Hello everyone! Hope you guys had a great holiday. Sorry for the wait, but here we are with a new chapter.

We're slowly approaching the end of this story ): But, I really hope you enjoy this chapter.

Don't forget to leave a comment if you can. Enjoy~!

Yasuo made his way back into the temple, not looking back once. His heart was heavy with guilt: how could he let himself get carried away like that? Moreover, how could he even do something like that? He sighed, placing his head between his hands. He was ashamed of himself, however, he couldn't deny how much he enjoyed it.

He wondered if Shen did too.

Suddenly, memories of the prior events flooded through him. From the position they were in, to Shen's facial expressions, to the way he ran his fingers through his hair…

He violently shook his head, trying desperately to rid himself of his thoughts. This was wrong, this was so wrong. How could he do such a thing when Shen gave him food, shelter, and saved his life?! He was becoming selfish, letting his feelings get the best of him in all the wrong times. He didn't want to ruin this, he didn't want to ruin yet another thing in his life. The young samurai was conflicted, he was hurt, and he was desperate to make things right… But he didn't know how. He didn't know what to do.

He gently gasped as a tear escaped his eye.

What, now I'm fucking crying over this?! He frowned. It'd been quite a few years since he'd had any emotional troubles… Let alone a relationship of any kind. Over the years Yasuo had forgotten what it was like to have feelings for someone, however, he was certain that this was different. Shen was much different from the others. First thing being that he was a man.

Although Yasuo had been with women before, falling for a man was something new. He didn't know why or how it happened, but Shen brought out feelings within him he never knew he had. The way Shen was able to calm him down in an instant, the fact that he took the time to understand him and learn more about him. It was all things he adored and wanted more of. And if someone was able to make him feel this way… Gender didn't matter whatsoever.

Yasuo sighed in defeat, lost in his thoughts. He collapsed on to his bed, his internal battle draining his energy. He glanced out the window, watching as the morning sun began transitioning into noon. Maybe if I sleep this off, i'll be able to contain my thoughts. Yasuo was tired after all, so he made up his mind. He wiggled under the covers, and drifted off to sleep.

Shen sat quietly outside the temple, right where Yasuo left him. He was still in shock as to what happened. The ninja placed his hands on either side of his face as a million emotions flooded through him. Was he upset? Was he happy? Was he disrupting the balance within him?

Was he in love?

He collapsed onto the green grass, lying on his back and looking up at the clear sky in deep thought. He was so confused: how exactly did he feel? When it came to things such as attraction and relationships, Shen was the epitome of inexperienced. The ninja spent his entire life training to be the Eye of Twilight; he didn't have time for these kind of things. However, now that he was the Eye of Twilight, and that he was no longer training, he had relatively more freedom compared to the past. And with that freedom, things such as relationships became a possibility. But how did he go about them? In this rare occasion, he needed guidance. But who did he ask? He pondered at the thought for a second, and an obvious name popped up into his head. Kennen.

Just as he was about to get up to find the yordle, he couldn't deny that he was surprised to see him standing over him. Kennen stood there scratching his head, looking down at Shen questioningly. Shen quickly adjusted himself so that he was sitting down with his knees hugged toward him, and Kennen joined him on the ground.

"Kennen, I was just about to look for you-"

"I know. I saw everything" the yordle interrupted. Shen's eyes widened in embarrassment, and quickly looked away from the yordle. Kennen was quick to follow up.

"I- I'm sorry! I was looking for you since you weren't back in the temple at your usual time, and when I found you… well…." he whispered in fear of Shen getting angry. Shen sighed.

"No… It's fine. I guess it makes things easier for me to explain" Shen mumbled. "I.. I don't know how it happened Kennen, it all happened so fast. I just don't know if I did the wrong thing-"

"What makes you think it was wrong Shen?" Kennen countered, looking at him questioningly. Shen was quick to answer.

"Well… I don't know if being romantically involved with someone is exactly safe for my own well being. Especially as the Eye of Twilight, if my balance is thrown off how am I going to continue on protecting my people?" Kennen audibly sighed, and rolled his eyes. Shen raised an eyebrow.

"Shen, you can't be serious. How are you going to teach balance when you aren't even balanced?!" Shen's eyes widened in surprise at his words.

"What do you mean I'm not balanced? I feel perfectly balanced Kennen-"

"But are you, Shen? Because the last time I checked the only thing that's throwing off your balance is loneliness." Kennen's words struck Shen like a bag of bricks; was he lonely? But before he could continue, he felt a paw on his shoulder. He looked up at Kennen, who was now staring off into the distance.

"Shen… Before we lost all those people in the Kinkou Order, you had people who kept you balanced. You had your father, and Zed. They kept you balanced, they kept you company." Kennen's face saddened as he looked toward the ground. "And when you lost those people, you lost that balance within you Shen… You were never the same. You shut us all out, no matter how much we tried to befriend you Shen. You became cold, you became emotionless. And even though I know being the Eye of Twilight means you must maintain balance… But it doesn't mean that you become an emotionless robot, Shen. It doesn't mean you stop being human." He whispered.

Shen nodded slowly as realization hit him: Kennen was right. He was beyond right, he was spot on. Although he refused to acknowledge it, he always felt like there was something missing within him, as if there was a void within him that needed to be filled. And now it made sense; he was missing companionship, he was missing love. Kennen smiled softly and nodded back; he knew that Shen understood now.

"Now…" Kennen continued. "Ever since Yasuo came into your life Shen… Things have changed. That emotion that you were missing is slowly coming back to you. That companionship you've needed and yearned for over the years is now here, and it's come in a form that you're afraid of Shen. But please, don't be afraid of it. Don't be afraid of losing the balance within you because trust me, this will only make you more balanced." Kennen smiled widely as he continued.

"Shen, have you ever heard of love at first sight?"

Shen shifted uncomfortably; of course he had. And now that Kennen had enlightened him on his inner conflicts, he knew that he'd experienced it. He knew that the moment he laid eyes on Yasuo, there was an evident, undeniable connection between them. His heartbeat heightened as he thought about the Samurai, from him sleeping peacefully, to him on top of him, kissing him. Kennen couldn't see it, but Shen could feel a blush creeping over him. Kennen laughed softly, rubbing Shen's shoulder.

"I'm glad that now you realize Shen. Don't be afraid of Yasuo. Don't be afraid of love."

With those words, Kennen stood up, and began to walk away. But before Kennen could walk any further, Shen stood up and pulled him into a friendly embrace. Kennen was surprised at first, but laughed quietly and hugged Shen back.

"Thank you so much Kennen… I can't thank you enough for opening my eyes to this… You've really helped me in ways you can't imagine."

Kennen laughed at this, and smiled widely. "Don't mention it Shen. I'm glad we had this talk." He gently pulled himself away from Shen. "Let's get back inside now, shall we? It's getting a bit dark."

"Yeah, let's go." Shen replied. The two made their way toward the temple.

"Oh and Kennen?"

"Yeah Shen?"

"I promise I'll try and be more friendly." He smiled.

Kennen grinned at this, tugging at Shen's arm.

"You'd better keep that promise."

"I will." Shen laughed as he opened the door, letting Kennen inside and closing it behind them.

I promise I will.

Shen made his way up the long staircase within the temple that led to his room. It was quiet in the temple; everyone had retreated to their respect rooms, and Shen was about to as well. However, the Ninja was surprised to hear muffled sobs and screams of agony on his way up. His heart sank when he realised who it was.

Yasuo.

Shen instantly quickened his pace up the long stairs, darting toward Yasuo's room. He quickly opened the door only to find Yasuo mid-nightmare in terrible shape. Things were knocked off of various surfaces, drawers were opened forcefully, clothing sprawled out over the floor. Wind gusted violently through the open window, as if it too was experiencing the nightmare.

"YONE!" Yasuo screamed, his hands clutching the sheets, knuckles white.

"YONE! I'M SO SORRY YONE PLEASE!" He cried out desperately, tears streaming down his face. Shen's heart broke as he watched Yasuo in pain. He was instantly by the samurai's side, shaking him violently as he tried to wake him up.

"Yasuo! Wake up, it's ok, wake up!" Shen whispered urgently. He continued shaking the distraught samurai until his eyes shot open, looking straight at Shen.

"Shen?" Yasuo croaked, choking on his words. His eyes were full of tears, his face was pale in fear of the prior visions he experienced. Shen wordlessly pulled him into a tight embrace. Yasuo returned it, holding onto the ninja desperately as light sobs escaped him. Shen pulled him even closer toward himself, desperately trying to get him to calm down. "Yasuo… it's ok… I'm here…" Shen whispered softly, rubbing his back in a comforting manner. Yasuo nodded against Shens chest, calming down slightly. The two sat there for a while, relishing in each other's presence and warmth. The ninja slowly brought one of his hands atop Yasuo's head, stroking his fingers through his hair gently. Shen tried to contain himself as he felt Yasuo shiver against him, his grip on him getting tighter.

"Yasuo… Who is Yone?" Shen whispered.

Shen felt Yasuo sobbing gently against him, his yukata becoming damp with his tears.

"Yone…" He whispered in between sobs. He buried his face against Shen's chest, hiding himself from him. "Yone was my brother" he barely spat out. He began sobbing even louder, and Shen tightened his grip on him, and continued to stroke his hair. "Yone… Yone was all I had Shen…" he sobbed.

"And now I have no one, don't I?" he cried out. "I ruined everything because of what I did earlier, I thought I had someone, I thought I wouldn't be lonely anymore but-"

Yasuo was interrupted by Shen as he gripped the samurais shoulders, and adjusted him so that he was facing himself.

"Don't" Shen started, looking at him intensely. "Don't say that" he whispered. His eyes became softer as he scanned Yasuo's face. Yasuo looked down sadly, tears beginning to escape his eyes.

"Please…" Yasuo barely whispered, his eyes looking anywhere but Shen's face. "Please tell me you don't hate me."

Shen's heart broke; why would he ever think that? However, memories of the prior events resurfaced, and he understood. He wasn't sure what to do, or how to mend what he did, but Kennen's words slowly surfaced into his head.

"Don't be afraid of Yasuo. Don't be afraid of love."

Shen's body took over his mind as he gently cupped Yasuo's face into his hands. He tilted Yasuo's face toward him so that he was looking at his face. The samurai's eyes were wet with tears, his expression desperate. He didn't want to lose Shen, and Shen didn't want to lose him.

He would prove to him that he cared, that he most definitely didn't hate him.

Shen slowly peeled his mask upward so that it was right below his nose and his lips were exposed. He pushed the stray hairs on Yasuo's face away, and brought his hand back to Yasuo's cheek. He pulled the samurai toward him, and pressed his lips gently against his. Yasuo's eyes closed gently as he was kissed, warmth flowing through his once cold body. Suddenly, everything was ok. Everything was solved as their lips clashed against one another, both parties desperate for one another. In the end they needed each other; they were both lonely before, desperate for companionship. However, their bond was beyond companionship. They were in love: and they both realised it was a beautiful thing.

Shen gently pulled his lips away from Yasuo's, gently planting kisses along his jawline as his hands messed with his hair. Yasuo moaned ever so softly, gripping onto Shen's yukata desperately. Shen trailed his kisses over his cheek, stopping at the scar that ran over his nose. He gently ran his thumb over the scar, and gave Yasuo a quick kiss.

"He gave this to you didn't he" Shen stated softly. Yasuo simply nodded in response.

"I'm sorry…" Shen whispered. He gently pressed his lips against it, and then brought them back to Yasuo's. Yasuo quickly returned the kiss, looping his arms around Shen's neck. Shen felt heat rushing to his face, the feelings he was experiencing were not like before; these feelings were great and powerful, feelings that now served purpose.

Feelings he wanted more of.

Shen gently gripped Yasuo's backside, pulling the samurai into his lap as they kissed. Yasuo obliged, and wrapped his legs around Shen. Shen became desperate to feel more of the samurai in front of him. He brought his hands to the back of Yasuo's head, and deepened the kiss. Yasuo moaned gently at the action, and relished in the shiver it brought to Shen. Shen gently slithered his tongue into Yasuo's mouth, and began exploring. Yasuo returned the action, and soon they were both lost in each other's touches and motions. The heat was becoming intense, and Shen gently left Yasuo's lips in favor of his neck. Shen gently pulled Yasuo's yukata down in order to expose more of the area. Yasuo bit his lip with a ligh mm escaping his mouth as Shen lovingly planted kisses along his neck. The kisses sent sparks throughout Yasuo, eliciting shivers and warmth throughout him. Yasuo gripped onto Shen tightly as he continued attacking his neck with his mouth.

Suddenly, Yasuo's back was against the bed, and Shen was now on top of him. Shen brought his lips to the samurai's once more, their bodies now pressed against each other. The kiss became deeper and deeper, Shen's hands trailing various areas around Yasuo's head. As much as Yasuo was enjoying this, he couldn't deny that all this warmth was making him drowsy. Shen seemed to take notice of this, and gently pulled himself away from Yasuo. Yasuo's eyes barely fluttered open, looking up at the ninja on top of him. He felt his heart warm up as Shen smiled at him while his hand ran through his hair.

"You should probably go to sleep, you look tired" Shen whispered gently. Yasuo nodded as his eyes dared to close. Shen smiled gently, and planted one last kiss on Yasuo's forehead. He climbed off of Yasuo so that he could leave him to rest, however, he was surprised by a hand gripping his arm. He looked back to see Yasuo sitting up, grasping his arm desperately.

"Could you… Stay with me?" Yasuo pleaded, his eyes darting away with embarrassment. Shen couldn't be more happy to do so.

"Of course, Yasuo" he nodded as he climbed back onto the bed, and laid next to Yasuo. Yasuo smiled gently, and embraced him as he closed his eyes. Within no time, the samurai was asleep, breathing peacefully against Shen. Shen smiled gently, watching Yasuo sleep normally. It was then that he realised he was sure of himself, he was certain that Kennen was right.

I'm in love with you, Yasuo.