House Cat [temporarily complete]

c.h.a.p.t.e.r t.h.i.r.t.e.e.n

Isiel winced as Eiji grabbed hold of his tail, forcing his entire weight onto it which caused a sharp flicker of pain to rush up his spine, but even as he realized he was completely exposed and vulnerable he was already trying to escape and shifted his weight as best he could suspended in mid air, going to kick Eiji as well as reaching up to try and break his hold at the wrist without scratching him.

\"No,\" Eiji said firmly as he allowed the kick-- which didn\'t do much at all-- and reached for the hand trying to free the tail but failing. \"You\'re holding back. I have reason to; you do not. If your best option is to scratch, then scratch.\"

He tossed the boy in the air once more, but this time caught him by the ankle and swung him by it, throwing him at the wall.

This time Isiel hit the wall hard, almost bouncing off it and landed in a heap on the floor, but despite the throbbing pain stemming from his still bristled tail and the fresh sore spots upon his hip and shoulder which had taken the brunt of the impact which would no doubt blossom with angry bruises, he got to his feet again, watching Eiji warily as he tried to judge whether he wished the fight to continue now that he\'d made a mistake.


Eiji arched his eyebrows, crouching once more and lifting his arms, hands held at the ready. Silently he was asking if the boy was giving up or going to give it a second try.

Kiba\'s tongue ran along his teeth slowly as he watched the fight progress. Golden eyes glinted in the shadows as he made himself comfortable between two branches, one foot resting on each and his back pressed against the trunk as his tail hung down, the end curling and uncurling slowly. \"Stage two: wound the obviously inadequate sparring partner a little, get him mad and riled,\" the wolf murmured under his breath.

Isiel had no intention of conceding defeat to Eiji while he was still able to stand and dropped back down into his favored stance without giving the matter of throwing in the towel a second thought. A oblivious to their audience as he was Isiel only felt under pressure from Eiji to perform and having been given a sign that he didn\'t have to restrain himself for Eiji\'s benefit he put his all into attacking his master, ignoring the pain in his hip which put him slightly off balance as he chose his moment and went for Eiji once more.

This time, instead of deflecting or flipping the boy, Eiji switched tactics, startling Isiel as the man allowed himself to be tackled, with Eiji landing on his back and Isiel on top of him, straddling his hips.

Kiba gasped, sitting forward slightly.

Eiji reached forward, grabbing Isiel under the arms and putting his knee between the both of them, kicking his leg forward while it was pressed against the teen\'s stomach and flipping Isiel backwards so that he landed flat on his back on the mat the same way Eiji was, only his feet were pointing in the opposite direction and the wind had probably been knocked out of him unless he\'d had reflexes fast enough to twist and take the hit on the shoulder instead. \"That\'s not enough, Isiel,\" Eiji said quickly, without giving the boy a chance to recover this time. \"You\'re being passive, sparring-- I want to see if you can defend yourself when somebody comes after you.\"

With a quick movement he rolled onto his side then got up into a low crouch on hands and feet, springing the moment Isiel moved, catching him in a tangle of limbs and wrestling idly with him. \"I\'m getting bored with you,\" Eiji said flatly as he pinned the boy to the mat facedown with his arms held behind him. He released Isiel and backed off a step, staying crouched and ready.

Isiel got to his feet a fraction slower this time, clearly having been winded by the blow to his stomach even though when he turned to face Eiji once more, waiting for him to attack rather than springing into action immediately so he could show off what he\'d learnt regarding defense as well as offense there was a spark in his eyes which echoed that which he\'d displayed so briefly the day Oriel died and even if it was barely restrained he couldn\'t conceal that Eiji\'s words had gotten under his skin and made him angry.

When the boy seemed at the ready once more, Eiji lunged, sweeping his left arm forward and trying to catch Isiel\'s wrist. Pleasantly he was surprised to find that the neko had moved fast enough to avoid the attack; good, now he was going to finally see some skill.

Reaching out once more, he tried to grab a wrist with his left hand, but this time, having learned Isiel\'s default dodge for that attack, he dropped the attack and changed to a grab from the right. Snagging the boy\'s other wrist firmly and holding tight, Eiji watched-- eyes flashing, waiting to see just what the youngling would try to get out of this.

Kiba licked at his lips this time as he murmured, \"Stage three, building the determination.\" He felt the faint stirrings of arousal as he watched the way Eiji played with the boy like a cougar with a mouse. He was just hoping that Isiel released everything he was holding back and showed Eiji the true strength Kiba knew he had.

Isiel cursed himself internally for not anticipating Eiji wouldn\'t try the same strategy twice after all which such experience as he had he surely possessed moves Isiel was years away from even having the potential to learn. Eiji\'s words ran through his mind in the second it took to realize he could not pull away just by stepping back - having seen what little effect he\'d had before when he\'d tried to defend himself using his leg he spared Eiji a glance, letting his anger towards himself fuel his movements as he drew his other hand back and before Eiji could restrain it as well he dug his claws into the man\'s wrist and dragged them across his skin, scratching him without mercy and wrenching his wrist back at the same time to free himself.

Kiba gasped sharply as he scented Eiji\'s blood and saw what Isiel had done. He growled low in his throat on instinct, swallowing hard and digging his claws into the bark as his nostrils flared. \"Careful, boy,\" he hissed, pupils shrinking to tiny little pinpricks. \"Eiji is skipping steps; if he keeps this up, then next will be...?\"

Eiji released the wrist; not because he\'d been shocked by the attack or because it hurt so much he had to let go, but because it was a better lesson to Isiel if he learned that reacting without holding back got more results than reacting with caution did. Watching the boy, he decided enough was enough for now; he\'d gotten one of the answers he\'d been looking for, now it was time for the other.

Crouching low again, Eiji moved for Isiel, watching the boy dodge the first attack and try to move to the right and avoid the second. Again Eiji changed direction as well, and he was pleasantly surprised to see Isiel had anticipated that and doubled back once more, going to the right again. Good, but not good enough to escape. His hand snapped out and grabbed Isiel\'s knee, hooking behind it and pulling hard, throwing him off-balance and onto the floor once more. As the wind rushed out of Isiel, Eiji grabbed both of the boy\'s wrists and pinned them to the mat, settling between Isiel\'s legs and resting his weight on the boy, preventing himself from being kicked. He stared down into Isiel\'s face as he held the hands and body pinned firmly, feeling the smaller chest beneath him rising and sinking quickly, and his own breath coming a little faster as well.

Kiba\'s growl sounded again, and he leaned forward a little more as he felt warmth rushing through his body. Yes, he knew this situation; if things continued going as he was predicting, Isiel would be taken by Eiji once and for all.

Isiel gazed back up at Eiji, feeling the frustration and aggression gradually seeping out of him as he took deep, calming breaths - sensing that Eiji had put a proper end to their fight and that it wasn\'t called for to struggle. What surprised him more was that aside from the aches and pains intensified now he was concentrating less and less upon defending himself he didn\'t feel the need to escape from where he lay pinned beneath Eiji - helpless and a little battered into submission.

The boy wasn\'t fighting-- but he wasn\'t moving, either.

Eiji leaned forward slowly, closing the distance between Isiel and himself.

Kiba held his breath, eyes widening as he leaned all the way forward, ears open fully and tail still.

\"Isiel,\" Eiji said quietly, barely audible between the both of them as his lips parted slightly and closed against the boy\'s.

Kiba\'s claws tightened in the bark, digging deep into wood and scarring the tree as he watched and waited.

Isiel suppressed a shiver as he heard his name whispered by Eiji for the first time, for some unfathomable reason it made him feel the void within him a little less acutely than usual and although he barely responded when Eiji\'s lips pressed against his own he could not find the will or desire to fight off his advances and shifted beneath him only with the intention of getting more comfortable.

So, this was his answer. So be it.

Eiji let go of Isiel and sat up when he got no response, that same dark frown crossing his face for just an instant, though by then he\'d turned his gaze away and was sitting up. He got onto his feet and bent down, picking the boy up by the shoulders and lifting him to a stand, looking him over to make sure there were no injuries... then turning away from the boy, picking up his same towel from weightlifting and wiping down his face one last time.

Useless, all of this. What was he expecting to accomplish? Isiel had as much passion for Eiji as the man could ever hope for-- but apparently, all of it was hatred. The scarred man pulled the ribbon out of his hair, sending it cascading down his back and unraveling quickly until black ripples flowed down his shoulders and shone in the light. Eiji walked into the cool-down room at the back of the training room, dropping his pants and throwing them on the bench as he walked to the shower and turned on the cold water full blast, stepping under the immediate torrent and closing his eyes as icy water splashed over him. His muscles tightened and his body tensed in the frigid stream, and he lifted his chin towards the shower head, running his hands over his face several times before sliding them through his hair slowly, a long sigh escaping him.

Kiba sat back in the tree heavily, sighing and shaking his head.

Isiel watched Eiji go in silence knowing that he hadn\'t given the man what he wanted and yet still wondering how he expected him to open up so suddenly to someone who he barely knew aside from the stories that Oriel and Kiba had told him. He owed Eiji everything since the day he pulled him from his dank prison, but his inexperience held him back, tethering him to a lack of response Eiji clearly found unacceptable. Humoring his aching shoulder he approached the room at the far end of the training area gingerly, lingering by the door until he found the nerve to call out, \"I\'m sorry.\"

\"We\'ve had this conversation,\" Eiji replied without turning around, reaching for the soap and lathering his neck, shoulders, arms and chest thoroughly.

The water felt better now that he was mildly used to it; he lathered his stomach and hips, across his groin and around behind him, then up the small of his back and down his legs to his feet, which he soaped and rinsed one at a time without losing balance for a moment. Putting the soap back, he reached for the shampoo and turned his back to the shower head, facing the boy now though his eyes were closed as he filled his hand with the pale liquid and lathered it into his hair in calm movements, breathing in and out slowly.

Kiba covered his eyes with his hand in the tree, shaking his head. \"Isiel, you can me so thoughtless sometimes; you don\'t disappoint him then irritate him by making him repeat himself.\" He ran his hand down his face and sighed as well. \"There\'s a long road ahead for this still.\"

Isiel sighed and turned away, less out of a sense of embarrassment than shame at his behavior. Even though he looked positively serene as he washed himself the neko could tell he\'d annoyed him once more without even intending to - yet this time he actually felt a pang of guilt instead of matching hostility, \"I know....I\'ll go...I just...\" with another faint exclamation of his disappointment in himself Isiel returned to the training area, retreating back outside.

When he was done showering, he wrung out his hair and let it hang over his shoulder, walking back into the training area and grabbing two more larger towels. One was wrapped around his waist, and the other he draped over his shoulders, letting his hair rest overtop of it and patting dry his face once more to catch some beads of water trickling down from his hair.

\"You want to sleep with Dorian or Kiba or any of the others? Go ahead. You don\'t have to wait for me,\" Eiji said nonchalantly as he walked past Isiel and out of the room, back to the stairs so he could go to his room.

Isiel didn\'t know why he followed Eiji, but he caught up with him easily before he reached his room, barring his path even though he knew Eiji could brush him aside as if he were an inconsequential insect, \"I want to wait for you.\" He replied, sounding ashamed once more of his honesty and the motives he couldn\'t quite explain, \"I know it doesn\'t mean much...but it\'s the truth.\"

His hand tightened as the neko blocked him from entering his own room. First instinct was to force him aside and lock him out, but he took a slow breath and reminded himself of everything he\'d been working towards since Oriel\'s death.

Love him, Oriel had asked. Pay attention to him. Teach him, nourish him. Treasure and cherish him.

\"What\'s the point?\" Eiji asked plainly, as beads of water dripped onto the hardwood at his feet. \"Now or later, it\'s only one time and it doesn\'t matter if it happens or not. All it is, is a blessing for you to go ahead and be with whomever you want.\"

Isiel didn\'t bow his head and avoid Eiji\'s eyes this time regardless of how much in a sense he wished the ground would open up beneath his feet and swallow him before he admitted anything more of his mixed up feelings, \"It matters to me....and I hoped it might have mattered to you too...\"

\"I\'m not one to keep walking into the same wall over and over, Isiel. Twice I\'ve attempted to find the will in you to have me, and twice I\'ve been turned away. I will not force myself upon you, and neither will I chase you any more. If you want something to happen, then you\'re going to have to be the one to start it. ...And I\'m not interested in moments of stubborn passion that will be regretted later which will eventually turn into resentment towards me. I\'d rather resume with us ignoring each other than have known you and then receive only your hatred. Now-- move.\"

Isiel deliberately kept any hint of frustration out of his voice even though his tone remained firm as he took a step back, but kept himself between Eiji and the door with determination plain upon his face despite any doubts he might have harbored deep inside, \"No. I realize how childish it was to hate you. I might not understand why you treat me the way you do sometimes, but....but I\'m offering myself to you now.\"

Eiji\'s eyes closed slowly, and he shook his head, unmoving for several moments before he opened his eyes once more and focused on the boy before him that he\'d mistaken for a man when he\'d first arrived.

\"I have no interest in a sacrifice,\" he said tiredly. \"Have you not understood the entire time you\'ve been here that you were never like the others? If you were, I would have taken you regardless of whether you wanted to or not, and that would have been it. I did not do that, Oriel did not do that. You were kept pure and of your own reign, and it will stay that way. This is not about giving something to me. This is about you wanting something, and your desire for me, of which you obviously have none.\"

Isiel leant back against the door, looking miserable for a moment as he\'d managed despite Kiba’s training and his own efforts to say the wrong thing once more and prove to Eiji that underneath it all he was still a mixed up teenager, \"....do you think I\'d even say that if I didn\'t want it too?....it\'s true I hated you for leaving me, never speaking to me and not letting me defend the house....but I don\'t any more...\"

This was not a conversation to have in the hall where kittens with big ears would be listening. Eiji reached behind the boy, opening the door and causing him to fall back, but he caught Isiel before he hit the floor and lifted him up, closing and locking the door behind them, then carrying the boy to the bed, seating him on the edge as he walked to the dresser and continued their conversation. \"Fine. You don\'t hate me any more. Established. Why not?\"

He removed a fresh, clean pair of pants, his laundry long since taken from the bed to be washed. Eiji removed his towel and draped it over the side of the chair next to the dresser, then pulled on his pants calmly, fastening them and glancing back at the boy slowly, his expression passive.

Isiel looked down at the floor, stopping short of fidgeting even though he felt nervous to be in Eiji\'s room and tried not to appear too curious about his environment. With a rather sad smile he murmured, \"I\'m not really sure....maybe because you\'re paying me attention or because I\'m trying to grow up....it only really happened when you kissed me so I haven\'t had time to consider why...\"

Moving across the room, Eiji went to the window and pulled at the drawstring of the curtains, causing the heavy drapes to flutter shut and the last light in the room to disappear, spare the fragmented rainbows splashing across the bed thanks to the stained glass windows high in the ceiling. Violet, aquamarine and amber graced Isiel\'s skin, and Eiji took a seat in the large leather chair near the window he\'d just covered.

For once, he didn\'t sit properly, with back straight and shoulders squared; he leaned back and let his arms drape across the armrests, and let his head sink back into the deep plush of the chair back. \"I don\'t know how to handle you, either,\" he said quietly, though still he spoke with authority. \"I left for that very reason. I did not want to harm or befoul you, and this house is a pointless target when I\'m not in it. I think perhaps Kiba called me back too soon.\"


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e.n.d c.h.a.p.t.e.r t.h.i.r.t.e.e.n