HALLO READERS

*gets assaulted by readers for being a lazy, non-updating wingsu* woah woah calm down guys

I'm sorry I'm VERY inactive these couple of months xD but fear not I have not left fanfiction. My muse is just going through her period, and unlike humans, her period tends to be VERY long xD *gets a death-glare from muse* Uh... yeah. _

So yeah, but I still manage to write some stuff. If you want to keep up with my updates as well as keep in contact with me, feel free to like my facebook page at /WingsSenpai
There you can keep up with my artworks and my story updates. I'm also planning on turning DARKNESS RISING into a if you want updates and sneak peaks on that, my facebook page is the way to get it!

Anyway, most of you are here for the story/lemon xD so yeah, won't keep you from it any longer.

Enjoy.

~ Wings

The low light that caressed your face always reminded me of the sunsets we shared. It was the only memory that held comparison.

- Marc Stidham

Shadow Caresses

Chapter 4

He opened his eyes when the messenger arrived outside of the door to his room. "Come in." His voice, monotone and dignified, rang out as he admitted the messenger before the man even knocked. His door slid open as the messenger looked into the room at him. "Respected Eye of Twilight, the Master has requested your presence within the Temple of Twilight." The man said as Shen opened his eyes, exitting out of his meditative trance, his eyes a vivid shade of glowing golden. "So be it." He said simply as the messenger bowed and left. Shen stood up, standing at a taller height than he was 8 years ago. He wore a simple ionian robe of dark brown with white linings as proceeded through the building's hallways, out of the residential building and headed towards the Temple of Twilight.

He walked in, the Temple as dark and gloomy as ever. The statue of Twilight stood at the end of the temple, as it had always stood, it's eyes glowing golden with the embedded gemstones that decorated it, akin to the way Shen's eyes now glowed.

"Shen, my son." His master stood at the end, in front of the statue, holding a folded up piece of paper. His voice was darker than usual, the lines on his face seeming more pronounced as the man suddenly looked much older at the moment.

"What is wrong, master?" Shen asked calmly, walking over to his father as the man simply held the folded up piece of paper out to Shen. Shen took it and opened it up. It was a small piece of paper, just bigger than his hand. On the paper, there was a large symbol painted in black ink. It resembled a shuriken. Underneath, there was only a few sinister words written with such elegance in it's strokes that it was obvious to Shen that whoever wrote the letter was very well versed in calligraphy. The words were; " I am coming to take what is mine. Do not resist or you will regret."

And then, there was a name signed at the bottom of the note.

Shen's heart stopped for a moment. His eyes widened. For the first time since his appointment as the Eye of Twilight, emotions broke out onto his face as he stared down at the letter in blank disbelief. The name written on the note was-

"Zerys…" Shen whispered, his eyes reading the letter over and over again. He could just make out her handwriting like it was 8 years ago. It had vastly improved, but the subtle signs of recognition were there. He stared at her name, reading it over and over again to make sure he read it correctly.

"Yes… Zerys is returning, but not as our ally nor in peace." The master said solemnly as Shen raised his eyes to look at his father. "Shen, do you remember what I told you all those years ago?" He asked.

"Zerys is dead. What is left is nothing but a shadow." Shen said blankly. These two sentences, in that exact order, had been burned into his mind over the last few years. He had repeated it to himself over and over and over again, like a prayer. To convince himself that Zerys really was gone. To numb the pain of not seeing her, not touching her, not being with her. To enclose the pain in his chest whenever he thought of her. How she was. Her soft, light lips, her dark eyes, her satin like skin, her lusciously dark hair…

"Yes. Over the years, she has created her own order of ninjas. An order dedicated to studying the forbidden techniques. The Shadow clan." The Master said. "This is an act of war, Shen. Whatever they are coming for, it is not good. I want you to mobilize all the squads and have them be ready for anything. We shall not attack first, but we will be ready if they do. They will arrive here in a few days time." The Master said as Shen looked at his master, his eyes hollow, still feeling like he had been punched in the gut. Without another word, Shen walked out to do as he was told.

…

Shen couldn't sleep. He stood at the window of his room, staring outside, his eyes clouded with thoughts. The night sky outside was moonless, so it was very dark. And then, he saw a flash of red in the sky.

His head perked up at that as his keen eyes narrowed, focusing on the spot where he had seen red. He stared. And then he saw red again, as two pinpricks of red flashed at him. Eyes.

Shen was already wearing his dark robes, so he simply gathered up his two ninjatos and belted them as he simultaneously jumped out of the window with the silence and skill of a master ninja. The red he had seen belonged to a shadowy figure, who began running away, jumping from roof to roof as Shen followed. They soon went out of the compound and through the tops of the trees.

Shen followed the shadowy figure until he landed in a small clearing. The clear trickling sounds of the stream was all he heard in the night as he straightened up, looking around at the familiar location. This was where he and Zerys shared their first time.

There was no time to remember old times, however, as a Shuriken suddenly came flying out of the darkness, slicing through the air with a low pitched whistle. Shen easily deflected it as his ninjatos came out of his back in a flash. A second later, he turned around and came face to face with a ninja. The ninja wore black robes with a red scarf and white-gold armor pieces. A helmet covered the ninja's face and head, red eyes blazing from the dark eye slit. Dual Armblades shot out of both of his gauntlets as he engaged Shen in a viciously fast melee.

Before Shen even knew it, his ninjato's were both knocked out of his hands and sent flying away from him as the other ninja instantly pounced. Shen hit the ground hard as the armblades retracted, the other ninja reaching for Shen's face. Shen, however, was strong. He grabbed the reaching arms by the wrists and brought one knee up. With a flurry of movement, he was now on top of the other ninja, pinning the arms to the ground as the other ninja struggled. But Shen's grip was iron as he brought both of the offender's wrist together so he could hold them with one hand. And then, suddenly, his hands closed on nothing as the ninja below him turned into black smoke. Or rather, a smoky clone. A Shadow.

"It is you." A feminine voice from behind him said as the shadow dissipated. Shen froze, not even breathing as he felt his heart miss a beat. He stood up, turning around slowly to look at the same ninja who had attacked him, who was in the process of pulling his, or rather, her helmet off.

The helmet came off and a mass of black, choppy hair fell, going past her shoulders. Red eyes flashed as her eyelids opened again, her head shaking the black hair out from in front of her eyes. Her lower face was hidden by the black cloth that reached up from her armor and also covered most of her neck. She pulled it down, revealing the full face of the girl he had known so long ago. Her face had changed, as she had grown. Her lips were fuller, her face more structured, her eyes more shaped. She looked at him with similar disbelief as he stared at her, the helmet dropping from her hands onto the ground as she stepped forward.

He didn't move as she reached up and pulled his mask off and the hood back, his brown hair being freed as well as his face, which had gathered a few more scars than he had back when she was with him.

"Shen." She said his name, caressing his cheek, her glove only leaving her forefinger and middle finger bare past the second joint, so those fingers were the only contact of skin on skin. Shen, however, simply stared at her red eyes.

"You're not Zerys." He said as Zerys froze, her hand coming off of his like his skin had suddenly turned electric. "Zerys is dead." He added.

"I'm standing right in front of you." She said, her eyes searching his face as his golden eyes stared flatly at her.

"You're nothing but a shadow." He said.

Zerys narrowed her eyes as her hands shot back to herself, reaching up near her collar. The sound of armor unclasping was soon followed by the sound of her torso and shoulder armor hitting the ground, leaving her in nothing but the same skin-tight black cloth. Her hands then shot down and grabbed Shen's hand, pulling it into her chest, right in the middle as Shen couldn't resist, still shocked by her appearance.

"Does this feel like a shadow to you? Does this feel dead?" She asked as her heart beated under his fingers, only a few inches of flesh and bone separating his hand from her heart. He could feel her warmth, he could feel the thumping of her heart, he could feel the gradual rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

"You're not… Zerys." Shen said again, confused and hesitant as something sparked within Zerys' eyes. All of a sudden, that softness was gone and was replaced with a predatory glint.

Zerys shoved Shen back into a tree. Before Shen could utter a sound, Zerys' lips came crashing into his, locking with his. Her tongue went into his already open mouth and invaded it, exploring his mouth like it was the first time she had done so, yet her tongue moving as if she knew every curve to it. There was a lustfulness to her kiss, like she was trying to quench a thirst, yet every second that passed was igniting a larger blaze in the inferno burning within her. And its sparks were lighting up the dying embers within Shen as he sunk further and further into the kiss, beginning to return it.

This was so familiar. Her taste. Her scent. The feel of her lips on his. This was Zerys, there was no mistaking it. His hands came up, feeling her sides, the smooth inwards curve of her waist, up the sides of her ribs as his hands then went behind her, one hand going down her spine to her waist while the other went up through her hair, entangling themselves in her black locks.

Her hands scrabbled at his chest and they broke their kiss apart as she pulled his top off of him, splaying her fingers onto his hard chest, feeling them, but then uttering a sound of impatient anger as she took her hands off again, pulling the gauntlets and gloves off while shen pulled her red scarf off and threw it unceremoniously off to the side. With her pale white hands revealed, she placed them onto his chest again, feeling the hardness as she looked at him with eyes blazing, lust and desire igniting a visible fire in their crimson depths. Shen's eyes glowed like molten gold, shifting and changing, as he gazed at her with a smouldering depths.

He grabbed her and turned her around, his kiss shoving her back into the tree as she moaned from the impact into the kiss, her vibrations travelling into him as her hands explored his torso, feeling every hard ridge, every contour and every dip of his finely sculpted, masculine body. Their tongues osculated and danced with each other as they tasted each other like they could not get enough. The kiss broke apart again as they took off Zerys' top, exposing her from the waist up, their feet working as they pried their own footwear off with some skillful toe-work.

Her breasts were bound back with white wrappings and Shen took a moment to admire them as they had grown. They weren't overly large, but they had definitely developed, as she took the wrappings off hastily, revealing the pink peaks. They returned to the kiss, but this one lasted only a few seconds as Shen's hands travelled up the smooth skin of Zerys' flat stomach, the calluses on his rough hand making Zerys moan again. Shen's mouth, meanwhile, travelled down the side of her neck, kissing and nibbling, Zerys' breath escaping her in short, intermittent bursts as either sharp exhales or soft moans. His hands cupped her breasts and he nibbled and kissed at her collarbone, making her squirm against the tree and arch her back, a pool of liquid fire developing within her core.

She couldn't wait. So many years without Shen had made her crave him insanely and she finally had him. Her hands worked at unlacing his pants as he kissed and sucked at her sensitive peaks, making it hard for her as her hands kept wanting to curl in various ways as the writhing pressure within her built up at the pleasure.

But as much as she wanted him right then and there, she didn't want this to be all about hers. She suddenly shoved him back, grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him around, slamming him into the tree instead again.

She kissed him on the lips twice, before moving down, kissing his adam's apple as well as the dip of his neck at the collarbones, moving down the middle of his chest and down the middle line of his ridged abdomen. She went down on her knees as she reached her pants, hooking her slender fingers in as she slowly pulled down on it. His bulge strained against the fabric until it finally sprang free as Zerys fixed a lusty gaze to it. Then, she looked up, looking at Shen's heated gaze and locking her eyes to his. Then, as she stared up at him, she put one hand around his base, holding him in place as she kissed the tip.

Shen felt a shock travel through his body as his muscles clenched and relaxed in a wave at the feel of her soft lips kissing him there. But that was nothing compared to the shudders that ran through him as she slowly took his length into her mouth, engulfing him in the warm, wetness of her mouth, her tongue curling and snaking around his head as she tasted as much of him as she could. She reached the point where his head poked the back of her mouth and she couldn't take any more of him in her, yet he wasn't even completely in her mouth yet. Shen gasped as he looked at the emotions flashing across Zerys' eyes as she looked down at his length. He realized what she was going to do and before he could say anything, she cocked her head back about a centimeter before suddenly plunging forward.

Zerys gagged, fighting the reflex as she took his entire length in, deepthroating him as tears came up to her eyes at the foreign feeling. Shen, however, could not handle himself. His hands suddenly came down to the back of her head just as she was sliding back off of him. She yelped in surprise as he shoved her head forward as he bucked his hims, forcing himself down her throat again. This time, tears did come out of her eyes as Shen facefucked her, Zerys holding her breath and keeping at it for as long as she could. Her saliva dribbled down her chin as she rapidly moved forwards and back, uttering lewd sounds every time he thrust into her throat.

Finally, her lungs had turned to fire and Zerys put her hands on Shen and pushed herself off of him, letting him go with a small pop as Shen groaned, his haze of lust lifting to see Zerys coughing and gasping. "Oh, dam- Zerys, are you alr- Damn, I apologi-" He was cut off by Zerys who looked up at him with a sultry smile, making his words die in his throat.

"I'm glad you're no longer such a submissive little boy anymore. You've truly grown up into a man." She said as any and all of Shen's rational thoughts were out taking a vacation. Normally, he wouldn't lose his composure at all. He was the damn eye of twilight. But Zerys had a way of making his control shrivel up and shatter. She stood up as she hooked her thumbs into her pants and pulled them off, the fabric pooling around her ankles as she stepped out. Shen's eyes raked her, admiring her womanly figure, her full breasts, her fit, slender figure, her wide hips and the soft dark curls at her apex. She walked forward sultrily, walking right upto him and pressing up against him.

Her breasts pressed against his chest as his length was pushed upwards, beads of fluids dripping out of it's tip as it was sandwiched against his abdomen and hers, the warmth of both of their heated skins arousing him further as the fire that had momentarily lessened reignited in his eyes. "Shen… When we were young, we made love… Now we are older, and I want …" She whispered, her red eyes almost burning with desire as Shen huskily replied, "What do you want…?"

"I want you… to fuck me raw." She said as Shen let any and all restraints he had crumble at that moment. He grabbed her and turned her around so her back was against the tree this time. Zerys didn't even care about the rough tree on her back, instead hoisting herself up as his hand settle themselves under her hips, squeezing the flesh. Her legs hooked around his back as she latched herself onto him and they kissed. As they were kissing, Shen guided himself to her entrance.

The first thrust was unforgivingly hard and it made Zerys buckle upwards from the force, a moan escaping her through the kiss. Her fingernails clutched at his back as Shen began thrusting up into her, Zerys helping as much as she could to rise up and down as well, so every thrust he made inside her caused his crown to slam into her deepest wall. Zerys was moaning so rapidly now, it was more like one long, low moan of pleasure, hitching every time he hit her cervix.

Zerys threw her head back, enjoying the feeling of him filling her completely and utterly as she moaned and gasped, her body heating up like it was on fire. She began to gyrate her hips as well, making wave-like motions with her lower body as she took him in, getting even more friction as Shen grunted, squeezing the flesh of her rear tighter. Zerys could feel her back burning in a stinging way as the continuous pounding and friction had rubbed her skin raw against the rough bark, but she didn't care. It was more like a sensual flavouring of pain to accentuate and season the main pleasure that invaded all the parts of her mind.

All the pleasure in her felt like electricity as he thrust into her with unrelenting force, each sound of flesh against flesh accentuated by a short moan or gasp from her and an occasional grunt from him. The electricity suddenly all converged and sharpened into one big electrical ball before it exploded, Zerys's mouth opening in a silent scream of pleasure as her back arched, her head thrown back, shocks and shudders going through her body as she climaxed, Shen leaning forward to assault her exposed throat with his mouth as he continued pounding into her without letting up. "Zerys… I'm getting… close…" He muttered as Zerys's hands, which had clutched his shoulders hard enough to have her fingernails dig in and leave welts, unstuck themselves and then wrapped around him as she embraced him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Do it inside me… I want to feel all of you in me…" She whispered as Shen didn't ask twice, continuing to piston in and out of her soaking, molten-hot core that was dripping with their juices.

Shen groaned as he suddenly tensed up, suddenly stopping with one more thrust that sent him deep into her, his head slamming into the entrance of her womb before he released, his manhood throbbing deep inside her as he released jets of liquid heat into her. Zerys moaned once more as she felt his seed come into her, the proof of their love, filling her up with incandescent warmth.

The lovers both shared a breathless collection of kisses, each kissing not lasting more than a moment as they had to keep separating to refill their lungs with the oxygen their sore muscles were demanding. But they kept kissing each other, tasting each other, never getting enough of each other…

…

"So what now?" Shen asked as he fastened his top on while Zerys, who was in the middle of clasping her gauntlets on, paused and looked over her shoulder at him, her red eyes slightly sad because she knew what he meant, but still asked, "What do you mean?"

"What are you going to do now? You can come back, you know. I'm the Eye of Twilight. I can convince my father to take you back." He said as Zerys sadly shook her head. "No Shen… We can't do that."

"Why not?" Shen asked, slightly angry as he fixed a firm gaze on Zerys. "I lost you once, Zerys, I will not lose you again."

"Shen. Life is a forward path. We're already on our paths and nothing can change that…" Zerys said sadly and bitterly as she walked up to Shen and reached up to caress his cheek. Shen leaned into her hand, feeling her hand as Zerys whispered, "I love you Shen."

"I love you too, Zerys." Shen whispered back as he reached up to touch her hand. But even as he tried, his fingers went through her hand as Zerys' skin suddenly engulfed itself in black smoke, the smoke dispersing as quickly as it had appeared to reveal only a shadow, that faded away, a wistful smile on the Shadow Zerys' face. That smile stayed with Shen long after the shadow had faded away, taking any and all trace of Zerys with it.