Living in a World Without You

by Blondebunny

Summary:

“I think… in the past life I used to be a bird.”
“A blue jay or a swallow.”
Kuai Liang laughed.
“Maybe.”

Notes:

Hey!💖
Thank you for still being with me🫶🏼
This work was inspired by the post I saw on Twi- Uh… X(💀) a long time ago🥲I can’t find it anywhere anymore, uhhhh😞
Anyways… I hope you’ll enjoy it🥰

Chapter 1: Chapter one

Hanzo stood there, rooted to the spot, as if time itself had come to a halt. His eyes were fixed on the young man in yellow, who walked towards him. The resemblance was uncanny, like gazing into a well that reflected his past, where the person he loved was still alive. Yet there was a distinct difference between those people that sent a shiver down his spine.
The young man's hair was a rich, almost bluish black, styled in a high bun, with a few strands falling loosely over his forehead. His eyes, a bright shade of amber that sparkled with the fire dancing in its depths, were nothing like the brilliant blue that Hanzo knew so well. Yet, they held the same intensity, the same sharpness that he remembered.
As the boy drew closer, Hanzo found himself unable to look away. It was Kuai Liang, or at least it seemed like him. The smile that graced the young man's face was so full of youth and vigour, it almost brought tears to Hanzo's eyes. It was Kuai's smile, the one that had once lit up his world, but this was not Kuai. Not the Kuai he knew.
The young man bowed his head respectfully.
"Lord Liu Kang told me that you would visit us. Welcome to the Lin Kuei!" It was Kuai's voice, every inflection, every tone, perfectly replicated in this boy. "The Grandmaster is not here now, but he-"
"Wait!" Hanzo interrupted. "You’re not the grandmaster here?"
Kuai Liang frowned slightly.
"No. My elder brother is the grandmaster. I’m his second-in-command."
"Oh… I see." Hanzo murmured, trying to process the information.
He looked at the young man appreciatively, taking in every detail. The cleanly shaved face, obviously devoid of much stubble even before shaving, was different from what he remembered about his Kuai Liang. This boy was obviously somewhere in his twenties, so there were no wrinkles, no creases at the corners of his eyes, and his gaze was still so bright... When he had met Kuai Liang from his timeline for the first time, he was already in his early thirties. Still young, but already lacking that youthful fervour.
But still…even though there was a huge difference between those two men, Hanzo couldn’t help but feel a sharp sting in his heart. It was like looking at the reminder of what could have been and what had been lost. The young man's presence brought back a flood of memories, both bitter and sweet, and Scorpion found himself struggling to maintain his composure.
"May I ask your name?" He said it, even though he knew the answer.
The young man smiled again, that same radiant smile that was so familiar yet so foreign.
"I am Kuai Liang, the younger brother of the current Grandmaster."
"You’re just as beautiful as the day I lost you." Hanzo said suddenly. He didn’t expect to say that out loud; the words fell from his lips like drops of rain on dry, cracked earth.
Kuai Liang's eyes widened in surprise, his long eyelashes fluttering as he blinked at the man standing before him.
"What?"
"I said that you’re beautiful." Scorpion repeated, his voice a bit rougher this time, as if the words had scraped against his throat on their way out. He wasn't happy about suddenly blurting out something like that.
"Yes, I heard it… But…why? Thank you, but…It’s slightly out of place."
Hanzo’s heart was aching so badly that he could barely breathe. He remembered every moment they'd shared, every laugh, every tear. The way Kuai's eyes would light up when he talked about his dreams, the way his voice would tremble when he spoke of his fears. This man before him might have Kuai's appearance, but he didn't have his soul. There was something missing, a spark that had always been present in the person he knew. Or maybe it was something different? Maybe he had a different spark?
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It's just...you really do look like someone I used to know very well."
"Who do I look like?"
Hanzo hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "My sister.” He lied. “You look exactly like her."
“Your sister?"
"Yes. She was my twin sister, but we were separated when we were very young. I've been looking for her ever since."
“Oh…”
A young man in a grey uniform emerged, his presence barely making a sound. Hanzo didn't recognise him at all.
"Is everything alright, brother?"
Kuai Liang nodded slowly.
"Don't worry, Tomas. I'm fine. Can you please show our guest around?"
With that, Kuai excused himself, as he had other matters to attend to. He looked up, his eyes meeting Hanzo's for a moment before he turned and walked away. The echo of his steps lingered in the air like the scent of a flower that has long since withered.
Tomas gestured for Hanzo to follow him.
"The Lin Kuei is a place of honour and discipline," he began, leading the older man through the lush gardens and intricate architecture of the temple. "Our former grandmaster was a figure of great respect, and his teachings are followed by all of us. As his son, I-“
Hanzo nodded absently, his thoughts still preoccupied with Kuai Liang. As they walked, Tomas continued to talk about the history and the techniques taught within the Lin Kuei walls. He spoke of the temple's founding, of the great warriors who had trained there, and of the sacred arts that were passed down from generation to generation.
Scorpion followed Tomas through the winding stone corridors. The scent of incense and cold mountain air clung to the walls, a stark contrast to the warmth of the gardens they had just left.
Hanzo's gaze flickered over the carvings of dragons coiled around pillars. Their frozen snarls seemed to serve as a silent warning to everyone who entered that building.
Tomas paused beside a sliding door, its paper panels painted with delicate scenes of snowfall.
"These are the guest quarters." He said, pushing the door open. "You may rest here until the grandmaster summons you."
Hanzo barely listened to him. His mind was still racing with thoughts of Kuai Liang.
Tomas left, and Scorpion sat down on the futon in the centre of the room. He closed his eyes, trying to focus his thoughts. The temple was silent around him; the only sound was the distant chanting from the training halls.

As the evening shadows deepened, Hanzo approached Kuai's door. The gentle rap of his knuckles against the wood echoed in the quiet corridor, and he waited for a response.
Thankfully, the door opened almost immediately. Kuai Liang stood there, a warm smile lighting up his face.
"Did Tomas show you around?" He asked, stepping aside to allow Hanzo to enter.
The older man hesitated in the doorway, his fingers brushing against the frame as if anchoring himself to this moment. He took a deep breath, savouring the scent of incense that wafted from inside the room, and stepped over the threshold.
"Yes, thank you. Your home is impressive."
Kuai beamed at the compliment, his cheeks flushing slightly with pride.
"Thank you."
There was a moment of silence between them, filled with unspoken questions and unshared stories. Hanzo felt the urge to ask more about Kuai, but he held back, unsure of how much he could reveal without exposing the truth about his feelings.
Kuai Liang seemed to sense Hanzo's hesitation and broke the silence with a gentle offer.
"Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?" he asked, gesturing toward a low table where a steaming pot sat between two cushions.
Hanzo exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly.
"Yes. Thank you.”
As he settled onto the cushion, their knees nearly brushed beneath the table. Kuai poured the tea with deliberate grace, the liquid dark and fragrant, steam curling like ghosts between them.
Hanzo was actually drawn to this man by some invisible force. Even though he knew that this Kuai Liang wasn’t someone he so desperately sought, it was still him at the same time. He just felt so much better when he saw Kuai because, in the last few days, he already had lost all hope of seeing his loved one again. After he lost his family, the first person Hanzo Hasashi fell in love with was Kuai Liang. And losing him, seeing the light dulling in his eyes, made the pyromancer’s heart stop. He didn’t even have a chance to take his loved one’s body with him. The portal almost sucked him in, and now he was here… here, with the exact same man he so desperately wanted to see again, but at the same time it was someone else. Someone who had never seen him before.
"How should I call you?" Hanzo asked. "If your brother is the grandmaster and goes by the name Sub-Zero, yours must be Tundra?"
Kuai Liang shook his head.
"It sounds nice, but no. I’m Scorpion."
The answer seemed to stun Hanzo, who blinked rapidly before blurting out, "You’re not Scorpion."
The frown immediately appeared on Kuai’s handsome face, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"Because you’re not me. And I’m Scorpion."
The younger man snorted softly.
"Thanks God that we’re not the same person. I don’t want to believe that I’ll become that disrespectful in…what? Twenty years?"
Kuai Liang’s expression darkened, and his posture shifted subtly into something more guarded. His fingers tightened around his teacup, knuckles whitening as the porcelain threatened to crack under his grip.
A log shifted in the hearth with a sharp crack, breaking the silence like a misplaced breath.
"I don’t think that it’s possible.” Hanzo said. “You will never possess the power I have. And my name would never be yours."
"You came here for help…" Kuai Liang replied slowly, his eyes locked on the older man’s, "Yet you stand in my home, speaking as if you know me better than I know myself."
Hanzo’s gaze didn’t waver, meeting Kuai’s steadily.
"You’re a pyromancer as well, right?"
Kuai hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes. So what?”
Hanzo chuckled. Even though this Kuai Liang was much younger and more stubborn than the one he knew, there was a familiarity about him that Hanzo couldn't shake off.
"The fire isn't made for you, boy. Ice suits you better."
Kuai Liang's face turned red with anger.
"You..." He hissed, his voice trembling with rage. "I will kill you."
Hanzo raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not afraid of a swallow.” He said casually, as if discussing the weather.
"A swallow?"
"Yes, you look like one.” Hanzo explained, tilting his head to the side as he regarded the younger man. "Big dark eyes, a cute angry face? Not intimidating at all, is it? That's you. You should take that alias, because it suits you more than mine."
Hanzo didn’t move, didn’t blink, his smirk unwavering as he watched Kuai’s restraint fray like a thread pulled too tight. The younger man's emotions simmered just below the surface, ready to boil over.
"You're impossible.” Kuai Liang spat out. "This isn't yours! In this timeline, it's mine! Get the hell out of here!"
"Make me.”
Kuai Liang's fingers flexed, the air around them growing unnaturally warm as flames began to flicker at his fingertips. The heat was intense, but Hanzo didn't flinch. Instead, he tilted his head to the side, watching the fire dance in the young man's palms.
“His flames are brighter than mine.” He thought.
The thought came unbidden, unwelcome.
A sharp crackle split the air as Kuai lunged, fire arcing toward Hanzo’s face. The older warrior twisted aside, the heat licking past his cheek, close enough to singe but not burn. Hanzo barely shifted, catching the younger man’s wrist mid-strike, their faces inches apart. Kuai’s breath hitched - hot, furious - against Hanzo’s lips.
The elder man just laughed.
“As I said, not intimidating at all. Get some rest, boy. You look tired.”
With that, he walked out of the room, leaving the young pyromancer behind.

Hanzo found himself standing at the crossroads of love and reality. It was a peculiar sensation, to say the least, to gaze upon the face of the young pyromancer and see the mirror of the man he had loved so deeply. Yet, even as his heart leapt at the sight, a cruel awareness dawned upon him - it wasn't him. Not the Kuai Liang he had cherished, the one whose memory was etched into the very fabric of his soul.
Every encounter with the young pyromancer sent Hanzo's heart into a tumultuous dance. The face that looked back at him was a younger version of the one he had lost, yet it was undeniably the same. The way the young man moved, with a grace and fluidity that was so reminiscent of Kuai Liang, the timbre of his voice, a rich baritone that resonated with an echo of familiarity, seemed to pierce through Hanzo's defences and touch his very core.
It was as if the universe had played a cruel trick on him, presenting him with the visage of his beloved Kuai Liang, yet denying him the solace of his true presence. Hanzo felt like he was living in a dream, a bittersweet illusion that he couldn't wake up from. Every moment spent in the young pyromancer's company was a painful reminder of what he had lost, yet he couldn't help but be drawn to him.
Despite the ache in his heart, Hanzo couldn't help but hope that he could get closer to him, to bridge the gap between them and reclaim a fragment of the love he had lost. It was a dangerous hope, one that he knew he might never see fulfilled, yet it was a hope that burnt brightly within him.
Unfortunately, Kuai Liang seemed to want the exact opposite. He tried to distance himself from the elder pyromancer as much as possible, as if he sensed the depth of Hanzo's longing and was afraid to get too close. Hanzo understood. He knew that this young man was not his Kuai, and he respected his desire for space and distance. Yet, it didn't make the longing any less intense. Every time he saw the young pyromancer, Hanzo felt a piece of his heart break all over again.
As days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, Hanzo found himself caught in a strange limbo. He was torn between his love for the memory of Kuai Liang he knew and his fascination with this boy who echoed so many of his beloved's qualities.

"Can you send him back?" Kuai Liang pleaded.
Liu Kang sighed softly; his gaze drifted towards the horizon. The sun was setting behind the distant mountains, casting a warm golden glow over the landscape. For a moment, it seemed as if the world was at peace, but Kuai Liang knew that this was just an illusion.
"I can’t. His timeline is destroyed. It doesn't exist anymore. But why? I thought you would like him. He can help you with your-"
"I don't need his help!” Kuai Liang interrupted, shaking his head firmly. His long hair swayed with the movement, catching the light of the setting sun. "You were my tutor. You are the one who taught me the ways of handling my fire, the path to enlightenment. Why bring him into this?"
Liu Kang turned to face the Pyromancer.
"He possesses the Hell fire. It has its profits..."
Kuai Liang groaned and rolled his eyes.
"He's such a rude person! I don't like him at all. Besides, what use do I have for the Hell fire? My power comes from within, from the teachings of the Fire God himself!"
Liu Kang nodded slowly. He understood Kuai Liang's feelings all too well. The young pyromancer had always been proud of his abilities, and he had worked hard to master the fire that flowed through his veins. He couldn’t accept that there could be someone stronger than him.
"It is a powerful force, one that can be harnessed for great good or great evil. It all depends on the user. Think of it as another tool in your arsenal, Kuai Liang. One that could potentially give you an edge in battle."
Kuai Liang sighed, knowing that Liu Kang was right. The Fire God had always been a firm believer in the concept of balance and harmony, and he knew that the Hell fire could potentially upset that balance. But Kuai still couldn't reconcile himself with the idea of studying from someone he disliked so much.
"What if he betrays us? What if his intentions are not as pure as you think? You told me he’s from the enemy clan.”
Liu Kang placed a reassuring hand on the young man’s shoulder.
"I have watched him for a long time, Kuai Liang. His past is filled with pain and betrayal, and, yes, he is not a man to be trusted easily. But he is also not one to be dismissed out of hand. He has suffered greatly, and I believe that he has the potential to change."
Kuai Liang looked into Liu Kang's glowing white eyes, seeing the wisdom and the concern that lay within.
"Very well. But if he causes any trouble, I will not hesitate to send him back to whatever hell he came from."
Liu Kang smiled at his words.
"He’s not as bad as you think, Kuai Liang. Only time will tell, but I believe you will like him once you get to know him better.”

Chapter 2: Chapter two

Notes:

There’s some drug use in this chapter🫥😵‍💫 And also a slightly incest-ish scene. It won’t affect the main pairing anyhow. But you have been warned🗣️

P.S.: Don’t do drugs, guys!🗣️

"I’m so tired of this creepy man being around me all the time!" Kuai Liang said slowly as he passed a blunt to Tomas.
"You’re talking about Hanzo?" The younger brother took the blunt, his fingers brushing against Kuai’s as he did. He inhaled deeply, the smoke filling his lungs, and immediately began to cough. "Shit… I’ll never understand how this works without…you know…that thing."
"The King of Smoke himself doesn’t know how to smoke!” Kuai Liang laughed. “Sometimes I think you do that on purpose."
Tomas’ coughing fit subsided, leaving his cheeks flushed and his eyes slightly watery. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, exhaling sharply before turning to Kuai Liang with a smirk.
"On purpose?"
"So I would kiss you.”
The blunt hung loosely between Tomas’ fingers as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. His eyes locked with Kuai’s.
"And what if I did?" He challenged; his voice was rough from coughing, but there was a playful edge to it now. His knee bumped against Kuai Liang’s, deliberate.
The pyromancer didn’t hesitate. He reached out, his fingers brushing Tomas’ jaw - all sharp lines and edges, yet impossibly gentle - and tilted his face toward him.
"I’m not that high.” He laughed sweetly.
The younger brother snorted.
"I had to try, though. It’s not like we didn’t do that before. I really miss you."
Kuai Liang’s breath hitched as Tomas’ fingers curled into the white silk of his shirt, pulling him closer. The blunt dropped onto the floor, forgotten, its ember glowing faintly between them.
"Please!” Tomas pleaded. “I have another one.”
Kuai smiled, a slow, soft smile, and took a hit from the new blunt that he lit up with a small gesture of his hand. Smoke curled lazily from his lips as their foreheads pressed together. Tomas’ exhale shuddered against Kuai Liang’s mouth, warm and uneven, before he closed the last inch between them. The younger man was right; it wasn’t the first time they were doing it, but Kuai Liang always liked to tease him.
The moment their lips met, the taste of weed and something sweeter - maybe the tea they were drinking earlier - mingled between them. After Tomas exhaled the smoke, he once again crashed their lips together. Kuai’s fingers tightened in his sibling’s hair, pulling just enough to draw a quiet gasp from him. Tomas’ hands slid under Kuai Liang’s shirt, nails scraping lightly over the sharp contours of his ribs, making him shiver. But just as the moment seemed to reach its peak, a yell shattered the silence.
“What is going on here?”
The sound of someone’s voice made both brothers pull away from each other abruptly.
The door creaked wider, revealing Hanzo Hasashi standing frozen in the doorway. His usual sharp glare was replaced by a mixture of shock, confusion, and something else that Kuai Liang couldn’t figure out at first.
The silence stretched, thick with the weight of interrupted desire and the faint, herbal scent still hanging in the air.
Kuai turned his head just enough to meet Hanzo’s stare, his thumb still resting against Tomas’ chin.
“It’s not your business. It’s my room. I can do whatever I want here. Get out!”
“Does Bi-Han know what you’re doing here?” Hanzo’s question was like a knife through butter, slicing through the tension and bringing a new wave of unease.
Kuai Liang’s grip on Tomas tightened instinctively at the mention of Bi-Han’s name.
“Don’t you think that we’re a little too old for being scolded by the elder brother? And if you really want to know, then yes. He does. He’s not a big fan of those things, but there’s nothing he can do about it.”
Actually, the first time Bi-Han found out about him smoking, he gave Kuai Liang a good flogging.
“Go to bed.” Hanzo barked at Tomas. “I need to talk to your brother.”
“But-“ The youth tried to protest but was interrupted.
“I said-“
“Shut up!” Kuai Liang gritted his teeth. “Tomas, you should go. I’ll talk to him, and I’ll join you later.”
Tomas hesitated for a moment, clearly reluctant to leave his brother alone with their unwanted guest. However, he knew better than to argue with Kuai Liang when he was in such a mood. With a deep sigh, he straightened his clothes and shot Kuai a pleading look before he turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
"What do you want?"
"I wanted to scold you for your behaviour. But I guess you're too much of a brat to care."
Kuai Liang pouted slightly.
"Maybe I am. The real question is, why do you care?"
Hanzo sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. How could he explain to this boy that he couldn't bear to witness something bad happen to him? How could he tell that he had already lost one Kuai Liang, and he didn't want to lose another one? The one that he had just found, the one that was so different from the other but just as beautiful in his own way - the one that was driving him crazy with his stupid behaviour.
"You're so young you could be my son. I don't want you to-“
"I know that's not the case." Kuai Liang interrupted. "You're not that protective of my brothers, even though we all are almost the same age." He fell silent for a moment, then continued with a small smirk. "You're jealous, right?"
"What?" Hanzo looked at him as if he was insane, but he knew for sure that Kuai Liang was absolutely right.
It was absurd to feel this way about someone he barely knew, someone who seemed to thrive on pushing his buttons.
It wasn’t his Kuai Liang. It was a different person! He shouldn’t be attracted to him! He shouldn’t…
"You wanted to kiss me. That’s why you are so angry.” The youth stated matter-of-factly.
Was he that obvious? Hanzo's heart raced, and he felt a flush spread across his cheeks.
"What are you talking about? Of course, I don't."
Kuai Liang laughed and shook off the shirt from one shoulder, revealing the smooth golden skin beneath. Hanzo's breath hitched as he took in the sight, his mind going blank for a moment.
"What else do you want to do with me?" Kuai Liang smirked, tugging on the other sleeve and pulling the shirt off his other shoulder.
Hanzo's heart pounded in his chest, and he felt a surge of emotions that he couldn't even begin to name. He couldn't take it anymore. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room, not looking back even once. He needed to get away from Kuai Liang, to clear his head and figure out what the hell he was supposed to do.
As he closed the door behind himself, Hanzo leaned against the wall. What was he doing? He was a grown man, for crying out loud! He shouldn't be so easily played by a youth like Kuai. But the truth was, he couldn't deny the feelings that were simmering inside him, waiting to boil over at any moment.
And Kuai Liang... He was so young, so carefree, so beautiful. It was like he didn't even care about the effect he had on people. Hanzo groaned, running a hand through his hair again. This was going to be a long night.

Even though he didn’t want to see Kuai Liang again for at least an eternity, Hanzo found himself dragged back into the younger man’s presence just a couple of days later. It was Kuai’s birthday, a fact that Hanzo couldn’t ignore, no matter how much he wished he could.
The memory of their last encounter still fresh in Hanzo’s mind. He remembered the shock, the rage, and the sting of jealousy that had coursed through him.
After that fateful evening, Hanzo was absolutely sure: the universe played a cruel joke on him. Kuai Liang he loved, was a respected man, a noble warrior who had achieved respect at a young age. He was not a modest person but still maintained his honour and dignity in any situation. This kid was completely different. He was acting politely, as he should as a noble person, but only when it suited him. But he was so reckless and hot-tempered that it actually drove Hanzo crazy. It was easy for him to flirt with one person and then, five minutes later, with another. Where the cryomancer Kuai solved the problem with conversation, his pyromancer doppelgänger flirted…and damn it, he got what he wanted every time.
“How old are you now?” Hanzo asked, trying to lighten the mood as Kuai Liang lowered himself down on the grass next to him. “Congratulations, by the way!” He added, forcing a smile.
“Thanks.” Came a dry reply. “Take a guess.”
Hanzo snorted, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth despite himself.
“Are there any prizes for the correct answer?”
“You refused to claim your prize last time.” Kuai Liang reminded him, smiling slyly. It seemed that even though he was high as a kite when it happened, he still managed to remember everything.
“I’m not interested in such things.” Hanzo lied, his gaze sliding away from Kuai’s intense stare.
“No prizes for you then. So…take a guess!”
The elder pyromancer sighed.
“Twenty-three or something?”
Kuai laughed.
“You could have won a prize. Unfortunately, you refused. You’re right.” The youth said, standing up and turning to leave.
“Wait!” Hanzo called out, catching him by his sleeve. “Where are you going?”
Kuai Liang shrugged.
“You don’t want your prize. I have to give it to somebody.”
Rage boiled in the elder man’s chest at the thought of Kuai Liang giving his body to someone else. He knew he had no right to feel that way, especially after their last encounter. But he couldn’t help it: the idea of Kuai Liang with some other man, the thought of losing whatever it was they were supposed to have, was killing him.
Hanzo's grip tightened on the sleeve, a reflexive move born from a frustration and an inexplicable desire to keep Kuai Liang from vanishing into the crowd. The young man's nonchalance, his casual disregard for the situation at hand, was like a thorn in Hanzo's side. It was infuriating, yet there was something about it that intrigued him, made him want to understand the depths of Kuai Liang's carefree nature.
"You’re trying to tell me that you will simply go and fuck someone else because I didn’t kiss you back then?"
The sound of laughter cut through the elder pyromancer’s soul. It was a rich, melodious sound, filled with youthful joy and playfulness.
"What are you talking about?" Kuai took a walnut cookie out of his pocket, holding it up between his thumb and forefinger. "This is the prize."
Hanzo stared at the cookie, his mind struggling to process what was happening. Was this some kind of joke? Some elaborate game that Kuai Liang was playing? Or was it something more?
Still laughing, the young pyromancer disappeared into the crowd, his figure melting into the sea of people.
It was impossible to be that cute and that infuriating at the same time.
Hanzo’s fingers twitched against the empty air where Kuai Liang’s sleeve had been a second ago. The crowd swallowed the younger man’s retreating form, but the echo of his laughter was still prickling Hanzo’s ears like a taunt. That smug little- He was obviously flirting with him!
Hanzo looked down at the ground, at the spot where Kuai Liang had been standing just moments before. There was nothing there now, just the emerald-green grass. But in his mind's eye, he could still see Kuai Liang, could still hear his laughter.
The warrior surged to his feet, grass clinging stubbornly to his robes as he shouldered through the throng. A vendor’s cart rattled as he brushed past, sending a cascade of apricots tumbling. Hanzo didn’t stop.
There - by the lantern stall - Kuai Liang was licking crumbs from his fingertips, the damn cookie already half-demolished.
Hanzo’s shadow fell over Kuai Liang before the younger man could take another bite. The lantern light flickered gold across his smirk as he tilted his head up, deliberately slow.
"Changed your mind about prizes?"
A stray crumb clung to the corner of Kuai’s mouth. Hanzo’s thumb swiped it away before he could stop himself, the pad of his finger lingering half a second too long on that infuriatingly soft lower lip. Kuai’s breath hitched - tiny, almost imperceptible, but Hanzo caught it.
The cookie dropped to the ground as Hanzo crowded him backward into the lantern stall’s bamboo frame. Paper shades rattled overhead.
Kuai Liang’s back hit the frame with a soft thud, his breath escaping in a surprised huff. The lanterns swayed above them, casting erratic shadows across his face - gold, then dark, then gold again - as Hanzo caged him in with both arms.
"You…" Hanzo growled, his voice low enough that only Kuai could hear it beneath the market’s din. "Are insufferable."
Kuai’s plush lips curled up in a soft smile.
"And yet here you are."
His knee brushed Hanzo’s thigh - not quite an accident, not quite a challenge.
Hanzo’s fingers dug into the bamboo on either side of Kuai’s head.
“So where is my prize?”
“You just dropped it, you nasty old man!” The youth laughed.
Hanzo let him go, but Kuai Liang frowned suddenly.
"You look upset. You wanted it?"
Hanzo hesitated, feeling a lump forming in his throat. He wanted to say, "I wanted you," but instead, he just shrugged his shoulders, trying to play it cool.
Kuai Liang raised an eyebrow.
"There are plenty of those on the tables. You can take as much as you want. Do you like them?"
"I never tried them."
"You never had a walnut cookie?" Kuai exclaimed, as if it was the most unbelievable thing he had ever heard.
"I have no idea how it tastes. Don't forget, you were always living in a palace like a damn prince. We had to hide in the forest like rats."
The smile faded from Kuai Liang's face, once again replaced by a frown. He looked genuinely bothered by Hanzo's words.
"Hide? From whom?"
"From you. From the Lin Kuei.”
"But it wasn't us!” The youth pouted, looking genuinely hurt. “It was someone from your timeline! And it definitely wasn’t…the other me. You were surprised that I'm not the grandmaster here; I assume I was the grandmaster in your timeline. And I can't imagine myself doing such atrocities!"
Hanzo laughed, despite himself. Even though those two versions of Kuai Liang he met were different, they still had a lot in common.
"It wasn't you. And to be honest, it stopped when you became the grandmaster."
Kuai's face lightened up.
"I guess I…he…he is a good person."
"Yes. A very good person. Unlike you."
"Hey!" The elder pyromancer received an angry push to the chest. "You don't even know me-"
"Shut your mouth!" Hanzo interrupted, covering Kuai's lips with his hand. "Shit, you're so much better when you stay quiet."
For a moment, Kuai Liang stilled, his eyes widening in surprise. Probably nobody else treated him like that before.
When Kuai kept his mouth shut, he reminded Hanzo of the man he loved even more. Maybe it was due to the age difference, or maybe it was the lifestyle of the young man to blame, but every time Kuai Liang was speaking, he managed to make Hanzo even more sure that those two versions of him were completely different. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though, because oh, how badly Hanzo wanted to kiss him…
But Kuai Liang had other ideas. He shook off the older man's hand and pushed him away.
"What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" Kuai hissed. His eyes were blazing with anger. "Never learnt any manners from your father, you old dog?"
Hanzo stepped back, feeling a bit ashamed. Maybe he really had crossed the line. He didn't have time to reply or to apologise, because when he managed to think of something coherent to say, Kuai Liang had already stormed off.

It was two hours later when Kuai flopped down on Hanzo's lap suddenly. His eyes were glassy, and his cheeks flushed a delicate shade of red. The elder pyromancer, taken aback by this unexpected display of affection, tried to steady the young man, who was clearly in no state to stand on his own.
"Do you want to dance with me?" Kuai purred.
Hanzo raised an eyebrow, wondering if the youth's change in tone was solely due to his inebriation. He had to decline the offer, even though it was tempting. Besides, he had to admit, Hanzo himself got drunk as hell, regretting that he had scared the young man off earlier.
"You're drunk." He said, trying to keep his voice level.
"So are you. So what?"
The warrior sighed, realising that arguing with a drunk was futile. And also, it was stupid to brag about their age difference because Kuai Liang obviously had all the rights to drink whatever and whenever he wanted. But Hanzo still had to reply.
"You should fix your hair.” He offered, gesturing towards the boy’s messy appearance.
Kuai's hair, which was usually tied up in a neat high bun, was now dishevelled, with long strands falling over his forehead like ribbons of the expensive raven-black silk.
"Why?" Kuai Liang replied lazily, not making any effort to move.
"Because. You told me about my bad manners, but here you are, looking like you were passed around by a bunch of men."
Instead of listening to him and fixing his bun, Kuai Liang just untied the lace and let his hair cascade down his shoulders.
"Does it look better now?"
Hanzo bit back a groan. No, it didn't look better at all. In fact, it made him feel the way he obviously shouldn’t. He pushed the thought away, focusing instead on holding Kuai’s waist so he wouldn’t fall off his lap.
“You like me, right?” The youth smiled devilishly. “You can take me if you want.”
Kuai’s hair brushed against Hanzo’s knuckles. The scent of rice wine and something faintly floral clung to him. The words “take me” hung between them, sticky-sweet like spilt liquor.
The boy was drunk. Hanzo knew he shouldn’t take advantage of his condition, but damn, was it alluring.
For as long as he could remember, Hanzo Hasashi wished to see Kuai Liang in such a state; drunk, aroused - practically throwing himself into his embrace. But the man he knew was much more calm, polite and less brazen. It was impossible for him to act that way without dying of embarrassment.
Kuai’s grin widened when Hanzo didn’t shove him off - instead, his fingers twitched slightly, nails digging into the sides of the boy’s waist.
“Scared?” Kuai taunted, shifting just enough to straddle Hanzo’s thighs properly, his own hands braced on the older man’s shoulders.
The warmth of the youth’s thighs pressed into Hanzo’s own, the friction of fabric between them maddeningly thin. Kuai’s breath ghosted over his lips - sweet, hot, and uneven with anticipation.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re playing with fire, boy.”
Hanzo’s hands moved to grip Kuai’s hips - whether to push him away or pull him closer, even he didn’t know.
“Fire’s not the only thing I know how to play with.” Kuai Liang murmured, lips brushing Hanzo’s earlobe as he spoke. His teeth grazed skin, just shy of biting, and the elder pyromancer swore under his breath.
The couch creaked as Kuai pressed forward, trapping Hanzo’s wrists against the cushions. His hair curtained around them, smelling of jasmine and honeysuckle; too soft, too warm.
"You think this is a game?" Hanzo snarled, but his voice cracked when Kuai rolled his hips down, deliberate and slow.
The young man's laugh was breathless, his lips brushing Hanzo's jaw.
"Prove it's not."
The world narrowed to the heat of Kuai Liang's mouth tracing his pulse point, the way his fingers tangled in Hanzo's hair, tugging just shy of pain.
Hanzo’s control snapped.
With a growl, he flipped Kuai onto his back, pinning him hard against the couch. The youth gasped as his spine hit the cushions, his hair fanning out beneath him like spilt ink. Hanzo loomed over him, one knee pressing between Kuai’s thighs.
Kuai’s lips parted - not in protest, but in challenge. His fingers slid up Hanzo’s chest, nails scraping through fabric, daring him closer.
“Prove it.“ Kuai Liang repeated. “Fuck me like you hate me.”
The warrior caught his wrist and squeezed it.
“My room. Now!” He barked.
Hanzo dragged Kuai Liang down the hallway by his wrist, the younger man stumbling against him with loud, melodious laughter. The door slammed behind them, rattling the framed scrolls on the wall as Hanzo shoved Kuai onto the bed.
The youth gasped, fingers scrambling at Hanzo’s shoulders as the older man crawled between his thighs, hot mouth already claiming the pale column of his throat.
Hanzo’s teeth scraped Kuai’s collarbone as his hands shoved the silk robe open, revealing flushed skin beneath. The young pyromancer arched into him with a choked-off moan, fingers knotting in Hanzo’s hair hard enough to sting.
“Still think I’m just playing?” Kuai panted, rocking his hips up to grind against Hanzo’s thigh.
Hanzo silenced him with a brutal kiss, all teeth and desperation, one hand sliding down to grip Kuai’s thigh and hike it higher around his waist.
Kuai Liang arched beneath him, his back leaving the mattress as Hanzo’s hand slid higher, nails dragging over the sensitive skin of his inner thigh.
Hanzo’s fingers dug deeper into the youth’s thigh as his other hand tore at the remaining fabric between them, the sound of ripping silk lost beneath Kuai’s sharp gasp. The younger man arched violently as Hanzo’s mouth closed over a nipple, teeth grazing the bud before sucking hard enough to bruise. Kuai’s nails scored down Hanzo’s back, dragging crimson lines through sweat-slick skin as he choked out a moan.
Hanzo barely let him catch his breath before sealing their mouths together again.
Elder gods…he missed him.
Even though the boy was nothing like the man he missed, it was still him. It was Kuai Liang.
So Hanzo couldn’t stop; he couldn’t think; he couldn’t breathe. All of his world boiled down to instincts. He perfectly knew where to kiss, where to suck and where to squeeze because he had done it with him so many times before… And as usual, Kuai Liang opened up for him, so tender, so vulnerable, so beautiful and so sinful that it made Hanzo’s heart throb.

Chapter 3: Chapter three

Hanzo awoke in the stillness of the night because his heart was pounding as if it had been startled by a loud noise. His eyes immediately scanned the surroundings in a desperate hope that the preceding events weren’t a product of his fevered imagination. And thankfully, there, right beside him, was Kuai's sleeping form, a clear indication that it was all real.
The youth lay on his side; his long hair, like a dark waterfall, cascaded over half of his face. Hanzo reached out slowly and brushed away those silken tresses to reveal the beloved features beneath.
Kuai Liang's face was a study in the real, true beauty. His full, sensual lips were a deep pink, as if they had been stained by the juice of ripe cherries. Those cheekbones were so sharp that they seemed to carve out the air around them, and his jawline was like a finely chiseled piece of marble, so defined that it could indeed draw blood if touched carelessly. His eyebrows were strong and arched, giving his face a look of both severity and allure. And his long, thick eyelashes lay like fans on his cheeks, hiding the beauty of his eyes.
Hanzo had nearly come to terms with the fact that those eyes were now a deep brown instead of the light blue ones he had grown so accustomed to. After all, Kuai Liang was Chinese, and brown should have been the natural colour. But for Hanzo, his Kuai had always been associated with the silver-white ice that covered the majestic mountains where the Lin Kuei palace stood tall and cold. Yet, this young man before him looked more like a gorgeous red camellia that had blossomed at the foot of the great Himalayan Mountains.
Hanzo's thumb traced the contours of those sinful lips, a gesture that made him smile faintly as Kuai Liang subconsciously licked them in response to the touch. He really was fascinated by Kuai's lips. They were infuriatingly plush, gorgeously full, and a perfect shade of pink, as if they were made for kissing and…maybe something else, even more erotic. Actually, Kuai Liang had demonstrated his skills a few hours before, and it clearly indicated that his lips were made for it. But the only thing that marred Hanzo’s admiration was the thought that they had obviously kissed many people's mouths before his own.
For some inexplicable reason, that thought ignited a fire of jealousy within Hanzo. He knew he shouldn't feel this way; the boy didn't even belong to him, after all. There was no logical reason for these emotions to be stirring in his heart, but he couldn't seem to quell them.
With his other hand, Hanzo gently touched Kuai's eyelashes, feeling their softness against his fingertips. Then he traced the tip of his nose. And once again, his fingers returned to those lips. As he did so, the very tip of Kuai's tongue peeked out and touched his finger. It was pink and warm, deliciously wet, and that small movement sent Hanzo’s blood rushing straight to his dick. Clearly, his heart (or dick) was ruling his actions at that moment, because without a second thought, he leaned forward and kissed Kuai Liang. His kiss was desperate, filled with a longing to feel that tongue in his own mouth once again, to taste the sweetness and the familiarity that he craved.
Hanzo’s lips pressed against Kuai Liang’s with a hunger that surprised even himself. The youth stirred, a soft noise escaping him - half protest, half sleepy surrender - before his mouth instinctively yielded. His tongue was warm, pliant, and still heavy with sleep, and Hanzo swallowed the quiet gasp it drew from him.
For an instant, Kuai's eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a delicate butterfly, his brow furrowing deeply. He seemed to be caught in a struggle between the alluring pull of his dreams and the insistent call of wakefulness. Then, as if some hidden instinct took over, his body arched slightly. It was a slow, almost lazy movement, yet he pressed into the kiss with a drowsy reciprocation, his body still encased in the fog of sleep but unable to resist the magnetic pull of the moment.
Hanzo deepened the kiss. His tongue slid against Kuai's with a possessive insistence, and Kuai, though his limbs were still leaden with drowsiness, responded. His legs shifted ever so slightly apart in a subtle invitation, and his back arched again.
Hanzo bit gently at his lower lip, relishing the way Kuai shuddered, the way his lashes fluttered without fully opening. The younger man’s breath hitched when Hanzo’s hand slid down to grip his waist, pulling him flush against the hard line of his arousal.
Kuai’s lips parted further in a silent plea - still half-lost in sleep, yet his body remembered the heat between them. Hanzo traced the seam of Kuai’s lips with his tongue, teasing, demanding, until a soft, broken sound escaped the younger man’s throat.
Fingers tangled deeper into Kuai’s hair, Hanzo tilted his head to deepen the kiss, swallowing every trembling sigh.
But then…suddenly…Kuai Liang opened his eyes. The world around him was a blur of confusion at first, his mind struggling to piece together the fragments of reality. It took him a moment to process the situation, his thoughts swirling like a whirlpool in a storm. It was only then that the memories of the previous night began to flood back, and he broke out of the embrace, covering his mouth with his hand in a gesture of pure horror.
"Who…What are… Oh…" Kuai Liang closed his eyes, trying to block out the images that were now vividly etched in his mind. "Oooh!" A soft moan escaped his lips as he tried to make sense of it all.
He looked at Hanzo then, his eyes glassy, as if he was trying to stop the tears that threatened to fall.
The older pyromancer wanted to kiss his tender eyelids, to feel the warmth of his tears and the silken flutter of his lashes. But he didn't move, knowing that any touch at this moment would be too much.
“Good morning.” He said dryly.
"I- We-" Kuai Liang covered his face with his hands. "We didn't do anything, right?"
Hanzo raised an eyebrow.
"Do you want me to lie to you?"
Kuai sat up suddenly, wincing at the discomfort. His eyes opened wide with realisation.
"You fucked me?"
"That's what we both wanted in the moment."
Kuai Liang closed his eyes, letting Hanzo's words sink in.
Hanzo watched him silently. The sheets were tangled around them, still warm from the heat of their bodies, a testament to the passion that had consumed them.
"You knew I wasn't thinking clearly." Kuai Liang muttered. His hair spilt over the pillows like a pool of midnight waters, and his beautiful fox eyes shone with furious amber.
Hanzo exhaled through his nose, almost a laugh. Kuai was angry… Angry but obviously content. A wild, evil fox will not bite a bison's throat.
"You were thinking clearly enough to beg."
Kuai Liang’s cheeks burnt hotter at Hanzo’s words. The memory of last night - his own voice, so loud and so desperate, pleading for more - flashed through his mind like a strike of lightning. He swallowed hard, trying to push down the emotions.
Hanzo tilted his head, watching the way Kuai’s throat worked, the way his breath came just a fraction too fast. The morning light cut across the bed, catching on the scars along Hanzo’s chest, the marks Kuai’s nails had left the night before.
“Sorry for that.” The young pyromancer nodded towards the scratches. “This behaviour is inappropriate… It happens every time I get drunk or high. For some reason I- I can’t control myself.”
"You’re overthinking it.” Hanzo murmured softly, his hand gently reaching out to rest on Kuai’s shoulder. The boy’s tense posture relaxed a little at this touch. "I don’t mind, really.”
Kuai Liang tilted his head to the side, his eyes meeting Hanzo’s with a sweet smile. He didn’t pull away but instead allowed his lover’s caress to trail gently down his neck.
“I wonder how you can be so tender and so strong at the same time…” Hanzo whispered, as if speaking to himself. Kuai’s lips once again curled up into a pearly smile in response. “Such a sweetheart, but such a whore.”
However, just as Hanzo was lost in his thoughts, Kuai’s expression suddenly changed. His face became expressionless, and he sat there motionless, staring at his lover with anger.
"How did you call me?"
Although Kuai Liang was also a powerful pyromancer, Hanzo felt a chill in the air. His heart skipped a beat. For the first time since he came, Hanzo actually saw Kuai Liang absolutely furious. Not annoyed or bratty, but furious. Was it just one word that made him that angry?
"Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude or to upset you. I...I’m really sorry for offending you."
Kuai Liang sighed deeply, his eyes closing for a moment.
“Get out of here now. I don’t want to see your face ever again.”
Hanzo’s heart sank. He knew he had made a mistake, a big one. For now, all he could do was to bow his head in apology and slowly back away, leaving the room filled with an awkward silence.

Hanzo couldn’t get away from the relentless visions that plagued his dreams. Even as he succumbed to the embrace of slumber, the image of Kuai Liang, with his mouth slightly opened and eyes closed, convulsing in a state of pure ecstasy, was haunting him. He had lost count of how many times Kuai came. The last time his orgasm was completely dry, not a single droplet came out of his dick.
In those beautiful moments, Kuai Liang transformed into a person Hanzo knew before him. He was affectionate, sweet, and tender - a stark contrast to the hot-tempered, volatile young brat Hanzo had come to know. It was as if a different soul inhabited Kuai's body, one that was capable of deep emotional connection and raw passion. And the more their passion was burning between them, the more untameable Kuai Liang was becoming. He bent like a flexible willow rod, wriggled like an enraged viper, and his voice, high and erotic, flowed through the corridors of the castle like an endless melody.
The older pyromancer had not anticipated that his words would provoke such an intense reaction from the youth, nor that Kuai Liang would respond by kicking him out of the room as if he were an unwelcome intruder. The regret that followed was gnawing at Hanzo's heart like a maggot.
Hanzo knew all too well the fiery temper of this Kuai Liang. He cursed himself for not keeping his mouth shut, for not being more cautious with his words. It was more than just a matter of temper; Hanzo realised that his feelings for the boy ran much deeper.
At first, he had tried to convince himself that his attraction to Kuai was simply because the youth reminded him of another Kuai Liang, the one he had lost. It was a lie, of course. A small, harmless one that he told himself was for the best. But as time passed, Hanzo came to realise that his feelings were more complex and genuine. He liked the youth not because he was a carbon copy of someone else but because he was unique, because he was so different from the Kuai Liang Hanzo knew.
It had been difficult at first to see Kuai as an individual rather than a mere echo of someone else. The young pyromancer seemed to be a slightly annoying and infuriating version of himself, a mirror reflection with a mind and will of his own. But gradually, Hanzo began to appreciate the distinct personality that Kuai possessed.
Now, Hanzo more and more thought of them as two different people who shared the same name and a similar appearance. Despite holding onto the love he felt for his own Kuai Liang, Hanzo couldn't deny the draw he felt towards this young man who was so much like him, yet so undeniably different. It was a dangerous attraction, but he was willing to take the risk.

"If you were a girl, you would be pregnant by the end of the night." Hanzo's hot whisper still echoed in Kuai's head, a taunt that had burrowed deep into his mind, festering like an unwelcome seed.
The youth gritted his teeth, struggling to sit properly. The discussion with Bi-Han about their next move had been lengthy and intense, and he didn't want anyone to notice how uncomfortable he felt, how he shifted in his chair, and how his body vibrated with shame and desire. Unfortunately, Tomas noticed. Or perhaps not just him, but Tomas was the one who had dragged Kuai by the hand to his room and asked him what happened.
"Just don't laugh at me.” Kuai Liang pleaded.
"I won't.”
Kuai Liang sighed, knowing that he might as well get it over with.
"I slept with Hanzo.”
Tomas burst out laughing.
"But you promised you wouldn't laugh at me!" The Pyromancer pouted, already feeling too embarrassed to speak.
"I'm sorry.” The younger brother said, trying to compose himself. "It's just… From the first time I saw him, I knew that you would obviously have sex with him. So now I'm just trying to look surprised by your confirmation."
"You're a bad actor." Kuai shook his head in defeat.
"Oh!" Tomas threw up his hands in mock despair. "Well, actually I'm not even trying." He winked then. "So tell me... How did that happen?"
The blush spread down to Kuai's chest, and a wave of heat washed through his entire body. For some reason, it was hard to talk about this part of his sex life to his brother, even though Tomas knew everything about it. There was something about the act, the vulnerability it exposed, that made him want to keep it private.
"I didn't expect it to happen so quickly! How could you-“
But Tomas just laughed, silencing him by pressing a finger to his lips.
"Bi-Han will kill him. I hope he'll never find out! I actually like that old man. And you... You could have avoided so much trouble if you weren't that drunk."
Kuai Liang's heart felt heavy. He hated to admit it, but his brother was right. He had a tendency to lose control when he drank, and more often than not, he would end up in someone else's bed. He brushed it off when he got sober, but there was one person with whom he had crossed a line that even he couldn't ignore. Tomas. No one knew about that, or at least they hoped so. But even if someone did, they were safe as long as Bi-Han didn't find out.
"So what are you going to do now?" Tomas asked, breaking into Kuai Liang's thoughts.
"I don't know.” The elder brother replied, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't want to think about it at all."
"Sex wasn't good?"
"No, it was good. But...he called me a whore. And you know how much I hate that word."
Tomas winced at the mention of the derogatory term. He knew all too well how much that word stung Kuai Liang, far more than any physical pain.
"I don't think he wanted to hurt you on purpose." Tomas said, lowering his gaze. "You told me that it doesn't bother you anymore..."
"I know that people are gossiping, brother. That incident altered my life here forever, and I don't even want to try to clear my name because I know it's futile. As a master, I have a lot of responsibility. You understand; you're a master as well... But… Tomas... It's different. The looks they give me when I'm training them, when I'm giving orders, the small touches and bumps when I change the guards on the castle wall - I'm used to it. It's still hard for me, and you know how broken I was when it all just started! But I’m used to it. But this... I can't bear such disrespect for me. He's not just one of them. He has another meaning for that word. And he said it on purpose."
Tomas smiled apologetically and pulled his brother into a tight embrace, offering what little comfort he could. He remembered the aftermath of that incident all too well.
Kuai Liang wasn't someone who was easily upset by harsh words. The reasons for his hatred of that particular word ran far deeper than anyone could imagine, especially not someone like Hanzo who was still new to their clan.
Even though Kuai Liang was strong and hot-tempered, his ability to cope with emotional turmoil was surprisingly fragile when he was younger. The sting of betrayal and the ache of a shattered heart proved to be overwhelming challenges for him, perhaps because, at the age of just eighteen springs, he lacked the emotional resilience that comes with experience.
In the aftermath of his heartbreak, Kuai Liang retreated into his room, locking himself away for two long days. He ordered his guards to deny entry to everyone, regardless of their status or relationship. Even Bi-Han, his elder brother and grandmaster, was turned away at the door. The guards eventually stepped away from the doors, too scared of the Grandmaster’s fury.
When Kuai Liang finally emerged from his self-imposed exile, the once tender spring sun flames that represented his spirit were now hotter than the depths of hell and colder than the frost of a winter blizzard. During the training sessions, his fiery rage would destroy everything in his path. This volatility led to several tragic incidents, resulting in the loss of clan members.
Bi-Han, concerned about the escalating situation, sought the help of the Lin Kuei fangshi. However, their intervention only seemed to fuel Kuai Liang's rage further, causing him to lash out for two more days before collapsing into a week-long slumber.
Upon waking, Kuai Liang's rage had subsided, but the experience had forever altered his behaviour. He had always been stubborn, often clashing with his father, older brother, and elders. But after the betrayal, he seemed to have lost all control he had. Until he reached the age of twenty, their life was a nightmare.
Although the violent outbursts eventually ceased, Kuai Liang's behaviour remained erratic and unpredictable. He lashed out at anyone he deemed deserving, argued with his Grandmaster, lost himself in the hands of the other men, and even dabbled in drugs. Yet, he still managed to follow orders, albeit with a newfound sense of rebellion.
Bi-Han grew increasingly frustrated with the fangshi's inability to cure Kuai Liang's instability and, in a fit of rage, buried the old man alive beneath the palace walls. However, the root cause of Kuai Liang's behaviour lay in the growing tension between him and the clan members.
Rumours of the young master's affair with a soldier spread like wildfire, fuelling resentment and jealousy among his peers. The hungry looks, nasty comments, and inappropriate touches followed Kuai Liang wherever he went. On more than one occasion, someone took things too far, cornering him in a dark hallway with sinister intentions. It was hard to tell how many times his chest and back hit the unforgiving stone as someone tried to take him by force.
Kuai Liang, too proud to complain to Bi-Han, had to defend himself against these advances, with the help of his younger brother sometimes. The Grandmaster might understand something; he turned a blind eye to the disappearances of people within the clan. They were endlessly recruiting for the new soldiers, and Bi-Han easily brushed off the deaths of the old ones. As it turned out, not only were Kuai Liang and Tomas eliminating the most vile individuals within the clan, but Bi-Han himself was doing the same when he heard any rumours about his brother. Eventually, the situation improved, but Kuai Liang still faced occasional inappropriate situations. Soldiers would gossip about him in their barracks, but the stigma of his past began to fade with time.
"Do you like him?"
Kuai shifted uncomfortably, his shoulders rising and falling in a noncommittal shrug. He could still feel the touch of Hanzo’s hands on his skin, the heat of his breath against his neck.
“I don't think so. No.”
Tomas' expression softened.
"Then you should tell him that he has no chance. He's an older guy, and people from his generation mostly have different opinions about one-night stands."
Kuai Liang's heart sank at the words. He smiled sadly and let his head drop onto his brother's lap, closing his eyes against the world. The softness of the fabric beneath his cheek was comforting, a temporary escape from the chaos of his thoughts. He would deal with it later, he told himself. There were more pressing matters at hand.
For now, the biggest problem for him was the slight limp that accompanied every step he took. It was a reminder of the passionate night they had shared with Hanzo... A night that he couldn’t come to regret, even though he really wanted to.

Five years ago

“A dumb little whore.”
Kuai Liang's world crumbled around him as he suddenly found himself on the floor, pushed forcefully against the chest by his so-called lover. The shock was so intense that his body went numb, rendering him incapable of any resistance.
"You just used me!" The youth sobbed. "You used me, and you bragged about it to everyone! Why? How could you do that to me? What is wrong with you?"
His lover, a man he had trusted and confided in, looked down at him with a smirk.
"What else did you expect? I never told you that I'm single."
Tears streamed down Kuai’s cheeks, hot and heavy, pooling on the cold tile beneath him. The grout lines pressed harsh ridges into his palms, but he didn't notice the pain. His mind was reeling, trying to process the revelation that had just shattered his world. It felt like a never-ending fever dream.
It had all started just an hour ago. Two senior officers, men he had always respected and admired, suddenly cornered him in the baths. Their advances were persistent and unwanted, and Kuai Liang had protested, only to be met with surprise.
"At least we're not married, baby. Why build a relationship with a married man when there are us?" One of them had said.
Kuai Liang's heart had sunk at those words. His partner - Li Hao, his name was Li Hao, how could he forget? The man, the one he had fallen for, had assured him that they were both free and unattached.
As the confrontation escalated, Kuai Liang had discovered the truth. His lover was not only married but had also bragged about their relationship to everyone within the barracks. The man's wife and children lived outside the clan, and neither they nor Kuai Liang knew about each other's existence.
The revelation hit him like a ton of bricks. He felt sick to his stomach, and the bile rose in his throat. How could he have been so blind? How could he have trusted someone who would use him so callously?
The anger and betrayal burnt within him, and it wasn't hard to take the lives of those two bastards who had tried to put their dirty hands on him. But it was indeed hard to look the man who had betrayed him in the eye. The man he had loved, trusted, and confided in had turned out to be a monster. A monster who had used him for his own pleasure and then discarded him like a used tissue.
Kuai Liang knew that he would never be able to trust again, never be able to love again. And he would certainly never let anyone hurt him like this.
Across from him stood the man who had been his everything just an hour ago - his lover, his confidant, the one person he thought he could trust with his deepest feelings. Li Hao shifted his weight, the scuff of his shoe against the floor echoing through the room like a gunshot; each sound felt too loud, just like the sound of teardrops splashing against the tiles.
Kuai Liang pushed himself up on trembling arms; his body felt weak from all the emotions. His vision was blurred by tears, distorting the image of the man who had shattered his heart into a thousand pieces. Li Hao took a step back; his face looked like a mask of indifference that cut deeper than any knife. A transmitter in his pocket buzzed - Sektor had insisted that all senior officers and security personnel carry them. Kuai Liang's stomach twisted at the thought: “It’s probably her”. The wife he never knew existed until tonight.
Li Hao didn't reach for the transmitter. Instead, he sighed, rolling his shoulders as if this was just another inconvenience, another problem to be dealt with and then discarded.
"Get up. You’re making a scene.”
"Making a scene?" Kuai Liang swallowed his tears. "You played with my feelings for months! You made me believe that you loved me, that we had something real."
"I fucked you." Li Hao spat out; his words were like acid, burning through Kuai's soul. "It’s your problem that you fell in love with me. I never promised you anything more than that."
"You told me that you loved me first!"
"Of course, I said that! I wanted you. I would have said whatever it takes just to get between your legs. My friends and I had a bet about who would fuck you first. You were a conquest, nothing more."
The older man reached out, his thumb brushing away the tear track off Kuai’s cheek.
"You shouldn’t trust people so easily, baby boy. Welcome to the real world."

Chapter 4: Chapter four

"I'm sorry, I don't understand your accent." The old man who was the seller in the local tea shop said.
Hanzo sighed. Kuai Liang, the little shit, reminded him daily that his Chinese wasn't up to par. So Hanzo wasn't surprised when the other people struggled to understand him. This particular morning, though, he wasn't in the mood for long explanations or the usual banter.
The shopkeeper's rheumy eyes blinked at him from behind smudged spectacles, utterly oblivious to the way Hanzo's shoulders tensed beneath his worn haori. A fly buzzed lazily between them, landing on the sticky counter where yesterday's spilt honey had never been wiped clean, leaving a glistening trail in its wake.
"I need a gift.” Hanzo repeated through clenched jaws, drawing each syllable out like a blade being unsheathed.
"Are you looking for something specific? For sleep, for strength?"
"I remember the name... Or... I think I remember. It has something to do with red." Hanzo cursed himself silently. How could he forget? The name danced at the edge of his memory, taunting him with its elusiveness.
"Da Hong Pao.” The familiar voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. "You have a nice taste in tea. Unfortunately, that's the only nice thing about you."
Hanzo gritted his teeth and looked at Kuai Liang, who had suddenly appeared from nowhere behind him. The young man's smirk was a blade of its own, sharp enough to draw blood without ever breaking skin.
"Actually, I tried to get some for you. I assumed you liked it, judging by the way Kuai Liang from my timeline liked it. But I guess I have to stop comparing you with him; it's like comparing a red-crowned crane with a barn swallow."
"Hey!" The youth pouted, his bottom lip sticking out in a manner that would have been endearing if it weren't for the daggers in his eyes. "I'll pretend that I didn't hear that."
"You can try." Hanzo growled. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a couple of notes, placing them on the counter. The seller, seemingly oblivious to the tension between the two, handed over a bag of Da Hong Pao tea.
Hanzo took the bag and handed it to Kuai. "Why are you even here?"
Kuai Liang took the gift with deliberate slowness, his fingers brushing against Hanzo’s calloused knuckles just long enough to show that his heart warmed up a little bit after their argument.
“Because…” He said, tilting his head toward the door where rain had begun to sheet against the cobblestones. “Someone has to keep you from starting fights with confused old men.”
A droplet slid down the windowpane, distorting the blurred shapes of passersby hurrying through the storm.
“And you? Why are you doing that?”
“I wanted to say sorry.”
Kuai Liang gestured for the older pyromancer to follow him. They crossed the road, going to the small restaurant across the street. Hanzo instinctively raised his hand, protecting Kuai Liang from the rain with the wide sleeve of his haori.
The warmth of the restaurant enveloped them as Hanzo shook rainwater from his clothes. Kuai Liang slid into a corner booth. The wooden bench creaked as Hanzo settled opposite him.
“I’m listening.” Kuai’s fingers were tracing the knife scars etched into the table's surface.
Hanzo closed his eyes for a moment, collecting his thoughts.
“I’m very sorry. I never thought that my words could hurt you like that. I don’t think anything like that about you. It just… I wanted to compliment you because you’re very good in bed.”
A waitress approached, her footsteps muffled by the hum of conversation and the rhythmic drumming of rain on the roof. She set down two bowls of steaming noodles, the broth shimmering with droplets of oil. The waitress hesitated, glancing between them for a moment before retreating. She obviously heard everything.
Kuai Liang almost choked on his tea.
“Could you say that louder for everyone to hear?”
Hanzo laughed, watching the deep blush spread across Kuai’s face. Rainwater dripped from his hairline down the temple as the elder pyromancer leaned forward.
“You told me that my Chinese is horrible. Probably nobody else would understand. Do you really want me to repeat?”
“No!” The young man groaned and covered his face with his hands. “It’s not horrible.” He smirked. “Just very bad.”
Hanzo watched as Kuai Liang lowered his hands, revealing the lingering flush high on his cheekbones and the way his lips pressed together to stifle another laugh.
Kuai Liang exhaled, stirring his noodles. A single scallion clung to his chopsticks as he lifted them, and a few droplets of broth dripped onto the worn table.
“You’re staring.” The youth murmured.
The scallion slipped from Kuai Liang's chopsticks as Hanzo's foot pressed back against his beneath the table.
"Your ears are red.”
A laugh burst from Kuai's throat as he flicked a chilli flake at Hanzo's collar.
"Shut up." Kuai Liang's voice suddenly became stern. "You will assist me in training the new recruits."
Hanzo raised an eyebrow, his gaze lingering on the ceramic bowl in front of him. The broth inside sloshed gently against the rim as he set it down. He couldn't help but think that this kid was either incredibly brazen or utterly dumb. Perhaps a bit of both.
"Since when do you have the authority to order me around? You're not my commander."
Kuai's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, once, twice, before he spoke.
"You're just a guest here, Hanzo Hasashi. In this realm, you're considered less than any other member of the Lin Kuei. You should be grateful that we even allow you to stay here, especially considering that in almost every other universe, we're sworn enemies."
Hanzo let out a bark of laughter. Kuai's bravado didn't even come close to rattling him.
"You sound like a wife who expected a gift from her husband, only to have him come home drunk instead. It makes sense, though - after all, I fucked you. And at that moment, you didn't seem to think I was less than any other person in the Lin Kuei. Or do you always let people you don't like and respect have their way with you?"
"You talk too much." Kuai hissed, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"And you're still not even trying to prove me wrong." Hanzo countered, tilting his head to one side. "Or are you just waiting for me to shut you up the same way I did last time?"
Kuai's lips curled into a sneer.
"I don't think you'll be able to get it up at least until the next Blue Moon, old man. I'm afraid I completely drained you. But you can try.”
Hanzo's eyes widened slightly at that.
"Wait, so you actually don't mind doing this again?"
"If you hadn't noticed, I really enjoyed it.” Kuai Liang replied, smiling seductively.
Hanzo wanted to grab him by the back of his collar and shake him like a kitten to knock some sense into his pretty but stupid head. But before he could act on the impulse, Kuai Liang had already vanished, as silently as he had appeared. Hanzo knew exactly where to find him, though.

The cemetery gates loomed like sentinels of memory, guarding the silent stories etched upon the tombstones. For Kuai Liang, this place was a sanctuary, a bridge to the past where he could reconnect with the family he so deeply loved. His weekly visits were a ritual, a way to honour their memories and keep their spirits alive. Sometimes it happened on an everyday basis; after rain or snowfall he always went to the cemetery, making sure that the stones were clean and the flowers fresh.
The gravel crunched softly beneath Hanzo’s boots as he approached the well-known hill where the two graves were located. Shadows danced between the tombstones; Kuai Liang was there, as he always was, a solitary figure kneeling before his mother’s grave.
Kuai’s fingers traced the carved characters of her name. A half-filled bucket of water sat beside him, its surface reflecting the sky above. He dipped a damp cloth into the water and gently wiped the dust from the stone.
Hanzo watched from a distance. He knew the importance of this moment for Kuai Liang and knew that interrupting him would be like breaking a sacred vow. But he needed to talk to him. He couldn’t wait much longer.
“I believe she was a nice person.” He said quietly as he finally approached the grave.
Kuai Liang didn’t even look at him.
“You don’t know anything about her.” The damp cloth in his hand trembled slightly, water droplets tapping a quiet rhythm against the stone.
Hanzo stepped closer.
“I don’t. But I know you. That makes me believe that she was a good mother. She just spoilt you a little.”
His words were gentle, intended to break through the defences of the young pyromancer. Hanzo knew that Kuai’s love for his family was his greatest strength and, perhaps, his most vulnerable point. He knew all too well the pain of loss, the ache that lingered long after the initial shock had faded.
Kuai Liang remained silent, his fingers still pressed to the stone. After a moment, he murmured, “You don’t understand.”
“I understand more than you think. I lost my own family. Twice. I know the pain of not being able to turn back time, of not being able to say the things you wish you had said.”
The cloth slipped from Kuai’s fingers, landing soundlessly on the stone. He finally turned to face Hanzo.
“I still miss them. You might think I’m crazy, but I usually talk to them when I come here. I believe they can hear me. I can feel it.”
Hanzo lowered himself to the ground to sit near the boy.
“I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you love them so much that even after their death they are probably the only people you can share your feelings with.”
Kuai Liang brushed a tear from his cheek.
“Sorry. I’m not always that emotional. It’s so hard for me, you know? Years have passed, but it still hurts. Bi-Han was closer to our mother, and I and Tomas were always more of the father’s sons. But even though Bi-Han mourned her death for many long months, he never visits her grave.”
Hanzo reached out, his thumb brushing away another tear from Kuai’s cheek. The youth leaned into the touch like a cat.
“You know, some people grieve without visiting the grave. It doesn’t mean they don’t love them. It’s just easier to cope with the pain that way.”
Hanzo watched the boy silently. A breeze stirred the flowers left at the grave, their petals trembling like fragile memories.
“Do you ever-“ Kuai Liang began, then hesitated for a moment. “Do you ever hear them? Your family. In the wind, or…or maybe in your dreams?”
Hanzo tilted his head, as if listening for voices only grief could conjure.
“Sometimes.” He admitted. “When the wind carries the scent of cherry blossoms, I imagine my wife’s laughter in it.” His thumb still rested against Kuai Liang’s cheek, warmth lingering where tears had been.
"Do you think they're really watching over us?"
"I believe that love transcends life and death. Whether they're watching or not, the love they gave you is still here, within you. It's what guides you, what keeps you going."
"Sometimes I just don't want to do anything!" Kuai Liang choked on a sob. "I just want to go back in time, when my parents were still alive, and Bi-Haan-“ His voice broke again, and he couldn't continue.
The older pyromancer immediately closed the last bit of distance between them. He moved closer, wrapping his arms around the youth in a tender embrace. Kuai Liang didn't resist; he simply leaned into the hug, finding solace in the warmth and strength of Hanzo's arms.
"Bi-Han was happy back then…" Kuai Liang cried, hiding his face in the folds of Hanzo's clothes. "Tomas had just found a new family; he was barely managing to recover after the loss of his biological parents, and then our mother died of the disease that neither healers nor sorcerers nor gods could help."
Hanzo held him tighter, slightly rocking his body as if he were trying to lull a baby.
The wind picked up, lifting a single petal from the grave's flowers. It caught in Kuai's hair, pure white against the black strands, before fluttering back to the ground.
"Breathe." Hanzo whispered softly, his breath almost touching the shell of the youth's ear. "How long has it been since you cried like that to anyone?"
Kuai didn't answer immediately. But after a moment, he shook his head slightly.
"I never did so."
"That's what I thought." Hanzo said gently.
He didn't pull away, letting the weight of the boy's forehead rest against his collarbone as Kuai's sobs quieted into shuddering breaths.
The elder pyromancer shifted just enough to glimpse the boy’s face - his lashes damp, the bridge of his nose flushed pink - before Kuai Liang turned his gaze back to the gravestone. A beetle crawled across the carved characters of his mother’s name, its iridescent shell catching the pale light. Hanzo watched as Kuai reached out, letting the insect climb onto his fingertip with unexpected tenderness.
“She used to scold me for bringing bugs and lizards into the palace.”
Hanzo chuckled softly, the sound rumbling beneath Kuai’s ear where it still pressed against his chest. The beetle waved its antennae before skittering up Kuai’s wrist, its tiny legs tickling his skin.
"And what did she say when you did?" Hanzo asked, watching the insect navigate the folds of Kuai’s sleeve.
"That they belonged outside. That they had their own families to return to." His thumb brushed the beetle’s shell before it took flight.
“One day I caught a scorpion. Needless to say, Mother was even less happy.”
Hanzo's brows rose in concern.
“It didn’t hurt you?”
The beetle’s wings hummed faintly as it disappeared into the blue. Kuai Liang’s fingers lingered in the air for a moment longer before dropping to his lap, where they curled loosely around the edge of his sleeve. A strand of Kuai’s hair, loosened from its tie, brushed Hanzo’s jaw as the wind stirred again - this time carrying the distant chime of temple bells from the valley below.
“No. She lived in my room for a while. I took care of her. I even gave her a name!”
“How did you call her?” Hanzo looked at the youth curiously.
“Zhang Yun.”
Hanzo looked at him for a second, then looked back at the grave.
“Wait…isn’t that your mother’s name?”
“Yes. I named her after my mother.”
“And then you named yourself after your pet.”
Kuai Liang laughed, shaking his head.
“No. My code name was given to me by the Grandmaster. My father. But he knew the story.” Kuai Liang sighed softly. “Why did you follow me here?”
“Because I wanted to talk. You keep running away before I can say anything.”
Kuai lifted his head slightly, just enough to peer at the grave through swollen eyelids.
"I should finish cleaning."
“I’ll help. And then we’ll talk. Somewhere else. Not here.”
Kuai Liang nodded slowly.
“Mhm.”

As they finished, they walked in silence to Kuai’s bedroom. None of them said a word, but there were a billion thoughts swirling through Hanzo’s head. He had been fascinated by the young pyromancer since the first encounter and admired his magic, his strength, his grace, and his beauty. But today, he had seen a different side of him, a more vulnerable and tender part that he longed to know more about.
Kuai Liang opened the door to his room and stepped inside. Hanzo followed. The door slid shut behind him with a soft click.
“So?” Kuai Liang asked, breaking the silence.
Hanzo exhaled sharply through his nose, gathering his thoughts before he began to speak.
“I wanted to say that even though you’re always trying to push me away, I don’t want to back down. From the very beginning, I understood that you have a deeply scarred soul, Kuai Liang. I will never hurt you more. Every time I try to get closer to you, you won’t let me. And I don’t understand why. One moment you flirt with me, and the next you’re yelling at me. You’re trying to hurt me with your thorns, but I’m not afraid of cutting my hands.”
The dim light of the room caught the faint tremor in Kuai’s lower lip. Hanzo could see the war behind his eyes - the instinct to retreat battling the raw, aching want that flickered there for just a heartbeat.
“Why is it bothering you so much?”
“I like you a lot.”
Kuai’s jaw dropped, and his eyes widened in surprise.
“What?”
“It’s not like you didn’t realise that yourself. I thought it was pretty obvious.”
As the words left his mouth, Hanzo felt a wave of relief wash over him. He had been holding them in for so long, afraid of rejection, afraid of pushing Kuai Liang too far. But now that they were out, he felt a sense of freedom he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
"I... I don’t know what to say.” The youth mumbled.
“No need for words.” Hanzo said, cautiously stepping forward. “I like you, Kuai Liang. I like the way you move, the way you fight, and the way your eyes light up when you're excited about something. I like the way you are, both the strong, skilled warrior and the tender, beautifully vulnerable soul beneath.”
Kuai’s expression was absolutely unreadable. There was something in the way he looked at him, but Hanzo couldn’t figure out what it was.
Hope?
Fear?
Desire?
Disgust?
“You really mean it? Or are you saying that only because you want to get between my legs?”
Hanzo took another step forward, close enough now that Kuai could feel the heat of his breath.
“I mean it. After all this time, you still believe I would reduce you to that? And I'm not going anywhere, no matter how hard you try to push me away.” Hanzo gently took Kuai’s hand in his own; his heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears. “What would you say? Do you want to be with me?”
The younger pyromancer lowered his gaze. His fingers were trembling slightly. For a moment, Hanzo thought he saw a glimmer of hope in Kuai’s eyes, but then it was gone.
“I’m sorry.” The youth stepped back, his hand sliding out of Hanzo's grasp. “I’m not interested.”
Hanzo's fingers twitched, aching for the warmth that had just been there. The rejection felt like a physical burn, more intense than any flame they could conjure. He fought the urge to reach out again, to grab onto Kuai’s hand and demand to know why. He forced himself to stay still, though every instinct screamed at him to hug Kuai Liang, to kiss him, to bite him - anything but this quiet, crushing distance. But he remained still.
Kuai Liang turned his face away.
"You should go."
Hanzo didn't move. He couldn't.
"No.”
A muscle in Kuai's jaw clenched.
“Hanzo-“
"Look at me."
For a moment, Hanzo thought the youth might bolt, but then, slowly, agonisingly slowly, Kuai Liang turned his head.
"What?"
"You don't like me that much?"
"It's not that..." Kuai sighed, covering his face with his hands. "Listen... I'm not as dumb as you think. I know that..." He gulped nervously. "Nobody wants the damaged goods. This isn't for me. I...can't."
"Who told that nonsense to you? And more importantly, who made you believe it?"
Kuai's lashes lowered, shielding his eyes, but not before Hanzo caught the glint of moisture there.
"I'm not stupid. I know how that works."
"Is it because of what I said then? I already told you that I don't think of you-"
"No!"
"Then tell me!" Hanzo urged. "Tell me what's really stopping you."
Kuai Liang hesitated for a moment.
"Something bad happened to me in the past. I don't want to get hurt again."
Hanzo nodded. He had realised that, but he needed to know more.
"May I ask what happened?"
"No."
Hanzo sighed, knowing he wouldn't get any further now. But he was determined to find out the truth, to understand the walls that Kuai Liang had built around himself. He decided to approach it more carefully, to be patient.
"I had sex with only one man before you." Hanzo said softly. He fell silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "And I'm not sure if it counts, because that man was you. But from my realm."
Kuai Liang blinked at him, surprised by a sudden change of the topic.
"You told me about him... About me... Oh, anyway! He was different from me?"
"Older. A cryomancer. Short hair."
"Oh...” Kuai Liang pouted, a small smile playing on his lips. “I wonder why he decided to cut his hair. I like mine long."
"In my realm, everyone in the Lin Kuei should have kept their hair short. It's more practical like this, I guess. But for me, the real difference was that his body was cold...unlike yours."
Kuai Liang gestured for his guest to take a seat, and when he did, the young man lowered himself down, resting his head on Hanzo's knees.
"I'm not surprised that you were together. But...what happened?"
Hanzo smiled at his curiosity, running his fingers through Kuai's hair.
“We met many moons ago, beneath the blood-red sky of a war-torn land. Warriors from opposing clans, we found ourselves locked in a battle sparked by a diplomatic mission gone awry.
My desire for peace was fuelled by the loss of my family, whose lives were claimed by the very violence we were engaged in. I fought not just for my clan, but for a future where such loss would never happen again. Kuai Liang, on the other hand, was driven by the memory of his fallen brother, whose death he blamed on the endless cycle of violence between our clans.
Amidst the chaos of battle, our eyes met. It was as if time stood still for a moment. Some say that’s what’s called love at first sight. Over the next few weeks, we met secretly, our attraction growing stronger with each passing day.
Despite being from enemy clans, we found common ground in our love for martial arts and our desire for peace. We would often meet at dawn or dusk, and our bond grew stronger with each encounter.
We knew that our love was forbidden. Our clans would never accept us, and our relationship could start a war. It didn't stop us, though. We were determined to follow our hearts, even if it meant facing the consequences.
One fateful night, our timeline was attacked. A battle ensued, and in the midst of it, Kuai Liang was gravely injured. My heart shattered into a thousand pieces as I saw the man who was the love of my life falling to the ground. I rushed to his side, holding his lifeless body in my arms, watching helplessly as the light slowly disappeared from his eyes.
The war between the timelines raged on, but my heart was no longer in it. I fought mechanically, hoping that someone would take my life away... Hoping that I will see my beloved again. I knew that I would carry the burden of my love and loss for the rest of my life, even if it meant living in solitude.
And then, as if the Universe itself wanted to test my resolve, I was dragged into a portal by some invisible force. I found myself in a new world. It was there that I met you.
Please, don't think that I like you because you're basically the same person as him, and I want to replace him with you. That's not true. I like you because you're so different from him! You make me feel alive again, and-“
A soft sigh made Hanzo look down, just to find out that Kuai Liang had fallen asleep at some point.
"Well..." Hanzo smiled softly and gently caressed the young man's hair. "I'll just stay here until you wake up. Or until your big brother comes here and rips my head off."

Chapter 5: Chapter five

As Kuai's eyelashes gently fluttered, signalling his gradual return to consciousness, Hanzo couldn’t help but smile. The sight of the young man, nestled comfortably in his lap, sent the wave of warmth through his body. Hanzo's knees ached from kneeling for so long, but he dared not shift his position, fearful of disturbing the peaceful slumber of the youth.
Kuai Liang's breathing was soft and rhythmic; his lips were slightly parted, revealing a hint of pearly whites… The sharp elegance of his face, even in sleep, was striking. His face softened, especially those strong, sharp eyebrows that usually made him seem fierce. His high cheekbones, smooth skin, and long, midnight hair that tumbled messily across Hanzo's knees added to the allure.
The young pyromancer's posture was a perfect blend of power and grace. The royal lineage that flowed through his veins was evident in every line of his face, though his features were softer than those of his elder brother, bearing a closer resemblance to their mother, whose portraits Hanzo saw in some rooms of the palace.
Kuai's eyelids fluttered one last time, and he finally opened his eyes, blinking slowly as he adjusted to the light.
"How long did I sleep?" He murmured.
"For two hours or so." Hanzo replied softly.
Kuai rubbed his eyes and sat up, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry... I didn't sleep well last night."
While the youth was sleeping, Hanzo took the opportunity to study the room more closely. It was a beautiful place: a polished rosewood bed stood beneath an ornate canopy draped in crimson and gold silk, and carved screens framed the windows, allowing filtered sunlight to dance across delicate porcelain vases painted with blue dragons. The room was a perfect reflection of Kuai's personality.
“You should have woken me.” Kuai Liang stretched his arms and lay back down.
Hanzo remained still. His gaze was tracing the soft contours of Kuai's face as the younger man closed his eyes again.
"You needed rest."
And Hanzo needed to see something beautiful - something that wouldn’t yell at him, talk back, or threaten to tear him apart.
The young warrior looked strikingly beautiful in sleep, and all the time Hanzo found himself imagining pressing a gentle kiss to those full, inviting lips. But he knew better - he’d been turned away before and had learnt exactly where he stood.
Hanzo was now just a loyal friend, a silent companion, never crossing the line into something more. But his heart ached with longing. He would have given anything - absolutely anything - to be loved in return.
Kuai Liang's eyes once again opened, still clouded with the remnants of sleep.
"I hate crying." He whispered quietly.
Hanzo's heart clenched.
"Everyone cries. You lost your family at such a young age. Of course, it's hard."
Kuai's gaze shifted to the elder warrior.
"Did you cry when you lost…him?"
"Oh… You remember it? So you didn't sleep through the whole story?"
"I heard most of it, I believe. So?"
Hanzo took a deep breath.
“To be honest, I did."
A tender expression that Hanzo had never seen before appeared on Kuai's face.
"You loved him that much?"
The elder pyromancer nodded.
Kuai's fingers brushed against the fabric of Hanzo's sleeve. His touch was so light it might have been imagined. Kuai's hand lingered, his thumb tracing an absent circle over the embroidered edge of the haori, as if mapping the stitches in his mind.
Hanzo turned his wrist slightly, letting their fingertips meet.
"What happened to you in the past?" He asked cautiously.
At first, he didn't expect a response. Kuai Liang's grip tightened slightly, once again proving with that small gesture that the topic was painful to him. But then, in a quiet voice, he began to speak.
"The man I loved lied to me.” The youth paused and looked nervously at Hanzo as if expecting him to throw up in disgust. “He had a wife and children, but he lied to me that he was single. When I found out about his family, he laughed at me, called me a slut, and did all the other things that I didn't expect from him. He... Uh... He told the other soldiers about our relationship. Apparently, they had a bet: who would manage to get between my legs first. Well… He won. And of course, he told them only about the part where he fucked me. It caused me a lot of problems, to say the least. You were a commander yourself. You should understand the impact of such information on the soldiers under my command. I lost my respect in just a second. I don't know what was worse, the betrayal or the aftermath..."
Hanzo remained perfectly still, his dark eyes locked onto Kuai's face. The younger man exhaled shakily. His gaze flickered away for a moment.
"You don't...think less of me?"
"Never.” Hanzo replied. His free hand rose, hovering just beside Kuai's cheek - close enough to feel the heat radiating from his skin, but not yet touching. "The shame belongs to him, not you."
The young man’s breath slipped out softly, while Hanzo’s fingers brushed his skin with a tender, almost reverent touch - so light, as if afraid to crush a fragile butterfly’s wings. Hanzo’s fingertips slid along the lingering dampness of a tear; his touch was gentle and full of sorrow - a wordless sorry for the pain carried by this beautiful soul.
"What did you do?" Hanzo asked.
Kuai Liang let out a bitter laugh.
"I told everything to his wife. She didn't want to believe me at first, but I had a lot of proof. I couldn't keep it bottled up anymore."
"And what happened with him?"
"I killed him eventually. I just made sure that I broke his life enough before taking it. I had to do it after he broke mine."
The weight of those words settled heavily on Hanzo's chest. He had known that someone had hurt this boy, but he had no idea the extent of the damage.
"I'm sorry for asking, but...those soldiers… Did they…Uh… Had someone-“
Kuai Liang shook his head.
"No." He bit his lip nervously. "Everyone who tried to touch me are all dead by now."
"You killed them?"
"Mostly. Either it was me or Tomas who did it. We protected each other, in our own way."
The awkward silence stretched between them for a few minutes until Hanzo finally spoke.
"Now I feel even worse about what I said back then. I want to ask for forgiveness."
Kuai Liang waved his hand, dismissing the sentiment.
"You didn’t know."
Slowly, Hanzo tilted Kuai's face towards him, his other hand rising to mirror the first, cradling him like something precious.
"I don't care about how many lovers you had. It doesn't matter to me. I know that you don't like me the way I like you, but I just want you to know that I will never do anything like that to you."
Kuai’s lips parted slightly, caught in the silent struggle of words unspoken. Then, with a sudden, desperate grace, his fingers curled around Hanzo’s wrists, pulling him away.
“I won't let you close.” Kuai Liang said finally. “I'm sorry. I already had enough of that. You like me, and I like to have sex with you. So… You can fuck me sometimes if you want, but please, don't expect anything more than that!"
For a breath, Hanzo simply gazed upon him - the taut tension woven into his stance and that tender, delicate vulnerability he so desperately tried to conceal.
"I don't want to use you like that."
"You're not using me. I want you too." Kuai Liang whispered.
“For you, it’s just fleeting pleasure. For me, it’s so much more!”
Before he could continue, Kuai Liang interrupted with a gentle smile and a shake of his head.
“I’m sorry.” He purred, “I need more rest - this conversation wears on me more than you know.”
The excuse was thin, yet Hanzo didn’t mind it.
“Should I leave you be?”
Kuai’s gaze lingered, hesitant but warm.
“You can stay… if you wish.”
Hanzo longed to remain by his side - not just for moments, but forever.

"Tomorrow you and Hanzo will go to the Lóng Zú." Bi-Han ordered.
Kuai Liang raised an eyebrow.
"Only two of us?"
"Is another companion necessary? This is a matter of diplomacy, nothing more. I would have sent Tomas, but I need him on the training grounds."
"The Lóng Zú have been restless since their elder's death.” Kuai Liang said carefully, watching how Bi-Han's shadow stretched unnaturally long against the floor. “If this is about the-“
Bi-Han cut in with a sharp exhale through his nose. The Lóng Zú was no ordinary clan - it was ancient, one of the most powerful ones.
Their fallen warriors didn't vanish into oblivion; instead, they joined the ghost army, and spirits of past Grandmasters were often guiding the clan until the heir was ready.
But the most recent Grandmaster had not returned. That void, that eerie silence where a commanding spirit should have stood, cast a heavy pall over the clan. Especially unsettling, given that the Lin Kuei's own Grandmaster had died mere months before, under similarly mysterious circumstances. The Lóng Zú were a powerful but unpredictable clan, and the death of their elder had only added to their volatility. Their grief and anger could easily turn against them, and Kuai Liang knew that they would have to tread carefully.
"You think I'd send my blood into a viper's nest?"
"No, brother! I didn’t mean that!" Kuai Liang hurriedly clarified, bowing his head in respect.
"Then don’t question my orders."
Kuai’s eyes flickered down, so like Bi-Han’s but softer.
"Of course. I just… The Lóng Zú aren’t to be trusted, not after their elder’s death."
"Their grief makes them unpredictable, not foolish." Bi-Han stepped closer to his brother. "Bring only Hanzo. I want a show of goodwill, not a parade."
Kuai Liang drew in a steadying breath. The cold was making his breath fog.
"We’ll be cautious." He promised.
"I’m sure you will. You leave at dawn. Take the northern pass. And report to me when you return."
With a last respectful bow, Kuai Liang’s gaze met Bi-Han’s for a heartbeat before he turned away, rehearsing in his mind how he’d break this news to Hanzo.

The crisp mountain air bit sharply at their faces as Kuai Liang and Hanzo rode side by side. Their horses’ hooves were muffled by patches of early snow and thinning autumn grass. Pines stood in solemn rows, their dark green needles stark against ridges dusted white with frost; mist curled like ghostly silhouettes in the gullies, veiling the world beneath.
The horses snorted; their breath was rising in pale, fleeting clouds as they carefully picked their way over frost-crusted stones.
Kuai’s gaze flickered to the tree line where the mist thickened, detecting a whisper of motion where stillness should have reigned. Hanzo stiffened beside him, his hand drifting toward the hilt of his sword, while his mount sensed the tension and sidestepped with a soft, nervous paw.
Then - a slender figure darted from the mist; its delicate hooves barely made any sound on the crusted snow. A wild deer, its ears flicking back in cautious alertness as it regarded the riders before slipping silently into the embrace of the pines.
Kuai exhaled slowly and smiled.
“False alarm.”
Hanzo lowered his hand from his sword, chuckling.
“It seems even deer unsettle us these days.”
His eyes lingered on Kuai Liang - the way the light caught in his hair, the sharp lines of his jaw and the tender pink of his lips.
“You seem distant today.” Hanzo said quietly, careful not to press too hard.
Kuai’s gaze remained fixed ahead, tracing the winding path between frost-glazed boulders.
“I’m thinking of what awaits us.”
“You always think ahead. Sometimes I wish you’d look beside you.”
A hush fell between them, broken only by the occasional sigh of their horses and the soft breath of the wind through the branches. Finally, Kuai Liang spoke.
“The last time I looked beside me… it hurt too much.” He confessed gently.
Hanzo remained silent.
The hours passed as they descended, leaving behind the biting cold of the mountain fortress. The forest below stretched endless and alive, the frost’s sting fading from their skin. Snow thinned to moist leaves and beds of pine needles beneath their horses’ hooves. Sunlight streamed down in scattered patches, painting gold on Kuai Liang’s cheek and making Hanzo’s heart twist with ache.
“It’s warmer here, at least.” Hanzo said softly, breaking the long silence.
Birds called from hidden branches, and somewhere deep within the woods, a stream sang its lively song.
“It feels easier to breathe away from the ice.” Kuai Liang murmured.
For a fleeting moment, Hanzo allowed himself to hope.
“Maybe… easier to talk too?”
Kuai’s eyes darkened with quiet refusal.
“I don’t want to talk.”
“Then let me ride beside you, at least, for as long as you’ll allow.”
The forest thickened around them, ancient pines arching overhead like cathedral spires. The earth beneath their horses’ hooves softened - mossy beds yielding to roots and fallen leaves were damp with the breath of untold rains. Stars peeked shyly through the thinning canopy as shadows deepened, cloaking the path in a velvet hush.
Hours passed until the trail brought the two pyromancers to a broad, slow-moving stream. Its waters gleamed like silver beneath the moon’s tender gaze.
“Let’s rest here.” Kuai Liang said, urging his mare to a halt. “We should water the horses and-”
Suddenly, the stillness fractured - a splash, sharp and sudden, flickered at the edge of Hanzo’s vision. Another. Then laughter - high, haunting, and melodious - drifted across the water like fragile wind chimes caught in a restless breeze.
Kuai’s hand tightened on the reins. He brought his mare to a cautious stop, eyes narrowing towards the far bank where willow branches swayed, half-shielding shadowed figures. They emerged from the stream with a spectral grace - neither wholly human nor completely otherworldly. Long hair shimmered wet, and iridescent scales caught the moonlight like jewels.
“What are-” Hanzo began, but Kuai cut in quietly.
“Mermaids. Which kind, I cannot say. I never imagined I would encounter them here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Some merfolk bear kindness in their hearts. Others…carry only darkness.”
One of the mermaids stepped forward. Her hair was tangled with silver rivergrass, and her smile was as enticing as it was repulsive.
“Lost, or simply wandering?” Her voice was flowing like the stream’s own song.
Hanzo’s instincts warred within him - reach for his sword or surrender to the spellbinding moment.
Kuai’s gaze sharpened as he studied her approach, wary but steady.
“We seek safe passage. We mean no harm.”
The mermaid laughed.
“Passage is never given so easily.” She whispered, trailing slender fingers through the cool stream. “Perhaps… A gift in return?”
Hanzo’s world shrank to the moss-clad banks, the shimmering glint of wet scales, and the alien, haunting beauty cradled within the river’s embrace. His eyes involuntarily drifted to Kuai Liang, imagining him in that same river, half-submerged in ethereal grace, crowned with blossoms and strings of pearls woven through his midnight-black hair.
A bitter curse twisted in Hanzo’s chest; he chastised himself for the way his heart betrayed him, caught in the alluring spell of that boy.
“I know what’s on your mind.” Came a voice suddenly. Another mermaid looked at him from the dark waters of the river.
“How could you possibly know?”
Hanzo wasn’t well-versed in such creatures’ mysteries - and yet, he knew that mermaids were not supposed to read minds.
“I see how you look at him… I wish you looked at me that way…”
Hanzo opened his mouth to deny, to deflect - but all words fled when his gaze snapped back to Kuai Liang. The youth dismounted, drawn as if by an enchantment woven in the mermaid’s shimmering eyes. Before the elder pyromancer could say anything, Kuai silently made his way to the riverbank and knelt down.
“Kuai…” Hanzo called out.
But the younger man did not hear.
With a suddenness that stole Hanzo’s breath, the mermaid’s lips met Kuai’s - a kiss that lingered too long, fraught with a coldness beneath its allure. Then, swift as a current, she gripped his hand with surprising strength and tugged.
Kuai’s startled gasp was swallowed beneath the shimmering surface, and the river claimed him as her own. The mermaid’s laughter - bright and chilling as bell chimes - echoed across the water.
Hanzo’s world fractured in that instant. He was off his horse in a heartbeat, dropping to his knees, his hands clawing at the rippling surface, desperate for any trace of life.
“Kuai Liang!” He screamed, but there was no reply.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Hanzo plunged into the river’s icy embrace. The water was clear but swallowed in the night’s shadow, with moonlight barely piercing its depths, turning the river into a labyrinth of shifting darkness and elusive shapes. His heart thundered in his chest as his hands clawed through the murky gloom. A glimmer of silver flickered just beyond reach - scales? Fabric?
Hanzo’s eyes strained through the murky depths - there, unmistakably, was Kuai Liang. In that moment, he was so pale that he looked more like a soul caught between worlds - beautiful and broken.
“We won’t let you escape.” The mermaid circled Hanzo like a shark, her dark hair billowing like storm clouds underwater.
Suddenly, a vice clenched around Hanzo’s ankle - another mermaid. Her grip was iron tight, sharp nails digging into his skin. She yanked him downward, a silent snarl parting her lips to reveal razor-thin teeth that gleamed like shards of glass. Instinctively, the warrior twisted, driving his heel into her ribs with fierce desperation. She recoiled, a ripple of fury exploding in the water.
Bubbles spiralled upward in chaotic torrents as Hanzo wrenched free, kicking toward Kuai Liang’s limp form. The mermaid guarding him hissed, her webbed fingers tightened possessively around his throat - until Hanzo’s dagger flashed, the cold blade grazing her arm. A swirl of dark blood spread like ink, staining the pristine water. She retreated with a loud scream. Her sisters surfaced from shadowed alcoves; their eyes were glowing like drowned embers in the deep.
“Oh, I hope this will work...” Hanzo thought, summoning every ounce of will. Flames flickered to life in his palms - hot, bright, defiant against the creeping dark.
The fire roared, scattering the creatures with hisses of fear and fury, breaking the unyielding hold that gripped Kuai Liang. Hanzo seized the young man’s collar, dragging him upward, fighting against the river’s cruel embrace as weeds twisted and coiled like living chains around his limbs.
The river’s roar thundered in Hanzo’s ears as he fought, holding Kuai Liang tightly by the waist, pressing him closer. His lungs were burning, his body screaming for air. Around them, mermaids danced in sinister circles - vultures in the water - their laughter rippling through the depths, sharp and hungry, mocking. One darted in, her claws raking Hanzo’s shoulder, and he tasted copper as the waters swallowed his snarl.
He thrust his legs upward, desperate, but the weeds twined tighter, dragging them deeper into the abyss. Twisting fiercely, Hanzo slashed his dagger through the suffocating tangles - the blade caught the faint moonlight as it severed the last constricting vine. The instant it snapped, the river recoiled, wounded as if stung.
Seizing the moment, Hanzo drove them upward. The surface shimmered just beyond reach - so achingly close - when a mermaid’s hand shot from the gloom, razor claws snagging Kuai’s sleeve. Hanzo slashed blindly, steel scraping bone, breaking her grip just enough.
At last, they broke free, bursting through the water’s glassy veil as Hanzo hauled Kuai Liang onto the riverbank - unconscious.
With trembling hands, he rolled the youth to his side, pressing fingers to the fragile hollow of his throat. He felt it. A pulse - faint, weak, but alive.
A pale hand broke the surface nearby, clutching a half-submerged stone. The first mermaid rose, revealing teeth not curved in a smile but bared as a deadly warning. Her iridescent scales were dulled and marred by the dark streaks of blood mingling in the water.
“Too quick!” She hissed.
Hanzo’s fingers twitched toward his dagger - slick with water and blood - its blade caught the moon’s muted glow as he angled it between them, the other arm draped protectively over Kuai’s chest. The mermaid’s cruel laughter rang through the air; behind her, her sisters emerged, their long hair fanning like black seaweed across the trembling water. One flicked a serpentine tongue over her razor-sharp teeth.
“He tastes of winter.” She murmured. “We could keep him warm.”
Flames erupted around Hanzo’s clenched fists as power surged through him. Rising to his feet, he growled:
“Touch him again…and I’ll carve the smile on your face forever.”
The mermaid’s webbed fingers tightened against the rock as a sudden hush fell over the others - their haunting laughter silenced mid-note, as if the river itself held its breath.
“Keep him.” The river maiden snarled. “One day he will break your heart. When that day comes, return to us - so we may tear it from your chest and feast upon it.”
Hanzo unleashed a fierce gust of fire in her direction. The mermaids shrieked, vanishing beneath the dark waters like shadows fleeing the dawn. Yet, he could not shut out the cruel echo of her words - they coiled in his mind like poison.
There was still work to be done.
Dropping to his knees beside Kuai Liang, Hanzo pressed his hands to the youth’s chest. After steady compressions, he breathed life back into him, watching in silent hope as Kuai’s broad chest rose once more.
The young man’s fingers clenched into the mud as a violent gasp tore from him, his body arched with the harsh, violent coughs that followed. Hanzo’s hands hovered, no longer touching but ready - like a blacksmith poised to catch molten steel.
“Elder Gods… You’re alive! I was so worried!” Hanzo breathed.
A shudder coursed through Kuai’s shoulders - not from cold, but from the memory of those teeth at his throat, the mermaid’s kiss that stole his breath before the river stole his consciousness. His throat strained to say something, but only a raw, broken sound escaped.
“Don’t speak.” Hanzo murmured. “You just… Oh, God…”
He turned away from the boy and clenched his fists, trying to reduce the trembling of his voice.
“Are you crying?” Kuai’s voice was faint, trembling.
“No.” Hanzo sighed, though the dam inside him threatened to break. He would rather weep than endure that horror again. “I can’t lose you again.”
Kuai’s hand brushed gently on his shoulder. His voice, though still wavering, held some playfulness in it.
“You won’t.”

Chapter 6: Chapter six

“Why did you even kiss her?” Hanzo’s voice trembled with anger.
Kuai’s smile faltered. He looked down at the mud flecking his palms, at the smear of dried blood on his sleeve, as if the answer were written in the stains.
“I don’t know.” He whispered. “I felt pulled. It was like the water called me. I-” Kuai Liang stopped, searching Hanzo’s face. “I didn’t mean-“
Hanzo’s anger shattered quietly into a dozen smaller pieces: fear, jealousy, relief, and a fierce protectiveness that made his hands shake. He swallowed hard, struggling to speak.
“You disappeared. For a moment I thought-“ His voice broke, making him unable to finish the thought.
Kuai Liang reached out, his thumb tracing gently along the line of the warrior’s jaw.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know I could lose myself like that.”
Hanzo let the touch linger. He closed his eyes for a heartbeat, letting the warmth of the touch settle deep inside him. Every second with Kuai Liang felt like a dream he never wanted to wake from.
“Didn’t your parents ever warn you not to talk to strangers?” Hanzo asked as he calmed down just enough to tease the boy.
Kuai Liang raised an eyebrow sarcastically and pulled away, crossing his arms on his chest.
“No. They didn’t.”
“That’s why you’re so spoilt.”
Kuai’s smirk deepened.
“And what are you going to do? Spank me?”
That question, that smug expression on Kuai’s face, made Hanzo’s blood boil.
“You little-“
But Kuai Liang was quicker, throwing a damp coil of riverweed with sly, childish precision, and it landed on the elder pyromancer’s cheek like a green, teasing rebellion.
Hanzo wiped it away theatrically, earning a burst of laughter from the young man.
“You-“ His words caught in a helpless snort as Kuai Liang shoved him gently, sending him stumbling back into a moss-covered log.
Not relenting, the youth planted his hands on Hanzo’s shoulders, leaning in close.
“Admit it - you’re jealous.”
Caught off guard by the question, Hanzo’s mouth opened and closed silently. Heat crept up his neck, but the old, brittle edge of his anger was gone.
He pushed Kuai Liang away with as much dignity as he could muster.
“You’re impossible.” Hanzo muttered, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward, betraying him.
Kuai stood, shaking mud from his sleeves and blinking river water from his lashes.
“I’m wet…” He said sadly. “And dirty.”
Hanzo’s gaze swept the empty clearing, searching for Kuai’s mare. The familiar chestnut was nowhere to be seen - likely startled by the mysterious river maidens. That meant only one thing: Kuai Liang had no spare clothes.
The youth let out a soft whistle, but the mare never appeared.
Hanzo stepped closer to his own horse, a sturdy black stallion, and gestured.
“Try my clothes.”
Kuai pouted.
“They won’t fit.”
He was just slightly shorter and leaner than Hanzo, so that excuse was thin.
“I don’t want you to catch a cold. It’s not a beauty contest, Kuai.”
With a gentle rustle, Hanzo pulled a bundle of carefully folded black robes from his saddlebag and offered them to the young pyromancer.
Kuai Liang eyed the garments sceptically but accepted, retreating beneath a low-hanging pine to change.
When he reemerged, the black fabric draped over him effortlessly, moulding to his lean yet strong frame with a natural elegance that seemed to steal the breath from the forest itself.
“Do I… look all right?” Kuai Liang asked suddenly timidly.
Hanzo’s eyes gleamed with warmth.
“Black looks great on you! It’s as if you belong to the night itself.”
His words made Kuai’s cheeks bloom with a faint flush, like the first shy light of dawn. Hanzo knew that he would go anywhere for this boy who blushed like sunrise.
The youth stepped closer, smiling softly.
“Or perhaps the night belongs to me.”
Hanzo reached out, brushing a damp lock of hair from Kuai’s forehead.
“Either way, you look breathtaking.”
Kuai’s smile blossomed, confident now.
“I know.” He said simply.
“‘Thank you’ would be nice.”
The laughter that escaped Kuai Liang’s lips was light and genuine. Precious and beautiful, just as everything about him.
“Thank you for saving me. And for the clothes, too.” He raised his hand, catching the sleeve in the moonlight. “I rarely wear black.”
“It’s less noticeable than yellow. I’m not keen on anyone trying to steal you again.” A playful glint sparked in his eyes as he added, “By the way, we have only one horse now. You’re riding with me.”
“You want us to ride together?”
“Unless you can fly.”
“No. I can’t fly. I can jump very high, but I don’t think that counts for flying.”
“Can you show me?”
To Hanzo’s surprise, Kuai Liang offered his hand, and he accepted it without a second thought.
“Of course.”
They stepped into a small clearing where fallen trunks lay like ancient, slumbering beasts.
“Put your hand on my waist.” Kuai Liang whispered and squeezed Hanzo’s hand gently. “Hold me tight.”
They sprang upward with a grace that made Hanzo hold his breath. For a second they hung between earth and sky, and then they sailed over the nearest trunk, landing lightly as if the ground had been waiting for them.
“Like this.” Kuai Liang smiled. “You can…let me go.”
“I don’t want to.”
Their faces were so dangerously close, the space was so small that Hanzo could taste the warmth of Kuai’s breath, the pull of those perfect lips - but self-restraint held him back.
He couldn’t believe he had actually kissed him not so long ago… Was it just a fantasy?
“Can we do it again?” The older pyromancer asked before the surprise in the boy’s eyes could turn into anything else.
“Sure.”
Then, before Hanzo could react, Kuai Liang pushed his hand from his waist and launched them both into the air once more. He didn’t need to know that Hanzo actually asked for another kiss.
This time, they soared even higher. The world narrowed to starlight gleaming on Kuai’s hair, the steady heat of his hand in Hanzo’s, and the whisper of pine branches far below.
When they landed, the older pyromancer stumbled, unused to such graceful motion. Kuai’s hand caught his, steady and sure, anchoring him in the soft earth beyond the fallen trunk.
“You’re a miracle.” Hanzo whispered. “I love you.”
Kuai’s gaze instantly became distant.
“Oh… I-“
The elder warrior’s heart wrenched at the coolness beneath the warmth he'd offered, but he masked the ache with a smile.
“I didn’t say it to hear an answer.” He murmured. “Just to speak the truth.”
The turmoil inside him made words heavy, so Hanzo softened the moment.
“I really liked it. It’s like you really can fly.”
Kuai Liang bit his lip, still uneasy but touched by the honest confession.
“I think… in the past life I used to be a bird.”
“A blue jay or a swallow.” Hanzo’s fingers were tracing gentle patterns along Kuai’s waist.
The youth laughed.
“Maybe.”
“And what about me? Perhaps a phoenix?”
Kuai’s gaze sparkled with playfulness.
“No, you’re not a bird - you look more like a red panda.”
Hanzo snorted.
“Really?”
“But it’s true!” Kuai Liang chuckled - then his expression softened, turning serious. “When you said you loved me, I wasn’t surprised. I realised that the moment you dived into the water to save me. You risked your life. You could have drowned. But you-“
Hanzo’s thumb brushed over Kuai’s cheek, warm and tender.
“I’d run a thousand lǐ just to kiss your hand. From the moment I saw you, I was in love. At first, it felt like a cruel joke. But now, I know - it’s a blessing - as if the Elder Gods themselves have given me another chance to be near you. I don’t expect you to love me back - I just needed you to know that I love you, Kuai Liang. And I will, always.”
Unexpectedly, Kuai pressed a gentle, almost shy kiss to Hanzo’s lips. And when he pulled back, his cheeks bloomed like dawn that was now spilling over the forest floor.
“I don’t know what I feel.” He admitted quietly. “But I’m grateful... that I met you.”
Hanzo cupped Kuai’s face with tenderness. Warmth was blooming in his chest amidst the ache of unreturned love.
“That’s enough for me.”

As the dusk painted the horizon with vibrant strokes of red and orange, Hanzo and Kuai Liang finally reached the edge of Lóng Zú territory. Before them, ancient lands sprawled wide - dense forests slowly yielding to towering mountains.
Their breath caught for a moment as they took in the carved stone gates, their sinuous dragons twisting proudly along the weathered archway.
Before stepping beyond the forest’s embrace, Hanzo slid from the saddle and walked, still holding the reins. Kuai Liang remained seated as Hanzo led the horse.
Two guards emerged abruptly, blocking their path. Hanzo's grip on the reins tightened, not from fear but from a fierce determination to protect his boy.
“State your names and purpose.” One of the guards commanded.
Kuai glared at them coldly, meeting their scrutiny with quiet authority.
“I am Kuai Liang, second in command of the Lin Kuei. We seek audience.”
A moment’s tension hung in the air before the gates creaked open, revealing the ancient clan’s domain beyond.
Hanzo caught Kuai’s gaze and saw something new - regal, powerful, and commanding - shine in the young pyromancer’s eyes.
Kuai Liang gave him a nod, and together, they stepped through the threshold.
As they reached a vast courtyard, figures cloaked in richly embroidered robes emerged - elders of the Long Zú clan. A tall woman, with silver-streaked hair, stepped forward.
“Kuai Liang.” Her voice was unexpectedly soft. “You changed.”
Kuai Liang bowed.
“Years have passed since our last meeting.”
“I still mourn your mother’s death. You carry her beauty and spirit.” The woman smiled kindly.
“Thank you. Her memory guides me.”
Hanzo stood quietly beside him, knowing the weight of loss Kuai bore beneath his calm grace. Yet the young pyromancer moved through the conversation with a polite smile.
The silver-haired woman’s gaze flickered to Hanzo.
“And you, the one who stands by him. You bear a fierce heart, but I don’t know your name.”
Hanzo bowed deeply.
“My name is Hanzo Hasashi.” He answered. “I serve to protect what is precious.”
Though Kuai’s face remained calm, Hanzo caught the faint bloom of blush rising to his cheeks.
The Elder’s hand gestured towards a magnificent building rising like a jewel amid the ancient stone walls.
“Come. We shall speak more within.”
As they walked deeper into the clan’s heart, the Long Zú people observed with quiet curiosity. Whispers drifted through the air - questions and speculation about the strangers among them.
Sensing Hanzo’s surprise, the Elder spoke.
“No one is admitted here without special permission. Our ties with the Lin Kuei once ran deep. I even considered forging an alliance through marriage - between my daughter, Xiuying, and Kuai Liang’s elder brother, Bi-Han.”
“Those were different times.” Kuai said softly.
The Elder nodded.
“Change is inevitable, but bonds - if nurtured with care - can endure.”
Hanzo glanced at the youth, sensing the pressure settling on his shoulders. Kuai met his gaze and gave him a small, reassuring smile.
“We seek unity between our clans.”
“For that, you will speak to my son.” The Elder spoke with gentle authority. “Come - the grandmaster awaits.”
She led them through the corridors hewn from ancient grey stone for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, they entered the throne room, where a man cloaked in rich, elaborate robes sat upon a throne carved to resemble a coiled dragon.
His sharp eyes fixed immediately on Kuai Liang, and in that instant, Hanzo felt the very walls close in - as if the room had shrunk beneath the weight of that man’s gaze.
“Kuai Liang…” The Grandmaster waved his mother away, and she retreated with a small nod. “It feels like a lifetime since you were just a child beneath my gaze.”
Kuai Liang bowed deeply.
“To stand before you now is both humbling and an honour beyond words.”
A faint smile curved at the corner of the grandmaster’s lips. He was a formidable man, perhaps in his early thirties, yet the deep furrows on his forehead made him look older. His hair, long but barely grazing his shoulders, framed a face lacking conventional beauty, but Hanzo sensed he cared little for his appearance.
“With all respect-“
Hanzo barely caught Kuai Liang’s soft voice. He was so wrapped up in his emotions that he drifted away from the conversation.
“Respect? Your brother didn’t even bother to come here himself.”
Kuai Liang’s gaze remained fixed on the ground.
“My brother is occupied. I am his second in command.”
The grandmaster rose, moving with a predator’s grace toward the youth. When his fingers brushed against Kuai’s chin, the young pyromancer shivered slightly.
“The world beyond these mountains grows restless. Old alliances fray, and new storms gather. If unity is your aim, you must earn my trust, boy.”
Kuai Liang tilted his head slightly, offering the grandmaster easy access to his long, pale neck.
“How can I prove I’m worthy of your trust?” The youth purred surprisingly softly.
Hanzo gritted his teeth.
“I’ve heard things about you.” The grandmaster's eyes glinted dangerously.
“What exactly?”
That bastard… Hanzo tasted the word like bile, like poison on his tongue. He searched Kuai’s face, desperate for a command to strike. But when Kuai Liang finally met Hanzo’s eyes, his smile was sweet as poisoned honey, and Hanzo felt his stomach twist.
“I’ve heard you share your love with anyone who asks.”
Hanzo’s gaze pleaded silently, but the youth didn’t look at him anymore. Instead, he gave the Grandmaster that disarming smile that tightened the grip on Hanzo’s heart.
“Not with everyone. Only with those I… like.”
“Do you like me?”
A tender blush bloomed on Kuai’s cheeks - a fragile, beautiful thing that looked so enchanting in the morning, when they kissed, and so terrifying at that moment.
“Maybe.”
The words pierced Hanzo like a scream trapped within his chest.
The grandmaster moved without ceremony, looping a possessive arm around Kuai Liang’s waist, pulling the younger man close.
“Listen here, Lin Kuei, I’ll grant you what you seek, but you owe me something in return.”
Kuai Liang kept smiling sweetly.
“And what would that be?”
Leaning in, the grandmaster whispered against Kuai’s delicate ear.
“You. Spend a night with me.” His grip was digging into the hollow of the young warrior’s waist with a possessive hunger.
Hanzo’s knuckles whitened around the hilt of his katana. He felt furious and helpless at the same time.
“As you wish.” Kuai Liang replied.
Their lips met in a slow, tender kiss. Kuai yielded immediately, a sweet moan escaping him as the rough fingers tightened against his jaw, tilting his head back to deepen the kiss. The grandmaster savoured every moment - the flutter of Kuai’s lashes, the subtle arch of his body, seeking more without conscious thought.
Hanzo’s heart shattered. And as if Kuai Liang noticed something, sensed the shift in the air, his fingers twitched, just slightly, in Hanzo’s direction. A silent warning. Maybe a plea.
“After the dinner, join me in my chambers. There is much we should discuss.”
“I’ll be there.” Kuai Liang answered, stepping back to Hanzo.
Both pyromancers bowed, preparing to leave when a voice rang out from behind them.
“I wish to speak to your bodyguard. Alone. The guards will escort you to your room.”
Kuai Liang was obviously surprised, but he didn’t object. He departed with the two guards, leaving Hanzo alone with the grandmaster.
The pyromancer didn’t even have time to open his mouth as he was interrupted by the other man.
“Careful, Shirai Ryu. This one isn’t yours to defend.”
Time stilled for Hanzo for a moment.
“You know who I am?”
The grandmaster’s gaze flicked to the amulet peeking at Hanzo’s neck.
“I don’t know everything about you, but that amulet says enough.”
Hanzo covered it instinctively, as if shielding a sacred flame - the last relic of his clan.
“As far as I know, your clan no longer exists. Are you the heir?”
“I don’t know.” Hanzo lied. “It was passed down from my uncle. I don’t truly understand its meaning.”
“A pity.” The grandmaster sneered. “I would sooner ally with the Shirai Ryu than the Lin Kuei. But it seems their last heir is now a bodyguard to Lin Kuei’s prince. Your ancestors would be disappointed.”
Hanzo’s fingers clenched fiercely around the amulet.
“Blood means nothing if honour is lost.” He said coldly.
“Bold words. Your clan was known for honour. At your place, I would seek to revive your ancestors’ legacy. We require strong allies in Japan. Think on that, Shirai Ryu. And tell your master to prepare himself. I think the dinner is ready.”
Without another word, he turned sharply, leaving Hanzo alone.
The pyromancer exhaled slowly. He had to talk to Kuai Liang - and soon.

Thankfully, the youth was already waiting in one of the guest bedrooms. Hanzo brought the storm in with him as he broke into the chamber like a tempest unleashed.
“What was that? How dare he speak to you like that?”
Kuai raised a hand to stop him.
“I don’t care.”
“But-”
“Hanzo, it’s fine! I told you my reputation isn’t exactly spotless!”
Hanzo’s jaw clenched, and his fingers twitched with the desperate urge to strike something, to release the fury in his chest.
“Did Bi-Han know? Did he send you here-“
“No.” Kuai Liang answered absentmindedly. “I don’t think so.”
Then, unexpectedly, his warm fingers closed over Hanzo’s wrist, just above the pulse point.
His warmth was seeping through the fabric of the elder warrior’s glove.
“You can say no. Tell Bi-Han that-”
“I won’t say a thing to Bi-Han about this.” Kuai Liang interrupted.
Beneath the youth’s touch, Hanzo’s pulse thundered wildly. He gritted his teeth, trying to pull himself back from the precipice of his own fury, but the serene calm etched across Kuai’s face only stoked his frustration further.
“Then what will you do?”
“I’ll do what I must.” He whispered. “You’re shaking.”
For a long moment, silence wrapped around them like a fragile thread.
“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Hanzo confessed finally.
Kuai’s smile filled the room with a delicate, warm light.
“I won’t let him hurt me.”
Without hesitation, Hanzo pulled Kuai Liang into a desperate embrace - holding him as if to shield him from the whole world…as if he would never let him go.

“We’re leaving.” Kuai Liang entered the room like a sudden gust of wind, his hair loose, cascading beautifully down his back.
Less than an hour had passed since he went to the grandmaster’s chambers, and a wave of relief and anxiety washed over Hanzo.
“What happened? Did he hurt you?”
“No.” The youth replied shortly, tying his hair into his usual bun. “But we have to hurry.”
Hanzo’s heart pounded fiercely.
“But-“
Kuai Liang raised a finger gently to his lips, silencing him.
“We need to leave before the night deepens. I’ll explain everything soon.”
Without hesitation, Hanzo hurried to the stables.
Mounted, they rode hard, slipping past the towering gates adorned with dragons, swallowed by the chill of night. Behind them, the palace’s distant glow slowly dimmed, and with each beat of their horse’s hooves, a growing sense of relief settled over Hanzo.
Once far from the palace, the elder pyromancer finally broke the silence.
“So… What happened there?”
Kuai Liang sighed. Irritation flashed briefly in his eyes, as if he hoped to avoid that conversation.
“Like his mother, he plans to marry his sister to Bi-Han. They’ll discuss it face to face. If Bi-Han refuses, then there will be neither alliance nor war.” He frowned. “As for us - nothing happened. My reputation may speak loudly, but I still have my pride.”
“But how did you manage-“
“He fell asleep.”
Hanzo blinked, surprised.
“How?”
Kuai Liang produced a small vial from his pocket, shaking it before Hanzo’s eyes.
“Dream root, masked by tea. Before he fell asleep, I got out of him all the information we needed.”
Hanzo let out a sharp snort.
“You just happen to carry it with you sometimes?”
Kuai Liang shook his head lightly.
“No. I borrowed it from the infirmary.”
“Wait - so you stole it?” Hanzo laughed.
“Do you think this is the first time? Everyone’s just too embarrassed to admit I slip out of their beds, so they spread all sorts of ridiculous stories about ‘taking’ me. Each one adds a new, more interesting detail.”
For a moment, the wind howling through the trees and the rhythmic pounding of their horse’s hooves were the only sounds. Hanzo tightened his grip on the reins, nudging the mount faster.
“I always knew that you’re a sly little fox, but I never thought that you’re that tricky.”
“Desperate times require desperate measures.” Kuai Liang replied with a small smile playing on his lips.
Hanzo stayed silent. Even though it ended up better than he thought, the ache inside remained raw. The memory of those possessive hands on Kuai’s waist and the Grandmaster’s cruel words about his own clan - they twisted inside him like thorns.
And Kuai Liang… Hanzo wanted to trust him, yet the youth had burst into the room dishevelled, his clothes were messed up, and as they got closer, he noticed that his lips were red from kissing.
“Something's bothering you.” Kuai Liang said, as he noticed Hanzo’s distant gaze.
The elder pyromancer nodded towards Kuai’s chest. He made no effort to hide his unease.
“The knots... they’re tied incorrectly. You must have taken it off and tied it back in a rush.”
Kuai Liang groaned and covered his face with both hands.
“I had to undress. And... I’ll tell you more - he kissed me.” His gaze snapped sharply to Hanzo’s. “So what? Why does that bother you? Even if he’d done worse - which he didn’t - it’s my body, not yours.”
The cold night wind bit at Hanzo’s cheeks, but Kuai’s fiery words burnt hotter than the chill.
“Don’t you think he’ll-“
“He’ll what? Claim he almost fucked me but fell asleep? Of course he’d brag about ‘fucking me’ all night long in every imaginable position!”
Silence stretched between them. Hanzo could hear the frantic beat of Kuai’s heart where their bodies brushed close - or perhaps it was his own pulse roaring in his ears.
“You’re mad.” Kuai Liang murmured.
Hanzo snapped. His blood was scorching with fury.
“Of course I’m mad! I had to watch some random fool grope you! God knows what else he did while you were alone!”
“I didn’t sleep with him!” Kuai Liang yelled in defiance. “Are you insane? Have you seen him? I would never stoop that low!”
That was it.
Hanzo’s composure broke apart. Still holding the reins in one hand, he tangled the other in Kuai’s hair, pulling him into a desperate kiss.

Notes:

There will be smut in the next chapter🗣️

Chapter 7: Chapter seven

Kuai Liang’s breath trembled softly as his hand reached up to Hanzo’s chest, quietly begging for time to stand still.
They pulled apart with aching slowness. Hanzo’s eyes lingered on Kuai’s lips - flushed, tender, glowing with a fragile beauty only pure love can wield.
The warrior’s thumb traced lightly over Kuai’s mouth, making those perfect lips part just a bit under his touch.
“Every part of you…” Hanzo murmured, “Is unforgettable.”
The darkness itself seemed to soften there, bathed in the moon’s pale glow. The forest exhaled quietly beneath the night’s cloak, sheltering the treasure Hanzo cradled close from the world.
“It would be better if you forgot.” Kuai Liang said quietly.
“Forget? You’re the last thing I want to forget.”
A heavy silence stretched between them, filled only by the distant song of crickets, soft hoofbeats and the wind’s whispered sigh. Slowly, Hanzo bent forward, pressing a tender kiss to Kuai’s forehead.
“Sometimes it feels like I’m just a replacement for what’s left behind.”
“No,” Hanzo said, squeezing Kuai’s arm gently. “You’re not a shadow or a consolation. You’re everything I’m fighting to keep.”
Anger flared in the young man’s gaze as he pulled away sharply.
“Don’t you dare tell me I’m ‘everything’. I don’t trust anyone after-”
“And don’t you dare compare me to that bastard who fucked you and left!" Hanzo growled, interrupting him.
Without waiting for more, Kuai Liang jumped off the horse, attempting to walk away.
Hanzo dismounted as well, cursing the burning stubbornness of the youth he loved, then sprang forward.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Hanzo’s voice trembled with frustration, but Kuai Liang kept walking, refusing even a glance at him.
“You think running from your pain will make it vanish?” Beneath his fury, a subtle spark of desperation began to show. “It won’t.”
Still, the young pyromancer remained silent.
What truly fuelled Hanzo’s frustration was how Kuai Liang closed himself off, refusing to listen no matter what he tried to say. He tried to tell himself Kuai’s guardedness was just the stubbornness of youth, but deep down, he knew there was so much more tangled beneath the surface. Hanzo didn’t blame Kuai for shielding himself from any kind of tenderness - he only longed to break through that carefully built wall.
Closing the distance, Hanzo left no room to escape.
“Listen - you're not a consolation prize for me. You’re the reason I want to keep moving forward.”
"You’re in love with someone else! Not me!" Kuai Liang shouted, clenching his fists. "I’m just a stand-in for the love you lost, because I’m nothing more than a shadow of that person. How am I supposed to compete with memories you can’t let go of?"
“Why do you think like that? I adore you.” The warrior’s finger pressed against Kuai’s chest. “You. Only you.”
Hanzo reached out to hold him, but the youth pulled away angrily.
“Because I’m not made for love.”
“That’s a lie. I love you, and I want you to know it - if only you’d let me in.”
“You’ll leave me. Everyone does.”
“Are you dumb or stupid?” Hanzo growled in frustration.
A gust of wind rustled the leaves overhead, scattering silvered moonlight across the path where they stood.
"You think pushing me away proves something?"
“Fuck you!” Kuai snapped, spinning away. “I’m leaving.”
“By foot?”
“No. I’ll take the horse. You go wherever you want - I don’t care.”
“You’re wearing my clothes!” Hanzo’s shout cut through the air.
The youth turned around angrily.
“So?”
“Give them back.”
For a brief moment, Kuai Liang just stared, blinking in disbelief.
“You want your clothes back?”
Hanzo nodded quietly, tugging at the robe’s tie. Carefully, he undid the belt, slipped off the robe, and just as he reached to remove the shoes, the youth stopped him.
“Those are mine, not yours.”
“I know.” Hanzo smiled faintly, setting the shoes aside, his fingers now busy with Kuai’s pants.
In just moments, Kuai Liang stood bare before him.
Hanzo’s fingers traced the elegant curve of his calf, slow and reverent. He dropped to his knees, admiring the sharp contours, the soft curves, and the steady rhythm of Kuai’s rising and falling chest.
A shiver ran through the young pyromancer - whether from the cold or Hanzo’s intense gaze, he couldn’t say. The fire of anger softened, melting into a fierce, burning desire. He moaned quietly, as Hanzo’s hand slid higher, tracing the curve of his hip with deliberate slowness. That touch was gentle, almost impossibly sweet, and Kuai Liang didn’t flinch or pull away - only a soft sigh escaped him when the warrior’s knuckles brushed the inside of his thigh.
Hanzo lowered the boy to the ground, letting the cool forest floor beneath welcome him like a wordless hug.
“You’ll be the one who pulls every spider from my hair after this.” Kuai Liang whispered.
A warm, low chuckle rumbled from the older pyromancer as he settled between Kuai’s legs.
“I’ll do more than that.” He promised. “I’ll do anything for you.”
The youth arched just slightly, fingers tangling in Hanzo’s hair, steadying himself as teeth grazed the tender skin of his hip. A soft, stifled sound slipped out when Hanzo’s tongue soothed the delicate spot, slow and deliberate, lips following with a feather-light kiss above the twitching entrance.
“Oh, God…” Kuai Liang moaned. “I loved sex with you too much… Now you use it against me.”
Hanzo laughed softly, his tongue trailing lower to tease the trembling flesh before plunging inside with a heated stroke that made Kuai’s moans ring louder. Hanzo’s mouth sealed gently around his hole, sucking before pulling back and returning with kinder pressure. His tongue curled deeper, tasting, exploring, stretching and slicking.
Kuai’s thighs trembled, heels digging into Hanzo’s back as the warrior’s hands gripped his hips, steadying the youth while his mouth worked its slow, maddening magic.
Kuai Liang gripped Hanzo’s hair tighter when fingers found their rhythm - one pressing just right on his perineum, the other painting lazy circles along his thigh.
Hanzo’s hands traced lower, one finger sliding inside, making Kuai Liang gasp. Curled just right, that finger hit a sweet spot that sent his vision blurring. A broken moan ripped free as a second finger joined in slow twists, stretching him gently but insistently. Hanzo’s tongue never stopped - lapping around the entrance, flicking teasingly before diving in hot and deep again. His free hand moved up Kuai’s stomach, fingertips dragging through small puddles of precum before wrapping around the aching cock, stroking in perfect time with his fingers’ steady rhythm.
The youth’s breath hitched as those fingers pressed deeper, hitting that perfect angle over and over, while his lover’s palm followed with rough, heated strokes. Tightness and friction, slick heat and slow pressure ignited sparks behind his eyes. Kuai Liang whimpered softly, hips rolling helplessly under the exquisite tide of sensation. It seemed like every nerve in his body was alight and singing.
Hanzo’s mouth left his rim to trail open-mouthed kisses along the inside of Kuai Liang’s thigh, his teeth scraped lightly over trembling muscle before he whispered, “Let go.”
The youth moaned desperately as Hanzo’s words vibrated against his skin. His fingers tangled tighter in Hanzo’s dark hair, knuckles whitening as pleasure surged wildly. Hanzo swept his thumb over the leaking head of Kuai’s cock just as his fingers pressed against that sensitive bundle of nerves, and Kuai Liang surrendered to pleasure with a loud, beautiful cry.
Hanzo didn’t ease up, coaxing him through the waves of his orgasm with slow, steady strokes of his tongue, then licking up the warmth on his belly while his fingers milked the last pulses of pleasure from his body.
Kuai Liang was trembling, his chest was heaving, as Hanzo slid his fingers out with a slick, obscenely wet sound. Kuai Liang could still feel the ghost of his lover’s tongue tracing gentle patterns on his skin.
Pressing a final kiss to the inside of the young man’s thigh, Hanzo rose above him, his own arousal evident in the heat of his body and the way his breath came just a little too fast. He caught Kuai’s wrist, guiding his hand until it wrapped around his hard length through the fabric of his pants.
“I need it inside.” Kuai Liang moaned desperately.
A low growl rumbled in Hanzo’s throat as a response to Kuai’s plea. His fingers tightened around the youth’s wrist as he helped undo his pants. The fabric gave way, freeing the hot, heavy weight of his cock in Kuai’s palm - already slick and pulsing with every rapid beat of his heart.
Kuai Liang’s fingers curled instinctively, firm and sure as he stroked once, twice, his thumb teasing slow, torturous circles over the slick, glistening tip. Hanzo shuddered, pressing deeper into Kuai’s grip as his own hand clutched the boy’s hip, digging into soft flesh as if to anchor himself.
“Now!” Kuai Liang gasped, arching up. “Fuck me now.”
Hanzo didn’t need to hear it twice. With a low growl, he caught Kuai’s wrist, pinning it to the forest floor before crashing down into a searing kiss.
His lips swallowed Kuai’s moan as he lined up, the blunt head of his cock pressing insistently against the stretched, slick entrance. Breaking the kiss only to bite gently at the boy’s lower lip, Hanzo pushed forward in one slow, relentless thrust.
Kuai Liang gasped as he was filled; the delicious burn of stretch felt overwhelmingly perfect. Hanzo froze for a heartbeat, then pulled back slowly before slamming in again, setting a brutal, punishing pace.
Kuai’s nails scraped down Hanzo’s back while the man above drove deeper with every thrust. His teeth found the tender juncture of neck and shoulder, biting just shy of breaking skin as Kuai’s thighs clenched tight, pulling his lover impossibly closer. Hanzo’s low growls vibrated against Kuai’s throat; his pace was turning erratic. His deep, punishing thrusts were dragging at that perfect spot inside, making Kuai Liang see stars.
Vision was blurring with tears of pleasure, and the world shrank to the slick heat of Hanzo’s dick inside, the sharp sting of teeth at his collarbone, and Kuai’s own helpless body clenched tight around the thick length. The older man’s breath burnt against the youth’s skin, his grip rough and bruising as he held Kuai’s wrists tight, driving inside him with a fierce, urgent hunger.
Hanzo’s next thrust dove impossibly deep, and a desperate cry of pleasurable desperation tore free from Kuai Liang’s chest. He was almost there. Hanzo growled low, his lips sealing over the pulse point at Kuai’s throat, leaving a bruise on the sweat-slick flesh.
The youth’s body locked tense, every muscle straining, as Hanzo’s merciless pounding drove him over the edge. He moaned, his cock twitching desperately though untouched, as an electrifying orgasm crashed through Kuai Liang in brutal waves. Hot release spilt between them, and Kuai’s vision whitened as pleasure ripped through every nerve in his body.
Hanzo didn’t stop, fucking him through the oversensitive aftershocks. Each thrust was drawing broken, beautiful whimpers from Kuai’s lips, and Hanzo couldn’t get enough of them. His rhythm faltered as Kuai Liang clenched around him, that hot, fluttering grip drawing a ragged groan from deep in his chest. Hanzo buried his face in the curve of Kuai’s neck, breathing in the perfect scent of his skin while his hips snapped forward with fierce urgency. Each thrust was a claim - skin slapping wetly, muscles creaking, and Kuai’s choked whimpers spilling from kiss-swollen lips as Hanzo drove him mercilessly into the leaf-strewn earth.
His hips stuttered again, fingers digging hard into Kuai’s wrists, pinning them bruisingly as he drove one last punishing thrust deep enough to make the youth gasp. Then his control shattered - heat flooded Kuai’s insides as Hanzo spilt inside with a ragged growl.
For a breathless second, the older pyromancer stayed buried, forehead pressed to Kuai’s shoulder - until he noticed the sudden stillness, the tension radiating off him. Hanzo pulled away; worry that he might have hurt his lover somehow flooded him. He saw Kuai’s lips part in a silent scream that quickly became loud. Trembling like a leaf in the wind, Kuai’s body arched against his own; his cock was spent, it didn’t even try to get hard anymore, just a single clear drop slipped free. The youth cried, thrashing helplessly, his whole body shaking as he came dry - completely spent and utterly undone. Tears streamed down Kuai’s face as he sobbed. His warm, silky depths still clenched around Hanzo’s length, as if craving another orgasm, even though the last one hadn’t completely faded.
“Damn, you’re gorgeous.” Hanzo whispered close to Kuai’s ear. “It’s almost unbelievable - how beautiful you are.”
His breath was still uneven as he traced the sharp line of the boy’s jaw with a gentle thumb, watching the faint aftershocks ripple through him. Kuai’s chest rose and fell, still tense with the lingering waves of pleasure.
“I love you.” Hanzo said softly. “And with every moment that passes, I fall deeper in love with you.”
Kuai’s dark eyes fluttered open, glazed and unfocused, pupils dilated wide. His mind was still hazy from the breathtaking orgasm he’d just experienced.
“Why should I trust you?”
The young pyromancer might be right - Hanzo was using his passion for sex to his advantage. Still, at least he was finally ready to speak calmly instead of yelling.
“Because I’d rather die than ever betray you.” The warrior answered quietly. “I’m trying to show you that, but you keep pushing me away - closing yourself off.”
“Maybe I’m just scared that you’ll break me even more.” Kuai’s lips were trembling slightly.
Hanzo sighed, tilting his head as their lips met in a tender, lingering kiss - pure and sweet, so unlike the fierce passion they’d just shared.
When they parted, Kuai’s eyes shone with a fragile vulnerability. Unable to hold himself, Hanzo pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.
“I’m here. I’m staying.”
He wrapped the youth in a tight embrace, letting silence and touch weave the endless depths of his love.
“I want to trust you. I want to believe this can be different… but I’m so scared...”
Kuai’s heartbeat slowed, matching Hanzo’s steady rhythm.
“I know, baby. It’s okay to be scared.” Hanzo brushed Kuai’s hair back softly. “No matter what happens, I’m not going anywhere.”
The youth’s trembling hands found his lover’s chest.
“What if it all falls apart?”
“Then I’ll catch you every single time.”
Kuai Liang smiled.
Elder Gods, he was so beautiful…Like a rare blossom blooming in the dark.

“Your horse came back alone. I thought something had happened to you!” Bi-Han growled.
Kuai Liang laughed nervously, lifting the device to shield his bare skin from his brother’s gaze.
“I just forgot to tether her while we slept, and she ran off.”
Bi-Han’s scolding softened only slightly, but his frown deepened.
“You’ve become so absentminded, brother.”
Kuai flushed, gripping the device tighter, and ran a hand through his hair.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
The soft murmur of voices stirred Hanzo awake. Blinking in the flickering campfire light, he sat up slowly.
He caught sight of Kuai Liang, awkwardly hiding his nakedness, his cheeks flushed under Bi-Han’s sharp stare. Despite the interruption, a small smile tugged at Hanzo’s lips.
“Looks like someone’s in trouble.”
Kuai’s blush deepened as Hanzo’s eyes met his.
“So, how did things go with the Lóng Zú?” Bi-Han’s voice cut through again.
The youth hesitated, then replied softly.
“It was… complicated. But I got all the information we needed.”
Hanzo sensed the weight behind Kuai’s words and stayed silent.
“When you return, come straight to my quarters.”
“I will.”
Once Bi-Han’s image faded, Hanzo reached out, gently cupping Kuai Liang’s face.
“Forget him for now. You did what you had to - and that’s what matters.”
“I know.” Kuai Liang pouted. “By the way, you didn’t have to fuck me so hard - I can barely sit straight. How am I supposed to ride a horse?”
Hanzo chuckled low, pressing a teasing kiss to his lover’s temple.
“Maybe next time I’ll be more gentle… or find you a softer saddle.”
Despite the ache, Kuai smirked and leaned into the touch.
“Do you really think we can make this work?” He asked softly.
“I know that. And if you’re willing to try, I’ll do anything to show you you deserve everything this world has to offer.”
A faint smile curved Kuai’s lips.
“I’m ready.” He smirked. “And I don’t want gentle - I like it rough.”
Hanzo grinned playfully.
“Well… Then don’t expect me to be gentle anytime soon.”

Chapter 8: Chapter eight

“So, what was it like?” One of the guards asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.
Hanzo blinked, momentarily thrown off balance.
They stood just beyond the closed doors of the Grandmaster’s chambers, dismissed by Bi-Han himself, who wished to speak with his brother in private.
“What do you mean?”
The other man leaned in with a sly grin.
“You spent nearly a week alone with him. You’ve got to admit, it’s tough to keep things strictly professional after that much time together.”
Hanzo’s eyes narrowed as they met the other’s. Those words felt like a blade - crude, disrespectful, and utterly unwelcome.
“You truly believe a week is enough to forget discipline?”
Beneath his anger, a softer, deeper ache simmered. Memories of those solitary days with Kuai flickered vividly - the warmth of his touch, the gentle melody of his moans, the graceful flow of his movements. Hanzo’s heart tightened painfully, yearning to see Kuai Liang again, to taste that intimate closeness once more.
The guard swallowed nervously.
“I’m just saying... people talk.”
A slow breath escaped from Hanzo’s mouth. He clenched his fists, swallowing the tight knot in his throat. No one else needed to understand - only he, and he alone, should know what Kuai Liang meant to him.
“People always talk shit about him.”
“He doesn’t strike me as a prude.”
“Maybe he isn’t.” Hanzo’s voice was steady, laced with quiet fire. “But why should I even dignify this with a response to you?”
Another guard, catching the drift, joined in. “Fine if you won’t talk, but stop wearing that smug look every damn time you tail him like a dog. If you fuck him, great. But don’t fool yourself - he isn’t some trophy you claimed. You won’t be the first, nor the last.”
Hanzo gritted his teeth. A storm was brewing beneath his composed exterior - frustration, fierce protectiveness, and a fierce pride that refused to be shaken by petty gossip.
“Kuai Liang isn’t some prize to be won or a story to be whispered about in the shadows.” Hanzo said calmly. “He deserves more respect than any of you could ever grasp. If you choose to judge him - or me for that matter - do so with facts, not rumours.”
Silence settled thick like a shroud, broken only by the first guard’s muttered, “Suit yourself.”
Hanzo turned away, the image of Kuai Liang by his side flooding his mind - the sunlight catching in those dark amber eyes, that stubborn smirk playing on his lips.
“No one gets to diminish what we have…” Hanzo thought, closing his eyes as if seeking to send the words to Kuai himself. “Not their words, not their jealousy.”

“She’s a cryomancer, just like you.” Kuai Liang said softly.
Bi-Han nodded.
“I remember. Sounds fair enough. I’ll send a messenger to them.”
Kuai felt relief washing over him that it wouldn’t be his burden to break the news to the Lóng Zú grandmaster.
Without missing a beat, Bi-Han added casually, “We should marry you off as well.”
Kuai’s breath hitched.
“Marry me? With whom?”
“I don’t know. You like Japanese men, don’t you?”
Heat flooded Kuai’s cheeks. He avoided Bi-Han’s gaze, but the teasing spark in his brother’s eyes was impossible to miss.
Had the elder brother discovered something about Hanzo? Kuai’s heart pounded wildly, caught between embarrassment and a sudden flush of nervous excitement. Marriage… with Hanzo? They were both men, so it seemed utterly impossible - but the very thought sent a thrilling yet terrifying shiver through him, especially beneath Bi-Han’s unmistakable, knowing smirk.
“You don’t deny it.”
A cold bead of sweat traced Kuai’s temple.
“I-” His voice cracked, hesitant.
An unbidden image floated before his eyes: a certain Japanese warrior with the fire in his gaze and the tender strength in his touch. Kuai’s stomach fluttered at the thought. He liked Hanzo. That much was as clear as day, even if he’d never dared confess it aloud.
“It’s not-“
“Not what?” Bi-Han interrupted, stepping closer.
The youth swallowed hard; his heart was thrumming like a war drum. His brother was perceptive - maybe too perceptive. He hadn’t expected him to see through so quickly.
Kuai’s mind drifted back to just hours ago - the fierce possession in Hanzo’s eyes, the way his hand had cradled Kuai’s cheek with devotion. The kiss - the lingering heat that still burnt across his lips and skin - how Hanzo had undressed him with such tenderness, making love with fierce emotion.
Kuai Liang swallowed again. Was it the chill in the air or the memory of Hanzo that made him shiver? The image of Hanzo’s lips on his own burnt ever brighter with every heartbeat.
Bi-Han’s smirk widened as he noticed the slight tremble in his sibling’s hands.
“You’re thinking about him right now, aren’t you?”
Kuai’s heart faltered, memories flooding - Hanzo’s hands, battle-scarred yet unbearably tender, tracing over his body, drawing out shivers and moans.
“I’m not!”
“Liar.”
Bi-Han’s fingers curled around Kuai Liang’s wrist, cold as frost creeping over winter glass, seeping through to his skin.
“You forget,” The Cryomancer whispered, “I always know when you lie.”
Kuai’s breath was misting in the chilly air between them, his pulse fluttering wild and exposed beneath his brother’s gaze - sharp and unrelenting as an icicle.
A long, shaky exhale. Then-
The door creaked open.
Both brothers turned.
“Grandmaster, I have a message for you from-” the messenger began.
But Kuai Liang caught sight of Hanzo standing just beyond the frame and cut the man off.
“Brother, I must take my leave. I’m sorry.”
Without waiting for a response, Kuai hurried from the room.

“Come here.” The young pyromancer tugged on Hanzo’s sleeve, pulling him into his bedroom with an urgency that took the elder by surprise.
Kuai Liang almost tossed his lover onto the bed with a strength he’d never shown him - even during their toughest training sessions. Quickly, he undid Hanzo’s pants, freeing his dick, then climbed onto his lap and lowered his own pants, positioning himself.
“You need-” Hanzo began, teeth clenched as he slid smoothly into Kuai’s warmth. “Preparation...”
Kuai Liang trembled softly in Hanzo’s hold, a low moan escaping him.
“I’m still stretched after the night.” He whispered. “I couldn’t focus talking to Bi-Han - I kept thinking of you. I felt your cum trickling down my legs, and- Aaah… It turned me on so much…” A soft, sweet moan slipped from him as he moved up and down gently. “I couldn’t even hear what Brother was saying - I was lost in thoughts of you.”
Hanzo’s grip tightened on Kuai Liang’s hips, fingers pressing into the soft skin as he pulled him closer, forcing himself deeper.
Hanzo growled low, “So tight…” as the heat of Kuai Liang’s body clenched around him, driving him wild. He felt every shiver and every desperate movement as the youth rocked against him, craving more.
A soft breath escaped Kuai’s lips.
“Please, please…”
Sometimes Hanzo forgot just how strong his lover was - bouncing with such fierce energy that even if Hanzo wanted to slow him down, he couldn’t.
His hands slid beneath Kuai’s vest, palms pressing over the hard peaks of his nipples. He gently pinched, then cupped Kuai’s chest, pulling him closer.
“You’re perfect. Perfect from head to toe.”
Kuai Liang arched his back like a cat, their sweat-slicked chests pressed tightly together. His thighs shook with the effort, nails digging into Hanzo’s shoulders as he chased every wave of pleasure. Each sharp hip snap sent sparks racing through Hanzo’s veins, Kuai’s heated body gripping him with urgent desperation.
“Faster! Harder-” The youth gasped, voice cracking as Hanzo met him with every thrust, their bodies crashing in a fierce rhythm that left them both trembling. The sound of skin slapping echoed through the room, mingling with Kuai’s sharp, desperate moans.
Hanzo’s fingers sank deeper into Kuai’s hips as the younger man rode him wildly. Though exhausted, Kuai Liang refused to slow down, not when every rough thrust was sending white-hot waves of pleasure surging through him.
“Look at you…” Hanzo growled. “So desperate.”
He brushed his thumb over Kuai’s leaking cock, then gripped it firmly and stroked, matching the wild rhythm of their movement.
“No hands.” The youth mewled. “I want to cum like this.”
Hanzo pulled back, tracing a slow path to Kuai’s nipple instead, sucking gently and nearly tipping him over the edge just by that simple gesture. The boy’s sensitivity was stunning - everywhere.
Hanzo was used to the sharp, defined lines of the male body rather than soft curves, but he found himself captivated by Kuai’s powerful chest and firm hips. Strong and masculine, yet carrying a delicate grace and flexibility, Kuai’s slender waist, long legs and sculpted frame made him utterly mesmerising.
The young man shuddered in Hanzo’s hold, sweet moans escaping as waves of pleasure washed over him, and his orgasm finally took over.
“Finish inside.” Kuai Liang whispered, biting Hanzo’s shoulder to hold back his moans. “I want it so badly…”
The older pyromancer groaned, fingers tightening possessively on Kuai’s hips as he obeyed, driving deep one last time before trembling with release inside him. The heat between them was sticky and intense as Kuai Liang arched with a soft whimper.
Their foreheads pressed together, Hanzo’s breath ragged against Kuai’s glistening skin, his body still shaking from the aftershocks. The youth whimpered; every small move was sending jolts of sensitivity through him. A slow, warm trickle seeped between them as Hanzo reluctantly pulled away, drawing a broken moan from Kuai’s kiss-swollen lips.
“When I go too long without sex, I become frustrated.” Kuai Liang pouted. “And when I’m near you, all I can think about is… well, sex. It’s kind of embarrassing.”
Hanzo chuckled warmly.
“I like that about you. Makes me feel lucky. Though, I suppose you may have skipped a few training sessions to indulge those desires of yours.”
Kuai’s pout deepened.
“I did. No regrets. It would’ve been too dull otherwise.”
The older pyromancer brushed a tender kiss over Kuai’s hand, drawing a bright smile. Then, slowly, he kissed each finger.
“What are you doing?” Kuai Liang laughed.
“I love you.” The warrior whispered, resting his cheek against the boy’s palm.
“It tickles!” Kuai giggled, trying to pull free, but Hanzo caught his wrist gently, holding him close.
“I’m not done yet.” Hanzo said with a sly smile. When his lover raised an eyebrow, surprised, Hanzo added, “I won’t let you go until I kiss you everywhere.”
“Everywhere?” Kuai grinned.
“Everywhere.”

The Lin Kuei palace lay stretched across the mountain like a slumbering warrior wrapped in winter’s icy embrace. Its towering stone walls rose proudly against the cold, ancient runes etched deep into their surface shimmering faintly - a living shield of powerful clan magic that kept out both enemies and winter’s full fury.
Amid the harsh snowstorms beyond, the palace harboured a secret sanctuary: the ancestral garden. Legend told of Delia, the Lady of Flame, a long-lost wife of the clan, whose love for spring was so fierce that the garden remained forever warm. Here, cherry blossoms drifted gently on soft breezes, tulips blazed brightly in hidden nooks, and the air was thick with jasmine and honeysuckle - as if spring itself had been captured and tenderly held captive. Pale pink peach branches arched over winding stone paths, their petals falling like fragile snowflakes but carrying a warmth that stirred the soul. Red and golden roses stood proudly among wildflowers that swayed softly, untouched by winter’s grasp.
At the heart of the garden, a koi pond gleamed beneath the sunlight that filtered through enchanted glass ceilings - an eternal patch of sky reserved for this sacred place. Crystal-clear water mirrored the vibrant colours around it, while dragonflies and butterflies danced above, their delicate wings brushing the surface.
Ancient stone lanterns dotted the greenery, their soft glow waiting to awaken with nightfall. Every leaf, every bloom whispered stories of love and awe - that sanctuary was born from Delia’s longing for spring despite the eternal winter outside.
Hanzo wandered deeper into the garden. The gentle heat of the air brushed against his skin - a soothing contrast to the frozen world beyond the palace walls.
As he rounded a bend lined with jasmine vines, a subtle sound caught his attention - a delicate tapping, steady and precise. Curious, Hanzo approached and found a secluded alcove where an elderly sculptor shaped a block of marble with expert hands.
The figure emerging from the stone was unmistakable: Kuai Liang, captured perfectly in stone, every detail so lifelike it seemed the marble might breathe. Hanzo’s breath caught as he took in the serene expression, so peaceful and tender, so uniquely beautiful.
The sculptor looked up with a gentle smile. “You startled me, Master Hanzo.”
The pyromancer nodded, his eyes lingering reverently on the statue.
“You’ve captured him perfectly. But why create this?”
“It’s tradition. It began with the first Grandmaster - his wife’s statue stands at the heart of the garden. Since then, every ruling family adds their own, joining hers. The statues of the young Masters and Grandmaster will one day rest beside their ancestors here.”
Hanzo murmured, awestruck, “A masterpiece. They look exactly like the living.”
“It’s an honour to immortalise such legends, but this one…” He wiped his hands and gestured toward Kuai’s statue. “This one holds a special place in my heart.”
Hanzo stepped closer, fingertips tracing the delicate marble contours of Kuai’s face. So serene, so tender - so unlike the fiery young man who had been clinging to him hours before. A quiet, private chuckle escaped him, remembering the breathless, demanding way Kuai Liang had arched into him. The sculptor’s gentle cough pulled Hanzo from his reverie.
“Something amusing?”
Hanzo withdrew his hand for a moment.
“Just admiring your craftsmanship.”
His thumb brushed the marble neck - too smooth, too white, so unlike the love bites still hidden beneath Kuai’s collar.
A sudden breeze scattered rose petals across the pedestal; one clung softly to Kuai’s outstretched hand, trembling against cold marble fingers. Hanzo caught a faint trace of Kuai's scent - jasmine and burnt caramel - clinging to his robes before the wind whisked it away.
Behind him, the sculptor’s chisel tapped the stone, the sound as sharp as the memory of Kuai’s teeth on his shoulder.
“Master Kuai Liang was a good kid.” The elder said quietly. “He grew into a great man. People gossip, but don’t listen. Only he knows what’s real.”
“Why say that now?”
“Because you love him.” The sculptor met Hanzo’s eyes. “I see it in your eyes as you look at this statue.”
Hanzo’s jaw tightened. Everyone noticed that he was in love, as if his guarded heart were an open book. He hated how obvious it had become - love was supposed to be quiet, controlled, something he could master like any other skill. Yet, with Kuai Liang, it was a wildfire no walls could contain, and now, the world seemed to see right through him.
“I’m simply appreciating your work.”
“The Grandmaster’s statue is ready, but you didn’t even look at it.”
Slowly, Hanzo turned to face Bi-Han’s statue - a tall, dignified figure carved with sharp, handsome lines. The Grandmaster’s duty and royalty were etched perfectly into cold stone.
“I guess I was distracted.” Hanzo whispered.
“Love does that.” The sculptor replied with a warm smile. “You think of the one you love constantly.”
Hanzo’s gaze drifted back to his lover’s statue - forever serene, forever young, forever smiling.
Everyone had seen it - the way his heart clenched at Kuai’s name, the way his eyes lingered a little too long. Somehow, even exposed, he couldn’t care. Because the truth was clear: no matter what anyone thought, his love for Kuai Liang was the only thing that mattered.

Chapter 9: Chapter nine

Hanzo’s heart was thrumming with a fragile hope as he pushed open the heavy doors of the Lin Kuei library. Ever since he discovered that the Shirai Ryu - his clan from another timeline - still might be revived in this unfamiliar world, a restless fire had been sparked deep inside him.
The moment he teleported there, the entire universe seemed to shout his loneliness. When he finally caught Kuai’s attention, a spark of joy returned. But discovering that his clan still existed here, even in ruins, and that he might restore it - haunted his every thought.
As he stepped deeper, an old librarian appeared from behind a stack of scrolls. His gaze lingered on Hanzo for a moment before drifting back to his tomes.
“How can I help you?”
Hanzo inhaled the scent of aged parchment and ink, steadying his emotions.
“Do you know anything of the Shirai Ryu? Perhaps it’s mentioned in some of these books?”
The librarian lifted his gaze from the dusty scrolls.
“The Shirai Ryu… a clan drowned by time and betrayal. Once fierce warriors, guardians of forgotten secrets, they vanished after a deadly coup - many say at the hands of their own kin.”
Hanzo leaned closer. His heart was pounding like a restless bird trapped in a cage.
“Does their legacy live on anywhere?”
The old man nodded slowly.
“In whispers and shadows. Some say a few survivors hide in silence, carrying their fiery blood, unseen. If you seek them, listen not with ears, but with your blood.” His milky gaze locked with Hanzo’s.
“How do you know?”
“Your amulet.”
The pyromancer’s fingers twitched toward the amulet resting against his skin. Its weight suddenly felt heavy. The runes etched along its edge pulsed - once, twice - like a slow, deliberate heartbeat. This wasn’t the first time since he learnt about his clan. As if the souls of his ancestors trapped within were straining to break free.
“Then you understand why I want to know more about this.”
“So, you’re aiming to bring your clan back from the ashes?”
The lantern flickered, casting the old man’s shadow like a clawed hand across the dusty books.
“I do. I’ve been thinking about it since I discovered the Shirai Ryu’s existence in this realm.”
“When Lord Liu Kang saved you, bringing you here, he knew the war between the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu could not unfold in this world. Your clan has vanished from this world, its ancestors lost to the rebellion.” His voice rasped like wind through dead branches. “You are strong, Hanzo Hasashi. They would be proud. But it’s time… time to let their spirits rest.”
The old man’s gaze flickered to a shadowed corner of the library.
“They watch still, through cracks between worlds. I hear their souls scream - warning you. You should not breathe life into what is dead. Turn back.” He rasped. “Before the past sinks its teeth into you.”
The silence swallowed the room once more. Clutching the amulet tighter, he braced himself, half-expecting the shadows to stir and reveal their secrets.
“Why warn me?” Hanzo finally asked. “If the Shirai Ryu’s legacy is buried, why hide it? Why not let it live again?”
“Because reviving it could tear apart fragile peace… and consume you with it.”

On his way back from the library, Hanzo couldn’t resist checking on Kuai Liang - he hadn’t seen the boy all morning, and the emptiness was already gnawing at him. But the moment he opened the door, his mood dropped - thick in the air was the faint, unmistakable scent of weed.
“I thought you quit that crap.” Hanzo said coldly.
Kuai Liang groaned, his lips curled into a tired smile.
“Don’t be so boring. I’m trying to manage the stress.”
“Stress? I thought I fucked all your stress away.” Hanzo smirked.
“The Lóng Zú officials are visiting today.” Kuai Liang admitted, sinking back into pillows. “The portal’s already opened. God, I don’t want to see him… Hnnn… I just want to ease my suffering.”
Hanzo laughed, but tension tightened his muscles. He recalled the cold cruelty of that clan’s grandmaster toward Kuai Liang and knew in his bones - if anyone hurt his boy again, it would end in a storm of blood.
“I get it. But this...” Hanzo nodded at the blunt. “I don’t approve of that.”
He moved closer, the mattress dipping beneath him as he sat beside Kuai Liang. His fingers brushed the blunt from the younger man’s grasp, crushing it between thumb and forefinger before tossing it into the wastebasket across the room.
“There are other ways to ease suffering.” Hanzo murmured as he gently cupped Kuai Liang’s jaw, coaxing those hazy eyes to meet his.
The scent of smoke clung faintly to Kuai’s lips, bitter yet sweet, but Hanzo didn’t shy away - instead, he leaned in, breath mingling with breath. Their lips barely touched - not quite a kiss, more a teasing - and his thumb traced the defined line of Kuai Liang’s cheekbone.
“Such a pretty boy.”
The youth exhaled, shaky, still tasting the smoky tang, but his fingers curled into Hanzo’s sleeve, anchoring himself.
“We can’t.” He whispered, moaning sweetly, as the warrior’s stubble brushed his neck. “I should get dressed for the-”
“Of course. But first...” Hanzo’s voice was velvet-dark. “You’ll undress for me.”
“Shit.” Kuai Liang kissed him fiercely, desperate. “Ten minutes.”
Hanzo chuckled and kissed him back.

When the Lóng Zú officials stepped through the portal, Hanzo felt the weight of dread settle deep in his bones.
Kuai Liang stood before him - radiant and untouched in appearance, despite having been claimed in every way just moments before. Hanzo had hoped to leave marks on the boy’s skin, a silent warning to the lecherous bastard looming nearby: this beauty already belonged to someone else. And he did - he spotted the delicate love bite blossoming just beneath Kuai’s collar.
The youth didn’t even flinch when he saw the grandmaster, but Hanzo could see the tension coiling beneath his flawless calm. Sliding closer, he became a silent shield between Kuai Liang and the unwelcome guest.
“Stay close.” Hanzo murmured.
“I will… At least he’ll speak to Bi-Han first.”
The Lóng Zú grandmaster’s dark eyes flicked between them, pausing too long on the faint bruises tracing Kuai Liang’s collar. A cruel smirk curled his lips.
“Long time no see, Scorpion.”
“Such a pleasure to meet you again.”
The grandmaster’s smile deepened; he stepped closer, the ornate embroidery of his robes whispering against the stone floor.
“So formal…” He purred, reaching out to brush a lock of hair from Kuai Liang’s face - a touch too intimate, too possessive.
Kuai just smiled.
Hanzo clenched his fists.
“I see you haven’t lost your manners.” the grandmaster said softly. “A rare jewel - both beautiful and well-behaved.”
The young pyromancer glanced quickly at his lover, then shifted his gaze back to the grandmaster. They both knew no one would take Kuai Liang from Hanzo without a fight.
“Thank you. Shall I escort you to my brother?”
“Yes, please.” He extended his hand toward the youth, and Kuai Liang accepted it. A subtle smile touched the grandmaster’s lips as their arms intertwined.
In that moment, Hanzo felt his anger burn so fiercely, it almost consumed him whole. Of course, the bastard knew exactly what was happening between them. He did it on purpose.

“Your brother and I are good friends now.” The Grandmaster said to Bi-Han, then smiled gently at Kuai Liang.
The youth returned a small, shy smile and bowed his head.
Hanzo stood motionless, but a flicker of possessiveness darkened his eyes before he smoothed his expression back to calm. He longed to yell, “He belongs to me!” Yet silence was his only choice.
“Very well.” Bi-Han replied sharply. “We have much to discuss and little time to waste.”
“Brother, your neck.” Tomas whispered.
“Oh…”
Hanzo’s eyes narrowed as they caught Kuai Liang awkwardly trying to hide the faint love bites on his neck. The youth’s usual elegant grace wavered just enough to reveal the haze he still swam in.
A small, almost amused smile tugged at Hanzo’s lips beneath his stern mask. Even now, under Bi-Han’s piercing watch, Kuai Liang couldn’t quite erase the traces of their time together.
Hanzo held his gaze steady, silent as Kuai Liang fumbled to conceal the marks. They were theirs alone, their quiet rebellion.
The young pyromancer straightened his collar, hiding the marks at last, though the blush on his cheeks stubbornly remained. Fortunately, the two grandmasters kept their focus locked in conversation, barely sparing him a glance.
“Is something wrong, brother?” Tomas asked softly, leaning closer to Kuai Liang.
“Everything is fine.”
Kuai stood between them, trembling slightly. The heat of Hanzo’s lingering touch was still burning on his skin.
“He speaks of friendship, but his eyes linger where they shouldn’t.” The youngest brother said through clenched teeth.
Hanzo swallowed the sting of those words. The thought of another’s gaze roaming over Kuai Liang was not only unwelcome - it set his blood on fire.
“No one takes what’s mine without a fight.”
“You definitely need to kick his ass!” Tomas barked.
Kuai Liang laughed - maybe a little too loudly - drawing all eyes to them, if only for a moment.
“Kuai Liang.” Bi-Han’s voice was cold as ice. “Come here.”
The young pyromancer hesitated for a fraction of a second before stepping forward. His instincts urged Hanzo to reach out and pull him back, but for Kuai’s sake, he remained still.
“All the others - leave.” Bi-Han gestured toward the door. His tone left no room for refusal.
Hanzo was the last to leave. He spun on his heel, forcing himself to walk, even as every fibre screamed to turn back. The door closed behind him with a hollow thud, sealing him in the darkness of the corridor. He pressed his back to the cold wall, barely daring to breathe, straining to catch the muted voices inside.
Bi-Han’s voice, sharp as shattered ice, cut through the quiet. Hanzo edged closer, stone biting into his shoulder blades. A soft murmuring, a quiet rustle of clothes, and then unbearable silence. Then, suddenly, footsteps. The door groaned open. Kuai Liang appeared, looking as if he was on the verge of tears. Behind him, the Lóng Zú grandmaster followed.
“Brother asks for you.” Kuai Liang said quietly.
A thousand impulses begged Hanzo to refuse, to scream, “Don’t leave me,” but he pushed off the wall, smoothing his expression, and stepped back inside.
“Sit.” Bi-Han’s voice was even colder than usual.
The pyromancer obeyed.
“He’s high.” Bi-Han growled. “How could you let this happen? Are you blind?”
Hanzo gritted his teeth, trying to suppress his anger. He didn’t like the young grandmaster, but snapping at him would do no good.
“I’m not his babysitter. I’m his guard.”
Bi-Han sneered.
“So you just approve of this behaviour, then?”
“He’s no child. He makes his own choices.”
The mockery in Bi-Han’s smirk cut deep.
“That’s what you tell yourself when you fuck him?”
Those words struck Hanzo like lightning. His fists clenched, knuckles blanched painfully. He had to hold back - for Kuai Liang’s sake.
But Bi-Han pressed in.
“No denial? Or are you too busy picturing him sprawled out, high as a kite, waiting for you to fuck him? Maybe that’s the only reason he lets you do that.”
Hanzo moved before he could think. One hand seized Bi-Han’s hanfu, slamming him against the wall with a force that rattled nearby weapons.
The Cryomancer didn’t flinch, even as his back thudded against stone. The same cruel smirk glazed his sharp, handsome features.
He tilted his head slightly, daring Hanzo to act.
“Go on…” he whispered. “Show me how guards handle things.”
A muscle twitched along Hanzo’s jaw. The heat of his rage burnt through his veins, desperate to break free.
“Kuai Liang would never forgive me if I took your life. So don’t push me, boy. I never touched your brother inappropriately.”
Bi-Han’s laugh was cold and mocking, like shards of ice scraping the air. The chill radiating from Bi-Han contrasted sharply with the fire roaring beneath Hanzo’s skin.
“I won’t let some scumbag fool me.”
“What are you talking about?” The pyromancer released him, fearful of crossing a line he couldn’t return from.
Bi-Han stood unmoving.
“My brother. You sleep with Kuai Liang, I know.” He raised a hand to silence Hanzo’s protest. “Save your excuses. Kuai Liang’s lovers have caused enough problems before.”
That smirk - predatory and cruel - spread wider as Bi-Han savoured Hanzo’s mounting fury.
“You don’t know anything.” The pyromancer hissed. “If you think I would-“
“Spare me your righteous act! I’ve seen the way you look at him - like a starving dog waiting for scraps. And today… the maids who should’ve dressed him overheard you two. They were too ashamed to enter, but they told me everything.”
Hanzo’s vision blurred red with hatred for this place that ate at his soul.
The Lin Kuei… Forever watching, forever whispering - a nest of vipers gliding through shadows. From the moment he stepped onto their frozen grounds, he despised them - their loyalty was as fragile as ice, their honour nothing but a lie wrapped in tradition. And there was nothing good about them, other than that in every timeline, in every corner of existence, there was only one light - Kuai Liang: beautiful, pure, and warm. He was the only shining star in an otherwise dark sky.
“You think you know it all…” Hanzo snarled. “But you don’t see what’s right in front of you.”
Bi-Han’s smirk never faltered.
“Then enlighten me.”
With a crack, Hanzo’s fist slammed into the wall inches from the young man’s head, splintering wood.
“Your ‘friend’ from the Lóng Zú sees your brother as prey! Letting him here was a mistake! Back when we were at-“
“You’re the one not welcome here.” Bi-Han cut in coolly. His eyes flickered to the shattered wood, then back to Hanzo’s burning gaze. “You’re wasting my time.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re free to stay as a soldier under Tomas’ command. Kuai Liang will leave.”
Hanzo’s heart slammed. Did he hear right?
“What?”
“I’m sending him to the Lóng Zú.”
“No! You can’t just send him away!” The pyromancer yelled.
Bi-Han exhaled slowly; the mist of his breath curled in the air. He was undeniably as furious as Hanzo, yet he made a conscious effort to restrain himself from snapping at him.
“It’s not your place to question me.”
The horror of losing Kuai Liang to another man seeped into Hanzo’s heart. His fists clenched tighter, the scent of smouldering leather rose as his gloves began to burn.
“Don’t you dare! Don’t send him away.”
“It’s for the best. Here, he’s distracted, dragged into the mud of drugs and depravity. He’s my brother - I can’t stand to watch him fall. I promised to send him to teach the Lóng Zú how to fight fire warlocks. They’ve never faced such enemies.”
“What are you saying? Bi-Han, I don’t know what their grandmaster told you, but his intentions aren’t good at all!”
“Without contact, their powers fade. They need guidance-“
“Bullshit!” Hanzo roared, flames licking higher, scorching the cryomancer’s sleeves. “He just wants Kuai Liang!”
Bi-Han didn’t even flinch. A wave of frost surged from his fingertips, snuffing out the fire with a vicious hiss.
“You think I don’t know my own brother? Kuai Liang is not some fragile thing to be coddled. He goes where I send him."
Hanzo snarled, stepping in close until Bi-Han’s cold aura kissed his burning skin.
“A boy like you should never be grandmaster - you make the most foolish decisions a man could make.”
“Say what you will, but I will send him away. It’s decided - no objections will be tolerated.”
Slowly, Hanzo’s fists unclenched, the flames faded, yet his eyes burnt with fury.
“If anyone hurts him... I’ll burn this whole world down to get him back.”
Bi-Han’s icy gaze cut through the air, meeting Hanzo’s fiery storm with confidence.
“We’ll see who survives the fire.”

Chapter 10: Chapter ten

“What’s wrong with you?” Bi-Han growled. “Have you even seen yourself?”
Kuai Liang kept his head bowed, silently praying to disappear beneath his brother’s fierce stare. Shame wrapped around him like a noose, and the presence of the other grandmaster only intensified the suffocating feeling of guilt.
“Look at me.”
The youth didn’t move. He trembled like a trapped animal cornered by hunters.
“I said, look at me!” Bi-Han snapped, harshly forcing Kuai’s chin upward until their eyes met.
The young man’s pupils were blown wide, the usual fiery amber dulled to a faint, hazy gold. Just as Bi-Han feared, he was dizzy with a haze that still blurred the edges of his thoughts. Yet that wasn’t the worst thing about his appearance. The elder brother’s gaze caught on the blooming love bites tracing Kuai’s neck - crimson stains of reckless passion that shouldn’t be seen by anyone but Kuai Liang himself. Bi-Han longed to slap his brother for laying himself bare with such careless abandon.
And the maids… How could they be so blind, leaving those vulgar, scandalous marks exposed like that? They deserved punishment, but it could wait. First, he needed to confront Kuai Liang.
“You even let him mark you.” Bi-Han hissed in disgust. “Couldn’t you at least hide it properly? Have some pride.”
The Lóng Zú grandmaster chuckled.
“The boy is in love.” He said softly. “I don’t mind, truly.”
“His so-called love interests played a cruel joke on him.” Bi-Han once again switched his attention to his brother. “I turned a blind eye when you consorted with other men, sleeping around with anyone who asked, but now? You come to official meetings looking like you belong in a brothel? You’re my second in command - the Lin Kuei’s right hand - and you show such disrespect to our guests? How dare you sully your name, our honour?”
Kuai Liang trembled. His brother’s furious words struck deeper than any blade ever could. Kneeling at Bi-Han’s feet, the young pyromancer clung to whatever fragile mercy might still exist, silently begging for the moment to pass.
“I didn’t mean to-“
“Silence! You didn’t mean to?” Bi-Han yanked Kuai’s collar, revealing the marks. “This is what welcomed our guests first!”
The Lóng Zú grandmaster raised a hand, as if urging the cryomancer to settle his fury.
“I’ve seen it all before. I mean, I saw it the last time I saw Kuai Liang.”
Bi-Han frowned, narrowing his eyes.
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
“Well, he and his guard… they’re more than just close. Closer than anyone expects. I wasn’t prepared for that.”
Kuai Liang shot him a sharp glare. What twisted game was this?
“Spit it out.” Bi-Han growled.
“They were... intimate. Worse, your brother’s guard - he’s descended from the Shirai Ryu. I recognised the bloodline the moment I saw him. Then Kuai Liang came to me in the dead of night, offering a deal the likes of which I still can’t believe - his own body, in exchange for secrets about his lover’s long-fallen clan. Generous, but I had to decline.”
“What?” Brothers shouted in perfect unison.
“What are you talking about? It was you who-“
“Shut up, Kuai Liang!” Bi-Han snapped. “So this is how you negotiate? By selling yourself like a common whore?”
“But, brother!” The pyromancer’s voice trembled with desperation. “That’s not true!”
Suddenly, the air around them shifted. A creeping chill seeped into the room, frost edging along the walls. Bi-Han’s anger surfaced as delicate ice crystals blossoming on the sleek black leather of his gloves. Never in his life had Kuai Liang seen Bi-Han consumed by such fury. And never before had Bi-Han’s anger burnt so fiercely toward Kuai Liang.
“You disgrace our clan.” He hissed, looking at his sibling with disgust.
“Please… I would never-“
Before he could finish, Bi-Han’s hand snapped out, gripping Kuai’s jaw with a strength that promised more bruises, forcing his brother’s head sharply back.
“If you want to keep acting like this, then leave.”
Kuai Liang’s mouth opened to protest, but the Lóng Zú grandmaster’s calm yet commanding voice stopped him.
“I have a good idea. Send him to the Lóng Zú. Our people have never clashed with the pyromancers - he could train them.”
Kuai Liang knew that being sent away wasn’t just punishment - it felt like exile from everything he knew and loved. Even worse, he understood the cruel truth: life in the Lóng Zú wouldn’t be normal by any means. The Grandmaster didn’t just play dirty; he poisoned Bi-Han with his lies and deceit.
Kuai Liang could see the rot crawling beneath his smile. This was how he had always been.
Long ago, when the grandmaster was still just Zǐ Lóng, Kuai Liang barely tolerated him and his sister, Xiuying, who was promised to Bi-Han one day.
He remembered the day Zǐ Lóng crushed the first rose from their garden bush. When Kuai confronted him, the older boy only laughed, tossing the broken bloom aside like it was nothing.
Unsure where else to turn, Kuai Liang had carried the ruined rose to their mother - only to be scolded for snapping the branch himself.
“Choose your path, brother.” The cryomancer said coldly. “Stay here and drown in disgrace, or leave and prove you’re worthy. You have one month. You can go now. And tell your lover I’m waiting for him.”
Kuai’s lips trembled. He stood up, bowed low, and walked out. The Lóng Zú grandmaster followed silently behind.

When Hanzo disappeared behind the door, the grandmaster’s hands found Kuai’s waist with unexpected gentleness, pulling him closer. He leaned in, his lips brushing softly against the young man’s ear.
“You have terrible taste in men.”
Kuai Liang slipped away, anger flaring in his eyes as he turned to face him.
“What have you done?” He yelled. “Why did you say that?”
Zǐ Lóng’s lips curled into a slow, cruel smile.
“What’s wrong?”
“You… You fucking bastard!”
“Know your place, beautiful.” The older man corrected smoothly. “Soon, you’ll be nothing but my toy.”
Kuai’s chest clenched; a cruel knot of rage and shame twisted tighter with each word.
“How dare you? I am not your toy - or anyone else’s.”
The grandmaster’s smirk deepened.
“Such fire...” He murmured, reaching out to brush his fingers against Kuai’s cheek. “It just makes everything more… entertaining.”
Kuai Liang slapped his hand away.
But Zǐ Lóng’s grip was iron, catching the youth’s wrist before he could pull free.
“You’ll learn respect.” He hissed, yanking him forward until their chests crushed together.
A sharp gasp escaped Kuai’s lips; his free hand flared with sudden flames - but the grandmaster was faster. A merciless squeeze at his pulse forced a painful moan, and the fire snuffed out with a whisper of smoke.
“Why do you hate me so?” The older man purred.
“You lied to my brother!”
“That’s for your little trick. You lied to me; I lied to him.” He tugged on Kuai’s hair, tilting his head back.
The youth froze. A cold wave of horror swept over him. His eyes widened, his heart pounded fiercely, and every muscle tensed as he stared at the older man - unable to move, yet unable to look away from the shock that held him in place.
“You think your lover will save you?” The grandmaster taunted, dragging his nails slowly down the side of Kuai’s neck.
Desperate, Kuai Liang twisted, his knee snapped upward, but laughter rumbled from Zǐ Lóng as he caught the strike, slamming the young pyromancer hard against the wall.
Then, without warning, his mouth was on Kuai’s - fierce, bruising, silencing every protest.
Kuai Liang gasped beneath the kiss; his fingers clawed at the grandmaster’s arm, but the grip on his hair tightened, forcing his head back further. He held back in the fight, knowing that if he struck the grandmaster down, even by accident, it would unleash a devastating war between their clans, drowning them all in blood.
What troubled Kuai Liang most was the man’s almost uncanny strength - like the living breath of ancient legends whispered among the Lóng Zú and the neighbouring grounds. They said the ruling family could shift into dragons, with their human forms still harbouring the fierce, timeless power of those mythical creatures. Kuai had never glimpsed a dragon beyond stories, never known if such magic was real, but in that moment, pressed beneath that impossible force, he felt the legend might be terrifyingly true.
The kiss was a storm - hot, possessive - teeth scraped his lower lip until copper flooded Kuai’s mouth. A desperate, angry sound escaped him, and the grandmaster smirked before biting down hard. His thigh pressed between Kuai’s legs, trapping him utterly, and his fingers dug cruelly into the boy’s jaw, forcing his mouth open wider.
Kuai Liang choked back a ragged breath. His nails raked frantic, desperate lines across the older man’s forearms until they bled.
A hand slid down Kuai’s side, fingers slipping beneath the hem of his robe, tracing a path across bare skin. The touch was scorching, possessive, and Kuai Liang arched away instinctively, but the grandmaster pressed him harder against the cold stone wall.
Zǐ Lóng’s other hand glided lower, curling possessively around Kuai’s hipbone as his tongue forced deeper into the youth’s mouth. Kuai Liang trembled, trapped between the chill of stone and the searing heat radiating from the grandmaster.
When the older man finally pulled back, Kuai’s lips were swollen, and a faint sheen of saliva glistened on his chin. He hated him. Hated this man. Hatred curled tight around his heart, deeper and stronger than anything he’d ever known.
“You’ll regret this.” The pyromancer spat angrily.
A low, dark laugh slipped from the Zǐ Lóng’s throat as his thumb traced over Kuai’s bruised lips, smearing blood across the tender pink skin.
“Regret? You’ll learn to beg for this.”

Lying in bed, Kuai Liang covered his face with his hands, as if trying to hold the pieces of his shattered calm like fragile glass slipping through his fingers.
His body still burnt with shame and anger, remembering how the grandmaster’s cold, unyielding strength had crushed his resistance.
A shudder rippled through the boy’s body, the old ache surfaced - all the pain etched deep from years ago, when the one he loved had spilt his secrets to careless ears. Kuai Liang curled tighter into himself. A whimper escaped from his lips before he could choke it back.
His mind drifted in fragmented flashes: hands grabbing him, drunken laughter too close to his ear, the scrape of a knife sheath against his hip moments before he broke free. Each time it left him trembling long after, just as now.
The silken sheets beneath him felt like ice, even through the sweat-damp fabric clinging to his skin. A bitter metallic tang lingered on his tongue - the taste of helplessness. He’d bitten his lip to stay silent.
He would never escape from this.
He would always be treated like nothing more than a plaything.
A floorboard groaned quietly outside the door. Kuai’s breath caught. Hanzo?
The youth closed his eyes, fighting to still the storm inside. A sob clawed at his chest, but he swallowed it down until his throat burnt with the effort.
“Kuai?”
The voice was soft, the one he longed to hear, yet it sent a jolt of panic through him, locking every muscle with tension. He didn’t answer.
The door eased open with a faint creak, and Hanzo’s shadow stretched long and silent into the room. The scent of cedar and bergamot clung to him, familiar and warm.
A rough hand brushed his wrist, tender in its strength. Kuai Liang didn’t pull away. But his heartbeat thundered so loud against his ribs, he was certain Hanzo could hear it.
“You’re upset.” The elder pyromancer murmured softly. “Did Bi-Han scold you that harshly?”
Kuai Liang closed his eyes, retreating into the safe darkness behind his lids - away from those eyes that always seemed to see too deeply.
“It wasn’t just scolding.” He breathed at last.
Hanzo moved closer.
“Tell me.”
“He-“ Kuai’s voice trembled, feeling a ghost of phantom touches trailing over his skin beneath his clothes. “He-“
Hanzo’s thumb stroked his wrist gently.
“Breathe.”
Kuai’s lips parted, but no words came out. Turning his face into the pillow, he muffled the quiet sob escaping from his chest.
“Love…” Hanzo’s fingers wove through his hair, calming him. “What happened?”
“He wants to send me to the Lóng Zú. What am I supposed to do?”
Hanzo’s fingers stilled in Kuai’s hair.
Though Bi-Han told him about that before, just hearing it again twisted a coil of dread deep inside Hanzo’s chest.
“I’m scared…” The youth finally whispered, sitting up. “If Bi-Han sends me there… It’s not just exile. It’s a sentence. To live in chains, made to kneel and obey. Like I’m nothing but a toy…”
Hanzo’s warm hand cradled Kuai’s cheek, sweeping away the damp traces left by tears.
“You won’t go. I won’t let him.”
“And what then? Fight my brother?”
“If I must.”
Hanzo’s thumb lingered against Kuai’s lip, still tender and split from where he’d bitten it earlier. A shaky exhale warmed his fingertips as the youth leaned into the touch, his lashes trembling like moth wings against flushed cheeks. Kuai squeezed his eyes shut tighter, and Hanzo pressed gentle kisses on the damp curve of his lashes.
“Why are you here?” Kuai Liang whispered.
Hanzo hesitated for a moment.
“I had to tell you something.”
“Hmm?”
The warrior exhaled slowly before his lips brushed Kuai’s temple - lingering there, breathing in the familiar scent that had become a balm to his restless soul.
“I cannot stay here forever.” He murmured at last. “I want to rebuild my clan.”
Kuai’s eyes fluttered open, still glistening with tears, and Hanzo’s chest tightened at the sight. Even like this - upset and trembling - he was breathtaking.
“But… why? You don’t want to be part of the Lin Kuei?”
“It’s not that simple…”
“And how do you plan to do it?”
Hanzo shrugged.
“At first… I’m thinking of going back to Japan.”
Japan.
A world away.
A life apart.
"You’re leaving… That’s why you came. To say goodbye."
Hanzo’s brow furrowed.
"No-“
Kuai Liang pulled back just enough to break contact, though the absence of Hanzo’s warmth made his skin ache.
“And us? What about me?”
“If you want to come with me, then you can.”
“If? What if I don’t? Would you just leave? Pretend I never mattered?”
“No! Kuai, my soul-“
“Your soul?” Tears were streaming down Kuai’s face as he laughed bitterly. “What about mine? You just fucked me when you wanted to… And now, you just toss me aside till the next time you need me! I told you I didn’t want to get close! I said I didn’t want to be hurt again! You simply used me! I gave you pieces of myself, and you crushed them without a second thought. What did I do wrong? What’s wrong with me?”
Hanzo swallowed hard.
“Kuai- Love… I never meant… Damn it.” He ran a hand through his hair, tightening his grip as if he could tear the regret straight from his skull.
God, Hanzo knew exactly how hot-tempered Kuai Liang could be, how quickly frustration and anger would blaze up in him. And still, against every warning etched deep in his bones, Hanzo had managed to make the most stupid, reckless mistake.
“You trailed after me like a desperate shadow, whining about your feelings every chance you got. And when I finally opened myself to you… You did something so cruel, so unforgivable. Why? Why would you do that knowing exactly how it would hurt me? Was it your plan? Did you do it on purpose?”
“No! I wanted to ask you to come with me!”
Kuai’s beautiful warm eyes were cold and distant now, reminding Hanzo of Bi-Han’s own icy stare.
“You’re chasing a dream. But I won’t let you play with my heart anymore. If you walk away, I’ll bury whatever’s left of us with you. Don’t expect me to wait. Don’t expect me to care.”
Hanzo reached out desperately, but Kuai flinched, as if burnt.
“Don’t.” The young pyromancer hissed. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
“Kuai, please… I don’t want to lose you!”
“You already lost me - when you chose your clan’s ghosts over me.”
Hanzo leaned closer.
“I love you.” He said. “I promised I’d never leave you. Please, Kuai Liang… Come with me. We could be together forever. I’m begging you to understand me. This isn’t my home. I don’t belong here.”
Kuai Liang sighed, exhausted.
“Then leave.”
“And you?”
“I’ll stay here.”

Notes:

Hey, guys!💖
Author here with a little heads-up: this month my story updates might come a bit later than usual. I’ll try to post weekly like always, but with my work taking over, things might get a bit hectic!🫰🏼
Just a heads-up in case a chapter drops late! I promise those upcoming ones will be super emotional, and I don’t want to leave you hanging on a cliffhanger! Thanks for understanding and sticking with me!💖

Chapter 11: Chapter eleven

Summary:

🚬🗿

“So, you’ll leave... Become the Grandmaster of your clan again, like before… And what about me? Where would I fit in all of that?”
Hanzo’s eyes softened, but Kuai Liang’s gaze remained sharp as a blade.
“What do you mean? You’d be by my side. We’d be together, just as we wished.”
The youth laughed bitterly.
“By your side? And I would be your consort?”
Hanzo bit his lip, understanding at last the ache behind Kuai’s words.
“Love… please, don’t...” He stepped forward cautiously. “I want to marry you. I do. But maybe we shouldn’t make it public right away. The world is cruel - people will judge us, and it would be harder to gather support if our relationship was known too soon. I think we should keep it a secret at first-“
“A secret?” Kuai’s voice trembled with disbelief. “After everything. After you vowed your heart to me, you want me to hide in the shadows like some shameful secret?”
“Kuai Liang…” Hanzo reached out, but the youth jerked away.
“No!”
For a moment, Hanzo’s hand lingered in the space between them, trembling, as if he were grasping at water slipping through his fingers.
Kuai’s tears fell quietly on the ground like raindrops. Each his exhale was sharp and unsteady, and his chest was rising and falling too fast. Hanzo recognised the signs immediately - it was a panic attack rising like a tidal wave. Kuai Liang told him that he was struggling with them a few years ago. But before he could speak, before he could try to calm him down, the youth turned away, intending to leave.
Hanzo lunged, gripping Kuai’s wrist with desperation.
“Wait!”
The young pyromancer froze. He didn’t turn, didn’t pull away, but his silence was worse than any protest.
“Look at me.”
Kuai Liang turned just enough for Hanzo to see the tears glistening on his cheeks.
“I’m begging for your forgiveness. Please, love. Understand me! If we proclaim our love now, they will whisper terrible things and castigate us before we can even stand united.”
Kuai’s lips curled into an icy smile.
“So that’s all I am? A secret? A warm body to hide in the dark, never worthy to stand beside you in the light? I will lose my family, my home, and my position - all just to be kept hidden? Did you ever truly see me as yours?”
“You know that’s not true! I love you. I want to be with you. Always.”
“Then prove it.” The young pyromancer wrenched free, stepping back until the distance grew a chasm between them. “Look me in the eyes and tell me what I am to you.”
“Kuai Liang... You are my world. Nothing else matters if I lose you.”
“Then why keep me a secret?”
Hanzo’s throat clenched. No words came. Explanations would only dig a deeper grave for him.
“I hate myself.” Kuai said quietly. “I hate myself because I allowed myself to trust you. I hate myself because I allowed myself to love you.”
Hanzo’s knees buckled. His throat burnt with helplessness. He took a step, then another - but Kuai was already slipping through the door, leaving him alone with the echo of his pain. The soft sound of his footsteps quickly faded into the distance. Away.

“You haven’t eaten for days.” Tomas frowned, setting down the bowl of lukewarm congee beside Kuai Liang.
No answer came.
Kuai hadn’t left his room in two days and hadn’t touched a single bite. His lips were pale, and dark shadows clung beneath his eyes like a veil. Tomas swallowed a lump in his throat - his brother looked less like himself and more like a ghost drifting in a waking nightmare.
“Do you want to starve yourself to death?”
He nudged the bowl forward with deliberate slowness; the soft scrape of porcelain against wood echoed in the stillness. At last, Kuai’s eyes fluttered open, heavy and glassy.
Tomas reached out, brushing his fingers against Kuai Liang's wrist. The heat radiating from his skin was unnatural, feverish, though the pulse fluttered weakly, like a trapped butterfly beneath his skin.
“Brother…” Tomas murmured softly. “I’m worried about you.”
“Why… why do you care?”
Tomas wanted to tell him the truth - because I love you - but those words felt too raw, too harsh for this moment. So he remained silent until his brother spoke again.
“I can’t do this anymore. Why is it happening to me?”
Tomas sighed.
“Kuai… listen. Hanzo isn’t a bad person. He cares for you. He loves you. He just-”
“No! He wants to leave me. And I don’t know why. I keep asking myself if I wasn’t enough.”
A single tear traced the sharp line of his cheekbone before vanishing into the tangled mess of his hair. Tomas’ chest tightened. He hesitated, then carefully shifted closer on the edge of the bed. He resisted the urge to smooth the tangled blanket wrapped around Kuai’s waist - how had it gotten so twisted?
“You are enough. You’re perfect.”
Kuai’s lips parted, but he didn’t answer. He was drained beyond repair - emotionally and physically.
Tomas closed his eyes for a moment, remembering what Kuai Liang had been like as a child. Back when they were kids, he cried over scraped knees or lost toys, and they all knew it was fleeting. He was the biggest crybaby and the most spoilt of the three, always demanding attention until someone caved. Those childish tears could be soothed with sweets and toys.
Tomas recalled one summer afternoon, when they were just kids, Kuai had woken up from a nightmare crying so hard the whole palace was roused. The boys’ mother tried to soothe him, but only Bi-Han had managed to calm Kuai down by softly singing an old lullaby.
But this was different.
Now, no lullaby could bridge the gulf left by Hanzo’s absence, no familiar melody to soothe this new kind of grief. This wasn’t tears from a scraped knee; this was the deep, hollow ache of a broken heart bleeding in silence. Those quiet sobs - oh, how they tightened Tomas’ chest.
“Let me brush your hair.” Tomas said softly, attempting to ease the heaviness that clung to the room. “It’s starting to tangle, and you won’t want it like this.”
Kuai Liang said nothing - no protest, no acceptance. Tomas took that silence as permission. He reached for the brush on the bedside table and began working through the knots with gentle patience. The air instantly filled with a rich sweetness - a creamy, floral scent of ylang-ylang from the oil he’d smoothed into the bristles earlier.
The brush caught on a stubborn tangle, and Tomas paused, delicately teasing the strands apart with his fingers before resuming. For a while, the only sounds in the room were the faint creak of the bed as Kuai shifted and the soft whisper of hair being smoothed.
Tomas always adored Kuai’s thick, dark hair - each strand was rich and luxurious like midnight silk that swallowed the light. Unlike his brothers, Tomas preferred the simplicity of a short cut. Bi-Han had never let his hair down, the neatness a contrast to Kuai’s alluring elegance. There was a quiet poetry in how it framed his face with soft waves that caught the sun like shadows dancing at dusk.
Tomas’ fingers lingered at the nape of Kuai’s neck, gathering loose strands that escaped his grasp. His fingertips brushed the flushed skin there, slightly fevered beneath the surface. The brush trembled ever so slightly in his hand, each stroke growing slower, as if afraid that too much pressure might fracture something inside his brother.
“Why did you push him away so abruptly?”
A shudder rattled through Kuai’s shoulders.
“Because he wants to leave. Tomas, don’t you understand? If he truly wanted me… he wouldn’t speak like that - talking about moving to Japan and saying I could come along if I wished. What am I to him, then? An accessory? A trophy? What’s the difference between him and Zǐ Lóng then? What am I for? He doesn’t want to take me with him; he can’t marry me, so what am I for him? Something used to show off and fuck when he wants? I’d rather be with someone I hate who’s honest with me than with someone I love who can’t be honest even with himself.”
The brush fell still between Tomas’ fingers. The sweet scent of the oil couldn’t soften the bitterness hanging in the air.
“Kuai… Please… You know I have a crush on you. And it hurts knowing the one I love can’t be mine. I’m not asking for anything - I know Hanzo owns your heart - but just… give him the chance I never had. Don’t hurt him. Don’t hurt yourself.”
Kuai shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I just... It feels like all I’m ever good for is to be someone’s plaything. Nothing more.”
“What are you saying? Kuai-“
Without warning, the pyromancer rose and put on his robe.
“I have to go. I have to speak to him.”
Tomas swallowed a lump in his throat.
“Yes. You have to.”

The bedroom door creaked open, and there he stood - an apparition bathed in silver moonlight.
Kuai Liang leaned lightly against the doorframe with his arms crossed; the pale glow was tracing the sharp lines of his bare shoulders. His long hair, cascading to his waist, swayed softly as he tilted his head, and his beautiful foxy eyes looked at Hanzo teasingly.
“Pathetic.” He murmured.
Hanzo’s breath caught in his throat.
“You came back! I was so scared! I thought you would never come here again!”
A slow smirk curled Kuai’s lips as he slid into the room, approaching with his signature feline grace; his bare feet made no sound on the floor. Moonlight was outlining the lean strength of his thighs beneath the loose fabric clinging to him. He paused just inches from the bed, close enough for Hanzo to catch the faint, sweet trace of honeysuckle clinging to his skin.
Hanzo’s fingers dug into the sheets, torn between reaching out and guarding himself against another sharp-tongued rejection. But Kuai Liang didn’t say anything. With deliberate slowness, he lowered himself into Hanzo’s lap.
“Love… what are you-“
“Shh!”
His fingers traced lightly up Hanzo’s bare chest, grazing hard muscle before curling possessively around his throat.
“You look desperate.” Kuai whispered, tilting his head as his thumb stroked along the frantic beat of Hanzo’s pulse. “Begging for me just with your eyes.”
Hanzo’s hips jerked instinctively, seeking contact, but Kuai shifted back just enough to deny him. His grip tightened imperceptibly, now pressing against the pounding vein in Hanzo’s throat.
Kuai Liang leaned down.
“Say it.” He breathed. His lips brushed Hanzo’s ear, sending a shiver down his spine. “Say you’re sorry.”
Hanzo swallowed hard.
“Kuai Liang… love… I’m so sorry.” His words trembled with want and regret at the same time. “I’m sorry. By the Elder Gods, Kuai Liang, I never meant this. I never wanted to hurt you.”
A warmth bloomed as Kuai’s lips curved against Hanzo’s ear; his breath was soft and satisfied before he pulled back, locking eyes with a dark, half-lidded predatory gleam.
“Good.”
A low purr rumbled as he rolled his hips in slow, teasing circles, drawing a choked groan from Hanzo’s throat.
Kuai’s nails traced slow, deliberate lines down the older man’s chest, leaving faint, pink trails in their wake. And his body responded immediately. Hanzo could feel his cock twitching beneath the thin barrier of fabric separating them.
“You sound sorry…” Kuai Liang purred, rolling his hips with increasing pressure - the heat of him maddeningly close, pressed against his lover’s restrained length. “But I wonder…” He leaned in, lips grazing Hanzo’s jaw now. “Are you really?”
Hanzo’s hands flew up, gripping the youth’s narrow waist. His fingers dug into the delicate bones there.
“You know I am.”
A teasing grin curved Kuai’s lips as he slid his pants down slowly, finally sinking onto Hanzo’s hardness. His back arched with a soft, breathy sigh, and thighs trembled with the delicious stretch. Hanzo’s grip tightened, his nails grazed tender skin, fighting the instinct to thrust upward into that devastating heat.
Kuai’s hair tumbled over half his face, shadowing one sly, shining eye and the corner of plush, pink lips.
“It was your fault.” He smiled, leaning close, raven-black strands pooling across his lover’s chest. “You pushed me away.”
“That’s not true!” Hanzo gripped the young man’s waist tightly, so scared that he would slip out of his hands again. “I love you, Kuai Liang. Please, don’t do this! Don’t leave me!”
A low, mirthful laugh escaped Kuai’s lips as he tossed his head back. His tender, silken walls tightened one last time around Hanzo before he whispered,
“Too late.”
With a growl, Hanzo surged upward, capturing the youth by the hips and flipping him onto his back in one fluid, fierce motion.
“What do you mean?”
All that met him was Kuai’s pearly white smile.
Hanzo’s eyes snapped open to an empty room. Had it been a dream? He hadn’t even realised when sleep stole over him.
He was so hard in his pants that it was embarrassing. With a guttural growl, he kicked the blankets away, but the cold air did nothing to douse the fire burning under his skin.
Damn it. Kuai Liang was angry with him, and here he was, lost in fantasies of fucking him.
Hanzo covered his face with his hands in frustration. He was so screwed… How had he let things get so wrong? Kuai Liang was sometimes as tender as a kitten, but the moment his temper flared, he became a fierce, unyielding panther. Usually, Hanzo could calm him with passion, but this time… he knew this time was different. Kuai Liang wanted nothing to do with him.
A low groan escaped Hanzo’s throat as his cock throbbed beneath the sheets. The phantom warmth of Kuai Liang’s body clung to him. The memory of those tight, hot walls squeezing around him was so vivid it made him as hard as a rock. His fingers twitched toward his length, aching for relief, but he clenched his fist against the urge. No.
Kuai’s teasing laughter echoed in Hanzo’s skull, and that wicked glint in his eye as he’d pulled away… “Too late.”
“Pathetic.”
Hopeless…
Suddenly, soft footsteps whispered through the quiet - faint and fluid, as graceful and silent as a cat’s. It was Kuai’s approach, unmistakable, a familiar echo in the stillness of the evening, pulling Hanzo back with a feeling of déjà vu.
The pyromancer held his breath, silently praying the youth was heading to his room, not wandering somewhere else. The guards forbade Hanzo’s entrance to Kuai’s chambers, so he could only wait and hope.
And then, there he was.
Hanzo’s prayers were answered.
Kuai Liang was standing in the doorway, just like in the dream, but with weary eyes that told of nights spent crying. Dark circles shadowed his eyelids, and his lips were trembling. Tears glistened like fragile stars in his amber eyes.
“Baby…” Hanzo whispered weakly. “Love…”
Kuai Liang leaned against the frame with one hand, the other brushing his hair back.
“I need it. One last time. I need it so badly…”
In an instant, Kuai was completely naked, his body bare and flawless as he slid onto the bed with that familiar, effortless grace.
“Kuai…” Hanzo’s voice trembled. Was this real or just another trick of his weary mind?
“Shut up. Don’t say anything.” Kuai Liang’s lips pressed tight as he eased down onto his lover’s dick, teeth clenched against the sharp sting of the dry stretch.
It burnt. Hanzo hissed through clenched teeth as Kuai’s body clenched tightly around him like a burning vice.
This was indeed real.
“Aah!” Kuai gasped, his thighs trembled as he sank lower.
His body fought the ache of intrusion as he forced himself to take more. Tears were pouring down his cheeks like silver rivers of pain and pleasure.
A broken whimper filled the air between them as Kuai finally settled completely onto his lover’s cock, stretched taut, raw and real. Hanzo could feel every shudder, every clench of muscle, and his hands rose instinctively, cradling Kuai’s waist, steadying him.
The youth’s nails left pink, burning trails across Hanzo’s skin, and his thighs trembled - his body refused to adjust easily.
“You’re… ah! Hurting yourself!” The older pyromancer whispered through gritted teeth.
“I don’t care.” Kuai Liang replied, moving his hips despite the ache.
A curse slipped from Hanzo’s lips as the youth arched above him. Too dry, too rough, but Kuai pressed on, biting back a moan, forcing his body up and down once more.
Hanzo could feel the dampness now - whether sweat or blood, he wasn’t sure - slicking the slide just enough to make Kuai Liang’s movements less punishing.
Each fluid, painstaking roll of his lover’s hips sent tongues of fire flickering along Hanzo’s nerves. The raw drag hovered on the edge of pain until, finally, Kuai’s body yielded, slick and trembling with reluctant surrender.
His breath caught, his fingers clawed at Hanzo’s chest and shoulders as his rhythm faltered. A broken, melodic moan escaped Kuai’s bitten-red lips as his thighs trembled violently.
Hanzo growled low in his throat; his grip tightened until bruises bloomed on Kuai Liang’s skin as he drove upward in a sharp snap of his hips. Each movement forced the youth deeper onto him, eliciting moans that fractured into desperate cries.
Between them, Kuai Liang’s length twitched, flushed and leaking. His body tensed like a drawn bowstring, coiling pleasure impossibly tight. Then, a long cry tore from his lips as release washed through him in shuddering waves, spilling hot, thick spurts across Hanzo’s chest.
“Aaah!” Kuai bit down on his lover’s shoulder, trembling uncontrollably under his touch. His gorgeous body convulsed with pleasure.
Hanzo’s own climax followed immediately; his hips jerked upward, burying himself wholly inside Kuai’s fluttering silk. Heat radiated between them, pulsing deep and wild as his fingers dug bruises into Kuai’s hips, riding the white-hot tide of pleasure crashing over them both.
Kuai shuddered atop him, his body still clenching in slow, lingering aftershocks, squeezing Hanzo’s cock impossibly tight.
They stayed like this for a while. Kuai’s eyes were shut, and Hanzo couldn’t take his own eyes off of him.
Silently, the young pyromancer slid off and collapsed onto the bed. Hanzo reached for a tissue, gently wiping the mingled blood and cum from Kuai’s thighs before cleaning himself.
“Love…” He began, but Kuai Liang interrupted sharply.
“Shut up.”
Hanzo swallowed, uncertain about what to do.
“Then why are you here if you’re still mad at me?”
“I just wanted sex.” The youth closed his eyes. “Now don’t disturb me. I want to sleep.”
“You want to sleep here?”
Kuai Liang said nothing, but Hanzo caught the faint tremble of his lower lip and the brief hitch in his breath before it evened again.
The warrior sighed and tenderly draped a blanket over Kuai’s body - the same one he kicked off when he almost jerked off to the dream of fucking him.
Hanzo wanted to speak - there was so much to say - but the moment was wrong. Instead, he simply watched the slow rise and fall of Kuai’s chest and how his long, wet lashes fluttered lightly. The urge to reach out, to gently brush away the tear tracks that marred his lover’s cheeks, throbbed painfully inside him, but he held back.
With each breath Kuai took, the blanket slipped lower, revealing the dark bruises blooming where Hanzo gripped too tightly. A single bead of sweat traced the delicate curve of his collarbone, igniting a sudden ache in Hanzo’s chest. He longed to follow that path with his lips, to kiss away every mark he left, to press his mouth to the pulse fluttering in the youth’s throat... Yet Kuai’s harsh words still hung between them.
Hanzo felt lost.
Raw helplessness swallowed him whole for the first time since he found himself in this new timeline.
Part of him dared to hope: Kuai Liang was here, still close, still wanting. But then the dark thought stung him - perhaps Kuai no longer loved him at all? If he had really come only for sex, if his heart still coiled with anger, Hanzo had no right to even look at him. But the warmth of Kuai’s body beside him kept him anchored to the bed.
So Hanzo lay there, restless and spent, aching to touch Kuai Liang, to hold him, to kiss at first his damp lashes, then those soft, pink lips. But still, he did not move.
The night swallowed him whole, mercifully sparing him the dreams that left him more exhausted upon waking.
By morning, he would find the courage to speak. To tell Kuai Liang what his heart had held tight all along: how deeply, wholly, he loved him.

Morning broke, but when Hanzo’s eyes fluttered open, the space beside him was empty. Kuai Liang, so full of fire and passion just a few hours ago, had vanished like smoke on the morning breeze.
Hanzo’s heart tightened in disbelief. Memories of the night clung to him fiercely - Kuai’s trembling body, the desperate grasp at his shoulders, and the blend of pain and desire that had seared between them. The intensity of it all made Kuai’s absence the loudest silence in the room.
Hanzo rose silently and moved through the palace halls. The soft glow of dawn did nothing to quell his rising worry. Kuai wasn’t in his bed, not in his chambers, nowhere in the training grounds or dining hall. The garden held only stillness, and the graveyard where his parents rested was quiet and empty. Every familiar place held only emptiness.
A cold knot settled deep in Hanzo’s chest. Where had Kuai gone? Had the pain driven him far away, searching for solitude? Or worse, slipping deeper into his despair?
He knew Kuai Liang was hurting - broken, fragile. But disappearing like this after the night they spent together wasn’t something he would do.
Maybe the hot springs? Hanzo’s hope sparked, and he hurried there. But as he arrived, he stumbled upon Tomas who had just stepped out from the bath, hastily wrapping a towel around himself at the sight of Hanzo.
“Good morning.” The youth murmured softly.
“Where is Kuai Liang?” Hanzo asked impatiently.
Tomas blinked, looking genuinely confused.
“You didn’t know? Just an hour ago, they left for the Lóng Zú.”