Disclaimer: I do not own Ushio and Tora. This is a yaoi fic!

Christmas Morning

Ushio was awoken late the next morning to find himself blinking away sleep and unable to remember what he had dreamed. Not that it mattered, because all his dreams had been about Them... ever since that day. And now, looking at his reflection in the mirror, Ushio began to realize that he needed to do something. He couldn't spend the rest of his life wondering about what if's or what may be's. They had left him a long time ago, and they were not going to come back just because he wanted them to. No, they were lost to him forever, and the sooner he came to realize that, the sooner his life would be normal again.

Giving his reflection one last glance, the man threw on one of his white shirts and a pair of black sweat pants before trudging down the stairs to start some... coffee?

The sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee came to him as he stood there in the hallway. Uncertain, the man made his way down the hall, only to stop and stare through the door into the livingroom. A huge pine tree stood in the center of the room, decked out in Christmas ordaments and lights that glowed with thousands of different colors. His dark eyes traced to the fire burning in the hearth, and the small mound of presents under the tree. Padding into the room, he knelt down to brush his fingers over one of the presents, revealing a name on the card. ~Ushio~ Who would do this for him?

Straightening, the man made his way towards the kitchen once more, his confusion and curiosity growing by the second. His mother and father had died in an accident only a year after Tora and Juro had left, leaving the temple to him in the will. Karani and Rashin had finally left to higher ground, to avoid the humans who were beginning to invade the forest with their roads and parks. Tora and Juro... were never going to return, they had made that perfectly clear to him before they had left. Then who...

'Morning Ushio-kun!' a cheerful and very familiar voice echoed the room as the man opened the door. Soft deep blue eyes and a warm smile greeted him even as he stood there, unable to move from the shock. The slim figure of a young man, who, despite the number of times Ushio blinked, was not disappearing. 'Would you like some coffee?' the pleasant voice inquired, even as a hot cup was held out to him, the scent beckoning for him to come closer. Taking one step, and then another, finally reaching out and grasping the warm mug and briefly touching the equally warm fingers of the other man. Ushio stepped back, the cup held tight in his hands as he stared silently at one of the two people he had never thought to see again. Juro just smiled at him, saying not a word as they stood there, watching each other.

Soft cursing made them both turn, before Juro stepped around Ushio and leaned out the kitchen doorway. 'Was there a good selection at the bakery today, Tora-koi?' the human formed monster called out, before stepping out into the hallway. Ushio blinked, his feet moving before he realized it, and soon found himself standing in the kitchen doorway, staring even longer at the man who was now coming in the front door.

Even though Ushio knew he'd never seen this man in his life, there was a very strong sense of deja veu as he looked at him. 'You didn't sneak anything from them, did you? Tora,' the last word was an annoyed sigh as the larger man smiled almost guiltily. Juro took one of the heavy brown bags with a shake of his head. 'You can't take the beast out of the man,' the blue haired young man sighed, leaning close to brush his lips over the other man's before pulling away and turning.

Ushio was still staring, just trying to make sense of what was happening. The man who had just come in, the one Juro had called Tora, was a head taller than Ushio was now, very muscular with broad shoulders, but a slightly smaller waist. Long orange hair flowed back into a ponytail that ended near his waist. As Juro turned, the other man finally looked at him. Deep rich emerald green eyes, so familiar despite the fact that they were not straight white, stared deep into his own. The sudden jolt of realization hit him, the glass slipping from his fingers to hit the floor with a violent smash.

~*~

Juro glanced at his mate and lover who was still staring at the closed door of the kitchen. Ushio had finally come to his senses, after Juro had cleaned up the shards of glass on the floor. The man was extremely confused and shocked to see them, but that was no surprise. Juro and Tora hadn't returned to the temple for nearly seven years because they had been unsure whether they were welcome there. Ushio had made it plain, even though he'd never actually said anything, that he was uncomfortable with their relationship. Juro had hoped that Ushio had gotten over it by now, but... maybe it was just a human thing.

'He's upset,' Tora stated suddenly, meeting his lover's eyes. 'Hai. I wish there was some way to speak with him. He gets so closed off whenever I try,' Juro whispered, leaning his head onto Tora's shoulder for support as he sighed. 'He hasn't grown up at all,' the orange haired man growled suddenly, crossing his arms over his chest. 'Tora-koi, he's been living here for 7 years since we left. Have you found it strange that his parents are not here? Maybe they went on a trip,' Juro glanced around, looking for some sign that Ushio truly didn't live alone as it seemed.

'No. The monk and his woman have not been here for a long time. A very long time. Their scents have nearly been washed away by the years... it seems unlikely that either would leave him alone for so long without visiting,' Tora stated, turning his attention back to the kitchen door. Juro let go of him to wander into the livingroom, studying it for anything... homely. Nothing, besides a few picture frames lying in the dust on the mantle... tsk, tsk... Ushio really hasn't been keeping up with the cleaning.

~*~

~Why are they here? Why are they here? Why are THEY here?~

Ushio tried to remain calm, focusing on the task in front of him to help block away most of the shock... and the pain. Just seeing them again made his chest ache. The soft chopping sound filled his ears as he continued to cut up the vegetables that he'd hastily taken from the refrigerator. Soup, yes... that was a good thing to make right about now. It would help keep his mind of the pair currently sitting in his livingroom and probably enjoying the warm fire that Ushio had noticed earlier. Sitting together on the couch, very close together, maybe even kis...

A hiss of pain escaped his mouth as Ushio felt the knife dig into his finger. Pulling back, he eyed the dark red blood dripping from the cut, silently cursing himself for being so involved in his thoughts not to watch what he was doing. Screwing his eyes shut, the man reached out blindly with his other hand to grab a towel... only to feel soft warm fingers curl around his wrist and pull his injured hand, and Ushio himself, around. Ushio opened his eyes to find himself staring up at the orange haired man who was eyeing his cut intensively. Emerald green eyes turned to stare into his own, filled with a strange emotion that Ushio just couldn't, for the life of him, place. Those green orbs seemed to draw him closer, deeper... until he was drowning in their depths.

Something soft lapped at his cut and Ushio blinked, only to realize that Tora had bent his head slightly and had lifted Ushio's cut finger to his mouth and was now sucking on it gently. The dark haired man could only gawk for a moment before the intimate feeling of having such a thing done to him, by a beast he'd never thought he'd see again, began to overwhelm him. A hot rush went through Ushio's body, his face flushed in shock and barely hidden pleasure. As Tora's tongue withdrew from his skin, Ushio became aware of what he was allowing to happen. With a furious shout, he wrenched his hand away, cradling it to his chest while trying to glare the other man into a steaming puddle. Tora just watched him for a moment, as if trying to read his mind, before Ushio finally got up the strength to order the beast out of his kitchen. Tora glared back for a moment before turning and walking out the door. Ushio was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the other pair of blue eyes watching him as the door swung shut.

Clutching the edge of the counter, Ushio was suddenly aware that his legs were trembling so badly that he slid down onto the floor to rest. Leaning back, he let his head fall back against the wooden cupboard behind him and struggled not to cry. His mind was filled with images of the past, painful ones that he could never forget. And now... how was he suppose to deal with it now after what Tora had done? Leaning forward, he rested his head on his knees, not noticing that a few tears escaped his clenched eyes to shatter on the cold floor below.

...tbc...

Author's note: Please review. Yaoi! Can you guess the pairing yet?