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Ashes to Ashes-Ashwalker.

Red tongues licked at the aged wood as pale fingers shoved their way through the thin spaces between slats. A column of rising black smoke rose to the horizon in a nearly straight line, almost like a grave marker.
There was little wind in that hot, dry summer and only the faint haze of rising thermals stirred the long black coat of the nin on the hillside.
Streams of fire coursed over the building swiftly, burning the wood black and collapsing the recently constructed building in on those trapped inside it like a fist of fire slowly closing.
The nin waited until the ashes had settled and, too late, the villagers arrived to help.
Later the incident would be blamed on the lack of rainfall that summer which had depleted the lake and dried the wooden building to tinder wood and a fallen tree in the wrong place in the wrong time.
The deeper story would only be seen the official mission report; how a clan known to bear a grudge against Konoha had been granted permission to build a shinobi academy for their children, how a few embers wrapped in a clay shell had been ignited in the buildings foundations with any trace of their existence erased by the fire they started. How ten minutes and a sharp axe had killed an entire generation of Konoha's enemies.
For the people of the tiny Land of Cherry Blossoms it was the greatest tragedy in their history.
For the Root Nin turning away from the blaze...it was tuesday.

The carved mask he wore did not resemble any worn by the ANBU of Konoha. It served a function other than to conceal his identity, it contained filters that let him breath even the blackest smoke like fresh air. Every inch of his skin was covered by thick fire-proof material, stained a permanent black by ashes. His hands were covered by thick ridged gloves that allowed him to tend a growing fire from its very heart.
The mask he wore had large bulbous eyes of a clear smoke-proofed glass and a filter shaped like an insects mouthparts; a mask of nightmares modelled after one very special insect.
A firefly.
The nin washed the scent of ashes from every inch of his body before he dared to even head in the same direction as the village that had given him this mission. The mask of a specialist in Arson was stowed away and replaced by a more ordinary mask of a Dog.
With not even the highly trained Nin of his own cell being able to tell where he had gone in his absence he rejoined his ANBU unit.

His usual codename was Haru and he was one of the higher ranking ANBU, trusted by the Hokage's to obey orders. He had married early to a woman he had met selling flowers by the roadside and even without children they had made a happy home together.
The fact that he reported directly to the elder Danzo was not well known, or that his marriage had been arranged solely so his wife could be used as a hostage in a difficult treaty agreement.
From the time when he was still young and going through the harsh training Root demanded of those it had taken in he had a particularly strong affinity for the fire chakra element, an affinity that was moulded by further training to make one of the most prized arsonists in the organization. Not only could Haru set any target ablaze in record time he could do so in a way that left no evidence of it being anything but an unfortunate accident.
His life was in the blazing heart of heat, ever since his parents were killed in the first fire he had ever seen.

As the years passed his techniques came both sharper and less often used, for fear he would be discovered. As the missions ordained by Root became less common Haru found himself spending more time with the ANBU unit he was assigned to even outside of missions. Despite having spent years learning enough about them to evade them it was only know that he came to know the quirks of each individual.
He came along with them to the bar after each mission, just to hang out and share a couple of drinks while they talked about what they were going to do when they got back to Konoha. He spent more time with his wife and, before the end of the year, had his first child; a young daughter who had her mother's good looks but his bright eyes.
It was impossible for him not to love her after she reached out her chubby baby fingers and grabbed his hand in hers.
Developing and maintaining his fire starting devices was neglecting in exchange for spending time with his little girl.

Sallow lines traced their way across his face as Haru grew older. The fires were less common as younger Root members took over the fire starting to deflect suspicion from any individual. His missions were now exclusively overt with the devices he created for starting fires provided to other members of the Root. His daughter was three now with long black hair just like him.
He was summoned into the Hokage's office and told his team mates had advised he retire from active duty to spend more time with his family, after how happy his new daughter had made him. It wasn't uncommon for a ninja to retire from the battlefield after a certain age and focus on desk work and he had no prepared excuse.
Haru accepted the offer and returned home under the watchful eyes of the Hokage's loyalist ANBU.

Danzo was furious, his perfect firestarter was now confined to the village and out of his jurisdiction.
The Root trained ANBU was irreversibly locked inside the village without even the access to the Hokage that would make the position valuable; his worth had come to an end and all that was left was the years worth of discriminatory knowledge in the man's head, knowledge of sufficient death to get Danzo himself executed for crimes against humanity as they called it in peace time.
If there was one thing the bandaged elder knew what to do it was how to burn his bridges...

Secretly a small drug was added to the water supply of Haru's village home. A few drops of a clear oil were added to the water tank on the roof; the potent drug dissolving into near invisibility as it was diluted.
Taken pure the drug would completely erase a mind to the point the body it had been contained in forgot even how to breathe but in small quantities taken regularly it would dissolve memories slowly.
Haru was old for a ninja, old enough that the memory loss would be attributed to early senility, the hallucinations merely a sign of an aged brain starting to break down and any trace of Haru's fire starting past would be firmly wiped away.

For two weeks new supplies of the drug were added to the water to allow the drug to permeate the entire household. Haru's wife complained of forgetting the face of her grandmother and the location of her keys; his daughter was injured during a ball game with friends after she caught sight of a strange glimpse of light from the corner of her eye and forgot to catch the ball. Textbook perfect symptoms that proved the drug was working.
Haru himself showed no sign of any effects, with a ninja's stoic attitude he ignored the crippling headaches that pounded him constantly and took a few pain pills with a large glass of water to stay hydrated.
After two days he could no longer concentrate on his paperwork, after four he could no longer be trusted outside of the house.

Everywhere he looked he saw flames...
His sleep was haunted by the flickering tongues of fire and whenever he closed his eyes he saw them dance and twist inside him, calling in soft whispering voices of light.
Haru had been allergic to the drug meant to suppress his memories and instead of erasing the flames made them grow all the stronger. The ex-ANBU first became a prisoner in his own home then in his own body, mouthing incoherent sentences and garbled words.
The plan to silence him had made him talk, disjointed babbling about the flames. For the first few days of his condition his wife tended to him carefully and tried to sooth his fears with soft words. His daughter was sent away to relatives so she did not have to see her beloved father in such a state.
Haru began to wander, drawn in like a moth to any place the warmth and light of a flame burnt. He became a genuine danger as the words that fell from his lips became more and more coherent.
Root looked for the opening they needed to destroy him.

One day Haru slipped out of bed while his wife was preparing a soothing tea for him and went down into the basement. Though he moved like one in a dream he recalled the hand signs to undo the seal lock swiftly and, unattended, rested in the dark with his suit of fireproof fabric and three clay devices in which distant embers still burnt strong.
The drug had robbed him of his senses and put nothing in their place but desire to feel the warmth of flames once more.
With fumbling fingers he put on the fire suit once again, leaving the insect-eyed mask by the side as he struck a match. The tiny spark of golden flame shone in the darkness of the cellar like a star as he touched it to the fuse.

Flames licked up the dried wood swiftly, the fire lighting the darkness of the basement for nearly an hour before an incautiously opened door let the blaze leap upwards into the body of the house.
It burnt from the inside out, reducing pretty painted screens and wooden panelling to charcoal dust before stretching out hungry fingers to the neighbouring houses.
The Root Nin struck before the blaze had been officially reported, nin trained to replace their flawed superior.
In their own fire suits they had entered the heart of the blaze with him and with care cut out Haru's tongue and pressed the bloodied dagger into his own hands while their former senpai stared vacantly at the swirling fires.
They had too little time to finish the job and make it look like the man had caused his own death or been killed in the fire but the irony of the punishment was amusing enough to grant him further life.

Found curled like a child in the ashes the Ex-ANBU was declared without a doubt insane and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in an asylum. His wife had been killed when she incautiously opened a door in an attempt to find him; his daughter had been relocated for her own safety and lived with a foster family but all he saw was flames.
The crackle of the fire was like a voice calling itself towards him, everywhere he looked he saw the pale ghosts of flames licking upwards and asking him to make them real.
He spent years alone in the dark, eating with his bare hands and sounding harsh cries from his tongue less mouth as he clutched at the imagined flames.
Fire...Fire was life and death in one.

Haru remained imprisoned for so long it was forgotten he existed at all. The flame damaged houses were demolished and replaced and the villager's eyes turned to more important issues than what had caused the sudden breakdown of an experienced ANBU.
So the man who had died and been reborn in the ashes of his old life remained unheard of until the day when a careless intern happened to drop a lit cigarette outside the wrong door.
He fought like an animal to retrieve that one glowing ember and sheltered it in his palms as it grew and grew.
His cell blazed and he felt the burn of the flames as a warm lapping on his skin as the golden light spread around him. His skin blistered and burnt but he couldn't feel anything but the cruel joy of the flames.
At the heart of the starting fire he was given up as lost and he burnt with no concern for anything but spreading the flame.

His aged face was curiously free of burns as his long hair started to burn down to his scalp and the fires parted around a figure like an angel with wings of charcoal black.
Darkness enfolded him, carrying through the solid walls like the stone was nothing more than thick smoke and into comforting arms. The blaze, contained in the cell of the man it had contained, burnt to nothingness and left no trace of the ex-ANBU who had been imprisoned there.
Officially he was marked as dead; the insane fire raiser mourned by no one but a little girl who would soon come to forget her father's face but he was carried away through the sleeping houses and past the watchful eyes to the place where the trees took all those that came to them and gave nothing back.
His wounds were healed, leaving nothing but the streaked scars across his body and some attempt to cure his condition was made to no avail.
Despite his weakened state he still desperately tried to seek out the warmth of a flame, wandering far from his hospital bed to the closest blaze he saw on the horizon.
More than once he would startle camping students by appearing from the treeline to sit and watch their fire but he could not be dissuaded.

He was pronounced Ashwalker; a spirit neither dead nor alive but sealed in the form of a mortal body and devoted to the flames that had created him. With his severed tongue he could not tell his story and what actions he made were jerky and unpredictable, driven by the desire for flames and little else.
Soon the Ashwalker attached himself, as the one who saved him knew he would, to another born of the flames who treated the man as a cross between a pet and a servant. In return for being allowed to watch the play of fire once again and bring it forth from his own hands the Ashwalker became ever loyal as the man he once was.
As a child the son of a volcano god confided in him and cared for him, as a young man Hiroshi attempted to cure him.

The golden fires of healing haloed the man's body. The Ashwalker was old now, his ragged hair grey and his face deeply gouged with lines of the emotions he had felt and scars from the fires he had set.
The darts of fire went to the most serious wounds on instinct, repairing the age old burns and removing some of the lines of stress from his face but there was no hope of restoring the man he once was or the love he used to feel.
Inside his head there was nothing but the steady dance of flames and that could not be fixed.

Kamoryu Kappa X Tsuyoi Gia-Chance Encounter

The Kappa Clan boy was irritated as he strode through the smooth stone tunnels of Kemurigakure’s one city with a pack of sweet seaweed dumplings, a six pack of Onigiri and a steaming paper box containing a whole smoked duck. Like most of his clan he had filed his teeth to impressive points for a shark-toothed grin and one snaggletooth he has refused to get straightened protrudes down as he makes his way towards the massive bronze doors of the Gia Clan.

His tail, handsome with bold stripes of white and rust-red, clings to his skin as it traps moisture between its delicate folds. He runs the tip of his tongue across his drying lips.

Damn the person who decided the build a clan hall here, so far away from the any Kappa Clan water tunnel or even the possibility of the cool touch of rain. The warmth of the ground under his bare feet was drying him out.

Juggling his packages into place across the white smock that marked him as a novice of the Chef’s Guild he manages to knock on the doors, making the metal ring like a bell. He squints at the small scrap of paper taped to the top of the largest package. Behind the red ink stamp that marks the order on the Clan’s tab neatly printed characters in black ink spell out a name.

Gia Tsuyoi.

As a Clan formed nearly entirely of highly skilled craftsmen few of the Gia Clan took the time from their precious projects to cook, if they had learned at all. Instead they ordered food extensively from the guild and making the deliveries was a habitual job for novices. How he hated having to leave the water to tramp through sweltering tunnels that stunk of metal and charcoal. It was no help at all for his dream of being a proper Kappa Chef.

The doors slowly part, well-oiled hinges meaning they slide apart almost silently as if they were as light as flower petals on the water’s surface.

“State your business.” The sentry says in a bored tone, holding a three foot long copper rod in one hand. Sharp prongs at the end pointing towards the Kappa Clan boy crackle with an arc of blue electricity between them.

He stinks of soot and sweat and the Kappa Clan boy tries not to wrinkle his nose in disgust as he looks back at the scrap of paper. Condensation from the curling steam has started to curl its edges.
“Delivery for a Gia Tsuyoi; twelve pack of seaweed dumplings, six Onigiri and whole smoky roast duck. On the tab.” He recites, trying to get a tighter grip on the packet of Onigiri as it starts to creep from his arms.

The arc of lightning disappears as the sentry stands aside to let him in and the doors slide closed. Behind the doors sits a small workbench and a stool. Spread out on the bench is a black velvet roll of cloth containing both gleaming silver tools of incredible delicacy and an assortment of tiny bits of metal. The rod is propped against the bench as the sentry sits back down on his seat.

“Tsuyoi…Go down to the third corridor on the left, take the first right, right, left, take the stairs down to the fourth floor, the first left and he’s the third room on the right.” The sentry recites.

A waft of duck-scented steam hits the Kappa Boy in the face as he tries to get all three of the bulky packages back into order. He looks back up at the sentry.

“Can you repeat that?” He asks but the sentry has already picked up whatever spindly metal thing he’s working on and in intent on using a pair of tweezers to slot a gear the size of a pinhead into place. His warm burdens clutched close to his chest the Kappa boy rolls his golden eyes in derision.

Gias.

Counting out the doors the Chef’s Guild novice walks down the main hall. A long table made of one impossibly large plank of wood runs down the centre of the dining hall. Torches of real bright orange flame rather than the usual clean burning Weirlights light the room from intricate wrought iron brackets on the wall. The Clan emblem of the large square toothed gear, half the emblem of the Maker’s Guild, looms over at the head of the table. The entire clan ate one meal a day together as a family of over a hundred, counting the branch family. Until then anyone who wanted to eat got something delivered.
Third corridor on the left, the Kappa boy turns away from the main hall into the stone corridors lined with the clan member’s rooms. The workshops were the furthest along, closest to the heat of the volcano’s living heart. Thankfully he didn’t have to go anywhere near there.

Ignoring any Gia Clansmen that pass him in the corridors just as they are ignoring him the novice tries to recall the sentry’s rapid instructions. He’d taken the third corridor, then the first right…and another right.

Then a left…Was it left again?

The copper colour of iron railings reminds him. He takes a step towards the stairwell, counting off the floors as he descends. The ironwork of the braziers becomes less artful as he descends, marking this floor as less important and less seen by guests.

One white door is painted with a numerical symbol; fourth floor.

The Kappa Clan boy’s forehead furrows as he looks at the corridor beyond. Tracks are clear in the floor for some sort of cart-like device to go across and instead of the comfortable planed wood doors of the upstairs rooms the doors here are massive round iron gates, studded with rivets.

Awkwardly holding the three packages the Kappa Clan boy swears he is going to hit someone if they’ve ordered food for one of their ******** automatons he counts off the doors. Still looking for some sign of human habitation he comes to the first corridor and a name engraved on the top of one of the doors catches his eye.

Tsuyoi.

Finally he can ditch the food and get out of here. His skin feels like it has been saturated in soot from all the torches and the hot packets are uncomfortable against the bare green skin of his arms.
Irritably the Chef’s Guild novice hammers on the iron door.
“Food’s here!” He yells out.
There is a distant crash and the sound of something breaking from the other side of the door before with a creaking the large circle of iron swings inwards.

“Yes?” A voice asks politely, blue eyes peering around the corner. Black lensed goggles rest in his hair from where they have just been pulled back from his eyes. The boy beyond has long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, something that marks him as a full-blooded member of the Main branch. Unlike most Gia Clan members who preferred full body covering to prevent burns he is dressed for what looks more like physical exercise than metalwork; a sleeveless white shirt and short pants.

“Food.” The Kappa Clan boy says impatiently, shoving the boxes into his arms.

The Gia Clan member is not expecting it and fumbles the catch, causing all three boxes to tumble to the ground. The box containing the duck ends up on its side with an open lid.
“Oh dear!” The Gia Clan member is immediately on his knees trying to gather up his lunch. “Please can you give me a hand?”

With a sigh the Kappa Clan boy impatiently tips the duck the right side up, doing up the lid and after watching the Gia Clan boy fumble uselessly for the other two boxes picks them up to dump them on the nearest clear patch of bench. The paper is starting to fall apart.

“Thank you.” A faint blush runs across the blonde’s cheeks as he straightens up.

The novice can’t help but have a bit of a look around. This area is a lot more spacious than any of the upstairs rooms would be and instead of the usual cramped workshops he had delivered to before this place has only a small workbench litter with robot parts and a standard smelter and cooling troth. Overall it looked like a gym with metal weights hanging from chains, a few solid punching bags of red and a round mat in the centre of the floor for wrestling.

“You wrestle?” The Kappa Clan boy asks casually. Wrestling was a big thing in the clan, a good fighter was an attractive mate and he in particular knew how to thrash an opponent. Compared to some of the guys he had fought though this guy was a twig. Sure, he had some muscle but any poser could work out for a bit to get bulked up then act like they knew about the sport.
Something of his thoughts comes across in the novice’s tone.

“Of course.” The Gia Clan boy says defensively. “I was just finishing up a match when you arrived.”
Golden eyes look across to where a wooden training dummy has been tossed into a shelving unit. Mechanical parts spread everywhere from the bent shelves.

“You ever wrestle anything animate?” The Kappa Clan boy says sarcastically.

The Gia Clan boy’s face is bright red now from a strange combination of anger and embarrassment.
“Why, if it were permitted-” He starts to say.
The Kappa Clan boy steps onto the mat and beckons.

“Come on, let’s go a few rounds.” He grins, showing every one of his sharpened teeth. “And if I win you give me a bit of that duck before I go.”

After all he’s carried the damn thing all this way with the appetizing scent wafting out. If there’s some way he can sneak a bite he wants some.

Tsuyoi’s face goes even redder at that and the Gia Clan member steps onto the mat as well, taking a defensive stance.
“I’m afraid that isn’t going to happen.” He says, blue eyes meeting golden ones but it is completely obvious from his tone that he is rather keen on the idea of having a live opponent.

“What, you think you’re stronger than Kappa Kamoryu?” The Kappa boy teases.
“Well it is in my name.” The Gia Clan boy smiles and Kamoryu uses the opening to lunch forwards and wrap his arms around his opponent’s waist.

The other boy twists and reaches down and the Kappa Clan boy ends up pinned on his back. He struggles to get free but for all his skinny body the grip the Gia Clan boy has is like iron and he can’t budge an inch.

“O.k. I give.” He pants out at the tough grip that held him pinned is released.
The Kappa Clan boy rubs at his arms where the firm touch has bruised his flesh. It doesn’t even look like he had been squeezing.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” The Gia Clan boy fusses drawing backwards as he notices the bruises.

“Yeah, you’ll be sorry!” Gathering himself back up Kamoryu charges again. His opponent braces himself against the side of the mat and suddenly it’s like trying to push a brick wall. The Kappa Clan boy slumps over and finds himself being picked up and flipped again.

“Best…three out of five?” The Kappa Clan boy grins.
Even if he did smell of sweat and metal this was a lot more entertaining than his usual boring deliveries.

“Uh, well. It’s not really permitted…that is I’m not allowed…Never really had…” The Gia Clan boy stutters as he starts to sweat with nervousness.

“Right, this is to do with your Kekkai Genkai thing right?” Kamoryu sardonically drawls.

He’d never paid much attention to those classes at school but he remembered something about the Gia Clan Kekkai Genkai; that it was exclusive to the pure blooded main branch and it had something to do with muscle mass. All that he really remembered about it was that apparently none of the Gias with it could swim; something that struck him as hilarious at the time.

“You should really leave; I’m not allowed to have guests over. Something might happen.” Tsuyoi replies nervously. For a guy that could actually fight he seemed overly apologetic for it.

Kamoryu raises an eyebrow.

“Ladies man are you?” He asks and causes the Gia to blush even deeper. Man, was it easy to make this guy nervous.

“N-No, I just don’t want to accidentally hurt anyone. Don’t you have somewhere else you have to be?” The Gia Clan boy apprehensively rubs his hands together.

“No.” Kamoryu says bluntly and it’s completely true. It’s technically his lunch break and he has plenty of time to himself. “Come on, I’m bound to win eventually.”

“Not necessarily.” The Gia Clan boy takes another defensive stance and Kamoryu grins.

This time when the blonde grabs him Kamoryu manages to twist, jabbing the long spines of his folded tail into a patch of exposed flesh just under the Gia Clan boy’s knee.

The blonde grunts in surprise but merely tightens his grip as the paralytic venom that tips each spine starts to weaken his muscles.
Even with his grip starting to slacken the Gia Clan boy is still solid as a rock.

Twisting around the Kappa Clan boy relies on the shock factor and kisses his opponent hard. The Gia Clan boy freezes and Kamoryu swiftly turns around and pins the blonde to the ground.

“See, I win.” The Kappa smirks then blinks his golden eyes. “Hey, are you o.k.?”

The Gia Clan boy gulps, a strange look in his blue eyes as his face goes bright red. He doesn’t even make an attempt to get up.

“T-That was my first kiss.” He says softly, his face flushed a bright red.

The Kappa Clan boy pauses.

“Are you ******** with me?” He asks. “You’ve got to be what, nineteen, and you’ve never been kissed?” Kamoryu starts to laugh.
“That’s sort of pathetic.”

The Gia Clan boy laughs too.

“Yeah it is.”

The two laugh together until the awkwardness of the moment causes them both to stop. Kamoryu founds his gaze being drawn towards Tsuyoi’s lips.

Impulsively the Kappa Clan boy leans in and kisses him again. The Gia Clan boy blushes deeply and makes a tiny noise as he opens his mouth a fraction.
A hungry silence falls as the two kiss deeply, the Gia boy uncertainly moving his tongue as the Kappa Clan boy easily takes over.

Roughly the Kappa breaks the kiss, his green tinged skin starting to flush as well. <********, I need water.” He swears as he straightens up.

“P-Please don’t move like that.” The Gia Clan boy says in a small voice, his face screwing up with embarrassment.

“What, already?” Kamoryu teases, standing anyway. The Gia Clan boy flushes embarrassedly as the venom now pulsing through his body makes him feel weaker than ever.

“Where the ******** do you keep the water? Don’t you have a bath or something?” Kamoryu swears. The wrapped tissue of his tail has suddenly become constrictive and without a source of water to keep the membrane layers separate he just can’t get comfortable.

“There’s the reservoir where I cool the metal but I…uh…”

The words “can’t swim” are forced back down Tsuyoi’s throat as Kamoryu grabs hold of him again, already dragging the blonde towards the shallow basin of water.

Kappa Kamoryu x Gia Tsuyoi-Token of my affections

Light gleamed off the round lenses of glass as one sapphire blue eye is enlarged ten times behind the magnifying lens.

It blinks once as a tiny gear is slotted into place with a small ‘click’. The lens is slid back as the Gia relaxes with a soft sigh and examines his creation.

Even though he fulfilled the requirements to become clan head Tsuyoi knew that this token would be his true masterpiece; made not to impress his superiors of his talent but to show a golden eyed boy that he really loved him.

Tsuyoi stills the tremors of his hand as he carefully wipes the metal clean with a soft cloth.

More than the form he had filled out it was this gift that would determine Kamoryu’s feelings for him. The Gia Clan boy had put many sleepless nights of effort into its creation, pouring heart and soul into the metalwork.

Every part of it, from the tough outer shell to the hair-fine inner workings, had been handcrafted from metal ores Tsuyoi had selected himself and melted down in the Gia Clan furnaces then cast into shape and cooled in his own workshop.

Now it was finally done. He’d change his clothes, wipe down his workbench then see if
Kamoryu could come around tomorrow when he could make a formal presentation.

Carefully picking up the token as if it was made of glass Tsuyoi tucks it away safe from damage in the drawers of his workbench.

The fire has faded to the cherry red embers, filling the cavernous stone room with low red-tinted light and dry waves of warmth. There was never any light here but the fire’s flare and the pale blue glow of the Weirlights but it was getting late.

Now he was no longer focusing intently on his work he realizes he is hungry. Concentrating he manages to pick up his milk without cracking the glass and gulps it down.

Leaving his workbench for the first time in hours the tall blonde gives a barely perceptible shrug and strides over to the small alcove that served as his kitchen. There was still some left over noodles he can reheat in the microwave.

He is surprised to hear a knock then the great iron slab of the door swings inwards (he never locked it unless he was wrestling or some other potentially hazardous activity.)

“Seriously, warmed over takeout again?” The Kappa clan boy wrinkles his olive green nose in disgust. “How are you still alive if this is all you eat?”

“I-I make sure my diet is balanced between the necessary amounts of fruits, vegetables and grains.” Tsuyoi replies, not expecting the question or the visitor.

Kamoryu puts down the packages he’d been carrying on the long metal table that was both Tsuyoi’s workbench and dining table.

“That’s not living, that’s merely surviving.” He snaps, unwrapping the protective baking paper covering from each package. “One cannot truly live on mediocre food; the body is nourished but without the soul is starved. It is a shallow existence robbed of the true beauty real food should bring and as a chef it is my duty to make sure you are experiencing life to the full not just chewing cud like a mindless cow.”

Kamoryu’s words are unexpectedly vehement. Tsuyoi can’t remember hearing the Kappa ever sounding so fired up about something before.

“Just because you live underground doesn’t mean you have to be deprived of the finer things in life and, for that end, I have made you dinner personally.”

Kamoryu proudly lays out a hard wood slab with a display of fresh sushi rolls in front of Tsuyoi along with a small clay mug filled with Miso soup and a pair of chopsticks.

“Sit.” The Kappa boy orders and applies firm pressure to Tsuyoi’s shoulders.

The Gia Clan boy crumples to his knees with a thump and blushes with embarrassment at how easily he fell.

Kamoryu doesn’t notice or if he does he doesn’t mention it as he breaks apart the chopsticks and hands them to Tsuyoi.

The Gia Clan boy is nervous; he grips the wood too tightly and it shatters in his hands. Kamoryu frowns.

“I’m so sorry!” Tsuyoi flushes bright red to the tips of his ears as he swiftly bows his head in apology. He drops the splinters onto the table. Why was it so hard to control himself?

With a small snap Kamoryu breaks apart his own chopsticks and gives Tsuyoi a look the Gia doesn’t recognize.

“Well I’ve already cooked for you so…here.” The sticks dart out and with a degree of precision Tsuyoi envied, pick up a roll. “Say ‘aaah’.”

The Gia boy blinks his sparkling blue eyes in confusion.

“Y-you, you’re going to-”

Kamoryu shuffles himself along the side of the table; instead of simply sitting next to Tsuyoi he is now so close to the Gia that their shoulders brush.
Golden eyes stare directly into blue. A pale green hand with webbed fingers lays itself on top of his and squeezes gently.

“Try it.” Kamoryu says softly and Tsuyoi can’t help but submit to that tone of voice.

He takes a bite and under the Kappa’s watchful gaze slowly chews and swallows.

“It’s good.” He says, having half-expected something like all the other meals the Kappa has delivered to him.

Kamoryu frowns.

“You don’t have to sound so surprised. I made it after all.” The dark-haired boy states with an arrogant toss of his black curls. “If you’re going to be like that I’m not sure if you deserve another bite.”

“You know I didn’t mean anything by it!” Tsuyoi protests as the other half of the roll is waved about teasingly out of his reach. “I’ve just never had proper sushi before. Kamoryu, Kamo-”

His protest is cut short as Kamoryu gleefully shoves the last bite into his mouth. It really was good, the fish must have been caught fresh only this morning and the sticky rice was light and fluffy. A savoury sauce of some kind had been drizzled over it but it served to enhance rather than hide the flavour of the fish itself.

He swallows and Kamoryu picks up the cup of Miso Soup. The Gia goes to protest that he can pick up the cup at least but as soon as he opens his mouth Kamoryu has poured some of the warm soup inside and is selecting the next piece of sushi.

The Kappa’s hand is warm on his…Tsuyoi swallows and obediently opens his mouth.
As Kamoryu feeds him he softly explains what each piece was and how it was prepared to underline exactly how special it was.

Tsuyoi waits with wide eyes, obeying every signal of Kamoryu’s as the Kappa Clan boy details the battle needed to kill the deadly Akuma Fish, a creature nearly twenty foot in length with teeth the size of kunai, to obtain the only part of edible flesh which was now resting between his chopsticks.

Kamoryu’s taste is exquisite, alternating various flavours of seafood and poultry to give Tsuyoi the widest possible range of flavours. All the while his hand rests of Tsuyoi’s, the skin contact pleasantly warming.

The Kappa’s dark hair is brushing against his shoulder as Kamoryu moves even closer. He’s practically sitting on the Gia’s lap now.

“Is this…turning you on?” Tsuyoi asks quietly and is treated to the rare sight of Kamoryu looking flustered as he swiftly pulls back.

“I-I like to see people enjoying my food.” He protests, cheeks turning a darker jade green. He was blushing!

“There’s nothing wrong.” Tsuyoi reassures him. “I thought it was kind of cute.”

“You’re the cute one!” Kamoryu protests as if it was an insult, snatching up the last piece of Sushi and holding it in front of Tsuyoi.

Deferentially Tsuyoi takes a bite of the offered roll, aware of Kamoryu’s golden eyes intently focused on him as he slowly chews and swallows.

With a soft sigh he relaxes and leans back a fraction. He hasn’t eaten like this in a long time, most of his meals were just what was leftover eaten quickly so he could get back to work.

“You’ve got a little something…Here.”

Kamoryu reaches over the Gia and wipes away a spot of sauce at the corner of the corner of the blonde’s mouth. Tsuyoi looks up at him and the Kappa looks down.

The pause that follows is laden with tension, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Tsuyoi opens his mouth as if to say something and swallows. Kamoryu carefully licks away the tiny smear of sauce; Tsuyoi’s blue eyes follow the path of his red tongue.

Kamoryu leans in, grabs Tsuyoi by his gorgeous golden hair and kisses him. The Gia’s mouth tastes like nori and rice and squid, flavours he usually wouldn’t consider sexy but became irresistible on Tsuyoi.

The Gia kisses him back, curling his arms around Kamoryu’s waist as the Kappa climbs fully on top of him. They press so close each one can feel the other’s beating hearts. The Kappa slips his webbed hand under the dark cloth of Tsuyoi’s shirt and strokes his fingers across the hard muscle there.

For a while there is no noise apart from the smacking of lips and a small moan from Tsuyoi as Kamoryu starts to rub their hips together. Both of them are obviously aroused by this point, the blonde’s pants tenting as Kamoryu grinds hard against him.

The kiss breaks and the two look at each other.

“Water.” They both say at the same time and smile small smiles.

Carefully Kamoryu eases himself off Tsuyoi’s lap and helps the Gia to his feet. The pool of water used for cooling metal had become like a bed for them; unless he was submerged in water Kamoryu couldn’t part his tail.

His plans had been to show everything off tomorrow but it looked like Kamoryu had simply gotten in early.

Tsuyoi bends down and hauls aside the wooden cover, revealing the hole in the stone had been enlarged fully renovated to a proper bath.

A pattern of pale blue and green tiles seems to gleam in the Weirlight, the mosaic depicting fish and water plants. The rough rim Tsuyoi had used to support himself had been replaced by a neatly tiled stair all the way around and the entire thing had been fitted into the water mains, a gentle current now ran through the entire pool and made the surface of the water ripple.

Kamoryu strips off his smart white shirt, now rumpled, and drops it to the side. Gracefully he slips into the water, leaning against the new rows of tiling as his slit pupil eyes watch Tsuyoi strip off his dark shirt and shorts and slip into the water next to him.

The Kappa’s boldly striped tail spreads out behind him, the fine layer of skin unwrapping from its position around his waist now there enough moisture to allow him to move it.

The delicate spines that ran through it trace their way across the tiles as Kamoryu enfolds them both in the silky smooth white membrane. A spine scratches Tsuyoi’s ankle, drawing a tiny droplet of blood and administering just enough of the weakening venom to deaden Tsuyoi’s Kekkai Genkai.

The Kappa’s webbed hands stroke up Tsuyoi’s bare thighs, gripping the blonde’s legs and lifting them up around his waist. The Gia dutifully tightens their grip to keep them there.

The kiss is resumed, hungrier and messier than last time. Tsuyoi’s back curls inwards as Kamoryu’s warm hands rub over the curves of his a** and slips in a finger to prepare him. The Kappa’s tongue plunges aggressively in and out of Tsuyoi’s mouth as the Gia boy submissively yields to every one of Kamoryu’s touches.

Webbed fingers stroke his insides one last time, jabbing teasingly close to his prostate, before withdrawing and instead taking a grip on the Gia’s hard c**k.

Tsuyoi moans into their kiss as Kamoryu firmly rubs his hand up and down the Gia’s arousal a few times then runs his hand down his own erection.

The Kappa carefully bites Tsuyoi’s lip as he breaks the kiss. The blonde boy in his arms looks up at him with sparkling blue eyes as he leans in and bites at the curve of the Gia’s ear.

“Get ready.” He says in a hoarse whisper as he adjusts the set of his body.

His azure eyes wide and trusting of his partner Tsuyoi tightly grips the tiles beside him as Kamoryu thrusts into him.

It hurts but Tsuyoi welcomes the small pain as deliciously rare proof of his own vulnerability. Kamoryu’s arms entwine with his, holding him in position as the Kappa’s agile mouth trails bites along the Gia’s neck and whispers soft words of encouragement.

Tsuyoi moans and whimpers deliciously with every motion of Kamoryu’s hips, his back bouncing against the newly laid tiles with every thrust. His legs tighten around Kamoryu’s waist as the Kappa gasps and leans in closer.
Running his bright red tongue along green lips Kamoryu leans in close as he thrusts, close enough to smell Tsuyoi’s skin.

The Gia moans again, head held back and mouth wide open as his muscles clench tightly around Kamoryu’s c**k. The Kappa gasps as if for air and drives in faster, grabbing Tsuyoi and squeezing him close against his muscled chest. The ornate tattoo that rippled across his left shoulder down his back; a red and blue scaled koi leaping from the waves in front of a golden-orange sunset, wriggled like a live fish.

Tsuyoi’s breathing becomes louder and faster and as his back curls in his blonde haired head rests against one of Kamoryu’s broad shoulders. He keeps his arms obediently at his sides, holding onto the edge of the bath like a lifeline.
His hardened c**k rests against the curves of his stomach and every thrust of Kamoryu’s drags the Gia’s erection over the Kappa’s rock hard washboard abs.

“Ka…Kam…” He gasps in an attempt to say Kamoryu’s name and the Kappa thrusts in deeper, cutting off any further words from the blonde.

The dark haired Kappa sucks and bites at the tender flesh of the Gia’s neck with growing roughness as he plunges deeper in the tight warmth of Tsuyoi’s a**.

He brushes the prostrate and Tsuyoi’s fingers tighten to such an extent they crack the tile beneath them as Kamoryu’s thrusts start to lift his body out of the water. The ornate tattoo that rippled across the Kappa’s left shoulder, a red and blue scaled koi leaping from the waves in front of a golden-orange sunset, writhed like a live fish as Kamoryu moves.

The blonde’s muscled shoulders are starting to tremble as he gasps for air, his blue eyes squeezing shut. Kamoryu snarls and grips him tighter as with a drawn out cry Tsuyoi’s body arches up into him and warmth spills across his stomach.

The Kappa leans in closer, still not at his peak, and gnashes his sharp teeth as Tsuyoi slumps backwards. So close…

The Kappa’s insides are on fire; a deep burning pleasure is pooling between his legs and running up his spine. His cat-like eyes burn into the Gia’s pale skin, Tsuyoi’s sparkling sapphire eyes glazed over with pleasure.

He wanted the blonde so badly, desiring every twitch of his body, every word of his …every taste of his skin.

Mine!

Thrusting deeply Kamoryu opens his mouth wide on feral instinct and bites deeply into Tsuyoi’s shoulder to mark him. A dribble of crimson oozes from between his dark green lips and the Gia whimpers in pain.

The Kappa’s sharp teeth cut deeply through skin. The metallic taste of hot red blood fills his mouth as Kamoryu thrusts in deeply one final time and releases with a gasp.

Tsuyoi’s blood dribbles from Kamoryu’s mouth as he pants for air and runs his tongue over his red stained teeth.

Drips of scarlet are running from the Gia’s shoulder and running into the water and now the intense burst of pleasure is gone he realizes that the mark he has left is deeper than he intended.

“s**t, sorry.” Kamoryu wipes blood from his mouth and carefully washes away the smears of red from Tsuyoi’s shoulder. The wounds runs deep. It might even scar. “Sorry…Sorry…”

The Gia slumps back against the side of the tub. His wet blonde hair has fallen across his eyes.

“’S o.k.” He slurs, still unable to catch his breath.

The Kappa holds him closely, tenderly in the cool water as both rest against each other and catch their breath. Brushing strands of damp blonde hair out of Tsuyoi’s eyes Kamoryu holds the Gia close and feels their heartbeats begin to slow.

“Kamoryu…” Tsuyoi says softly, resting his head against one green skinned shoulder. “Please can you do me a favour and go to the right hand second drawer of the workbench?”

Reluctantly leaving the soft warmth of Tsuyoi’s skin behind him Kamoryu stands, his boldly striped tail folding in around his waist once more to lock moisture close to the skin.

The Gia remains still in the water, feeling too exhausted and sore to stand himself. The wound on his shoulder oozes sluggishly, a dribble of dark red seeping into the water around him before being whisked away by the gentle current.

Kamoryu had never done that before. Sure, the Kappa Clan boy often bit him but never that deeply and violently. It was like he’d been determined to taste blood rather than something done in the heat of the moment.

It should have scared him but instead he found it unbearably sexy. Kamoryu had completely control over him, Kamoryu could make him hurt, Kamoryu could make him bleed.
As his blood drips into the water Tsuyoi loves the dark-haired boy even more for the power he held over him.

With a rasp of wood on wood the drawer is pulled open.

“Kamoryu…I made you something.” The Gia says as steadily as he can manage. His body is starting to ache with pain.

“It’s…beautiful.” Kamoryu holds up the gleaming metal to the Weirlights. Pale blue light gleams off the copper scales. The Kappa Clan thought little of ornaments, living underwater meant that most decoration was living water plants or carved stone but a sense of richness seemed to surround Tsuyoi’s gift.

It didn’t look like something that had made; it looked entirely organic but grown from different shades of metal. It must have taken a lot of study to get the form this perfect; Kamoryu fished often and if it wasn’t for the rich gleam of the metal scales he could have sworn what he was holding in his hands was the real thing.

The drawer closes again with a rasp and the sound of approaching footsteps. Tsuyoi feels a warm touch on his shoulder as Kamoryu slips in next to him. The elegant tail unfurls once more and the thin, light membrane brushes against his skin, comfortingly cradling his injured shoulder.

Looking at Tsuyoi for confirmation and receiving it Kamoryu lowers the mechanical fish to the surface of the pool. As soon as it touches the water it comes alive in the Kappa’s hands, wriggling free and swimming off into the depths of the water. A flash of rose gold shows on its belly as it flicks one coppery fin and smoothly turns.

Perfect.

“You made this…for me?” Kamoryu asks again and Tsuyoi smiles sincerely.

“Kamoryu…I really like you.” The Gia says gently.

The Kappa leans over and kisses him, first on the cheek, then the nape of the neck, then the lips as the golden fish settles down in a corner of the pool and seems to watch them.

“I love you too.” He whispers back.