Hello everyone! First of all, hope you all had a fantastic holiday/new year. I know I did haha.
I'm excited to bring you all an update!
Please enjoy this next chapter, and stay tuned for the next (and final) chapter... It's gonna be wild (;
Also, don't forget to leave a comment if you'd like~
The morning rays of the sun crept through the window, filling the bedroom with its light. Shen winced slightly as the light hit his eyes, waking him up as it usually did. As his eyes opened, he stretched his arms out as he let out a yawn. However, there was only one thing out of the ordinary; there was a dead-asleep Yasuo clinging onto him. He looked down at the sleeping man, smiling gently at him pressed against his body. For a long time in a while he could honestly say that he was happy. He was at peace.
The ninja spent a few moments just lying there, looking at the man next to him, admiring him as he soundly slept. The rays of the sun cascading from the window were beaming against Yasuo, outlining him in a way that made him look as if he was glowing. He looked divine; the light rays only heightened the peacefulness across his face. Shen could feel himself blushing at the sight. He looked so peaceful, so beautiful. He looked like an angel. My angel he thought to himself.
He brought his hand atop his head, stroking the messy strands of brown hair back into place. Since he hadn't moved his mask back down the night before, he gently planted a kiss on the samurai's forehead. Shen slightly regretted his decision to do so afterward, as Yasuo's eyes twitched at the touch. Shen brought his hand down to Yasuo's cheek, lovingly rubbing circles with his thumb as the samurai's eyes began to flutter open. Yasuo opened his eyes, slowly transitioning from his sleeping state, to fully awakening. He let his sleepy eyes trail upward, until he made eye contact with the man next to him. Yasuo smiled; so he really did stay after all.
"Good morning Shen…" Yasuo yawned out, stretching his arms as he spoke.
"Morning, Yasuo." The ninja smiled, Yasuo's smile was contagious indeed.
Yasuo gently let go of the ninja, and adjusted himself so that his back was against the head of the bed. He gently crept behind Shen, and draped his arms around the ninja as he pulled him into an embrace. He brought his head to the crook of Shen's neck, and kissed it softly. Shen shivered at the action, and leaned his head back slightly. Yasuo then brought his mouth toward Shen's ear, as if he wanted to say something.
"Thank you for staying with me" he whispered, tightening his grip around Shen. The ninja grasped his arms as he pulled him closer. Shen leaned his head back slightly so that he could capture Yasuo's lips into a kiss. Shen smiled as their lips separated, his forehead resting against Shen's. "Of course, Yasuo. Anything for you."
"Really?" Yasuo questioned, a smile forming at the words.
"Yes." Shen replied simply, looking deep into Yasuo's eyes. He was surprised to see Yasuo respond by smiling sadly.
"Will you, um, come with me somewhere?" Yasuo responded, his deep brown eyes looking toward the edge of the bed. "I… trust you a lot and I don't want to go alone-" Yasuo was cut off as Shen turned around and pulled Yasuo into a tight hug, pushing his head against his chest.
"Of course Yasuo. I'll come" he replied without hesitation.
Yasuo's eyes widened at the quickness of the reply, but they reverted back to their normal state as he smiled once again. "Thanks…" he whispered as he pulled himself closer to the ninja. Shen gently stroked his hair as he hummed happily. "So… where are we going?" Shen questioned, resting his head atop Yasuo's. Yasuo sighed sadly, looking down as he did. "I think… It's better if I just take you there" he replied.
Shen was concerned for a moment; why wouldn't he tell him? However, it seemed really important to Yasuo, so Shen decided not to push it. "Ok then, Yasuo" he murmured against his head. Yasuo simply nodded against his chest, and pulled away from the ninja. He held onto Shen's shoulders, and looked him in the eyes, smiling softly. "We should get dressed and go: we have a long walk ahead of us."
"Alright" Shen replied simply, and pulled his mask back down to its original position. Yasuo frowned at that, but he understood. However, that didn't stop him from giving him one last kiss, despite the mask being on. Shen chuckled at this, and hopped off the bed so he could go back to his room and get dressed. As he walked away, Yasuo called out to him. "Shen, really, thank you so much. This means a lot to me."
"Of course Yasuo. Anything for you."
Yasuo smiled as he watched the ninja disappear into the hallway.
The walk was grueling to say the least; the hot summer sun was beaming intensely on the two, and it was starting to take a toll on them. It had been at least three hours of constant walking; from nice, flat surfaces to steep hills to climb. However, the two pushed on. Yasuo especially.
It was quite obvious that Shen was exhausted. His breath was heavy, and his mask was dampening with sweat. Yasuo frowned, feeling bad that the ninja was in such bad shape. Shen's canteen of water was empty, so Yasuo grabbed his and handed it to the ninja. "We're almost there Shen I promise. Here, take mine" he said, trying his best to sound cheerful.
"Are you sure?" Shen said suspiciously, however a tone of desperation was slightly hinted. Yasuo rolled his eyes as he shoved the canteen into Shen's hands. Shen blinked.
"Yes, I'm sure" Yasuo laughed. Shen was a little surprised, but he laughed nonetheless. "Thank you Yasuo, that's very kind of you."
"Yeah yeah whatever" Yasuo blushed. Shen patted him caringly on the head.
The two continued on the path, Shen drinking the remains of Yasuo's canteen as they walked together. The two enjoyed the beautiful Ionia scenery that surrounded them: beautiful, emerald green shrubbery adorned by tall trees that sprouted delicate, yet stunning flowers of various colors. Yasuo smiled sadly; he knew they were almost there.
As they walked further, Yasuo spotted a particular hill in the distance. He gently took Shen's hand into his, and looked down toward the long stalks of grass beneath them. Shen returned the grip, and looked down at the samurai concerningly. "The place" Yasuo started, as if answering Shen's unspoken questions, "It's just up that hill over there." Shen nodded, and the two made their way there hand in hand. As the two climbed the long, steep hill, a large cherry blossom tree came into view. It was magnificent; the tree was unlike any other cherry blossom tree Shen had seen before. It was enormous, the trunk towered over the two by plenty feet, and the branches spread out in a way that made it seem as if they were trying to escape. The wind gently swayed the flowers to the side, and beautiful pink petals fell gently to the ground. Shen was in awe of its beauty, and Yasuo took notice, smiling softly as he looked toward the ground.
"It's beautiful" Shen murmured, looking up at the tree, watching as the delicate petals fell from it.
"It really is" Yasuo whispered. "I've been here so many times… And it's beauty never fades."
Taking Shen's hand, Yasuo gently pulled Shen to the top of the hill. As they approached the top, Shen gasped gently under his breath. Before them was a sword that was pierced into the ground, a beautiful one that resembled Yasuo's. The metal glimmered under the setting sun, the fallen petals surrounding the weapon. Yasuo smiled softly, a single tear escaping his eye. "This… This is where I buried Yone." Yasuo whispered sadly. "And… today is the day he died." Shen felt a wave of sadness flow through him as Yasuo walked toward the sword. "This sword was his" he murmured, falling to his knees in front of it. Yasuo sighed sadly, and turned his head to Shen, who was right behind him.
"The reason I know that today is the day is because… Well" Yasuo paused, trying his best to contain himself. Shen placed himself next to the mournful samurai, and put his arm around him, pulling him toward himself in an effort to comfort him. Yasuo let out a shaky, deep breath, and continued. "I know that it's today because my nightmares only happen during this time" he whispered. "It's as if Yone is trying to remind me through my dreams."
Tears were now streaming down his face, and he buried his head into Shen's shoulder. "I always wonder what would've happened if I had just listened that day…" Yasuo whimpered. "Yone would've still been alive If I didn't mess up-" Yasuo was cut off as Shen pulled him tightly toward him, rubbing his back gently as Yasuo began sobbing.
"Yasuo…" Shen whispered gently against his head. "It's ok… What's done is done. We can't change the past, as much as we'd love to. Trust me, I know." Yasuo nodded gently against Shen's chest, the sobbing subsiding little by little. "No matter what, don't stop searching. Yone wouldn't have wanted that" Shen murmured. "And I will help you no matter what. You have me now Yasuo. That's a promise."
Yasuo pulled himself closer to Shen, tightening his grip around him. He looked up to the ninja, who returned the eye contact gently. Shen gently wiped off the tears that tainted his face, and ran his hand through the samurai's hair.
"Do you really mean that Shen? Do you promise not to leave me?" Yasuo murmured.
"I would never. I can't leave you now." Shen replied confidently.
"Good... " Yasuo whispered as he rested his head against Shen's chest. "If you leave me… I wouldn't be able to bear it." His cheeks flushed a light pink as the words left his mouth.
"And neither would I" Shen replied truthfully.
Yasuo blinked, and looked back up to Shen. Did he hear what he thought he just heard?
"...Why is that?" Yasuo questioned quietly, looking at Shen with eyes of anticipation. Shen smiled softly, and cupped Yasuo's face into his hands.
"Because… You saved me Yasuo" Shen whispered.
"What? What do you mean?" Yasuo replied, genuinely confused. Shen chuckled.
"You showed me what was missing in my life. You filled a void in my heart that I never knew existed" he murmured. Yasuo could feel his face getting hot.
"The reason I can't let you go…" he said in a hushed tone as he brought his face toward Yasuo's ear. "Is because I've fallen in love with you."
Time seemed to freeze for Yasuo as those very words left Shen's mouth. He felt his blood rush up to his face instantly, his brain seemed to stop functioning too. Although all he wanted to do was rip Shen's mask off and kiss him right there and then, he contained himself. Lost in the moment, he ended up saying something totally different instead.
"Y-you what?-"
Suddenly, Yasuo was cut off by the voice of Ionian soldiers making their way toward the two. Battle cries and shouts of Yasuo's name could be heard creeping closer and closer.
"There he is!" the leader of the soldiers screamed. "Capture him, NOW!"
The group of soldiers were quick to obey, as they charged full speed toward the samurai. However, Shen reacted instantly, and roughly grabbed onto Yasuo's arm as he pulled him away from an arrow headed straight for him. Still grasping onto Yasuo, he ran full speed with the man trailing behind him.
"After them!"
Shen picked up the pace, trying desperately to find a place to hide so he could teleport the two out of there. They were beginning to become largely out numbered, and soldiers began emerging from various areas ahead of them. Yasuo looked horrified, and Shen felt for him in that moment, but they had to get out. The two ran as fast as they could, dodging arrows shot at them as they did. They were both panting; being exhausted from the long walk here didn't help their current situation at all. However, adrenaline took over for Shen as an idea floated to his head.
"Yasuo!" Shen shouted. Yasuo quickly turned his head to the ninja and gave him a questioning look. "Use your windwall, now!"
Yasuo hesitated for a moment; why did he want him to use it? They were evading attacks perfectly fine after all. However, the look in Shen's eyes made it clear that he had to do it. So he did.
The moment he casted it, Shen pulled Yasuo toward him and held on to him tightly. The ninja closed his eyes in deep concentration as a bright purple light began to surround them. Yasuo looked around in panic, not knowing what was going on, however he trusted Shen and held onto him tightly. With an elongated haaa! escaping Shen's mouth, the two were gone in an instant.