Each time Kanetsugu exhaled, his breath hung in the air like wisps of smoke. Although it was still mid- autumn, chill winds brought moisture from the valleys below to where it condensed as frost in the castle's gardens by night; and the perpetual, white snowcaps of the surrounding mountains were inexorably extending icy claws down their flanks to grasp Echigo for the coming winter.

He continued to pant as he lay back against the tree, helmet in his lap, with an equally-exhausted Yukimura by his side. The soldiers had been dismissed for lunch after sparring all morning, leaving their tired instructors some time to themselves before the armor maintenance session planned for the afternoon. Not all of them were happy to hear about their extended stay at Kasugayama and so Kanetsugu chose to start them off at a slow pace in order to maintain their morale.

Yukimura had not mentioned a single word about the previous night, and Kanetsugu began to wonder if despite his caution, he had tried to do too much, too soon. Yet the other warrior shifted his weight to lean against him in trusting, companionable silence. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling the musky, but not unpleasant scent of Yukimura's sweat mixed with the tang of leather armor straps and fallen leaves. He even smells good when he's happy, Kanetsugu thought. I could sit here and taste his scent… his closeness… all day; and be content as well, even if I never touched him. The gods have blessed me richly indeed. He opened his eyes to see Yukimura gazing back at him affectionately, but the soldier also wore a quizzical expression. Suddenly, Kanetsugu remembered that to Yukimura, he was still a lord of Echigo and therefore his superior. He'd hoped for some sort of cue from Yukimura – some statement that his advances were welcomed before he dared to take things further; and forgotten that he would not initiate contact as long as he saw himself as being of lower status.

"Yukimura, what is it? Just ask."

At once, the warrior's gaze flickered aside. Yukimura's lips twitched slightly, as if he was finding the right words to say. Suddenly he asked, "Why isn't Kayaku, Lord Kenshin's old horse, ridden by anyone now?"

After all that, he just wants to ask me about a horse?! Kanetsugu concealed his surprise and disappointment long enough to notice the samurai's cheeks redden slightly – an indication that his real thoughts were on something far more personal and probably sensual. Still, that horse does tend to stand out…

"Kayaku is, as you have said, an old horse. He was a young adult when my lord first obtained him; I was six at that time. But a rolling boulder shattered bones in both his rear legs shortly after the battles of Kawanakajima. I worked magic night and day to heal my lord's finest mount and brought him back from the brink of death, but those legs can no longer take enough weight for Kayaku to rear, let alone bear a rider. Lord Kenshin used captured Takeda cavalry horses after that."

Yukimura gave him a bittersweet smile. "I will always remain proud of the men and horses of my former unit. Please, I'd love to know, what are your current plans for Kayaku? Such a majestic beast is surely not destined to chew hay in a stable and paddock for the rest of its life."

"Sadly, that's about all Kayaku can do. We made many attempts to breed him. But the injuries also prevent copulation even on the few occasions when the constant pain does not dampen his enthusiasm. It's also a miracle that he is still tractable and safe to handle. He cannot even be allowed to graze with other horses, lest he is kicked or even killed during a fight for herd dominance."

"Then from his perspective, Kayaku has nothing left to live for." Yukimura's expression was one of wistfulness. "He has no master, mate or purpose; and lives each day tormented by pain and loneliness." His voice dropped a notch. "Lord Kanetsugu, I don't mean any insult to your abilities as a healer; but as a former cavalier, I share a deeply emotional bond with horses. If you would ever consider it, I beg to be the one to put Kayaku out of his misery."

Kanetsugu closed his eyes again. "No offense taken. I've contemplated doing the same many times. But Kayaku is visually striking. In the eyes of the people of Echigo, he is an easily-recognized reminder of Uesugi Kenshin's greatness, and his presence brings hope and joy to the populace during processions and ceremonies. For this extraordinary reason, he must endure."

"I see…I understand." Yukimura appeared deep in thought.

"Yukimura," Kanetsugu continued, "despite my reputation, I am not so simple as to believe that my honor and love alone can ease all suffering in this world. Sometimes I feel I have failed those that should matter the most to me. Kayaku, Lord Kenshin and his son Lord Kagekatsu have lived on nothing but war and pain."

"Where does your love come from then, Kanetsugu?" Yukimura cautiously ventured to use his first name, seeing that the other man was entrusting him with his deepest emotional secrets. "Even on the day I first saw you all those years ago,' love' was your philosophy and your creed. I've always thought that one cannot love unless one has received love. Truly, you are remarkable man if can love without having first experienced it."

Kanetsugu sat up in pleasant surprise. The warrior was getting his inner strength back, and displaying a much greater depth of understanding than he had anticipated. "The answer is simple. You have seen how Lord Kenshin's devotion to Bishamonten has granted him powers that make him more than human – or less than human; for in return he has literally sold his soul. But I don't think he's ever ceased to enjoy battle. Similarly, I have given myself over to the God of Love such that even in my darkest hour, I will always be held and comforted in the arms of Aizen-Myoo. To share this love with others is my divine obligation."

"It is a huge sacrifice." Yukimura muttered doubtfully. Does Kanetsugu really love me, he wondered, or was it a religious chore? "Did you…enjoy…what happened between us last night?"

When Kanetsugu replied, he sounded slightly bashful. "I took great pleasure in it." Then he hastily added "I hope you aren't upset. I know you've been uncomfortable since my arrival, and if you feel…"

"No, no…not at all." Yukimura's voice dropped to a quiet whisper. "Please…I feel honored by what you have done. In fact, if it's not too much to ask…I'd love it if you would continue."

Kayaku watched the red-armored man with interest as he ran the brush through his coat and mane, smoothing out tangles and removing dead fur with fastidious care. Was he being dressed up for another exhausting parade? It seemed unlikely – if that was the case then the courtyard outside would be filled with busy people, colorful banners, and other horses. The new human had been really friendly and understanding from the start; and had showered him with unexpected affection, so whatever he had planned next couldn't be a bad thing. The stallion chose to relax and just enjoy the sensation of the bristles massaging his skin. He completed trusted this man and quietly stood still even as the brush swept over the trembling, aching joints of his rear limbs.

Kayaku decided that if it weren't for his injury, he would gladly bear him on his back. Come to think of it, today the young man smelt a little like his previous rider; the tall and stern, but attentive warlord who he instinctively knew was now deceased. Kayaku's sensitive nostrils picked up the faint scent of incense; and he snorted in recognition.

The horse also remembered the two other riders he had during his long life. The shorter, talkative one in white (who used to follow the tall one) tried to ride him after healing his legs, but Kayaku had stumbled in pain and thrown him from the saddle. Even so, that human forgave him and had a juicy chunk of radish in his pocket whenever he dropped by.

The third rider was Kayaku's very first. He recalled bygone battles in the land of his birth - a thirsty desert of sand dunes and towering mosques; where his rider called him by another name, fought in chainmail and bore a shield with a cross on it. Years later, the warrior lay down his sword for a holy book and they trekked thousands of miles before crossing the ocean to where he was now. Though Kayaku would never understand the concept, the amount of gold paid by Kenshin for his purchase was enough for the ex-Crusader to build a new church in Echigo.

Kayaku would also never understand the concept of human religion and how his life had been shaped by the faiths of three different warrior-priests. If he did, he would have also praised the gods when Yukimura finished brushing him and replaced the horse in the stall on his left with the gentlest, prettiest little chestnut mare he had ever known.

"Aki is female?"

Yukimura nodded and gave Kanetsugu a wry smile. "If she mates successfully, you can keep her."

"Yukimura, I can't accept this sort of generosity from the Sanada. Your clan needs every mount it can muster…especially one of the last surviving horses of the Takeda bloodlines!"

Yukimura shrugged. "Our stables actually have a surplus of untrained mares now, after we lost our males to Oda gunfire at Nagashino."

They sat together in a hot spring not far from Kasugayama Castle a few days after the first snows began to fall. Neither would be able to leave the mountain for the next few months as blizzards howled between the mountain peaks and avalanches threatened every forest path…not that either wanted to. "You lost family at Nagashino." Kanetsugu replied as he slid a comforting arm around his waist. "Besides, Kayaku has never been able to support himself on his hind limbs to copulate. Even if you stable them together all winter, there's no guarantee that familiarity would make it easier for him when Aki comes into estrus in the spring."

"I beg your pardon, Kanetsugu. But I'm only applying what you have taught me."

"What would that be?"

"When I served the Takeda, I fought for honor and duty. When the clan perished I thought I had nothing left to live for, but now you've shown me that it's possible to live for the sake of love as well. Even if I am no longer in Echigo, the memory of your compassion will always give me enough reason to fight on." Yukimura's voice was steady as Kanetsugu turned to face him in wonderment. "Like you, kind Aki has a heart big enough for every lonely living creature she encounters. I've given Kayaku an ultimatum: love her, or die trying."

For once, the mage was speechless as he clasped Yukimura's hand tighter in his own. His beloved was a soldier, a child of war; and yet Yukimura was gifted with an instinct for empathy and compassion. Kanetsugu turned alowly and steam rose from his back as he rolled in the water to rest against Yukimura's front. The younger warrior's torso was slightly broader and more muscular, and Kanetsugu marveled at his power and grace as Yukimura's arms moved to pull him close. Kanetsugu's build was sleeker – after all, he could rely on magic in addition to his blade, but he could sense Yukimura's gaze lingering on the sinewy, chiseled contours of his chest as well.

"I am amazed by you…" His voice trailed off as he reached around the warrior's neck and pressed their lips together, savoring the sweet delight that was Yukimura's taste. He was met with no resistance as Yukimura returned the kiss with even greater fervor – such was the natural strength and passion of his lover. Yukimura supported them both effortlessly as he half-floated, half-propped his upper body on a submerged rocky ledge. It was the first time since the night he healed him that they had kissed, and he could feel the stiffening length of Yukimura's desire drifting between his thighs and occasionally touching his own. Above them, the stars hung like tiny icicles in a cloudless sky. Though they were not far from the castle keep, they had brought torches to place in tripods around the pool, and their light was reflected in water the color of obsidian in the winter night. Despite the fact that every shred of his being ached to proceed further, Kanetsugu drew back to check Yukimura's reaction; only to hear the warrior whisper quietly, "Thank you for everything."

Yukimura was staring straight ahead, not into his eyes but into the sky above, eyelids drooping as currents of warm, mineral water massaged his body into total relaxation. Kanetsugu hung weightlessly above him for a few more seconds, before the strategist lowered his head to nuzzle him.

And he wept.

Kanetsugu kept his head bent low so that Yukimura would not see the firelight reflected in his tears and they would mix undetected with the steaming waters of the spring. He wept for Yukimura, filled with uncertainty and doubt in the power of his own faith to bring comfort to the loveless and justice to a man whose clan was dying around him. He wept for his own failure to extend the same compassion to Kagekatsu, his own cruelly misguided lord after Kenshin's passing, and the uncertain future for the Uesugi. With the passing of Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin, it seemed like an age of wisdom and honor had come to an end. But for tonight, he would cling to the brave man that lay beneath him; and not trouble him with his grief.

Slowly he sat back and lifted Yukimura's legs so that they opened wider to give him access. He could hear the other man's sharp intake of breath above the water's surface as he submerged his face to kiss and nibble at him in a long line extending from below his jaw, down his neck, past firm chest muscles and over his almost-unyieldingly taut abdomen, to end just above the silken growth of hair between his thighs. When he emerged to breathe, he found Yukimura panting and reaching out to grasp him again. He let himself sink into the embrace, and he lay there for several moments; feeling the rise and fall of his lover's chest, the lapping of ripples against his sides and the tender kisses that fell like raindrops on his forehead, temples and the tips of his ears. Every curve and crevice of Yukimura's form was gradually explored by his questing fingers; and every taste of him beneath his tongue was savored like a sip of the sweetest wine. Kanetsugu couldn't see him below the dark surface of the pool, and he relied completely on his sense of touch to find Yukimura's opening. Nimble fingers brushed against the wrinkled bulge of Yukimura's crotch before Kanetsugu abruptly, but gently, wrapped his fingers around it with a mischievous grin, eliciting a whine of surprise and raw arousal from his lover.

And immediately afterward, he insertd a finger from the other hand into Yukimura.

The whine changed to a loud gasp, but Yukimura did not flinch or pull away. Kanetsugu began probing skillfully and was relieved when Yukimura submitted to his touch once again. Sure enough, the pressure around his finger began to ease, and Kanetsugu responded by adding a second one. Now Yukimura whimpered in genuine discomfort.

"It will be easier after your first time, I promise. But for now, do your best to relax." Kanetsugu's whisper in the soldier's ear, coupled with slow, steady probing, gradually replaced his whimpers with breathy sighs. Up until that point, he'd saved the deadliest weapon in his arsenal, but the pent up energy within him threatened to explode unless he soon found…ah, there it was.

Yukimura howled as Kanetsugu slid his fingers over a spot deep within him that caused his body to shudder with wild pleasure. A couple more rhythmic thrusts had him pushing back against Kanetsugu, and he was already mindless with lust when Kanetsugu finally opened a conduit between his lover and the source of his divine power, and unadulterated sexual energy flowed to the tips of his fingers, overwhelming Yukimura's senses and filling the air with his strident yells.

For a few more moments he continued to play with Yukimura, as if he was a musical instrument; having no personal need to go further in order to be intoxicated by his lover's pleasure. But the priest was looking forward to participating more actively tonight, and so he reluctantly ended the stimulation, having successfully whetted Yukimura's appetite for more. Indeed, the warrior continued to claw desperately at him as he withdrew, sounding almost betrayed.

"Be patient. It gets even better."

"Kanetsugu…! I don't know how much more of this I can take!" Loud splashes added emphasis to his protests.

"A lot more. Several inches more, in fact." Kanetsugu smiled gently at Yukimura when realization dawned upon the other man and his eyes widened. It wasn't the norm for him to make lewd jokes about sexual anatomy, but he felt so comfortable around Yukimura that he couldn't resist teasing him. "If you'd prefer not to count them, turn over."

He watched with amusement as the ever-dutiful and courageous samurai scrambled to decide whether to obediently follow the suggestion or to face his inevitable deflowering head-on. "I can't make every decision for you."

Yukimura turned over, his cheeks flushing even redder despite the heat from the spring. Kanetsugu stood up, shivering as the shallow water came to only midway above his thighs, and hurriedly embraced Yukimura again to escape the chill air. With a single hand he guided his arousal to the warrior's opening, pressing against it for a brief moment before pushing himself in slowly, but steadily. He could feel muscles ripple beneath him as Yukimura scrabbled blindly at the bottom of the pool, struggling to accommodate the intrusion. It was torture for Kanetsugu too, for the fire within Yukimura nearly drove him dizzy in its raw, sensual power. When the pained gasps gradually gave way to regular breathing, he whispered to Yukimura again.

"I'll continue once you say you are ready."

A pause. "I'm ready." Suddenly, Yukimura slid backwards and drove the last inch of Kanetsugu's length into himself, causing both to moan in unison. The mage began thrusting rhythmically, angling himself so that every stroke caressed the part within Yukimura that made the mountains echo with his cries. Both men were past caring if the castle's night watchmen could hear them. Waves of pleasure throbbed up and down his member as Kanetsugu increased the frequency of his thrusts, slamming himself deeper and deeper into his captive lover, until he reached in front of Yukimura and grasped his arousal as well.

With a final rush of channeled energy, he pumped just thrice before the warrior's screams reached a crescendo and he spilled his seed, unseen, into the dark water. Kanetsugu climaxed immediately afterward, and his cries joined Yukimura's in an ear-shattering chorus of unbridled pleasure, before dying down into soft whimpers of tired satisfaction.

Once he withdrew, the two men lay down together in quiet intimacy, and the night became silent once again.

A/N: gah…this is my first really serious attempt to do a detailed lemon; based on a specific request of my beta reader who wishes to remain unnamed. For once, I didn't have to do that much research – there are plenty of lemons like this all over the site; but at least I've tried to make it a little different.