Infinite Infatuation

Jin gently shook the pouch of coins before securing it inside his sleeve alongside a special vial he had purchased earlier. He was glad to be once more on his way. He had more than enough of these peasants laughing and talking behind their hands when they thought he wasn't listening. He was glad that they had obviously not realized who had given him that mark, and even more glad that they did not know about the other mark. With these thoughts all the resentment that he had pushed down came smoldering back to life.

At the slow pace that the farmers and their livestock had set, it had taken two days there and two days to return to their village. However, without that hindrance it might be possible to return to the inn in one, admittedly long, day. He wanted to avoid another night in the open, if he could. It was well known that a band of bandits roamed this area unchecked. It was fear of them that offered him employment with the farmers for the past few days. He did not relish the thought of coming into contact with them on his own. His weapons alone were enough to draw their unwanted attention.

He set a brisk pace, determined to be clear of the nearby stretch of woodlands early in the afternoon. Lingering along the way only encouraged trouble. He steadfastly refused to admit to any other reason that might be prompting a speedy return to that inn.

He made good time, first in getting from the farmland to the woods, then in transversing the wooded path. He was beginning to think that the worst of the journey was over, when he heard a slight rustle in the surrounding undergrowth. Pretending to be unaware, he continued on his way.

Three ruffians soon blocked his way. They were armed with cudgels and a motley array of padded and leather protective garments. He could tell by the way they held themselves, that they were merely a rag tag collection of bullies and indigent ne’er-do-wells. Jin put his hand to his daishō, loosening it in its sheath.

"None of that," the central figure warned. "There's no reason for violence. Just give us those swords, and whatever is in your sleeves."

Keeping part of his attention on the figure hiding behind him, Jin drew his daishō and charged the three in front of him. He did not have time for this!

They obviously were only use to dealing with farmers or the occasional lone traveler. The looks of surprise on their faces as he charged them were an amusing mix of stunned disbelief and horrified comprehension. He did not take the time to worry about finesse, merely cut them down as they stood in various defensive stances. Jin grunted as one of the staves connected with his hip. That last desperate attempt did not check his forward motion as his daishō came to rest in the third man. He allowed himself to stumble as the man fell, dragging his daishō with him.

There was a sudden loud thrashing from behind him. He whirled ready to defend himself, but the unseen man was fleeing.

One of the downed men chuckled hoarsely before spitting blood. "He's gone for the rest, you will follow me soon."

Jin found himself hurrying with all the speed that his hip would allow him. It was now imperative that he not stop until he was safely at the inn. If those outlaws caught him, there would be nothing for Mugen to do but avenge him. A thought that he did not relish for several reasons.

He cleared the woodlands at a jog while the sun was still in the sky, although not by much. Soon it would be dark, and he would not be moving as fast at that point. He could see the rising smoke from the cooking fires in the distance. A quick glance over his shoulder showed that the pursuit was either delayed or not forthcoming. He rather hoped it was the later, but feared it was the former.

Darkness fell and he still had a ways to go. He had to slow to a walk until the rising of the moon could afford him enough light to risk quickening his pace. When he saw the welcoming glow of the inn in the near distance, there were still no signs of pursuit and he dared hope to avoid any further attacks for the remainder of the day.

When he finally stumbled, disheveled and limping, through the front door of the inn the few remaining patrons gave him a less than warm welcome. All conversation stilled and he was the object of every stare in the common room. Mugen turned from the man he had been talking to and looked at him with some surprise.

"You look like shit."

Jin sank onto a bench with a pained grunt. "They look worse," he muttered darkly.

Mugen barked out a laugh. "Of course, they do..."

After eating what Mugen could scrape up for him at this late hour, he wobbled back to Mugen's room, pointedly ignoring any offer of help that might have been forthcoming. He slumped down on the futon with his hand pressed to his hip.

He pealed his kimono and hakama off, revealing a nasty purple bruise covering much of his side, hip and continuing down his flank. Mugen let out a low whistle of admiration.

"Get me some sake and salve," he gritted out between clenched teeth.

When Mugen returned, he offered the sake and set about applying the salve. Jin drank several cups in quick succession, trying hard not to betray how badly every touch hurt. Finally it was done and he was numb. He didn't know if that was due to the salve or the sake. And just then he felt too wrung out to think about it.

He leaned back against Mugen and with a heartfelt sigh finally allowed himself to relax. He was back, safe and alive, something that he hadn't been sure of earlier in the day. Now that he wasn't driving himself, reaction set in. He was thankful that it was blunted by the sake, but that only seemed to make another part of his reaction more pronounced. He had heard that surviving a life or death situation was often one of the best aphrodisiacs. Now he was finding that in his case it was true.

Mugen chuckled warmly and looked pointedly down at his lap. Jin followed the direction of his gaze and was only mildly surprised to see just how aroused he was. His cock was already straining and dripping precum from its swollen tip.

"Well… What do you want to do about that?" He waved in the general direction of Jin's lap.

Jin's only response was to blush furiously. Don't ask such questions!

Mugen's hands wandered down his body, brushing places that affected Jin in ways he would never have suspected. The way he reacted to having his nipples stroked was no real surprise any more, but his navel and flanks were uncharted territory. By the time those talented hands had reached the destination that he had in mind the whole time, he was fairly sure that the other man's name had slipped through his fervent lips more than once.

Mugen leaned forward and sealed those lips with his. His kiss was surprisingly gentle, not the usual battle that they engaged in. Light butterfly touches on the roof of his mouth and tongue. Jin found himself moaning and increasing both the depth and heat of the kiss to match his mood. It was his turn to explore the other's mouth. Mugen chuckled at his new found ardor.

"You really want this. I'll try to do it without hurting you."

"Just do it!"

Chuckling once more, Mugen eased him back onto the futon and began to remove his own clothing. He was somewhat hampered by Jin's awkward attempts to help. But Jin soon gave up on that and instead started to stroke whatever areas of exposed skin he could find. That also slowed things down a bit, but Mugen wasn't going to complain.

Once the last of his clothing was gone, it was abundantly clear that he was in no better state than the other man was. He maneuvered Jin onto his side taking care that the bruised hip was uppermost. Then he moved in close and took both of their cocks in his hand. Jin clutched him close; murmuring his name, then attempted to move his hips, but with a small cry of pain stopped abruptly.

"Shhh… I've got it." He stroked Jin's back until he relaxed once again, and then went back to pleasuring them both.

His hand slid easily up and down their shafts. The gleaming drops seeping from their cocks smoothing the movement of his hand. Jin tried to help, but the pain of reaching down was too much. So he wrapped his arm around Mugen and burrowed tightly into his body.

His mouth sought and found the rogue's neck. He nibbled on the exposed collar bone, and sucked on the pulse point before moving higher up. He licked the edge of the ear, dipping his tongue in to explore before nipping the lobe. He amused himself by playing with the dangling blue stone earring. When he tugged on the hoop holding the stone, Mugen arched against him and gave out such a groan that he gave it another tug to see if he could get the same reaction again. If anything, the groan was deeper and more ragged, filled with more longing than any one sound should be able to convey.

Mugen's hand moved faster and began a twisting motion over their crowns, wringing a deep moan from Jin. He started pumping his hips, pushing the head of his cock over Jin's and dragging the edge back down the length of him. The friction of the hand on the top of his cock and the contrasting friction of Mugen's cock on the underside were mind-blowing. It had never occurred to him that it would be possible to have motion in two different directions at the same time, much less how to achieve it.

His body shuddered and shook with need. He could feel it building in him looking for an outlet. He held off as long as he could, just letting its fierce heat burn him until he had to find release or burn up with his need.

Jin pressed his face firmly into his lover's neck and bit down as he came to keep from screaming his companion's name. The semen pumping out of him with every stroke of Mugen's hand made it impossible for him to release his grip upon the other man. In fact, he found his jaw tensing with every pulse.

"Oh… Fuck yeah!" Mugen yelled raggedly as he also came.

Dimly Jin realized that a little pain seemed to have a positive effect on his lover. He would have to explore that in more depth later when he was capable of logical thought once again.