Shadow Wolf (Shinobi Saga)

by Sessha Batto

  “But I don't want you to think Ma-ko-to,” Yoshi crooned. “Just listen and feel. Isn't that what this game is about?”

  “Yes,” the interrogator reluctantly agreed. “I suppose.”

  “So listen to me when I tell you that once I've healed, I'm going to pound that tight ass of yours until you scream my name.”

  “Oh my Kami,” Makoto managed to stammer through the haze of lust swamping his senses.

  “That will do.” The shadow wolf once again dipped his head, this time choosing to torment the wide band of scar tissue where Makoto's other nipple had been.

  “Nope, my turn.” The interrogator easily flipped the lighter man and prepared to pounce, when he caught a glimpse of a huge hairy beast looming over the end of the bed. Makoto stopped dead in his tracks. “Holy shit what the fuck is that?”

  “It's a stuffed dog... for the baby,” Yoshi explained. “So it will know I care.”

  “What baby? Why didn't you tell me you were having a baby?”

  “I can't have babies you idiot, I'm a man,” the shadow wolf growled.

  “I didn't mean having it, having it,” Makoto hastened to explain. “I meant you never said you were going to be a father. Who's the lucky girl?”

  “Mayu,” the oblivious elite explained. “Isn't it exciting. Don't worry, it was Tatsuya's idea.”

  “When did Kobayashi ask you to impregnate his wife?” the interrogator demanded in a low, deadly voice.

  “I never agreed to that,” the shadow wolf assured him. “Since when does a godfather have to do that?”

  “Slow down, what did you say?” Makoto asked.

  “Since when does a godfather have to sleep with the pregnant woman? I mean, I like Mayu and everything but no, I'm not doing it.” Yoshi decided.

  “You don't have to, sweetheart,” the interrogator hastened to explain. “I just misunderstood.”

  “That is one hell of a misunderstanding.”

  “That is one monstrous stuffed animal,” Makoto shot back. “It's bigger than Oushi. You're going to give the baby a complex.”

  “No, babies love stuffed animals,” the shadow wolf insisted. “I asked the woman at the toy store.”

  “If you say so. Now, where was I?”

  ****

  The ever stoic torture master strode through town on his way to work, the dark circles under his normally guarded eyes standing out in stark contrast to the rather frightening smile on his face. As he passed ripples of fear radiated through the shinobi and rumors began to spread as to just what had happened to make the grim man so pleased.

  “It can't be good, whatever it is,” a masked operative decided after Makoto passed reception. “The last time I saw Sasaki-taichou smile like that he was covered in blood.”

  “Good morning, boss,” his aide ventured. “Is everything alright?”

  “Peachy,” Makoto rumbled. “What's on my plate this morning?”

  “Kobayashi no Shuhan-sama asked to see you as soon as you got in,” the assistant stammered. “About the incident last night.”

  “Guess you know where I'll be then.” The interrogator broke out in another broad smile before heading back out of the office. He stopped just outside the Shuhan's doors, unsurprised to hear the former instructor haranguing his lover.

  “Why the hell do I stay with you anyway?” Daisuke ranted as the door opened and Makoto slipped in.

  “You wished to see me, Shuhan-sama?” he asked, never once looking at the abject assassin slumped on the couch.

  “I take it Yoshi's doing well?” the Shuhan asked. “How did he react to what happened last night?”

  “He was displeased,” the interrogator replied, unwilling to let even the Shuhan know just how badly the conflict had hurt the shadow wolf. “Thankfully he had other distractions. He seems just fine today.”

  “Distractions, that's why you're smiling,” Souta decided.

  “No. He's going to open a bookstore in town,” Makoto said with a brilliant smile. “He still seems enthusiastic, even though that's what started the argument in the first place.”

  “Why would they argue about a bookstore?” Daisuke scrunched his nose in thought. “I need more information, Sasaki-san.”

  “Apparently running a bookstore is considered a little 'gay' for someone of Yoshi's abilities. His insistence that he was, indeed, gay and lived with me was what pushed Masa over the edge.”

  “I see.” The Shuhan pinched his nose against the headache he knew was coming. “That's why you arrested them?”

  “Oh hell no,” the interrogator exclaimed. “'Shi-san would kill me, he can more than take care of himself. I arrested them because they referred to you as a dirty sodomite, Shuhan-sama, and threatened to remove you from office. I could not let treason like that go unpunished.”

  “That prissy little hypocrite called me a sodomite? I'm going to go have a talk with that perverted weasel.” Daisuke stormed out of the office, leaving Souta to sigh in relief at having been, for the moment at least, forgotten.

  ****

  “Finally,” Mayu fretted as she yanked open the door. “I don't care what you usually do, Yoshi, but I hate being late. What on earth is that thing?”

  “It's for the baby,” the shadow wolf explained. “Boys and girls like stuffed animals.”

  “That's very sweet, but I think it's a little large.”

  “I just want the baby to know I'm watching over it. That's why I thought a dog was good, it will remind them of me,” Yoshi explained.

  The wave of anger she felt for all her friend had been through, combined with the potent hormones surging through her bloodstream, left Mayu struggling to remain calm. “I think that's perfect, Yoshi-kun. Let's get it inside.”

  “Did I do something wrong?” the shadow wolf whispered. “I didn't mean to upset you.”

  “Oh no, no, you didn't do anything wrong,” the kunoichi hastened to assure him as she swiped at the tears leaking from her eyes.

  “Then what are these?” he asked gravely, reaching out and gently capturing a drop she'd missed from her cheek.

  “Pregnancy hormones, I cry all the time. I pee a lot too.”

  “Too much information.” Yoshi ran a hand over his face as he tried to wipe away the thought.

  The kunoichi sighed in relief when she successfully derailed the shadow wolf's line of questioning. They had an unspoken agreement not to discuss the details of Yoshi's past, an agreement she had come very close, yet again, to breaking. For the thousandth time she wished there was more she could do to help her friend, but she knew that the thing he craved most was to have things go on as normal. “Shall we get going then?” Mayu suggested. “We have a busy schedule.”

  ****

  Yoshi had developed the habit of relaxing in the furo after dinner each evening. Makoto hoped one day he would be invited to join the shadow wolf in the large soaking tub, but so far his hints had been skillfully avoided. Of course they have, the interrogator thought as he undressed and slid into the empty bed. He won't say no to me. If I came out and asked I'm sure he'd say it was okay, but only because he doesn't want to hurt me. Makoto rolled onto his side and stared blankly at the wall.

  The shadow wolf slipped into the room half an hour later, hair darkened to glistening ice as it flopped damply into his eyes, and looking much younger than his thirty-five years. He lifted the covers and slid, naked, into the bed, unconsciously molding himself against the interrogator's hard body.

  “Feel better sweetheart?” Makoto cursed internally as he felt the lithe form stiffen when he realized the interrogator was awake.

  “I'm fine,” Yoshi assured him. “Just tired.”

  “You're tense, roll over,” the interrogator urged. “Let me help you relax.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Just rub your back with some oil to loosen your muscles. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you,” the interrogator explained. “I thought you trusted me.”

  “I do trust you.” The elit
e rolled onto his stomach, suppressing the waves of panic rolling through him at exposing his back so readily.

  Makoto recognized the trust Yoshi was showing him, returning it by making sure to warm the oil in his hands first.

  Yoshi remained completely rigid, ready to instantly neutralize any threat. The interrogator's strong hands carefully eased the tension from his shoulders, moving down the length of the elite's back to his waist before turning his attentions to incredibly sensitive feet. By the time Makoto had worked his way up powerful thighs he was nearly asleep. The shadow wolf raised no protest when the soothing massage continued up to his, in Makoto's mind at least, perfectly squeezable ass.

  Taking Yoshi's relaxation as an invitation to continue, the torture master continued to squeeze and rub creamy cheeks. He finally gave in to temptation and ran a slick thumb down the crack of his lover's ass, smoothing gentle circles on the puckered ring. Makoto sent up a mental cheer when the shadow wolf gave a loud, wanton moan, pushing back against the wandering digit in an attempt to hold on to the sensation.

  “Like that, do you?” Massive hands spread Yoshi wide and the interrogator's tongue swiped a tingling path across his sensitive entrance.

  “You taste good.” Makoto dove in, licking and sucking the quivering muscle before sliding his tongue inside.

  “Stop. Stop. You can't do that. Thanks for the massage.” Yoshi said stiffly before planting a peck on the startled interrogator's cheek and rolling himself into the covers with his back to his lover, shutting his eyes and suppressing his ki in the hope of successfully feigning sleep.

  “I'm sorry sweetheart. I thought you were enjoying it.” Makoto rolled onto his back and flung his am over his eyes, willing sleep to come so he could, at least temporarily, forget the mistake he had just made.

  I was enjoying it, but that only makes it worse. With that thought blazing though his mind Yoshi finally fell into a thin, troubled sleep, leaving his psyche free to continue tormenting him in his dreams.

  “No, stop please... I can't... please, just hurt me, anything but this.” The shadow wolf whimpered, tortured sounds wrenched from the depths of his soul as he tossed and turned in an attempt to escape the terror threatening him.

  “Sweetheart,” Makoto ventured. “You need to wake up. You're having a nightmare.”

  “No don't.” The interrogator's heart clenched at the anguish he heard in the normally soft voice.

  “'Shi-san.” He tried again, reaching out to gently shake a bony shoulder. “Wake up.”

  Yoshi surged up from the bed, lip pulled back in a vicious snarl as he attacked, strong hands wrapping around the interrogator's throat and cutting off his oxygen.

  Makoto scrabbled for purchase, desperately trying to break the choke hold as wiry arms tightened inexorably, effortlessly demonstrating the skill which had earned the shadow wolf his deadly reputation.

  The interrogator redoubled his efforts as the world around him began to grow hazy, unwilling to be the catalyst that broke his fiercely proud, rigidly reserved lover. Fearing, even if he survived, this night might well put an end to the fledgling happiness he so wanted.

  “Yo... shi... sto...” Makoto managed just as grey darkened to black and he let go of his grasp to hang limp.

  Yoshi snarled ferally as he dropped the dead weight onto the bed, keen eyes searching the shadows for any other would-be attackers. Finding himself alone he pulled on his clothes and slipped out of the house, taking to the rooftops until he reached the edge of the enclave, leaping into the trees and disappearing from sight.

  “Shit, was that Takahashi-san?”

  “Hmm, where?”

  “He's gone now,” the black op grumbled. “Do you think I should call it in?”

  “Nah, it probably wasn't even him,” his partner reasoned. “Just put it in the report.”

  When shift change rolled around three hours later the pair raced to headquarters, anxious to go off duty. Their report was read, checked, and eventually dropped in Makoto's in-basket, where it waited, patiently biding its time for a man who never showed.

  By nine am the covert operations staff were in an uproar. Not only had their rigidly disciplined boss not shown up for work, he hadn't sent word of when he might return. His aide trudged up the stairs to the Shuhan's office, hoping to find out what happened to the missing interrogator.

  “Excuse me, Shuhan-sama,” the aide asked. “Have you any idea of Sasaki-sama's whereabouts? He never showed up for work this morning.”

  “I'm on it.” Souta slipped out and raced toward the Takahashi house. A soon as he reached the silent dwelling, he stretched out his ki, not wanting to walk in on anything intimate and incur the wrath of the two powerful shinobi. Finding only a single, extremely weak, pulse of ki the assassin quickly picked the lock and disabled the traps, rushing into the darkened house in search of the failing life force.

  “Holy shit.” Souta rounded the corner into the bedroom and caught sight of the interrogator's limp body hanging half off the bed. He immediately checked for a pulse, summoning medical help before beginning CPR. He never faltered, continuing until medics arrived and took over, pushing ki into Makoto's failing body before rushing him to the hospital.

  “We have a problem, Dai,” the exhausted assassin declared when he reappeared in the Shuhan's office. “I found Makoto unconscious. Someone had choked him nearly to death.”

  “Where was Yoshi?” the Shuhan asked.

  “No sign of him. There was a struggle, obviously, but the traps were in place when I arrived.”

  “You think Takahashi attacked him?” Daisuke asked.

  “It's certainly possible. Makoto wouldn't have fought back,” Souta decided. “We won't know for sure until he wakes up, or we find Yoshi.”

  “Shadows.” Instantly four masked black ops appeared in front of Daisuke. “You need to locate and retrieve Takahashi Yoshi. I would prefer it if he came peacefully, but if you must fight be careful, he may be very dangerous.”

  The search team fanned out, each one traveling in a different direction, scanning for the shadow wolf's distinctive ki.

  Souta and Daisuke raced to the hospital, hoping to get some information on exactly what had happened. The distraught Shuhan grabbed the first medic he saw, pinning the man in place. “Where is Sasaki-san? Is he going to be alright?”

  “He's still being treated, Shuhan-sama,” the flustered nin stammered. “If you let go of me I'll go check on how he's doing.”

  “Sorry,” Daisuke muttered, an embarrassed blush creeping across his cheeks. “That was uncalled for.”

  The medic slipped into a treatment room and reappeared a few minutes later. “He's alive, Shuhan-sama. But the tissues of his throat are heavily damaged, he won't be able to speak for several days.”

  “Is he conscious? Can he write?” Souta asked. “We need answers and Sasaki-san is the only one who can give them to us.”

  “Not yet. I'll tell the medics you need to speak with him. I'm afraid that's the best I can do.”

  “Thank you, we'll be waiting.” Daisuke pulled the assassin over to a pair of empty chairs and pushed him into one. “Stop it, Sou. There's nothing you can do until we find out exactly what happened.”

  ****

  The shadow wolf woke with a start, dropping silently out of the tree he'd slept in to check his surroundings. He wasn't sure where he was, or who he was, for that matter, but he knew someone, or something, was after him, and he didn't want to be caught.

  Yoshi relaxed slightly when he located no nearby ki. He quickly located a spring and drank a few handsful of water before retreating to the safety of the treetops to puzzle out his next move.

  He was still lounging casually in the crook of a branch when a masked nin dropped from above to land in front of him. “Yoshi-senpai,” he murmured respectfully. “The Kobayashi no Shuhan requests your presence.”

  Kobayashi no Shuhan, Kobayashi no Shuhan— The shadow wolf turned the unfamiliar words over in his mind, eventually co
ming up with an image of an elderly man with hard, hurting hands. “No, I won't go. You can't make me.”

  “I don't want to make you do anything, senpai,” the black op assured him. “Souta and Daisuke are worried about you.”

  “Daisuke?” the shadow wolf muttered, unsure why it sounded familiar.

  “Yes, Sato Daisuke. He's worried about you. Would you come with me to see him, please?”

  “Not the Kobayashi no Shuhan. Daisuke?”

  “I'll take you straight to him. We'll teleport, shall we?” The black op grabbed a pale wrist as his free hand traced the signs, reappearing in the Shuhan's empty office.

  “You said you'd take me to Sato-san,” Yoshi husked. “This is the Shuhan's office.”

  The operative frantically scanned for the Shuhan's ki, locating it in the hospital waiting room. “My mistake, senpai. He was here earlier. I know where to find him.” He quickly snagged the elite's arm and moved them once again, this time landing directly in front of a startled Daisuke.

  “Yoshi, what happened?” The Shuhan noted the disheveled state of the shadow wolf's clothes.

  “He was in a tree outside the village. He doesn't seem to really know where he is. He definitely doesn't want to see the Kobayashi no Shuhan,” the black op explained. “I don't know what happened to him, but he certainly isn't himself.”

  “What happened to Makoto?” Souta asked. “He almost died. You haven't even asked where he is.”

  “He's in Iwagashi shuudan,” Yoshi spat back. “Everyone knows that. And he can rot there as far as I'm concerned. I'm not going to rescue him.”

  “No, Takahashi-san,” Daisuke assured him. “Makoto's here in the village. You don't have to go anywhere.”

  The rigid posture relaxed somewhat, the elite unfurling himself to gaze blankly around the waiting room. “Where are we?”

  “We're in the hospital, in the waiting room,” the Shuhan continued in the same gentle tone. “The medic should be out soon to let us know how Sasaki-san is doing.”

  “The Shuhan isn't sending me to Iwagashi shuudan?”