Hey guys! A little bit of a late update, but I think its a wait worthwhile (:

Enjoy this chapter... Exciting things happen!

Don't forget to leave a comment, they really help me keep going. Anyways... Enjoy~

Because of you.

The words refused to leave Shen's head. Every time they ran through his mind, so did the remnants of the night before. Warmth flowed through him freely, and he kept wishing that could've stayed in his arms just a little longer. But he knew it was wrong, he knew these feelings were wrong.

These feelings would disrupt the balance within him.

At least, that's what he thought.

These feelings were foreign to him: threatening. Sure, he's experienced many emotions before, but he learned to control them throughout his training to be the Eye of Twilight. However, he could never be prepared for something like this. What was he supposed to do when feelings of, dare he say it, attraction came about? He didn't want to believe it, but there was no way he could deny it. The way his heart skipped a beat when he looked at him, how his entire demeanor changed around him, how that damn smile of his made him wave the white flag…

He couldn't understand why. Why Yasuo? What was it about him that made him feel this way? The ninja sat in silence, looking up at the ceiling from his bed. He sighed in defeat, gently turning to the side to look at the clock. Exactly five o'clock AM, perfect. He swiftly hopped out of bed, and headed toward the balcony to meditate as he usually did. However, once he opened the door, he could tell something was amiss. He stood still, trying to figure out what it was. Scratching his head in confusion, he began walking toward the end of the balcony, only to have his heart jump.

It was Yasuo. There he was, meditating not on, but above the grass. Gentle gusts of wind circled him, lifting the young man off the ground. His hands were against one another, lifted toward his face as if he were praying. His eyes were sealed shut in concentration, his legs folded in a criss cross position. The samurai's hair surrounded him wildly, following the motions of the wind. He murmured incoherently, most likely a dialect of ancient Ionian that Shen could not understand. Despite this the ninja watched in awe. Although he had heard of the ancient wind technique, he had never seen it in action.

And he only wanted to watch him more.

As minutes passed, Shen was practically leaning over the balcony, watching in anticipation of Yasuo's every move. Yasuo intrigued him, his powers were unique and beautiful and he couldn't get himself to look away. That is, until Yasuo stopped his meditation. The flow of wind settled, and Yasuo's feet gradually descended toward the grass. He gently finger combed his hair behind his back, and then stretched his arms upward. He sighed audibly, and Shen jumped a bit.

"You know, for a ninja you're pretty obvious" Yasuo taunted with a small laugh.

Shen felt his face getting hot with embarrassment. He knew I was here the entire time?! He groaned in defeat, folding his arms behind his head. Yasuo looked up at him, and flashed him a wide grin.

"Guess I am" Shen remarked. Yasuo laughed at this.

"Why don't you come join me? Watching is boring, right?"

It's not boring to me Shen told himself. However, he simply nodded, and catapulted himself off the balcony. He dashed toward Yasuo's location, and landed gently on his feet. Yasuo's eyes widened, a little scared that he was going to free-fall of the balcony, but sighed in relief to see Shen in one piece. Shen chuckled at this.

"So…" Yasuo started, his arms folded against his chest. "What exactly did you find so interesting about me meditating?"

Shen maintained eye contact, however he was finding it increasingly hard to as Yasuo pried for answers. "Well… It's just that I've never seen the wind technique in person and…"

Yasuo's eyes raised quizzically at this; why did it matter? It was just the wind technique. Yeah, maybe he was the only one who had mastered it but it wasn't anything special.

Or was it?

Shen sighed, continuing his speech. "I've seen many ancient forms of power, Yasuo, however…"

"The wind technique… It just seems to be meant for you." Yasuo watched as Shen's eyes dimmed slightly at his words. The samurai watched looked at him with gentle eyes, smiling shyly.

"You think so?"

"Yes… You make it beautiful."

Yasuo froze, his cheeks splashed with a light pink. The two were surprised at the words: Yasuo wasn't expecting it, and neither was Shen. The ninja's eyes darted away from Yasuo's, partially to save himself from embarrassment, and to stop himself from looking at his blushing face. Yasuo noticed this, and smiled gently once more.

"Thanks, Shen" he whispered, trying not to make him uncomfortable. Shen nodded.

"Do you…" Yasuo started, looking at the ninja with unsure eyes. Shen returned his eyes to the samurai's somewhat eager to see what he had to say. "Do you want to see more?"

Shen's eyes widened in excitement. "Yes! I mean…Yes" he said a little too quickly. Yasuo laughed at his excitement and took a few steps back, hands fingering the hilt of his sword.

"Shall we spar?"

Shen looked at Yasuo's sword, then to him. Although he hated to admit it, he was genuinely excited. The ninja hadn't sparred in ages, and it brought back memories of the days he trained under his father. A small, hidden smile traced his lips. He then took a few steps back so that there was ample space between the two, and he bowed. Yasuo did likewise, and the battle began.

Shen took the first move, lunging toward him and slashing his katanas. However, Yasuo was sharp. The samurai quickly blocked the katanas in one swift slash, and pushed Shen away. Shen fell to the ground, and quickly used his arms to push himself back onto his feet. He was about to dash toward him again, until he was interrupted by a mini tornado about his size gust toward him. Swift.

He quickly dashed in the opposite direction. Yasuo nodded at this. Shen was sharp indeed, his reactions perfect. He's sharp… But is he sharp enough? Yasuo grinned. While Shen was distracted, he quickly dashed toward the ninja, the wind speeding him up and helping him glide across the ground. Once he reached Shen, he twirled his body around in a three-sixty motion, his sword following. Shen quickly shielded himself, avoiding the sharp blade. However, he couldn't help but notice how graceful Yasuo was with his motions. He was deadly… Yet graceful at the same time.

His heart skipped a beat.

Yasuo dashed away from him, and Shen followed. Shen took the opportunity to throw one of his katanas at him. He did, but gasped under his breath as Yasuo quickly reacted, throwing out a wall of wind and deflecting the katana. He watched as the weapon was blown away, too far out for him to retrieve it. Shit. Yasuo smiled.

Left with only one katana, he continued to fight, his breath getting heavy. To his defense, Yasuo was visibly tired as well, sweat was lacing his forehead and dripping onto the ground. They continued dashing to and from each other, trying to get the other to slip up. They were both equally skilled, however, Shen was starting to falter. He was focusing more on Yasuo's movements, the grace of them entrancing him. The way he fought was unlike that of anyone else, not rugged and rough, but rather smooth and graceful. It was as if he was dancing with the wind by his side.

He truly was beautiful.

Although he only went out of focus for half a second, Yasuo seized that opportunity and dashed straight toward him, launching another tornado his way. Shen didn't have time to react, and was immediately knocked up into the air. Time seemed to slow down as Yasuo flew up into the air beside him, striking him once, twice, then three times. Every one of them graceful as ever. Before he knew it, he was pinned to the ground, Yasuo's sword inches from his face. He looked up at it, his eyes tracing the beautifully engraved patterns resembling gusts of wind. Fitting.

Yasuo looked down at the ninja. He was in bad shape; his eyes half lidded in tiredness, his breath heavy. Then again, Yasuo was in similar condition, trying his best to catch his breath. He tossed his sword to the side, and smiled toward Shen.

"Check-" he muttered in between breaths. "Mate"

Shen chuckled at this, looking deep into Yasuo's eyes. "I accept defeat."

Yasuo grinned triumphantly, placing his hands on either side of the ninja for balance. His shoulders rose up and down, his eyes shut trying to regain his composure. Shen did the same, the two trying their best to neutralize their breathing. Once they did, Yasuo's eyes fluttered open, hovering over the ninja.

"You know… You really are one with the wind, Yasuo" Shen whispered, looking up at the samurai. He watched as his face turned a little more pink, and it clearly wasn't because of exhaustion. Shen smiled gently under his mask. "The way you fight… It's beautiful" he whispered, his eyes daring to look away. Yasuo's face was red now, his heart fluttering at the words.

Yasuo was suddenly aware of the compromising position they were in. He felt heat rushing to his face, looking at the ninja below him. He looked away for a second, his heart taunting him as it beat so fast it seemed it would jump out of his chest. He slowly brought his hands off the ground, hesitantly placing them onto Shen's chest. Shen quickly brought his eyes back to the samurai above him, however he relaxed. He felt heat rising to his face as Yasuo slowly brought his face towards Shens. The ninja swallowed silently in what he thought was anticipation, but he wasn't sure. Their faces were now inches apart, their hearts both racing. Shen looked up to see Yasuo dazed, smiling gently at him.

"Thank you…" Yasuo whispered. His hand was now on Shen's masked cheek. That single touch sent sparks flying throughout the ninja. He gasped internally; this was all new to him.

But It didn't mean it wasn't exciting.

The two sat there in that position for what seemed like hours, yet it was only seconds. Yasuo finally moved his hands toward the end of the ninja's mask, eyes heavy and half lidded. Shen froze: he didn't want him to take off his mask. However, he couldn't stop him, his body wouldn't let him. Yasuo could see his discomfort, so he hesitantly began to lift the fabric above his face, only so that it was right under his nose. He stopped there, his eyes tracing his features. His lips were now exposed, gently parted to allow himself steady breathing. Shen sighed internally, thankful that he didn't take the entire thing off. He looked up toward Yasuo, the glow in his eyes dimming slightly, his heavy lidded eyes mimicking Yasuos. The samurai gently brought his hand toward the lower half of Shen's face, gently tracing his thumb over his lips. Shen shut his eyes gently to the touch, sparks exploding in his body. He didn't know how this worked, or what to do. But he knew he felt safe, he felt alright, he felt good.

"Yasuo…" Shen whispered so quietly, so much so that it was almost a whimper.

Although prior to this Yasuo was having an internal battle as to whether or not to keep going, this threw him over the edge. He cupped his hand around the ninja's cheek, and leaned in close. His eyes shut gently as his lips met with Shen's.

Shen stayed there frozen at first, not knowing what to do with all the heat and emotions rushing to him at contact, however something in him clicked. He closed his eyes, tilting his head gently and returning the kiss. Shen found himself bringing his hands up around Yasuo's back, pulling him closer toward himself. Yasuo softly groaned at the action, and brought his hands behind Shen's head in order to deepen the kiss. Shen sighed, the sparks and the heat becoming unbearable. He wanted more, and Yasuo did too.

Yasuo gently prodded his tongue against Shen's, begging for entrance. Shen obliged, and sighed gently as Yasuo's tongue began exploring his mouth. Shen did the same to Yasuo, and relished in the light whimper it elicited. He wanted more of that, he wanted to hear more of him. He brought his hands to the back of Yasuo's head, pulling him even closer and deepening the kiss even more. He gently began running his fingers through Yasuo's hair, surprised at how soft it was. Yasuo tried his best to stifle a moan. Shen loved this, every noise he made made his body beg for more…

That was until Yasuo brought his hand toward his mask again.

Shen was quickly put out of his trance, and ended the kiss abruptly. He frantically pulled the samurai's hand away from his mask and he pulled it back down, covering his mouth once more. Yasuo looked down at him in confusion, but quickly realized why he ended it. The damn mask… he cursed himself. He wanted to just rip it off, but he should've known better. He knew ninja's liked to keep those things on. Yasuo sighed sadly, his eyes darting to the ground beneath him.

"I- I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine" Shen replied, still trying to wrap his head around what just happened. Yasuo gently pulled himself away from Shen and stood up. His eyes saddened, his mouth a slight frown. Shen felt a pang in his heart; he caused this. He made him sad. Just as he was about to speak, Yasuo began to do the talking.

"No, I- I should've known better. I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have done any of this" He muttered sadly. Yasuo started walking away, however Shen quickly stood up and followed him, grabbing his shoulders. Yasuo was slightly startled, but he relaxed slightly in Shen's grip. Shen turned him around so that he'd face him, and was surprised to see his eyes slightly glossy, tears begging to escape. His heart felt as if it'd shatter into a million pieces.

"Yasuo, listen to me" he said urgently. "You don't need to apologize, I was just… I can't have my mask off, that's all" he whispered.

Yasuo didn't buy any of it, and guilt ran through him. He simply nodded, and turned toward the temple. "I… I'm sorry Shen" he muttered, despite him asking not to apologize. He gently pushed Shen away, and headed toward the entrance.

Shen just stood there, watching him walk away. He sighed, and looked toward the ground.

What on earth just happened?