Title: Fantasia

Author: Regina Wren

E-mail: wren13 @ gmail.com

Fandom & Pairing: Janne Da Arc; ka-yu x yasu

Keywords: yaoi, romance, AU

Rating: Teens

Words: 19,435

Status: Complete

Disclaimer: I don't hold any rights over anyone contained herein, except for the story, which is mine. And just because I should probably point this out legally: this is a fantasy, plain and simple, it's not meant to harm anyone directly or indirectly, I'm not making any profit from this, and it's only meant for entertainment and enjoyment purposes.

 

 

Fantasia
By Regina Wren

Part 3

 

When night came they set down in a small clearing, like the previous night. The air was cool, fresh winds sweeping up from the river cooling the summer warmth that lingered even after sunset. The only thing that could be heard in the forest was the perfect stillness of a world settling down to sleep, while the last light of day dyed the horizon intricate shades of raspberry and lavender.

Yasu had evidently brought along ample supplies in that little pack of his; Ka-yu only recognised the spiced fish and vegetables, but as long as it tasted good he didn't worry about defining what the rest of it may have been. Again the fire seemed to burn with barely any fuel, but even that didn't seem so strange anymore.

Yasu's hair gleamed red in the firelight, casting an almost demonic glow over his visage and lighting a ruby glow in his eyes. The entire effect made him seem less human, and more faerie and otherworldly.

The sunlight definitely suited him better, Ka-yu decided.

"Yasu," He spoke up once when his companion was quiet for a little while. "What will happen when I go back? How long will I have been gone?" The thought had been nagging at him every time he thought of the man that had been found on the church steps. For him no time had passed, while for the rest of the world a week had gone by.

Yasu's neat eyebrows furrowed slightly in concentration. When he spoke his voice was low. "Time is different here than in your world. Time never passes here. We live in the past, the present and the future all at once; the past and the future are one."

Ka-yu's head spun just trying to follow that. "Are you saying you never die?"

"No. We can be killed, just like any other living thing. If our glamour fades we die. It's more like living in the past, the present and the future at the same time. When things change, like a person dying, it becomes part of the past that we continue to live in, even though we also live in the present where they're no longer alive. The times are all the same here. The moment you cross into this world, may be the same moment you leave."

A slight breeze coursed across the clearing, and Yasu abruptly lifted his head to gaze out into the darkness. Ka-yu straightened, his hunter's instincts catching the change in the wind, almost as soon as Yasu.

"What is it?"

The wind picked up bringing with it the strong scent of flowers, almost like an entire garden bloomed not far from them. The perfume from hundreds of flowers, like the Duke's gardens in spring, was now almost overpowering.

Yasu's eyes widened and he gave a startled cry. "Get down!" With that he flung himself at Ka-yu dragging him to the ground. A tingle ran down Ka-yu's back and he could have sworn he felt the air still when Yasu landed on him, as though an invisible cloak had suddenly been thrown across them. But when he glanced around there was nothing but the crackling fire and the overwhelming perfume on the wind, and the clearing remained quiet.

"Ka-yu! Look at me!" The alarm in Yasu's voice made him look back at the face above him. "Don't look at it, Ka-yu," he explained in a softer tone. "Don't ever look a Forest God in the eyes. It'll steal your soul."

Instead Ka-yu focused on the face hovering inches away from his own. The red golden hair that framed Yasu's face, the smooth, perfect skin, the pink lips, the sweet elfin features that made him so pretty. And the dark pools that were Yasu's eyes, clearer and deeper than those of any human, making Ka-yu wonder briefly if those eyes could suck away his soul too.

He swallowed and brought his mind back to more comfortable thoughts. "Are you saying I can go back anytime I want?"

Out of the corners of his eyes, Ka-yu saw two stick-like legs, deep purple as the night, walking past. But heeding Yasu's warning he didn't let himself dwell on that. Yasu's eyes were unreadable as he lay stretched out along his body, head intentionally blocking Ka-yu's view of the Forest God's face.

Warm breath ghosted across his neck, and Yasu's voice was soft. "Why? Do you want to leave?" Those eyes held a strange emotion, and Ka-yu hesitated. It would certainly be easier to leave now before he fell into whatever web this clever faerie was spinning around him, but he had also rescued him and looked after him, and he owed Yasu for that at least. Besides, he still had to find a way to bring back the animals that belonged in the Duke's forest.

Finally he sighed. "If I can go back to anytime, I may as well stay here a little longer."

Yasu gave him a sunny smile in return, and Ka-yu noticed half despairingly the tightening in his chest. Yasu, what are you doing to me?

The Forest God passed by them without stopping or paying them any attention, as though it hadn't even seen them, intent on its own mysterious path.

It was only when he was certain that the being had passed that Ka-yu raised the topic. "It looked like that demon I saw. They were both giant and shadowy..."

The rest of the sentence trailed off as Yasu went limp, his head sinking against Ka-yu's shoulder, leaving Ka-yu face to face only with the stars. Yasu's voice reached his ears slightly muffled. "That's because they're the same. Their shapes are different but they're the same type of spirit. Only this one isn't out to harm anyone."

Finally he crawled off Ka-yu with a tired smile, and a cool wind ghosted across the clearing. That fresh river air rustled the leaves and lightened the air around. "Get some sleep. We still have a way to go tomorrow."

The night was warm, and when the wind became too cold it was quickly chased away by the fire, and with the strain of the journey on their bones, it didn't take long for sleep to claim both of them.