Aya headed straight for his room and grabbed the katana from its stand. The blood-red stone flared in his hand.
/You need to calm yourself/
/How can I do that, knowing what I now know?/
/All roads eventually lead to the same destination/
/What is that supposed to mean?/
/That you and your enemy are fated to meet again. The outcome depends on the journey taken to reach it/
Aya bowed his head, his long ear tails trailing across the sheath of the Fire Weapon. /What should I do?/
/You must concede to the request made today. You must seek out and destroy whatever killed the samurai/
"Why must I do this?" Aya was so agitated that the words were almost shouted both mentally and verbally.
/Because if you don�t the world will come to an end and humanity will cease to exist/
The stone went dark again and Aya stared at it in horror.
He couldn�t stay in the room with it any longer and almost ran into the kitchen where he found the other three Vessels comparing notes. He stopped in the doorway and took a deep breath. Omi glanced up at him, his face very serious.
"It would seem we have a problem," he began, peering at Aya from the corner of his blue eyes. Aya remained silent under his scrutiny.
"Has your stone also been talking about the end of the world as we know it?" Ken asked. Omi nodded unhappily.
"If this thing is so powerful, how are we supposed to destroy it?" Yohji wanted to know.
Aya recovered enough from his own shock to shoot him a contemptuous look. "You were given a weapon, even if you do only wear it as a pretty bracelet with which to charm the girls!"
Yohji glared at him in return. "Yes, and I know exactly how to use it! Can the same be said of that pig sticker you were given?"
Aya�s gaze changed from contemptuous to full death level glare in an instant. "Do you wish to find out...the hard way?"
At this point the Air Vessel intervened, having finally lost patience with both of them. "Kami-sama! Would you two please find a bed somewhere and get this out of your systems!" Both Aya and Yohji turned to stare at him while Ken chuckled in the background. Omi blushed but remained adamant. "The sooner you both realize just how much the four of us share without meaning to the better."
Yohji recovered enough to chuckle deeply. "It may have escaped your notice, chibi, but he�s the wrong gender!"
Aya�s scowl deepened. Arrogant bastard! As if he would... "What makes you think that I would be like one of your sluttish women?" Ah, but you would, a small voice was saying in his head.
Yohji turned to stare at him, obviously in shock. "You mean you would consider it at all?"
"We�re getting off the point here," Omi said quickly before Aya could explode and kill the Water Vessel. "We need to find out what caused those deaths!"
"And soon," Ken added, "Before whatever it is strikes again."
Aya nodded his agreement while Omi said, "Before we can hope to overcome whatever it might be, we need to hone our own skills. We were all given weapons that suit us and that we can use but we have done nothing to enhance the magical side of our attack. Aya is still learning exactly what it means to be a Vessel and the rest of us had no idea of what we could achieve with him present. We need to practice Joining as One and our own individual element�s talents. As I understand it to perform magically requires first the idea or Mind which is my job, then the performing or Action, Ken-kun, which has to be fed by emotion or Feeling which is where Yohji-kun comes in, and directed by personality or Will which is Aya-kun�s specialty. Did you say something Yohji-kun?"
"Not really," Yohji said nonchalantly. "I was merely wondering out loud how Fire came to choose Mr. Personality here in the first place!"
"Is that an example of your feeling?" Aya shot back at the Water Vessel.
Omi buried his head in his hands while Ken finally lost his temper. "Could you both just grow up and take this seriously?"
Aya eyed Yohji warily but both of them subsided after muttering a few insults at each other. The issue at hand was more important than their personal differences.
"Thank you," Omi said with real gratitude. "Aya-kun, can any one of us create the Join or does it have to be you?"
"I was told that any of us can do it, but that it does need to be practiced."
Omi�s sunny smile reappeared. "Then perhaps all the other stuff can be done by the group mind," he suggested tentatively.
Aya thought about that for a moment or two before nodding slowly. "That would make sense."
"Okay, so let�s get an early night tonight and start practicing immediately after sunrise, before breakfast," Omi suggested, pointedly ignoring Yohji�s groan.
"Early night? Kudoh Yohji does not do early nights! Besides, I�m meeting the baker�s daughter later."
"No, Yohji-kun, you are not," Omi said emphatically, "not tonight at least."
Yohji opened his mouth to speak but shut it again very quickly when Ken muttered, "You heard him."
Aya chuckled softly. "Sounds like the baker�s daughter had a lucky escape!"
Yohji�s frown turned into a glare of his own and he jumped to his feet knocking over his chair in the process. "Would you care to discuss this outside?"
"Gladly," Aya agreed and stood up himself, much more gracefully.
* * * * * * *
Ken opened his mouth to argue as the Fire and Water Vessels left the kitchen. Omi�s hand reached across the table to touch his. "No, Ken-kun, they need to work this out between them. We cannot interfere."
Having the sudden desire to see how well the other two Vessels could fight, Omi stood up and took hold of Ken�s hand. Dragging his mystified lover with him he ran outside to watch.
He arrived in the courtyard just in time to see Yohji turn quickly and lash out a fist. Aya managed to dodge most of the blow but the knuckles grazed his cheek. Glaring now he moved in, apparently using his kendo training to get under Yohji�s guard and land a foot in his solar plexus. The Water Vessel staggered slightly but did not go down, instead charging in again and slamming Aya back against a pillar. Quick as light Aya raised joined hands and brought both of them down hard on the back of Yohji�s neck.
The fight quickly degenerated quickly after that, in Omi�s opinion, until both men were rolling on the ground, each getting the occasional punch or kick in. He and Ken stood well to one side watching the proceedings with a great deal of interest.
"Do you see this ending any time soon?" Ken asked.
Omi shook his head. "No," he said with a chuckle. "They�re far too evenly matched and there�s too much they need to work out." He slipped a hand into Ken�s. "I think we should simply leave them to it. They�re too well matched to do each other any real harm."
"And if they go for their weapons?"
"They won�t, the Elements won�t let them do that. Come on Ken-kun, let�s go to bed."
The two younger Vessels disappeared back into the house without a sound.
* * * * * * *
In the meantime, Aya had managed to pin Yohji down and was straddling him while holding the taller man�s wrists against the ground. Yohji bucked a couple of times but was unable to shift him. He stared down at Yohji appraisingly, wondering if he was going to try anything further. "Do you concede?"
"Hell no," Yohji barked, and started struggling again. Aya let Yohji tire himself and lie back on the ground in frustration before leaning forward and kissing him. Yohji�s green eyes widened in shock and his mouth opened, effectively letting Aya�s probing tongue into the warmth behind his teeth.
He tasted delicious but Aya pulled back, smiling slightly. "Seems like that�s the only way to shut you up."
Yohji�s brows came together in a frown. "What�s that supposed to mean?"
Aya merely shrugged, considering his comment obvious.
Yohji stared up at the him and suddenly went very still. "I...," he began.
Aya�s brows rose in inquiry and some demon of mischief made him prompt the Water Vessel. "You�?"
"Kami-sama, get off of me!" Yohji�s voice held a thread of panic.
"And if I don�t want to?"
"Aya, please, I...I..."
"You don�t like men." Aya had known it but it still disappointed him.
"No, it�s not that exactly. I�m just too...dominant to be in this position."
"Have you ever tried?" He was genuinely curious by now.
"Just the once. When I was about Omi�s age or maybe a year younger. I sort of liked it but it hurt."
"Then your lover didn�t do it properly. That�s a shame." He climbed off Yohji and held out a hand to him. The blond grasped it and pulled himself to his feet.
"I could happily live with you in that position."
Aya chuckled softly. Of course he could, it was what he was used to. "I�m sure you could, but that privilege would have to be earned. You�d have to prove to me that you were man enough." Still chuckling softly to himself Aya turned and walked back towards the house.
Yohji caught up with him within a couple of strides. "How would I go about proving that?"
Aya stopped and thought about the question for a few seconds. "By treating me as a man and not another of your women. We would have to be equals, Yohji."
Yohji was gazing at him strangely. "Teach me," he whispered, "please."
He stared back at Yohji, wishing that they didn�t need to rest for the morning�s exertions. There had been real need, genuine emotion in the Water Vessel�s voice and he felt himself respond to it. "Very well, Yohji, but not tonight. We need to sleep. Tomorrow will be a very tiring day for us all."
He was surprised at how much it had cost him to say those words, how hard it was not to simply drag Yohji off to his bed and show him what another man would want from him. He swallowed hard before speaking. "Good night, Yohji." Then he turned and walked away before he could change his mind.
TBC