First of all, the whole thing is more or less an AU of our plotverse, the Darkness Unleashed series. It was written because it was crowding my mind. Stuck like glue and all.

Second, it's for Rhea, our shikigami, on this special day :) We had planned something else and maybe we can manage to deliver our second part of your Special Day Treat by Sunday.

Third... uhm... I enjoyed writing it *smirk* NC-17 smut with a bit of deeper meaning.

Fourth: enjoy it everyone!
 

Happy Today, Rhea, from Macx and Lara Bee!
*shikigami huggles*
 
 
 

TITLE: Dragon Flight

AUTHOR: Macx

DISCLAIMER: not mine. Definitely not! I just play with them and hope I tread on no one's toes.
Author’s Voice of Warning (aka Author’s Note):
English is not my first language; it’s German. This is the best I can do. Any mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize The spell-checker said everything's okay, but you know how trustworthy those thingies are.....

WARNINGS: AU scene of our plotverse. Smut!

RATING: NC-17

PAIRING: Sohryu/Rikugo

FEEDBACK: empty inbox seeks emails
 
 

The room was as always bustling with people and as always, Sohryu was in the middle of this hubbub, a regal figure in flowing robes, wearing a stern mask, and with the faint signs of a headache about to overpower him. He was signing papers, talking to assistants, department heads and whoever else pushed into his tightly scheduled workday because of one thing or another.

Rikugo was no different as he strode into the palace of the Protector of the East, but he had no intention to have his words heard publicly. He knew what the result would most likely be.

"Sohryu," he caught the other dragon's attention.

He knew Sohryu had already registered his arrival, but it was the polite thing to do, aside from using his full rank, name and title, but Rikugo rarely went that road.

"Rikugo," was the formal reply and the gray-blue eyes narrowed a little.

"May I have a word?"

"What about?"

Rikugo tilted his head a little. "In private, Sohryu."

I'm going to save your sorry ass from petty political tirades, so don't make it harder, he thought with brief, private amusement. Not that you'll like what I have to say any more than you like this.

The other dragon rose slowly and nodded, ignoring the cries of the servants that he needed to finish something or other. He just muttered something to one of his personal assistants and the man bowed with a resigned expression.

That's what delegation is for, Sohryu, Rikugo thought, still smiling a little as he followed the other man into the private office chambers.

The moment the doors were closed, the dragon rounded on him.

"So, talk?"

"You've chosen to ignore my advice."

Blue-gray eyes narrowed. "I've chosen to not take it."

"You ignored it, Sohryu, and because of it the recent problems have multiplied."

"I've considered your… advice, and I've chosen not to follow it, solving the problem differently," was the reply, Sohryu's voice cold.

"You call this pact a solution? They are still at war!"

It was a petty thing, Rikugo knew, but it was the job of the four Protectors to uphold peace, and since there had been some minor and one major fight among some of the mountain villages, he had approached Sohryu. He was the representative of the Emperor and as such he held the final word. This farce of a pact wouldn't stop either village from fighting again.

"They have misunderstandings and it's the job of the commander in charge of that area to help settle them, not mine!"

"You have the final say! Your word is law, whatever you do. Go and wield that power. You never had a problem with it before!" Rikugo answered hotly.

Sohryu was silent, his face a mask. Rikugo knew that a lot had been going on in the palace as of late and Sohryu's time table was one mad attempt to fit everything into a normal day. He couldn't possibly take care of everything personally, but this was vital. This was about a miniature war about to happen. The dragon was carrying a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. It was a weight that was both heavy and painful. It was an ever-increasing pressure that was still seeking an outlet.

"It's not my duty," Sohryu repeated coldly.

He turned and was about leave, but Rikugo grabbed his arm, stopping him effectively.

"Then what is? Office supplies? Personnel matters? Maybe gardening?"

Rikugo met the wide, gray-blue eyes and suddenly Sohryu let out a snarl of anger. He saw the Protector coming and he grabbed one arm, holding it, fingers curling hard around one wrist. Black eyes clashed with blue ones and the water dragon whispered a curse. Rikugo just held on, his own aura rising a little.

"You are crossing the line!" Sohryu whispered.

"No, I'm pointing out your duties to you!"

The powerful aura rose again and Rikugo let his own deflect the attack. It was nothing new.

"I know my duties," Sohryu spat. "You should return to your observatory and dream as you always do!"

Rikugo snarled, but Sohryu was faster. Before the astrologer could tear free, he was pushed against the wall, all breath leaving his lungs. Blue eyes with a slit pupil narrowed, the color so much more intense now, icy and unforgiving.

"You know nothing, Rikugo! You know nothing at all about politics! You just oppose for the opposition! You make my life hard because you enjoy seeing me squirm! This pact is the best we can do. They have to settle matters now, under the watchful eyes of Kochin, who happens to be the Commander in charge of that area!"

Rikugo hissed and tried to free himself, but Sohryu was flush against him, nose to nose, their auras sparking wildly off each other. It was like rubbing matter and anti-matter together, so close to an explosion without achieving one, so dangerous and yet still under waning and tedious control.

"Let me go!" he demanded, his free hand coming up only to be captured, too.

"No," was the reply, a whisper, a threat.

"Sohryu!"

The sky dragon pushed the trapped hands above his head and Rikugo felt his breath catch in his throat as a harsh kiss captured his exclamation, silencing him. The contact was unwanted yet craved, it was violating and still sating what was about to happen, and it was rough while not yet brutal enough to hurt.

He responded to the kiss, damn him! He was responding and it felt… incredible. It sparked something inside him that rarely ever erupted with such fire, something solely freed by Sohryu. He fought against the invading tongue, the battle of dominance beginning with this kiss.

Sohryu rumbled low in his chest, pushing a knee between his thighs, parting them, his grip around Rikugo's wrists tightening as if in a warning to comply, and the kiss grew harder, rougher, teeth nipping at his lips, his chin, finally latching onto his throat in a bite that had Rikugo cry out softly.

No!

He threw his head back, colliding with the wall, a soft thud in the silence that was only broken by the sound of their robes sliding against each other.

Sohryu's bite didn't break the skin, but it established a fact. He was the more powerful of them, he claimed Rikugo.

Not bloody likely! the earth shikigami thought angrily.

Rikugo shuddered as he gazed into the burning blue-gray eyes, as he saw the fire that roared deep inside the more powerful shikigami.

Still… He had this need to fight, to not just give in and roll over like some weak-minded concubine. He wasn't one. He was a Divine Commander and nothing like any of the scum that tried to rise through the ranks by keeping the bed warm and their lover happy.

The next kiss requested his submission and he arched his body, not ready to be defeated. He was a dragon after all, and dragons couldn't be tamed. Nor could they be mastered.

Sohryu hissed in annoyance, but Rikugo wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Suddenly his hands were free as Sohryu let his own dive into the robes, pulling him close, and Rikugo almost fell forward, fingers digging into the strong arms of the Protector of the East not to lose balance. He gasped and his mouth was invaded by a demanding tongue.

He heard a groan and knew it was his own voice, but the fight was still there, the need not to go down without bruising Sohryu's pride just a little. And it was a fight, two dragons that were as powerful as they were filled with pride, and only when Sohryu latched onto the bruising bite mark of before did Rikugo whimper. His nerves sizzled, as did his aura that fizzed all over the place, and his body demanded for him to give in.

No!

He wouldn't.

There was a sudden feeling of dislocation and he yelped in surprise, his back coming in contact with a hard desk top. Sohryu chuckled and finally managed to get off the heavy outer robe, Rikugo actually helping him, then he was straddling the earth dragon, kissing him again, rumbling his triumph.

Not here, Rikugo thought dizzily through the deep kiss that left him breathless. Not like this! It wasn't their first time together and there had been a lot less comfortable positions, quick, hard fucks against the wall, but not today. He wanted this to change and everything inside him rebelled against another quick roll that left them both satisfied but Rikugo somewhat disturbed. It wasn't the humiliation or the imminent submission; it was so much more.

They were in the inner sanctuary of Sohryu's palace and he knew there was a room with a bed, so he finally managed to push up, dislodging his attacker, and drawing a snarl of anger, of challenge. The astrologer slid off the desk, steadying himself against the hard surface.

Blue-gray eyes flashed, meeting black that were filled with just as much fire as they held despondent pride.

"You want me?" Rikugo managed roughly. "Then at least grant me the pleasure of a bed this time, dragon!"

Sohryu chuckled, lips swollen from the kissed, his tongue ghosting over them. Rikugo shivered at the sight. He was suddenly pushed against the table, the other dragon so very, very close.

"You demand much," Sohryu whispered throatily, hands trailing over the layers of clothes still between them.

"I can just as well leave," he replied.

"Would you?"

"Yes."

A chuckle. "I guess you would."

They looked at one another, tension high, one spark about to ignite this explosive mix. Sohryu's hand dug into the expensive robes of the other man, pulling him close, their lips brushing against each other, and it was Rikugo who claimed the kiss, wanting the contact.

"Could you leave now?" the sky dragon whispered harshly.

No, he couldn't. He needed this just as much as Sohryu. His body thrummed with that need, that impulse to finish their fight the only way possible.

Sohryu stepped back and smiled, knowing the answer, then turned and walked to the door into the next chamber. Rikugo followed without even thinking, heart racing, blood still pumping wildly with the adrenaline, and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep from submitting once they were inside.

He wanted Sohryu. He needed him. He liked what it did to him and how it made him feel.

The moment he was through that door and it shut behind him, he was pulled into another kiss that ended with a sharp nip. Their eyes met again and didn't leave as Sohryu pushed more robes off him. Rikugo smirked and retaliated, needing to finally touch that smooth, warm skin he already knew.

The moment they were naked, skin against skin, and Sohryu pushed him onto the mattress, Rikugo knew he was about to be defeated. But a last fight was in him and he wrestled for the dominant position.

His wrists were roughly grabbed and again he was straining in the powerful grip, hissing softly as he couldn't free himself. Sohryu smiled, then began a seductive trail of kisses, that had Rikugo moan his lover's name after a moment.

The tip of his tongue touched a nipple. It was like a wet current racing through him.

Shit!

Rikugo bit his lower lip, but when teeth scraped over the hard nub he moaned. His body twisted more, trying to escape the beginning of sweet torture.

Shit, shit… shit!

He whimpered, hands still above his head, but no longer held there by force. He only grabbed into the wooden headboard as Sohryu continued to torture him with teeth, lips and fingernails that trailed across his sides. His legs fell open in surrender and he arched as more sensitive spots were touched.

Sohryu could seduce. Hell, he was good at it! If he put his mind to it, if he was in the mood for more than a quick roll in the hay, he could turn Rikugo into a puddle of needy whimpers and barely any control before they even got to actual act.

A hot breath ghosted over his straining hardness and his eyes flew open at the contact of a tongue to his arousal.

"Yes!" he hissed as fingers tailed across the length, as nails scraped a little, as he was engulfed in moist heat that made him cry for more.

Something inside of him was breaking apart, was releasing those pent-up emotions, those frustrations and desires.

"Sohryu!"

He heard a chuckle, the vibrations so good, so arousing, and he wanted nothing more than to stay in that heat. But it was over all too soon as his climax ripped through him. Rikugo cried out, arching into that mouth, only to feel disappointment swarm through him as Sohryu's mouth left him. He was breathing hard, wanting more, needing more. It couldn't end here, so fast, after such a fight.

Black eyes, wide and dilated, filled with a mixture of demand and plea, flashed at the other dragon. Sohryu licked his lips like a big cat savoring the cream. He smiled seductively, running playful fingers over the deflated arousal, making Rikugo moan with the sensation.

He wasn't left longing for long. Preparations were brief but thorough and he groaned as those long fingers entered him in a rough caress, applying the lubrication, and then there was only the thick length of the Protector of the East, sliding into him, filling him. Rikugo cried out as Sohryu pushed deep, breaching him, holding on to his hips tightly.

Sohryu groaned with the sensation and Rikugo echoed that groan, urging him on, needing this so badly, wanting this, and he was soon given more. A lot more. Movements powerful, deep, demanding, Sohryu pulled him close, back to front, wrapping his arms around the slender astrologer's body and pulling him up, Rikugo gave a breathy moan as that seated his lover more deeply inside him.

"Sohryu," he whispered.

Sohryu growled softly, pumping ever so slightly, then pushing hard.

Rikugo felt electricity shoot through his body as movements quickened, as hips pistoned against him, and he was held in the strong arms of the more powerful dragon. He closed his eyes as bliss shot through him, as his spine seemed to melt into hot lava, as everything blurred into the pleasure and bliss and primal lust that coursed through him.

"Yes," he hissed. "yes, like that…"

He heard Sohryu's harsh breathing, felt him draw closer, like he himself, and then there was only the white-out moment of his climax. He felt teeth latch onto his skin where the neck joined the shoulder, the pain mixing with the pleasure, spiking it with that extra spice, and he gave himself to that feeling of utter satisfaction.

° ° °

Sohryu stroked over the sinewy, pale body at his side, fingers tracing well-defined muscles over hard bones, over bruises he had left, over claims of ownership and dominance established. He looked into the peaceful, relaxed and young face of the astrologer, of Rikugo who could rile him up like no other, and who had this calmness about him the next moment.

Earth. His element. Calmness and stability. Water could wear down that rock in the stormy sea, but at first it would be broken and calmed. Still, Sohryu was more powerful, his element was the most powerful of them all, and their relationship was as wild as the sea throughout a storm.

"Why does it always have to be like this?" he murmured.

Black eyes opened and Rikugo gazed at him, relaxed at his touch, so warm and compliant and even pliable under his caresses.

"Because it's you and me, and we're dragons," he whispered.

He snorted. "That's an excuse."

"And because I don't take kindly to fools."

"You're calling me a fool?" he asked, a smile on his lips.

"Yes. In some matters you behave like the child you once were. Foolish, with your pride, without regard to logic."

"That village again," Sohryu muttered.

"It's still not resolved."

"It is. It's not my job to look into every little petty fight. Nor is it yours. Your responsibility lies with a different sector."

Rikugo's old sparks erupted once more. "But…"

Sohryu silenced that treacherous mouth and felt Rikugo respond, the other man's arms coming up to wrap around him. He felt good like this, he felt at ease despite their encounters, the battle for dominance which he usually won. Separating, he looked at his fellow shikigami's smirking features.

"Is that all we can do? Get each other mad and fuck into the mattress?"

"Don't tell me you aren't enjoying it."

He smiled a little. "I do. But I also enjoy this." And with that he claimed the mouth again, gentle, deep, with emotions neither man would ever utter.

Sohryu trailed a soft, wet path down the neck, licking over the angry, red bruise his bite had left, hearing Rikugo's breathing quicken.

Mine, the bruise proclaimed.

Dragons and cats, he mused. Wild and untamed and needing to mark a mate. Rikugo was no submissive; he rarely gave in without a good fight and it heated their blood, made their hearts hammer, reason leaving the moment adrenaline peaked, and everything else was a blur of taking and holding on, of achieving release and leaving the other limp and sated like yourself.

Sohryu thumbed a nipple as he gazed at Rikugo, saw the question in those midnight black eyes.

"This is good, too," he whispered and caressed him, gently drawing his hands over the smooth body, feeling the quivers.

"Yes," Rikugo agreed. "It's good."

Pale blond hair, silvery in the light of the room, braided and with a few strands spilling free frame the handsome face. Sohryu played with a few strands as he continued the caress. Rikugo seemed to melt into his hands and there was a soft, barely audible rumble of a dragon enjoying the touch of another. Sohryu nibbled at one ear.

"Let me love you," he whispered into that ear.

Their eyes met, Rikugo's slit reptilian one and the black ones that had apparently no real pupil. He felt the inertia hit, the moment of no motion at all, where everything ground to a stand-still, freezing time and emotions, thought and even breath.

He framed the pale face, his own hand more tanned, his body more muscled but still lithe and slender, and he leaned forward to kiss the lips that had yet to say the words.

"Rikugo," he breathed. "Let me make love to you. Without the fight."

"Sohryu…?"

He slid a palm over the mark, feeling the shivers again. "Forget who we are. Just for once."

He didn't know why he needed this. Normally they went their ways after each encounter, rarely really making it to bed, and it was extremely rare that they so much as caressed the other. Today was different. Something was different. He needed this, needed to know that he could give this without pain, without submission, with… aggression.

"Rikugo…" he murmured the plea.

The astrologer looked positively confused and with it so… vulnerable. So at odds with himself, needing and wanting but not ready to submit… to his own needs, not Sohryu.

"Please."

Rikugo inhaled shakily. "Why?" he wanted to know.

"Because I need to. Please."

A hand cupped Sohryu's face, then slid around to cup his head, pulling him in. He responded to the wordless urge to kiss, and the kiss went on, Rikugo opening up slowly, but very deeply, and Sohryu felt himself hum in pleasure at the soft contact. So tender, without bites, without rough, bruising strength. When he pulled back he saw the assent.

Smiling a little, he once more began a trail down to the other's chest, taking his time, making sure to soothe the earlier marks and to explore hot spots.

You won't regret this, he thought.

Maybe he, Sohryu, would. Because he was giving in to a need that might push him somewhere he couldn't handle. He was taking more from Rikugo, more from himself, and he gave just as much in return.

They were rivals. Political opponents. They were at odds and they fucked out of aggression and frustration. Making love was… a confession. It was submission in its own right, it was agreeing, it was… vulnerability.

Sohryu heard a soft moan from his lover and smiled.

Maybe it was worth it, he mused as he laved a nipple with his tongue, treating it like the sweetest candy. Maybe it was right.

Rikugo whispered his name, filled with longing, and something fluttered through the sky dragon. Something strong and powerful. He followed the curve of the ribs to the flat stomach, soothing the fluttering muscles and caressing the strong thighs, enjoying the smooth, warm skin. He tenderly licked over the strong erection, touched it with reverence and love, and he listened to each whisper of pleasure.

When he finally slid home into the tight, warm channel it was after a lengthy preparation that had Rikugo begging for him, writhing and moaning with need. This time they were looking at each other and gazing into the dilate, black eyes, seeing the arousal and lust in there, Sohryu pushed in deep, murmuring his lover's name.

Rikugo pushed back, wanting more, and he leaned forward, capturing the flushed lips, kissing him deeply.

"Slow," Sohryu whispered when they parted, their lips just a breath apart. "Slow…"

"Sohryu…"

"Slow," he repeated.

Love-making. Not fucking, not sex, not lust. Love-making.

So he drew it out, made it slow, enjoyed each response he got from a very responsive Rikugo, felt the astrologer's hands caress his side, listened to his moans.

When he finally sped up, nearing his second climax, Rikugo drew him down into a searing kiss that ended when he cried out his release. He was wrapped into strong arms, collapsing onto a sweat-slick, hot chest, and Rikugo whispered his name like it was a caress. Sohryu closed his eyes, enjoying the embrace, the closeness, the peace, and he listened to Rikugo's heart quiet down, just like his own.

A hand stroked over his back. "Sohryu?"

A whisper-breath, gentle and tender and filled with emotions that rarely happened between them.

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

He smiled and pressed a kiss against the warm skin. No more words were lost between them and Sohryu only reluctantly detached himself from the comfortable position to fetch something to clean them up. To his surprise Rikugo pulled him close again and they slid under the covers.

Why couldn't it be like this? he mused again. Why did they always revert to fighting?

Because they were dragons. He was a dominant dragon, so was Rikugo, and for either of them to submit was only after a fight. Sohryu hated to view this last encounter as a submission, and he knew that their second time had been something different, but he had to overpower Rikugo for the first time again.

"You make it so hard," he murmured.

"You'd hate easy," was the lazy reply.

Too true.

"I despise you," he grumbled.

Rikugo smiled. "I know. So do I."

"Good we understand each other."

"We always did."

In a way, yes. They always did. In their fights, in their arguments, and here, together, in bed. Sohryu closed his eyes, feeling exhaustion heavily on his mind, in his body. Rikugo probably wouldn't be there tomorrow morning, but he didn't care right now. He knew that what had occurred today had been a first, something unique, and he would treasure it. Tomorrow, when he saw Rikugo with all those layers of robes on, he would know that those marks were still there, as were the memories of their love-making.

And maybe, just maybe, they could repeat this another time.