SPARRING PARTNER
Silver Rayne
Chapter 1

“HADOUKEN!”

A flash of blue-white light sped off into the distance, exploding somewhere above a small field. As it died out in a wave of small flickers of light, Ryu calmed his fighting stance and smiled.

“I don’t know how you do it.” Ken shook his head in amazement. He looked down at his own hands, the ones which weren’t accustomed to holding a fireball. Only Ryu could fully harness the energy of the Hadouken (wave motion fist). A powerful fighting technique which could seriously injure or even kill an opponent.

“Practice, Ken. If you were to remain focused…”

“Oh, shut up!” He gave his best friend a playful shove and bent down to gather up the remains of their afternoon picnic. “It’s getting late. If we aren’t back for dinner, my dad will call an army to find me.”

That shook Ryu up, to hear that Ken was still being watched over closely by his parents. “Do they know what happened?”

“Not entirely. Guile helped me recreate some parts, like when Bison was swept off of the astral plane.”

They were discussing their misfortune from the year before. When a psychotic man with unbelievable powers and influence had kidnapped Ken and tried to use Ryu for his own evil purposes. Bison had demanded that Mr. Masters, Ken’s father, hand over a couple of billion dollars for Ken’s safe return. Instead, Mr. Masters, being the rich and untrusting man that he was, hired special agents to go undercover and rescue Ken. Guile was one of the two agents but his partner, Nash, had been killed by Bison. After a battle on Bison’s own territory, they were lucky to be alive.

Ryu shielded his eyes from the fading sun and helped Ken clear up the plates. Ever since that incident, even though Ken was eighteen years old, he still had to beg to leave the house never mind the country. So, this was the first time in a year that Ryu had come overseas to visit his best friend. To him, it was an eternity.

“Your folks don’t mind that I’m staying over for a while, right?”

“So long as you don’t get me kidnapped, they’re okay with it.” Ken couldn’t meet Ryu’s gaze when he nearly bumped into him.

Time for a change of subject. “You’re still refusing to cut your hair?,” Ryu teased. He took hold of Ken’s red-blonde ponytail and gave it a gentle tug. “If you don’t get rid of it soon, you’ll start to look like a girl.” His laughter was over exaggerated and slightly nervous.

“Do you want me to cut it?” It was a direct question and at that moment, it sounded as if Ken would do so if Ryu answered with a ‘yes’.

“Not really. It suits you.”

“Then I won’t cut it.” Ken headed back towards the mansion where he lived, counting the twenty minutes it would take to reach his front door from the gates. “Why did you suddenly decide to visit now? I mean, all of the letters I sent to Japan never got a reply. You must be really busy to not have time to write to me.”

“Aw, Ken, you know that you’re my friend. Letters just don’t do it for me. Speaking to you in person is more personal. Besides, my Shotokan training sometimes takes me places which aren’t accessible by postal couriers.”

“Yeah, yeah! The life of a Shotokan master is never complete. Live on the earth, live of the earth, become the earth…nag, nag, nag.” Ken tried his best to goad Ryu into a match of wits but his friend wouldn’t be taken in.

“Who are you quoting?” The puzzlement on Ryu’s face was genuine but Ken ignored him.

Sometimes, it was best not to joke around with Ryu. He either never understood the humor or didn’t find it amusing. There weren’t many people around like Ryu Hoshi, he was one a kind. Devoted to the life of a martial artist, never complaining, always on his toes. Striving to be the best of the best. It got to be annoying but Ken was his best friend and supported Ryu whenever he could.

Suddenly, Ken had a great idea. He had always wondered who was the better martial artist. Maybe his skills had surpassed Ryu’s in the time he had trained to perfect his own style.

Ryu was walking along, thinking of how small Ken had been when he was only ten years old when a dead weight jumped onto his back.

“Ken Masters!” He grabbed his friend’s shoulders and swung him over his head.

Ken landed gracefully and snapped a few kicks at Ryu which would have left any man groaning at his flexibility. Some of his split kicks had to hurt but Ryu was too decent to ask if they did.

Every blow by Ken was blocked or avoided entirely as Ryu sized up his fighting ability. *Is that all we’re going to do? Just fight and compete as we always have? Has nothing changed?* Ryu stepped forward, feinted with a punch then locked Ken’s wrists together behind his back. “Weren’t we going to dinner?,” he asked coldly.

Having been beaten so effortlessly was a blow to the ego for Ken. He strained against Ryu and glared at him sideways. *All you ever think about is your stomach. If I wasn’t so tired, I could mop the floor with you.* “You know where the dining room is. I’m going to lie down.” He sulked off when Ryu released him, angry at his friend for not fighting fair.

The dinner table was extremely uncomfortable for Ryu, sitting across from Ken’s parents. Ken ended up skipping the meal and that left Ryu answering questions and looking like a jerk all by himself. He managed to politely excuse himself as the dessert was carted out. Then he ran up the stairs, two at a time, until he found Ken’s bedroom.

Inside, Ken was reading a book while lying on his stomach, his elbows propped up on a pillow. Actually, it was more of a comic book than anything educational. He had enough tutors dropping textbooks into his lap. This was his down-time where anything with pictures was easy reading.

“That’s more important than eating?” Ryu plucked the comic from Ken’s hands and turned over the cover. “X-Men? Why are you reading this garbage?”

“Lighten up, Ryu.” He stole it back and found where he had left off. “It’s much better than sparring with you. Unlike you, it goes on past the first page.”

“What are you trying to say?” So much for the stoic patience and tolerance of Ryu, the almighty Shotokan master. His anger was bursting at the seams. “You’ve been giving me nothing but crap from the moment I came here. What is your problem?”

Ken peered up at his messy haired friend to see if he really was flaming red. Yes, definitely red. “That has got to be the most human reaction I’ve seen from you in years.”

“Is this some sort of game you’re playing? Because if it is, I’m not going to stay here and be the object of your childish plotting. We’ve been friends for too long and I don’t have to put up with this.”

“Give me a break!” Ken rolled over onto his back and sat up. “We aren’t friends! You know exactly what we are, sparring partners. You always used to practice with me and we never did more than tie each other. Now, you think you’re better and don’t even want to do that anymore.”

Ryu spoke through gritted teeth. “How dare you say that?!! I’ve been your friend for nearly eight years and all you can think about is trying to become a better fighter than I am. I have never been anything but generous and kind to you. Does our friendship mean so little to you?”

“So I like to be competitive, so what?!! That’s not the point. You just meditate and keep striving to be some sort of monk. When have you ever spoken to me as a friend and not a spiritual being? Never! You just come to visit, sit on your ass and look up at the stars. Well, I’m sick of it. Why should we be friends if all I am to you is a reminder of how weak you could be? You must really pity me to even waste your time.”

As the words were sinking into Ryu’s thick skull, Ken slipped out of the room as silent as a ninja. When Ryu was going to speak, he noticed that Ken had disappeared. *Weak, my ass. That was sneaky, Ken. You always get to have the last word.*

*****************************************

“SHOURYUKEN!!!” (Rising dragon punch)

As soon as Ken’s feet touched the ground, he was up again performing the only secret maneuver he knew. It was an uppercut punch which surrounded his fist with the spiritual essence of a dragon. His move was not only half as good as Ryu’s, lacking the range and power of the Hadouken, but Ryu knew it as well.

*That one’s for you, Ryu.* Ken repeated the Shouryuken and then imitated Ryu’s Hadouken stance. *I can do it, I know I can. I’ll show that stiff-faced creep who’s better.*

“HADOUKEN!”

Nothing happened. No spark of light, not even a puff of smoke. *I’ll learn it even if it kills me. Anything is better than running into Ryu, wherever he is.*

After Ken’s explosive insults had died down, Ryu took it upon himself to avoid his best friend. He politely spoke with Ken’s parents, ate here and there but was never present when Ken popped up.

Suddenly, a warm hand took hold of Ken’s arm and halted his next attempt. “We need to talk.” There was Ryu, showing up when Ken least expected to see him.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” As Ken was pulling away, Ryu moved his hand up Ken’s arm, electricity followed. Ken faltered, blinked, then became dizzy.

“Whoa!” Ryu caught Ken as he stumbled over his clumsy feet.

All Ken should have been hearing was the wind, and Ryu’s heavy breathing, but the only sound he noticed was the beating of Ryu’s heart against his chest. “What was that?,” Ken whispered, as if afraid the sensation would dissipate. A slight buzzing still warmed his flesh, he didn’t want it to go.

“You felt that too? I’m not sure. It couldn’t have been lightning, there aren’t any clouds in the sky or thunder.”

“It wasn’t unpleasant,” Ken assured him. He was now inhaling the strong musky smell of Ryu which only made him more unbalanced. Without realizing it, Ken had leaned forward to inhale the rich scent and rest his head on Ryu’s shoulder.

The electrical charge thickened, causing Ryu to hiss through his teeth as he fought to keep his erection from jabbing Ken in the stomach. *This is…awkward.* He couldn’t remember when he had done so, but his arms were wrapped firmly around Ken. His lips were moving away from Ken’s forehead. *Did I just kiss him?* Ryu had to struggle with his brain to control his body’s actions. He had never wanted to make any sort of physical contact with Ken, and it was all because he knew what would happen if he did.

“Did you say something?” Ken raised his head to look into Ryu’s eyes. Those dark eyes which revealed pools of mysterious power and seduction. Before Ken could stop himself, he was swept into those eyes, staring as deep into them as he could.

“I…no.” Then more firmly, “no, I can’t say enough to make up for what I’ve done and how I’ve treated you. So, I won’t say anything at all.”

“About the other day, I didn’t mean those things I said. You are my best friend.”

“It was the truth and I deserved to hear it. I’ve never been open with anyone about my emotions. But you are…I care about you.”

“I’m what?”

Ryu buried his face into Ken’s neck and inhaled the sweet smelling fragrance of his cologne. He squeezed Ken tight against his body, showing him how he felt.

“Ryu,” Ken moaned. “What are we doing?”

A small sigh settled across Ken’s ear. “Can’t you sense it? Don’t you know how attracted I am to you?” Ryu’s voice was getting deeper and huskier, filling with lust. “Did you really think that I just hung by your side to practice with you?”

“Yes, but I was hoping that it was more than my poor fighting skills which kept you coming back.”

“If you weren’t my best friend, if I wasn’t bound by Japanese tradition…” Ryu swore in his native tongue and slid one hand to grasp Ken’s buttocks.

“Hey! What’re you…?” The question was bit off by a sharp cry when Ryu pressed his hips into Ken’s.

“This is to stop all those jokes you made about my size when we were kids.” Ryu thrust his hips harder into Ken’s, holding him still.

“I was only kidding. Oh gawd!” Ken dug his fingers into Ryu’s back and began to moan at the way Ryu was rubbing their erections together through their pants. And Ryu would never hear another crack about the size of his cock from Ken. It was more than big enough to be left alone.

The more Ryu rubbed against him, Ken could barely remain standing from the way his legs were quivering. Ryu’s strength was a good thing after all since he ended up supporting them both. Ken’s briefs would not be making it to the laundry room, being as soaking wet as they were. Ryu had the same difficulty, as his boxers kept riding up and sticking to him.

Ryu grabbed Ken’s buttocks with both hands and lifted him into his next thrust, causing Ken to nearly scream. He quickly bowed his head into Ryu’s shoulder and bit down as hard as he could to stifle his reaction. They both came at nearly the same time. Panting hard, Ryu lowered Ken back down and swept back his friend’s sweaty hair. Ken was attempting to move but was too exhausted, shivering with his release.

“Now do you know why I had to keep you at arms length? You’re going to hate me later,” Ryu complained.

“Not likely.” Ken kissed Ryu’s swollen bruise where his teeth marks were visible.

“I guess your parents won’t want to see that.” A sly grin masked Ryu’s lips. “Now I have something to blackmail you with.”

Ken smiled back with a suggestion of his own. “You already earned your right to sleep with me.”

“What?” The blank look on Ryu’s face alarmed Ken.

“No! Not like that. I meant in my bed…” *Strike two, Masters.* Now Ryu was laughing at his stammering. “On the floor,” he corrected himself.

“I know what you meant. We’d better get inside unless you want your dad coming out here and shooting me in the head.” Ryu became quieter as he gazed at his friend and how delicious he looked. “Besides, we need to go over this ‘friendship’ thing.”

End Chapter 1