Notes:

Apologies, the name Ninigi has been replaced with Haniyasu. After continued research which leads me to information related to the earth god, I found out that Ninigi is NOT the name. Ninigi is indeed a deity but is not one of earth. Ninigi is a great-grandparent of the first emperor of Japan, Jimmu. We've been strenuous in our research, but that name was there before we started remaking the story. I thought I had it, but it seems I did not. I hope there will be no more mistakes. Thank you for understanding. Now... Enjoy!

Fujin was led directly in front of Ame's door to her room. His heart skipped a beat when she told him that she wanted him, among other things. Ame slid open her door before turning to look at him longingly. She then took his hands and led him into her room. Fujin continues in a daze as she leads him in, even as Ame closes the door behind him. He couldn't believe this was happening. His heart pounded hard in his chest.

"...Fujin…" she whispers seductively as she strokes his cheek. She then lightly pulls him into another deep kiss. This time, she started using her tongue, lightly licking at his lips. Fujin opened his mouth in surprise at what she was doing. That is when she pushed her tongue into his mouth. She began to explore his mouth with her tongue. He froze as he was taken aback at all the sensations she was giving him. His arousal grew with each passing moment.

Once again, his member swelled within his garments. The sensations he felt before were coming back. They broke off their kiss and he looked down at his nether regions. Ame noticed after he did, thus lightly grabs onto his erection. Fujin gasps out loud as he snaps his head back, nose pointing up to the ceiling. He stays that way for a bit, moaning, while Ame starts sensually rubbing his crotch. Next, she starts pulling at his shirt, leading him towards the bed.

Once there, she makes them fall onto the bed. They once again look into each other's eyes, panting together. She was now waiting for him to make a move. All of a sudden Fujin sees Suijin underneath him. He blinks a few times before Ame reappears.

Seeing his confused face, she asks, "What's wrong…?"

He then shakes his head, "Nothing… nothing."

Ame then smiles and starting to rub her hands all over and as far as she could reach, around his body. That's when Fujin decided to kiss her again. As he did, Ame then placed her hands on his rear, motioning his hips to rub against hers. The sensations of earlier sprung up again. It hurt, but it was just as pleasurable. Their moans chimed after each other, arousing one another more, breathing even harder.

Fujin had almost lost himself to it until Ame started to undo his belt. He looked back at her to see her face as she untied it. But once again, Fujin saw Suijin underneath him. He closed his eyes tightly before opening them to once again see Ame.

'Am I imagining things?' he thought.

"I've been waiting for this, for a long time…" Ame said as she tried to hurriedly uncover his manhood.

Suddenly, Fujin swiftly grabbed her hand to stop her from going any further, which surprised her. She looked at him shocked and confused. He now became conflicted as to go through with this or not.

"Fujin…?" she looked and sounded disheartened.

He sighed regretfully before pulling himself off of her and kneeling on the floor. "Forgive me, Ame… I cannot continue." Ame slowly sat up on the bed. In the darkness, he could not tell of her expression.

Assuming what she must have thought, he continued, "It is not you. Not at all… I want this, I really do… it's just." he then looks away ashamed. "It seems that my heart is conflicted. And if you care for me, the way you say you do. You can wait a little bit longer. I- I just need more time." Fujin bows to Ame in forgiveness before straightening his clothing and walking away.

After he slides the door to Ame's room behind him, he could hear faint sobbing. He became filled with deep remorse, almost at the brink of tears himself. He tilts his head back and blinks his eyes several times to prevent what little had come forth. He sighs heavily to compose himself before walking away.

After being with Ame, Fujin goes to Suijin's room to talk to her until he finds her gone.

"Suijin!?" Fujin says panicked before he runs around, frantically searching for her.

Suddenly he hears voices. Instinctively, he hides behind the nearest tree. He then looks around the tree and sees Miguel fawning over Suijin. He is relieved Suijin is alright, but seeing them together irritated him, making his eyes roll. While watching, he sees Miguel trying to kiss Suijin. This makes Fujin hitch in a breath and holds it. Suijin politely pushes Miguel away, but Miguel persists. What Fujin couldn't see was Suijin smiling. All he did see was red. Fujin came out from behind the tree and stomped over to them before Miguel noticed him.

"Lord Fujin?" Miguel says, confused and frightened at the face Fujin was displaying as he came at Miguel.

"Fujin!?" Suijin says, also scared at the expression on Fujin's face.

Before either one knew what was to happen, Fujin punched Miguel, sending him flying before Miguel hit a wall. The wall cracked and Miguel spat out blood before he became unconscious, falling to the ground.

"Miguel!" Shocked, Suijin shouts at Fujin angrily, "By the Elders, what's gotten into you!?"

"He was forcing you to kiss him!"

"I had it handled, Fujin! It's not the first time he's tried to kiss me."

"You make it sound like it's nothing!"

"I-... I like him Fujin. In fact, I think I love him!"

"You… you do?" He says in shock. Then he becomes angry. He assumes that she had to be lying. "...Then tell me, how does it feel?"

"...What?" she softly says in confusion.

"Love. How does it feel? Tell me." He dared her, his voice becoming sharp. She looked speechless at first. She looked down, eyes moving everywhere as if she was searching for something when she was actually trying to find the right words. Finally, she looked back at him, determined to answer his dare.

"...When you love someone, you can't stand to be without them. You even think that they deserve better than you. But they chose you… out of all the people in the world, they chose you, making you feel like the luckiest person in the world. They make you want to be a better person. They see things in you that you can't or won't see about yourself. They see you… and love you for who you are." Suijin looks as if she is about to cry. She then looks away, her bangs covering her eyes. "Miguel sees me… thus, I love him."

Suijin then rushes over to Miguel softly apologizing and tending to his wounds, not even giving Fujin time to respond. She then picks Miguel up with her powers to takes him to his room to care for him there. Fujin watches as his heart feels pierced in a way he's never felt before.

"You really did it now, airhead," Haniyasu says behind him. Fujin looked over to her with a face so dispirited even Hani could feel its energy coming off from him. Hani cringed. "Talk about your fixer-upper." Haniyasu pulls at her collar nervously before walking over and putting her arm around Fujin. "Come with me brother, let's go chug down some sake."

The two would find their way to a pub in the small town a ways away from the sky temple. Haniyasu sits next to Fujin, her arm wrapped around his shoulder.

"It's okay, airhead. I know how you feel."

Fujin decided to remain silent after the events with Suijin transpired. The two start drinking sake to drown their woes, at least Fujin did. He felt his heart had ruptured. The pain continues to plague him. He'd place his head between his hands. Shot after shot, he continued to pour in more sake.

"Easy windbag, you're going to keel over soon."

Haniyasu jabbed lightly trying to make him at least smile, she assumed that he couldn't be that drunk, just buzzed to a point.

"What did I do wrong, Hani?" Fujin groaned as he drank another shot of sake.

He was growing drunker. Not to the point of feeling nauseous, but just a little more loose-lipped than usual.

"I don't know, airhead." She plainly shrugged taking a swig back afterward."Maybe you waited too long? But don't feel too bad. brother. I, too, know what it's like to fall in love with somebody that will never love you back."

Now Fujin was curious. He called for another round as the bar filled with more patrons. The bartender began to grow amused as he pulled bottle after bottle from his storeroom. He was usually ready for large parties coming in to celebrate any occasion. But today, he was flabbergasted at how much his stock had gone down in just a matter of a few hours.

"You said you knew what it was like... What did you mean?" he says as he looks to Haniyasu seriously, but curious as to her answer.

The earth god was enjoying herself, face now flushed. A large smile worked its way over Hani's face. It would fade momentarily as she told Fujin a secret not even Suijin knew.

"...Raiden…"

"What?!"

She then leans over in a drunken stupor, pointing at him, threatening, "You tell anyone, I'll kill you..." she then straightened back up before swigging another shot of sake.

Fujin could not believe it. He sobered up for that moment. The very shock pulled him out of his drunken elation.

"You have feelings for Elder Raiden?"

"Yeah…" she takes the bottle of sake in her hands and peers into it to see how much sake remained. "but I know he will never feel the way I feel for him." She then placed the bottle down before lowering her head. "He said something about it long ago... " She then speaks, mimicking Raiden's voice, "Love, though fruitful in the pursuit for some. It yields not to one who does not desire it." Shen then goes back to her voice, "It was to Suijin actually."

Fujin did like it when lord Raiden spoke in poetry. It was one of those things that even made him confused. Raiden never wanted anything to be too easy; especially, when it came to answering complicated questions. Most of which were dealing with subjects with the matters of the heart.

"So I cracked the code. It wasn't too hard. Basically, Raiden doesn't want to be with anyone because he finds the 'pursuit' trivial... UGH!" She then slammed the side of her fist on the bar hard. "I wish the ol' coot wouldn't be so stoic all the time but..." she sighed heavily before smiling reflectively. "...but that's what I fell for the most. Because he's so wise yet very friendly, so serious but abundantly sincere." Fujin could hear the yearning within her voice. Haniyasu would grunt in drunken delight and her face brightened up again as she slurped down another glass of liquor.

"Ahh~! But that is why I am a panther on the prowl." she starts to gesture with her hands, making them look like claws, "in search of my next meal. Man or woman, it matters not!" She then gestures as if wiping away something in front of her. "If you want me, you shall have me." she then balls up a fist as if she is threatening the bartender, showing her determination. Luckily the bartender had his back to her as he scrambled to make more drinks for his patrons.

After tonight, Fujin now knew as to why Haniyasu was so distant for so many centuries. She was pining after someone she could not have. The liquor-drowning mind of Fujin heard what she had said but did commit it to memory. As they both ingested enough liquor to make Bo-Rai Cho blush, The owner had to close down the pub early that night. He showed Fujin and Hani where they could find the exit to the establishment as politely as he could. The two stumbled and fell over themselves laughing then they grabbed and held onto one another to keep themselves up as they warped back to the sky temple.

After stumbling through the portal, Haniyasu tripped. She instinctively grabbed onto Fujin's shirt which made him fall along with her, falling on top of her. They laughed before it declined into silence as they started staring at each other. Fujin, in his drunken stupor, was seeing Suijin underneath him again. Fujin then starts kissing her. Haniyasu thought she saw Raiden above her, kissing her, thus she began to enjoy it at first. That is until she smelled him. It wasn't Raiden, it was Fujin. She immediately pushed him off in haste, making him land on his ass. Her face went into a look of both shock and frustration.

"Damn it, you blowhard! what are you doing?!"

"...I- I'm sorry. I thought you were Suijin."

"You drunken idiot… Thank the elders I've been drinking longer than you, that I can hold my own." she folded her arms and looked away shaking her head disappointingly. Then she looked back at him. He sat there emotionless as if he had turned to stone. She then sighs in annoyance before grabbing onto the back of his collar to make him stand back up. Next, she took his arm and placed it behind her shoulders. She then started to drag him to his room.

"Geez, the only thing not lighter than air is you! How heavy are you, sixteen stones!?"

"I'm sorru~" Fujin tries to apologize, but he slurred his words, sounding more like a babbling baby than a coherent adult. "Sujin~, yer skin is so sof~t."

"Oh Sui, if you could only hear his words now…" Haniyasu looked happy at first. "...he's still an airhead." Her face then changed into an expression of neutral disappointment. Finally, she helps Fujin lay down. He rolls himself over in a groan, already asleep.

"Yup, such an airhead…"

The next morning the combatants could be seen practicing their combat skills and sharpening their wits. Fujin slept until midday. And as he woke, he felt as if his head was splitting like a quart of firewood. His head pounded like someone ringing a gong constantly behind him and would not stop. His body ached. Staggering to his feet, he found his way to the window. It only made it worse as the sun, high in the sky, blinded him, intensifying his pulsing headache. Wobbling from the window, head hanging low, he tried to make it to his door which was already open. Standing there with a smug smile, watching him in pain, was Haniyasu.

"Hello, Fujin … " She then waits for him to look up at her. " GOOD MORNING!" she shouted, amplifying the shout with her hands around her mouth. Her shouting made his head feel as though it was pulling apart at the center. He doubled back in pain, wincing and covering his ears.

He sighed harshly, "... why? " Fujin squeaked out, now pressing his palms to his temples in response to the pain she forced upon him.

"Oh stop it you baby, you'll be fine in another couple of moments," she says. Haniyasu knew it would since she drinks so much. Fujin however had not drunk that heavily since Eastern Jin and the sixteen kingdoms.

"Do you have to torture me so, Hani?" He sat back down on the top of his blankets, hoping that would stop the room from spinning. Hani went over to him, bent her side down which made her face go upside down, making his dizziness worse.

"Now what kind of friend would I be if I did not ensure your recovery from last night's little escapade, hmm~?" She says, trying to sound cute.

Humming with an almost devilish grin. Fujin leered at her in defiance as it was she who was to blame. She smiled at him teasingly knowing exactly why Fujin stared so exasperated. After his senses returned and his ailments left him, he had made his way to the courtyard again to see if he could locate Suijin. On his way there, he came across Abdalla, Yaotl, Heros, and Nightwolf. Heros then noticed Fujin.

"Hey there, Master Fujin. Care to see our progress?"

Fujin then remembers the events to come within a few days. With all this mess he has been going through lately, it made him forget the most important event that could change their lives forever. So for today, Fujin decided to push his feelings aside for Ame and Suijin, and focus on what really matters: A future. Fujin then stood there looking dignified as he motioned them to demonstrate their new training. Abdalla would be paired with Heros as Yatol paired with Nightwolf. Fujin watched intently to observe their fighting styles and how each individual had his or her own advantages and disadvantages respectively.

The fight with Abdalla and Heros was an interesting one. The two were similar in size and stature. Although Abdalla was large, he proved surprisingly agile which made Fujin even admit, he was pleasantly surprised. Heros would throw one of his trademark haymakers, trying to knock Abdalla down, but Abdalla blocked it with his massive palm.

"I will not fall to this!" Abdalla said with a laugh.

"That's not all I have in my bag of tricks."

The two would continue to fight, but a curious thing would begin to happen, Abdalla would become winded. Even though he was valiantly persisting, his exhaustion grew too great and he would go down on one knee as a result. Panting, huffing, and puffing, sweat poured from his face. Fujin stared at him with slight confusion. He could tell that Abdalla was a great warrior, but he seemed to lack the experience compared to the others.

"I see you've noticed, finally."

Fujin turned his head to Raiden who was walking towards him before standing alongside him.

"Abdalla… he is a very good physical specimen..."

"But he is at risk to be the first to lose at the tournament… I know…" Raiden's eyes revealed a softness behind them. He began to tell Fujin a tale of sadness, misery, and the past of a culture seen as it did in the timeline long since past, regrettably repeating itself.

"Fujin, what comes to mind when I say the word slavery?"