Here it is! The sequel to Encounter! I think that Encounter has been one of my more popular stories, and is my personal favorite. So when my darling readers asked for more Shiki x Akira, I simply had to oblige. I did not like the idea of beginning another story outside of the context of Encounter, considering that the ending has kind of become canon in my mind – so I decided to continue with the same "universe" as my original story. Please enjoy and review! Tally ho!

Meadie out.

{Merge}

{Chapter One: Love and War}

Akira hummed lightly in his sleep, and the sound was as sweet and refreshing as the breeze that whipped between the trees among which we sat, churning the fallen leaves from their resting places on the ground and tossing them heartlessly into the air. The bloody tint of the canopy over our heads reminded me that the world continued to revolve beyond the grimy borders of Toshima; even though that god forsaken place seemed to be trapped in some vile, inescapable dreariness that felt like perpetual winter. It felt bizarre to transition from that gargantuan grey prison of scum and mongrels to the silence of this place, though geography and an unobstructed view indicated our startling proximity to the newly reemployed war zone. The resounding echoes of gunfire could be heard from our place in the grove, as we had not made it very far, my pet's weariness from the previous night's events resurfacing as the adrenaline of escape had waned. He struggled to keep pace for quite a few excruciatingly long kilometers until I determined a place safe enough for him to obtain some dearly needed rest before continuing our exodus from Toshima.

A spry autumn breeze caused my ebony hair to fall over my face and urged me to glance up to the sun, determining that nearly an hour of sleep would have to be sufficient for Akira at the moment. It was still painfully early, the full robustness of the orange star having scarcely freed itself from the horizon as it continued to paint the expanse of the sky in rich pastels that nearly wounded my eyes with their foreign cheeriness. Grumbling, I shifted slightly, feeling the rugged texture of the maple against which I sat kneading into my shoulders with the refreshing inconsistency of that which is natural. When I moved, Akira made no effort to rouse himself as he leaned against me heavily, his back against my chest while he sat between my thighs, wild strands of grey hair splayed over my shoulder in stark contrast to my coat. I sighed at his stubbornness and pressed my lips against the exposed skin of his pale neck.

"Pet, we need to keep moving. The now is not the time for rest, you can sleep later."

He merely grumbled defiantly, his brows knitting together tightly as he attempted to sink more wholly against my frame, merging his warmth with mine and nuzzling aggressively into my chest. I began to grow irritated with his juvenile fussing and resolved to tease him into wakefulness, one of my hands drifting beneath his shirt and over the lean expanse of his stomach as the other trailed lightly along his inner thigh. A smirk pulled at my lips when he hummed and pressed absently into my ghosting touches.

"Shiki…." Akira mumbled, his voice sleepy and seductive.

"Come along," I purred against his jaw, savoring his shudder and sigh as I placed a gentle kiss beneath his ear before biting the lobe roughly, gracing the assaulted flesh with another brushing of my lips when he whimpered. "It's time to wake up, pet."

"Stop calling me pet," he rebuked quietly with a hiss.

I chuckled smugly at his comment and pressed my palm more firmly against his stiffening groin. "You may call yourself whatever you wish. But you are still my pet and I am still your master, Akira."

The grey-haired man between my legs gave a dissatisfied huff, leaning against me more dramatically as his hand covered mine and he ground his hips upwards, the texture of his taut jeans rough against my calloused fingers. Glancing up at me with tired, but lustful, eyes, Akira easily captured my attention with his glacial gaze, and I allowed his lithe digits to trail up my neck to tangle into the hair at the base of my skull, his blunt nails scratching into my scalp. He trapped my lips for a kiss, our tongues tying sensual knots as we melted together, but he soon pulled away, his words vibrating against my mouth as he spoke.

"Let's stay here, Shiki. I'm tired." His lean, muscular arms fell to his lap with a heavy huff and a groan of disappointment when I nudged him into wakefulness, nipping at his neck.

"Akira, pet. Now is not the time, we need to keep moving; because I'm certain that both the CFC and Nikkouren forces are becoming very frustrated in their attempts to find us about now. We don't want to be caught when they finally decide to cast their nets farther, do we?"

"I told you not to bite me, Shiki," Akira reprimanded with a stern glare, thick strands of grey hair falling across his face.

I could do nothing to prevent myself from laughing at his absurd, yet oddly endearing concern for my wellbeing, and he dug his elbow into my ribs as I hummed smugly, inhaling deeply and savoring his scent. "I survived taking in Nano's blood, so I doubt that a few drops of yours would do me much harm. Especially considering your past inability to dispose of me. Plus, I can't resist. It tastes so sweet, just as the rest of your body does; like honey on my tongue."

"You're so fucked up," he hissed, tensing as my gloved hand closed loosely around his throat, pulling him back against my chest firmly.

"And yet you never deny me. You love it, don't you? Don't lie to yourself."

Akira scoffed and swatted my hand away, reclining against me with satisfaction, his glacial eyes closing as he struggled to tumble once again into sleep. "Leave me alone. I'm tired."

"Up. Come along, you can rest once we find a suitable place to do so. But not until after I've tasted that body again; I'll fuck you just as you like, Akira."

"Pervert," he grumbled as he shifted to rise to his feet, freezing when I grasped his slight arousal, massaging him and savoring his flustered groan as he swatted my palm away. "Shiki… leave me alone. Stop teasing."

"No, pet," my words purred against his neck, and I could feel bumps rising on his skin when he shuddered pleasantly beneath my touch. "Sleep later."

Akira pushed me away in disappointment and stood up, dusting himself off and folding his arms over his chest defiantly. "I hate you."

"No you don't," I cooed dangerously, rising and molding my chest to his back, wrapping my arms around his small frame and pulling him to me snugly. He flinched slightly and sighed as I laid my lips against the brutal bite that Keisuke had branded him with the night before, frowning at the thought of another man attempting to steal my pet away from me. Curious, I decided to satisfy the jealous possessiveness that I refused to admit existed, though the nagging feeling was always there, churning hotly in my gut. "Akira, would you have given yourself to him? Would you have let him take you as you allow me to?"

"Shiki, what are you saying?" he asked in astonishment, turning to face me with an odd expression, still encircled by my arms.

"Would you? Answer me, Akira."

"No!" he rebuked, knitting his brows together in concern. After a moment his gaze broke away from my crimson glare, studying the fallen leaves as they skittered about on the ground, lifted and tossed away by the fickle breeze. "Maybe I would have at one time. But no. Not since that first night when you let me live. Just you now, Shiki. Nobody else."

I chuckled as he nuzzled against me, his fingers curling into my coat when I slid my hand beneath his shirt, trailing my palm over his lower back and kneading comforting circles into the sinewy muscle there. He met me for a searing kiss, our tongues and lips merging as we melted together, my digits tangling into the mess of grey hair at the base of his skull as I pulled him close. "Just me, hmm? Are you saying that you love me, Akira?" I teased with a smirk.

"No!" he scoffed as he shoved me away, but his fingers quickly wove between mine, a delicious blush tinting his angular cheeks. "Are you stupid...?"

Humming smugly, I kissed Akira's temple and tugged on his hand, urging him to follow as I collected my katana from its resting place against the proud maple behind us and strode through the grove, heading west. I could feel his thumb stroking my knuckles contently as he trailed closely on my heels, and the sensation of his pale blue eyes on my back made me uneasy in a strangely pleasant way. He squeezed my hand to draw my attention, and I tossed an inquisitive glance over my shoulder at him, waiting for him to finally express the concerns which I knew had been resting heavily in the shadowy recesses of his mind.

"Where are we going?"

"I told you that we could go where ever you desire, but seeing as you have yet to inform me of where that might be, my current priority is to make it out of Japan unnoticed."

Akira nodded and hummed in agreement, his gaze focused intently on my boots as I tugged him along, my patience growing exceptionally thin. "They're going to keep hunting us; both Nikkouren and the CFC. I'm sure they know that Nano is dead by now, but they might not be aware that we're together and they're probably going to look for us each individually."

"Naturally," I scoffed at his painfully evident observation, dismissing his foolishness as a mere side effect of exhaustion. "They are far too imbecilic to come to any such conclusion; at least not for quite some time. It's pitiful, really. They're like apes chasing smoke. Though I'm sure that apes would likely be offended by the comparison."

He snorted in weary amusement before falling into silence, following me obediently like a puppy, keeping tightly at my heels as we continued our exodus away from the cement jungle of Toshima's crumbling, putrid skyline in the distance at our backs. I found myself counting my steps diligently and for no apparent purpose, perhaps seeking out something – no matter how banal – to occupy my mind as we stalked westward. As the sun rose higher in the remarkably clear sky and our shadows grew shorter, I began to seek out a place for us to conceal ourselves for the remainder of the daylight hours to rest. It was far too unwise to continue during the day, when we could be easily seen and sought out by our pursuers. No matter, we were growing weary, and our time in Toshima had essentially rendered us both to be nocturnal, the vile smog and depressing atmosphere of that place submerging it in some form of eternal night. We had become much like the sightless fish that dwelled in the deepest chasms of the ocean, the darkness causing eyes to become entirely obsolete, rather instead enhancing the other senses to aching sensitivity. The analogy was most fitting, as the prolonged deprivation of goodness and daylight to which we had become accustomed had urged instinct to surface with surprising vigor, enhancing the chances of survival.

At last, we happened upon an abandoned bunker and opted to take up temporary residence in the monastic space, our tiredness and lack of recollection of anything considered to be luxurious making it easy to disregard the slight musty stench and the impressively thick layers of dust. This cement fortress was far older than any produced during the Third Divide, and I concluded that it had likely been constructed around the era of the Second World War, when the atrocities of battle were spread far beyond the borders of the isle of Japan. Despite its blatant outdated traits, the previous residents were conveniently fearful enough of war to update the bunker's electrical system, providing us with meager light from the single bare bulb that hung from the ceiling. There were linens for the small bed that was shoved dismissively into the corner as well as a minor supply of non-perishable provisions; none too appetizing in my opinion, but useful enough to provide some nourishment for Akira's weakened body.

Even in the potent darkness, my pet was able to locate the small bed in the corner almost instantly, and he shuffled pitifully to it before flopping down on the weary mattress with a noticeable lack of grace. The frame groaned beneath his weight as he groaned beneath the weight of his own exhaustion, and he absently kicked off his sneakers before curling into himself, his back to me as he slid closer to the wall. I chuckled lowly with a smirk when Akira reached behind himself, patting the empty space beside him in silence, urging me to come to his side. Shrugging free of my coat and removing my boots in a manner far more patient and organized than his own, I settled myself into the mattress, my body suddenly becoming heavy with a tiredness that I had been previously unaware of.

"Shiki," the grey-haired man hummed drowsily as his hand fumbled about, seeking out my own. He sighed with contentment when I placed my palm against the back of his hand, weaving our fingers together before tugging him firmly against my chest.

"What's the matter, pet?" I questioned, my words purring against his neck.

"I wanted to make sure that you hadn't left me."

"What a foolish thing to say, Akira," I rebuked gently as I deposited a chaste kiss on his shoulder, a bit too tired for wholehearted taunts. "I promised, remember? And plus, why would I leave what's mine behind, hmm? Foolish indeed – and wasteful. Now let me taste you, pet."

He responded with a sleepy scoff, but tugged our entwined hands up to his face, running his lips across my fingers before sinking his teeth into my knuckle, and I sucked in a mildly startled breath. Akira seemed pleased by my reaction and soothed the assaulted flesh with his tongue, frowning as I began to trail my hands down his delectable, lean body, eventually dipping beneath his belt. "Stop that. You said you'd let me sleep."

"Is that so?"

"Hmm," he nodded as he glanced over his shoulder at me, watching me carefully with lidded eyes and pressing his lips lightly to mine.

"I believe that was conditional. Now if you do not tell me how you wish to be taken, I will fuck you as I like. And I am not in the mood for gentleness, Akira."

He sighed and nuzzled into his lumpy pillow, "Do whatever you like, I don't care."

The slight knot of arousal in my gut was suddenly tightened when he purred those words against my lips, and a startling tautness tore at my chest, some strange blending of emotions that I had not experienced in a long time boiling to the surface. One was vaguely familiar, as I could easily recall experiencing it the night before, while killing Nano. It ached in the most pleasant way, an elusive feeling that transcended the realm of the standard spectrum of human sentiment. It seemed to be borne in its weakest form from the union of lust and anxiety, or perhaps rather excitement melted with fear; and it was divine. At last I managed to identify it as pure, delectable exhilaration. The other was considerably more unsettling, as its identification was much less difficult to ascertain: affection. Regardless, I shooed my analytical musings from the forefront of my thoughts, electing instead to merely savor the succulent sensations provided by being in Akira's presence in such an intimate way.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, pet? I won't take responsibility for any damage done to that specimen of a body."

"If you'll leave me alone, then this is what I want, Shiki," Akira mumbled, turning to face me as I leaned over him, my presence bearing down upon his smaller frame as I claimed a kiss. "Just promise me something."

I drug my teeth over his lip, savoring his shudder when I spoke. "What might that be?"

"Just promise…" he began, suddenly becoming bashful and burying his face in the slope between my neck and shoulder. "Just promise that if I say 'stop', you will."

"What?" I queried, arching my brow curiously at his request. "I wouldn't hurt you, Akira."

"Promise?"

"Of course. But that doesn't mean I won't make you suffer…" I teased lowly as my fingers removed his belt, "from want."

"Shiki, you bastard. That's not fair," he hissed when I restrained his hands, admiring the lightly sculpted 'v' that descended into his jeans as I fastened his wrists to the bed frame above his head, and I chuckled with a smirk when he glared at me bitterly.

"'All is fair in love and war'," I purred, stripping off my own shirt before disrobing him entirely. "And this, pet, is certainly the latter."

"I fucking hate y—," he spat, swallowing the final remnants of his insult with a gasp when I took his arousal into my mouth, my tongue tracing lazy patterns across the smooth surface of his length. I continued to tease him for a while, sucking and bobbing my head, smirking around his arousal while he moaned and arched his back, his fingers curling as he fought against his leather binds. It was a study in futility, and watching my pet strain so delectably against his lust gave me a potent sense of satisfaction that seemed to sweeten even further his taste on my tongue. Though I wanted to bite him, to mark him as mine, to take him in that very instant at my own discretion, I refrained from such teasing and continued my assault with agonizing persistence.

"Shiki, dammit… please."

"Patience is a virtue, pet."

"What the hell do you know of virtues, you sadistic son of a bitch?"

He cried out with a sweet groan when I pushed a single finger into him, and his frame became a trembling mess as I drug the digit harshly across the tangle of nerves, causing him to moan and beg and struggle under the crushing weight of his desire. I added another and kissed him fervently, our tongues tying themselves together, our lips and teeth making the connection wickedly erotic, and I began to lose my prior restraint. Freeing my arousal from the confines of my unforgiving leather pants, my hand ghosted lightly from his hip and across his bare chest, coming to rest at his jugular, where I wrapped my fingers around his throat. He gasped, icy eyes growing wide with sudden apprehension, but he continued to seek out my attentions, attempting to find some relief by grinding his hips up against me. My digits persistently prodded and teased the knot of pleasure within him until he was rocking down on my hand desperately, his voice little more than panting breaths and weak, pleading moans.

"Shiki, I'm gonna…"

"No. You must wait until I'm inside you."

"I—I can't."

"Enough of your fussing," I warned, curling my fingers again and coaxing a string of groans and muffled curses to parade between his lips. "Wait, Akira."

"Shiki, no. Shiki stop… STOP!"

It seemed as if a switch deep within my cognizance had been promptly flipped at the sound of those words, and I froze instantaneously, my movements stilling as I cautiously removed my digits from within him. "Akira…."

"Untie me."

Gingerly, I leaned over him, tugging on the strap of the belt and allowing it to slip free, his wrists red and angry from his struggling. But before I could react or mumble out a reluctant apology, Akira had shoved me onto my back roughly, latching our lips together with surprising force as he straddled my hips. He carefully began to lower himself onto my length, whimpering softly at the sensation and wrenching his eyes tightly shut, sighing with relief as his thighs finally touched my own.

"Fuck… hurts."

I bit my lip when he started to roll his hips against me, rising and falling on me subtly and curling his blunt fingernails into the skin of my chest, leaving behind shallow scratches and red arcs in stark contrast to the paleness. Akira was beautiful – his expression delectable and his complexion flushed with a slight pink tint from exertion, grey locks falling in front of his closed eyes while his lips panted and hummed his contentment. Unable to resist, I placed my hand at the back of his skull, pulling him down to meet me for a kiss that was fierce but oddly gentle. The union of our lips conveyed far more than any fracture in the silence could, as it spoke basely of our passion, our desire, and the loneliness that we purged from each other's hearts. I thrust my hips up into him, my other hand landing on his back in order to keep his body firmly against my own as I savored his warmth. My fingers kneaded soothing circles into the sinewy muscles, tracing the delicate ridges of his spine like a cartographer mapping the Andes, the landscape lovely and rugged.

"I'm getting close…."

"As am I, pet," I panted in response as I closed my fist around his arousal.

"Ah!" Akira cried out after a certain jerk of my hips, "Do that again."

I quickly obliged, his walls tightening around me as he trembled in my arms, his breathing labored with lust and the impending strike of satiating climax. He moaned my name in a sweet voice as he reached his peak, guiding me to release shortly after, the sensation oddly smothering yet pleasant beyond measure. We met in a flurry of sloppy afterthoughts of kisses, his head falling against my chest as he trailed his lips along my collar and jugular, stopping to feel my pulse as I had done to him several days before.

"That was quite devious of you, Akira. Deceiving me so wickedly."

"Hmm. Now your heart is racing, Il-Re," the grey-haired man taunted with a smirk.

I chuckled at his snarky comment, brushing some wild fringe away from his eyes and leaving a light kiss on his temple. "You're the only one who can do that to me, pet. You should be proud, for it is no easy feat."

"You smug bastard," he scoffed, closing his eyes and laying heavily against my frame, his breathing soon becoming deep and monotonous.

"Sleep now, Akira."