Warning: w00t for Lemony freshness! (interpretation: - there is mild lemon in this chapter. If that scares you, leave. You have been warned)
Note: longer chapter with extra action for all you slash fans! (just think of it as my birthday treat for you – it's my birthday!)
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Amidamaru limped down to the basement in the dead of night, taking great pains not to make a sound. He paused outside the door before noiselessly opening it and entering.
The voodoo's spirit was, as before, huddled in the corner, secured by Anna's necklace, which ran tightly round his translucent body. The spirit looked up blankly as the door closed behind Amidamaru. The warrior hastened over to the other man.
"Here," he said hurriedly, bending down, his long, quick fingers dancing nimbly over the beads. "I'm letting you go. Leave, don't hang around here."
The voodoo's spectral face was a mask of surprise as the chain of blue beads fell away.
"Why are you doing this for me?" He asked, the disbelief evident in his voice.
"Leave, before I change my mind." Amidamaru responded curtly, avoiding the question he did not know the answer to. The other man took the hint, rising to ghostly feet. He did not, however, make any other move.
"Why are you doing this?" He repeated, and Amidamaru's demeanour faltered. For a reason he could not make clear, he was feeling slightly breathless around the voodoo, and it was not long before the other man noticed.
"Close your eyes and show me your neck." His tone, though commanding, was not as conceitedly imperious as the samurai was used to. Amidamaru hesitated, though only for a second before he closed his eyes and tilted his head back, exposing his throat. He swallowed, though whether with nervousness or anticipation even he could not tell.
The voodoo slid one semi-visible hand round the back of the samurai's neck and placed a ghostly but gentle kiss on the coarse skin just below Amidamaru's adam's apple.
"You're mine." He whispered seductively in the young swordsman's ear, pulling away as Amidamaru gave a small groan.
"Why do you obey me?" The voodoo's voice was husky as he asked the panting warrior what was on his mind.
"I suppose I am used to having a master and following commands." Amidamaru shrugged elegantly with one shoulder. "In all my existence I have been told what to do." The samurai tried and failed to sound nonchalant and the voodoo caught the hidden meaning behind the words.
"My god." He said incredulously. "I really hurt you, didn't I?"
Amidamaru nodded slowly and the voodoo looked ashamedly at the floor.
"I admire your bravery." He stated flatly. "What I did to you was truly dreadful, and yet you can still face me, and talk to me as though I am human."
"You're dead." Amidamaru replied in the same tone of voice. "You are not a threat to me anymore."
"How can I hope you will ever forgive me?" The voodoo buried his head in his hands. Amidamaru glanced at the sad, forlorn figure, remembering the kiss that lingered on his throat.
"What you did to me was inexcusable." He said at last. "But I am willing to give you a second chance."
The voodoo's head shot up.
"Why?" He asked, astonished.
"Because I trust you." The samurai said simply. "After what you said earlier... and besides," he paused. "I need a master."
"You... you mean that? After what I did?"
"What you did is in the past, and everyone deserves a second chance..." The warrior exhaled, memories flashing through his mind. "You have proved to me that you can be gentle," his voice dropped a tone, low and sonorous. "Your earlier kiss was enough to show that."
"I'll make it up to you!" The voodoo promised desperately, his face tinged with hope. "I'll... I'll do whatever you want!"
But Amidamaru shook his head.
"I'm no one's master." He said gently. "You can control. You can command. Tell me what you want."
The voodoo blinked and watched Amidamaru's face as he uttered a reply.
"I want to please you. I – I want to feel you squirm beneath me. I want to hear you call my name..."
"How can I?" The samurai sighed. "I don't even know what your name is."
"Katsumi." The voodoo said smoothly. "My name is Katsumi Kibuko."
Katsumi Kibuko. At long last Amidamaru could put a name to the face that had haunted his dreams for the last couple of weeks.
And Amidamaru grinned.
"You are an expert on the carnal arts, then?" He asked jokingly. Kastumi smiled wryly.
"I only know what my father taught me, and he mostly taught me about dominance. And I know that shone through in our first meeting." Amidamaru nodded in silent agreement, the still – healing scar prominent and dark on his forehead. The deep wound in his side twinged and he grimaced in pain. There was a pause; Katsumi had not noticed the samurai's falter. He sighed, and then Amidamaru's whispered words cut through the air.
"Teach me."
"What?" Katsumi blinked in amazement.
"Teach me." The swordsman repeated, leaning back casually. "I'm willing to let you do what you want to me, within reason, so teach me what you know."
The spirit hesitated and Amidamaru gave a slight nod to confirm his permission.
The fingers of Katsumi's right hand clasped those of Amidamaru's left, interlocking as though they were a woven tapestry. Both men closed their eyes as their lips crashed together. Amidamaru could tell that Katsumi was trying his hardest to be gentle, to not scare him by reverting to what he had been taught, but the kisses were still heated and frenzied. There were no build-ups, as there were with Yoh, Katsumi's tongue was teasing Amidamaru's front the start, exploring every crevice of the samurai's mouth.
Ghostly fingers slipped the white cloak off the young swordsman's shoulders and began undoing the tie that held the robes around his middle. Katsumi trailed kisses and nips along every bit of flesh revealed as he undressed the samurai until he reached the other man's bare chest.
The voodoo's mouth closed around Amidamaru's left nipple and the samurai's entire body jolted in pleasure as the spirit sucked it, licked it, kneaded it with his teeth. His hand mimicked the actions on the swordsman's other nipple, teasing and torturing it. Amidamaru panted and writhed under the attentions.
The voodoo suddenly pulled away but Amidamaru's moan of frustration was stifled by the ghost's mouth coming down upon his own again. Katsumi let Amidamaru's tongue probe his mouth as he slipped the remaining material off the form underneath him.
The spirit drew slowly away to explore his latest discovery, to study what he had uncovered. Amidamaru's lithe, oiled body glistened, the toned sinewy muscles beneath the skin flowed smoothly into each other like liquid. A thin trail of silvery hair started at the samurai's navel and led down to his groin, where his length was hard and throbbing.
Katsumi's eyes roved hungrily over the naked samurai, lingering on the other man's shaft for a while as Amidamaru caught his breath. The voodoo's eyes were drawn to the bloodstained bandages that covered the last terrible wound he had inflicted on the samurai, and he sighed heavily.
"I am so sorry..." He whispered. Amidamaru followed his eyes and smiled kindly.
"It will heal." He said shortly. The voodoo nodded sadly and averted his gaze back to Amidamaru's length.
"May I?" He asked quietly, waiting for the samurai's permission. Amidamaru smiled and nodded once.
Katsumi rested his head next to Amidamaru's and his hand snaked down to gently grasp Amidamaru's shaft. The warrior's breathing quickened into a hoarse, ragged pant. The spirit rubbed his thumb along the swordsman's cock, and an animalistic moan erupted from Amidamaru's throat.
"Do you like that?" Katsumi whispered, tilting his head to nibble Amidamaru's earlobe. Sweat streamed down the samurai's face.
"Oh... gods..." he panted. "gods!"
Katsumi began rhythmatically moving his hand up and along, and Amidamaru's body jerked, his hips bucked into the voodoo's hand, a subconscious demand for more. The voodoo sped up, stroking the other man faster and applying more pressure; Amidamaru's thrusts became more desperate, his breath coming in short gasps. Suddenly his stomach muscles contracted and he climaxed with an intense release.
Amidamaru screamed Katsumi's name over and over again as he came, exploding in a rush of white. He collapsed backward, breathing heavily, completely spent. Katsumi wiped his soiled hand on his trousers and floated next to the samurai, whose entire body gleamed with sweat.
"You know," He murmured into the panting swordsman's ear. "It might have been me hearing things, but I could have sworn that one time you called me 'Yoh'."
But Amidamaru was beyond hearing.
---
Katsumi looked at the sleeping Amidamaru. He had never seen the young warrior so relaxed, but that was probably because there was no way Amidamaru could relax in their previous meetings.
Katsumi had found it hard, living with another personality in his own body. After his father had virtually destroyed him in his childhood, his ego had diminished so much that it almost did not fill his body. Then, on his fourteenth birthday, his father had died in "mysterious circumstances" that involved drugs, a gun and a very large debt.
The younger Katsumi did not have to wait long to be reunited with his father; the first morning after the death, he had woken up to find that his father's spirit had invaded his body. Katsumi was forced to the very back of his mind as his father took control of his body and actions.
Katsumi loathed being a slave to his father's parasitic ghost, but he could not fight back; the other spirit had complete control. Katsumi had no choice but to watch as his father murdered first three of his school friends and then, much more recently, his partner Yokiama Osume.
Katsumi remembered when he had first seen Amidamaru. He had woken to find his father torturing someone and he had been horrified when he saw the beautiful young man chained at his feet, covered in blood and yet still able to glare in defiance and hatred. He had found himself punching the warrior in the face when all he really wanted to do was stroke his cheek, hold him in his arms, comfort him and tell him everything would be ok.
He had been punished for thinking like that, but the fire that had been lit burned inside him, He knew that, given the opportunity, his father would abuse Amidamaru continuously until the handsome young samurai was little more than an emotionless slave; a sex zombie. A toy that did not fight back.
So the young voodoo had been, to some extent, angry and certainly upset at Yoh's arrival, which created another potential victim. His father had been distracted and Katsumi had seized his opportunity, taking control of his body for a split second, preventing any harm coming to the boy. He had been punished for that, too. He had been knocked unconscious by the strength of his father's willpower and was not awake to witness the prisoners' escape. If he had been conscious, he might have been able to prevent his father from being so enthusiastic with the axe.
He had regained full awareness in the middle of the fight with Amidamaru. In the moments his father had been distracted and he had control of his body, Amidamaru had slashed his cheek open with the katana. Katsumi had been beaten down by his father, though he had silently cried out when his oppressor stabbed the samurai in the side.
And then Amidamaru had thrown the knife. His aim was true and it had lodged in the throat of his body. He could recall his father's enraged roar, a wrench at his gut as the connection between him, his father and his body was severed and then an odd feeling of freedom as the black mist of his father's soul dissolved and he looked at his own dead body, at last able to exercise his free will. About half a minute later he was set upon by Bason.
Yoh and Amidamaru had come to visit him as he was imprisoned and he had apologised for his father's behaviour as though it was his own, making excuses and confessing a fraction of the horrors he had experienced as a child.
And then Amidamaru had let him go.
The samurai had trusted him enough to give him a second chance. Surely he had shown Amidamaru that his decision was the right one? Even now the naked samurai lay asleep next to him, covered only by his white cloak, which Katsumi had struggled to throw over him.
Amidamaru woke with a start, grunting sleepily, his eyes flickering open and drifting over the translucent Katsumi.
"Morning, my sexy samurai." The young voodoo crooned, his hand gently caressing the other man's cheek. "Sleep well?"
Amidamaru yawned and stretched, nodding. As he pulled himself into a sitting position, his cloak slid down his body, revealing his strong, muscular torso. Almost automatically, his hand moved, clasping around his belt and tying it around his middle, making the cloak into a kilt-like garment. He stood, testing his makeshift clothing, and padded swiftly to the bathroom to shave, Katsumi following close behind him.
Shaving had become a routine for Amidamaru since his reincarnation. It had annoyed him at first, as one of the things he had enjoyed about dying was the fact that he didn't have to shave, but now he was used to it again. He whipped the razor round his cheek with practised ease, pausing every now and again to cleanse it in the sink.
"You missed a bit." Katsumi pointed out.
"Where?"
"Just there, let me – "
Amidamaru froze as the razor nicked a patch of stubble away from his neck. He watched as Katsumi stared at the blade.
"Go ahead." He said softly. "Slit my throat."
Katsumi dropped the razor.
"W-what?" He choked. The samurai studied him calmly.
"Cut my throat. You were thinking about it yesterday when you told me to close my eyes and expose my neck, and you were considering it just now. All I'm saying is that I'm half naked and helpless, and if you do decide to then I will make no move to stop you.
Katsumi habitually swallowed. Amidamaru had read his mind.
"But... you..." he stuttered.
"It won't kill me, but it will leave a scar."
Katsumi backed away, wide-eyed and shaking. Amidamaru approached him concernedly.
"You... how did you... know...?" The samurai could see that the voodoo was close to tears.
"I guessed." Amidamaru put a hand on the spirit's shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. "I'm sorry... it was just a stupid test, if I had known it would affect you like this I would never have asked... please... forgive me."
Katsumi nodded, burying his head in the taller warrior's shoulder, sobbing.
"I'm sorry." He said suddenly, pulling away and wiping his eyes. "I'm being stupid. I love you."
"And I... love you too." Amidamaru swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat, trying hard not the think about Yoh. He felt like a monster, betraying the trust of the person he cared about most in the world, but there was something darkly fascinating about the voodoo, and once he had been first drawn in to the other man's power, it only needed Katsumi to show him the pleasure he had and Amidamaru had no hope of escaping.
"There's something about you I can't quite place." The samurai said eventually, frowning slightly. "You are no longer arrogant and conceited, as you were when you were alive. You are caring and kind. People don't change in the blink of an eye. When you were alive you tortured and raped me, but in death you show me heaven. I can see it in your face, too. It is... softer. Not as mean nor contemptuous as it was..." the young warrior placed his hand on Katsumi's chin and tilted the voodoo's head up, forcing the ghost to look him in the eye. "It's got something to do with that shadow I saw, hasn't it? The black mist that disappeared just after you died?"
Katsumi slumped forward in Amidamaru's strong arms, nodding with relief, feeling the samurai's breath across his hair. Amidamaru bent his head forward and Katsumi strained up, placing a small, gentle kiss on the healing axewound. The samurai inhaled sharply and straightened up, shaking his head slightly before bringing his hand up to the scar that ran through Katsumi's eye.
"How did you get this?" He asked quietly, the tips of his fingers brushing lightly against the mark. Katsumi tilted his head further in to Amidamaru's hand and sighed.
"It is just a scar." He shrugged. Amidamaru smiled sadly.
"It is a psychological scar; flesh wounds do not show up on ghosts. I was injured many times at my execution, but not one mark shows in my soul. This scarred your soul, it traumatised you. No other of your scars show up on your ghost, you had far more than this when you were alive."
Katsumi looked up bleakly.
"You are smart." He said with a small, humourless half-chuckle. "I cannot hide anything from you. Very well..." his words were punctuated by another sigh. "It is to me a reminder of my childhood and the consequences when one failed to please a master."
"Your father did that?" The samurai asked, and he looked away as Katsumi nodded.
"Yes." The young voodoo paused. "He used a carving knife. It was the..." his lips moved as he silently recalled the incident. "...day after my mother died. It was the first time he used me for sex... I... don't think I did very well..." the edges of his mouth turned upwards, still trying the smile and laugh even as the tears spilled from his eyes.
Amidamaru placed one soft finger over the other man's lips, looking kindly down at him.
"You do not have to be ashamed." The warrior murmured. "you have a reason for being upset."
"Hmm..." Katsumi looked at the floor for a moment and Amidamaru politely averted his gaze as the other man dried his eyes. Katsumi suddenly brightened up.
"What day is it?" He asked. Amidamaru blinked – the question was certainly unexpected.
"Er... Sunday, I think."
"Got anything to do today?"
"Not that I am aware of. Why?"
"I was wondering if you, y'know, wanted to go back to your room and..." Katsumi let his sentence hang, brushing his hand lightly over Amidamaru's crotch, applying just enough pressure to make the samurai want more.
"Not my room." Amidamaru blinked again, trying to ignore the heat that was gathering in his nether regions. "Someone might hear." Yoh might hear... "Basement is good. I'm the only one with a key. And besides, the rest of my clothes are down there."
The samurai mock-scowled at the voodoo's cheeky smirk, but his playful growl was cut short as Katsumi's hand again strayed downward.
"Ok, ok..." he gasped, "you win... let's... unh..."
Katsumi smiled, placing a kiss on the warrior's cheek. Amidamaru's breathing was speeding up and the voodoo could feel the man's shaking.
"I knew you'd see it my way..." Katsumi's heavy – lidded eyes were half closed with desire. Amidamaru's breath caught as the exploring hand rested on his erection.
"Not here..." The shake of Amidamaru's head was more like a twitch. "basement... oh gods..."
Katsumi took pity on the warrior trembling in front of him, knowing that Amidamaru was completely under his control.
"Come on, then." He said, withdrawing his hand and catching the swordsman as he fell limply against him.
The walk down to the basement was short and swift, with Katsumi keen and eager and Amidamaru literally aching for more.
Once the samurai had made sure that the door was locked, he casually pulled away the skirt-like cloak that covered his lower body. Katsumi once again feasted his eyes on the object of his desire, placing one hand on the other man's bare chest and sliding it downwards slowly.
Amidamaru caught Katsumi's hand.
"I don't believe in repeat performances of that kind." He whispered gently, and, seeing the voodoo's sorrowful downcast face, he added "besides... I want to properly see you... if I have your permission?"
It was another test. If Katsumi refused, Amidamaru would know that he was not really interested, that he only wanted Amidamaru to get his kicks from.
"Of... of course..." Katsumi swallowed and undid his black necktie, throwing it away from him.
"Allow me." Amidamaru interrupted, beginning, with some difficulty, to undo the buttons of the semi-solid shirt, the voodoo guiding his hands. After a while, the shirt fell to the floor.
Katsumi had the appearance of someone naturally thin who had lost a lot of weight in a short time. He looked strong and lean, physically fit, but the muscles were shrunken and wasted. Amidamaru leaned back to get the entire picture.
"I realise that I am not as hot as you..." Katsumi nibbled his lower lip nervously, looking anxiously at Amidamaru, who smiled kindly.
"It is not just muscles that make a person sexy." He said, stroking the voodoo's red-gold hair.
The samurai's hands moved down to undo Katsumi's trousers, slipping them down to the floor. His eyes saw, for the first time, the voodoo's manhood, and he realised just how beautiful Katsumi was, in his own special way.
The vibrant flames of his hair contrasted exquisitely with his soft, dead grey eyes, one of which was slightly narrower than the other because of the thin scar that ran across it. Though he looked starved to the point of emaciation, he actually managed to make it look attractive as though it was a fashion and not an illness.
Amidamaru all but fell into the voodoo priest's arms as the other man moved a sly hand down to gently rub a thumb against him. Unfortunately, that was the precise moment that Anna knocked at the door.
"Amidamaru? Are you down there?"
Both men froze, the samurai trying hard not to cry out in pleasure as Katsumi evilly continued petting his length. Both watched as the door handle turned, thankful that Amidamaru had had the sense to lock it.
"Sorry..." Katsumi coughed, trying to keep his hoarse voice free of concealed mirth as Amidamaru writhed in his hand. "I'm the only one down here..."
"I didn't ask you!" Anna spat from the other side of the door, but they heard her receding footsteps. When he was sure she could no longer hear, Amidamaru let out his pent up erotic groan, falling to his knees. Katsumi looked down at him, momentarily confused, but his puzzlement soon turned to ecstasy and both of his hands plunged to tangle in Amidamaru's silvery hair as the samurai took him in his mouth.
The young swordsman alternated between grazing his teeth gently against the voodoo's shaft and withdrawing completely to run his tongue along and around it, drawing whimpers and squirming from the figure in front of him.
Katsumi's hips bucked violently and Amidamaru knew that the voodoo was reaching his climax. The warrior slipped a hand underneath to gently tickle the bottom of the other man's erection.
The voodoo yelled, tugging frantically on Amidamaru's long pale hair as he released in the samurai's mouth. His knees buckled and he collapsed on top of the other man, breathing heavily.
"You are so good at that..." He gasped as Amidamaru wiped his mouth, grinning like the cat who had got the, well... cream. The young warrior waited for Katsumi to recover a bit and then began pulling his robes on.
"What are you doing?" The voodoo priest asked uncertainly.
"Didn't you hear Anna calling for me?" Amidamaru responded, tying his silk belt. "She probably has some jobs for me. I would have gone when she first came down here, but I had a favour to repay."
The young samurai smiled at the stunned voodoo and then made his way out of the basement, locking the door behind him.
---
Anna had been livid that Amidamaru had not come when she was first calling, and gave both Yoh and Manta the day off just to spite him the samurai, commanding him to do their jobs as well as his own. If there was the smallest bit of dust, or if the job was not finished to her satisfaction, the poor young warrior would be made to do the entire task again repeatedly until she was happy with it.
Katsumi snuck up to Amidamaru's room in the early evening to visit his new friend. He knocked softly and opened the door a fraction. The sight took his breath away.
Amidamaru was curled up in a foetal position on his bed, still fully dressed. He was fast asleep. Katsumi tiptoed over to the sleeping samurai, who was so exhausted after Anna's punishment that he did not even have the energy to crawl under the covers.
The young swordsman rolled over on to his back, murmuring something and sighing in his sleep. Katsumi looked at the pale-haired man, running a finger around his cheeks, the coarseness of the man's stubble grazing his skin. Amidamaru stirred, a slight moan erupting from his throat.
Katsumi leant over Amidamaru and placed a kiss on the samurai's lips, starting in mild surprise as the warrior began responding in his sleep.
Amidamaru began to wake up and the young voodoo straightened up as the swordsman's eyes drifted open.
"Katsumi?" He asked drowsily. "What are you doing here?"
"I missed you." The voodoo answered, nuzzling in to Amidamaru.
"You shouldn't have come." The samurai said sadly. "what if someone caught you?"
"I only wanted to see you again..." Katsumi swallowed. "You never said goodnight."
Amidamaru looked guiltily at the floor.
"I'm sorry." He whispered at last. "Would you like me to make it up to you?"
"I would like that very much." The voodoo answered, leaning towards Amidamaru. Amidamaru supported himself on his elbows to close the gap and Katsumi rested Amidamaru's head with one hand and supported the samurai's back with his other as their lips met. Amidamaru rested his hands on Katsumi's shoulders, steadily applying more pressure, pulling the voodoo closer to him.
"Hey, Amidamaru!" The door swung fully open, revealing Yoh, who was carrying a drink on a tray. "This should stop your muscles aching – oh, my god!"
The glass shattered when it hit the floor, splashing liquid everywhere, but Yoh didn't seem to notice. He was staring, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, at Amidamaru and Katsumi.
"Yoh..." Amidamaru began, pulling away from the voodoo, looking at Yoh, who was spluttering incoherently.
"You...you..."
"Yoh, please..." Amidamaru looked on the verge of tears, his voice laced with desperation.
"You and him!"
"Yoh..."
"I thought you were just feeling guilty about cradle-snatching, but now I know the truth!" Yoh was beside himself with anger. "If you like being a sex slave to that... that monster then fine!" He slammed out of the room, leaving Katsumi standing awkwardly over a stunned Amidamaru.
"Yoh..." The samurai breathed, a single tear sliding down his cheek.