by Karma
Note: To see what BJ and the YYH bunch have to do with anything, you might want to read "Silent Acquisition," the prequel to this series. Apologies for bringing in another series, but I couldn't resist.
BTW- following the normal YYH continuity (normal timeline wise, different relationship-wise), this would take place sometime after the Makai tournament, so K is 19.
Special thanks to Cai for pointing out silly errors.
The day was bright and clear when Oniisama called for me.
I was talking to Aoiki, when the servant appeared and knelt before me, waiting for me to finish.
"Anyway," Aoiki said, changing the topic casually. He smiled slightly and asked me if I knew where my brother was.
"That way," I said instantly, indicating the gardens. There was no need to ask which one. Since our return, Hoshiki had been spending a lot of time with my brother. They hung around a lot, and I was glad that both of them were happy. "Right now he's trying to practice some of his music," I said helpfully. "He gets embarrassed when some of us hear it, so he goes to practice in the gardens."
"Thanks." Hoshiki smiled at me and left.
I turned to the servant, who told me that Seiryuu-ou wanted to see me. Curious, I dismissed him and went to my elder brother's room.
As usual, his room was an organized jungle of books, scrolls, and other miscellaneous recordings of history.
I went immediately to where we usually hung around in Niisama's room when he called us-- to the small table where we used to all sit around, and eat, when we were all too lazy to make it to the dining room. When we used to have the palace to ourselves, when we used to have time to eat together.
Inside, seated in the right chair, sat Kou-niisama, now officially called Seiryuu-ou. On the left sat my other older brother, Shun-niisama, or Hakuryuu-ou. Shun-niisama was slumped over, an expression of outrage and anger on his face. Kou-niisama had a look that I had seen before, when we all first heard of the bargain that His Majesty wanted to strike with our leader. An expression of anger, worry, and covered helplessness.
I couldn't understand what the problem was. We took the Emperor up on his offer, and went to fight the Gyuushu, ourselves. We went to war with as many of our men as we were willing to risk. We had fought and we had won. The Gyuushu lost, so they were pushed back into the west half of the Jikai. We won, so we earned the eastern half of the Human Sphere. So what could be wrong now?
I took my seat and looked across the table. "What's wrong, Oniisama?" I asked. I only called them their real names in my head. I almost never called them by them in real life. No one did.
Seiryuu-ou looked at me, and then across the table.
I looked too, and noticed that the last chair was empty.
"Where's Kouryuu-ou?" our leader asked. Not angrily, not curious...just as if he had to ask.
"I think he's relaxing in the garden. Hoshiki-niisama's with him."
Aoiki had been so worried when we went off to fight. He had wanted to fight too, but Oniisama refused to let him. Our leader said that if he got hurt in battle, His Majesty might become angry with us. Aoiki said that wasn't true, that his father could care less, but our leader didn't want to risk it. He pointed out that it would make him look like he was an official member of our clan to outsiders, and thus, if we lost, he would go down with us too. Aoiki argued that his father thought that way anyway, but Oniisama said not everyone shared his view, and if worse came to worse, he would still probably be spared if he wasn't involved.
Niisama looked at me and shook his head slightly. "Kikei," he began. "I have bad news."
"What is it?" I asked.
"You know how we haven't had contact with the Emperor even once during our return from the battle with the Gyuren..."
"Yes."
"And that each time I've paid him a visit since, I was turned away."
"Yes..."
"Well, today Hakuryuu-ou and I paid a visit to the Imperial Palace. The soldiers attacked your brother and with him as a distraction, I questioned a commander. He accused us of kidnapping the Emperor."
"What? That's ridiculous!"
"Isn't it?" Hakuryuu-ou agreed. Angry, he slammed his fist against the table. "Why would we kidnap the Emperor? There's nothing to get from him! Don't they see that we're content with our sovereignty over the seas?"
Seiryuu-ou noted somberly, "It gets worse."
"How?"
He hesitated. "I don't really want to say it without your other brother here. Can you go fetch him, please?"
I nodded.
I couldn't believe it. All our lives, we've been nothing but loyal to our father and the Emperor. How could someone accuse us of kidnapping His Majesty? Upset, I stumbled my way to the garden, roaming around looking for my other eldest brother. I found him with Aoiki, the Star Prince, just lying on the grass while my eldest brother played something on his instrument.
For a moment, I wondered about those two. I remembered this one time I went looking for them, shortly before we fought the Gyuushu, and I had found them both together. Which I had expected, of course, since I had been the one who told Hoshiki where Niisama had been taking a nap. What I had not expected to see was my older brother's odd reaction when I found him. He was been slightly embarrassed and surprised, although he covered both up rather well. Aoiki had a dazed expression on his face, and seemed out of focus. I still don't know why Niisama had been so upset, though. It's not like they had been naked or anything. They were just kissing, that's all, and they were allowed to, because they were married and everything. Although that was the only time I had ever seen them kiss, save at the wedding...
Aoiki smiled at me in greeting, catching the attention of my older brother.
"What is it, Kikei?" Niisama asked.
"Seiryuu-ou wants to talk to you. It's bad news." I looked at Aoiki and remembered the last time we had tried to exclude him from one of these 'talks.' "You should come to, Hoshiki-niisama," I said.
Puzzled, they followed me back to where Seiryuu-ou gave them the first bit of bad news again. Hoshiki reeled in shock, slumping into another chair that we brought for him, while Kouryuu-ou simply looked thoughtful.
"Who's ordering the soldiers if he's kidnapped?" he asked, perplexed.
Our leader nodded in agreement. "My sentiments exactly. Someone has to be the one who kidnapped the Emperor and accusing us."
"Maybe it was those stupid Gyuushu again," Hakuryuu-ou exploded. "Maybe they need another lesson."
"In whatever the case," Eldest brother said. "We're likely to face exile soon." He turned and nodded slightly at Aoiki. "I'm afraid that includes you, Hoshiki."
The Star Prince nodded, not surprised.
"So what?" Shukukei-niisama asked. "After everything we did for the Emperor, and we get this? Who cares? As long as we're together, I don't care if we get exiled."
I agreed. "Niisama's right! Who cares if we get kicked out? The Tenkai's not that great of a place to live in anyway! We can go traveling again, go exploring...As long as we're together, then I don't care what happens!"
"You know that all of the Go forces support any decision that you make, Seiryuu-ou," said Kouryuu-ou. "Although I think we should fight against these orders and find the source of them."
Seiryuu-ou looked distressed as he listened to all of us. Elder brother was always the most loyal of us all to the Emperor-- we were more loyal to him than to His Majesty. "I don't want our warriors to go to war, again," he said, pained. "They're still recovering from the last battle. And if we're exiled, every clan will be against us." He looked down, upset. "And even if we're exiled, what about the others that we're leaving?" he whispered, speaking very softly, anguished.
Of course. Her Majesty. If the Emperor was kidnapped, what did she think of us? Surely she wouldn't believe the rumors! And now she was alone in the Imperial Palace, with no one to keep her company.
"What's that?" Hoshiki asked, his voice harsh as he stared at our leader. We all turned to look at him. He hadn't said anything before, so his soft voice startled us.
"What's what?" our leader asked, his voice shaking slightly.
"What else is bothering you? You keep looking at Kouryuu-ou, as if there's something you want to say, but can't bring yourself to speak. And you have a bag underneath your chair, as if you planned to show us what was in it, but you haven't said a word about it. What's wrong?"
Curious, more so than surprised, we all looked at the clan leader.
Seiryuu-ou sighed. "I didn't want to show this. But I can't keep it from you either..." He picked up the bag that was underneath his chair, and brought it up to the table. "This," he said, was left by the Quartz Palace's back door. "One of the servants brought it to me." He opened the silk pouch and emptied its contents upon the table.
And long, bright red shimmering hair fell out.
Amaru shifted in his sleep, a frown appearing upon his angelic face. Hajime watched him with a concerned expression, wondering what could be disturbing the boy in his sleep. Sighing, he returned his attention to the one that had been revealing his family's secrets in a story.
"For dark times brewed ahead that none of them were prepared for."
Guibu watched the campfire flicker in a detached way, not really looking at the flames, but through it. His melodic voice stopped, and a brief moment of silence followed. He surveyed his handiwork with a sort of satisfaction.
Eram and Alfreed were both asleep. Jaswont was lying a distance away from the rest of the group, resting. His morale had been destroyed with the prince's disappearance, and so he no longer felt a need to stay on guard. Melain leaned silently against a tree branch, quiet as ever. Amaru was still unconscious from the day's battle; Matsuri was sitting besides him, leaning against Hajime's back. Her expression was hidden from view, but she was very still, so the minstrel guessed that she had also fallen asleep. Narcasse and Darun watched Guibu expectedly; Hajime and Owaru watched him attentively. He had Farangis' attention as well, he was pleased to see, although he was uncertain as to what she was thinking.
There was a moment of silence before Guibu explained, "That's all of the story that I really feel like telling right now." That was partially true, and partially false. The truth was that what occurred next he was still a little confused about, and so he wanted to see if he remembered more about it before moving on. "Half the camp is asleep, so perhaps another day I'll finish it."
Darun exchanged glances with Narcasse before looking back at the singer. "Why did you choose to tell that story?"
"To get everyone to relax." The minstrel grinned. "I think, that with the number of people asleep, that I succeeded. It was such a dull story, you know, and my enchanting voice can do nothing but lull babies to sleep."
"Where," said Hajime in an astonished voice, "did you ever hear that story? Or that song?"
"As a traveling minstrel," said Guibu mysteriously, "I do believe that I have the privilege to say that 'I picked it up somewhere and there.' " He grinned inwardly at the flash of frustration that crossed the eldest Ryudo's face. Payment for that agonizing horse ride with you.
Narcasse watched silently as they exchanged words. He glanced at the Ryudo brothers and then back at Guibu. "You might as well tell us what you know about the background to the story, and why you felt like sharing it." The strategist looked at Hajime. "And in exchange for learning this, can you please share what this story meant to you? Your brother and yourself looked so completely surprised when he began it, as if he had just grown another head. And that look has stayed upon your face throughout the entire story, for that matter."
Owaru bit back a retort while Hajime nodded in agreement. "If...you please," he said to the Guibu, who sighed dramatically.
"Very well." He shifted uncomfortably for a moment. How do I explain this? "I suppose everyone noticed the interesting occurrences of the day," he said wryly. At the nods of consensus, the minstrel turn his gaze back to the fire.
"Seeing a dragon, Bodon walking with thrice the amount of usual flesh, and remembering my memories of this life. All these events...they reminded me of some dreams that I've been having for a while. I have forgotten most of them by now, but -- I don't know, perhaps it came the same way I recovered my memories. For some reason, all those odd, different dreams suddenly connected, and I realized that they were all part of the same story. And..." his voice trailed off, as he struggled for the right words, he who always had such a gift for verbal communication. "And as I thought about the story, I could suddenly...see the context in which my dreams were together." Guibu looked at the Narcasse.
"And as you probably already guessed... Prince Arslan is the shy prince, the emperor's son. I'm the musician. And their missing brother...Tsuzuku..." here he turned to nod at the Ryudos. "Was the second son."
When he woke up again, he found himself sleeping on a soft carpet. Puzzled, he sat up and took a look around his surroundings, which were all too familiar. He was home again, in his spacious house in Tokyo. Perplexed, he took a look at himself.
Tsuzuku was not, as he had thought he would be, naked from his last transformation. Indeed, he was wearing the exact same clothes that he had torn up when he became a dragon. Unlike before, he did not feel sore from his last transformation. If nothing else, he felt refreshed. He was, in fact, lying in the living room again. It was almost as if the entire incident with the bull had never occurred; simply a bad nightmare.
Or so it would be easy to believe had the prince not been lying on the couch, dirty with mud and grass stains, and unconscious.
Worried, the second Ryudo son moved closer to the couch for a better look.
Arslan was very pale, and while sleeping, he wheezed like an asthmatic. His head rested on the left arm of the couch, his right leg dangling slightly over the edge of the cushioned seat. His lips were chapped, and parts of his skin were red and peeling-- as if he had suffered from a bad sunburn. The boy prince was still wearing black leather like a j-rocker, but the filth covering him was reminiscent of when he had first arrived in Tokyo-- in a torn and dirty tunic.
Arslan's face had a bit of dirt on it, as well as a thin layer of soot. Almost without a thought, Tsuzuku brushed some of the dirt off of his face. He suddenly had a d�j� vu feeling that he had seen it somewhere before, and when he looked at the prince again, vague memories of the remnants of his dream came back to him. In pieces. He struggled to remember the elusive imagery, but he found that the only part of his dream he remembered was...
Kissing the prince.Startled, the Ryudo tried in vain to remember anything else, but no... The only thing I remember is kissing him. Lying in the grass in a garden, and I leaned forward and kissed him. What a WEIRD dream... Reminding himself that it was just a dream was comforting. Just another wacked-out dream that occurs for no reason at all. It only happened in your head, after all. There is *nothing* to be embarrassed about.
His fingers brushed against the boy's forehead, and he jerked his fingers back in surprise. It was *hot*.
He's burning up! He must have a fever! Tsuzuku forced himself to calm down and *not* panic. In vain, he searched the back of his head, trying to recall what a person does with someone who has a fever. He realized, suddenly with horror, that none of the Ryudo brothers ever got sick, so none of them were prepared to deal with someone who *was* sick.
In fact, it's quite possible that all Matsuri-chan suffered was a fever, and Hajime-niisan panicked because he didn't know what it was. Think, think, think. What do you remember reading about fevers? First you...you...try to pull down their temperature with some ice?
The Ryudo stood up, about to head for the kitchen when Arslan's wheezing worsened, and then the prince was struck with a fit of coughs. His thin frame shook hard with each cough, and he spat out some bloody saliva with each passing one.
The coughing fit finally stopped, and he gasped for breath. He winced suddenly, and his weary eyes opened to meet Tsuzuku's gaze. As usual, Arslan's eyes were a startling deep blue, but this time they were filled with pain.
Oh shit...
"It hurts...to breathe," Arslan whispered, wincing. He took slower, shallow breaths, and tried to sit up. Instantly, he cried out in pain, and froze, afraid to move.
It must have been when the monster punched him in the chest. Now very, very worried, Tsuzuku gently touched the right side of Arslan's chest. Arslan gave a cry of pain, and Tsuzuku frowned.
"Please...don't...do...that," the prince whispered.
"I think you might have fractured your ribs," said the dragon worriedly. "Or at least injured them. Where else does it hurt?"
"My...left...leg." Arslan managed to wheeze out.
Remembering the Gyuren's kick, Tsuzuku moved to examine the left shin. He pulled up the loose left pant leg with relief; this would have been a lot harder had Owaru's leather pants been any tighter. Upon completing the action, Tsuzuku knew immediately that something was wrong. Not only was Arslan's left foot twisted at an odd angle; but when he looked at it closer, he could almost see where the flesh caved in because of the non-supporting, broken bone. The skin was red and swelling.
Ooh...not good at all. He's worse off now than when we first came.
"And you also have a broken bone," he announced. Calm, calm, calm. Don't panic. Think. Call a doctor? Take him to a hospital? The hospital's a little walk from home, but you can carry him--
Wait a minute.
If he's injured and I passed out from transforming back, then how did we get back here? This whole mystery bit is *really* starting to irritate me.
"Do you know how we got back here?" he asked, turning to the prince. But the boy didn't answer because he had passed out again.
"Calm down," he begged his husband. Tentatively, he placed a hand on the Red Dragon King's shoulder for comfort, but the latter jerked from his touch as if his hand burned.
"Calm down? Calm down?" Amber-red eyes flashed with anger as his husband turned to look at him in disbelief. "How could I possibly calm down?" Kouryuu-ou clutched the red hair in his hand and shook it before his face. "Look at this!" he screamed. "Look at it!" He sank to his knees, clutching the hair in anger and anguish. "Look what they've done to Hisui!"
He looked upon his match's face sadly. Never, in all the time that he had known him, had he ever seen Kouryuu-ou's face like that. He had never seen the face so expressive, with so much feeling, for *anything*. Not for him, not for his brothers, not for anyone.
Not for anyone but for the owner of the red hair.
He found that the sharp jealously he had been feeling was rapidly being replaced by sadness. There, he saw before him, was his match, his husband, his only, crouching in a position of fury, so angry that he was on the verge of tears. Or perhaps, he was already crying, deep inside.
Was this the normal reaction that someone would give if they had just learned bad news about a former servant? A former friend?
A former love?
Or...perhaps...he was still in love with him...?
He watched the one that he had married, growing cold inside with doubt and sadness.
After all, their marriage had been arranged. Why did he ever think that, perhaps, just perhaps, his husband had, eventually, learned to love him?
Tears began to slide down his face as anguish filled his soul.
What a ridiculous notion!
But...he had hoped that it had been true...because...
Because...
Because it had been true...for him...
Because he had learned to love him...
He's dying.
When the thought came to him, Tsuzuku almost screamed in panic. Gathering his wits, he forced himself to stay calm. And not panic.
He's not dying. He may have damaged something inside and is internally bleeding, he may be slightly sick with fever, he may have just been through hell, but he's *not* dying. He still has a chance if you just take him to a doctor or something.
Hospital. Take him to a hospital.
Briefly, Tsuzuku thought of a doctor that helped him once, when he was younger...but he was forced to dismiss the notion. He had no idea how his elder brother had ever managed to contact him.
I can't take him to a hospital-- he shouldn't be moved right now. I better go call a doctor, instead.
He picked up the nearby phone on the table decisively, ready to dial. Then he stopped in realization.
Damn-- what's the number of the nearest doctor? Nearest hospital?
Frustrated, Tsuzuku racked his brain for a number, any number. But none came to him. It wasn't as if the Ryudos had ever needed a doctor.
Except him, once, long ago.
And the only person that had Dr. Black Jack's number had been Hajime, who was presently absent.Worried, the red dragon took a quick glance at the Arslan. He froze with a horrified realization when he saw water droplets form beneath the dark eyelashes, then slowly slide down the boy's cheek.
Arslan's...crying in his sleep?
I wonder what he's dreaming about. Something terrible enough to make him weep in his sleep...?
He stayed with his match for a long time. The latter was quiet now, simply leaning against the wall, his eyes looking into the distance, his hands clutching the red hair.
Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity of silence, Kouryuu-ou spoke. His voice held resolution and determination, and only a little trace of the anguish that had been detected earlier.
"I'm going to the Imperial Palace."
Silence as the words sank in.
"WHAT?" he protested in surprise. "You don't even know if he's still alive!"
The second eldest Go gave him a harsh stare. "And we don't know if he's dead!"
"But--"
His husband cut him off angrily. "They left his hair there as a threat, to warn US to leave." His eyes met those of the prince. "When word came that you were coming, he asked me if he could leave. Have his freedom. Because he had loved me." The eyes shut in a painful memory.
"And I him."
The words struck his heart, and he felt his own eyes shutting in response to them. Why am I so upset? he thought to himself, struggling to remain calm. I knew that they had been in love before I had come along.
But he had thought it a passing crush, a passing phase in the Red Dragon King's life. After all, he had gotten over his own crush on the White Dragon King, hadn't he?
Wrapped in his own world, oblivious to the pain that he was causing the other, Kouryuu-ou continued. "He left for my sake, to stay out of our way. And now he's been hurt because of me! Even though he wished to have nothing to do with me, even though he's completely innocent, he's been targeted as a victim because of me! I will not stand idly by as one so close to my heart has been taken by one of my enemies. If there's even a slim chance, I HAVE to rescue him, don't you see? I owe him that much." The amber eyes looked at him imploringly. "I promised him that no harm would come to him, and I have failed.
"Oniisama said not to do anything yet, I know. And I have never disobeyed him in the past, either. But this...this is something that I HAVE to do. Will you..." His voice faltered, then renewed with strength. "Will you help me?"
His mind raced. We don't even know what's going on, but the incident itself demonstrates that we've made enemies that would stoop at any level to get what they want. And he's going to the palace? Where someone has broken in, kidnapped my father, and is now ordering us to leave?
It was so dangerous...
"Do you know the possible consequences of what you're saying?" he asked, surprised that his voice was steady despite his constant changing of emotions.
"You know that, if you're caught, they'll have an even greater tool to use against your family? That this could lead to an all out war in the Tenkai? That, this enemy, whoever it is, has found a way of removing my father and is ordering Imperial soldiers against us? That we don't know anything else, and that your Elder brother wishes to try negotiations, one last time? That your brother would disprove of your hasty actions and that you risk not just yourself, but all those in your care as well? Do you realize all of this?"
"Yes..." The smooth voice hesitated and then continued. "Yes, I am aware of the consequences. But this is something that I must do. And I will not get caught."
He knows all of this, and yet he still wants to do it? he thought in despair. How can I stop him, if this is something that he truly wishes to do?
"Well, will you help me?" His match's voice disturbed his thoughts. The voice held a slight trace of impatience, of fear, of supplication. Kouryuu-ou needed someone, after all, to cover up for him long enough so that his brothers would not find out.
When he did not immediately reply, his husband moved closer toward him. "If anyone asks, all you have to do is say that I'm sleeping in your room. That I was upset and sought you out for comfort, and that I fell asleep there after weeping."
"Please? All you have to do is lie..."
Regardless of all the risks, he's still willing to undertake them for the sake of a former mentor? For the sake of someone that he did--or still does--
Love?
For the sake of love, he's willing to put everyone in danger?
Never once had he said that he loved me, but he admits that he had loved Hisui.
For the sake of love...
I think I can understand a little...just a little...
And slowly, a plan formed in the back of his mind.
He embraced it with dread and eagerness, for he knew what was to come and what he was going to do.
The blue eyes met those of amber, and he nodded his head, slightly. "I'll help."
Relief flooded onto the other's face, and he took the opportunity to suddenly step close to the one that he now loved. Kouryuu-ou was surprised by the movement, but he before he could say anything else, warm hands cupped his face.
"I'll help...for your sake." He wanted to say why, but didn't dare. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed his love on the lips. It was the second time he had ever dared to make such a move, the first being on his wedding day. The only other time that they had kissed had been when the Go was feeling whimsical, just before he had left for battle against the Gyuushu.
And with Kouryuu-ou sufficiently distracted, he gathered his power as discreetly and as quickly as he could.
And then there was a flash of blue light--
Damn. Where did he put it? Tsuzuku rustled through his older brother's desk in one last, frantic attempt to locate the phone number for Dr. Black Jack.
I should head back down and check how Arslan's doing.
He shuffled through old papers and books, hoping to find something, anything with Black Jack's phone number.
He cursed under his breath when the bottom desk revealed nothing as well. He felt awful for looking through his older brother's things, but this was an emergency. He put back the book he had been holding in his hand --a small, black book that he had found in the desk-- when something fell out of it.
Immediately, he picked up the fallen object: an old, worn paper napkin.
Wondering what his brother was doing with such a piece of trash, he flipped the napkin onto the back and froze when he read the all too familiar handwriting upon it:
Minamino Shuuichi, it stated in light pencil that was almost fading. Following the name was a phone number.
Shuuichi... The name brought back memories, both pleasant and not so. I wonder how he's doing. It's been so long...
Once upon a time ago, he had made a friend outside of his family. It was a first for him. The friendship, unfortunately, turned a little sour, and although they had parted on good terms, they had not been in contact since.
What am I doing, wasting time like this?!? Arslan's dying!
Cursing himself, Tsuzuku moved to put it back when suddenly he remembered--
Shuuichi, lying on the bed of his friend's house, bandaged and wrapped. That short little guy with the black cloak, flatly stating how he tried to kill himself.
Why did no one take him to the hospital, if he was still injured?
He looked so beat up, and hurt...if he was so close to death --didn't Hiei think he died?-- then what was he doing at a friend's house?
More memories.
Shuuichi looking away as he spoke. "I know you don't make friends easily, so if you ever need one, you at least have one that you already made."
Hiei said something about him being in a fight, so he probably has a better idea of what to do with an injured person than I do. Hiei kissed him, and he recovered...
Hajime kissed Matsuri too, and she recovered.
I doubt, though, that a simple kiss would restore someone's fractured --broken?-- ribs, though. I don't even know how they managed to transfer energy through such an action, otherwise I'd do it myself.
Still... Hiei, at least, would know how. After all, he did it to Shuuichi.
If nothing else, Shuuichi would know what to do with an injured person. He recovered from his own wounds, didn't he? And he would definitely know something about hospitals. His mother was in one for such a long time, so...
I can't believe I'm doing this.
What the hell, it's worth a shot.
Moving to the phone before he lost his nerve, he trembled as he picked it up and dialed the number from the napkin.
It rang once.
Twice.
I wonder if he moved?
Three rings, still no answer.
And then a click--
"Hn." Someone said on the other line in a deep voice.
Tsuzuku fought down the tumult of emotions he felt and then spoke. "Is Shuuichi there?"
Silence.
Tsuzuku waited.
More silence.
He must've hung up. I guess he moved... About to do the same, Tsuzuku leaned over to hang up the phone, when he heard a familiar, high tenor voice.
"Hello?"
Shuuichi.
Surprisingly, Shuuichi arrived less than ten minutes later, carrying a first-aid box and another, smaller box in which Tsuzuku assumed medicines were kept. Next stepped in a beautiful young woman, dressed in a pale green kimono that matched the color of her hair. Hiei, Shuuichi's lover, followed silently behind her: a short person with spiky-black hair and dressed in complete black.
His former best friend was taller now, more built. What little baby fat that he had had on him when he was sixteen was gone now, and he appeared as lean as ever. As expected he looked less the role of adolescent and more the role of adult. Three years had given his face an older look of maturity, although it did nothing to his looks. He was as beautiful as Tsuzuku remembered.
The redhead nodded at him in greeting. "Where's your friend?"
They finished bandaging Arslan with the weird medicine that Shuuichi had brought. The prince of Palse now looked peaceful in his sleep, although occasionally he would grimace, as if something was haunting him in his sleep.
Ever since his arrival, Hiei had said nothing. Shuuichi himself had only said a few comments about Arslan's condition. He also said that they had some catching up to do, but could wait.
The other girl, introduced to him as Yukina, had been the first to examine Arslan. Tsuzuku positive, but while watching her touch Arslan's chest gently, he could have sworn he saw her hands glow. But then Hiei had moved in his way, blocking his view of them.
He had, however, *felt* something strange happening, and it did not take him long to figure out that she had somehow been healing Arslan.
Shuuichi tied the last bandage and stood up, examining Arslan.
"He'll be fine in a few days. Give him plenty of liquids and make sure that he gets plenty of rest. Under no circumstances should he be stressed or disturbed," Minamino dictated, as he began to put the bandages away.
Tsuzuku was so relieved that he couldn't speak.
Shuuichi met his eyes. "Let's talk outside of his room," he suggested. "So that we don't disturb his sleep."
Seeing no reason to argue, Tsuzuku led them out of the living room and into the kitchen.
There they seated themselves at the dining table. Shuuichi sat at one end, Yukina sat to the right of him, and Tsuzuku sat across from him.
Hiei elected to stand near the kitchen window, arms crossed.
There was an awkward moment of silence as Tsuzuku struggled to find the right words to speak.
"Well it's been a while, hasn't it, Tsuzuku?" said Shuuichi. He met the Ryudo's eyes and smiled; though the look was not as warm as he remembered.
"...Yeah..." Has it really been three years? And I never bothered to contact him...
"How have you been?" his friend asked, casually.
"Good, you?"
"Same."
Silence.
Tsuzuku turned to Yukina. "Thank you for healing him."
She looked surprised, but nodded in acceptance.
The red dragon turned back to his friend. "And thank you for being someone that I could depend on."
Shuuichi relaxed at the words, the stiffness leaving his body. He smiled again, this time more genuine. "Anytime." He gestured behind him, in the direction of the living room. "What happened to him?"
"He got beaten up and burned pretty badly... I failed to protect him..."
The last part he mumbled more to himself than anyone else, but Shuuichi had good ears.
Suddenly the redhead grinned. "That's wonderful! I was worried that you wouldn't ever find someone, because you keep everybody at a distance! I'm so happy for you!"
Eh?
Oblivious to the confusion that his words were causing, Shuuichi continued. "I didn't think that you favored males over females after you turned me down, but I guess I was right from the start! Congratulations! How long have you two been together?"
Tsuzuku stared and suddenly felt the heat rise in his cheeks, despite the usual, calm mask on his face. He thought we were...lovers?
"Oh." Shuuichi noticed how uncomfortable his friend looked and then face-vaulted, embarrassed. "I'm sorry...I just assumed..."
"Umm...don't worry about it." Why am I embarrassed? "So anyway, I take it that everything is going well for you?" he asked, in a feeble attempt to change the subject back to something that had already been established.
"Yeah."
They proceeded in idle chitchat for a few minutes, before Tsuzuku nodded towards the living room. "So is there anything I can do to help him speed up in his recovery?" This question was addressed to both Yukina and Shuuichi.
Yukina shook her head. "All he has to do now is recover his energy. In a few days, his ribs and leg will heal completely, as long as he doesn't stress them. He'll be fine.""Thanks for healing him," Tsuzuku stated again.
Shuuichi watched him silently. "Aren't you going to ask why Yukina has healing powers?" he asked cautiously.
Tsuzuku shook his head. "I knew you had a secret or two up your sleeves, Shuuichi."
His friend smiled slightly at that, but Hiei snorted. In a blink of an eye, the short boy stood besides Tsuzuku, and spoke. "You were the red dragon over Tokyo the other day, weren't you?"
Tsuzuku looked at him, shocked.
"I knew it was you the minute you appeared. I wouldn't forget that ki anywhere. Normally, I couldn't care less whether or not you blow up a human city, but you can't blow up this one."
Because Shuuichi is here...? he thought to himself absentmindedly, while considering the other's words.
Hiei spoke again. "Get your power under control, Dragon, otherwise you'll damage much more than you anticipate."
"Thank you for the helpful advice," Tsuzuku said sarcastically. He looked at Shuuichi, who did not seem at all surprised that his former best friend was a dragon.
Then again, Hiei would have told him anyway, wouldn't he...?
So that means that all I did before to hide it...was for nothing. Trying to keep his true form a secret had been one of the many reasons why he had stopped hanging out with Shuuichi, three years ago.
Still, now's no time to regret the past.
"Well, we never did find out before," Tsuzuku said to Shuuichi, deliberately ignoring Hiei to irritate him. "But we both had secrets that we kept from each other. Now you know that I'm a dragon incarnated. What are you?" Might as well asked, can't do me any harm, and I want to know. Just get to it out in the open... "I'm only asking because I'm curious. You know that I wouldn't tell anyone else."
"Hiei's a fire demon. I'm a fox spirit incarnation by the name of Youko Kurama," said Shuuichi casually. He arched his back and looked at the ceiling. "And I know that you can't do anything with that information even if you wanted to."
We both had been hiding so much from each other...perhaps, if we had told each other, we would've found comfort in the fact that both of us were different...
Ah well. Too late now.
I suppose if all this weird stuff wasn't happening to me lately, I would have been more surprised. Now, though, I'm just taking everything in stride.
Kurama looked back towards him, his green eyes glinting mischievously. "I just thought of a way that you could help your friend, Tsuzuku!"
"?"
"Well, you're a dragon right? So you have lots of ki. Even if you've just transformed the other day, you should have plenty left. If you transferred it to your friend, you'd speed up his recovery."
Transfer!? Does he mean--
"Of course, there is only one way that I know of to transfer energy," said Kurama with a tilt of amusement in his voice.
"I don't know how to transfer energy by kissing!" Tsuzuku yelped, embarrassed and not understanding in the least why he was embarrassed.
Because he's talking about kissing another guy!
And THAT thought brought up a memory of his last dream, which caused his cheeks flush slightly again. He struggled to keep the last remains of his composure.
Kurama grinned. "You can learn. We can teach you."
And the next thing he knew, he found his lips pressed against the young prince's, doing just as Kurama and Hiei had demonstrated for him.
All for his sake, so that he can recover. All-for-his-sake-so-that-he-can-recover. Allforhissakesothat--
He felt his energy flowing from him and felt suddenly, greatly weakened. Pulling away from the soft, warm lips, he opened his eyes to see how Arslan was doing, to see if it helped--
Only to meet a confused pair of teal blue eyes up-close, as Arslan had awakened.
"It worked," he heard Shuuichi from behind him with amusement laced in his voice.
Arslan blushed.