Bridging the Gap (Xayden)

[Aito Satoshi]

"Forgive me, but I'm not sure I understand why I need to-"

"It's a matter of honor, Aito-kun. You must take up your heritage and learn the magic of your ancestors. You have shown great potential, and if you wish to protect your family, then you must disband from the Thresh name and take up the Satoshi name. You understand, don't you?"

Black eyes darted from his grandfather, to his parents. He was seeking for guidance but no one seemed to want to give it. This choice was totally his own. On one hand, he loved his father's family, but, Satoshi magic was...well...powerful and with Xayden leaving soon for his training, he would need to be at top game to make sure that things would be safe at school.

"I'll do it."

"We will begin the ritual then. Prepare yourself."

[One Week Later (Present Time)]

The doors of the family temple opened with a slow creak and four figures emerged: Takumi, a thin outline of flames etched over his heart a light scarring in the shirtless frame. Ren, a pattern of frost over the taut skin of his chest. Sayuri, rays of sunshine scattered over her skin in the darkness of the night. Then, finally, Aito, with a outline of a strong lightning bolt curving around his torso, starting from his heart. All looked worn and tired and as the wind picked up Aito's eyes closed and he took a shuddering breath.

That was the most intense training of his life.

He moved faster than normal, becoming attuned to his element. You see, each Satoshi member was inclined to take after one element. Takumi's passion burnd like fire, Ren's icy disposition was perfectly attuned to the frost (the polar opposite of his twin), Sayuri had the brightness and purity of the sun at it's highest, and then there was Aito. He had the beauty and danger of lightning, the speed and destructive power of a raging storm.

"That was draining."

"Isn't it normally, Ren?"

Aito tuned out the idle chatter, turning his dark eyes to the house with a slight chuckle before moving toward the dwelling with a new found grace. All he wanted was to see his beloved Aisuru after that hellacious week and fall into those arms. He hadn't gotten far before Ren caught up with him again.

"You do realise that the grandparents will want a demonstration...right?"

The youngest male's face fell. So, he had to wait? Damn it.

"You forgot already? The party is starting already!"

"Party?"

He looked toward the house again and saw...dear Merlin. There were hundreds of people there!

"It's a social event whenever a member of the family embrace their element. The Japanese wizarding community come to see the prized Satoshi on display like a peacock. Only, you get to fight all of us in front of them. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"I thought...I thought that was only to try and push us off to get married."

"That stopped with my joining. I joined first, and refused marriage to anyone."

"Yes, they took that practice away. Besides, it is a bit outdated now."

"Thank Merlin. Well, better give them their show so we can get on with our lives. I do start school up in the next week and I want to spend quality time with Xayden before then."

The family dojo was full of people when they moved inside. Greetings were flying from all angles as Ren entered first. He was announced to the gathering. As he reached the sparring area, his hands went together and a wave of frost surged from the ground and surrounded him before settling on his skin and he looked up to the sea of applause.

Fuck this show.

Takumi entered next at the calling of his name and he took his place beside his twin, flames spurring up the length of his torso. The applause came again. Then he turned and grasped his mirror image's hand and from the connection spurred a dragon of pure smoke that rose between them and twisted about them in a graceful swoop, which pleased the elders greatly.

As Sayuri's name was called, she hesitated to press a kiss to her son's cheek before entering. The cheer from the inside grew as she stood between the brothers and closed her eyes. A brightness and warmth emitted from the woman's contact on the ground and broke through the dragon. The elders were extremely pleased with the growth of the three eldest Satoshi members, and now all eyes were locked on the empty doorway.

"And now, we are most humbled to introduce to you the newest recipient of the Satoshi family. The son of Sayuri, Aito Bae Satoshi. Our honored grandson is completing his final year of school at the Hogwarts School after recieving training through the summers from Mahoutokoro tutors and his own family. He has opted to begin training as a healer after his schooling concludes by the famed Durmstrang alumni Jamie Rosenthal. He is due to be married to the honored Xayden Andrews of the Roubsouay family."

He drew up to his full height and moved with grace and confidence, though he was sure Xayden of all people would know he was scared to ever-loving death. As he came in, a quiet fell over the crowd. He moved like a dream, perfectly graceful and the glow that came over him made him even more beautiful than he had intended.

"Good Merlin...he's beautiful!" "Rosenthal? In London? He will learn so much!" "Xayden Andrews? The Hogwarts Champion?"

The whispers buzzed like a cloud over the room, as Aito moved to stand beside the rest. His hands came together and his head bowed before his eyes opened with a flash of electric blue light.

"Inazuma!"

His hands parted and a storm of lightning twisted around him, flashing in long, vivid streaks of light. His body moved in the same slow twist of the storm and then stopped as his hands lowered again and he looked up darkly at the crowd.

Good Merlin. They cheered so loudly that his ears almost hurt. Quickly, his gaze darted through the crowd to find his Aisuru.

[Deleted]

Growing up in the sort of family that he had been raised in, Xayden could honestly say that he did not understand the sort of customs and traditions that many of the other families committed themselves to honoring generation after generation. While he himself was a pureblood, a byproduct of the failed attempt at a union between the Andrews and Roubsouay families, he had been fortunate enough to have been sheltered from these sorts of events other than the occasional ball or party. While his own families had certain traditions that would eventually need to be honored, none of them were anything even close to what his beloved had been asked to do.

From what he had been told, his fiancé had been asked to surrender his father's surname in order to take up the Satoshi surname. On top of that, Aito had also been subjected to some sort of secret training for the past week, the result of which had unfortunately managed to keep the two of them apart. Xayden had been told the barest minimum about what was going on, being told that he would be shown the results of his lover's training on the night of a party that was being held in his lover's honor, a party in which he would show off everything that he had learned to both the elders in his family and to everyone else who was asked to attend. A party that was meant to be had that very evening.

Oh how he wished he had the time to see his angel and give him a few small words of encouragement before this thing was to begin. Unfortunately, it seemed as though he would have to wait until after the ceremony in order to talk to his lover. A few hours passed and soon Xayden found that it was time for him to start getting ready for the ceremony. After quickly bathing and getting dressed, he soon made his way through the darkness of the night to the family dojo where he had been instructed to gather in order to witness the ceremony, luckily making it before too many others did and managing to grab a good place in the middle to watch things unfurl.

It was only moments later that others began to fill in and soon the dojo was filled with others that were excited, others that were eager to see the new male as he was introduced to them. It was only a short moment later that the first person walked into the sparring area and greetings were shouted through the air, given to the solo male that Xayden recognized to be his fiancé's uncle Ren. He watched with curious eyes as the older man brought his hands together, a wave of frost rising up from the ground at the contact and surrounding his body for a moment before it settled on his skin and he looked up to meet the applause that suddenly filled the air.

Woah.

It was immediately after that display that another name was called, this one being one that Xayden recognized as being Aito's other uncle and the potions professor at Hogwarts, Takumi. He watched again in awe as the older male summoned his element, eyes widening when flames covered the entire length of the older man's body before fading away. This time he had to join in the applause, especially after Takumi had grabbed his brother's hand and the dragon made of smoke was formed. That truly had blown his mind. It was a moment after that, that another name was called, this one being the name of his future mother-in-law, he couldn't help but smile slightly at the feeling of anticipation that he could feel building up in his system.

He was close to seeing what it was that his angel could do!

His attention shifted from his thoughts to focus on the woman as she moved in between her brothers and closed her eyes in order to summon her own element. A sudden brightness and warmth filled the space before breaking through the dragon. After her applause, it was silent for a long moment, with people glancing at the empty doorway expectantly before the elders of the Satoshi family spoke and their attention was turned to them. Xayden listened calmly as the elders introduced his beloved, eyes scanning the empty doorway searching for even the smallest sign of his angel, not distracted even as they mentioned his own name and his engagement to the younger male. It was a moment later that his patience was rewarded.

The second that his gaze fell on his angel, it was as if nothing else mattered. All of the other people in the room faded away from his world as his attention was focused solely on his fiancé. He looked absolutely beautiful and there was an absolutely beautiful and stunning glow that surrounded him. He watched in a stunned silence as his lover moved with an almost inhuman grace. He seemed to radiate confidence as he moved and yet Xayden could tell that there was a nervousness that still plagued his lover's mind with the smallest gestures that he made as he walked forward and Xayden found the desire to hold him growing stronger and stronger. His mind at that moment was so focused on his younger lover that he noticed nothing else, not even the murmurs of the people that muttered his own name.

His lover was far more important than anyone else could ever hope to be.

He watched in complete silence as Aito moved so that he was standing next to the rest of his family, watched as Aito's head bowed and his hands came together before his eyes opened and flashed with electric blue. A single word was uttered, his hands parting as a storm of bright lightning suddenly surrounded his form. The Burman watched with an expression of awe on his face as he watched Aito's body move with the storm before the Japanese male's hands separated and the lightning died down.

The loud cheers that filled the air were something that were almost deafening and yet Xayden's gaze still never left Aito's form. He watched as he looked up with that beautiful dark gaze of his, watching as his gaze seemed to dart through the crowd in search of something. It was a few moments later that the dark and beautiful gaze finally met his own and he allowed his lips to tilt upwards in a soft smile. He was so proud of his Aito that words couldn't even begin to describe how he felt.

[Aito Satoshi]

Only one other time in his life was he as happy to see his Xayden as he was at this moment. Once his eyes locked onto his fiancée's gaze, he felt the confidence he needed to finish this out. Damn this party! All he wanted was to be at Xayden's side again before it would be difficult to see him.

His grandfather was speaking again, "To prove his strength, he must fight the members of his own family as he would his greatest enemy."

What?

He looked up quickly to his grandfather and opened his mouth to protest, but the older man shot him a look and he quickly silenced.

"Not to the death, dear boy. Just without reservation."

The guests had mixed reactions to his attempt to speak out of turn, some quite noticeably charmed with his family loyalty. But, he looked over at his mother with an unreadable expression.

What if he hurt someone this way?

Sayuri looked at him with a soft clench in her jaw. She was willing him to stay strong and just get through it and it would be done. Afterward, it wouldn't have to happen until Ren's children joined. He sighed softly and looked back up at his grandfather and nodded stiffly.

"First opponent, Sayuri Satoshi. The end of the fight will be determined by the opponent hitting the mat. This is simply sparring. The fight will increase in difficulty with each opponent, concluding with Ren."

It would end with him. Damn it.

"No going easy on each other. Begin!"

The last syllable barely left his lips before the punches started flying. Aito's grace was obviously inherited from his mother, who had adopted a crane-like fighting style that not many had seen. But, seeing the two move in synch and equally defensively and aggressively, it was almost an art. Until hits landed...then the tension rose.

Cian had been watching quietly until he saw his wife beginning to slow in her movements and his fingers turned white as he gripped the side of the chair he was perched in. Their punches were landing solidly to each other, but Aito was fast...so fast...

"Sayuri! Don't go easy on him! Challenge him!"

The voice was of...Ren? What the hell?

It was the push she needed, her eyes darkening as she captured his kick mid air and twisted. However, Aito had counted on that. He brought his standing foot up and hooked it around her knee, pulling her off balance and wrenching his frame upward as she tumbled down and sticking his feet firmly into the mat near her.

When...did he learn that?

"That's it, Qi!!!! Good job!" His father was proud of him, and he harbored no ill feelings at his acting on the request of his family. Still, the thought that he had just witnessed his son so easily outsmart his wife was a little unsettling.

Takumi would not be so simple. At all.

[Deleted]

The smile that had already been present on the Burman's face grew even bigger when his gaze finally met the stare of his beloved. He could see the nervousness and the small tension that had been present on his lover fade away just from the eye contact alone, something that made a small jolt of happiness fill his heart. He was happy that he could make the other feel better just by being there to watch and support him. He was glad that his lover seemed to be ready to do just whatever it is that he was supposed to do in order to get this ceremony over with. His gaze remained locked on his fiancé's, only moving away from him when the elder of his family began speaking again, his words causing the smile to fade off of his face in order for an unreadable expression to take over his face in it's place.

He would be expected to fight his family in front of them one by one, starting with his mother and ending with his uncle Ren. He watched as his lover grew concerned with the news that he had been given, watching as his mouth opened to protest his orders when a look from his grandfather immediately silenced him. He listened as the older man spoke again, this time clarifying himself. It would not be a fight to the death, it would be a simple match without any reservations, without anyone holding back. It was immediately after this bit of information was revealed that the Satoshi elder had given them the okay to begin and it started.

The two members of the family were going at each other, punches were flying and both Aito and Sayuri were moving with such amazing grace that it was almost unbelievable. They seemed to move in synch, both moving defensively and aggressively when the times called for it. They moved with such fluidity and in such sure exact movements that it was almost as if it was less a fight and more a combative dance of sorts. Then the hits began landing on each other and the tension began to rise.

A voice called out to his future mother-in-law, telling her not to go easy on Aito and to provide a challenge for him, something that seemed to give the woman the push that she needed. Her eyes darkened and she caught the kick that Aito had sent at her before twisting and for a second Xayden believed that she might win the sparing match. However, it seemed as though Aito had been expecting that for it was immediately after she caught his kick that his other leg moved and hooked around his mother's knee, bringing her down onto the mat as he landed firmly on the mat next to her.

He had won.

Another smile made its way on his face as he watched the end of his match. He was proud of his younger fiancé, that much was absolutely clear and yet as he glanced at the person that his fiancé would face next he felt the familiar feeling of nervousness build up again.

Next was Professor Takumi.

[Aito Satoshi]

Takumi had been seated next to Ren, and removed his glasses after the match with Sayuri was over. At that moment, the twins were purely indistinguishable from each other and Aito looked back at them with a hitch in his chest. Takumi never boasted his skills like Ren did, and if he had to choose a tougher competitor, it would have been him.

Finally, his grandfather spoke again. "For this next match, Aito will be fighting Satoshi Takumi in the family's blind Aikido style."

Takumi stood quietly and moved to the mat with his nephew, and both bowed respectfully to each other as two servants from the house blindfolded them and moved away. For a moment, they seemed to be adjusting to the darkness a his grandfather spoke again, explaining to the guests the development of a blind fighting style.

"Each Satoshi male must prove himself worthy in battle, even with a handicap. Most enemies will go for sight, thinking that they will have an advantage against their opponent. Our family trains our heirs in blind combat so that they may overcome the handicap and still remain at an advantage. We have mastered the art of judging distance on sound alone. Both Aito and Takumi have proven to be wonderfully adept at judging distance and threat in silence. For example, please direct your attention to the mat."

Soundlessly, the two servants moved from the outskirts of the room and stood in front of the two of them, each holding a silver ball. At one time they hurtled the ball at the pair and in unison the dominant hand rose (for Aito, the left, Takumi, the right) and captured the soundlessly flying ball before it struck them.

The crowd was impressed. Not a sound was made before his grandfather smiled proudly and suddenly spoke again, "For this round, we need total silence as to not compromise their hearing. The match will end with the first ten critical strikes. Begin!"

The instant the silence settled, both men had taken on a loose defensive stance. There was no ay to tell what each man could hear, but in an instant, Aito had figured the distance to Takumi and briged the gap, swinging a series of lightning fast punches at the older man, which Takumi quickly blocked, while simultaneously aiming punches at the unprotected areas of the younger male's body. They moved in total silence, faster than most eyes could comprehend.

"AH!" Aito's fist swiftly connected with a lethal force to Takumi's sternum and he promptly ducked and delivered a recipricating punch to his stomach. Tied.

They seemed almost evenly matched, Takumi's speed slightly moreso than his nephew's and his tact better developed, but Aito's hearing was sharper and even the softest whisper was analyzed as a threat. He was always a better defensive fighter and Takumi knew that. Still, the next rush was instigated by the older male. He moved like a cobra, silent and deadly, obviously well trained in this fighting style. His next strike to Aito's temple put him in the lead, but he also found the younger male gripping his fist, flipping his frame over his shoulder and barraging his torso with strikes.

He had underestimated the child. Again.

He swung upward after two of Aito's strikes landed on him and hissed darkly before his grandfather spoke up again. "Open arena."

The dojo's walls fell back and placed them inside the orchard. Now...it was hunting and attacking. Takumi took off into the grounds with Aito hot on his heels. Where the dojo's walls had stood, screens projected the current location of the two so that the crowd could watch the budding Satoshi show off the fruits of his training.

They moved through the grounds, and now...they not only had sound, but sheer smell to track the other male. Aito managed to leap on the older man and strike him again, taking another strike to the chest in the process.

Four to three.

[Deleted]

He watched as the professor removed his glasses before making his way over to Aito in complete silence. Not a word was said from the others that were watching these matches unfold, something that was rare for usually there was the quiet murmur of amazement filling the air. The silence went on for a few moments, completely undisturbed before the elder spoke again, his words filling the air. Apparently the two of them would be fighting in the family's blind style, something that both confused and fascinated the young Burman as his eyes moved back to glance at the two relatives just in time for him to notice the fact that they were being blindfolded by the servants of the house.

Aito's grandfather spoke again and again Xayden's attention moved to the elder. So all of the males in the Satoshi family were trained to fight with handicaps so that their opponents would never have an advantage over them.

That was interesting.

Xayden's eyes returned to the two relatives upon instruction, watching as the two servants made their way across the room soundlessly, each servant holding a silver ball in their hand as they each moved to stand in front of a Satoshi male. It was a moment later that they each threw a ball at the male exactly at the same time and the Burman watched in complete astonishment as both of the males effortlessly caught the silver orb in their dominant hands before the ball could strike them. Again it was silent before the elder spoke again, telling them that for this match, they would need complete silence and that the winner of this match would be the first one who managed to score ten hits off of their opponent.

Then the match began.

It was fascinating to watch how these two moved. Each man was fast and the hits that flew at each other were almost faster than his eyes could follow. Finally, Aito managed to land a punch on his uncle but the victory was short lived as the older man managed to hit Aito in his stomach, putting them in a tie. Xayden watched as the fight went in, each male seeming to be almost evenly matched as they moved. While Takumi was slightly faster, Aito seemed to be better at defensive fighting than his uncle was and yet soon another hit was gained for the older male who had managed to land a hit on his nephew's temple putting him in the lead before Aito grabbed onto his fist and flipped him before attempting to land another hit by assaulting his torso with his fists, managing to land two hits on him before he jolted upward.

It was immediately after those events that the elder spoke up again and the back walls of the dojo fell open revealing the orchard to all of the ones that were watching the match. Takumi ran into the orchards with Aito following closely after him. Screens projected the location of the two males and everyone watched as Aito lept onto the back of his uncle, landing another hit as well as taking another hit. It was now four to three.

Things were getting interesting.

[Aito Satoshi]

The trees provided cover and Aito quickly moved behind one, his primal instincts kicking in at their highest. He could hear Takumi breathing nearby and they seemed to be circling the same tree. For a moment, Aito hesitated and felt the air near him move and swiftly brought up a hand to block the punch careening toward him. The instant Takumi felt flesh, his punches came in rapid succession and he felt two connect before his nephew wrenched away and sprinted through the trees again. He felt the earth beneath his feet and came to a stop behind a large white tree in full bloom.

He clicked his tongue softly a few times and it was seen and heard on the screen and the guests appeared confused to the gesture. His grandfather explained, "He is judging the distance between trees from how the sound bounces off the bodies. Ren developed that technique about ten years ago." Ren nodded from his seated position on the mat, turning his eyes to lock on his mirror image nearing their nephew.

As Takumi neared him and swung again, Aito's body bent back, hands on the ground. Takumi rarely practiced his yoga. Ren told him that once. He remained there a moment before kicking back and tucking his body back upward and drawing a fist back. It collided with Takumi's sternum solidly and then the next to the soft flesh of the throat before he ran off again.

"What was that move?" His grandfather chuckled at the astounded question. "That...was Aito figuring out Takumi's weakness. While he excels in magical dueling and blind Aikido...Takumi does not have much physical flexibility. Part of that is an injury he received in the Second Wizarding War while fighting for Hogwarts." The guest blinked shockedly, but if anyone happened to gaze at Ren, they would see the oldest twin seem to lose his color and a wrist brushed over his eyes quickly.

That was something Ren was petrified of. Losing Takumi was his greatest fear aside from his condition freaking him out. Sayuri slipped an arm around Ren and he steadied his breath. His mouth was moving quietly, she was nodding.

Takumi swore loudly. How did he remember the flexibility problem? Damn it. He'd have to be extra careful now. They were 6 to 4 and he was losing. Time to pull out his bag of tricks. He reached up and pulled himself into the tree before moving soundlessly from tree to tree until Aito's scent was strongest. He swung down and brought three swift punches to the back of his head before the younger male spun and blocked the punch and delivered a solid punch to his temple, hard enough to stun him. His hand rose to the site of the punch and behind the blindfold, he saw stars. The pain was enough to be aware of, and Aito had already moved off again. 7 to 7.

Ren was staring at the screen with a worried expression. He looked uncomfortable and fidgety, fighting the urge to go get him out of the match. Ren's father saw his son and spoke out, "Once its over. I promise."

Aito moved through the trees and suddenly stopped as Takumi rushed him he turned, blocking the strikes in rhythm. In the gaps, he threw his own punches. At this point, both were covered in sweat and dirt from the orchard. Soft sounds of exertion were coming from the younger male as he defended off the speeding onslaught before the punch landed on his jaw. The reciprocating punch landed to Takumi's sternum, hard enough to show the force on screen. Neither were playing right now.

The ninth came from Aito as his left hand hooked right and connected with Takumi's stomach. Takumi's ninth connected with near savage force to Aito's throat. The last strike came in unison, Aito's fiat connecting less than a hair's width sooner than his uncle's. At the connection, a gong rang to signal the end of the match.

Ren was off in a flash, pulling an exhausted Takumi into his arms and removing the blindfold. The older man looked stunned, a dark bruise formed on his throat and the side of his head. Aito pulled off his own blindfold and proceeded to apologize profusely to Takumi for the excessive force he had used.

Facing Ren now...was going to be dangerous.

They moved back to the dojo and the walls remained down. Aito wavered on his feet slightly, looking up at Xayden with a fatigued smile. All of his life, he'd trained for taking the Satoshi name and fighting like this to defend his family home and honor. Xayden was everything to him and protecting him was his job. He half way enjoyed showing the fruits of his training, proving he was man enough to defend his fiancée and his honor.

"Aito. You are doing well." His grandfather spoke. "You've proven your physical strength and speed well. The final match will show your elemental mastery and magic skill against the Satoshi savant. The final match will be against Satoshi Ren."

[Deleted]

As the match went on, it was obvious that things were becoming more and more heated between Aito and his uncle. It seemed as though their most basic instincts were beginning to take over as the circled the same tree, seemingly listening only to the sound of each other breathing. He watched as his lover seemed to hesitate only for a moment before his hand moved up to block a punch that his uncle had thrown at him. It seemed as though that small touch of flesh was all that Takumi had needed before his punches went flying at Aito, managing to land two of them on the younger male before Aito lunged away from his uncle and took off running through the trees, before choosing to hide behind a large tree that was in full bloom.

He and the other guests watched and listening in confusion as he began to softly click his tongue, the gesture only becoming understood when Aito's grandfather explained that the gesture was him testing the sound between the trees as it bounced off their bodies and that it was a technique that had been developed by Ren ten years prior. It was then that their attention was gathered back to the screen as Takumi found Aito and swung at him again only for Aito to bend his body backwards to avoid the punch. Aito's body stayed in that position for a moment before he kicked back and brought his upward with his fist drawn back, colliding with the older man's sternum and the area of flesh near his throat before running off again.

A curious voice questioned just what that move was and most eyes turned to glance at the elder Satoshi male in question. Xayden however, chose to keep his eyes on the screen watching the two as they moved and instead choosing to just listen to the male as he spoke this time. Apparently, Aito had figured out that while his uncle was good at dueling and at their blind fighting style, he was weak when it came to physical flexibility partially due to an injury that he had received from fighting for Hogwarts during the Second Wizarding War. It was almost as if he could hear what it was that was being said, for a loud series of cursing came from the professor's lips after those words left the elder's lips before he reached up and pulled himself up into the tree and began moving from tree to tree with the blindfold still on, moving as though it were second nature before he swing down, landing three punches to the back of Aito's head before Aito turned and blocked a punch, landing one on Takumi's temple with enough force to cause the Burman watching to wince.

That had to have hurt.

He watched as the match went on, each of the males getting more and more intense. Punches were flying faster and those that were landing were landing with such ferocity and such pressure that it was obvious that the two men were being serious. Aito's ninth hit came when his left hand moved right and landed on his stomach, with Takumi's following after connecting with near serious force to his throat. It was moments later that Aito landed the final hit, this one landing only slightly before his uncle's did. A gong suddenly sounded, signaling the end of the match.

It was a short moment after the gong had rung that the blindfolds had been removed, Takumi's by Ren and Airo's by himself. A few moments passed before the trio made their way back to the dojo, though the walls noticably stayed down. Aito locked gazes with him, giving him a tired smile that Xayden returned with one of his own. It truly was amazing to see just how much his beloved had grown over the short time that the two of them had been together. Now it was time for Aito's last match, this one against his uncle Ren.

[Aito Satoshi]

Ren stood up after making sure Takumi was nestled safely near Sayuri and from the look on his face, Aito knew that he was going to all but kill him in this match. Aito swallowed his fear and fixed his uncle with a fierce and smouldering gaze that coaxed a couple quiet sounds of approval from the audience. He couldn't show his fear now, not when he'd made it this far. Both males stood on opposing sides of the mat with arms on either side of their frames, fingers spread and rage slowly filling both bodies. Aito's fingers twitched slightly and Ren snarled darkly at him, contorting his normally beautiful face into one that would strike fear into a dragon.

"Begin."

An instant protection spell went over the guests of the house as the temerature dropped sharply and the wind picked up to a near squall status. The clouds over the orchard darkened and lit with lightning that stretched from the sky and to the young Satoshi's fingers. The light flashed over his features and turned his already dark eyes into pure obsidian pools of loathing. He had to match Ren's anger or he would not stand a chance.

In his mind, he was playing over the attack on Xayden on the grounds to psych his mind into the fury needed to build up the elemental strength he needed. From the very wind, frost began to form in delicate and dangerous swirls, rushing to the eldest Satoshi's hands as they moved in a slow, circular pattern.

A child's voice sounded from the side of Aito's grandfather, a voice full of fear. "Sofu...chichi won't hurt Qi...will he?" The speaker was a young girl with black hair in a very long braid and blazing green eyes like a forest canopy. Haru placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "We know when to stop your chichi, just as we know when to stop Qi, Tanaka. Your daddy will be fine. I promise you."

"Strike me. If you can." Ren sneered darkly as the swirling frosts danced over his skin, slowly freezing a shell over his body. Aito's sneer grew deadly. Ren had been the one to desire him to push through challenges, to try harder, worked him until he bled...and now he had the chance to prove he was no longer a child.

"Gladly."

It was the first time he'd spoken and it was charged with electricity, thick and gravely as the bolts from the sky pulled through him. His arm thrust forward and a thin, jagged bolt of light streaked through the gap and hit the shell upon his skin.

It didn't even dent.

Aito's eyes widened as Ren laughed darkly, sending a swift subzero streak of cold at him that struck part of his arm before he was able to effectively block it. "AH!!"

It was fucking on now...

[Deleted]

The looks that were present both on the face of his beloved and on the face of Ren were enough to make him feel incredibly uneasy. The look on Aito's normally gentle face was fierce and smoldering and so completely unlike the normally gentle man that if Xayden hadn't known any better he would have sworn that the person that stood on the mat was a completely different person, a completely different being. Ren's face was no different, a dark snarl covering his features and rage filling those eyes as he glared at his fiancé with such anger and rage that it was almost as if he actually wanted to hurt Aito for what he had done to his other uncle during the previous match.

He was already starting to worry for his fiancé's safety and the match hadn't even started yet!

His fears were not eased when Aito's grandfather gave them the permission to begin their battle and an instant protection charm was casted in order to ensure the protection of those who were watching the battle. It was obvious that they expected things to get intense and they were not disappointed. It was seconds later that the temperature in the air began to steadily drop and the wind began to pick up. The clouds that hung over the orchard began to darken drastically before lightning lit them up and flew down from the sky to end at the younger Satoshi's fingertips. Xayden watched quietly as those normally warm and loving black eyes filled with loathing and anger matching the dark and angry gaze that was held by his uncle.

Oh dear Merlin.

It was then that delicate patterns of frost were pulled from the air, flying to the elder Satoshi's hands where they began to swirl in circles, moving in a continuous pattern. From the sidelines, a child's voice filled with fear questioned the elder, asking for the reassurance needed to confirm that they would not allow Ren to harm Aito. Xayden listened to the response, his own fears put slightly to rest as his eyes moved back to rest on the two relatives, though that small bit of nervousness that refused to die grew after hearing Ren's comment. The dare for Aito to try and hit him with his lightning as he sneered darkly, the frost that he had summoned freezing what seemed to be a protective shell of ice over his body.

Xayden's eyes flew to Aito just in time to see a look that would have given even Mattie the chills cross his face as he spoke for the first time that night, a single word that was charged with so much power and emotion. It was then that his arm thrusted forward and a single, thin bolt of lightning filled the gap before flying forward towards the shell of ice, the bolt of light not even being enough to make even the smallest of dents in the ice.

A dark laughter filled the air, a laughter that caused chills to run down his spine as he saw a swift wave of ice moving forward to dart at his lover's arm, successfully striking it and drawing a call of either surprise or pain [ if not both ] and causing the older make to wince slightly.

This was not going well so far.

[Aito Satoshi]

Aito's eyes flashed to his arm and the frost melted away, leaving a darkened mark where it had touched him. Instead of hesitating, he found his hands twisting and pressing forward in a swift move and branches of electricity to lap out and twist around the elder male. While most of the bolts simply absorbed into the icy shell of the elder male, a boot found a weak point and attacked it savagely until Ren recoiled as it seared across his stomach. "AH!!" The cry of pain left the elder's lips and he found the ice on his skin splintering under the attack. Quickly, he conjured a strong subzero wind that came with a force to blow the younger male back.

Takumi gave a cry of concern, struggling to get up and tend to his other half, but was restrained by Haru. "Takumi. No. He's fine. Let him fight." Takumi looked up at his father and sighed. He was almost 40 and still getting scorned. Really?

Aito found the force of the blow enough to manipulate, his hands making a twisting motion and pressing forward in swift motions. The frosty air mixed with the thick wind of the storm on the grounds and soon formed a thin and sinister twister that lit from inside with flashes of light. Ren hissed and brought up his hands, a thick solid wall of ice forming between himself and the twister. From the sky fell hard and heavy pointed spears of ice, and Aito swore loudly as he brought up a hand to block the onslaught and the twister grew from his other hand's guidance and his fear.

The ice slashed a gash down Aito's skin, but it only seemed to anger him. The twister became clearer and a torrent of twisting lightning hurtled at Ren's ice wall. The connection caused an obscenely bright flash of light and a loud crack.

Everything went still.

Dust and debris still moved in the air and sheer darkness was all that was seen. Haru looked panicked and called to his daughter, "Sayuri! Light the orchard!" She was halfway there already, sending sunlight to break through the darkness.

A pool of light illuminated a sight no one expected to see. A very singed Ren, little trails of blood forming on his skin, laying and shuddering in an icy crevice that the twister had reduced his wall to with sheer voltage. But, there was no sign of the younger male.

Curiousity was coming through the guests, where had he gone? Sayuri instantly called for him while Takumi tended to his brother. After some salve and a potion, Ren was fine and actually cackled once his eyes opened, "Damn! That...was intense. He used the frigging water of my element against me! Smart little punk!"

Sayuri was still looking frantically through the debris on the ground to find where her son had gone. She looked up at where Xayden was and gestured for his help. Haru had to protect the guests in case the elements became unstable, and the twins were...well...the twins. They knew he was fine, just didn't seem to be particularly bothered to do anything aside from break down the magical reactions of the last strike. That was Takumi for you, business as always.

A quiet little groan sounded from above the dojo and when the light was manipulated to shine there, it came across the younger male, twisted about the tree's limbs and clinging there tightly as if it were the safest place in the world. He looked extremely fatigued and severely cut up from the reaction of elements. But, he couldn't let go of the tree. It was a fear reaction.

"Qi! Let go, baby! We can catch you." Sayuri crooned, easing out her wand to bring him down, but he shook his head. "M-m-my muscles....they seized. I'll c-c-come down...when I can..."

Sayuri looked to Xayden, "It might help if you calmed him down. He panicked out of fear, just ensure him the match is over."

Haru was celebrating Aito to the guests as being the new generation of strength and the most promising heir of the age, the twins were working on improving Ren's shields for the next joining, and Sayuri was gathering warm towels and tea for Aito once he could come down...which left Aito in the tree with both eyes squeezed shut and his body rigid.

He could feel Xay near him and let out a shaky whimper, "Is it over.....?"

[Deleted]

He watched as Aito's eyes moved to the arm that had been struck by Ren's ice and much to his surprise instead of hesitating like one usually would have expected after such an attack, Aito immediately went on the offensive. His hands moved and twisted swiftly, the movements causing the branches of electricity to lunge out and surround the body of the older male twisting and seeming to search for a weak point in his shield of ice and while most of the bolts were absorbed into the ice with seemingly no damage, it seemed as though a single bolt had managed to find a weak point and began to attack that single point in an almost savage manner until it seemed to have broken through and a cry of pain from the older male filled the air. It was then that the older male retaliated by conjuring a wind that was strong enough to force the younger boy back.

A cry of concern had filled the air almost immediately after Ren's pained cry did, something that had managed to capture his attention as his gaze was torn from the match in order to see where it was that the noise had come from. His lips formed a frown as he saw the professor struggling to get to his feet, the urge to care for his brother seeming to take over. His gaze returned to the match after, sincerely hoping that this match would not last for too much longer and hoping that neither male would get too injured in their match:

His gaze returned to the match just as Aito seemed to find a way to manipulate the force of the blow to work in his favor, his hands making twisting motions and thrusting forward in swift movements. The frosty air mixed with the thick wind from the storm and formed a thin twister, the darkness of the dangerous cylinder being lit up by flashes from the dangerous lightning that was trapped within. It was then that the older Satoshi male hissed darkly before he threw his hands up, a wall of ice following his movements and separating himself from the twister. It was then that numerous sharp and heavy spears of ice fell down from the sky aiming for Aito.

One managed to slash a cut in his skin as it fell moments later and instead of acting in fear or shying away, it instead only seemed to anger him instead, causing the twister to shine brightly when a single bolt of twisted lightning flew forward, lunging at the wall of ice and causing both a loud crack and a blindingly bright ray of light to fill the air before all went still. When the flash of light finally cleared up, all one could see was pure darkness and it was almost immediately that his future mother-in-law was being called, a request to light the orchards with her sunlight being immediately fulfilled revealing a particularly toasted looking Ren but no Aito.

An increasingly worried Xayden watched as Sayuri began looking frantically through the debris of the battle in an attempt to find Aito, immediately joining her when she wordlessly asked for his help. Together the two searched for the missing boy, shifting through rubble until a quiet groan caught their attention and a flash of light was directed above them, in the direction where they heard the noise come from and it was there that they found Aito twisted along the limbs of the tree, clinging onto it as if it was the safest thing in the world. Upon trying to coax the male down from the tree it was revealed to the two of them that Aito's muscles had seized and that he would come down as soon as he was able to. The fear laced whimpers struck a cord within the Burman's heart and a frown crossed his lips.

Oh how he wanted to just gather the younger boy in his arms.

He was told that it would probably help if he spoke to Aito and tried to convince him that his fight was over before Sayuri left to go and gather some things for Aito. Before he could speak though, Aito beat him to it, almost as if he knew that it was Xayden that was there and whimpered out a question, asking if it was over. A weak smile crossed his lips as he stared up at his younger lover. " Yes Aito, it's all over. You don't have to fight anyone else I promise you. When you're ready you can come down and that will be it love."