by Karma
Note: To see what the YYH bunch have to do with anything, you might want to read "Silent Acquisition," the prequel to this series.
A very big, very special 'arigato!' to Cai for pointing out silly errors and flaws in logic.
Guibu's last words caught every waking person's full attention.
"Are you saying," said Darun slowly, his cold blue eyes mirroring the disbelief obviously felt. "That, in some other lifetime, long ago, Prince Arslan had been married to one of THEM?!?" Here he indicated in Hajime's direction.
Hajime watched the minstrel, his dark brooding eyes in an unreadable expression.
"And that," Darun continued, "His Highness is some sort of celestial prince?"
Guibu smiled. "You always said it yourself. Prince Arslan is very special. And certainly, he looks nothing like King Andragoras." The smile faltered. "But no, that's not what I was saying."
Narcasse's lover relaxed considerably.
"What I was saying is that was how they appeared in my dreams. The validity of their truth is still in question; however, it explains a bit, doesn't it?" The minstrel smiled, trying to diffuse the tension in the air. "If nothing else, it makes a good story, doesn't it?"
Owaru looked at Hajime, horrified. "Aniki! Does that mean that the only reason we're here is to reclaim Arslan as Tsuzuku's bride?"
All alert eyes traveled to the two Ryudos.
"If you think that you can just come here to kidnap Prince Arslan and get away with it..." Darun said in a low, warning voice.
"He's already been kidnapped," Owaru pointed out defiantly.
"Owaru," Hajime reprimanded once more.
Narcasse placed a restraining had on Darun's shoulder. The strategist watched the Ryudos for a moment, and then glanced back at the minstrel. "Remember," he said softly to everyone that was listening, "That what Guibu said was based on his dreams." He nodded at the Guibu. "Anything else you think would be important for us to know?"
The redhead gave a smooth shrug. "I thought it made a good story. The memories come in small flashes, and I had to piece them together. It wasn't until I regained my memories of this life that I really started to consider the glimpses that I got of the last one. That's why I kept calling everyone by the wrong name, I believe. As for why I felt like sharing this story...well, I laid out the bare skeleton of it. I wanted to see if anyone could fill in any of the details."
Narcasse nodded, satisfied. He looked expectantly at Hajime. "And what does this story mean to you? Anything that you would like to add? It appears that all of our destines are so closely intertwined that it would probably benefit all of us if you were willing to share. Perhaps, then, we can work together to make sense of this mess."
The eldest Ryudo sighed, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Like I said before," he started, "We remember very little of that time. But what Guibu said matches what little we know. We also have dreams of the past, though ours are more centered on the Four Dragon Kings." He nodded at Amaru's direction. "When Amaru said that he dreamt of them in a ceremony, he told me that what he had seen was Prince Arslan and Tsuzuku's wedding. He also told me that we came here because of the prince."
"I suppose it makes little difference now," Guibu noted wryly, "Being that they're both currently missing. Still, if your family had appeared here for no reason at all, pulled only by the strings of Destiny, then perhaps they'll return to us by unknown means as well." He paused and then gave an exaggerated yawn. "In any case, I told the story mainly to relax everyone, not to agitate anyone. These interesting tidbits of knowledge will not serve us any useful purpose right now. My best advice is for everyone to get some sleep. Then we can all battle over what course of action to take tomorrow."
Narcasse nodded in consensus. "I agree. There's very little we can do right now, especially with the excitement of today taking a toll on everyone's strength." Darun sighed, but did not protest.
Hajime sighed. "Agreed," he said, speaking for both himself and Owaru.
Guibu smiled, stood up, and brushed himself off. "Then we're all in agreement. Let's get some rest."
Arslan woke up to the feel of something soft pressing against his lips.
Feeling slightly disoriented, he opened his eyes to see--
--Tsuzuku KISSING him with his eyes closed.
Am I...dreaming?
"It looks like it worked," he heard an unfamiliar voice speak.
Tsuzuku opened his amber eyes. They were very vivid in detail.
No...I'm not.
Realization that he wasn't actually dreaming after all brought the blood to his face quickly. Arslan blushed and Tsuzuku immediately pulled away. His face appeared slightly embarrassed as well, although the prince envied him because he still managed to maintain a somewhat calm composure. Arslan's face burned relentlessly.
Someone cleared his throat.
Arslan looked to the direction of the sound and saw the redhead in Tsuzuku's book from before.
The redhead handed Arslan a glass of water, which he took gratefully and drank. Still confused, he took the opportunity to drink as slowly as possible; trying to clear his head while avoiding Tsuzuku's gaze for fear that his face would color once more.
The water was cool and refreshing. It soothed his dry mouth and parched throat. All too soon, he finished it and reluctantly looked up.
The androgynous redhead smiled and introduced himself. "I'm Minamino Shuuichi, one of Tsuzuku's former classmates." He indicated to a dark, short figure behind him. "That's Hiei and that," here he gestured towards a young, pretty maiden, "Is Yukina."
"Tsuzuku asked us to see to your wounds. How do you feel?"
Arslan did a mental check and found, to his amazement, that he felt pretty good. A *lot* better than how he knew he should be feeling.
"Not bad at all."
"That's great," said Shuuichi, his green eyes lighting with laughter. "And in case you're wondering, which no doubt you are, Tsuzuku was kissing you because we told him that he could get away with it while you were sleeping. We didn't think you would wake up so soon, so we told him to go ahead and steal a kiss while he had the opportunity."
Arslan felt the heat in his cheeks again, while Tsuzuku squawked, outraged. "Shuuichi!"
The redhead laughed, delighted to get under the other's skin.
"He's lying," explained Tsuzuku hurriedly, stepping in front of his former classmate and blocking Shuuichi from Arslan's line of vision. "I was just trying to transfer some of my energy to you. It's what Hajime did to Matsuri to speed up her recovery."
"Ah." Feeling slightly disappointed but trying desperately not to show it, Arslan cleared his throat and took a glance around at his surroundings. "Where are we?"
Tokyo...we're back in Tsuzuku's house.
"In my house, in my world." The Ryudo watched him with concerned eyes. "Do either of your ribs or shin still hurt? Do you remember what happened?"
Bodon became a bull-monster...Tsuzuku became a red dragon and almost burned everything down...
Arslan nodded his head, and shivered slightly. "Bodon attacked us and you became a dragon to stop him." He realized suddenly that they were speaking in front of strangers and he probably shouldn't have said something so stupid because now Tsuzuku would get mad at him if he had wanted it all to stay a secret...
But Tsuzuku smiled slightly, his face becoming even more handsome with the movement than it already was, and did not seem at all worried about the other three people in the room. "And after--" his words stopped abruptly, and then he frowned, slightly, looking pensive.
"And after...?"
After Arslan ordered me to change back, I did.
I don't believe it.
ARSLAN ordered me to change, not Hajime. And I actually LISTENED.
Filing the information away as data that would become more important later, Tsuzuku continued. "Um...after that incident, I woke up back over here and I found you on the couch. Any idea how we ended up back back?"
"No." Arslan licked his dry, chapped lips, and met Tsuzuku's eyes, concerned. "Are you all right? Did any of the injuries Bodon gave you sustain?"
"No, I'm fine..." That's the weird part...not even my shirt is soiled...
"Sorry to interrupt," broke in Kurama, his countenance now more serious than before. "But Tsuzuku, would you mind telling me who your friend is and where he came from?"
To their credit, neither Kurama nor any of his friends were the slightest fazed by Tsuzuku's incredible narration. Tsuzuku gave them the quick summary, mentioning only how they met Arslan, how they got back to Tokyo, and what they did in Tokyo. He left out details regarding his family's power and past, as well as the weird dreams, deciding that they were irrelevant. None of his audience members, eerily enough, reacted with either surprise or disbelief.
I take it that they live a rather extraordinary life.
Shuuichi listened quietly and then spoke. "So Prince Arslan is now trying to get back to his home dimension?"
Tsuzuku nodded.
The entire group was now situated comfortably in the Ryudo living room in a somewhat circular pattern (besides Hiei, who apathetically opted to stand near the window), so that they could all face each other while they talked.
Kurama looked at Tsuzuku. "And you also want to return to his dimension?"
Tsuzuku nodded again.
Kurama watched him with his clear green eyes. "Tsuzuku," he said gently. "Do you want to return only to see your brothers again? When you see them again, will your family try to come back to Tokyo? If that's the case, then maybe we should just concentrate on getting Prince Arslan back to his world, and you can wait for the rest of your family to find their way back to you."
The second eldest Ryudo shook his head. "I don't know how long it'll take for them to find their way back. I'd rather be there with them."
A deep voice broke in. "That's not what he's asking, you idiot," Hiei snapped impatiently. The dark red eyes of the fire demon caught the dragon's gaze from across the room. "What he wants to know is whether or not your family and you would *want* to remain in his world if you had the chance to get back here."
"Hiei," Kurama quietly reprimanded. He looked back at Tsuzuku for his answer.
Of course we'd want to come back here. What kind of question is that? Then we'll go back to school and everything will be normal again. The bull-monsters, if there are any left, will come after us and leave Arslan alone...
And suddenly, he understood the question.
Arslan... The second eldest Ryudo looked at the young prince, who was still dressed in Owaru's leather clothes, and fell into deep thought.
What he wants to know is whether or not we'll abandon Arslan if we get the opportunity to.
I don't know what Niisan will say... Our only goal in the beginning was to just get home. We followed Arslan because we didn't have any better ideas.
But...
But now...
It's become more than that, hasn't it? The dreams, the hints of our past...if we left Arslan, all of that would stop. We'd never find out about our true selves or how Arslan's involved in any of this.
We'd never know whether or not Arslan manages to regain his throne
--though, with us by his side, he'd have a higher chance at it--
We'd never understand why we ended up there in the first place...
Amaru had said that we went there because of Arslan... If we left Arslan...what then?
We'd never even know whether or not he lives or dies in battle...
That thought was a very unpleasant one. It, in fact, was so worrisome that Tsuzuku's heart trembled slightly with fear at the image associated with it.
I don't know what Niisan would say... But I'd want to stay with Arslan. To attempt to solve all these mysteries, if nothing else.
Not to mention...that now, because of us, Arslan may be a target for future attacks by other bull monsters.
The red dragon also realized that he now perceived the prince as a *friend*, something that he did not hold in huge quantities.
He's a friend, and friends help each other...like Shuuichi helped me.
Arslan had understood what Tsuzuku was, and yet, he *still* trusted the Ryudo. Even knowing Tsuzuku's true form, he still accepted the other boy for who he was.
Arslan was a friend.
And there was a final reason, one that the red dragon was reluctant to examine or admit to even himself. It crept from the back of his mind to the front, and upon seeing it; Tsuzuku quickly shoved the thought away.
It was this: an impression of soft, warm lips, and a realization that he would miss the prince if the boy was gone.
Tsuzuku fell silent, and with a sinking feeling, Arslan knew what the boy sitting to the left of him would choose.
You don't have any reason to be upset, he reminded himself. It's not like they care whether or not you become king. They only joined the party because they didn't know what else to do.
Still...The thought of separating from the lively family made him sad. They were such a funny and interesting bunch. He liked them all; they were all so warm and friendly.
And the thought of separating from Tsuzuku made him...anxious, to say the least. It *hurt* to know that the other boy would be likely to choose this because...
He has no reason to stay...
Arslan had cried secretly when Guibu had left his group; feeling like a failure and a hopeless fool in his quest. And he knew that, if Tsuzuku left, it would upset him a lot more than it should. The shaky, unknown fluttery feeling that he felt around the other boy would be replaced by a sense of complete loss.
There was a moment of thoughtful silence, and then Tsuzuku spoke.
"I don't know what Niisan would say about the matter, and he's the leader in my family. We listen to everything he says. But I know that, if I were given the choice, I'd want to stay by Arslan's side..."
Tsuzuku promptly realized how clich�, how cheesy, and how absolutely silly the words that he had just uttered, sounded. They were not what he had meant to say. What he had meant to say was "If I were to choose, I'd want to stay in Arslan's world." Still, he stood firm in his decision, and looked up from his pensive position.
Arslan flushed slightly with pleasure and smiled at him, really smiled at him. He looked so happy and relieved that Tsuzuku forgave himself for saying such a stupid thing.
"Thank you," said the Prince of Palse. "I'm honored by your words." He spoke formally, but the smile on his face was anything but that: warm, friendly, and intimate.
He's so pleased, thought the second eldest Ryudo, Arslan's glow of happiness affecting his own mood. Shyly, he smiled back.
Kurama watched the exchange between the two and smiled secretly to himself. He *knew* that he had been right. He was almost never wrong.
After a pause, the fox demon reluctantly broke up the exchange by clearing his throat, catching both of their attention. "Okay," he summarized. "Then we have two main concerns. The first is the bull-demon that the two of you had fought. We don't know if he's alone or if he has allies ready to continue where he left off. The second is getting Prince Arslan and Tsuzuku back to the prince's world. Am I right?"
Nods of agreement, all the way around.
"Well, the first problem is rather sticky. We don't know who the monster is, why he's after you, or where he came from. Your best solution is to simply be a lot more cautious around strangers. Lay low, wait for the next attack, and next time, we'll see if we can glean more information.
"The second problem, the way I see it, has two solutions. We can try to send you back the way Tsuzuku's family went back the first place, following the exact events that led to it. We can try doing a reverse of what the bull did, or investigate what he did and try to imitate the process."
Tsuzuku spoke up. "Or...?"
Kurama shrugged. "Or, I can see if I can find another way to send you all back. I *am* a demon myself, so I do have some methods of traveling. No guarantees how long it will take or if we'll find a solution at all, though."
Hiei growled unhappily. He gave his lover a cross look. "You're really going to involve yourself in this mess, aren't you?" At the impish look he received in response, the fire demon moved.
In a flash, he stood in front of Arslan, alarming the young prince.
"They can't depend on you all the time, Kurama," the fire demon pointed out, ignoring both the dragon and the prince. "It would benefit them more if we helped them find a way to return themselves." He reached his bandaged arm up and ripped away the white band covering his forehead.
Arslan gasped softly in surprise as a large, purple eye opened in the middle of Hiei's forehead. Is everyone from this world strange?
Hiei stared at him with his third eye, his jagan. The evil eye had been implanted within the short demon years ago, and it gave him the power to see beyond the barriers of normal vision.
Arslan shifted uncomfortably under the unblinking stare.
After a moment of silence, Hiei turned and stared at Tsuzuku.
The second eldest Ryudo watched his former best friend's current lover, trying hard not to snicker. Seeing the little fire demon reminded him of a small incident, three years ago, when the latter had attacked him. The demon's katana had cracked against his skin, and the look upon Hiei's face then had been priceless.
And here I thought he was an alien.
Hiei blinked, and then shut his eyes for a moment. In the next second, he was standing to the right of Arslan, watching him once again, only this time with his normal, crimson red eyes.
I wish he'd stop staring at Arslan so much, thought Tsuzuku, slightly discomforted though he knew not why. If I wasn't secure in the knowledge that Shuuichi was his lover...
Hiei's deep voice interrupted his thoughts. "You," he said, watching Arslan, "have the power to take both you and your lover back to your world." He continued, oblivious to the embarrassed discomfort that his statement caused both the dragon and the prince. "It's been used a few times before, although you don't have any control over it. Yet."
Shuuichi clapped once, in realization. He was pleased. "That's wonderful! So all we have to do is teach him enough control over his power to take both of them back and our problem is solved!" He grinned at his lover who, for a moment, smiled briefly at the approval. Then the smile disappeared back under Hiei's usual expressionless countenance.
Arslan blinked. "I have powers?" he asked, disbelief overrunning embarrassment. He opened his mouth to protest that he was an ordinary human, when he remembered...
Holding Guibu's dying body, then passing out...
And after that incident, Guibu recovered as if he had never been injured.
Arslan shivered, suddenly feeling cold. He closed his eyes, lost in thought.
What if...I'm not who I thought I was?
"Hiei's pretty good at assessing other people's power," he heard Shuuichi say.
A pause.
"If Hiei thinks that you have the power, then you have the power," Shuuichi decided, his belief in his lover rock-solid. "We'll help the two of you tap into it and send the both of you merrily among your way."
If I'm not who I thought I was...then who am I?
Someone sat down beside him and placed a warm hand on his left shoulder, surprising him out of his thoughts. Arslan opened his eyes and met Tsuzuku's sympathetic gaze.
"It's always a shock to discover that you're not who you thought you were," Tsuzuku said, as if he knew what Arslan had been thinking. "But at least this way you'll discover an aspect of yourself that you never saw before. Besides," here he gave a rueful smile, "it's the best solution we have."
Arslan smiled, appreciating the other boy's attempt to cheer him up.
Tsuzuku withdrew his right hand. He could sympathize and understand what the other boy was going through because he had gone through similar emotions only a few months earlier, when the Ryudo family had first been hunted by Kamakura no Gozen. I understand, he wanted to say, what it's like to be different.
Faster than a blink of an eye, Hiei drew his katana and swung the blade at Arslan.
It pressed against his throat. The prince winced, the touch of the cold steel very discomforting, and stared at the demon fearfully. He remained very still.
"What," Tsuzuku demanded coldly, struggling to keep his fury under control. "Do you think you're doing, Hiei?"
There was a moment of tense silence as the fire demon ignored the question and stared at the prince with his relentless gaze. Finally, he withdrew his blade and sheathed his sword.
"I wanted to see if his powers manifested when he's threatened," Hiei explained dispassionately. "But now I know that that's not the case. His power is very deeply hidden." He looked at his lover across the room. "We should probably ask the old woman for the best ways to bring it out."
Arslan relaxed, breathing a little easier, Tsuzuku stewed in his anger, and Kurama nodded approvingly.
"Hiei's right." Smoothly, Kurama jumped to his feet. He nodded at Yukina, who was also standing, and then looked back at Arslan and Tsuzuku. "We'll go consult someone else on these matters and be back later." He directed his next instructions to the prince. "You should get some more sleep. You've only recently recovered from your injuries, and you're still weak." He then nodded at his former best friend. "I recommend you do the same, Tsuzuku. You may not be injured, but you did just give a good deal of your energy away. You should rest to recover it. Hiei will stand guard--"
"WHAT!?!" Hiei roared, outraged.
"--So you won't have to worry about being attacked by anyone else. I recommend both of you go take naps, because we've got a lot of work to cover later."
"How long does it usually take to train someone?" Tsuzuku asked, ignoring the infuriated little fire demon.
Kurama shrugged. "It depends on the person. Some learn in a few hours; others in a few months, and slow learners can take years."
Tsuzuku frowned. "That doesn't sound very promising."
"Can't be helped." The redhead looked back at his lover, who was now sulking silently. "Be good Hiei," he said, smiling suggestively, "and I'll make it up to you later."
The fire demon frowned, his anger subdued a bit but no less irritated. "Fine. You owe me one, Kurama." He folded his arms. "And make sure they sleep. I don't want to waste my breath talking to them."
"Rest assured, we don't want to talk to you either," Tsuzuku reassured him.
Kurama's mouth twitched into the slightest smile. He nodded at Yukina, and then back at the others. "Make sure you two rest. Hiei, be good. All right then, we're off." With that said, Kurama and Yukina left the room.
Hiei and Tsuzuku exchanged glares. After a heartbeat, the fire demon turned his back to him and crossed the room.
Tsuzuku wanted to go upstairs and sleep in his own bed, but he did not want to leave Arslan alone with the enigmatic little bastard that Shuuichi had chosen as a lover.
Granted, he *trusted* Kurama's judgment and all, but still...
So he sat down in the comfortable love seat that matched the couch's pattern, folded his arms, and glared daggers at the other demon, who was now looking out the window and pointedly ignoring him.
That little idiot could have accidentally sliced off Arslan's head just to test his theory.
He did not know how long he sat there, glaring, before his eye lids felt heavy and he felt, finally, the tiredness that accompanied those that gave their energies away. Eventually, he nodded off to sleep.
"He's WHAT?"
Kouryuu-ou woke up to the sound of shouting and alarm. Feeling light-headed, he rolled over on his soft bed, trying to get back to his sleep. He was so warm...so comfortable. Content, he snuggled deeper into his bed.
The voices were close, just a few feet away.
"He's gone! I can't find him anywhere!" It was his youngest brother, Kokoryuu-ou.
"Calm down, don't panic. Aoiki wouldn't do anything stupid..." But there was a trace of alarm in Hakuryuu-ou's voice. "All right, let's not tell Seiryuu-ou, yet. Erm...the last person to see him..."
"Well, obviously was Niisama...I mean, he is sleeping in HIS bed..."
Someone roughly shook him awake.
"What...?"
Kouryuu-ou found himself face to face with Hakuryuu-ou.
"Niisama...have you seen Aoiki?"
"Hmm...?" Wonderfully relaxed, one of the best naps he had ever had, the second eldest Go ignored his brother and buried his head back into his soft, red pillow--
--that was blue, not red.
Alarmed, he lifted his head and slowly sat up.
He was not sleeping in his bed.
He was in Hoshiki's.
"Niisama!" snapped his younger brother impatiently. "Where's Aoiki? Have you seen him?"
The Red Dragon King frowned, trying to remember what had happened. It came back to him in a flash-- finding out that his former mentor had been kidnapped, and vowing to go after him...telling his husband to lie...and Hoshiki...
Hoshiki ...kissed me...
He kissed me and then...I fell asleep?
No.
He must have used his power to knock me out.
Why?
He didn't do anything else to me, just left me on his bed...
His brother shook him again. "Have you seen him?"
Kouryuu-ou shook his head, disoriented. He felt confused and angry. "Why, what's wrong?"
"Aoiki's gone!"
And it occurred to Kouryuu-ou that Hoshiki must have lied to him about helping him, and the betrayal of trust that he felt at such an act hurt. It did not matter that he had been upset and perhaps his husband had simply been lying to comfort him. The fact of the matter was that in his moment of vulnerability, his friend, his match, his husband-- the only time he had ever asked for help-- had lied to him!
The second eldest Go felt anger growing within him. His husband had lied to him, tricked him, and now his moment to leave had passed. With everyone alert and on the lookout for Hoshiki, he would never get the opportunity to sneak out of the Quartz Palace. He had lost it in that one moment, confiding in one that he thought he could trust.
"Chuukei-niisama...he's been missing for a day! We assumed that he was with you, so we never bothered to check his room until now...because he wasn't in your room. But I got worried, so I decided to check his room. And I found only you!"
The words echoed in his mind. I've been sleeping for a day, Kouryuu-ou reflected. Hoshiki's been gone for over a day. Now, in this tense moment of uncertainty, while they were still awaiting response from the Imperial Palace on further details, he was missing! Where could he have gone?
What if something happened to him?
And the thought terrified him more than any other. Kouryuu-ou had felt horrible knowing that his former mentor was being punished because of his association with him. He had felt overwhelmed with guilt, responsibility, and anger.
But here, he felt a rush of fear. Pure fear. It wasn't because Hoshiki had the potential to be one of the more powerful beings in the Tenkai, as demonstrated by how easily he lured his husband to sleep. It wasn't because, with the prince was gone; the Go family had almost no other claim to the Tenkai that may save them from exile. It wasn't because of the guilt he felt, since the prince had disappeared in his presence, while he was sleeping...
It was not because of any of those reasons. He felt fear because he suddenly imagined what his existence would be like without Hoshiki, and the thought frightened him more than he ever thought possible.
Arslan nestled back into a comfortable position on the couch and closed his eyes. The room was silent. After a moment, he heard a rustle of fabric and he opened his eyes to see that Hiei had crossed the room and was now leaning against the window. The prince turned his gaze to the only other figure in the room, and was rewarded to the sight of Tsuzuku glaring at the demon.
The Palsian prince closed his eyes and shifted. He couldn't sleep. He knew that if he did not sleep soon, though, his mind would start running wild with thoughts and he'd never get any rest. So he concentrated on listening and not thinking. Definitely *not* thinking. Especially not thinking about any of the recent events. Clear head, clear head, clear head...
Hiei was on the other side of the room and completely silent. Tsuzuku, on the other hand, was much closer.
Silence.
He heard the sound of rain pattering faintly on the rooftop. He wasn't aware that it had been raining; then again, he hadn't really been paying attention to his surroundings since he awakened. He heard the sound of the wind outside, and a strange humming noise that passed by every once in a while. Tokyo was a strange place.
And then he concentrated.
And he heard the sound of Tsuzuku breathing softly. The rain drowned out most of the outside noise, but when he concentrated, he could hear the dragon, very faintly.
After some time, Tsuzuku's breaths slowed, indicating that he had fallen asleep.
Strangely comforted by the sound, Arslan smiled to himself. In a few minutes, he was asleep and dreaming.
He entered the room quietly, limping slightly as the pain in his side throbbed once more. The body in his arms was heavy, and he did not know how much longer he could carry him.
Moving slowly across the room, his eyes met the shocked faces of the Go brothers.
"Hoshiki...?" he heard his husband whisper in shock.
"Aoiki!"
"Hoshiki-niisama!"
Seiryuu-ou, unlike the others, acted rather than spoke. Immediately, he moved over to his brother-in-law and lifted the burden from his arms.
"Careful..." he found himself whispering quietly as Hisui's body was taken from him. "He needs medical attention..." He faltered, and stepped back, feeling weak. Blood gushed from his side, but he did not bother to heal it. He knew that he should save his energy for worse, as they would need it soon.
And suddenly, he felt warm arms carefully hold him, as his husband slipped an arm around his shoulder, helping him stay up. He closed his eyes as he savored the moment when the one that he loved had his arms around him. He knew it would be one of the lasts.
Seiryuu-ou carried the unconscious musician and gently placed him on the crystal table.
"We have to quickly get you to a bed, where you can rest and we can heal your wound," Kouryuu-ou whispered in his ear, helping his match walk.
He shook his head, and spoke sharply. "We don't have time for that." He winced in pain and then spoke again. "Too summarize," he said tersely, "I went to the Imperial Palace to rescue Hisui."
Behind him, he felt his husband stiffen in amazement. He continued. "It...was relatively easy for me to sneak into the palace. It was harder to find Hisui and retrieve him..." He paused to take a breath of air, then continued. "One of my servants led me to him. And she told me what was going on."
"My father's been taken. There's no doubt about that. I'm not sure who did it or who is replacing him, but right now, the castle is under tight control. I'm not positive it's the Gyuushu, but I sensed their presence, so they are involved somehow. And I overheard some soldiers speaking...
"They're planning to attack here, soon, if we don't officially leave in exile. They will come with an army, to arrest us or to drive us away, saying that WE'RE responsible for my father's disappearance."
Here Hakuryuu-ou snorted in defiance. "So what? They can come here if they want. We can take them on!"
"They're too cowardly to attack us directly. They would rather attack the entire Go clan before attacking us, the leaders, directly. They have the emperor's forces under their control, and are willing to do whatever it takes to bring us down. In other words, there will be a war, unless we meet their terms."
"But we don't even know their terms!" Kokuryuu-ou protested violently. "They never sent us anything... Did they?" He looked at his older brothers for confirmation.
"Actually...I just got something today," Seiryuu-ou sighed. He unrolled a large, sealed scroll that had clearly come from the palace. He read it silently for a moment, then wordlessly dropped it on the ground and stepped on it."Niisama..." whispered the youngest Go brother in shock.
"They want...everything..."
Guibu moved away from the group, wishing to be alone for a while, away from the others. The overwhelming knowledge that he held of the past made him feel isolated, and very much alone. The memories of another life, another place, haunted him still, and the frustration of not being able to understand any of it was discomforting. He had shared what he had known, but it was little; so very little.
Alone, he retreated into his solitude and glanced up at the night sky. The dark clouds that had formed during Amaru's transformation were now smaller, and spread out against the sky. They obscured the ice-white moon partially, but did not entirely stop its light from shining through. Suddenly wishing to be closer to the beautiful vision of the night, the minstrel walked to a nearby tree and did two flips, landing on a sturdy branch several feet off the ground. He settled on it comfortably, leaned against the trunk of the tree, and positioned himself so that his eyes could feast on the vision of the moon.
His mood shifted from one that was troubled to one of serenity. Beauty had that sort of affect on him.
The sound of a twig snapping alerted him to the presence of someone below. Guibu stiffened and cast his gaze down, trying to see who his unwelcome visitor was. Briefly, he felt a moment of irritation. Someone had followed him when he had retreated to be alone.
Then he caught his breath, feeling that unusual nervous-shy fluttering feeling that only came whenever *she* was around. Farangis stood there, below, her raven-black hair and fair skin bathed by the moonlight. The vision made him think of a goddess walking through the woods, which he decided was a song that he would have to try to write later. For now, he merely wanted to know what she was doing here, when she should be resting, like everyone else was back at the camp.
"Something ailing you, Milady?"
She turned and looked up, and for a moment, he fancied that he saw her green eyes sparkle and her lips curve upwards in a faint smile.
Poet's imagination.
"Guibu," she said softly, and had it not been for the absolute silence of the area, he probably would have had difficulty hearing her. But very few creatures were stirring, so he could hear her voice very clearly in the silence of the night. "May I speak with you for a moment?"
Smiling, as he always did whenever he looked upon her, Guibu stepped off the branch and landed softly beside her. He bowed dramatically. "At your service."
She met his eyes for a moment, and then turned her face away from his, silent. He did not mind; any excuse given to him to watch her was welcome, and for a heartbeat, that was all he did: study the beauty before him, partially hidden by the darkness and partially exposed by the moonlight.
"Guibu," she said slowly, and he could sense the reluctance in her voice to be with him at this moment in time, at this area. "I came to apologize."
The words startled him out of his moment of reverie. Confused, he looked at her, surprised. "Apologize? For what?" The words slipped out of his mouth accidentally, he honestly did not know what she was referring to, but he knew that asking was probably a mistake. She would not enjoy being reminded of whatever the reason she felt the need to apologize for. He hurried to amend his slip. "Oh that," he said, feigning knowledge. "Never mind. For one as beautiful as you, all is forgiven. Think nothing--"
Farangis sighed softly and cut him off. "For striking you when you had lost your memories. I'm sorry I didn't believe you."
He remembered his face burning from the sting of her slap. That's right...she thought that I was pulling some sort of trick on her, and so she slapped me. It seemed like so long ago. He made a gesture with his right hand similar to that of someone waving a bug out of his face, as if he was waving away her guilt. "Oh, yes. It's forgiven, My Lady. Considering my reputation, it's not really surprising that you reacted the way you did." He meant it sincerely too; he had not held the action against her once. She was easy to forgive, because he liked her so.
There was a moment of tense, uncomfortable silence, and in order to ease it, he smiled at her impishly. "After all, any excuse to feel your lovely hand upon my face, for however short or quickly, is easy to forgive." He closed his eyes, expecting to hear the sound of her retreating away from him. There. Now she would recall how irritating his presence was to her and she would stalk away in a huff, leaving him to wonder if he could ever make her smile, freely, just as she always made him smile...
She inhaled sharply, probably to curb her irritation. He opened his eyes to look at her again, expecting to see her face angry.
Instead, she gave him a brief, sarcastic look. "Thank you," the priestess said, her voice dry. Her face softened and then she watched him, her expression unreadable. "You really hold no grudge?"
"My Lady Farangis, it is exceedingly difficult to hold a grudge against you," he said simply. "It's forgiven, and not at all worth any troubled thoughts that it may have caused you." He gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Think nothing of it. I most certainly do not."Ashi, she's lovely. It made him happy to know that she had thought of him at all, no matter what the circumstances of it may have been.
Farangis watched him for a few seconds, and then nodded slightly, as if some question of hers was just answered. "I also owe you a note of gratitude for saving my life."
Feeling the cold against his skin, the pain all over, the life beating away. And the worse part of all was the frustration that he could not say how he felt...
Guibu shivered slightly, clearing out the memories as quickly as he could, becoming uncomfortable. It was very unpleasant to remember how close he had been to dying, and he wished for no recollection of it. He looked away, not wishing for her to see how upset he still felt whenever he recalled that night. "No problem," the musician said, his voice slightly tenser than usual. "Think nothing of it." He strove to make his voice level and calm, though a trace of raw emotion could still be heard, barely, in it.
"Guibu," she said softly, taking note of his sudden mood shift and instinctively knowing the reason behind it. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched him gently on his left forearm. Despite the cool night air, her hand was warm. "I'm sorry about that too."
The feel of the cold weapon stabbing through him, the look of surprise upon her beautiful face, the shouts of men in the background as they killed each other...
He shook his head quickly, as if trying to shake the memories away. Of course. The recovery of my memories includes both the pleasant and the unpleasant. A price for everything, I suppose. He had not thought about that night since the amnesia had dissipated.
Forcing himself to smile, Guibu looked at her again. His right hand placed over the hand on his left arm, clasping over hers warmly. "My lady," he said, clearing the painful memories out of his head and voice. "Please do not concern yourself with guilt. I was more than happy to save you. You're worth it." I have no regrets of that night save one.
"And what is that one regret, minstrel?" Farangis asked, her voice level but revealing a trace of anxiety and concern.
Guibu blinked, and realized that he had spoken that last thought aloud. He assessed the situation and realized that it was far harder to tell an important secret while one was alive than while one was dying. When you're dying, you realize that you will have no other opportunity to speak. While you're alive though, you can always lie to yourself and think that you can say it some other day.
But what if I never get another opportunity to say it? Guibu thought of that night, dying under a sky filled with dragons and struggling so hard to say just one thing... And in the end, I lacked the strength to say it.
He lifted her hand with his right hand, lowered his head, and gently kissed it. Raising his head, he then spoke in a quiet voice. "My one regret, my lady, is that I never told you how much I loved you nor how much you meant to me. I never told you that you are the only one that I have ever felt this way about, a strange feeling that invokes as much terror within me as joy. And as I lay dying that night, all I wanted to tell you were these words:
"I love you."
In the moonlight, his bright violet eyes met her startled green. Slowly, the redhead released her hand, and it fell limply to her side. "I lacked the strength to tell you this before. And now I realize that every moment counts, and next time, I may not be fortunate enough to get an opportunity like this again."
"Guibu..." she said in a serious voice, her face unreadable. And he knew, then, what her answer would be and it *hurt* and he knew that if she actually said anything that he would shatter into a million pieces. The bard had courted many before, and was an expert at reading the reactions of women. He had already known what her reaction would be, but nevertheless, it still hurt and he had no desire to deepen the pain.
Swiftly, he placed a finger against her lips, earning her silence before she could finish her rejection. "Shhh..." He smiled at her, a sad, small smile. "I know what your answer is. I know that you don't feel the same. But...if there was one thing that I learned from that night it was the value of each passing moment. No regrets. I do not regret that I told you this, nor of what your response is. What I regretted that night was that I was unable to tell you this." His hand slid to her left cheek. "That's why I forgive you. I could never hold a grudge against you. And that's why there is no need for your gratitude. You can thank me by living each moment of your life to the fullest, knowing that someone else had also thought that it was worth saving. Even worth dying for."
She raised her right hand up and clasped the hand on her face. Her green eyes were troubled as she spoke in a soft, low voice. "I am sorry..."
It was painful, but he took it all in stride. "Don't be." He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against her forehead, a chaste kiss that held nothing but sorrow. "Remember My Lady: no regrets."
And he let go of her, glad that, if nothing else, she had taken him seriously this time. He stepped out of her path and watched her silently as she left him and headed back to the camp where the others lay. Then he retreated to his tree branch and waited until he knew that she would no longer be able to hear him.
Then, only then, did he let the tears that he had been holding back flow. And he wondered why the pain that he felt now was far, far worse than how he had felt that night, while he lay dying in her arms.