Shinobi was so very comfortable curled up with Shenter. As a child he would find the opportune moment to ask for a bedtime story, many a times having to be dragged away by Ansem who stated it was bedtime for the tyke. But many a times... when Ansem was out working, in his study, slumped over a huge volume of lore, Shinobi would sneak quickly to Shenter's room and beg for a story until he let him curl up in his feather bed with him and told of dragons and monsters that lived as lonely souls until sleep drifted him to dreamy sleep. It made him smile when he thought about it...he was smiling now&

He was sitting on that huge statue above the palace fountain, the water rushing under him. He was grinning, thinking of those soothing eyes that laughed when his curiosity begged for a story. Shinobi sighed in his torture. It was his entire families fault. They never loved him. So he fought for any love he could get nowadays. Of course he worshipped his wife, but felt still so disconnected from the wonders of joy and passion. "Oie! Shinobi!" He blinked and peered down at the interrupter of his thoughts.

Dormin was standing there waving at him. "Yeah, yeah what is it you whore?" Shinobi said lazily. Dormin playfully looked offended and turned his back with a girly scoff. Orange eyes watched in amusement. "Shenter wants to talk to you…" A quizzical look answered Dormin, who turned slightly and peered with one sly green eye. "Go on..." Shinobi nodded and stood, brushing himself off.

"Wearing your neko outfit again Dormin?"

Dormin grinned and got a dreamy face. "You have to see how Rydia plays with the ears…ooooh and the tail…so erotic..." He laughed when Shinobi rolled his eyes.

"Don't play coy with me! I know how you are! Mr. Shiny and Innocent! I HEAR YOUR WIFE AT NIGHT!"

Shinobi grinned as Dormin yelled after him.

" Oooh! Shinobi you're so rough! Be gentle to me!" Shinobi merely laughed.

He made his way to Shenter's room, smiling the way, reminiscing Dormin's behavioral issues. He arrived and knocked silently. "Come on in Shinobi." Shenter was a tad surprised to find that Shinobi had come so quickly... normally he waited for a while. "Yes? Dormin said that you called for me…Is there anything you need me to get you? Anything-" Shenter only smiled and waved it aside. " I need to talk to you about the kingdoms supplies…"

Shinobi wasn't listening though. He had a strange compliment to stare at Shenter’s eyes… How beautiful they are…he shook himself out and went back to listening.

"And like I said, the kingdoms running low on oil again, so we'll have to have more explorers go out and find more oil reserves…"

Did his hair always shine like that…? Odd… I never noticed how his skin looked so good in the light…

"Shinobi… Did you hear me?" Shinobi looked and him and smiled.

"Yeah... Work on oil reserves, check with the treasury, and make sure all the adoption centers aren't over capacitated." Shinobi was inwardly amazed he had even got that. Shenter nodded and dismissed him, and Shinobi went off, going to his shower.

Was it just him, or had Shenter been looking at him kind of funny when he was there…?

He shrugged it off and stripped his clothes, stepping into the warming shower. No sooner had he stepped in and began to wash his hair when he felt a pair of smooth skinned hands wrap around his midriff and hold him to the trunk of their owner. His eyes widened.

"Shh… Don't panic… I wont hurt you Shinobi…" His blood froze.

The grip tightened and Shinobi was still in shock. Slowly, that familiar's hands moved down…"S-stop!" A hesitation, but it continued…

A chuckle as soft supple fingers caressed his inner thigh and Shinobi squirmed in the captors grip. He shook slightly "N-No please...! Please don't, ple-Ooooh…god…"

A gentle stroke of only one digit on him made his hips buckle and his back arch. "Oh god…ahn…" It had been so long for Shinobi he had almost forgotten. His shoulder blades pressed into naked, soft, tissue… a smooth and supple skin of chest. No tight rippling muscles, just smooth flesh. His captor whispered in his ear, "I love you Shinobi.", and held him extremely close. Shinobi moaned. He felt a hard pressure on his tailbone, and pushed against it.

His captor whimpered in pleasure and returned the push.

Shinobi had a sudden flashback. He had never realized until now, but he had always been having such a dreamy look on his face, Shinobi had always mistaken it for daydreaming…not of lust.

Shinobi stepped forward and turned, pushing his violator out of his shower. The soft thud of soft flesh on marble was the answer of his captors landing. He sighed and leaned on the wall, covering his face in his hands. There was a gentle groan, and quickly dropping his hands, he peered out from the shower curtain. His heart stopped beating. He had been right.

“S-Shenter…?!”

All the times Shenter had told Shinobi that keeping his face very close to him was an Elvin tradition was also a way to hide his feelings…all the times he noticed Shenter’s eyes wandering… the day he interrupted his bathing and was staring at his waist while the overly large towel slipped…. the enthusiasm he had when Shinobi had come to sleep with him… those nightmares he had and Shenter soothed them for him by holding him close…

He was so amazed he hadn’t noticed before… It shocked him the most he could be so blind… but Shenter always looked so innocent…

Shenter stood and quickly ran out of the room, leaving puddles here and there from his soaking hair.

There had been something there though… a feeling Shinobi had never experienced before. And truly, it frightened him. He cursed himself as his curious subconscious wondered if Shenter tasted like caramel and he quickly dressed himself. “Shenter what have you done to me?”

Shenter ran down the halls, horrified of what he had just done. He had given in to his sick desires and Shinobi would never see him as the innocent loving uncle he had fought so much to be.

Shinobi ran down the halls after Shenter but gave up when he lost all hope when he came to 3 different hallways…all possible ways for Shenter to go. He sighed and went off to continue his day.

A week had passed since the incident, and Shinobi's busy schedule had far from erased it from his mind. Shenter hadn’t been seen much, just to eat and shower. No one really thought much of it, seeing as Shenter was known to go into lapses of thought at times when he wanted to be left alone.

Meanwhile, Dormin had visited Shenter and only made him more upset by toying with him, though he denied it… Shinobi found out by over hearing one of Dormin’s moody complaints to his brothers. It turned out that Dormin had upsetted Shenter by kissing him after he had found out about Shenter’s pained emotions of being rejected so many times. Shinobi immediately made it a priority to visit his poor abused uncle.

A gentle rapping on his door started Shenter from his half daze of daydreams again.

“Uncle Shenter...?”

When no one answered, Shinobi opened the door and went in. Shenter just sat on his bed and listened to Shinobis steps as he neared him.

“Shenter are y-“

“Shut up… Your just here to kiss me and walk off like Dormin…” Shenter stepped back in shock and stared at him.

“No I am not! That was evil what he did to you!” Shenter looked at him silently.“A lot of people say that…” His beautifuleyes... they looked so dead...

Shinobi embraced him, hoping to the gods he could get him out of this…

“I love you Shenter…” Shenter looked at him and hesitantly, Shinobi closed that one inch gap and placed his lips to the half-elf’s. After pulling away, Shenter looked at him with his sapphire orbs piercing into his very soul. “Are you going to walk away now? Like Dormin did? Like everyone has…?” The Tenrai prince shook his head.

Shenter watched silently as those soft gentle fingers touched his cheeks and caressed his face. Burning orbs pierced his heart.

“No… I’m right here…and I’ll never leave…”

Shenter grabbed Shinobis shirt and pulled him onto him, onto the bed, and fell back, holding him close. “I love you… I’ll never leave.” Their lips met and Shenter pulled Shinobi as close as their flesh would allow. Shinobi moaned softly, and Shenter answered by gently biting his neck, which made his adrenaline rush.