Author's Note: A couple quick notes here. First, don't ask me where Shichiroji's POV came from. I was just having a hard time deciding where to start this chapter and there he was all, "Hey, just let me take care of it!" *shrugs* Who can say no to that?

Also, bathing in Kanna. WTF? I have no idea what that situation is so I'm just going with a traditional Edo type bath on a tiny scale. We'll see how that works out....

Disclaimer: I own nothing, am making no money from this and am doing it purely for enjoyment

Chapter 10

Shichiroji made his way towards the samurai's hut with the idea of getting some sleep before his watch later that night. The rain had stopped, leaving a light mist in it's wake, which he was glad for. Nothing crappier than wandering between posts in the pouring rain. Well, there were crappier things. Like dying. Or getting stabbed. Or shot. Or finding out the hot woman you picked up at the bar was actually a man. But it still wasn't fun.

Now, screwing with Katsushiro's mind, that was fun.

The thought of the boys wide eyed look as he fled from the half dressed Kyuzo earlier still made him laugh. Gorobei had happened by the window near where Kyuzo was sleeping (or so he said, Shichiroji had his doubts that he had just been wandering by and happened to look in. Can you say "stalker"?) and saw the newly wakened samurai in his disheveled sex god state (Gorobei's choice of words). With the way the kid had been going on about Kyuzo since he returned from his scouting mission, they thought it'd be fun to present him with his new hero in such a situation. Even if that proved uneventful, Kikuchiyo had told them about how grumpy Kyuzo was when he just woke up, so either way, fun was to be had. And it seemed to have worked on both fronts, because to Shichiroji's eye's, the boy had looked both scared and turned on. He chuckled again. Poor Kirara, Kyuzo was stealing both her prospects.

Kambei probably wouldn't be so amused by their little joke though, they should probably keep it to themselves.

Speaking of....

Shichiroji stopped at the scene in front of him and mentally rubbed his hand together in glee. Kambei was standing in the entrance to the hut they'd been staying in looking out with glazed eyes and a very obvious hard on.

"Well, don't you look deliciously disheveled. You haven't been taking advantage of poor injured samurai, have you?"

His teasing grin slipped off as Kambei's guilty eyes turned toward him.

"Oh shit, were you really molesting him?! Was he awake? Because, if not, I don't think I'm OK with that. I might be able to turn a blind eye, because it's you but-"

"For God's sake, Shichiroji," Kambei rubbed his eyes in exasperation. "Of course he was awake. And I wasn't molesting him. It was mutual. Mostly."

"I can work with mostly. 'Mostly' doesn't mean 'he said no but I know he meant yes' right? Because again, I don't know if I'm cool with that…"

Kambei gave him a disgusted look and stepped out of the doorway, intent on walking away.

"Wait, wait, I'm sorry. What happened?"

In detail, please.

Stopping a few feet away, Kambei ran a hand through his hair. "I think I may have just lost another battle."

"I thought you said it was mutual?"

"It was… I thought it was…"

Shichiroji didn't like hearing him like this. A confident man, Kambei rarely second guessed himself. Hearing this unsure tone from his longtime friend bothered him.

"Kambei…"

"I pushed too hard. I knew he'd run… But I couldn't stop," Kambei was still facing away from him, but he could see in his clenched hands the turmoil he was in.

Sinking down to sit in the doorway Kambei had vacated, Shichiroji took a deep breath and dropped his joking persona.

"You know yourself better than anyone I've ever met, Kambei. You know who you are, what you believe in, what you want. What about Kyuzo? Can you say the same about him? If it's like Heihachi said and he's trying to find footing on new terrain, what are you going to do about it? Are you just going to let him flounder? Are you going to let him step back to what he knew before? Or are you going to help him build something new to stand on?"

Slowly, Kambei's hands loosened and the tension left his body. He turned his head toward Shichiroji and smiled softly.

"Thank you."

Then he was gone.

Shichiroji stood and entered the hut, still intent on getting some sleep. Feeling rather pleased with himself, he stretched and yawned, a mischievous smile inching it's back onto his face.

Besides, what fun would it be if he gave up now?

Kambei made his way to the outskirts of the village. His first instinct was to follow Kyuzo and continue what they started. His erection, which had dwindled during his talk to Shichiroji sprang back to life at this idea as if to give it's approval. While the thought was appealing, Kambei knew it would be a bad idea to do so right now. He'd respect Kyuzo's wishes and let him try and sort things out for himself. For now.

He approached the tiny bathhouse and saw two women exiting.

"Ah, Great Samurai, you have good timing. The water's just been replaced and reheated."

"Thank you," he answered graciously and stepped into the room, bolting the door behind him.

The interior of the hut was dim, lit only by torches in each corner. The steam in the air was thick, a testament to the freshly heated water. It had no windows, both to preserve privacy and to trap the heat. The floor was set with wide slats that allowed for water drainage. One short stool sitting next to a low barrel of warmed water sat on the right side with bathing instruments and soap nearby on a small table. On the left was a large tub for soaking after you'd cleaned yourself.

Kambei removed his clothes quickly, folding them neatly and placing them on the shelf near the door. Taking a seat on the stool, he grabbed a large ladle of water and poured it over himself. He let his mind wander as he went through the familiar act of bathing. Specifically, he thought of Kyuzo and their earlier encounter. The scrubbing motion slowed as thoughts of what could have happened forced their way in. Flashes of Kyuzo under him, soft pale skin, and pleading moans bombarded him. His hand drifted down, capturing his painfully hard length. He had to bite down viciously on his tongue to stop a ragged moan from escaping. His hand worked as more thoughts of tight heat and delicious friction ebbed and flowed through his mind. It didn't take him long to reach completion, the image of Kyuzo arching underneath him in ecstasy did him in. He sat and caught his breath for a moment, then continued his bath.

As he lowered himself down into the hot water, a dark smirk curled his lips. For now it was just a fantasy. But tomorrow, he planned on making it more.

Kyuzo walked quickly from the village toward the forest, jerking his coat on as he went. His breath hitched as he was a little to rough with his healing shoulder, but he welcomed the pain. He tried to close the clasps but for the first time in his life, his hands were shaking. He stared at them in shock, thoughts tumbling over one another as he rushed away from the source of his confusion.

I'm sexually attracted to Shimada Kambei.

The thought seemed ludicrous, but the proof was currently throbbing between his legs. While this was certainly not his first erection, it was the first time it had been caused by desire for someone else. To this point, he'd just considered it more of a morning chore to be taken care of than a source of enjoyment.

He was well aware of such things of course. He'd lived in a household with Ukyo for 5 years, whose unabashed acts in far from private places left little to the imagination in regards to sex. But knowing of it and feeling it for himself were two totally different things. Hormonal outbursts were not something that was tolerated in his fathers household. It showed a lack of control and that was a weakness. Weakness was unacceptable.

He stopped and tilted his head back, trying to let the soft mist calm his racing mind and cool his overheated body. His hand twitched in the desire to just unclasp his pants and find relief with his hand, but he refused. Somehow it felt like Kambei would be winning if he gave in to that action. His control had already slipped wildly this night and even if it was something as simple as denying himself release, it was a step towards reestablishing it.

What he really needed was a good fight.

Maybe I should head back down the cliff....

That was a horrendously bad idea.

And also very appealing....

He shook his head, he was in no condition to for that. Still, his feet carried him in that direction.

Against his will, his thoughts wandered back to those moments in the hut with Kambei. He'd so desperately tried to remain indifferent to Kambei's mouth and hands, and he'd almost succeeded. When Kambei had pulled back, he'd already lost his control in his mind and was only hanging onto it physically by a fraying thread. And when he'd kissed him again, it snapped and he'd given in. The need to know what the older man tasted like had overwhelmed him and he'd been unable to stop himself from curiously meeting the invading tongue with his own. After that everything was a jumbled mess of heat and confusion in his mind.

Had Kambei not accidentally put too much pressure on his bruises, drawing him back to himself with a burst of pain, he didn't know what would have happened. Well, he actually did know, but he didn't want to acknowledge it. Didn't want to admit to the fact that he would have continued to surrender his control to that man like that. When clarity had come back with the pain and he'd realized his own arousal was pressing against Kambei and vice versa, he'd panicked.

Panic, confusion, loosing control. What was happening to him?

He was furious with himself.

Stepping into the open air by the cliff's edge, he scrubbed his right hand over his face roughly. He jumped up on a protruding rock, masochistically pleased with the way it jarred his ribs and cleared his mind a bit. Sitting down, he adopted a meditative trance and pushed out all unwanted thoughts. Having a battle in his mind that he couldn't have with his body.

After about an hour, he was finally feeling more like himself. Hearing the soft approach of footsteps behind him, he opened his eyes and stood, turning around just as Heihachi stepped out of the forest.

"Kyuzo? What are you doing out here?"

"Watch," Kyuzo said simply.

"Watch what?" Heihachi asked in confusion, his head tipping to the side.

"I'm keeping watch," he clarified, slightly amused.

He hopped down and grunted with the sharp stab of pain that shot through him.

"You should be resting. The rest of us have the watch covered," Heihachi said, concern coloring his voice.

"I've slept enough," he answered, turning away. "I'll check the eastern post."

Heihachi chuckled, "OK but when Kambei comes out here to drag you back-" He stopped when he noticed that Kyuzo had frozen, his entire body going rigid.

"Uhh… did something happen between the two of you?" Heihachi guessed.

"No," he said with a little too much force. "There's nothing between us."

He heard Heihachi sigh behind him.

"Have you ever been happy, Kyuzo?"

He turned that question over in his mind. He supposed since he didn't know what happiness felt like, it was likely he'd never experienced it. Heihachi apparently took his silence as an answer.

"Why cling to simply existing when you can live?"

"....it's all I know."

"Then maybe it's time to learn something new."

Kyuzo blinked. Hadn't that been why he'd agreed to take part in this war in the first place? To feel more alive? To explore the feelings he got when he had fought Kambei that first time? So why was he running now?

Am I.... scared?

His lip curled up in disgust. Of course he wasn't scared! How absurd. He was just ....overwhelmed. His newly regained control slipped a little as a tingle of excitement ran through him at the thought of continuing this....whatever it was with Kambei. Did he really want to remain as he'd been? Or did he want to finally commit to opening himself up to something new? Could he really go back now even if he wanted to?

"Maybe it is time," he answered quietly, disappearing into the dark.