Note: To answer the question from Wolf Demon, Kyoko Asakura: Bugger! I forgot about that! Um... lets just say that our little voodoo friend can't turn a shaman into an undead, because that's kind of strange – shamans exist on the planes of both living and dead, as do vampires. A human is turned in to a vampire when bitten because the bite causes them to live on the plane of the dead as well as that of the living, but if shamans already exist on both planes... then it makes sense that they can't be turned... if you look at it logically, it does work somehow ;

With a small exhalation, Yoh flung himself on his bed, beckoning Amidamaru to join him. The samurai hesitantly sat on the side of the bed, but was immediately pulled further on as Yoh's mouth latched on to his own.

The swordsman rolled on top of the young shaman, propping himself up on his elbows. Yoh gazed in to his calm, serene eyes.

"Amidamaru?" Yoh's own eyes were half-closed in their usual carefree way. "Please, Amidamaru... show me..."

"Show you what, Yoh?" The warrior responded, the seemingly careless laziness of his words hiding the pounding of his heart.

"Show me what it's like... you know, what lovers do with each other... show me pleasure..."

"But – "

"Please, Amidamaru..." There was an almost puppy-like mournfulness in the boy's eyes and Amidamaru gave a tiny shudder, knowing he could not say "no".

Yoh supported himself on his elbows, pressing in to Amidamaru's chest and making it easier for the samurai to slowly slide his shirt off his shoulders. One soft hand passed teasingly over the shaman's chest, brushing the sensitive areas around his nipples and lovingly caressing the tan nubs. Yoh's breathing caught, but, once again, Amidamaru's mouth claimed his own.

The swordsman's hand moved down the shaman's stomach, and his erotic groan severed the kiss. Then, suddenly, the hand stopped moving and the boy was aware of a tiny drip of wetness on his chest, followed rapidly by another, and then a third. He opened his eyes to see Amidamaru crying, the samurai's tears splashing down on to his body.

"What's wrong?" He asked concernedly, instantly moving a hand up to stroke the warrior's pale hair, which was still damp and straggly from the bath.

"Oh, Yoh... can't you see?" Amidamaru wept openly. "That you would let me love you... that you would let me do this – to you. It's so wonderful, Yoh!"

There was an unprecedented joy and, to some extents, a near pain behind the heartfelt words, and Yoh silently wondered whether his samurai had endured an entire existence of rejection.

"Of course I'll let you, Ami-chan," Yoh murmured softly, the hand in the warrior's pale hair gently twisting a strand round the fingers. "I'll let you do whatever you want to me because I trust you."

Amidamaru swallowed and nodded, and, suddenly, his exploratory hand slipped down into Yoh's trousers, gently fondling the shaman's arousal. Yoh gasped and squirmed as the long, quick fingers skilfully passed over his length, weighing it out, softly memorising the contours.

It started as a subtle building of pressure in his abdomen, slowly growing in to something much more intense, causing him to cry out in both shock and pleasure, but his screams were lost in Amidamaru's mouth, which had once again captured his in a kiss.

No words are powerful enough to describe the next feeling, an exquisite mix of slight pain and extreme pleasure. Yoh's stomach muscles contracted several times and his yell may have woken the other occupants of the house had it not been swallowed by Amidamaru as he spilled his seed into the loving warrior's waiting hand.

And then, all too soon, it was over. His first ever orgasm was just a rapidly fading memory as he lay panting on the bed, the samurai's hand withdrawing from his trousers.

He looked, with twitching face, into Amidamaru's calm, gentle gaze.

"You would like me to do it again?" The samurai asked neutrally, his tone neither imperious nor pushy, leaving Yoh to make a free decision. Again? The shaman couldn't even begin to comprehend again – his mind was still muzzy from the first time.

The young swordsman seemed to understand, however, caressing his cheek, the rush of his breath over Yoh's face causing the young shaman to shiver unconsciously.

"It's ok, Yoh." The soft voice rang through the air, which seemed to almost be heated by the flush from Yoh's entire body. "Was that your first time?"

The shaman felt the blush before it appeared on his cheeks and bowed his head, wrenching it away from Amidamaru's comforting hand.

"Yes," he whispered, blinking a few times before gathering the courage to look back into the samurai's eyes.

"There's no need to be ashamed," Amidamaru murmured sleepily. "There's a first time for everything."

The samurai turned to stare at the ceiling through his half-closed eyes, images of Yoh's ecstatic face as he had released flashing before his vision. Who would have thought – who could have dreamed – that the young shaman would ever let him do that, would let him recognise his heart's desire and pleasure the boy?

"Amidamaru?" Yoh asked, seemingly in a daze. The samurai rolled over to once again look at the shaman's young face. "Amidamaru... don't leave me... it's cold without you..."

The swordsman inhaled sharply, and one hand moved to clutch his chest slightly. Yoh watched him uncertainly, moving one hand to where the samurai held his heart. It was quickly enveloped underneath Amidamaru's.

"Yoh..." The young swordsman swallowed, seemingly painfully. "It is Sunday night – tomorrow will be Monday and you have school. Surely Anna will be here to wake you up? She does not deserve to find out – especially not like that."

The shaman stared, the blunt wisdom of Amidamaru's words ringing home, only to succeed in making them all the more painful. He bowed his head slightly and the samurai's hand moved from under his own to wrap around Yoh's body. The shaman was pulled into the warrior's chest tightly.

"I – I want nothing more..." Amidamaru continued with a dry, tearless sob. "But there are other people in this house who may be affected by this relationship and we must respect them as well."

"I understand." Yoh said shortly, turning away. He did not quite know why he felt angry – maybe it was because Amidamaru was not thinking only of him, but of everyone in the house. Perhaps he lusted for his samurai to think only of him, as if that would make him feel better when Anna walked in the next morning to discover them curled in each other's arms.

Amidamaru's mouth descended, almost apologetically, searching for his. There was a brief struggle within his mind whether to grant the samurai what he wanted, but his own desire intervened and, without quite realising it, he had tilted his head up to close the gap.

Amidamaru's stubble grazed his skin as they kissed; Yoh's hands felt the hard strength of his warrior's muscles. How lucky he was, to have some as gentle and caring, and yet still as strong and physically tough as Amidamaru love him.

The samurai rolled out of the bed, landing almost noiselessly on his feet and slipping his sandals back on. He smiled sadly at Yoh, who returned the gesture gently and kindly.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, then?" He asked lightly. Amidamaru grinned in relief and nodded before padding out of the shaman's room.

The samurai turned over in bed, not asleep, not quite awake, floating on an imaginary cloud. He thought, if he strained his ears, he could hear soft, regular sounds, almost like footsteps – but they were all in his imagination, yes?

He shook himself awake as, with an ominous creak, the door swung open, and he stared at it puzzeldly.

"Yoh?" He asked uncertainly, wondering if it was the young shaman sneaking in to visit him. There was no sound in response, so the samurai reckoned it to be the wind. He swung himself out of bed to close the door.

There was a movement behind him as he again shut the door, and his eyes widened as he realised something – had he remembered to lock the basement door?

The swordsman barely had time for a quick "oh, fuck!" before the figure behind him grabbed his arm tightly and twisted it painfully up his back.

"Don't make a sound," a voice growled next to his ear, "it'll be worse if you do."

"What do you want?" The samurai retorted, trying to ignore the twinges from his arm. "Haven't you done enough already?"

"I thought I had – when I saw you in the same state my son was in when I had broken his spirit. But you recovered. My son was obviously too weak to do so, and I had expected you to act in the same way."

Amidamaru grunted slightly as his arm was twisted further up his back.

"He was stronger than you think," he managed at last, inhaling sharply as a flare of pain lanced through his nerves. "If you'd have just given him a chance... his spirit was broken because you started on him at a very young age, if you had left it, if only for another few years..."

The vampire pulled upwards some more, cutting Amidamaru off.

"I was trying to toughen him up, so that he might have been able to help me with my revenge. The pathetic rag couldn't even stop crying after his mother died."

"Times have changed," the samurai gasped. "This world is no longer in a famine, children these days do not have to put up with the torture we did in our time – you overdid it! The living is softer now, they no longer have to kill each other to survive."

"Shut up!" The voodoo snarled, wrenching upwards again, again forcing Amidamaru into silence. "If they do not kill to survive, how do you explain my most recent "death"? I was shot by a device of murder known as a "gun" – tell me now that they do not kill to survive!"

Amidamaru felt waves of excruciating pain and nauseating sickness as, with a sound like a gunshot, his arm snapped. It took all of the samurai's self control to stop himself crying out in pain as, with one final tug, the vampire threw the limp, now-useless limb away from him. The swordsman cradled it protectively, his face contorted, trying to ease the agony.

It was at that moment Yoh walked in. He had heard the voices through the thin wall, having been lying awake, thinking about Amidamaru. His quick, dark eyes scanned over the murky room, over Amidamaru, grey-faced with pain, clutching his injured arm to his chest, and over the vampire, who was panting with exertion and hidden emotion.

"Can't you take a hint?" He asked finally, quietly, taking a step towards the vampire and grabbing one of Amidamaru's katanas off the table they lay on, which was positioned conveniently close to the door. "Why will you not fuck off?"

"I cannot rest in peace now – thanks to him!" The vampire pointed an accusing finger at Amidamaru, his face again filled with hatred. Yoh rolled his eyes.

"If you had not become so obsessed with revenge, you would have been able to rest in peace when you were killed!"

"Shut up!" the voodoo spat. "Why are you friends with the fiend? He will only destroy you like he destroyed me, and countless other innocent samurai!"

"I trust him," Yoh responded, all too aware of Amidamaru's slight whimpering moan from the corner he had withdrawn into.

"Then you are the fool." The voodoo said, rushing Yoh. The shaman was still, frozen with shock, and the vampire sped right past him and out of the door.

Yoh felt a sharp pain in his chest and realised he was lying on the floor. There was something wet on his hands and he heard Amidamaru gasp almost breathlessly. Was there something wrong? He should go and look at his samurai's arm...

The shaman had the strangest feeling that he was peeling himself off the floor as he pushed himself to his feet, before swaying slightly and crashing down again. Why couldn't he stand up? Maybe the wetness on his hand was something to do with it – what was it on his hand?

He looked at his hand, but, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't focus on it – it stayed blurry, fuzzy. Was he going blind? He looked away, the amount of times he had tried to focus making him go cross-eyed. His gaze was dragged upwards – was that Amidamaru looking over him? Oh... strange... he was so tired all of a sudden... all he wanted to do was sleep...

"Yoh – Yoh? Yoh, answer me!" the samurai's strained voice was quiet, as though played at minimum volume on his headphones. Ha... that was funny... why wouldn't Amidamaru go away and let him sleep? He was tired... oh, so tired... he had school tomorrow – but what was school? Could he sleep there? Hmm... sleeping sounded good...

He felt a hand on his chest, and the pain eased a little – but what pain? He had forgotten that his chest was hurting... maybe he was just... too... sleepy... oh, the hand was doing something to his chest... smoothing it over? Why was Amidamaru doing that? What was going on? Everything was muzzy – the swordsman was disturbing him, keeping him from closing his eyes and relaxing.

"Go... 'way... let me sleep..." He yawned out, hoping Amidamaru would take the message, before he let go and drifted away on a silent ship, bound for the realm of dreams.

Amidamaru stared down at the unconscious boy, at the fresh, deep wound in the shaman's sternum, his own broken arm forgotten. Who would have thought that the voodoo would have a concealed knife?

It had all happened so fast, too fast to comprehend – one minute Yoh and the voodoo were having a conversation, the next – the vampire had rushed Yoh, and, as quick as a flash, plunged his knife into the boy's chest and withdrew it as the shaman fell, fleeing the room.

The samurai gazed sightlessly down at Yoh in shock – the vampire had been right, after all. He was bad luck to know – he had killed or hurt all his friends. Mosuke, the vampire himself... and now Yoh...

Maybe it would be better if no one knew him at all.