Nuriko walked along the path, a blanket of fallen petals from the Sakura trees above lining his footsteps. The violet haired seshi picked a spot beneath the shade of one of the trees to rest, closing his eyes, deep in thought. A lot had been happening at once..and it seemed with the return of the preistess, any headway he'd managed to make with the emperor had been swept away. The feminine suzaku warrior didn't hear as quiet footsteps approached where he was seated. Not until the familiar, velvety voice he knew all too well spoke to him. "Nuriko-sama...what's on your mind? You look as though you were about to cry..." Hotohori took a seat beside the older but smaller man, casting a concerned eye on the seshi he'd grown to love. "It..it's nothing, Hotohori-sama...don't trouble yourself over me. You have more important things to worry about..." Nuriko's gaze never left the bed of sakura petals beneath them. "Nothing is more important to me than the feelings of the ones whom I hold most dear to me." A soft, gentile hand reached up to caress Nuriko's cheek, in turn making the voilet gaze turn to meet Hotohori's deep chocolate brown eyes. Hotohori put a finger to Nuriko's thin lips just as the purple haired beauty was beginning to speak. "Iie...your eyes tell me it's something you'd rather not share with me in partcular. Instead..may I share some things with you?.." Nuriko didn't know what exactly to say as the usually familiar brown eyes held a softness, sincerity, and need Nuriko had never seen before. The smaller of the two absently shook his head yes, his mind racing at what Hotohori was about to reveal. Hotohori sat back against the tree trunk, slightly tightening the grip on Nuriko neither of them had realized he had. After listening to the soft chirps of the twilight crickets for a few moments, he decided to speak. "With all that's been going on..I had to take a few moments to sit down and think about...everything. I...realized that no matter how I try, Miaka will never love me...she and Tamahome were meant for one another. Nothing will ever tear them apart. And...my thinking led me to another conclusion...I figured out who the one I was destined to be with truly is...the hidden love I've developed over the past few months..." "Hotohori-sama..please..." Tears had begun forming at the edges of the violet eyes that stared pleadingly back at the emperor, begging him to stop. The facts he revealed had already gotten to Nuriko, and he didn't know if his heart could bear any more of this... "No...Nuriko..listen to me...its important..." Hotohori's usually stoic eyes pleaded, speaking with silent urgency. "G..gomen your majesty...c..continue..." Nuriko sat patiently and listened carefully, something he'd done countless times in the past... "Nuriko, I do have a reason for sharing all this with you. I realized...the one who always was there when I was down, always listened when I needed to talk, always leant me a helping hand...the one who stole my heart...was you.." Nuriko's heart seemed to stop dead in its tracks. He seemed like he's stepped into a dream world and never wanted to leave... Before his mind could process any further, his lips were sealed over in a tight lock. Nuriko slid his eyes closed, relaxing into the feel of his lips against the ones he'd waited so long to feel. Hotohori's mouth parted against Nuriko's, velvet tongue slipping out to gently part the lips of the smaller seshi beneath him. Nuriko complied, lips opening to invite in the soft tongue of the emperor. The two slowly explored each other's mouths, memorizing every crevice, hungrily drinking in the flavour of the other. Slowly and almost reluctantly the two pulled apart, staring into one another's eyes. They sat staring into each other's souls until four simple words broke the silence between them... "I love you, Nuriko..." Each word delicately pronounced off those velvety lips poured with emotion, making the spoken words that much more powerful. "And I love you, Hotohori-sama...always.." As the words left small pink lips, Hotohori again claimed the smaller man's mouth as his own, lowering him to the ground softly as the kiss grew in intensity and lust. Slowly and effortlessly they shed one another of clothing, piece by piece falling among the bed of soft pink sakura petals. Mouths never once parting, the two soon lat skin against skin, pressing together as now nothing stood in their way. There was no doubt in Hotohori's mind at that moment that Nuriko was very much a man, sleek, firm muscles lay under soft, velvety layers of skin, and straining manhoods eagerly rubbed against one another. As the two pressed closer, their passion filled kiss soon turned to lust filled, and soon Hotohori had broken their liplock to start a trail lower and lower down his new lover's body. Tongue eagerly lapped over ivory flesh, eager to explore every inch of the beautiful man beneath him. Nuriko emitted husky, velvet moans as Hotohori licked and bit along his chest, arching into the touch and grabbing at long, chocolate locks. Hotohori worked his way down the expanse of ivory skin, indulging in the husky low moans emitted from his smaller love. As Hotohori's tongue explored the crevice of Nuriko's belly button, the purple haired seshi below him pressed up in urgent need, moaning his name as he begged for release. With a smirk, Hotohori decided to show compassion, all at once taking the older seshi into his mouth and sucking hard. Nuriko let out deep moan as he was all at once consumed by the warm, velvety interior of his love's mouth. Hotohori sucked fervently at the tip, tongue running along the underside of Nuriko's manhood, while his teeth lightly ran along his length. Nuriko bucked his hips at the emperors administrations, thrusting deeper into the velvety heat of his lover's mouth. Hotohori compensated, starting a quick, steady rhythm of movement that sent Nuriko soaring. The older seshi emitted deep, wanton moans with each thrust into extacy, making Hotohori's own manhood throb for its release, getting harder with every cry of his lover. Hotohori sped up, running teeth gently over Nuriko's solid length, just enough to push the purple haired beauty spilling over the edge. With a moan and fantastic cry of his lover's name, Nuriko saw stars as he emptied himself into the mouth of Hotohori. Tangling his fingers amidst chocolate strands, he poured the last of his seed into the velvet warmth, collapsing on the bed of sakura petals as he tried to regain his breath. The purple eyed seshi looked down to see Hotohori cleaning his length of the excess, devouring every last drop of milky liquid from the older man's body. Hungry eyes turned up to meet his own, reminding him that his love was still painfully aroused, desperately begging for release. "Mm...Hotohori-sama...I want you to take me...onegai..." Hotohori couldn't deny his love of what he wanted, and what his own body begged for. "Hai.." was all that was muttered before Hotohori slicked his fingers with a sweet smelling lotion he'd carefully concealed in his robes. Slowly, he spread Nuriko's legs, swirling his finger around the entrance of the tight pucker beneath him. slowly but surely he slid a single finger into the tight warmth, wiggling it gently to make room for the next. Once he had three fingers in, he scissored them around, warding off the pain to prepare Nuriko for what was to come. As each finger was added, a hint of pain flashed through Nuriko before it was quickly replaced by a wonderful feeling of pleasure. As Hoto's fingers stretched within him, they brushed over a spot deep within him, sending stars flying over his vision. A deep moan seeped out through his lips, and Hotohori chose that moment to pull his fingers out and replace them with his already lubricated length. When the stars faded, Nuriko was able to grasp that something much better than fingers had been placed inside him. Closing his eyes tight, he pushed the slight stinging back and sunk into the feel of his love buried deep within him for the first time. Hotohori allowed Nuriko time to adjust, letting his own hardness get used to the tight velvet heat that surrounded him. When he saw the expression on his lover's face change from slightly pained to purely pleasure, he started moving his hips, earning a moan and slight hiss from both his lover and himself. Nuriko soon matched Hotohori's pace, the two moving together with perfect rhythm. With each trust, the intensity and speed increased, and when Hoto positioned himself to get better depth, each stroke was brushing that pleasureful spot inside him. Hotohori grasped onto Nuriko's now hard again length and began pumping it in time with their thrusting, enticing even more moans from his beautiful lover. He bent down softly, joining their lips together in a passionate kiss as they both inched closer and closer to climax. Nuriko desperately grabbed onto Hoto's body as he felt the first wave inching closer, as as one, the two broke the kiss to holler out one another's names. As Nuriko clamped down around him, Hotohori spilled himself into his love, as Nuriko simultaneously emptied himself onto their stomachs. As the waves subsided, the two collapsed together, entwining their arms around one another as their eyes locked. Silent love exchanges were passed between the two before Nuriko rest his head on Hotohori's chest, falling into a deep, even sleep. "Ai shiteru..my beautiful dove..." Pulling his robe over the two, he soon joined his lover in a deep, even, peaceful sleep. "Ch...must they have done that out in the open? At least they finally hooked up...thought they'd NEVER realize their love..." Tasuki sighed as he rested his head against the trunk of the tree he'd been occupying. Letting out another sigh, he softly closed his eyes, deep in thought. *It makes me miss Koji so much..* A small tear escaped the corner of his eye as he drifted into an uneasy sleep...