Adult-FanFiction.org : Gundam, Beyblade, DBZ, FMA

Majesty	By : Kali Category: Beyblade > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 9656 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Warnings: Yaoi, language, violence, lemons,
dramatic angst, etc. Need more? Too bad, �cause there isn�t any! Rated R � NC17.

Disclaimer: I don�t own Beyblade or anything to do
with it. Only this fic and it�s OC�s
(if any).

Pairs: TyKa, ReMa, Hilary/Tala? or
Kenny?, Lee/Mariah, others to be decided.

Summary: In an empire far, far away (Yes, it
is very Star Wars. What�s you point? :p
) a mad Emperor seeks the power to rule the world, his current focus being on
the lands of the Dragon clan to the south.
In his efforts, a young teen and his cousin are captured after a lengthy
battle, along with their grandfather � the head of the Dragon clan. But the wrong words spoken lead to their
executions�and an escape becomes possible with the help of the Empire�s crown
prince. Escaping is one thing. Surviving�another. Especially when the crown prince and the prisoner are falling for
one another.

*************************************

Majesty

Chapter
01

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kai stalked into his chambers,
shedding the heavy formal cloak and the rest of his hot, stuffy clothes as he
went. When he reached his bed, a giant
teak four-poster with a down-filled cloud for a mattress, he flopped down on
his back and stared up at the ornately decorated frescoes painted on the
ceiling in exhaustion and extreme annoyance.
He�d just spent the afternoon and evening viewing half the young, unwed
girls of marrying age being paraded in front of him at his Grandfather�s
insistence.

A short, brown-haired teen
scurried after his master, picking up the cloak and clothes as he went and
nearly collapsing under the weight of them.
�How can you stand to wear these, your Highness? I mean they�re so heavy! How do you move?� He huffed and puffed as he hauled the clothes to the wardrobe and
began hanging them up properly.

Kai snorted and sat up. �I can�t stand them, Kenny. Why do you think I took them off so fast
when I came in?� He ran his hands
through his hair with a sigh, sitting in nothing but his undergarments. �I don�t know how many more of these days I
can take! Can�t my grandfather
understand that I will choose my own mate or take none at all?�

�Forgive me, your Highness, but
he�s an Emperor. No one�s word has more
power or weight than his � except the Gods, of course.� Kenny pointed out, folding the cloak
carefully. �Naturally he would assume
you would do whatever he tells you to do.
It�s what he expects.�

�And I�m supposed to take
the throne after him! Doesn�t that mean
I get some say in my own life?� Kai
complained, but held up a hand to cut Kenny off before he could say
anything. �Yes, yes, I know. You don�t have to say it.� He accepted the robe Kenny brought him,
shrugging into it. �He�s not all there
anymore, Kenny. Ever since my parents
died in that fire twelve years ago it�s like he�s slowly sinking into this
maniacal, greedy, power-hungry dictator��

Kenny shifted
uncomfortably. He wanted to agree �
fervently � with his master, but to speak so of the Emperor was risky. Servants who had were known to suddenly
disappear. �The Emperor ages, your
Highness, as is natural and he wishes for you to be securely mated before he is
called to the Gods� home.� The brunette
said instead. �Can you fault him for
wishing to see his empire secure?�

�Of course not. I just wish he didn�t go about it with such
needless destruction and taking of lives.
He continuously says he is but defeating enemies before they can harm our
people or destroy our lands � yet all I ever see are women and children
abandoned to the world because their men-folk have died defending them � and
even some of those women and children have died for the same reasons.� Kai went over to the huge glass windows and
stared out at the world beyond the Palace.
�I don�t know what to do anymore, Kenny.�

�Your Highness�� Kenny began,
intending to inquire into the future Emperor�s sudden pensiveness. He was prevented, however, when the doors to
Kai�s chambers were thrown open and another tall teen strode in, clanking
noisily in his armor, red hair wild and ice cold blue eyes taking in the room
at a glance. Kenny backed off to a
wall, bowing slightly to the young warrior, who paid him no attention
whatsoever.

Kai glared at the intruder. �And to what do I owe this most�unexpected
visit, Tala? And how is it you believe you
can just burst into my private rooms uninvited and unannounced?�

�Hmph. Quit being so bitchy, Kai.
You�re needed in the throne room � immediately.� Tala responded, returning the glare evenly. �There�s trouble.�

�What?� Kai motioned at Kenny who was already
digging out clothes for him from the wardrobe.

�As soon as I got word I came to
you, since I�m one of the few Royal Guards you can trust.�

�I trust no one,
Tala.� Kai snapped, taking off the robe
and quickly donning his clothes. �Never
make the mistake in believing that I trust you.�

�Fine. Whatever. I just thought
you might want to be present when the Emperor meets with the Kinomiya.�

Kai�s head snapped up from his
boots that he�d been concentrating on lacing up. �Gods�you mean the armies of the Kinomiya clan have been
defeated?�

�Yes. The Kinomiya�s son and eldest grandson were killed in battle and
their castle fell to our forces two days ago.
They captured Lord Kinomiya, his youngest grandson, and a niece or
something. Spencer and Bryan were
ordered to bring them here to face the Emperor by Boris.� Tala repeated grimly. Kai cursed fluently and stood, allowing
Kenny to help him slip on his sword belt and sheath while Kai put on his long
black leather gloves to which a pair of nasty, sharp blades were attached.

�I don�t understand it. They are supposed to be protected by
the Dragon Gods! How could we have
defeated them so easily?� Kai asked,
and Tala shrugged.

�It seems that the Gods have
either abandoned us all or they favor our Emperor, Kai. I do not presume to know the Gods
minds. I just survive.�

�I�d noticed.� Kai went over to a side window and opened
it, leaning out a bit to whistle twice sharply. There was an answering shrill cry of a bird and Kai held out a
forearm as seemingly out of nowhere a rather large, feathered creature swooped
in and landed on the offered perch.
�Hello, Dranzer. Good hunting?�

The phoenix gave a squawking
chirp in reply and Kai smiled faintly, lifting her to settle on his shoulder
rather than his arm, her long, beautiful red tail feathers draping down over
his back nearly to his knees.

�That�s just eerie.� Tala watched them, face showing an inkling
of awe. �It�s like she understands what
you say.�

�Of course she does.� Kai blinked in surprise at Tala�s
comment. �She is my companion, a piece
of my soul. She listens to no one but
me and even then only when she feels like it.�
He reached up and stroked Dranzer�s soft feathers. �Don�t you, Beautiful?� He looked back toward Tala. �I don�t know why you�re so amazed,
cousin. You have a similar bond with
that overgrown wolf of yours.�

Dranzer angled her head at him
slightly in acknowledgement and practically cooed at the attention. Tala shook his head.

�Are we going?� He demanded impatiently. Kai nodded and grabbed his sword on the way
out as he passed Kenny, who was holding it out to him hilt first by the door.

�Thank you, Kenny. Remain here until I return, if you
would. I may need you when I get done
in the throne room.� Kai commanded and
Kenny nodded, bowing low and backing away as Kai sheathed his sword.

Kenny watched the two stalk down
the Palace halls, Tala only one pace behind and to Kai�s side as they
walked. How alike they are
sometimes. He thought to
himself. But I suppose it�s only
fitting since they are cousins. He
went back into Kai�s rooms and went about his duties to keep occupied while he
waited for his master, the only true friend he had, to return.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

��do what you wish, Hiwatari, to
me, but leave my grandson and granddaughter out of it. They are but children still and
innocent.� Lord Kinomiya said with
great dignity and pride, not showing any of the fear he felt for his
grandchildren�s lives.

�Grandpa! Please!�
Tyson protested, his cousin Hilary�s hand held tightly in his as they
listened to their grandfather barter his life for theirs before the Emperor,
Voltaire Hiwatari; a cold ruthless man who had already destroyed countless of
the surrounding kingdoms in order to further his own power and empire. And with the fall of Tyson�s family�s lands,
Voltaire now ruled most of the continent.

�Silence, boy!� The man standing near the Emperor�s throne
on the left demanded. �Speak only when
you are spoken to!� The man was Boris,
General of the Royal Army.

�Quiet, now, Tyson.� His grandfather murmured. �Don�t give them a reason to kill you
outright � not now.� The old man looked
up at the equally old Emperor, his face carefully blank. �Forgive my grandson�s outburst, your
Majesty. As I said, he is young and has
much to learn.�

�Acknowledge my dominion over
the lands of the Dragon clan, Kinomiya, and turn over the holy item the Dragon
Gods bestowed upon your family to me to prove your loyalty and I shall release
them unharmed.�

�I am sorry, your Majesty, but
our family sword was old and fragile from centuries of disuse. It was destroyed when your troops razed my
home. I cannot give it to you.� The Kinomiya stated calmly and without
apology, feeling quite happy and relieved about it, actually. There was no way the Emperor could know
where the power once contained in the sword had really gone before the
sword�s destruction.

There was a flash of fury in
Voltaire�s eyes and he glared hard at Boris.
�Boris! There had better be an explanation
for this! I told you I wanted that
sword in tact! You have failed
me!�

Boris went down on his knees,
bowing low from the waist in apology.
�The idiot soldiers who erred in their judgment and orders have been
punished and dealt with, your Majesty.
I did not know what had happened until it was too late.�

Slightly mollified, Voltaire
waved him off, returning his attention to the man before him. �I�ll deal with you later, Boris. The power of the Dragon Gods is still out
there, somewhere, and I will possess it!�

�You will not!� Tyson lost his temper and shouted
recklessly, ignoring Hilary�s gasp and insistent tug on his arm to be
quiet. �Dragoon will only come to one
of our clan and even then he will only bestow his power on someone
worthy of it! You have destroyed our
homes, killed my people, my father and my brother, and shown us no respect at
all! Such dishonor will not be abided
by the Dragon Gods, Hiwatari!�

�Kinomiya! Your grandson has an unfortunate tendency to
speak out of place and with an attitude I will not abide in my
presence!� Voltaire stood from his seat
on his throne angrily and snapped his fingers.
�Bowman! Kill this boy for
showing such insolence!�

As the archer came forward,
drawing an arrow from the quiver on his back, notching it, aiming, and
releasing all in one smooth, amazingly fast motion, Tyson�s eyes went wide with
sudden fear, Hilary cried out, and their grandfather stepped in the arrow�s
path in time to take the hit himself � right through the heart. The Kinomiya froze for a moment in shock
then collapsed at his grandchildren�s feet, gasping and already knowing he was
dead.

�No! Grandpa!� Tyson dropped
to his knees at the fallen man�s side and grasped his hand desperately. Hilary fell to the floor and gently lifted
his head, resting it on her lap and gently stroking this hair as tears poured
down her face.

�Hush now, little dragon.� The Kinomiya gasped out, wincing and trying
to hang on long enough to say what he needed to say to his only remaining heir. �Listen now�I�ve taught you all I could and
you know what must be done if you want to survive and one day rebuild our
home.� He coughed harshly, blood
pouring from the corner of his mouth.
�You are the Kinomiya now, Takao, and you must reunite our people
someday. Take care of your
cousin�Tak�ao�� His voice faded and he
was suddenly gone. Hilary whimpered and
began to sob and Tyson slumped over his Grandpa�s body, the force of his grief
wracking his lean form with shudders.

�Well�how touching.� Voltaire sneered. The throne room doors were opened suddenly and Kai strode in,
Tala at his side. He stopped dead in
his tracks when he beheld the sight before him, though he was careful to show
no emotion at all. He glanced up at the
Emperor, expressionless, and gave a short bow.

�Forgive me, Grandfather. I did not realize we were to have�guests or
I would have been here sooner.� Kai
intoned. Much sooner. What have you done now, you foolish,
demented old man?

�Ah�Kai. You are just in time to witness our triumph
over the lands of the Dragon clan. The
Kinomiya has fallen, as you can see.�
Voltaire sniffed arrogantly. �He
foolishly tried to save that insolent boy�s life and took an arrow to the
heart.�

Kai moved to take his place at
his grandfather�s right hand and stared down seemingly impassively at the two
teens still grieving over the body of their Grandpa. �I see. And what will you
do with them now, Grandfather?�

�I have no further use of them,
grandson.� Voltaire rose and turned to
leave. �They shall be executed as
enemies of the Empire tomorrow at dawn.
Boris! Make the necessary
preparations and then report back to me.
I wish to discuss your punishment for failing me.�

�As your Majesty commands.� Boris bowed and remained that way until
Voltaire had gone. Then he straightened
and began barking orders. �Guards! Take these two to the Tower and lock them
up. Tala, see to their imprisonment,
and have this body taken away and the floor cleaned immediately.�

Tala stood ramrod straight, his
expression betraying none of the anger and disgust he was feeling at the
situation and Boris. �Yes sir.�

Boris grunted and stalked off
somewhere.

The guards had to pry Hilary and
Tyson away from their grandfather. She
was sobbing and struggling for all she was worth but Tyson remained silent and
stiff � defiantly glaring through his tears at everyone in the room.

Especially Kai.

Kai, who hadn�t really paid much
attention to either of the Kinomiya�s grandchildren except to pity them and to
be strategizing a way to free them before dawn, had to swallow a gasp and hide
the shiver that ran through him when his eyes met the stormy, hate-filled
blue-gray orbs of Tyson, his long midnight blue hair held back in a ponytail
with a few rebellious locks framing his face.
My Gods, he�s gorgeous!
Kai thought, before he realized just what he was thinking and then
mentally smacking himself silly for thinking it. You can�t go there, Kai.
No matter how much you would like to.
Besides, he hates you. He
reminded himself as the guards hauled the two bodily from the room.

�You�re planning on freeing
them, aren�t you?� Tala declared, his
voice low in the now empty room.

Kai
glanced at Tala briefly. �No. I wouldn�t dare to go against my
grandfather�s wishes, Tala.� He lied
easily, knowing that the room might seem abandoned but was probably still
within someone�s hearing � one of Voltaire�s loyal servants or guards, perhaps.

Tala nodded, hearing the truth
under Kai�s words because he knew his cousin so well. �Of course not. Forgive
me, cousin.�

�Hn.�

�Well, I suppose I�d better get
busy.� Tala yawned. �The sooner I�m done, the sooner I can go to
sleep.� He pretended to ponder something
for a moment then stated with feigned absentmindedness, �I think I�ll make
Bryan suffer and give him guard duty tonight.
I owe him for that low blow he gave me in practice this morning.�

Kai chuckled, picking up what
Tala was saying because he knew his cousin just as well � no, better
� than Tala thought he knew Kai. Bryan
would be on guard that night, so Kai would be able to get Tyson and the girl
out and help them to escape without anyone knowing until it was too late. �Poor Bryan.� Kai mocked, following Tala out of the room and going his separate
way.

He went back to his rooms and
found Kenny curled up in front of the fire he�d set in the fireplace, sound
asleep and snoring lightly. Dranzer
shifted on his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek with her beak in question.

�No, Beautiful. I�m not going to let them die. There�s been enough death already � even
though I know there will be more. At
least I can do something about that girl and�him�� He sighed and took a
seat by the fire in a cushioned chair, staring into the flames. �There�s something special about him,
Dranzer. I could feel it.�

The phoenix chirped at him and
he blushed. �Stop that! Yes, he�s very�desirable. But I can�t have him and you know it. Grandfather would have me beaten within an
inch of my life if he learned that I�well.�
Kai stopped there, not wanting to say aloud that he preferred his own
gender over females. �No more
discussion, Beautiful. We have work to
do.�

He got up and knelt down next to
Kenny, gently shaking him awake. �Hey,
Kenny! Wake up, kid.�

Kenny sat up groggily and rubbed
at his eyes, hidden by his thick brown hair.
�Oh! Your Highness! Forgive me, my Lord. I must have fallen asleep! I��

�Easy, Kenny.� Kai smiled a little. �Relax.
I�m not angry.� He sat back into
his chair and Dranzer flew up to perch on the mantel above the roaring
fire. �I have an important mission for
you, Kenny. Will you help me?�

Kenny knelt before him on the
carpeted floor and nodded eagerly.
�Certainly, your Highness! What
would you have of me?�

Kai raised his finger and looked
up at Dranzer. �Do the walls have ears,
Beautiful?� She angled her head in
thought and then ruffled her feathers, settling in with a coo � which basically
meant, �No, no one was listening.� Kai
nodded. �Alright then. Here�s the plan�� He outlined his idea to
his loyal squire, who listened carefully as he spoke.

�I understand, your
Highness.� He hesitated. �What will happen tomorrow, though, when it
is discovered they�re gone?�

Kai sighed. �I imagine my grandfather will have a temper
tantrum and there will be hell to pay � or perhaps he won�t care. I�ll deal with it when it occurs,
Kenny. For now, let�s just do what we
can to help the remaining members of the Kinomiya clan.�

�Yes. I will go immediately, my Lord.�
Kenny got to his feet and, bowing, left the room.

Kai looked into the flames
again, speaking softly to himself. �I�m
truly sorry for what my grandfather has done, Kinomiya. Perhaps one day, when your rage has cooled,
you will be able to forgive me � though I do not deserve it.�

Dranzer squawked in protest and
Kai rose to his feet, holding out his forearm to her. �I know it�s not my fault, Dranzer. But he is my Grandfather and what he does becomes my legacy, my
guilt. Now, let�s go. We have our own part to play.� She flew over and he placed her on his
shoulder again before quietly leaving his chambers and heading for the stables.

*************************************

Chapter
02

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tyson
gently stroked Hilary�s hair, her head pillowed on his lap where he sat with
her, Hilary curled up beside him on the straw-covered floor of the cell. She had cried herself to sleep and the
blue-haired leader of the Dragon Clan wished fervently he could have done so
himself.

But
what was the point in sleeping anyway?
He�d be dead tomorrow, after all.
Just like his Grandpa.

Aw�Gramps! Why�d you have to step in front of that
arrow? You should have let it kill
me. You could have worked something out
with�well, maybe not. Tyson felt
tears slide down his cheeks silently. How
can anyone be so cruel? My people are
scattered, their homes and crops destroyed.
Children are left homeless and without care because of one man�s greed
for a power he can never have. And I am
shackled to the floor of a dank, dirty holding cell awaiting my death because I
couldn�t keep my big mouth shut! He
sniffed loudly and Hilary stirred.

She
lifted herself off his lap wearily, sitting up slowly and stiffly. �Takao?
Are you alright?�

Tyson
gave her a small smile, meant to be reassuring. It came out more like a grimace, though. �I�m as well as can be expected,
cousin. And please don�t call me
�Takao.� I am not worthy of the name.�

�Grandpa
gave you your new name, Takao.�
She shook her head, deliberately using it. �He believed you were ready else he would not have named you
so. You are eighteen years of age and
had this war not interrupted our lives you would have gone through the whole
naming ceremony just as Hitoshi and your father had before you.�

�And
I will never be able to go through that ceremony now, will I? I can�t claim that name rightfully without
the ceremony, Hilary, so I am Tyson. No
more�no less.� He stated firmly and she
sighed, knowing he had made up his mind and would not be swayed from it.

They
sat together in silence, in the dark, for a while. Hilary broke the quiet when it began to get on her nerves. She wasn�t used to Tyson being so
silent. He was almost perpetually happy
and moved through life with an optimistic attitude she envied at times.

�Tyson?�

�Hmm?�

�Who
was that guy that came in just before the Emperor left?� She asked quietly, playing with a piece of
straw.

�Which
one? The guy with the amazing crimson
eyes and those blue triangles on his face?�
Tyson blinked at himself and blushed a little even as he scowled,
remembering the cold, distant expression on the teen�s face.

Hilary
giggled at the description and the blush.
�No. The other one.�

�Red
hair? Ice blue eyes? Skinny?�

�Yes.� She paused.
�He wasn�t skinny!� She
protested.

�Hmph. If you say so.� Tyson teased. Hilary
stuck out her tongue at him. �Sorry,
Hilary. I don�t know who he was. Why?�

�Oh�no
reason.� She said, a little too
quickly. Tyson eyed her suspiciously.

�You
think he�s cute!� He exclaimed
incredulously. �Hilary! He�s�the enemy!�

She
scowled at him. �Oh, and like you
weren�t drooling over the other guy!
And he�s the Emperor�s grandson!
That�s worse!�

Tyson
made an embarrassed noise and turned red � not that Hilary could see it in the
dark. �Now isn�t the time for you to be
going boy crazy, Hilary!� He managed to
growl out.

�That
goes double for you, hypocrite!� She
tossed back.

This
led to a solid glaring match between them � until their cell door swung open
and a low light appeared from the torch in a silhouetted figure�s hand.

�Are
you two done bickering or would you rather stay here until dawn when they come
to behead you?� The figure asked, voice
dry and sarcastic.

Hilary
moved closer to Tyson and he slipped an arm around her protectively. �Who are you? What do you want with us?�
She inquired in a strong voice that wavered only slightly, belaying her
fear.

The
figure lit the lamp on the wall with his torch and the light revealed the red
haired teen from before. Hilary turned
scarlet and meeped. �My name is Tala
and I am the captain of his Majesty�s Royal Guards. If you would kindly follow me, quietly, you�re getting
your freedom.� He motioned to them to
follow.

Tyson
just scowled at him. �First off, I
don�t trust you. And secondly, even if
I did,� he raised an arm to show he was chained to the wall, his chains
clanking on the stone. �I�m a bit tied
up at the moment, as you can see.�

Tala
rolled his eyes and turned to the door.
�Bryan! I thought I told you not
to use the chains!�

�Sorry,
Tala, but there were some of the other guards watching. It would have seemed strange if I
hadn�t.� A voice that Tyson assumed
belonged to �Bryan� apologized.

�Well
give me the keys then!� Tala took them
when they were held out and quickly unlocked the bonds on the two
prisoners. �There. Now come on! We�re late as it is.�

Tyson
and Hilary followed the red-haired Guard out the door and met Bryan, a
lavender-haired, bulky teen with a pale complexion and light violet eyes. �What do you mean �we�re late�? And where are you taking us anyway?�

�To
the stables. We�ll meet someone there
and he�ll help you out of the city.
From there, you�ll be on your own.�
Tala explained impatiently.
�Bryan. Go. Anyone asks, I felt it was unnecessary for
the prisoners to be guarded all night so I sent you to bed.�

�But,
Tala�� Bryan protested, since Tala was taking responsibility all on himself.

�Go!� Tala snapped and Bryan took off in one
direction while Tyson and Hilary followed Tala another, moving stealthily
through the halls of the dungeon Tower.

They
had to dodge several Palace guards but they finally reached the stables
undetected. Tala snuck them in through
a partially hidden side door behind a pile of hay barrels and let them past
rows of stalls where the horses were sleeping � or at least resting quietly.

�Kai?� Tala hissed quietly. �Where the hell are you?�

�Right
where you left me, moron.� A voice
answered from above. �What took you so
long?� Tala looked up and Tyson
recognized the dark-haired teen that dropped from the rafters gracefully as the
other guy from the throne room.

The
Hiwatari�s grandson, Kai.

�You!� Tyson exclaimed, earning dual glares and
shushing noises from Tala and Kai.

�Shut
up, Kinomiya! The grooms next door
don�t need to hear you!� Tala warned
him. Kai laid a hand on Tala�s arm and
shook his head.

�Never
mind, Tala. Let�s just get them out of
the city before they�re discovered missing from the Tower.�

�Oh
no. I don�t think so. We aren�t going anywhere with you,
Hiwatari.� Tyson declared stubbornly,
blue yes narrowed with distrust. Hilary
nodded her agreement, hovering close to Tyson and gripping his arm and his hand
tightly.

Kai
turned his gaze on Tyson and frowned.
�Don�t be stupid. If you want
your freedom, Kinomiya, if you want to live, you will accept the
help I offer to do so or we�ll all be caught and all our heads will roll
in the morning!� As he spoke he stepped
right up close until they were nearly toe-to-toe, Kai looking down slightly
because he was a bit taller than Tyson.

�Why
should I trust you, Hiwatari? I
have lost everything already because of you?�
Tyson didn�t flinch away from the intensity of Kai�s eyes on his at such
a close distance. If anything he moved
closer, unconsciously drawn as if by some sort of strange magnetism.

�I
don�t care if you trust me or not, Kinomiya.
I just want to save you and the girl from a fate neither of you
deserve. I can�t bring back your
Grandfather or all the people who have died because of this stupid war. I wish I could.� Kai stared down at the blue-eyed teen and had to fight off the
insistent urge to just lean down a bit farther and press his mouth to Tyson�s,
to find out if he tasted as good as Kai thought he must.

�If
you�re going, Kai, you�d better move it.
Dranzer�s restless.� Tala
pointed upwards and Kai looked up to see his companion ruffling her feathers
anxiously.

�Yeah�what
are you still doing here, Tala? Go
on.� Kai waved him off. �Go to bed.
And thank you.�

Tala
shrugged and gave him a mocking bow.
�As my imperial cousin commands.�
He flashed a grin at Kai�s growl of annoyance and disappeared out the
door.

Kai
moved to the door after him and made sure no one was around before calling,
�Dranzer!� and holding out his arm for her as the phoenix ghosted down from the
rafters. �Let�s go.�

Tyson
hesitated for a moment then pulled Hilary along after him as he followed Kai from
the stables.

They
went along with the dual-haired prince out of the Palace by way of a servant�s
gate and then through the streets of Bay City, the Hiwatari Imperial capital.

Kai
finally stopped at an inn that was built up against the high city walls. �We�re here. Let me do all the talking inside. And keep the hoods of your cloaks up. You�re entirely to recognizable and memorable with that hair and
those eyes of yours.� He instructed.

�And
your eyes aren�t?� Tyson muttered. �Those were rather remarkable and memorable
to me.�

�Why,
Kinomiya! Was that a compliment?� Kai smirked, hiding the little thrill of
happiness that went through him at the comment. �Now come inside and don�t say anything.�

Tyson
pulled up his hood after giving Kai a scowl, and he and Hilary reluctantly
followed Kai inside the inn.

They
waited while Kai talked to the innkeeper quietly for a moment and slipped the
man some gold coins in exchange for a key.
Kai came back over to Hilary and Tyson and said, �Follow me.�

Kai
took them back outside and around to the stables, where guests could leave
their horses for their stay when they didn�t require the horse to get
somewhere. At the back of the barn, in
the very last horse stall, there was a well-hidden door that was locked by a
huge iron lock. Kai used the key he had
obtained from the innkeeper and pushed the door open.

�There. You have your freedom.� The crimson-eyed teen said. �Be careful when you go through. There are some prickly thorns on the rose
bushes that hide this door on the other side.
You�ll find two horses and some supplies in the saddlebags tied out
there waiting for you.� Kai pulled out
a small cloth pouch that clinked slightly and pressed it into Tyson�s
hand. �There�s a bit of money and some
valuables that you can trade for more coins later. It�s not much but it should be enough to get you out of the
Empire if you spend it wisely.�

Tyson
stared at the purse in surprised gratitude.
�I�I don�t know what to say, Hiwatari.�
He looked up into Kai�s eyes and offered a tentative smile. �I don�t understand why you are helping us
or why you even care, but�thank you.�

�Yeah,
well, I don�t like what my grandfather has done these last few years and I am
ashamed of the man he�s become.
Whatever it is he wanted from your clan he obviously can never have and
he�s too insane to understand it.� Kai
looked over his shoulder and frowned at a noise.

�Someone�s
coming, Tyson.� Hilary tugged him
through the door. �Let�s go�while we
still have the chance.�

�Alright. Careful of your skirts, Hilary.� He cautioned as she stepped over the
branches and avoided the thorny rose bushes.
Kai went with them, intending to make sure they got the horses he�d had
Kenny procure then leave ready and waiting for their escape.

�Ow! Tyson, that�s my foot!� Hilary yelped

�Sorry! I can�t see in this darkness.� Tyson apologized.

The
three escape artists pushed through the last of the bushes and stepped out into
the open�and found themselves surrounded by armed Imperial Guards, on horses,
each aiming crossbows at them. Kai
stepped forward, placing himself between Tyson, Hilary and the guards.

�Stand
down!� He barked the order
sharply. He saw some of the guards
hesitate and begin to lower their weapons but another voice spoke up and all
the crossbows remained aimed at them threateningly.

�Do
not. We must take these prisoners back
to the Palace and our your Prince, here, must face the consequences for
betraying the Emperor�s decree so rashly.�
A man in armour wearing a black cloak rode forward through the guards
and dropped a large bundle on the ground at Kai�s feet. The bundle squeaked and whimpered in pain
when it landed hard in the dirt. �This
servant of yours has already had his punishment, today.�

Kai
knelt down next to Kenny and swallowed back his rage when he saw the bruises
and blood. �Kenny! Oh no��

�I�I�m
okay, your Highness. P�please don�t
worry about me.� Kenny gasped out and
began to cough. Kai winced and helped
him to sit up, undoing his bonds.

�Are
you okay? Can you walk or run if you
have to?� Kai whispered the question as
he helped Kenny to stand slowly. Kenny
whispered back, pretending to stumble.

�If
I have to, I will.�

�The
horses?�

�Ready
and waiting.� Kenny murmured before he
raised his voice and said through his pain, �I�m sorry I failed you, your
Highness. I was on my way back when
they caught me and forced me to lead them to this secret door.�

�You
didn�t fail me, Kenny.� Kai assured
him. �This isn�t your fault.�

�Enough! Guards, seize them all! Bring them to the Palace at once!�

�You
know what, Boris? I don�t fee like
it.� Kai glared at the General, pure
fury flaring in his eyes. He gave a
sharp, shrill whistle and seemingly out of nowhere Dranzer flew in, raining
fire on the guards and Boris.

While
the fires and phoenix kept everyone busy, Kai pulled Kenny to Tyson and Hilary
and shouted over the ruckus, �Let�s get out of here while they�re
distracted! Lead us to the horses,
Kenny!�

Not
about to argue, Tyson took Hilary�s hand and they ran after Kenny and Kai along
the city walls until they reached another grove of trees and bushes where two
horses were tied, waiting patiently.

�We�ll
have to double up for now.� Tyson said,
quickly helping Hilary mount one horse then swinging up into the saddle behind
her himself and taking up the reigns.
Kai did the same with Kenny, untied both horses, and led Tyson off, away
from the city and the guards.

They
hadn�t ridden far when a light cry of a bird sounded and Dranzer swooped down,
landing on Kai�s offered forearm and settling on his shoulder when he moved her
there.

�Thanks,
Beautiful. That was very nicely done of
you.� Kai complimented her, softly
stroking her feathers and making her coo happily in his ear. �We�d better ride hard and fast to put as
much distance as we can between us and them.�
Kai decided, jerking a gloved thumb in the general direction of Bay
City.

�I
can agree with that.� Tyson
nodded. He hesitated a moment then
nudged his horse closer to Kai�s and held out a hand. �I misjudged you, Hiwatari.
You�ve more than earned my trust and friendship tonight. You put yourself in danger for us and now
you�re in huge trouble, too. I thank
you, and at the same time, I am sorry for the trouble I�ve caused us all.�

Kai
looked at him for a moment. Then he
reached out and grasped Tyson�s hand firmly, accepting the gratitude and the
apology.�

As
he pulled his hand back, slowly (because he found he didn�t want to let go),
his hand began to tingle mysteriously and tiny little licks of�something
pleasant danced over his nerves.

For
Tyson it was nearly the same, only his hand wasn�t tingling � it was hot,
almost burning. But it felt good rather
than painful. He snatched his hand back
and picked up his reigns, looking forward over Hilary�s head, deliberately
avoiding Kai�s gaze when he felt his cheeks burn. �I know a place we might go, if you�re interested.�

�As
long as it�s outside the Empire then yes.�
Kai replied, noting the blush and wondering at it. Never mind, Kai. Escape now, have hentai daydreams later. He reminded himself.

�It
is. Marchantia City to the west.� Tyson focused his attention on riding and
escaping. �I have friends there.�

Kai
nodded. �Good enough. Let�s ride as fast and far as we can
tonight. I want to get as much distance
as possible between us and the danger we leave behind.� He looked down at Kenny. �How�re you doing?�

�I�m
okay, your Highness. Ride on.� Kenny told him, grimacing. Kai patted him on the shoulder gently and
nodded.

�We�ll
tend your wounds when we stop, Kenny.
But from now on you can�t address me as �your Highness� or �my Lord� or
anything, okay? I�m just�Kai.�

�Yes,
your�I mean, Kai.�

�Good.� Kai looked over at his unexpected travel
companions. �As for you two, same thing
goes. I�m just Kai. Try to refrain from using my family name, if
you would.�

Tyson
smiled � the first true smile he had since even before his Grandpa�s
death. �Sure thing, Kai. Call me Tyson, and her Hilary.�

Kai
inclined his head, smiling back faintly.
�This is Kenny. He�s my most
loyal servant�was, I mean.� Kai
informed them. And the closest thing
I�ve had to a human friend. He
added silently. �Now that the
introductions are over, let�s ride!� He
nudged his horse into a run and Tyson followed, close behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They
rode all night and well into the morning.
The sun was high into the sky and huge clouds had begun to form when Kai
finally slowed his horse to a walk then stopped. His horse needed a rest, he was about to fall asleep in the
saddle, and Kenny was in need of treatment.

Tyson
and Hilary pulled up beside him. Hilary
was already asleep, curled against her cousin�s chest and Tyson had once arm
wrapped around her waist to hold her in place.
�How�s he doing?� Tyson inquired
about Kenny.

Kai
frowned and pulled off a glove to place the back of his hand against Kenny�s
forehead. �He�s warm. We�d better make camp and take care of his
wounds.�

�I�ll
scout around for a good place.� Tyson
offered, preparing to dismount. Kai
held up a hand and waved him back.

�No
need. Dranzer will lead us to a safe
place.� Kai pulled his glove back on
and nudged the dozing firebird on his shoulder. �Dranzer? Wake up,
sleeping beauty!� She opened her eyes
and blinked at him owlishly, ruffling her feathers. �I know. Help us find a
safe place to camp and you�ll get back to sleep faster.� Kai pointed out. Dranzer chirped and nipped at his ear with her beak before
hopping down onto his forearm and launching herself into the air, soaring high
and disappearing from view.

�That�s
truly amazing, Kai. I�ve heard
phoenixes are impossibly independent.
How�d you manage to train her?�
Tyson inquired curiously.

�I
didn�t. She�s a free spirit.� Kai replied with a shrug. �She has been with me for as long as I can
remember � a guide, a protector, a friend, maybe even a mother since my own
died so long a go.� The dual-haired
teen blinked. �Why am I telling you
this? I don�t talk to people �
especially when I�ve only known them less than twenty-four hours.�

Tyson
gave him an odd look. �Why not? It�s not a bad thing to speak openly with
other people, you know. You make
friends that way.�

�I
don�t need friends. I have
Dranzer. She�s all I need.� Kai�s tone warned Tyson to drop the subject
and Tyson did, frowning despite being intrigued even more by this prideful,
cold prince with the burning wine-coloured eyes.

They
waited in silence for about five more minutes (Tyson getting more uncomfortable
with the quiet by the second) when Dranzer returned with a squawk and circled
her human companion twice to gain Kai�s attention. Then she flew ahead of them and they followed close behind.

She
led them off the path they were following deep into a forest, until they
reached a very beautiful, secluded clearing � complete with a gurgling, clear
brook that streamed through it.

�Wonderful. Thanks, Beautiful!� Kai gave his avian friend a grateful smile and
she bobbed her head at him in return, landing on a tree limb to roost. Tyson shook Hilary awake gently.

�Hey. We�re resting here, Hilary.�

�Huh? Oh.�
She sat up straight stiffly and looked around. �Oh! It�s very beautiful,
here, Tyson.� He nodded and slid off
the horse, reaching up to lend her a hand down.

Kai
had already done the same with Kenny and had sat the smaller teen down on the
moss-covered ground, propped up against a dry, dead log. �Kenny?
How�re you feeling?�

�I�m
okay��

�No,
you�re not.� Kai sighed. �You can tell the truth, Kenny. We aren�t in the Palace anymore and you�re
not going to be punished for being unable to perform your duties.�

�I
don�t�I can�t�� The poor kid was practically in tears. �I don�t want to be hurt more! I��

�Shh��
Tyson knelt next to him and smiled reassuringly. �You won�t be, Kenny. I
promise. But if you want to feel better
you have to let us treat your wounds.
We don�t want you to fall ill on us.�

Kenny,
who had curled himself into a ball in fear and pain, looked back and forth
between them a few times with an ashen face before slowly uncurling himself and
nodding a little. Tyson removed his
cloak and helped Kenny get his tattered and bloodied shirt off. The bluenette gasped and felt tears sting
his own eyes when at the sight of the wounds the brunette had endured.

�Sweet
Gods�� He breathed. �What did they do
to you?�

Kai
felt a boiling rage bubble up inside him again at the sight and stood abruptly,
walking off away from the others where he found a large boulder and kicked it
as hard as he could. Then he sat on the
rock and ignored everyone and everything, too occupied with controlling his
formidable anger.

Tyson
watched him in a mixture of fear, concern, and uncertainty. He made a move as if to get up and go talk
to the furious prince but stopped when Kenny put his hand on Tyson�s arm and
shook his head.

�Don�t,
Tyson. It�s best to let him sort things
out for himself, right now. Just leave
him be.� Kenny advised softly.

Tyson
wanted to argue but decided against it.
�You�d know him best, I suppose.�
He turned back to Kenny and gathered up the wrecked clothes, leaving his
cloak beside the injured boy for a moment while he went to get some of that
water to clean Kenny up.

Hilary,
staying away from Kai as best she could, came over as Tyson was bathing Kenny�s
wounds gently carrying a clean set of clothes and some emergency bandages and
ointment she�d found in the saddlebags.
�Good thing you packed this stuff, Kenny. It�s sure coming in handy now.�

He
gave her a wan smile as she helped her cousin use the ointment on the worst of
his injures and bandage him up as best they could. He blushed quite a bit at being nearly naked in front of such a
pretty young girl � and a Lady, too � but he didn�t protest much because, quite
frankly, he just didn�t have the strength to.

The
clothes were entirely too big on him since he�d packed them himself with Tyson
in mind. But after a few adjustments
(rolled up sleeves and trouser legs, some string for a belt, etc.) they got him
clothed again. Tyson draped his
discarded cloak around Kenny�s shoulders with a smile.

�There. Better.
Now, you sit and relax, Chief.
I�m going to gather up some firewood and get a small fire going.� Tyson stood up and brushed himself off
before heading off into the trees to scrounge for twigs and branches.

Once
he�d returned and together with Hilary�s help gotten a fire going, and a modest
meal was prepared, the three sat companionably together and ate. Kenny didn�t eat much and had to reassure
Hilary and Tyson he never did otherwise and it wasn�t because he felt ill or
something.

Tyson,
the entire afternoon and well into the evening, kept glancing at Kai, who
hadn�t moved from his perch on that rock at all. Tyson had called to him when their meal was ready but all he got
was an indifferent grunt in reply, so the bluenette reluctantly left him alone
again.

Since
Hilary had napped on most of the ride earlier, Tyson stretched out comfortably
beside the fire at a safe distance and dozed off for a while. Kenny had curled up, too, at Hilary�s
insistence, to get what rest he could while he could.

Eventually,
however, Kai finally did move from his rock.
He padded over to the fire, where Hilary was sitting and poking at the
burning sticks with another stick idly, and said gruffly, �Wake up Tyson. We�ll travel at night from now on until we
get out of the Empire. If the Emperor
sends people after us � which he probably has � it�ll be easier to avoid them
under cover of darkness.�

Hilary
turned to her cousin and shook him hard.
�Wake up, lazy! Time to go��

�Uhn�go
�way.� Tyson groaned, rolling over with
a sigh. Hilary rolled her eyes and
shook him again and he batted at her hands in annoyance until he got so fed up
that he sat up and scowled cutely at her.
�What? I was having this really
great dream, Hilary!�

�We�re
leaving, Tyson.� Kai stated, smothering
their campfire with dirt. �Pack
up.� He turned away, fighting the urge
to go over and kiss away the bluenette�s pout.

�Oh. Sure.�
Tyson yawned widely and went to it.

Hilary
woke up Kenny and helped him stand.
�How do you feel now, Kenny?�
She asked. �You�ve got some
colour back in your cheeks, at least.�

�Better. I�m still sore, though.� He blushed slightly at her steady gaze.

Kai
glanced up from a folded sheet of parchment he was studying. �It should take us about another three
night�s ride to reach the border. Then
another two days to get to Marchantia.�
He eyed Kenny critically. �That
is, if you�re up to it. We have to ride
hard and fast if we expect to stay ahead of any pursuit parties.�

Kenny
straightened up as much as he could.
�I�ll try not to slow you down, your�Kai.� He amended quickly at Kai�s furrowed brow.

�But
if you�re in pain or ill, tell us Kenny.�
Tyson said firmly, giving Kai a glare that warned him not to argue. �Don�t hide anything just because you don�t
want to slow us down.�

�I
won�t.�

�Let�s
go!� Hilary exclaimed, tugging Tyson to
their horse. �We�ve got a long ride
ahead of us.�

The
group of travellers mounted up and with Dranzer leading the way in the dark of
night, began the next leg of their journey to escape the certain death they�d
left behind.

**************************************

Chapter
03

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After
three nights of hard riding, just as Kai had predicted, they reached the
borderlands between the Empire and the western kingdom of Oceanus � a merchant
kingdom on the sea whose capital was Marchantia, their destination.

Kai
led them past border patrols and Imperial soldiers stealthily on that third
night, just before dawn. And � as a
precaution � rode on for an extra half a day so that when he finally allowed
them to stop they were now safe and well into Oceanus territory where the
Emperor couldn�t follow � for now.

The
prince knew � even if the others did not or chose to pretend otherwise � that
their freedom wouldn�t necessarily last forever.

Checking
the money situation, Kai came to the conclusion that at least they could rest
in warm, sheltered inns with comfortable beds from now on, since they�d spent
little of the money on supplies thus far.

Hilary
was overjoyed because this meant she could finally take a proper bath.

Tyson
hid it well, adopting an attitude that resembled Kai�s own �I could hardly care
one way or another�, but he secretly was looking forward to a bath nearly as
much as his cousin was.

�I�ll
see you boys later!� She waved, dancing
off down the hall in a bathrobe that covered her from neck to feet and carrying
a towel and bar of soap. �I�m going to
enjoy this.� The brunette girl
disappeared into the women�s bathhouse.

Kai
left Dranzer in the room he was sharing with Kenny and Tyson guarding their
belongings and silently followed the other two teens outside to the men�s
bathing area � an outdoor hot spring.
The place was empty since it was the middle of the afternoon and
Kai was rather grateful for it.
Why? Because it meant he
wouldn�t have to worry about other people and being�ugh�sociable.

Kenny,
not really embarrassed to be naked around either of them any longer (with
Hilary not around anyway), slipped out of his robes and gingerly slid into the
hot water, wincing because of his wounds, and sat down with a sigh, relaxing as
he hadn�t in�years.

Tyson,
who apparently had no inhibitions whatsoever (or was too eager about his bath)
dropped his robe in a flash and was in the water in seconds, heading for the
deepest part so he could sit with the water up to his chin and be totally
immersed in the soothing heat.
�Oooooohhhh yeah. That�s so
much better!� He practically moaned,
leaning back against the rocks and closing his eyes with a happy little sigh.

Kai
had watched him silently, the brief glimpse he�d gotten of the Kinomiya�s very
muscular, golden skinned body not nearly enough for his tastes but just enough
to go straight to his groin and turn his brain off for a moment. To avoid being caught blushing and to calm
himself down, he turned away and picked up Tyson�s and Kenny�s bathrobes,
laying them over a long wooden bench then setting three towels he carried down
and grabbing the soap and hair solution.
After a quick glance to see that Tyson and Kenny were both not paying
any attention to him, he shrugged out of his robe and slid into the water where
he immediately began scrubbing clean. I�ll
relax later. He decided. For now I just want to stop smelling like
sweat.

When
he was done, he passed the stuff to Kenny and sat back, letting the hot spring
water seep into his sore muscles from the hard riding and relaxing as much as
he ever allowed himself to.

Tyson
cracked open one dark blue eye and observed the fiery young prince
surreptitiously. Gods he�s gorgeous
� even if he does change moods more frequently than Hilary does. I don�t understand him most of the time, yet
I feel like I know him. He sighed
and shifted to get more comfortable. He
burns hot one minute, warming up to us, talking to us, loosening up a bit � and
then the next he�s freezing us out � usually the second he realizes he�s opening
up to us.

And
why is it the last few days of travelling with him has made me want more? Made me want to get closer, to understand
him, touch him�kiss him? Tyson felt
his face heat up and hoped if either Kenny or Kai saw it they�d attribute it to
the hot water. Damn that
Hilary! Why does she have to be
right? I am attracted to him �
incredibly, amazingly� He fought
back a whimper. �painfully attracted
to him. Tyson wriggled
uncomfortably in his spot, closing his eyes again and trying really hard to
relax again and to not slide through the water and indulge himself. Give it up, Tyson. Kai would probably kill you himself if you
tried anything.

While
Tyson was tormenting himself, Kai was pretty much doing the same from a few
feet away, observing Tyson through his eyelashes to appear as if his eyes were
closed. He noticed that the other teen
was staring at him then watched as a sudden blush spread over the bridge of the
bluenette�s nose and across his cheeks, making Kai a) wonder what Tyson
was thinking while staring at him and blushing, and b) want to slip over
and put himself out of his misery by taking what he so badly was beginning to
need � a long, deep, passionate kiss from those delectable pink lips. Kai let out a mental moan of frustration and
slouched, sinking further into the water.

Kenny,
perfectly oblivious, was nearly falling asleep. Yawning, he pushed himself out of the water and went to dry off
and put his robe back on.

Kai
looked over at him. �Go take a nap,
Kenny. We�ll wake you when it�s time
for supper.�

�Thank
you�Kai. I will.� Kenny smiled his thanks. Kai waved it away.

�Hn. Oh, and hand me that other bottle of hair
solution, would you? This one�s
empty.� Kai took the full bottle from
Kenny and with a slightly wicked glint to his eyes, winged it at Tyson.

The
bottle landed just in front of the bluenette splashing him in the face with hot
water. Tyson spluttered and blinked in
annoyance. �Hey!�

�You
might want to use that, Tyson. If you
don�t you�ll be sleeping outside in the stables.� Kai informed him.

�What?! Why?!�

�You
smell.� Kai stated simply. �Like sweaty horses, actually.�

�Urk!� Tyson glowered at him but couldn�t really
argue with him about it so he set the bottle to one side and raised his hands
to try and remove his hair band that held his hair back in a ponytail.

Kenny
smothered a giggle at their banter and slipped away quietly. Interesting. Maybe Tyson will be the one to capture my Master�s heart. Life would never be boring for them, that�s
for certain. He mused on his way
back up to the room.

Kai
watched Tyson struggle with the band for a few minutes then rolled his eyes and
commanded, �Come here, you idiot, and let me take it off before you rip out
your hair.�

Perfectly
amenable to that (for more than that reason) Tyson dropped his hands and
obeyed. He stood chest deep in the
steaming water and turned around, his back to Kai and felt the other teen�s
long, nimble fingers brush against his skin as he lifted the ponytail and
carefully worked at pulling the tie out of the wet hair. Tyson suppressed the need to shiver at the
heat that Kai�s fingers invoked on his nerves, focusing his eyes on the water
in front of him and swirling a fingertip in it to make tiny whirlpools.

Pulling
the last of Tyson�s blue hair from the tie and tossing it over his shoulder in
the general direction of their robes and towels, Kai automatically began
finger-combing the tangles out himself � without even realizing what he was
doing. It just felt�natural somehow,
and he couldn�t deny that he liked the feel of those soft strands slipping
through his fingers. �Next time, take
the ponytail out before you get your hair wet, Tyson. Less tangles that way.�
He said quietly, his voice distant but holding a warmth that Tyson had
never heard in it before. �This would
be easier if I had a proper brush.�

The
bluenette smiled and let his eyes close, enjoying the attention immensely. �Sorry.�
He murmured. �You�re doing a
really good job though.�

�You
have really nice hair�� Kai replied, his voice turning husky. �It�s nearly as soft as Dranzer�s feathers.�

�I�ll
assume that�s really soft.� Tyson
sighed, unconsciously leaning back into Kai�s touch lethargically. The movement seemed to snap Kai out of his
near daydream state and he froze, dropping Tyson�s hair as if it had shocked
him and slowly backing away as he realized what he�d been doing and what he�d
said.

�Yeah. Uh�you�d better wash it, and�I�m going
to�go.� Kai, supremely flustered, was
out of the water and into his robe before Tyson could register his
disappearance and turn around. He
blinked up at Kai from the water, steam curling around him and his hair draping
over his back and shoulders to float around him on the surface. �I�ll be back later.� Kai croaked and fled.

�Kai! Wait!
What did I�do?� Tyson tried
calling out to him, but he was gone before he could finish the question. He gave a frustrated, confused growl and
scowled, grabbing the hair solution and vigorously rubbing it into his hair,
all the while cursing himself for becoming a lovesick fool over someone who
would never in a million years return any affection.

He�ll
never want you, Tyson, so give it up.
Tyson ordered himself savagely. Concentrate
on getting to Max and Rei�s where it�ll be safe instead. He ducked under the water and rinsed out his
hair then surfaced and got out, pulling on his robe and towelling his dripping
hair dry.

Lightning
flashed, followed by a crash of thunder and Tyson looked up, having not even
realized that it had gotten cloudy and darker out. He sighed miserably.
�Great. Perfect weather to match
my mood. The Gods are probably rolling
around up there laughing their asses off at me.�

There
was another flash of lightning and Tyson sighed and stood, turning to go in
before he got rained on.

And
came face to face with a pair of huge, fathomless electric blue-grey eyes and a
fearsome, majestic looking sinuous body and head.

�AHHHHH!!!!� Tyson screamed in shock, falling backwards
over the wooden bench.

The
creature made a startled noise and dove beneath the bench to hide in fear.

Tyson
sucked in a few breaths to calm his frantically beating heart and sat up,
looking under the bench curiously.
Despite the darkness, he could just make out the shape of the creature,
and, of course, he could see its strange, beautiful eyes. �A dragon?
All the way out here? How in the
world did you manage that?� The eyes
blinked at him and Tyson slowly reached out his hand, palm up. �I�m sorry I screamed like that but you
startled me. You can come out,
dragon. I won�t hurt you.� He said, trying to coax it out. �I�m Tyson, of the Kinomiya clan.�

The
dragon poked its head out from the bench and studied Tyson for a moment before
sliding out completely and giving his offered hand a nudge with its head and a
questioning sound that sounded suspiciously like a mewl. Tyson smiled and pet the dragon lightly,
eliciting a definite purr. He giggled
as the dragon slid into his lap and curled around his waist, chest, and
shoulders, settling in comfortably.
�Hi! You�re certainly friendly
aren�t you?� Tyson stroked his new
friend�s coils and stood up, staggering a bit under the added weight. �So do you have a name or do I have to think
one up for you?�

The
dragon seemed to smile at him and Tyson felt the tip of its tail tapping on a
spot on the lower right side of Tyson�s back.
The bluenette tried looking over his shoulder to see what it was but
then remembered the tattoo of his family�s crest that he�d received when he
turned five years old. �My tattoo? That�s the Kinomiya family crest. It�s a dragon, too, actually.� The dragon nodded and made an inquiring
mewl. �What? I don�t�oh! You want to
know its name?� More nodding and Tyson
laughed. �It�s Dragoon, my family�s
Guardian sent by the Dragon Gods themselves to protect and watch over the
land��

At
that point it dawned on him what the dragon coiled around him was trying to
say. �No. Way.� Tyson stared into
Dragoon�s eyes and felt the truth of it deep within himself. �Holy�crap.�

Dragoon
gave a chuckling purr and rubbed his cheek against Tyson�s affectionately.

�Ah�I
guess this means you�re coming with us, huh?
I mean, not that I�d leave you here all alone or anything, but�� Tyson
groaned and slowly began making his way back to the room. �Wonderful.
And how am I going to explain you to the others? This is so not my�year.� He lamented, quietly stepping into the room
where Kenny was curled up asleep on one bed.

Dranzer
squawked at him and he looked over and waved.
�Hi, Dranzer.� Tyson greeted the
firebird, putting a finger to his lips and pointing at the lump on the bed that
was Kenny. The phoenix ruffled her
feathers and angled her head at him � no, wait�at Dragoon � curiously. Dragoon regarded her gravely in return and
uncoiled himself from Tyson, seeming to float over to her with liquid smooth
movements through the air.

Tyson�s
jaw dropped as Dranzer cooed at Dragoon and he purred in answer, coiling
up on the pillow and raising himself up to meet her eye-to-eye where she was
perched on the bed�s headboard.

�Uh�I
take it you know each other?� Tyson
observed weakly. Dranzer chirped
something and Dragoon purred louder.
Tyson sweatdropped heavily and occupied himself with getting dressed,
finding his clothes had been laundered by the inn�s staff while he�d been at
the hot springs � since he was being ignored anyway.

�I
don�t even want to know.� He muttered
to himself. Once dressed, he walked
over to the window and sat on the window ledge, one knee brought up to his
chest and the other leg dangling carelessly off the edge. Tyson stared out the window, watching the
storm as it began to rain heavily on the other side of the glass.

Kai�where
are you now, anyway? Why did you run
off like that?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The
crimson-eyed teen haggled with the goldsmith fiercely until he got an
acceptable offer for the gold band of a ring with no stone in the setting,
taking the money and concealing it before leaving the shop to go on the hunt
for some new clothes for himself and his travelling companions.

After
all, they hadn�t had time or opportunity to pack a suitcase before they left.

On
the other hand he wasn�t looking forward to trying to find some suitable
garments for Hilary. What the hell
do I know about female clothes anyway?
Kai glowered to himself as he stalked down the street to find a tailor�s
shop and a dressmaker�s if he could. And
all that other stuff girls seem to care so much about. People were sidestepping out of his way and
giving dual looks of glares mixed with nervousness at the scowling teen�s own
expression. Kai continued on, taking no
notice of anything or anyone around himself.
He was just too immersed in his thoughts to care.

Damn
you, Tyson! Why do you have to be so
bloody beautiful? And so open
and�and�likeable?! Maybe I saved your
life and got you freedom but by all rights you should hate me! Agh�it�s probably your affiliation with
dragons. Kai pushed open the door
to the tailor�s and strode in, deciding to find Kenny�s clothes first since the
poor kid had none at all � that fit. Those
creatures are reportedly overly friendly.
I mean, what other explanation is there? First, I�m talking to you as if I�ve known you my entire life,
then I�m relaxing and letting my guard down around as I�ve only ever done with
Dranzer, and then I�m� Kai cut
himself off, the way he�d been all but petting Tyson earlier in the baths still
vivid in his mind.

�May
I be of some assistance, sir?� A man
who Kai assumed was the proprietor of the shop stepped up beside him
unobtrusively as Kai examined some clothes on display.

Kai
set aside his chaotic thoughts and got down to business. He left the shop and the tailor extremely
pleased nearly a half hour later, several large bundles of clothes wrapped
carefully into easier to carry packages in his arms.

His
next stop was the dressmaker�s, who turned out to be a seamstress married to
the tailor across the street � not that Kai really cared. Explaining as patiently as he could (re:
lying through his teeth), he told her that all their luggage had unfortunately
been lost over the side of a bridge and swept away by the river their hired
coach had been crossing when said coach hit a bump and tipped precariously.

The
woman was immediately sympathetic and out of sympathy for the Lady who had lost
all her clothes and possessions, gave Kai a discount of half-price on all his
purchases � out of the goodness of her heart, of course.

I
can�t believe she bought that lame excuse.
Kai muttered to himself as he left the shop completely laden down like a
pack mule with packages and boxes. Hilary
better not complain about anything or I swear I�ll toss her off a
bridge.

He
made his way back to the inn, dashing from sheltered spot to sheltered spot to
avoid getting wet since it had begun to pour rain while he�d been in the
dressmaker�s.

Kai
struggled up the stairs of the inn with his purchases and kicked on their room
door (since he couldn�t knock or open the door himself with his hands full),
fervently hoping someone was in there to let him in.

�Who
is it?� Tyson�s voice answered
suspiciously from the other side. Kai
suppressed a shiver and growled out his name.

�It�s
Kai, Tyson. Let me in.�

�Door�s
unlocked, Kai.� Tyson replied, his
voice muffled by the door.

�Open
it, please.� Kai ground out,
emphasizing the �please�. �My hands are
full.�

�Oh! Well, why didn�t you say so?� Tyson demanded as he swung the door open
quickly.

Kenny,
woken by Kai�s kicking on the door, rolled over and sat up, rubbing at his
eyes. �What�s going on?�

�It�s
just Kai, Chief. No worries.� Tyson
reassured him, stepping aside as Kai trudged into the room blindly (he couldn�t
see over the heap of stuff in his arms) and kicked the door closed behind
himself.

�A
little help, Tyson?� He demanded. Tyson began pulling packages off the top of
the pile and setting them on the foot of the empty bed.

�Geez,
Kai. What the hell is all this
stuff? Did you buy out the town or
something?�

Kai�s
brow furrowed and he set down the remaining stuff with relief. �No-o.�
He replied, drawing out the vowel in annoyance. �I bought all of us some extra clothes since
we�ve all got practically nothing but what we rode out of town with.� Kai selected a couple of packages and turned
to drop them on Kenny�s lap on his bed.
�Here Kenny. It�s not much but
it�s got to fit better than what you�re wearing now.�

Kenny
blinked at the bundles of clothes in shock, then stared up at Kai with surprised
gratitude. �Thank you�Kai. I�you didn�t have to spend what little money
you have on me, a mere servant! I�d
have been fine in these clothes�� The little brunette babbled. Kai just shook his head and patted him on
the shoulder.

�No,
Kenny. You need the clothes just as
much as the rest of us do.� Kai turned
to pick out the things he�d chosen for Tyson as he spoke. �And you aren�t as servant anymore.� He handed a few more packages to the
bluenette who was standing near the window watching him with an expression that
said he was trying to figure out something about Kai. �Here. They fit me skin
tight so they�ll probably be perfect on you.�

�Uh�thanks,
Kai.� Tyson took the bundles and set
them aside, carefully beginning to unwrap them to see what the other teen had
chosen for him. �I don�t suppose you
got me a new hair tie?�

Kai
looked at him then, for the first time since he�d walked in, and sucked in a
breath. If he�d thought the midnight
blue-eyed Kinomiya was beautiful before, now he was nearly divine with that
mass of blue-black hair draped around his shoulders in waves having dried since
Kai�d been gone. Oh Gods�

Unaware
that he�d gone silent and still, staring at Tyson with fascination and wanting
to reach out and run his fingers through his hair � again � Kai swallowed and
jumped almost imperceptibly when Kenny coughed and took the packages for Hilary
from Kai�s hands, saying, �I�ll deliver these to Miss Hilary for you, Kai.�

�Oh�ah�thank
you.� Kai flushed and tore his gaze away
from the unearthly beautiful teen.

Only
to land on Dranzer, who was still perched where he�d left her, dozing
peacefully, and�

�Where
the hell did that dragon come from?!�

Tyson�s
head snapped up from examining his new clothes and winced, speaking quickly. �He and I sort of ran into each other as I
was leaving the bath house, Kai, and I��

�So
you brought him up here? Tyson, you
can�t keep a pet dragon.� Kai waved his
hands in the air expressively. �We
don�t know where we�re going or how long we�ll stay when we get there. Not to mention it�s very dangerous out there
in the open for dragons these days��

Kenny,
sensing a storm brewing that had nothing to do with the one outside, slipped
out to take Hilary her new garments and let Kai and Tyson battle it out. A quick glance at the two creatures made him
sort of hope Tyson would win and get to keep the dragon.

Especially
when he could have sworn it winked at him just before he closed the door.

Tyson
glowered darkly at Kai, insulted at having his family�s Guardian called a
�pet�. He reached up and swept all his
hair out of his face and pushed it over his shoulders to hang down his back
instead. �His name is Dragoon, your
Highness,� Tyson said mockingly.
�And he is no more a �pet� than Dranzer is!�

�That�s
entirely different!� Kai asserted,
bristling indignantly. �Dranzer has
been with me all my life and I could no more leave her behind than I could
cleave off my own arm.�

�I�ve
got news for you, Hiwatari � I can�t lose Dragoon for the same reason.� Tyson stood angrily, marching up to Kai and
going head-to-head with him. �I may
have only just met him for the first time in my life but I know who and what he
is. If it had been just any old dragon,
I�d have helped it find a safe place to get out of the storm and gone one my
way. But as soon as I learned his name
it was all I needed to know.� His face
settled into a stony, stubborn mask, his blue eyes glinting and stormy with
anger and the passion of his emotions.
�Dragoon stays with me. If you
don�t like it � tough. When Hilary,
Dragoon, and I leave tomorrow, it can be without you and Kenny. You�ve done more than enough for us already
and I�ll repay you someday for it, but I have no wish to be a burden on you.�

Kai
fought down the moment of despair and sudden loneliness he experienced at the
idea of Tyson leaving him. He looked
over at the two creatures, both of whom were now watching the two humans argue
with interest. Dragoon didn�t appear to
be all that remarkable-looking for a dragon.
Whatever it was that made him so special � enough that Tyson was willing
to separate from Kai and Kenny over the issue � Kai couldn�t see it in the
dragon�s appearance.

�Is
he really that important?� Kai finally
inquired softly, not really understanding where Tyson was coming from but
accepting that there seemed to be a reason for it.

Tyson
felt his anger deflate at Kai�s unsure tone and sighed. �Yes.
He truly is.� He laid a hand on
Kai�s arm and Kai looked down at him.
�Listen�I would tell you why he�s here and explain all this if I could,
Kai. Please believe me. But in truth I haven�t figured that out
yet. I promise that as soon as I know,
you�ll be the first to find out.� He
gave pleading eyes to Kai. He didn�t want
to leave the prince (and Kenny) but he would if he had to.

Kai
stared into those eyes and was lost. He
closed his own for a moment and when he opened them, said, �Alright. Dragoon stays. But he�s your responsibility, Tyson. Understand?�

The
bluenette�s smile and vigorous nod was contagious and Kai couldn�t help smiling
in return.

�Oh! I have to tell Hilary! She hasn�t met Dragoon yet!� Tyson�s eyes sparkled with excitement and he
waved the dragon over. �Come on,
Dragoon! I think you�ll want to meet my
cousin.�

The
dragon made a curious mewling sound and rose upwards, uncoiling himself and
seeming to stretch a bit before weaving through the air sinuously toward
Tyson. Kai watched in amazement as he
curled himself around Tyson�s upper body comfortably and laid his head on
Tyson�s shoulder with a content purring.
Tyson ran a hand over Dragoon fondly and headed for the door.

He
paused with his hand on the doorknob then turned, ran back to Kai, and leaned
up on his toes to brush his mouth across Kai�s lightly for a small kiss.

�Thanks,
Kai. I promise you won�t regret
it.� He said. Then he fled, his cheeks flushing and his lips burning from even
that brief, simple contact.

He
left a stunned Kai standing there alone with a comical expression of disbelief
on his face.

Which
was soon followed by a smile and an inflamed hunger in Kai�s crimson eyes as
hope was sparked.

Dranzer,
who�d remained silent the entire time, finally gave her opinion in a series of
trills, chirps, and squawks that sounded suspiciously like she was laughing at
him.

Kai
gave her a half-hearted scowl. �Oh stop
that.� He grumbled, blushing bright red
under her knowing gaze. �You shouldn�t
be laughing, Dranzer. You seemed to be
quite friendly with Dragoon, you know.�
He added slyly. She gave him an
embarrassed squawk and he chuckled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

�Hilary,
it�s me. Can I come in?� Tyson asked, knocking on her door.

�It�s
open, Tyson.� She called back.

He
went in and smiled when he saw the disaster that had occurred in her room. Items of clothing were everywhere. It reminded him of her old chambers back
home whenever she was preparing for a festival or something.

�Did
a tornado touch down in here?� He asked
teasingly, grinning when she stuck out her tongue at him.

�No. I�m just going through all my new clothes
with Kenny�s help. He went to see if he
could find me a pair of scissors, some thread, and a needle.� Hilary held up a green gown and shook it
lightly to get the wrinkles out. �I�m
going to make a couple of tiny adjustments to one of these wonderful dresses
that were a bit too small.� She blinked
when she saw the dragon curled around him.
�Where did your new friend come from, Tyson? He�s a fine looking dragon.�

Tyson
smiled and introduced them. �You�ll never
believe it, Hilary, but I would like you to meet the Kinomiya clan�s Guardian,
Dragoon.�

The
dress fell from her hands and her mouth dropped open.

�No
way.�

�Way. Dragoon, this is Hilary.�

The
dragon purred a greeting, not removing himself from Tyson. He did, however, nudge the bluenette forward
with his tail and Tyson obeyed, walking over to Hilary and stopping just in
front of her after bending down and picking up her dress.

�I�ah�it�s
an honour to meet you, Dragoon!� She
finally got her wits back and curtsied low to the dragon.

At
that moment Kenny returned, followed by Kai.

�It�s
getting late and they�re serving the evening meal to guests downstairs right
now.� Kai stated, his gaze flickering
around to each of them but landing and lingering on Tyson, who pretended to be
avidly interested in Hilary�s hair ribbons (stealing a deep blue one for
himself) to avoid the heated look in Kai�s crimson eyes. �Shall we go?�

�I
could use a good meal.� Hilary agreed,
oblivious to the tension between Kai and Tyson. �Oh, and thank you so much for the gowns, Kai! And the hair things.�

He
shrugged. �You are welcome. They�re all right? If you need something else, just say and we�ll��

�It�s
all wonderful!� She laughed, amused at
his awkwardness. �You did very well.�

�Ah�thanks.� Kai straightened and gestured for them to
follow. �Let�s go people, before it�s
all gone.�

Tyson
dropped Dragoon off to stay with Dranzer in their room, promising to bring the
dragon something to eat when he returned, and they all went down to the evening
meal.

************************************

Chapter
04

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

�Man, I�m stuffed!� Tyson declared as he climbed the stairs
behind Kai and ahead of Kenny and Hilary.
�I haven�t had a meal like that in�� He had to stop and think for a
moment. �I can�t remember the last time
we feasted like that.� His voice held
much sadness and more grief. Hilary
placed her hand on his shoulder in comfort.

�Think of all the people we were
able to feed because we didn�t, Tyson.
Our people were so grateful, remember?
The Clan of the Dragons shares all.�

Tyson gave her a small smile,
then sighed and shook his head.
�Perhaps. Even if it only
prolonged their suffering in the long run.
So many are homeless now.�

Kai, who had been listening
without saying anything, felt a twinge of guilt and shame. It was his grandfather who caused Tyson�s
sadness and Kai could only feel the stigmatism that Voltaire had stained the
Hiwatari name with. I promise you,
Kinomiya�I will find a way to put things right. He vowed silently and unlocked the door to
the room he was sharing with Kenny and Tyson, pushing it open and stepping
inside.

�Good night, Hilary. See you in the morning.� Tyson waited until she had gone into her own
room and locked her door before he went into his own. It was at this point that he registered the fact that there were
only two beds in the room.

�Um�how are we going to do the
sleeping arrangements?� He questioned,
glancing back and forth between the beds.
�I say Kenny gets one to himself because he�s injured. So that leaves�� he trailed off awkwardly,
missing Kenny�s quickly hidden grin as the brunette turned to prepare for bed
himself.

�I will tell you one thing,
Tyson.� Kai declared, hands on
hips. �I refuse to sleep with a
dragon.�

�Why?� Tyson, for some reason he didn�t quite understand, felt
personally insulted by that statement.
�It�s not like he smells. Dragons
are extremely picky about their personal hygiene, you know.� Kai just glared at him stubbornly, not
caring how clean Dragoon was. Tyson
gave an exasperated sigh and threw his hands up in the air. �Fine!
I�ll take a blanket and pillow and he can sleep on the floor with
me.� He took the extra blanket that was
folded neatly at the end of the bed and snagged a pillow, making himself a bed
on the floor between Kai�s bed and the window, grumbling under his breath.

Kai sighed and swallowed down
his disappointment. He hadn�t thought
he�d offend Tyson and lose the prospect of sleeping so close to him � something
he had looked forward to since the bluenette had kissed him earlier. Kai sat on the edge of the bed and kicked
off his boots then began stripping down to his underclothes, ignoring the
chastising gaze from his avian companion.
Dranzer squawked at him once and he gave her a look that plainly said,
�Get off my case.�

�Come on, Dragoon.� Tyson called his new friend over, and
Dragoon went to him, curling up on the pillow next to Tyson�s head. �Good night, my friend.� He murmured, slowly stroking Dragoon�s
coiled form a few times before closing his eyes and going to sleep. Kenny had already dozed off up on his own
bed, snoring lightly.

Kai found he couldn�t fall
asleep immediately so he lay on his side at the edge of the bed, looking down
at Tyson, and watched him sleep until his own eyes closed heavily and he
fell into his own slumber.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part way through the night, a
strange purring sound woke him up abruptly from the very nice dream he�d been
having. Kai opened his eyes and blinked
owlishly into a pair of electric blue eyes, starting in surprise.

�Ack! Dragoon!� He moved back
and scowled at the dragon. �What the
hell are you doing?�

In response he got a concerned
mewl and Dragoon made a pointing motion with the tip of his tail at the floor �
or rather, Tyson. Kai frowned and
looked over the bed curiously.

His frown deepened when he saw
the other teen had apparently been thrashing around, his blanket obviously
kicked away, and was now curled into a ball, shivering and whimpering. He was even turning blue. Kai threw back his covers and slid out of
bed, kneeling on the floor next to Tyson and brushing his blue-black strands of
hair out of his face. He saw the tears
streaking Tyson�s face and melted, carefully sliding his arms under the other
teen and picking him up. Tyson
whimpered and curled into Kai immediately.

Kai laid Tyson on one side of
the bed and gently drew the covers up over him, then went around to the other
side and slid in beside him. He looked
at Dragoon and nodded to him.

�Thanks for waking me,
Dragoon. I�m sorry�for earlier.� Kai said in a low voice. The dragon bobbed his head and purred
softly, moving to the end of the bed and coiling himself at their feet
contentedly. Kai smiled faintly and
turned his attention back to Tyson. He
turned to lie on his side and lifted a hand to stroke Tyson�s hair from his
face once again.

He sighed when Tyson whimpered
again and curled into a tighter ball, tears squeezing out of his eyes and
trickling down his cheeks. �What are
you dreaming, Tyson? And why do you
affect me so much?� Kai asked in a
whispered voice, gently rubbing away the wetness as each tear fell with the
backs of his fingers.

Kai continued to watch over
Tyson drowsily, until he simply couldn�t keep his eyes open any longer. The fiery cold prince fell asleep with Tyson
curled into the curve of his body, the bluenette�s face pressed to Kai�s chest
and the fingers of one of Kai�s hand buried in Tyson�s hair, the other resting
on the curve of Tyson�s side. One of
Tyson�s arms was flung over Kai�s waist and the other was fisted at Kai�s heart
in his shirt.

*~*~*~Tyson�s
Dream*~*~*~

�Grandpa! No!�

Tyson cried out, reliving the
moment he�d lost his grandfather. If
only he�d kept his big mouth shut�if only he hadn�t made the Emperor angry�if
only�

�Now, you stop that, little
dragon.� Gramps� voice halted the flow
of �if onlys� and Tyson looked around, blinking in the bright, glaring
whiteness he suddenly found himself in. �All the hindsight in the world can�t change what is, and you know
that.�

�Gramps? I hear you but I don�t see you�� Tyson
sniffled, tears filling his eyes again.

�Little dragon, I�m right
here.� The old man�s chuckling voice
made Tyson spin around to see his Grandpa standing behind him in his ceremonial
Dragon robes that her wore at festivals and on special occasions � holidays,
mostly � made from a dragon�s hide, which, while it appeared scaly, was
actually more like leather. Gramps�
eyes sparkled as they had in his life � with energy and spirit. He gazed at his grandson fondly and
smiled. �Well? Aren�t you going to say hello?�

Tyson burst into tears and threw
himself into Gramps� arms. �I�m sorry,
Grandpa! I should have controlled my
temper! I should have stayed quiet and
let you handle everything! I�m sorry!�

The old man sighed and held the
boy as he wept noisily. �Hush now,
Tyson. It isn�t your fault, you
know. No matter what either of us had
or had not done, the Emperor would have killed me anyway. I held too much power and loyalty among the
Dragon clans for him to let me live to rise up against him one day.� He drew away from Tyson, looking down into
Tyson�s shimmering storm blue eyes, his hands resting on the boy�s
shoulders. �Understand? I want you to let go of this guilt you�re
carrying around over me. It will only
hinder you from reuniting our people and reclaiming our lands, Takao.�

Tyson hung his head at the
name. �I don�t deserve that name, yet,
Grandpa. I can�t claim my adult name
without the ceremony. Please don�t call
me that.�

�I�m dead, Kinomiya Takao. I can call you whatever I damn well want
to.� Gramps snorted, folding his arms
over his chest. �You�ll get your
ceremony one day, little dragon � since it seems to be that important to
you. But I think if you asked Dragoon
you would find he doesn�t care about ceremonies that much. He knows who you are and that�s all he
needs, really.�

Tyson shrugged. �I guess.�
He stared up at his grandfather curiously. �Why are you here, anyway?
Just to tell me that?�

�Nope. Well, partly. Yeah.� Gramps chuckled sheepishly. �Actually, I came to reassure you that
you�re on the right trail towards fixing things in the world. And to let you know that I won�t rest until
it�s done. I will be with you on this
quest, Takao, I promise you that.�

�Thanks, Gramps. It�ll be nice to know you�re watching over
me.� Tyson smiled and Gramps grinned
back.

�Whether you like it or not,
kid.� The elder Kinomiya agreed. �So have you got any questions for me at the
moment? I�ve got a bit of time left
before I have to end our conversation.�

Tyson thought for a bit. �Well�I guess I should ask where Dragoon
came from. What happened when the sword
was destroyed?�

�Ah. Good question.� Gramps
nodded sagely. �I will tell you, Takao,
but you have to swear not to reveal it to anyone � not even Hilary. It�s a secret only the Kinomiya is allowed
to know.�

Tyson�s eyes widened slightly
and he nodded. �I swear.�

�It�s quite simple, really. When I heard that your father and Hitoshi had
died in battle, I knew that we would be unable to hold off the Empire�s forces
for much longer. And knowing exactly
what Voltaire was really after, I immediately used the ancient prayer of
summoning I�d been taught as a boy and summoned our Guardian�s spirit to
consult with him and ask for his help.�
Gramps frowned. �I was confused
and grieving. I didn�t know what else
to do at the time. Dragoon was very
understanding and told me not to worry, that there was still hope and that
there was one safe place for him to go if I was sure that the sword was no
longer such a haven any longer. When I
asked him what he meant, he just winked at me and told me not to worry. Then there was a bright flash of light and
like a streak of blue lightning Dragoon disappeared and was replaced by a ball
of blue light. I could feel the
dragon�s enormous power and I followed the ball to your rooms when it suddenly
flew off.�

�Wait! My rooms?! Why did he
come to me?� Tyson interrupted,
confused. �I�m barely eighteen and I am
not much of a warrior yet.�

�Well,
I guess he sees something in you, Takao.�
Gramps smiled mysteriously and clasped his hands behind his back as he
continued. �When I got to your rooms, I
watched as the light engulfed your sleeping form and slowly faded away. At first I thought the Gods were playing a
cruel joke on me but I realized that perhaps the safest place for Dragoon was
with you. Of us all, Takao, you have
always had a much closer affinity with the dragons than I�d ever seen or heard
of. If anyone could protect him, it
would be you.�

Tyson took a moment to absorb
that. �I see.� He finally said. �So he�s been with me the whole time? But how was he able to hide from the Emperor? I don�t understand! Voltaire obviously knew where Dragoon had
been for the last several centuries, after all. And what exactly was he planning on doing with Dragoon when he capture
him anyway?�

�That�s
the nature of knowledge, little dragon.
Ask a question, get an answer � and suddenly a million new questions pop
up.� Gramps patted Tyson on the head in
sympathy. �I can�t answer those
questions, Takao. I wish I could. One who might have your answers happens to
be quite close to you at the moment, however.�
He looked upward briefly � at seemingly nothing � then back to
Tyson. �I�m afraid our time is up,
little dragon. For now� Sleep,
Takao. Sleep restfully.�

Tyson blinked in awe as the old
man waved, fading out of sight once more.
Then everything went dark.

And he did sleep peacefully,
curling further into reassuring warmth that surrounded him and felt comforting
with a sense of possessive belonging he�d never felt before.

*~*~*~ End of Tyson�s
Dream*~*~*~

Tyson woke slowly, his conscious
mind gearing up for the day as the first light of dawn spilled into the room
through the window and bounced off his closed eyelids. Not opening them, since he wasn�t ready to
just yet, he rolled over, to face away from the window, and snuggled up against
the warm body he found there happily, tossing an arm over the person�s waist
and burying his face into the spot between their shoulder blades with a
sigh. He fell into a light sleep,
feeling completely safe � something he hadn�t really felt for a long time.

He didn�t know that the person
he was currently hugging like an oversized teddy bear was wide awake and
blushing furiously � and had been from the moment the bluenette had rolled
over, jolting Kai awake.

At the end of the bed at their
feet, Dragoon lifted his head and checked them over briefly before shifting
into a slightly different position to get comfortable again and went back to
sleep, content that his human was okay as he was.

Kai lay there for a while,
unsure if he should move or if he should just stay where he was and enjoy the
closeness.

He opted for the latter, turning
to lie flat on his back and allowing Tyson to snuggle him even more closely,
his blue-black hair draping over Kai�s chest where his head now rested over
Kai�s heart. Kai smiled to himself and
slid his fingers into Tyson�s hair, closing his eyes once more and dozing for a
little while longer, his last waking thought that he could get used to this.

Neither heard Kenny get up not
even a quarter hour later, nor did they hear his smothered giggles at the sight
of them in such an�intimate-appearing embrace in the same bed and apparently
content to be there.

When they did surface again, it
was at Dragoon and Dranzer�s combined insistence. The dragon at the foot of the bed used the tip of his tail to
tickle the bottoms of their feet while the phoenix chirped and trilled above
them from the headboard.

�Agh. Dranzer, give it a rest, would you?� Kai grunted and blindly reached for the covers, intending to drag
them up over his head and go back to sleep.
He tugged but found they wouldn�t budge and cracked open a sleepy,
wine-coloured eye to see what the problem was.
�Dragoon�let go.� He groaned,
seeing the dragon holding the covers in place with his coils. Dragoon shook his head and mewled in an
obvious demand.

At that point Tyson opened his
eyes and yawned, blinking owlishly down at Dragoon with a pout. �What�s the matter with you?� He queried, wriggling a bit and yanking his
feet away from the dragon�s tail. �Cut
that out! It tickles!� He complained.

Dragoon mewled again and this
time Dranzer squawked too.

�Alright! Alright!
We�re up! Sheesh!� Kai grumbled, rubbing a hand over his face
and wiping the sleep from his eyes.
�Are dragons always this annoying in the morning?� He asked Tyson grumpily.

�Are phoenixes?� Tyson asked right back. Then he blushed hotly as he realized where
he was and whom he was practically wrapped around. �Ah�why am I on the bed?�
He hurriedly removed himself from Kai and sat up.

Suppressing the disappointment
he felt, Kai replied as he got up and began dressing. �You were dreaming or something last night and Dragoon woke me up
because he was worried about you.� He
explained. �You were turning blue you
were so chilled down there on the floor so I put you in bed with me.� Kai glanced at Tyson, who was staring at him
in stunned silence. �It wouldn�t do to
have you getting sick on us, Tyson.
Especially now.�

Forcing down the sudden wave of
hurt, Tyson turned away and began pulling on his own clothes. �I see.
So you just didn�t want me to fall ill because it would slow us down or
put us in danger.� He stated quietly. �Well, thank you, Kai.� Tyson had hoped it was because Kai cared for
him a little.

Kai frowned at the dull tone of
the bluenette�s voice, unsure why he sounded upset. He set the moment aside to analyze later and asked instead, �Were
you dreaming last night? It didn�t look
very happy��

Tyson shrugged and laced up his
boots, not looking at Kai. �Just a
nightmare. One that I�m sure will haunt
me for the rest of my life.� He yanked
viciously on at the laces at the memory of his dream. �I�ll be fine.�

The crimson-eyed teen watched
him, a sudden flash of understanding hitting him. �It was your grandfather, wasn�t it.� Tyson�s stiff form spoke volumes. �I understand, Tyson.
After the fire that killed my parents I had bad dreams every night for a
long time.� He stopped, realizing he
was doing it again � speaking of himself and his life to someone he hardly
knew.

Tyson turned to him and Kai saw
the heavy burden of guilt in those expressive blue eyes. �Did the dreams ever stop?� He wanted to know, needing some sort of
hope that they would so he could take comfort in it. Knowing and understanding that but not sure why he cared or why
he offered that hope to Tyson, Kai moved toward the door.

�Stop? No. But they diminished
in frequency. I only have that dream
when I�m under unbearable stress or had a really bad day.� He responded, opening the door. �Let�s go get breakfast and then we should
all get moving. We need to travel as
far as we can today.� Kai told Tyson,
before striding out.

Tyson watched him go. I wish I could understand you,
Hiwatari. You push me away and at the
same time you offer me comfort. One of
these days I�m going to figure you out.
Wait and see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After another day�s hard riding,
they finally reached the city of Marchantia.
They rode through the city slowly, avoiding pedestrians, other riders,
and carriages in the streets around them.
Hilary had stars in her eyes at all the shopping prospects everywhere
she looked and Tyson was also impressed with the variety and selection � as far
as he could see without going into any shops, at least. But he wasn�t really big on shopping so it
hardly mattered to him as much as it did his cousin.

Kai, on the other hand, was
pretty much unimpressed with all of it.
And he was beginning to get agitated with so many people around. He despised crowds. Besides, he�d been to this city many times
before so it was nothing new to him.

Kenny remained silent and didn�t
much care about all the shops and items for sale, since he, too, had been here
before.

�Okay, Tyson. So where do these friends of yours
live?� Kai asked, wanting nothing more
than to get away from all these people.

�Well, I�m not entirely
sure. You see, Max is from one of the
smaller dukedoms the Empire�acquired and when it was learned that he was
lifemated to a neko-jin, the Empire seized his family�s business � an armoury
and weapons-smithy.� Tyson explained,
his expression growing darker. �But
then the Emperor learned that Rei was male and��

Kai shook his head,
wincing. �They were exiled. That stupid new law!� He sighed.
�So they came here?� He felt a
small amount of relief that this Max and Rei had at least managed to escape
with their lives.

Others hadn�t been so fortunate.

�Yes. Last time I received a letter from Max he�d set up a new armoury
and weapons-smith here and was quite prosperous. The Mizuhara family was quite skilled at their trade and Max
learned all he could from his dad.�

Kai looked at him sharply. �Mizuhara?
I know that name. �Skilled�
isn�t the term that comes to mind when you describe their accomplishments, Tyson. More like �phenomenal.��

�They were renowned throughout
many kingdoms and the Empire.� Kenny
added, awed. �They say no warrior
wearing Mizuhara armour has ever been mortally wounded in battle.�

Tyson shrugged. The Dragon clans did not depend on armour so
he didn�t really know. �I guess. All I know is I grew up with Max, since the
kingdom he lived in bordered the Dragon�s lands.�

Hilary nodded. �And the constant trouble you two would get
into! Mischievous little brats, that�s
what you were!� She added, poking her
cousin in the arm playfully. �Their
antics are legendary among the clans, Kai.
They played tricks on anyone unfortunate enough to cross their paths,
didn�t you, Tyson?�

He gave a sheepish grin. �We had fun. Come on, Hilary! We were
only kids.� Tyson protested.

�Somehow it doesn�t surprise me
very much.� Kai drawled, smiling
inwardly at Tyson�s embarrassed blush.

�You were terrors.� Hilary shot back. �Remember the time you stole my brand new blue dress that I was
supposed to wear to Hitoshi�s naming ceremony and you two needed a flag for
some game you were playing?�

Tyson flinched. Oh, he remembered all right.

�You and Max tore it up and used
the fabric � silk � to make banners that you tied onto sticks and ran around the
castle grounds with all day!�

Kai couldn�t help snickering and
Tyson shot him an embarrassed glare.
�We were just kids.� He
maintained. �Only seven years old. We
didn�t know silk from cotton or how expensive it was! We took that dress because it was the only blue one and because
you had so many we figured you wouldn�t miss it.�

�You thought wrong!� She huffed.
�Gramps had that made specially for me and you two little brats wrecked
it before I even got to wear it!�

�You�re never going to forgive me
for that are you?� Tyson sighed. Kenny giggled and Kai shook his head.

�Okay, that�s enough. As interesting as it is to hear about
Tyson�s exploits as a child, we should figure out where we�re going.� Kai suggested and Tyson gave a relieved smile
and a nod. �Was there any other hints
in your friend�s letter about where he lives?�

Tyson and Hilary exchanged a
look, each thinking about that for a moment.
�I don�t remember.� Tyson
said. �It was nearly a year ago.�

�I don�t think there was,
Tyson.� Hilary agreed.

�Well, we�ll just have to ask
around and hope someone knows.� Kai
decided. �We should split up, I
suppose, to cover more ground that way.�

�If I could make a
suggestion?� Kenny offered,
hesitantly. The others looked at him
and Kai nodded.

�Of course, Kenny. You don�t need permission to speak.�

�It seems to me that our best
chance would be to find and armoury or weapons-smithy here in the city and even
if it�s not the one we�re looking for, they should know where to find it. After all, a good, successful business
should know where its competition is.�

Tyson blinked. �That�s a really fabulous idea, Kenny!�

�Very wise.� Hilary nodded.

Kenny blushed.

So Kai led them through the
crowded streets again until they found a weapons-smithy. They sent Kenny inside to make inquiries and
when he came out again he had a smile on his face.

�The metal-smith says that the
elder Mizuharas retired some time ago and are living in town now but that their
son, who I�m assuming is Max, set up shop an hour or so out of town riding to
the southwest. He said something about
the boy�s mate wanting to be closer to his own people.�

Tyson nodded. �Yeah.
Rei�s people are from those mountains.
I think the neko-jin tribes are linked to those mountains like the
Dragon clans are to our lands.�

�I guess we�d better get going
then.� Kai sighed. �In another hour it�ll be starting to get
dark out and we�re all tired.� He
dismounted and gave Kenny a hand back up before climbing back on and nudging
their horse into a walk. Tyson and
Hilary followed them through the streets slowly and when they�d gotten back
outside the city gates, they encouraged their horses to a brisk run to make
better time.

Hilary continued to regal Kai
and Kenny with tales of Tyson�s childhood adventures as they rode, which Kai
found vastly entertaining � not so much the stories themselves but the way they
embarrassed the bluenette enough to give him a more or less permanent blush
that Kai admired a great deal.

�Oh! And then there was this time that�� Hilary was about to launch
into another story and Tyson really didn�t think he could take it. So he quickly interrupted, just as he spotted
a group of buildings in the distance that appeared to be a farm � or a smithy.

�Hey! I think that�s it!� He
exclaimed, pointing. It did the trick
and Hilary got distracted enough that she forgot what she�d been about to say.

�Well, it could be it. I guess the only way to find out will be to
ride over, knock on the door, and ask, right?�
Kai suggested, smirking a bit because he knew Tyson was trying to divert
attention away from his exploits.

Tyson ignored the smirk and
grinned, moving ahead of Kai and leading the way down the wagon path toward the
group of buildings.

�You�re excited, aren�t you,
cousin?� Hilary asked, laughing into
the wind as they rode. �I suppose I
shouldn�t be surprised. Max is your
best friend after all.�

�Yeah, well, it hasn�t been the
same without him around, Hilary.� Tyson
admitted wistfully. �We had some good
times and I�ll admit to missing him a lot since he bonded with Rei and they
were forced to move. Heck, I even miss
Rei and I didn�t know him for that long.�

�I know, Tyson. But they say when love finds you, you can
finally be whole once more. Finding
one�s lifemate at such an early age is very special.�

�Yes, I know that. And I would never begrudge them that,
Hilary. I�m so happy they did find each
other.� Tyson sighed. �I just miss my friends, that�s all.�

Hilary patted his hand. �Don�t worry, cousin. We�ll see them again very soon and no doubt
you�ll be sitting up all night depleting Max�s store of ale and reminiscing.�

Tyson made a face. �Ugh. You know I don�t drink much of that
stuff. It�s not pretty when I do.�

She giggled. �Down right hideous, in fact!�

He scowled cutely.

Kai was chuckling and Kenny was
trying not to giggle. The dual-haired
teen glanced over and took the opportunity to needle Tyson � a perverse
pleasure that Tyson made fairly easy for him.

�Are you telling me that you
can�t hold your ale, Kinomiya? Such a
shame�� He teased, filing the information away for future reference. �I guess you haven�t spent much time at the
pubs then, have you?�

Tyson�s scowl deepened and he
growled back, �I have better things to do than to sit around and get drunk,
thank you. At least I don�t feel ill
the next morning and suffer from a bad head, Hiwatari. And I suppose you think you�re something
great because you can?�

�Never said that.� Kai drawled mildly. �I don�t drink at all, actually.�

Tyson blinked at him in
consternation. �Then how can you make
fun of me?�

�Easy. It�s fun.� Kai replied
blithely. �Watch where you�re riding,
Tyson.�

The bluenette looked back in
time to avoid letting the horse run straight into a fence that surrounded the
gardens in front of a fair-sized house.
Kai reigned in and studied the place for a moment before dismounting and
helping Kenny down.

�There�s lamps lit inside so
someone�s home.� Kenny observed.

�I�ll go knock on the
door.� Tyson said after helping Hilary
down from their horse. He turned to
walk up the front path when the door to the house was flung open and a blonde
blur came flying towards Tyson and launched itself at him, glomping the
bluenette and knocking him to the ground.

�Tyson!� It cried in joy. �Tyson! Tyson! Tyson!�

�Agh! Oomph!� Tyson hit the
ground and started laughing. �Hey,
Max! Guess we found the right place
after all.� He hugged the other teen
hard in return then shoved him off.
�Now, get off me!�

�Heh. Sorry!� Max rolled to his
feet and held out a hand to help his friend up. �I�m just so glad you�re here!
And Hilary too!� Max hugged her
next. �I was beginning to panic but now
that you two are here, I feel much better.�

�Huh? What�s the matter, Max?�
Tyson inquired, since his friend did look rather harried and
rumpled. Max grabbed both his and
Hilary�s hands and dragged them towards the house. �Hey!�

�You�ve both spent time among
the neko-jin tribes, right? Especially
you, Hil.� Max said, not letting
go. �You have to help us, guys.�

Kai and Kenny, forgotten,
exchanged glances then tied the horses to a post before following the others
close behind.

�Help you with what?� Hilary demanded. �Did Rei get his tail caught in a door or something?�

Max gave a weak laugh. �No.
If only it were that simple. Lee
and Mariah�remember them? Well, they
were supposed to be here for Rei�s time.
Two days ago. We got word of a
landslide at the pass through the mountains this morning so they�ve been
delayed, and��

�Rei�s time? Max, would you just tell us what�s going
on?� Tyson halted the flow of the
blonde�s words in exasperation.

His answer was a high-pitched
yowl of pain from upstairs, followed by a very annoyed, angry, and agonized
yell of, �Mizuhara Max! I swear
I�m going to kill you if you don�t get back up here! Damned if I ever let you touch me
again, you�you��

�I love you, too, Rei! Help�s here! Just try to relax, love!�
Max yelled back, sweatdropping and giving Hilary and Tyson an apologetic
look.

�Relax?! How can I relax?! This fucking hurts!� Rei
growled from upstairs. It sounded like
his voice was getting closer to them � and they soon saw the neko-jin come down
the stairs slowly, gripping the handrail for support.

Max made a worried, clucking
noise and rushed over, wrapping an arm around Rei�s waist to support him and
guiding him the rest of the way down the stairs. �You�re not supposed to be down here, Rei! You should be upstairs in bed!�

Hilary, Tyson, Kenny, and Kai
stared at the raven-haired, golden-eyed teen.

�I see.� Hilary finally managed to say. �That�s enough explanation for me.�

�Ditto.� Tyson agreed.

*************************************

Chapter
05

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

�Oh,
wow, Rei.� Hilary moved toward him and
Max and wrapped her own arm around the neko-jin�s abnormally thick waist. �I wasn�t expecting this!�

Rei
made a whimpering, yowling sound and nearly doubled over in pain before gasping
out. �You!? I sure as hell wasn�t expecting it � though I should have known
better after that last full moon�� he gave Max a scowl.

�Oh
sure. Blame me. I wasn�t the one who came home and dragged
me into the bedroom and hardly left for three days!� Max scowled back, reminding his mate archly.

�I
went into heat, Maxie! I only cared
about one thing at the time, in case you�ve forgotten. I didn�t hear you complaining either!� Rei growled back.

�That�s
enough of that, you two. Max is worried
and stressed out and Rei is�well he�s about to pop and in pain with it.� Tyson straightened himself up and took
charge. �Hilary�s had some training as
a midwife and healer right?�

�Well,
yes�but I don�t know that I can handle this�� she replied.

�You�ll
do just fine, Hilary. You�re all we�ve
got at the moment. First off, though,
let�s get you back upstairs, Rei. I
don�t think you want to have the baby here in the front hall.� Tyson motioned the neko-jin back upstairs.

Rei
gave him a wan smile and allowed Hilary to direct him up the staircase slowly.

�Max,
you can do some things for us to prepare for after.� Tyson stated. �Go chop up
some wood so you can heat up enough water for a bath for Rei later � and the
baby.�

�Yeah. Okay.
I can do that.� He looked rather
relieved.

�Kenny,
I�m sure we�ll need someone to run and fetch stuff as we go. Think you can handle that?�

�Certainly.� Kenny nodded, stepping forward.

Tyson
turned to Kai last as Max blinked and finally noticed Kai and Kenny. �Uh�Kai�how about you just�hang
around?� Tyson suggested. �Go on, Max. As soon as Hilary gets Rei settled she�ll have plenty of other
jobs for you.�

Max
nodded and rushed off.

Kai
folded his arms over his chest and regarded Tyson warily. �I hope you know what you�re doing,
Kinomiya.�

�Kai,
you and I are male. We are forever
ignorant when it comes to the process and miracle of childbirth. I�ll leave that to Hilary. However, I know enough to keep the expectant
father � okay, the other one � out of the way.
If you decide to help, just do that.
Keep Max occupied and away from upstairs.�

A
loud near-scream echoed in the house from upstairs followed by Hilary calling
for Tyson.

�Go
on, Tyson. Help your friend.�

Tyson
nodded and ran upstairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The
next few hours were nerve wracking for Max.
Kenny was kept busy running up and down stairs fetching things and
reassuring Max each time that Rei was fine � despite the yowling, cries,
whimpers, and curses.

Kai,
who didn�t know much about neko-jins (or any demi-human peoples really),
decided that a good way to distract Max would be to get him talking and
explaining a few things.

�How
does a male manage to get pregnant, Max?
And go into heat?� He asked.

Max
stopped pacing and came over to the table to sit with Kai. They were in the kitchen now, waiting. It was already after midnight and they had
no idea how long Rei�s labour was going to last.

�Well,
it�s strange really. Even among the
demi-humans there aren�t many males who can.
It has to do with hormones or something as I understand it. Males who, for some reason, have a few too
many female ones � on top of the normal male hormones that are still the
dominant ones � will sometimes go into heat during one of their cycles for
shifting on a full moon.� Max sighed
and shook his head ruefully. �It�s not
normally a problem, I hear, because their mates are usually girls.�

�But
in Rei�s case�� Kai nodded in understanding.
�I suppose that makes sense.
Still, I can�t, and frankly don�t ever want to, imagine what it must be
like to be pregnant.�

The
two teens � of totally opposite personalities and dispositions � shared a brief
moment of perfect agreeability.

Kenny
came in then, looking very weary. He
went to the stove and began preparing a pot of tea.

�Kenny? How�s Rei?
Is everything okay?� Max asked
anxiously.

�He�s
fine, Max. It�s nearly over. Hilary told me to come down and start
brewing a medicinal tea for Rei when it�s done � to relieve the pain and help
him sleep better.�

The
blonde sat silently, fidgeting.

And
suddenly there was the angry yell of a baby from above their heads. Max�s head snapped up and he half rose from
his chair. Another cry and his blue
eyes filled with tears.

Kenny
paused in pouring the hot water into the teapot from the kettle, looking over
his shoulder.
�Congratulations�Dad.� He smiled
at Max once and turned back to his task.

Max
sat heavily in his chair with a goofy grin and the tears spilled over. �I like the sound of that.�

Kai
didn�t say anything. He simply sat and
waited for Tyson to reappear.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About
twenty minutes later, Tyson came wandering into the kitchen, a large pile of
linens and clothes in his arms.

�Tyson! Is it over now? Can I see them?� Max
begged. Tyson smiled widely and nodded.

�I
think so. Hilary wants that tea now,
Chief. Why don�t you take Max with
you? Oh, and Max?�

�Yeah?�

�Where
can I burn these? They�re not
save-able.� Tyson jostled the pile in
his arms.

�Probably
the best place would be in the large fire-pit in the smithy. It�s kept burning all the time anyway.� Max told him before rushing out after Kenny.

Tyson
blew out a weary breath. �Well, I guess
I�ll go dump these.� He went to the
kitchen door and Kai got up and followed him.
�Man, that was rough. I�ve never
been so scared in my life � and I wasn�t the one in labour.�

Kai
strolled along beside hi, giving Tyson a surprised glance. �Watching and assisting a birth scared
you? More than this war between our
nations? More than what you faced in
Voltaire�s throne room?�

Tyson
frowned. �Yes. I can�t explain it, Kai. I know it�s irrational.� He tried to come up with suitable words to
describe how he�d felt as he witnessed the miracle of birth � even more of a
miracle because of Rei�s gender. �It
was so amazing. I was scared for Rei
and the baby, scared that Hilary or I might do something wrong�just�scared. And then, at the same time I was excited and
awed. Rei was being so brave, even when
he was crying with pain and struggling with it to bring that baby into the
world.� Tyson heaved a heavy sigh and
pushed open the door to the weapons-smithy.
A hot blast of air met him as he walked in and went over to the fire in
the forge that was burning continuously.
He dropped the whole bundle into the flames and took a step back when
the flames grew, feeding on the new fuel hungrily. �And when it was over�Gods, Kai!
You should haves seen the expression on Rei�s face when she started
crying.�

�So
it was a girl, then?� Kai asked as he
followed Tyson out the door again and back to the house.

�Oh! Yes.
Sorry. I guess I�m so tired I
forgot to mention what the baby was.�
Tyson apologized and yawned widely.
�She�s beautiful, Kai. She�s so
tiny and fragile. I got to hold her for
a moment and she stared up at me with these huge green and gold eyes.�

Kai
listened to him ramble about the baby�s tiny hands and feet, how she had Max�s
facial features and Rei�s raven hair and feline-shaped eyes � and how she took
after Rei�s neko-jin side with the distinct ears and tail. The cold prince found Tyson�s enthusiasm and
even pride in the newborn amusing and strangely endearing. He couldn�t imagine witnessing a childbirth
and assisting in it as Tyson had, nor could he imagine himself in Rei�s place.

Men,
in his opinion, were probably not meant to be mothers. Then again, considering his own childhood
and upbringing without either a father or mother, what did he know?

Eventually
Kenny and Hilary came down the stairs and joined their companions. Dragoon, who had been curled around Tyson
and hidden under his cloak since they�d arrived in Marchantia and had insisted
on staying in the room with Hilary, was now curled around her as she stepped
into the room looking like she was about to collapse with exhaustion. As soon as he saw Tyson, though, the dragon
unwound from around her and immediately went for Tyson.

�Well,
parents and baby are settled and content for now.� She smiled tiredly. �Max
asked me to tell you that there�s two spare rooms here in the house and then
there�s the apartments above the stables for the grooms.� Hilary paused to yawn. �There aren�t any grooms right now because
Max said they had to sell all but two of the horses so they dismissed the
grooms they had. I would like to stay
here in the house to keep an eye on Rei and the kitten, if you don�t mind?�

�No
that�s fine, Hilary. You�re
needed. Kenny should stay here, too,
since he�s still not completely healed.�
Tyson agreed. Nobody noticed Kai
stiffen slightly or the quick glances he threw at Tyson. He had realized immediately that he and
Tyson would be alone � completely alone.

For
his part, Tyson had realized it too. In
fact he was hiding his relief and a bit of shy excitement�although he was just
too tired at the moment to do much about it.

�Alright. In that case, I�m just going to go to
bed. Good night, everyone.� She waved absently and went back upstairs.

�I
think I�m going to go as well.� Kenny
told them quietly, looking like he was about to fall asleep on his feet. Kai nodded and the brunette disappeared up
the stairs.

�Come
on, Tyson. You�re exhausted.� Kai led the bluenette outside and through
the darkness to the stables. They
climbed the stairs along the side up to the apartments above and went inside.

While
Kai lit a couple of lamps, Tyson took stock of the room. IT wasn�t much, just a couple of beds along
one wall, a chest of drawers for each bed and a closet. There was also a small table in one corner
with four chairs and a washstand. �I
guess that other door leads to the stables below.� Tyson pointed out another door.

�Probably.� Kai shrugged and handed Tyson one lamp
before stepping outside briefly to whistle for Dranzer, who had been flying
high in the sky and hunting for herself all day as well as keeping an aerial
watch over the group as they travelled.
He brought her inside and she found a comfortable perch in the rafters
of the ceiling. Tyson sat down heavily
on one bed and flopped backwards onto his back with a groan, Dragoon curling up
on the pillow at the head of the bed.
�Ugh. I think I�ll sleep for a
year.� He sighed.

Kai
sat on the edge of the other bed and began unlacing his boots. �Well, at least for now we can stay here in
relative safety, get some rest, and try to figure out what we should do
next.� He said as he pulled the boots
off and went to work on his shirt and tunic.

Tyson
stared up at the ceiling for a moment, counting wooden beams. Finally he responded, �I don�t have any idea
what we could do, Kai. At this point, I
don�t even want to think about it.� The
bluenette sat up reluctantly and began undressing. Kai tore his eyes from the sight and slid under the bedcovers
quickly in his underclothes, blowing out his lamp. Tyson soon did the same and after only a few minutes, said in a
quiet voice, �Good night, Kai. And
thank you.�

Kai
opened his eyes and glanced across the room at Tyson. �For what?�

�I
just�well�� Tyson sighed, unable to voice his reason for gratitude, unsure
about it himself. �Just�thank you.�

Even
though Kai was a little confused, he replied, �Well�you�re welcome, Tyson, for
whatever it was. Sleep well,
Kinomiya.� He burrowed under the covers
farther and closed his eyes again.

Tyson
fell asleep with a tiny smile playing across his lips.

*~*~*~Tyson�s
Dream*~*~*~

�Ack!� Tyson squeaked. �Gramps! Must you sneak
up on me like this?!�

�You
have to keep up your guard, Takao, even in your sleep. So until I can�t surprise you any more�yes,
I must.� The older Kinomiya
laughed. �Anyway, I see you finally
made it to Max�s.�

Tyson
smiled. �Yep! Just in time, too, it seems.
Did you see the baby, Grandpa?
Wasn�t she something? Max and
Rei will name her tomorrow.�

�Yes. I did see her. Congratulate them for me sometime, Takao.�

�I
will.� Tyson angled his head at his
grandfather curiously. �So what�s up,
Gramps?�

�Oh,
yes. I nearly forgot!� Gramps grinned when Tyson rolled his eyes at
him. �Something very important will
happen to you in a few days, Takao. I
guess the Dragon Gods decided it was time for the family secret to be let out.�

�Huh?� Tyson stared at him blankly, confused. �What are you talking about, Grandpa? You don�t make sense.�

�Actually,
I can�t explain it, Takao. All I was
told was that there�s a big secret among our clan and it�s been kept hidden for
centuries by the Dragon Gods for a purpose only They know of. I don�t know what it is.� Gramps held out his hands and tried to
explain. �I was also told to tell you
to expect a great change in yourself when whatever it is happens. I wish I had more to tell you.�

Tyson
frowned, trying to figure it out for himself.
�I have no idea what it could be, either. Oh well. I guess I�ll
find out, huh?�

�That�s
true. Now�� Gramps folded his arms over his chest and gave the younger Kinomiya
a serious stare. �When are you going to
tell that Hiwatari how you feel about him?
I�ve watched the two of you for days now and if either of you don�t make
a move soon I�ll be extremely disappointed.�

�Gramps!� The bluenette exclaimed, blushing
furiously. �Do you mind?! That�s not really any of your business, is
it?!�

�Bah.� The old man waved that off. �Nonsense.�

�Look,
I�ll admit that I like him, respect him, and yes�� Tyson blushed even
more. This was his grandfather he was
talking to, after all. �I lust after
him something fierce. But I don�t know
how I feel about him otherwise and we�ve barely known each other for over a
week. That�s hardly enough time to
learn about one another and start some kind of relationship on.�

�Of
course it is! How much time do you
need? I�d say he�s demonstrated his
worth quite well already, little dragon, without intending to or even knowing
he was doing so.�

�Maybe. But even so! I can�t have him, Grandpa.
He�s the Emperor�s grandson, for one thing.� Tyson pointed out, quietly.
�And for another, if we do manage to fix all this, he�ll be Emperor one
day and I will return to the lands of the Dragon clans to re-unite our people
and lead them as our family has always done.
There would be no future for us together.� He looked away, feeling dejected and hopeless.

Gramps
sighed and slung an arm around Tyson�s shoulders in a one-armed hug. �I know it seems like it, Takao, but one
thing I�ve learned in my life is to never assume things about the future. It hasn�t been set in stone yet and you can
still write your path with the choices you make.� He turned Tyson to face him and gripped the teen�s shoulders as
he looked down into his heir�s stormy blue eyes. �You have a Destiny, Takao.
And Destiny allows us choice where Fate does not. I have never believed in Fate myself, for
that reason. If your heart leads you to
Kai then you must make a choice. And I
have faith that whatever you choose, it will be the right one � the best one �
you could have made.�

Tyson
nodded slowly. �I guess I
understand. Thanks, Gramps. I�ll try my best not to let you down.�

Gramps
smiled and waved as he began to disappear once again. �Never happen, little dragon.�

*~*~*~ End of Tyson�s
Dream*~*~*~

Dranzer�s
chirping woke Kai up the next afternoon.
With a yawn he rolled out of bed, went to the door and let the firebird
fly out to go hunting.

Though
he would have preferred to stumble back over to the bed and drop dead for a few
more hours, he decided to get up now and go to bed at a more regular hour and
get himself back into a normal waking pattern again. So he changed into some clean clothes and slipped into his boots
before making his way over to the house � but not until he discovered Tyson had
apparently already risen and left himself.

Kai
walked into the kitchen and found Hilary busy making up several bottles of
goat�s milk at the counter while Kenny stood over the stove stirring a pot of
something that smelled really good and made Kai�s stomach protest its hollow
condition.

�Good
afternoon, Kai!� Hilary greeted him
with a smile. �Sleep well?�

�For
now.� Kai shrugged and sat at the
table. �Where�s Tyson?�

Kenny
brought him a bowl of the soup and a crust of freshly baked bread. �Here.
You�d better eat before Tyson gets back or he�ll devour it all. He went with Max into town to get a few things
for the baby and to let Max�s parents know Rei had delivered and is okay.�

Kai
thanked Kenny and picked up his spoon, frowning a bit. �Alone?
I�m not so sure that was a great idea.�

�They�ll
be fine, Kai. Tyson has Dragoon with
him. And if you think anyone or
anything will keep Max away from his daughter and Rei, you�d be in for a
surprise.� Hilary assured him. �They�ll be careful. Tyson had a long talk with Max before they
left and explained everything to him.�

Remaining
silent, Kai decided to let it slide this time and began to eat instead. He really didn�t like Tyson being out there
without him and he hand no reason to believe Dragoon was all that useful if it
came down to a fight. But there wasn�t
much he could do now about it so he said nothing.

Kenny
cleaned up the kitchen before announcing that he was going to go outside and do
the same for Max and Rei�s neglected garden.
�They�ve been too busy to weed it and care for it properly lately.� He observed. �I should be able to save it.�

�I�ll
come out and help in a few minutes, Chief!�
Hilary told him cheerfully.
Kenny blushed a bit at the nickname that both Hilary and Tyson seemed to
have tagged him with and left quickly.
The female brunette took one of the bottles and disappeared upstairs for
a while leaving Kai to his thoughts.

About
fifteen minutes later she came back and in her arms was a well-wrapped bundle
that made baby-noises and wiggled.

�Want
to meet her, Kai?� Hilary offered,
bringing the bundle over to him.

Kai,
who had never in his life been around babies or even small children other than
those he grew up with, had no idea what to expect when he gazed down somewhat
curiously at the baby in Hilary�s arms.
He found that Tyson had been totally bang on with his description the
night before. She was tiny and fragile
looking, she definitely had Rei�s eyes, hair, and tail, as well as Max�s
features. When she gurgled (which to
Kai sounded suspiciously like a giggle) he decided she had a healthy dose of
Max�s personality, too.

�Have
they picked a name, yet?� He asked and
the baby blinked up at him with huge feline-shaped green eyes that had a ring
of gold around the pupil, waving chubby little fists around and squirming at
the new person�s voice and face.

Hilary
smiled, amused. �Not yet. Tonight, I think. I think she likes you, Kai.
She seems pretty fascinated with you, at least.�

�Well,
the feelings mutual.� Kai muttered
absently, reaching out to softly trail a fingertip over the baby�s cheek. �I�ve never been around a baby before.�

�Really? Then this is a good time to learn, isn�t
it?� Hilary suddenly placed her armful
into Kai�s and stood up. �Hold her for
a while, would you? She�s been fed and
changed so you don�t have to do anything but hold her and keep her company.�

�What?!� Kai immediately panicked. �Wait a minute! I don�t know how to�� He froze and began protesting as Hilary
moved toward the door.

�You�re
fine! Relax, Hiwatari. She won�t bite. Can�t anyway�she doesn�t have any teeth yet.� Hilary waved over her shoulder as she
bounced off to help Kenny. �Rei�s
napping and I�m going to give Kenny a hand in the garden. Max and Tyson should be back soon, too. If she starts to cry�just sing to her or
something.� With that last piece of
advice, she was gone and Kai was left staring pleadingly at the door, eyes wide
with helpless nervousness.

He
looked back down at the wiggling bundle in his arms and blew a lock of hair
that fell into his eyes out of the way again, since his hands were full. �What the�heck am I supposed to do with
you? I don�t know anything about
babies!� He complained. She cooed at him and he smiled slightly,
despite himself. �You are pretty cute
though. Are all babies cute?�

Kai
shifted awkwardly, being super-careful with her, to get into a more comfortable
position. They stared at each other for
a while � Kai had no idea how long it was � but a loud noise from outside the
house startled them both in the quiet that had settled over them and Kai
watched in absolute horror as her eyes began to fill up with tears and her
bottom lip trembled threateningly.

�Oh
no�� He looked around helplessly then back down at her. �Please don�t cry!� Kai tried to remember what Hilary had said
as the baby neko-jin in his arms sniffled and whimpered. �Sing?
I don�t sing! I�� The
baby opened her mouth, prepared to let out a wail and Kai did the only thing he
could.

He
started to sing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The
loud noise outside had been Max and Tyson unloading the cart. Tyson had lost his grip on a load of steel
he�d been carrying and had accidentally dropped it, creating a loud clatter of
noise. Once he and Max had gotten it
put away, they went into the house. Max
took the stuff for the baby upstairs while Tyson moved toward the kitchen,
thinking Hilary was probably back there doing something.

When
he got close he could hear someone singing quietly and he didn�t recognize the
voice. Really curious now, he picked up
his pace.

And
had to stop and stare in shock at the sight that he found. The voice belonged to Kai and the cold
prince of the Empire was singing and rocking Max and Rei�s daughter in
his arms as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

Well. Will wonders never cease? Tyson asked himself, pleasantly surprised an
wondering how someone had managed to get Kai to hold the baby in the first
place. He leaned against the doorframe
and remained silent and unnoticed, listening to Kai continue his song.

May
it be an evening star

Shines
down upon you

May
it be when darkness falls

Your
heart will be true

You
walk a lonely road

Oh! How are you from home

Mornie
ut�li� (darkness has come)

Believe
and you will find your way

Mornie
alanti� (darkness has fallen)

A
promise lives within you now

May
it be the shadows call

Will
fly away

May
it be you journey on

To
light the day

When
the night is overcome

You
may rise to find the sun

Mornie
ut�li� (darkness has come)

Believe
and you will find your way

Mornie
alanti� (darkness has fallen)

A
promise lives within you now

A
promise lives within you now.

As
Kai sang, a warmth filled the blue-eyed teen and settled in his chest. The picture he made � holding a new-born
child, singing to her with the most beautiful voice Tyson had ever heard, and
caught in a moment where all Kai�s shields and defences were gone � it was
enough to make Tyson smile to himself and for him to take the final step over
the edge and fall for Kai.

Hard
and fast�and overwhelmingly strong.

Swallowing
heavily, Tyson took a moment to collect himself when Kai stopped singing and
simply stared down at her for a moment before heaving a sigh of relief. The baby had stuck one tiny thumb in her
mouth and started purring the instant Kai had begun to sing and had fallen
asleep by the end of the song.

Unable
to help himself, Kai cuddled the sleeping chibi closer and wondered if he
should go get Hilary. But he was afraid
if he moved at all he would wake the baby up so he remained where he was.

Taking
a deep breath, Tyson went into the kitchen quietly and Kai looked up, his
expression turning into relief.

�Thank
the Gods.� He said fervently. �Help!
Hilary just gave her to me!
I don�t know what to do with a baby, Tyson!�

Tyson
smiled and went over to sit beside him.
�You�re doing just fine, Kai.
Relax and enjoy it. She won�t
always be so peaceful, you know.�

Kai
grunted and looked down at her again.
�I wouldn�t know it to look at her now.� He admitted.

�She�s
beautiful.� Tyson said simply. �And she has a quick mind. I can sense that about her already.�

Kai
made a face. �And I can tell she�s
going to have Max�s genki personality.�
Tyson chuckled and leaned over to gently pry her thumb from her
mouth. At Kai�s questioning look, he
explained, �It�s a habit that she shouldn�t start up with or her parents will
have a hard time breaking her of it later.�

�How�d
you get to know so much about babies?�
Kai wanted to know.

Tyson
shrugged. �Spent lots of time around
them. And kids. I�d baby-sit for other clan members
sometimes.�

�Oh.�

The
bluenette stared down at his lap. �I
heard you singing earlier. It was
beautiful, Kai. What song was it?�

Kai
felt a swath of heat spread over the bridge of his nose and his cheeks as he
blushed in embarrassment. �Ah�it�s a
song I remember my mother singing sometimes.
I don�t really know where it came from or anything.�

�I
see. Well, I think you have a wonderful
voice for singing, Kai. You should do
it more often.� Tyson complimented
shyly, blushing slightly himself. Kai
glanced at him and felt his face heat up even more.

�Ah�thanks.�

They
sat together in silence until Max appeared.
The blonde smiled at them and came over to reclaim his daughter and
rescue Kai.

�Thanks
for watching her for us, Kai. I
appreciate it.� Max stroked the baby�s
cheek gently when she made a soft sighing noise and he cuddled her close. �I�ll take her up to the nursery now, I
think.� He decided, looking back and
forth between them for a second before turning and going back upstairs.

Tyson
watched him go, silently thanking his best friend. He�d told Max how much he liked Kai and Max had told him, in no
uncertain terms, to do something about it.
And right at that moment, Tyson found himself presented with the perfect
opportunity now that he knew he really had fallen in love with the prince.

So
he turned to Kai, who looked at him, and their gazes locked onto one another
and held steady.

Kai
felt his pulse speed up when Tyson raised a hesitant hand and laid it against
his cheek, his blue gaze turning darker and stormier as it left Kai�s crimson
one and settled on his mouth instead. Oh
Gods�is he going to�he�s leaning in! He
is going to! Kai�s thoughts
scattered to the wind as Tyson leaned in closer and closer.

When
Kai didn�t pull away immediately, Tyson took a shaky breath and closed the
remaining distance to capture the crimson-eyed teen�s lips with his own in a
shy, hesitant, and sort of awkward first kiss, their eyes sliding closed at the
contact and a small shiver running through each of them simultaneously.

**********************************
- 1
- 2
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Majesty

Chapter01

Chapter
01