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Solar: August 24, 1971, Tuesday, 7:00 PM

Lunar: 7-5-71 Year of the Pig

Containing Metal of Bracelets

Month of the Dog

Hour of the Dog

The vision faded, and when it came back into focus, the Vietnamese sun was

much lower in the sky. He was appalled to see, and feel, that Harry was

about to collapse from exhaustion. The young lieutenant was as muscular and

physically fit as they came, but the lack of sleep, and the strain of

tracking Corporal Walter S. Skinner into the jungle for several miles, had

worn him down. His long legs were aching, and he was covered with a fine

sheen of sweat that made his uniform stick as if it were trying to fuse with

his skin.

Lt. Matthews kept himself going with visions of corporal punishment dancing

in his head, and Mulder winced guiltily to see them, sure that almost

everyone had those same designs on his own butt for similar reasons. Whips,

paddles and throttling all made their tantalizing appeals to Harry's angry

imagination, but when the image of his hand smacking Walt's rapidly

blistering ass popped into his mind, he smiled grimly, and vowed to survive

long enough to act out that fantasy, even if he was court-martialed for it.

He needed all of the inspiration he could get too. Walter set a brutal pace,

stopping only briefly to pick up three packages, and once to Harry's utter

amazement, to hurriedly pick a huge bouquet of flowers. He was ready to

shoot him, ANYTHING to slow him down, when finally Walter stopped at some of

the oddest buildings that he'd ever seen. Harry ran his hand through his

spiky sun-streaked hair, and stared as his young corporal, carrying the

bouquet and the mysterious bundles, disappeared into the center building.

Harry's gray eyes grew dark and troubled as he scanned the structures, the

likes of which he'd never seen before, although he presumed that they were

temples or shrines. Everything about them looked out of place, and he

despised them instantly and unreservedly for this. They were grotesquely

misshapen, moss-covered, gray stone conglomerations of angles and demonic

carvings of bulging-eyed creatures. The corners of the outer temples pointed

like accusing fingers at the central one. All of them had the same Chinese

characters engraved upon them: 744.

Harry frowned as he recognized the Chinese characters for those numbers that

he'd learned so long ago from Tommy Chang, his best friend in elementary

school. He knew that they were significant in some way beyond mere numbers,

but couldn't for the life of him remember what that significance was. It had

been far too long ago.

Mulder knew, though. As soon as Harry's thoughts had translated the Chinese

characters into numbers, Mulder's encyclopedic knowledge of the arcane

instantly supplied him with their significance, and he couldn't stop a groan

from escaping his lips.

The number 744 was a cognate with a curse: Sure to die.

Vainly, Mulder willed Harry to remember, hoping that maybe he'd found a

wrinkle in time, and could affect the past, but the young lieutenant gave no

sign that he felt the desperate agent's presence. The c.o.'s thoughts were

concerned solely for Walter's mental health. No one in his right mind would

risk his life and career to come to this ugly, repulsive, malaria trap, as

far as Harry was concerned, himself included "Helluva place you picked to

meet girls, Wally," he muttered.

Determined to save the boy from himself, Harry edged silently into the

temple to observe him, and hid behind one of the many finely carved steles,

in particular, a sickeningly realistic one of two tigers ripping apart a

shrieking warrior. There were many others; all of them equally ghastly and

skillfully rendered. Harry shivered with disgust, and wondered what the fuck

kind of temple would allow such ghoulish depictions inside it.

He watched and waited for Walter to show *some* sign that he recognized that

his environment was potentially dangerous, but the boy seemed oblivious to

his surroundings-something no soldier should ever be. This made Harry grow

even more concerned for him, as he watched his corporal artfully arrange

floor mats in the center of the room, and candles, incense, and flowers on

the stone altars around it as nonchalantly as if he were decorating his

apartment for a dinner date.

Despite his misgivings, curiosity and fascination kept Harry transfixed by

the sight of Walter transforming the ancient, macabre temple into something

approximating its glory days. When the boy lit the candles and incense,

flooding the room with the scents of sandalwood, jasmine and other, stranger

fragrances, the temple looked even more gruesome and sepulchral. The carved

stele and statuary cast shadows around the room that the flickering

candlelight and incense smoke animated into an eerie tableau of ferocious

beasts ripping and clawing flesh, of swords and spears gutting them, of

bat-winged monsters, and of other more inchoate horrors on the gray stone

walls. Surely, he'd succumb to a creeping sense of revulsion *now*, Harry

thought, but the boy remained intensely focused upon his work.

Walter raised his hands and chanted something in a language that neither

Harry nor Mulder recognized, and clapped his hands. The smoke coalesced into

blue and green watery swirls, and dashed itself against the central wall.

The walls parted with a reverberating boom to reveal a waterfall cascading

majestically over obsidian rocks into the crystalline pool below. Lush,

climbing orchids of all colors and vines of all descriptions surrounded it,

mingling their perfumes with that of the incense. The silvery sounds and

beauty of the waterfall were soothing, and relaxing. The smoke turned

golden, warm, and comforting, despite the macabre carvings and shadow play,

and surrounded them both, infusing them with the intoxicating fragrances of

the room.

Try as he might, Harry could no longer think clearly, and didn't want to; he

was in thrall to his senses. All of the temple's optical illusions and

tricks were nothing compared to what happened next, though.

As Walter slowly and gracefully removed his uniform, Harry gave into the

long repressed hunger to look longingly and lingeringly at the body of his

subordinate. He smiled with delight at the view. The candlelight and

ethereal glow emanating from the falls softly illuminated Walter's slender,

young body as he stepped into the pool and under the waterfall. Naked, eyes

closed, head and arms thrown back, smiling beatifically as he obviously

enjoyed the water pounding away his cares, he couldn't have been more

seductive.

At the sight of water cascading off Walter's taut, glistening flesh, down

his long, long muscular legs, Harry couldn't remember why he was angry,

couldn't remember why fraternizing with a subordinate was a bad idea,

couldn't remember anything that could be as important as possessing this

beautiful young man. A lifetime of restraint, of inhibitions, of

responsibility and duty first fell away at that moment. As desire jangled

through his body, Harry vaguely realized that he must be enchanted, that the

priestess had been the genuine article, but he didn't care. He was beyond

rational thought.

He tracked Walter's every movement like a lion watching a gazelle at a

watering hole, wondering if Walter could sense his presence at some level.

For someone who appeared to be totally unaware of himself and his

surroundings, he put on a great show. As if he'd heard that thought, Walter

uncorked a bottle of oil that lent its own unique tang to the air, and began

a low, melodic chant. With both hands, he raised the bottle, and the warm

golden smoke sparkled and swirled into the bottle, making the liquid inside

coruscate. With a flash, the bottle disappeared, and Walter's face was

carefully anointed with the thick, sweet, shimmering fluid. He tilted his

head back to expose his throat, letting the oil flow in generous rivulets

down his chest, and back. His slender fingers gently massaged it in, working

his way down from his temples to his chest. His lips curved into a smile,

his eyes still closed, savoring the sensation. As Harry watched the boy

slowly and sensuously caress every part of part of his body, the last

vestige of his willpower evaporated. He hastily stripped off his clothes,

and waded into the water.

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Walter felt large, callused hands grab his slender hips, and pull him gently

against a tall, hard, muscular body. Those hands began a lazy, teasing

exploration of Walter's lithe body, caressing his lightly furred, taut

chest, carefully just missing his nipples, stroking his belly, gently

fondling the soft curls of his pubic hair, and no further.

The oil, the massage from warm water and strong, sensitive hands, and the

heady, magical atmosphere of the temple short-circuited any sense of caution

he possessed. He felt warm waves of pleasure washing over him. He tried to

turn around to see who belonged to those talented hands, but soon, one

sinewy arm was encircling his chest, and the other his waist, holding him

tight, and Walter was trapped. He panicked, and tried to yell out, but his

mouth was so dry that it sounded more like a squeak.

He felt a stubbled face nuzzling him, soft lips brushing him with kisses,

and a low, lazy laugh tickling at his ear, "Shh, shh, shh, baby, easy, easy,

you're safe with me."

The waves of pleasure returned as he recognized the owner of that dark,

silky growl of a voice. He smiled and leaned back, eyes closed. "HHHHarry?"

"Mmhm," Harry said, as his hands continued their leisurely exploration,

"Were you expecting another man?"

"Nnno, sir, I wasn't expecting a man. I mean, I wasn't expecting you. I

mean, I wasn't expecting..." the boy stammered, as the older man chuckled,

and gently began to rock their bodies together. Walter felt something

prodding his back, and his eyes flew open, and he struggled vainly to turn

around. "OMIGOD, that can't be a dick you have back there," he said laughing

shakily, "it feels like a flagpole!"

"Mmhmm, *that* it is, and I think I found just the thing to run up that

flagpole," Harry chuckled as he cupped the boy's ass and gave it a squeeze.

"Now, let me see if you're saluting the idea, Corporal."

His hand started to rove toward Walter's stiffening cock as his other hand

gently drew the boy back to him, but stopped as Walter; feeling fear,

excitement, and desire mingling together in an overwhelming, heady brew,

began to tremble. Harry effortlessly spun him around, and gave him a

searching look.

A thousand things crossed Walter's mind to say in response to that

penetrating gaze: //...I've admired you all of my life. I can't remember a

time when I didn't want to be like you. I've been in love with you ever

since I turned 16. How long have you wanted me, Harry? Is it just the ritual

making you act this way? Will you hate me for it when its spell has run its

course? // All Walter could manage to do was make a lame joke. "You could

kill me with that damned thing."

"Sh, sh, relax," Harry laughed as he easily picked up Walter in his arms, "I

won't let it hurt you, I promise."

He had him down on the ground, onto his lap, and into his arms so smoothly

that Walter had no time to protest. "I've got something here that'll help,"

Harry said as he pulled his discarded shirt over, and fumbled something out

of the pocket.

Walter covered his hard-on with both hands, and shifted until he found a

reasonably comfortable position on Harry's legs that just avoided the

"flagpole". "You interrupted my ritual," he said nervously, "The priestess

said if I didn't follow her instructions to the letter, that she didn't know

what the hell would happen, and I'm..."

"Hold that thought, kid," Harry said. "First, let me help you get

comfortable. Lift your hips." Harry shifted Walter around and drew him

close, so that Walter was forced to rest his back against Harry's broad

chest and long, thick cock.

Walter didn't think he'd ever breathe again. He could feel Harry's hard

length pulsing against him, and it was all he could think about. Erect, it

was huge, in keeping with the size of the brawny man himself. All worries

about the ritual paled in comparison. In that moment, Harry's cock had

become the center of his universe, and knowing that was exactly what Harry

had intended didn't change a thing.

Harry smiled, and nuzzled him. "Whatever ritual you're doing, kid, this is

only going to make it better. Trust me on this one. You're going to love

Thai sticks." With the air of a sorcerer bestowing magic wands to his

apprentice, the older man presented a lighter and what looked like a bundle

of dried flowers and stems tied with bamboo.

"No, no," Walter shook his head, and tried to push away, "I can't while I'm

doing this, I don't want to screw things up any more than I have..." he

trailed off, and swallowed convulsively, losing his train of thought as he

felt Harry push his cock against him.

Harry put the Thai stick in his fingers, and tenderly cupped the boy's face,

turning it towards him. "Stop worrying. You trust me don't you, Walt?"

Walter nodded solemnly.

Harry hugged him tight. "Hey, kid, enough with the big, sad puppy dog eyes!

You're with good old Harry, remember? Who taught you how to fight, hmm?"

The memories of Harry taking care of him whenever his stressed parents

decided to lock him out of the house for a few days, made Walter smile in

spite of his fears.

"You did," Walter said. "You taught me."

"Who kicked ass for you when you couldn't?"

"You did."

"Who gave you your first beer?"

"You did."

"Who bought you your first Playboy, and took you to your first dirty movie?"

"You did."

"And who always saves your ungrateful little ass in spite of all of your

best efforts to run off without thinking of anyone else, and get yourself

killed?" Harry said, smiling slyly.

"You d...Why you sneaky son of a bitch," Walter said trying not to laugh as

he poked Harry in the ribs, "I do NOT run off without thinking of anyone

else!"

Harry shifted Walter's body until his chest was pressed flat against his

chest, then slapped the younger man's butt. "Wrong answer. Try again?"

"OWWWWW! Hey, that hurt!" Walter laughed, "Okay, okay, you old fucker!

You're going to save my butt. God, I hope I'm not this senile when I'm

twenty-seven."

That earned him two more slaps on his butt, followed by an affectionate

squeeze. "Now, what was the answer that was just on the tip of your tongue,

baby?" Harry said sweetly, as he sat him back down in his lap.

"You're going to save my ass in spite of all of my best efforts to run off

without thinking of anyone else, and get myself killed... SIR!" Walter said

in mock seriousness as he saluted with his middle finger, and stuck out his

tongue at Harry.

Harry burst out laughing, "Oh, fuck! I give up! That's more respect than

I've gotten from you in a long time, you insubordinate, little shit!"

It was a joke, but a joke with enough truth in it to make Walter squirm with

guilt. He knew all too well that he was the reason that Harry's handsome

face was gaunt with exhaustion. Not only did the poor guy have to contend

with the responsibilities of command and the rigors of war; he had to

baby-sit a crazed corporal who never slept, and went AWOL every chance he

got. By now, he had no doubt that Harry was fueled strictly by handfuls of

whatever amphetamines he could lay his hands on, and would collapse at any

moment. Then an even worse thought struck him, making him miserable.

Harry held Walter's chin, and tipped it up. "Hey, what's the matter? We were

doing so well here for a while."

Walter bit his lip, and took a deep, ragged breath. "I've fucked up big

time, haven't I?" he said softly, "I've given you nothing but shit for the

last few weeks, and for what? I screwed up the ritual, and now I'll be worse

off than before, but..." He looked up solemnly at the older man. "But what

really bothers me is, what if I...what if... oh fuck," he stammered. "What

if my stupid mistake ends up hurting you too, Harry? I couldn't stand it if

you got hurt because of me."

Harry just grinned and winked at him, "Don't worry, kid. I'll fix your

ritual," he said as he tenderly stroked Walter's silky black hair, "We have

everything we need right here. Some ancient cults used marijuana smoke as a

conduit to allow the gods to descend to earth."

"Conduit to allow the gods to descend to earth?" Walter said warily, "Where

the hell did you get that from?"

"Hey, I read it in High Times so it's gotta be true, right?" he said

tousling Walter's non-regulation length hair. "You ought to be familiar with

that magazine, you little hippie dipshit."

"It isn't *that* much longer than regulation," Walter said, quickly brushing

his hair back so that it looked shorter.

Harry snorted, and tousled it again so that it fell right back where it was,

"Sure kid," he laughed. "Anything you say."

Walter smiled wryly, conceding his inevitable defeat. "So tell me, how do I

make a conduit with dope smoke?"

"Just concentrate on what I say, and follow orders for a change," Harry said

affectionately. "Close your eyes, kid."

Walter obeyed, but after a few seconds of silence, his curiosity was killing

him. Sure that Harry wasn't taking the ritual seriously, and was playing a

joke on him, Walter couldn't resist a peek...and found himself staring

straight into Harry's twinkling gray eyes.

"I thought so!" Harry laughed as Walter ducked his head down. "Now close

them, damn it! I'm doing this for you."

This time Walter kept his eyes shut.

Harry must have realized that he would, because he started his improvised

ritual immediately. "Venerable guardian spirit of this realm, please grant

my request," he intoned, "I humbly beg you to descend to earth on our

offering of smoke, which will rise up to you both as our conduit to earth

and our conduit between each other. Stay with Walter Skinner, guide, and

protect him from harm in the physical and spiritual planes. Amen."

"Permission to open my eyes now, sir?" Walter said, his face scrunched up

with the effort of keeping them closed.

"Granted. So this is what it takes to make you follow orders," Harry said

fondly as he cupped Walter's face. "Too bad I didn't learn about this priest

shit in officer's school."

Walter shot him a dirty look as soon as he opened his eyes, preparing to

smart off, but Harry tapped him on the lips with his finger.

"Shhh! Here comes the part where we make the conduit, so pay attention.

This'll be better if you open your mouth to inhale, and hold it in as long

as you can, kid. It'll hit you faster and stronger that way." Harry said,

putting the Thai stick in his mouth. He lit it, and toked up, holding the

fragrant smoke in his lungs for us long as possible. He pulled Walter

closer, and slowly blew the smoke into his face.

Walter hesitantly opened his mouth, and felt his lungs burn as he inhaled

deeply; felt his arms and legs go weak, felt surges of pleasure rush through

his body. "Mmmmmmotherfuck, s'good" he purred with delight.

"See, kid?" Harry grinned, "It PAYS to follow my orders. You love Thai

sticks, don't you?"

Walter nodded enthusiastically and opened his mouth like a baby bird.

"Munh," he said, begging for more.

Harry's eyes glittered with lust and mischief the moment that he saw Walter

beg. Walter shivered in anticipation as the energy between them became even

more erotically charged. The ritual turned into a long, slow, hedonistic

tease of cannabis smoke that sent rushes of pleasure throughout Walter's

body. Caressing hands augmented every delightful sensation. Cruel, sensual

lips tormented him with their refusal to touch his, making him want to taste

them that much more. With every hit, Harry leisurely moved in just a little

closer than the last time to blow the smoke into Walter's eager mouth. Each

hit was slower, more intense, more potent...and more colorful. The gray

smoke, passing between them and from the Thai stick, had turned to vivid,

sparkling blue, indigo, and violet.

Harry's large, gray eyes darkened and grew heavy lidded from drugs and lust.

He grinned wickedly, and licked along Walter's jaw line, stroking his inner

thigh, making him shiver from the unexpected intensity of the sensation.

"Last hit, kid," he said hoarsely, and toked up.

This was the moment Walter Skinner had been waiting for since he turned

sixteen, and his lips parted without hesitation for the one he'd wanted so

long. He gasped as he felt Harry cupping the back of his head with one huge

hand, and his ass with the other, drawing him close. Gently, yet firmly,

Harry kissed Walter's soft, yielding lips, claiming his mouth as he filled

it with rich, spicy smoke, tenderly lowering the boy to the ground onto his

back. Walter moaned, writhing as the passion and Thai-stick-induced body

rushes increased to an exquisite pitch as Harry's hard body covered him.

"You've never done this before," Harry said softly, kissing and nibbling

Walter's ear. "Put your hands behind your head, and let me take care of you

tonight."

The sound of that gruff voice made Walter nervous just the way he liked to

be nervous, and he obeyed instantly.

"That's good, kid," Harry whispered. He kissed each of Walter's wrists, and

held them as he swooped down for another long kiss. Letting his hands roam,

he feathered the oil that shimmered on the slender, delectable, young body

into swirls and waves, licking and sucking along the trails that he made

with his fingers, tasting vanilla, honey, ginger, and Walter. "Mmmmmm, you

taste good, kid," he said as he bit and sucked each of Walter's rosy tan

nipples into stiff nubs. He gathered some of the oil onto his fingers, and

after smoothing it over Walter's lips, he stuck his index finger into the

boy's mouth.

Walter sucked the oil off Harry's finger, swirling his tongue around it, and

pulled it out with a wet pop. He held Harry's gaze as he sensually licked

his lips. "Sweet as Tupelo honey," he said, in a dark, raspy voice that

exuded sex.

Harry groaned. "You're giving me ideas, you know that, kid?"

"Yeah?" Walter said, trying for innocence but only succeeding in sounding

pleased with himself.

"Oh yeah, you know it all right, don't you, you smug little shit," Harry

laughed. His hands slid down Walter's body, and grabbed two handfuls of the

younger man's ass, kneading it, and brushing his fingertips tantalizingly

around the rim of his tight passage. "I'm not the only one here who's going

to lose control, boy."

"Yeah, yeah, sure, you old fucker," Walter said impishly. He gasped as he

felt a bolt of pleasure like none he'd ever experienced. "Holy fuckin' shit!

What did you just do?"

"I just introduced you to your prostate," Harry said mischievously, stroking

the gland with his middle finger. "Feel good?"

"Oh, ffffuck yeah! Feels s'good...Oh shit, don't stop!" Walter said

anxiously as Harry withdrew his finger.

"Shh, shh, I won't, babe," Harry murmured, "Just relax. I'm gonna introduce

you to something else you're gonna love. Can you tell when you're gonna

come? Got any control over it?"

Walter nodded hesitantly, "Joannie and I, well, we never fucked or anything,

but..."

"But she jerked you off a lot, and you did a little practicing on your own?"

Harry said gently, and kissed him softly on the lips.

Walter blushed deeply and nodded.

"This is going to be a hell of a lot more intense than a hand job, kid," he

whispered, brushing his lips against Walter's ear, "but if you don't come

until I tell you to, you're going to feel so good. Think you can do that for

me?"

He laughed as Walter nodded and grinned with comic enthusiasm. "That's

m'boy!" Harry kissed him hard as he stuck in a second, then a third finger

inside of Walter, stretching him gently. He kissed his way down from

Walter's nipples to his taut belly, smiling broadly as he heard Walter

inhale sharply when he licked the dripping slit of his cockhead. He

deepthroated Walter at the same time he thrust in his fingers.

Walter cried out happily at the intensely voluptuous sensations flooding his

body. Harry was thrusting his fingers inside him in time with sucking him.

The heady thrill of these experiences combined with the body rushes from the

Thai sticks to make Walter writhe sluttishly. Mindlessly, he put both hands

on Harry's head, pushing him down on his cock.

Harry abruptly jerked up, and pinched Walter's ass, making him yelp. He

fixed Walter with a mock serious stare. "Hey kid, I thought I gave you an

order," he said.

"Don't stop," Walter moaned, reluctantly moving his hands away. "Please,

please, please!"

Harry grabbed Walter's hand as it moved away, making him rub it across the

golden oil shimmering on his own belly. "As long as you're going to disobey

orders, boy," Harry grinned as he guided Walter's hand to his cock; "you

might as well make yourself useful. Crank it."

Walter massaged the rich fluid over Harry's shaft, sliding his fingers up

and down its length, enjoying the feel of it. "I've never done this to

anyone else," he said shyly, as Harry uninhibitedly bucked into his hand.

"Am-am I any good?"

Obviously struggling to gain a modicum of self-control, Harry grabbed

Walter's wrist and squeezed it gently. "You were doing just great," he said

breathlessly, "but that's enough, babe." He knelt between Walter's long

legs, and slapped him on the thigh. "Put your legs over my shoulders."

Walter gulped and obeyed, feeling vulnerable and exposed. Every cell in his

body was sensitized from sex and drug induced body rushes, totally focussing

him upon Harry, and what Harry would do to him.

"Shhhhh, baby, shhhhh, I won't hurt, you I promise," Harry murmured, gently

stroking Walter's legs, "You still trust me, don't you?"

Walter nodded. "I've always trusted you," he said softly, hoping that Harry

would understand his unspoken message.

Plainly, he did, because Harry's face lit up with the most joyous smile

Walter had ever seen. Of all the wondrous sights of the temple, this was the

most beautiful as far as he was concerned. Walter basked in its warmth,

totally unaware that his own smile mirrored Harry's in every way.

Harry leaned in, and slowly nudged his cockhead into the tight little ring

of muscle in Walter's ass, and paused. "Let me know if I hurt you," he

whispered, "and I'll stop."

Walter nodded, and cried out as he felt Harry push his cock slowly and

carefully inside him. The rushes coursing through Walter's body intensified

as he was penetrated, combining with some odd, indefinable something else

swirling around his mind to meld into one, overwhelming, unshakable,

pleasurable force that battered down any inhibitions and defenses that he

had left.

"Don't stop. Fuck me," Walter moaned, wriggling his hips lustily, his body

alive with flashes of sparkling indigo, violet, and blue.

"OH SHIT, YES!" Harry said ecstatically. He kissed Walter roughly on the

mouth as he rammed his cock into him. The glittering flashes of color struck

out from Walter's body, and encircled both of their bodies in gleaming, boa

constrictor coils of brilliant energy. He thrust into Walter hard and deep,

rocking them together faster, and faster, and faster.

Walter writhed and twisted like a tomcat so that Harry scraped his prostate

with every thrust, sending electric thrills through both of their bodies.

Walter's mind and body were fused with Harry's, each man knowing at the

deepest level what the other thought and felt.

Walter became Harry; strong, passionate, protective, loving and humorous,

sexual excitement snaking throughout his body, overjoyed to at last have his

cock slamming deep into the hot, silken flesh of the young man he loved more

than life itself.

Harry became Walter; idealistic, reckless, loving, opened-wide and blissed

out by so many new, impossibly intense sensations flooding his body, and by

the depth of his love for the man he'd idolized a lifetime, the man who had

guided him through anything of any importance in his life.

Intoxicated by sex and drugs, they ignored the strangeness of their

connection, refusing to question it, even when both heard Walter shouting a

word that even he couldn't understand. "GAMW'TO! GAMW'TO! GAMW'TO!" he cried

over and over to their mutual astonishment.

The thought was quickly forgotten as they hurtled toward orgasm. There was

nothing in their world, but the glide of soft, warm skin and hard muscle

over their bellies, and the taste of salt and sweetness upon soft lips, and

the jolts of pleasure coursing through their bodies. Walter's rapturous

excitement increased Harry's which in turn increased Walter's in an endless

circuit, until neither of them could last another second.

"Come for me, kid," Harry growled, and gave one last, brutal thrust that had

them roaring and coming together in a supernova burst of convulsive ecstasy.

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Shaking, Harry collapsed on Walter for a moment, giving him an affectionate,

sloppy kiss before rolling them over to drowse in the afterglow. He became

aware again of the decadent magnificence of the temple; lulled to sleep by

the water cascading into the pool, the luscious fragrances of the flowers,

incense, candles, and his beautiful, sensuous lover nestled in his arms.

*******!!!!!!THWACK!!!!!!*******

Harry jerked awake, and rubbed his stinging ass. "HEY! What the *fuck* was

that for?" he said, glaring at Walter.

"Wake up, little one," Walter said soothingly in a sonorous, contralto,

feminine voice as he gently patted Harry's behind. "We must leave now to

save you."

Harry turned on his side, and faced his lover. "LITTLE one?" Harry smiled

wryly, and looked down at his cock and back at Walter, "I take it you

weren't too impressed with me and my performance, kid. Here I was thinking

that we had such a good time too."

"Mungaki!" Walter laughed and tousled Harry's sun-streaked, close-cropped

hair. "Walter and I had a VERY GOOD time, and you know it! I haven't had

such a good time since I played with Heracles and Hylas back in the good old

days, but we must..."

"...Since you did WHAT? No more dope for you, you weird little fucker,"

Harry laughed. He rolled on top of his lover, kissed him hard, and then

mimicked his newly high-pitched voice with unerring accuracy. "What's up

with this weird Walter-and-I third person shit, Queen Victoria, hmmm?"

Walter rolled them both over until he was on top. "Because of your ritual

prayers, there are two of us in here, little one," Possessed!Walter said

kindly as he pointed to his own forehead. "You called for the Guardian

Spirit to descend to the earth plane to protect Walter, and make a conduit

between you two, and here I am. I did as you requested, and now you must do

as I request so that I can help you."

"Nice try, kid, but don't fuck with me any more," Harry said, his eyes

narrowed with disbelief and reproof. "You fucked up when you spouted off

about Heracles and Hylas. You should have named some Vietnamese, or Chinese

deities, if you wanted to fool me into thinking you were the...

EYAAAAAH!!!!"

Harry's eyes were huge with astonishment as Walter grabbed him, levitated

them both five feet above the ground, holding Harry as if he were a child.

"Pay attention, little one, because I'm trying to save your life, and you

MUST cooperate. The disastrous feng shui of this temple to evil weakens my

powers too much to fight both you and Madame Thuy," Possessed!Walter

explained patiently. "Now be a good boy, and go with me quietly."

"Hhhhow? Why are you doing this? What's this doing to Walter? What's fang

suey? What's going..." Harry stammered, as he struggled to escape, spinning

them around and around in the air.

"Why must you mortals do everything the hard way? Ah well. This is for your

own good! You're far too sweet and brave to die so young." Possessed!Walter

sighed, and unceremoniously dumped Harry into the pool with a resounding

splash.

Harry sat up in the pool, sputtering, and spitting water. He closed his

eyes, and shook his head, flinging water everywhere, much to

Possessed!Walter's amusement, which only pissed off Harry even more. "Hey,

what the fuck ARE you? How can you be a Vietnamese spirit if you were best

buddies with Heracles and Hylas?" he said wonderingly.

Possessed!Walter laughed, and floated down to sit crosslegged in mid-air in

front of Harry. "You're right; I'm a Greek spirit, which just makes me an

immigrant, that's all. Like any other immigrant, I was seeking a better

life. I yearned for a place where the old ways and the Old Ones were still

venerated, and where heroic men like you and Walter still performed brave

deeds and loved each other fiercely. It's what you've yearned for too all of

your life, Little One. It's why you drew me irresistibly to you, and NOW do

you trust me enough to behave yourself, sweetheart? We really need to be

going."

Harry stared up at his lover, eyes wide, and nodded, "Okay, kid, uh...sir? I

believe you. I meant no disrespect. What was that you were saying about

saving me...uh please?"

Possessed!Walter laughed a strange, echoing laugh. "Much better, little one.

By the way, it's ma'am, not sir, or you may call me the Old Woman like

everyone else in Quang Ho."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said meekly. "I'm sorry that I..."

S/he leaned over, and placed two fingers over his mouth. "Hush, little one,"

she said gently reproving him. "We must leave now, and we must hurry in

order to save you. Quickly, put your arms around my neck..."

"You are too late, Old Woman," a cold, sinister voice said. "My bonding

ritual is complete. I'll take possession of the body of my son's murderer

now, thank you, so please leave it."

Harry turned around to see the golden robed Taoist Priestess/Sorceress

floating in the air grimly staring at Walter/Old Woman. It reminded him of a

surreal version of the Battle of the OK Corral. //This temple's not big

enough for the both of us, sheriff// He thought hysterically. He scrambled

for a place to hide from the bloodthirsty supernatural beings hovering above

him so that he could think of a way rescue Walter. As he ran, he ransacked

his mind for all the information on the occult that he had ever heard.

"Arrete, connard! I didn't give you permission to leave!" The Sorceress said

coldly. She hurled a bolt of red energy at Harry that made him cry out, fall

back down in the water, and double over in agony.

Walter/Old Woman sent a bolt of indigo blue and violet that swirled around

Harry, swaddling him in pure comfort, making him sigh with relief. "There,

there, little one. I'll take care of this," s/he crooned. S/he turned toward

The Priestess/Sorceress and said, "Em Thuy...Madame Ly? This boy is

innocent. He's done nothing to harm you, and the other boy was just

defending himself. They're good boys. Let them be."

Madame Ly looked at the shivering man in the pool, and spat disgustedly at

the sight of him. "Il me fait chier! Harry Matthews loves Walter Skinner, my

son's murderer, and is loved by him in return, and that's reason enough for

me to hate him!" she said furiously. "I'm going to make Skinner pay for his

atrocities by having him murder this man, whom he loves as much as I loved

my son. I'm going to see that his life is not worth living until he does. I

won't rest until he is publicly disgraced and executed for his crimes."

"When you get to be my age in a few millenniums, you will wonder why you

indulged yourself this way," Walter/Old Woman said, shaking his head sadly.

"From the way you use your power, it's clear that you have a lot of growing

up to do, Madame.

You gave these boys a ritual so that they would express their love just to

make it that much more agonizing for the little one to kill his innocent

beloved! That's an appalling waste of your talents, Madame, one you will

surely regret. Please go. Leave them in peace."

"Putain de merde! You know the rules. He invited me to take him over in the

ritual, so your protests are useless. GET OUT OF MY PROPERTY!" Madame Ly

roared. She rushed screeching at Walter/Old Woman.

Walter/Old Woman hurled a brilliant flash of violet light that slammed into

the sorceress, and smashed her to atoms.

Madame Ly reassembled after a few painful moments, gaping at Walter/Old

Woman in shock.

"The ritual didn't go quite as you imagined it would," Walter/Old Woman

cackled gleefully. "The boys made some additions to it that gave me the

title to this sweet young thing," s/he said as s/he lasciviously stroked

Walter's nude body. "He's my property, and there's nothing you can do about

it. Now, get out of my sight before I REALLY get angry."

"Pas du tout, connasse! You don't have the title to ALL the property here,"

the Sorceress sneered. She rushed into Harry Matthews, who contorted and

stiffened as if he'd been electrocuted.

"HARRY!" Walter/Old Woman yelled, and rushed over to save him. A blinding

yellow light from Harry/Sorceress threw hir against the temple wall, and

pinned hir there.

"You know the rules of the ritual," Harry/Sorceress chuckled, "and you know

the allies that these rules gave me. Under these circumstances, I may not be

able to kill him outright, but you don't have the power to protect him from

every cut and bruise either without destroying yourself. Say your good-byes

and leave."

Walter/Old Woman floated down to the temple floor. The Old Woman

materialized in front of Walter, her ancient face infinitely sad and

compassionate. "This is goodbye for now, little one. I need to pick my

battles wisely, if I am to save your life."

"You can't do this," Walter pleaded. "You can't let her hurt him! You can't

leave me to fight her alone! There's got to be a counter ritual..."

"It would only make the situation worse than it is, little one," she said

shaking her head. "Remember what I told you when we were merged? This temple

was designed only for evil. The curses on its walls, its idols to taboo

gods, its very location, were all calculated to inflict grave spiritual and

physical injury upon the worshipper. Only those condemned for capitol crimes

are sent here...so that their very prayers for mercy will backfire."

"You said Harry saved me. You said you could save Harry with another ritual.

You were going to do one anyway...!" Walter said desperately.

"Yes Harry did save you, and in doing so, he condemned himself, so in a way,

his prayers did backfire," the Old Woman said. "I was going to take you both

a few yards away from the temple to complete your bonding...but it's too

late for that now."

"You mean...I did this to him? He's going to die, and it's my fault! OH

FUCK! How could I have been so fucking stupid!" Walter said, his face

contorted in agony.

"We've already gone through this, honey. You can't blame yourself," the Old

Woman said. "You're young, and she's ruthless and cunning. No more

self-recriminations! Be strong, little one!" she said, holding his chin,

"Just when you think that all hope is lost, I'll be there to save you."

"NOOOOOO!!!" Walter yelled, and lunged for her as she started to disappear,

but was left with an armful of air.

Walter heard evil laughter reverberating through the temple, and turned to

see Harry/Sorceress leering crazily at him, his eyes glowing eerily like a

cat's in the dark. "Don't count on her rescuing you, boy! I can get around

the Old Woman. Before I'm finished with you, you're going to beg me to kill

you."

The possessed soldier viciously punched and kicked Walter, who didn't bother

to defend himself. Walter was sure that there was no need since he was

already dead, and hallucinating that he was in hell. Obviously, blessedly,

he reasoned as the blows hit him with sickening force that oblivion was just

around the corner.

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"Gamw'to!" (Greek) "Damn!" or "Fuck!"

Munga or a "Mungaki" (Greek):

a dude, or someone with an attitude

problem. You can use this word as

an insult, you can call someone a manga if

you think he/she is too full of themselves,

or an egoist. Or you can call your friend a

munga or a mungaki as a term of affection,

or when the word is used sarcastically.

Munga is usually the masculine form of the

noun, and mungissa is the female form of the

noun.

French Expressions below:

"Arrete, connard!": Stop cunt! (masculine form)

"Il me fait chier!" He makes me puke (or shit.)

"Putain de merde!" Strong form of whore

"Pas du tout, connasse!" Not at all, cunt. (Feminine form)

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