The older man went out of control quick even when it came to practice battles, Jin had to admit. Once Margulis got into the mood, it was impossible to think of it as a mere practice, unless he felt like giving up and pretended to lose. Doing so would only get his commanding officer to complain that Jin wasn't taking practice seriously, and as much as he would deny it if asked, going all out was far more interesting.

Direct hits were something neither of them could afford to take, seeing they were only wearing a kimono and a pair of hakama, without any protective gear. Yet, Margulis insisted on practicing with their respective swords instead of wooden practice swords. Jin didn't mind; he was quicker out of the two of them and could evade most of Margulis' strikes. It was a good skill to have, since if those strikes were to find their target and he would be forced to parry with his own blade, he often had trouble guarding since the older man was stronger than he was.

One such strike found its target, and the older man's sword stuck against Jin's blade. He held his sword up with both hands, forced to put his whole body into the move to be able to meet Margulis' strength. "I must say," he said as he let his blade fall a little. Right when Margulis thought he'd gotten the upper hand, Jin dodged backwards and jumped out of the way, moving out of the older man's range to catch his breath. "You certainly like to take what is meant to be a practice match seriously, Colonel. If I didn't know you better, I'd think you're doing your best to kill me."

Margulis gave him a look and attacked again, and Jin barely managed to dodge out of the way. They exchanged a couple of blows before the older man managed to close in again, pressing his blade against Jin's. "Hmmh," he said, his face almost against the younger man's. "Are you saying you aren't taking this seriously? You don't seem to be having any trouble trying to return the favor, Uzuki!" Margulis pulled away and struck at the younger man. Jin blocked and moved out of the way to assess the situation. He had practiced with the other man way too many times, which meant he could try to guess what his opponent might do next. In the end, Margulis was violent but predictable to a certain degree.

"I never claimed I don't take this seriously," he replied with a hint of a smile on his face. "As the matter of fact, I wouldn't have it any other way." Another strike came in, and Jin quickly evaded then spun around and quickly returned the favor. Margulis countered and Jin pulled away, with the older man's blade barely missing his neck and instead cutting off a single piece of stray black hair. "Although as I was saying, Colonel, it's not like I have a choice on the matter. You do have a bad habit of taking what is called 'practice' to the level where it can only be taken as a matter of life or death."

He went for another attack, almost getting a hit in, but Margulis dodged then kicked him away and struck back. Jin skillfully evaded and struck again, his blade grazing the other man's side and slicing the fabric of the practice kimono for an inch. They moved around each other, calculating their chances for the next attack. Margulis took the initiative and struck first, and the younger man responded with his own attack which made Margulis back off just as few steps, allowing Jin to escape from ending up cornered.

They both pulled away but before Jin managed to move in for another attack, Margulis went for an ether technique. It hit, and Jin got knocked off his feet. He got back on his knees fast enough to dive out of the way of the next attack, adding a well-placed swipe towards the older man's feet to make him back away. He then moved to the other side of the room and raised his sword again. "Ethers are fair game, now? I really think we really should talk about using these 'practice' techniques beforehand, it's-"

He didn't get a chance to finish the sentence as Margulis came at him again. It was a swift, direct attack that got him by surprise, and Jin found himself having to retreat, only to find his back against the wall. He barely had the time to block the next attack and then Margulis was there, his blade pressed against the younger man's again. "Ha! You complain too much, Uzuki," he said with a complacent smirk on his face. "A warrior needs no words. We let our swords do the talking!"

"Well, if that's how you feel, then that we shall," Jin replied, even if he knew the battle was nearly lost right there, seeing he was forced to hold his sword up with both hands again, and Margulis meanwhile had his left hand free. The older man went for an attempt to grab Jin's wrist to force the katana out of his hands, but Jin gave in for a little right on that moment, just enough to get Margulis' guard down. He then cast a low-level ice ether on his sword as a follow-up, causing both their blades to freeze for a second.

It had the desired effect and bought Jin the moment he needed. He pulled his sword away and kicked at the older man's knees, then feigned to be casting another ether which got Margulis to break away from him, giving him the space needed to escape from his commander's immediate reach. Margulis muttered a curse and came at him right away with another attack, and Jin barely had enough time to dodge it, with the older man's blade cutting off a bit from the sleeve of his kimono. He dove under his commander's next strike and rolled away, ending up next to the wall again. He stopped for a second and let Margulis go for another hit, then moved away on the last moment, and the older man cursed as his blade met the wall, leaving a horizontal cut on it.

Jin took the opportunity and moved in for an attack, but Margulis jumped away then continued his move, jumping off of the wall and diving towards the younger man. Jin parried and pulled away, sidestepping the next strike. He spun around and made an attempt at a direct strike, but his katana met Margulis' sword. He dodged a hit and struck from the other side, hitting against the older man's sword again. He pushed on but Margulis blocked and kicked at his side, and Jin staggered away, a grimace on his face. That was going to leave a bruise.

He escaped to the other side of the practice room to re-evaluate the situation and attacked when he saw his chance. Again, Margulis was quick to counter, and Jin took a few steps to the side, bringing his sword up to block another hit. Sparks of ether shone around their blades as the swords met again, and Margulis twisted his sword down in an attempt to disarm his opponent. Jin let go of his sword for a second and evaded the blade thrust at his direction, then ducked down and picked up the katana before it even hit the floor. He swiped swiftly as Margulis' legs, forcing his opponent to retreat.

The older man frowned and grunted something as he jumped at Jin again and brought his sword down at the other man. Jin barely dodged, but as his opponent landed in front of him, he took the opening and struck at him. Margulis blocked on the last moment and brought his sword up, putting a lot of strength into the move. It made Jin's hold on his katana nearly slip, but he managed to pull his blade away before losing his hold of it. The older man pressed on, and Jin found himself dangerously close to the corner of the room again. He wasn't about to get cornered, and he dodged under Margulis' next attack then struck at the older man's lower body, getting him to stagger a little. It was the opening he needed, and he swung at the other man again. His opponent hadn't had enough time to recover from losing balance, and Jin's blade sliced through the older man's sleeve. Margulis swore aloud and pulled away.

"You really need to learn to when to quit, Colonel," Jin said as he stepped back and studied the older man. He had gotten a direct hit in and had managed to draw blood, but in the end it was a mere scratch. Still, he figured this was enough practice for today. "I wouldn't be as bold as to claim something as ignorant as winning the match, but it would still seem we should call it a day." He lowered his sword and looked at Margulis with a hint of a smile on his face. "Shall we?"

Somehow, he could guess what was coming. Margulis raised his left hand and studied the injury for a second, and he then looked back at Jin with certain type of passion in his eyes. "Hah, for you to think this is enough to stop me, Uzuki? And spare me of that nonsense. I don't need your pity. All I need is my blade..." He raised his sword and stepped forward, and Jin quickly pulled out of the way, preparing for the incoming attack.

"Haaa!!" Margulis took the advantage of Jin's hesitation and struck at him with full force. Jin gritted his teeth as he blocked the hit, making a mental note of the amount of ether sparks on their blades; it was growing. The fight needed to end soon before they both found themselves too frustrated. He hit back then had to block again. There had to be a way; Jin frowned a little as he blocked the next strike, but he then saw his chance and evaded, moving to the side and slicing at the older man's left arm as he went. Even if the injury from before was minor, he calculated that Margulis' was being careful to not get hit again, leaving it his as weaker side.

He was right, although this time his blade only slightly cut the other man's kimono, not doing any considerable damage besides ripping the garment. Margulis however found himself being the one who had to evade the next strikes as the younger man continued from where he had started, getting in another couple of attacks. They exchanged a few more blows before breaking away from each other, and Jin found the older man glaring at him from the other end of the room. He smiled and nodded slightly. "I presume you won't even consider this match ending before one of us is down, then, Colonel? If that's the case..."

Margulis raised his sword in front of him then raised his left hand. "You catch on quick, Uzuki. Let's finish this!" He took a stance for a strike, and Jin studied him as he moved his sword in front of himself, taking a hold of the blade with both hands. The moment Margulis took a step forward, Jin was on the move as well, putting all his strength into the last strike. Elements of their ethers flashed on their swords, then as they brought the swords together and the two blades met, the whole room was filled with the explosion of flame, ice and thunder.

When it cleared after a moment, they both stood there next to each other, their blades still locked against one another. A few seconds passed, then Margulis frowned and muttered a curse as he dropped his sword, staring at his injured hand. He dropped to his knees then looked at the other man as Jin slumped down as well, ending up on his knees and leaning heavily on his left arm. He was, however, still holding his sword. "I take it," Jin said, pausing to take a deep breath. "You won't settle for a draw, Colonel? Thus," he continued as he weakly raised his katana and placed the edge on Margulis' throat. "I win."

A second later, the katana was pulled out of Jin's hold and discarded to the side, and Margulis pushed him on his back and climbed on top of him. "No, Uzuki, I win," the older man muttered, staring at Jin with fire flashing in his eyes. The younger man stared back calmly, but he wasn't about to make an attempt to recover his weapon. Besides, he knew his commander better; Margulis wasn't talking about the sword practice anymore. Jin knew well where this was going and what would happen next, and he had no strength left to resist when Margulis leaned in for a fierce kiss.

They parted after a moment and both remained still for a while, breathing heavily. Margulis then went for Jin's practice clothes, pulling the kimono open and stripping the younger man's upper body naked. Jin shifted around little in an attempt to be helpful, not that he was about to let his commander enjoy this so-called victory for long. Of course, the faster the clothes were dealt with the better; in the end they would only be in the way.

Margulis didn't stop there but went for Jin's hakama, nearly ripping the fabric in his attempt to pull the garment off of the younger man. He managed to remove it without causing too much damage in the end, and he then grinned as he stopped to admire his work for a second - mostly because the fundoshi Jin wore as his underwear didn't do all that great work at hiding the younger man's hard-on. Margulis grabbed the fabric and pulled hard, and the string holding the loincloth snapped, leaving Jin naked.

The moment Margulis turned to toss the cloth to the side, Jin had managed to catch his breath, and he made his move. He kneed the older man on the side, not able to put all that much strength in the move, but it worked well enough and got the other man off-balance. That was all Jin needed, and he pushed the man off of himself, switching their positions as Margulis ended up on his back. Jin grabbed the older man by the collar of his kimono and leaned in for a kiss, moving his hand down the older man's body as he did, tugging Margulis' hakama off in the process.

He didn't get too far as the older man grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him back down then kissed him rather violently. Jin responded by biting a little, just enough to draw blood. His intention wasn't as much to hurt his partner as it was to agitate him even more. Besides, with the level of frustration they were both dealing with after the sword fight, Jin couldn't claim that he didn't want this as much as his commander did. Margulis was still the stronger out of the two of them, and Jin rarely won this part of the battle. He still wasn't about to take it lying down, letting the older man do as he pleased.

Margulis muttered something inaudible and raised his hand to slap his partner, but Jin caught his hand and forced it down, managing to get the older man off-balance again. He pulled himself to his knees and attempted to get the upper hand, and Margulis responded by trying to grab him - but his hand found nothing to grab onto thanks to Jin losing his clothes earlier.

The older man then found himself stumbling, with the hakama not yet completely off, and Jin took advantage of the fact that his commander still had the kimono on. While Margulis struggled to get rid off the hakama, Jin grabbed the older man by the neck of his kimono and pushed him to the floor face down, their positions switched again. That didn't last long; Margulis grabbed the younger man's wrist and threw him down. He discarded the hakama and crawled on top of Jin before the man got up again and attempted to kiss him, but Jin grabbed the kimono collar again and pulled Margulis down.

They rolled on the floor for a moment, both trying to get an upper hand. Margulis got onto his knees a moment later but Jin crawled up and pulled the older man's kimono down his arms. He stopped to consider tying Margulis' hands with it for a second, but it only took his partner that moment of hesitation to get away from the garment and then he was all over Jin again, slamming the younger man face down against the floor.

"Agh..." Jin tried to get up but Margulis grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back then bit the younger man's neck, and Jin cried out of pain. He rewarded his partner by striking his elbow against the man's side and then shifted around enough to push the other man away from him. He then rolled to the side of the room to consider his choices before Margulis got to him again. He settled for grabbing his bag, which was laying next to where he was, and pulling out a small bottle before dodging away from the door. There was no question how this would end, and Jin figured that at this point he was the only one who remembered it was better to not do anything without some lubricant.

He didn't manage to evade well enough as Margulis caught up to him and tackled him down again, and they rolled over with Jin ending up on the bottom again. Margulis grunted something and grabbed the younger man's wrists, pulling his hands above his head. Jin struggled under him, and he pushed the younger man down with his own body before noticing a kimono lying nearby. He smirked and grabbed the garment, then used it to tie the younger man's hands.

Jin could have come up with a couple of moves to use had he wanted to continue the little struggle they were having, but he settled for a smirk and a nod towards his hands. Margulis glared at him but grabbed the small bottle, and the younger man gave him a calm stare as he grinned victoriously and opened the bottle. He shifted downwards and knelt down between Jin's legs then forced them apart and stuck his hand between the younger man's buttocks in a not-so-gentle manner. Gentle or not, at least the older man was using the lubricant, Jin thought to himself.

The older man muttered something under his breath while spreading more of the lubricant, ending up being pretty messy while doing so. Jin smiled to himself and tried to relax, knowing what was coming. He knew his commander wasn't going to be holding back, judging from how frustrated he seemed. The older man shot another fiery glare at him while ripping his own underwear out of the way.

It was going to hurt, but Jin didn't care; rather, he welcomed it. It also wasn't like he couldn't have freed his hands had he wanted to stop this, but it was just pointless at this point. There was only one end for this duel of theirs, and he wanted this end about as much as the older man did.

Margulis lifted him by the waist and smirked, then frowned, seeming disappointed that the younger man's calm, smiling expression didn't change for even a bit. Jin considered making a nasty remark - or at least telling the older man to get on with it - but this wasn't exactly the point to be having a conversation. He took a deep breath and prepared himself as Margulis moved closer and then thrust into him rather brutally. Not that he wasn't used to it; his partner wasn't exactly the most patient man when it came to sex.

"Ghh...!" Jin closed his eyes for a moment as the older man moved and pressed into him again. It certainly hurt, but he really was beyond caring. Both of them needed the release after the battle, and if it meant ending up on his back on the floor with Margulis taking his frustration out on him, it was fine. He calmed his breathing and tried his best to let himself adjust to the pressure - not that it was an easy task with Margulis ignoring everything and just pressing into him over and over, with no control whatsoever.

He again considered voicing his opinion on the matter, but it would've just made the other man more annoyed. He settled to give the older man a scolding look as he lay back and did his best to tolerate it. His initial guess had been correct, anyway; his partner wasn't one to tolerate any kind of remarks. Even that look had been too much, and Margulis' hands were around his neck a moment later. The hold was tight enough to cut his breathing, and Jin felt himself nearly panicking for a second. It hurt, and with the pain came more forceful thrusts as the older man pressed into him, obviously not about to give a damn if Jin enjoyed it or not.

If Margulis was after something with that, it was too bad for him; Jin was enough of a masochist to manage to turn the feeling into pleasure. The lack of air made his head spin for a bit, but he caught himself and smirked then raised his hands, his wrists still tied, and put them around the older man's head and pulled him closer for a kiss. Margulis' hold slipped and he grabbed Jin by the hair instead then went along with it, though he dominated the kiss instantly. Jin allowed it; with his arms around the older man's neck, he had more support and it made the position easier.

With Margulis' body so close to his, Jin could feel the older man's body against his erection. Considering he couldn't reach down to touch himself, it would have to do. It wasn't that he really needed more stimulation with the older man moving inside of him, and whether Margulis was stroking against the right parts or not didn't matter. All that mattered was that the older man was taking him, as roughly as he was. The pain was fine; it was almost like it defined their odd relationship.

Thinking straight turned out to be impossible, even for Jin who could otherwise keep himself calm under any circumstance. There were times when he didn't care, though, and this was one of them. Margulis breathed heavily against his neck, and he heard the older man mutter something but couldn't make out the words. The thrusts were deep and rough, and Jin let out a silent cry and arched his back, digging his nails into older man's skin for more support. He didn't really like making sounds, considering it amused his commander way too much, but at least he was honest when it came to this, unlike his partner.

"Aah-!" His voice was cut by another forceful kiss, and he could feel how much the other man wanted to control every bit of him. Margulis was like that; fanatical and unyielding, refusing to lose even for a little. Jin gave in and let himself be dominated, and the older man took his chance to do so. The kiss made it more difficult to breathe, though, and Jin felt his control slipping. The thrusts turned somewhat desperate and if possible at that point, rougher, and it felt like his body was burning up.

Violent as it was, Jin found himself close to release. He couldn't keep his breathing from turning ragged, and he tried to move to meet Margulis' movement, clinging to the older man with the last bit of his strength. Margulis pressed into him hard, muttering something that sounded pretty vulgar under his breath before pulling his partner into another kiss. Jin found himself unable to breathe for a second, but the older man broke the kiss a moment later, thrusting into him in another rough move, his body shaking visibly as he pressed into his partner.

"Uzuki...!!" Margulis called out, and Jin would have laughed at that had he been in any condition to do so. His body couldn't take it anymore, and with Margulis slumping on top of him, spent, Jin slumped against the floor as well, a weak moan escaping his lips as he came. It stole his strength completely, and he closed his eyes for a moment. His body ached from finally reaching what he needed, and it left him wanting to just forget about everything and fall asleep right there.

He wasn't about to do that, though, and he shook his head to clear his brain when the initial exhaustion passed. Margulis lay there, panting heavily and obviously just about as spent as Jin was himself. He grumbled something as the younger man gently pushed him off of him and sat up, sore but not about to let the tiredness take over. He undid the binding that held his hands and crawled over to where his clothes lay to get something to cover himself. He needed a shower - no, he decided, at this point a long bath sounded like a better option.

"No, Colonel," Jin said, smiling as he watched the older man lie there, staring back at him with his eyes half-closed. "I win."

Author's notes:

JIN IS A FAG. If you look up "gay" in the dictionary it says "see: Jin Uzuki"...Jokes aside, bah, don't tell me you didn't see it when playing Xenosaga 2 & 3. ANYWAY. Xenosaga pre-game stuff, younger Margulis & his subordinate Jin. SWORDS + insert a couple of bad original Wild Arms Lady Harken quotes, as requested by Elmina.

- Lady Harken (August 2010)