to hook up with anyone after that.”

  “He was a fool,” Yuu declared. “No one's ever bothered to stand up for me before. You think you’re ugly on the outside, but I’m ugly on the inside. That's even worse. I’m not a nice man. Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind?”

  “You’re Shuhan, of course you’ve done terrible things. So have I, so has Yoshi and every other ninja I know,” Shouhei countered. “That doesn’t make you unworthy of love.”

  “You love me?”

  “Not yet,” the scarred man admitted. “But we already have more of a connection than most arranged marriages. I believe we could find love if we wished.”

  “You’d stay with me?” Yuu pressed. “Really?”

  “For as long as you wish. You’re the best thing that's ever happened to me.” Shouhei bent and kissed the younger man tenderly, threading a burly arm around his waist and pulling him close to plunder his mouth.

  “I’ll make the announcement today,” the Shuhan panted when the kiss finally broke. “We marry in two weeks.”

  THE FIFTH GATE

  STRUGGLE FOR BALANCE

  Yoshi slowly crawled to consciousness, mind reeling as he tried to pin down what had happened. The last thing he remembered was walking down the hall towards the rooms assigned to Shouhei, planning on sleeping there to give the fledgling lovers time alone. He carefully cracked open an eye, shutting it immediately when he recognized his location... the one place in Hokkaido he'd hoped never to see again.

  “I know you’re awake, whore,” Takumi's voice rang out. “This is all your fault, you know.”

  “What are you talking about?” the shadow wolf rasped.

  “Yuu is getting married to that friend of yours. You corrupted my brother, turned him into a pervert like you. Now you’ll pay for it.”

  “Your father—” Yoshi began, only to be cut off.

  “Don’t you dare talk about my father. He was a great man.”

  “He was a sadist and a bully,” the elite retorted. “He liked to do sick things to children, and not just to me. He did it to your own brother.”

  “Shut your filthy whore mouth.” Takumi shoved a rag into the shadow wolf's mouth and roughly taped it in place, hands shaking in fury. “I’ll show you. You won’t be running off corrupting anyone else.” He reached down and flipped a latch, spinning the rack on which Yoshi was bound to the upright position before turning to study the implements on the wall. After careful consideration he selected a braided lash with a metal tip, snapping it a few times before moving behind the lanky ninja.

  Yoshi screamed behind his gag as fire raced down his back in the wake of the lash. When he could scream no more resignation took over, his mind turning inward to happier times as he retreated from the agony of his body.

  “Don’t you dare give up on me, whore,” his tormentor raged when the shadow wolf ceased to react to the whip. Takumi turned his eye toward the wall again, bent on wreaking vengeance on the hapless elite. He smirked when his eye landed on a studded dildo and he quickly snatched it up, slamming it into Yoshi's unprepared entrance with all his might and chortling as blood coated his hand.

  “Is that enough for you, whore? No, you want more?” Takumi thrust the dildo deep once more, pushing it completely inside. He strolled casually around to face the hanging man, selecting a sound from the display and roughly jamming it into the slit of Yoshi's penis, then stepping back to survey his handiwork.

  “You won’t need these anymore,” his tormentor decided, ripping a nipple-ring free with a twisting yank and then giving the other one the same treatment. His eyes lit up when he noticed the line of piercings running down the shadow wolf's penis, roughly tearing them free one at a time until he reached the head. There he turned to a different strategy, palming a kunai and roughly cutting the rings loose, slashing through the sensitive flesh indifferently and smiling broadly when blood ran freely down the elite's thighs.

  The sight of Yoshi's blood excited him, and Takumi reached down and squeezed himself roughly through his pants as he repositioned the rack yet again. He tore open his fly and thrust into the bleeding hole, pushing the punishing dildo even deeper. He thrust erratically, biting and clawing at the unresponsive form before roughly pulling out and flipping the rack over, stroking himself a few times before spraying his seed on the elite's blank face, bellowing his triumph.

  Takumi quickly recovered from his orgasm, spitting on the shadow wolf as he readjusted his clothing. He took a last satisfied look before striding out of the room and snapping off the lights, leaving Yoshi behind as he returned to the upper levels of the palace to plot a permanent end to Yuu's engagement.

  ****

  “Now what?” Yuu asked curiously.

  “Now I thank you for saying yes.” Shouhei moved them back to the bed, kissing the Shuhan passionately as his hands moved to stroke all the creamy flesh they could reach. He shuddered when the younger man took control, flipping them over and bending to suckle his nipple.

  Shouhei grasped lean hips in an iron grip and slid the Shuhan forward to rest on the hard planes of his chest so he could swallow his dripping erection.

  “No more.” Yuu pulled back to hover over the broad form before positioning himself and slowly sliding down onto Shouhei's thick cock. When he sat flush, both men took a moment to calm their ragged breathing before the Shuhan flexed his legs and slowly rose, slamming himself down and wringing a cry from his startled fiance.

  ****

  Makoto slipped noiselessly into the palace, ghosting down the maze of hallways until he reached the Kai no Shuhan's suite, following the sounds to the bedroom. The interrogator stepped inside and stopped dead in shock at the sight of the striking young man rising and falling on the thick length piercing him, eyes closed in ecstasy.

  “Get off him.” The torture master yanked Yuu off the bed, and blinked in bemusement when he locked eyes with a very pissed off Shouhei. “Abe-san,” Makoto stuttered. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was making love to my fiancé,” Shouhei growled. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  “Your what?” the interrogator asked. “I thought Yoshi was Yuu's new consort.”

  “Takahashi-san refused my offer,” Yuu explained. “He said he had someone special waiting for him.”

  “The Kai no Shuhan has graciously agreed to marry me,” Shouhei added. “We wed in two weeks.”

  “Then where's Yoshi?” Makoto wondered.

  “Probably in my room.” Shouhei shrugged. “I imagine he's sleeping.”

  “I assume you’re the lover Yoshi wished to go back to. I’m sure you’re anxious to see him. I know he can’t wait to see you. Why don’t you show him where the room is,” Yuu suggested. “We can resume this later.” His lips quirked at the crestfallen look on his burly lover's face.

  “Alright,” Shouhei agreed. “Come on, Sasaki, let's go find your man.”

  They strolled through the maze of hallways, finally stopping outside an unremarkable door. “Takahashi-san,” Shouhei called as he pushed the door open. “There's someone here to see you.” He was surprised to find the rooms empty and untouched, not a single item moved since he left for dinner. “I wonder where he went?” The elite headed back to the Shuhan with a worried interrogator in tow.

  “He wasn’t there,” Shouhei said. “Any other ideas?”

  Yuu concentrated for a moment, summoning his power and reaching out to search, frowning when he finally located Yoshi's weak ki. “I know where he is.” The Shuhan took off through the corridors at a run with Shouhei and Makoto hurrying after.

  Th
ey reached the sub-basement and stopped outside a pair of heavily carved doors. “Wait here.” Yuu cautiously pushed them open and slipped inside. “Takahashi-san, are you alright?” He reached for the light switch, casting harsh illumination over what was obviously a torture chamber, eyes focusing on the spreading pool of scarlet beneath a suspiciously still form.

  Makoto ignored the warning and followed Yuu inside, heart stopping in his chest at the condition of his lover. “Hold on, sweetheart,” he whispered. “I’m here with you.” The interrogator quickly checked for vital signs as he unshackled the shadow wolf and carefully lowered him to the ground. He kept up his soothing litany, stroking a hand through matted locks. He dropped to his knees, resting both hands on Yoshi's chest and channeling as much of his own life-force as he could into the fading nin.

  Shouhei watched in shock as medics began to rush into the room. He finally forced his feet to move, hurrying forward to pull Makoto off the body to allow the healers space to work.

  “What the fuck happened here?” Makoto rose to full height to loom threateningly over the diminutive Kai no Shuhan.

  “Don’t blame Yuu,” Shouhei retorted. “He's been with me ever since Yoshi left us.”

  “He's in charge. It's his responsibility,” the interrogator insisted.

  “It is my fault,” the Shuhan agreed. “I knew my brother hated him. I just never thought he’d act on it.”

  “Your brother did this? Where can I find him?”

  “Sasaki-san, I think you need to take a moment—” Shouhei began, only to be brushed off by the angry torture master.

  “Shuhan-sama,” the interrogator began formally. “I request leave to pursue, capture and interrogate the perpetrator of this crime against Takahashi-san. Should you refuse I shall request assistance from the Kages of Kobayashi and Nakamura shuudan, both of whom will be distressed at what has befallen him on your watch.”