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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
- 2
- 3
- 4
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, Lee/Mariah,
others to be decided.

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

Chapter
11

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

When Tala awoke once more,
it was afternoon and Hilary had been replaced with Kai.

�Hey.� The prince greeted his cousin quietly. �Thirsty?�
He held up a glass of water.

�Hey.� Tala rasped, nodding slightly. �Please?�
Kai helped him sit up a little and held the glass while Tala cautiously
sipped. �Ugh. Thanks.�

�Easy,
Tala. You�re in pretty rough
shape.� Kai put the glass aside and
watched the red head warily. �I�ve got
a good idea about how you ended up in this condition, but I don�t know why you
risked your life to come looking for me.�

�I
came because I had no choice. I mean�I
had to. You�re needed at home, Kai.�

Kai
regarded him steadily and grunted, not believing that for a second. �Right.
Who needs me? My
grandfather? After all the dark magic
Boris has piled on him I doubt he even realizes I�m gone. Oh, and I know Boris �needs� me. Too bad he doesn�t know he�s being
used and that there�s no way he can ever get what he wants from me or
Dranzer.�

�The
Emperor is dead, Your Highness.� Tala
snapped, wincing in pain and annoyed with Kai�s ranting. �Ow�I�m sorry to inform you of it, but you
had to know.�

Kai
stared at him, stunned.
�He�s�Grandfather?� In that
moment, seeing the truth in his cousin�s eyes, he felt like a lost little boy
all over again, as he had when his parents had died in the fire. �How?�

Tala
sighed, feeling sorry for his cousin as he answered quietly. �It happened just after Boris found out I
helped release the Kinomiya�s grandchildren.
As far as I know, the Emperor went to sleep one night and simply didn�t
wake up again. Whether or not he had
any help dying, I don�t know. I�m
sorry, cousin.�

Kai
closed his eyes and got to his feet, fists clenched at his sides. �And Boris?�

�He
took the throne.� Tala confirmed the
dual-haired prince�s fears. �Then he
declared Bryan and I traitors to the Empire and had us beaten, taken to the
border, and dumped there, exiling us should we survive.� He felt his eyes closing again, and fought
it long enough to get the rest of it out.
�We split up to look for you.
Had to�find you�Kai��

�You
did. Now rest.� Kai laid a hand on Tala�s forehead and
waited until his cousin had dozed off again before he bolted from the room,
seeking the one person who had always been there for him.

He
found her in the sitting room near the fire, knitting something, while Dragoon
lay sprawled on the settee, lightly snoring.
The moment Kai walked into the room, Dranzer sensed his presence and his
despair and looked up in concern.

�Kai? What is wrong, little one?� Dranzer asked, setting aside her
knitting. Tears silently streaming down
his face, the Imperial heir let out a low sound of anguish and stumbled blindly
toward her, dropping to his knees and burying his face in her lap, his arms
curling around her waist as he began to sob harshly in grief.

Dragoon,
woken by the sudden waves of sadness in the room, sat up and blinked sleepily
at the weeping teen and his mate, who was stroking his hair with one hand
soothingly and murmuring nonsensical words meant to reassure him.

�Dranzer?�

�Dragoon�bring
Takao, please? Kai needs him very
much.� She raised her eyes to meet his
and the flaming golden red depths were shiny and glistening with unshed tears.

The
other deity rose and nodded, hurrying off to get his descendent.

�Kai? Chibi, please tell me what�s troubling you
so much?� Dranzer continued stroking
his hair and produced a handkerchief for him when he raised his head and
sniffed noisily. �Shh�there now. Blow your nose, little one.�

Obediently,
he did so, though the tears just refused to stop coming. �He�s dead, Dranzer! Grandfather�� Just saying it aloud tore at
him and he broke down again. It was his
childhood all over again, and he just felt so alone�

�Oh
no�� Dranzer felt her own tears slip down her cheeks and she held the lonely
human that was her descendant close.

A
few moments later Tyson came rushing in, looking around for his lover in
worry. He spotted Kai with Dranzer and
hurried over immediately.

�Kai?! Beloved, I�m here�� the bluenette gently
curled an arm around the prince�s shoulders and knelt down next to him, rubbing
his arm with his free hand. Tyson could
feel the shudders wracking Kai�s body as he sobbed. �Oh, Kai�Dranzer? What
happened?�

�He
said his grandfather was dead.� Dranzer
told him over Kai�s head, a deep sadness filling her voice. �Tala must have woken up.�

�I�m
so sorry, Dranzer. I know
you�ooph!� Tyson was cut off when Kai
turned and threw himself into Tyson�s arms.
The dragon held his lover close, rocking him lightly and rubbing his
back in small circles.

�I�ll
go up and sit with Tala, if you want, Takao.�
Dragoon offered and Tyson nodded.
Dragoon gave him a small reassuring smile and left the room. Dranzer stood up, too, twisting the material
of her skirts in her hands.

�I
will go get some tea for us, young dragon, and give you some time alone.� She said softly, walking away.

When
he was alone with the grieving prince, Tyson let out a sigh and felt Kai
snuggled into his arms, turning his face into Tyson�s chest with a shuddering
sigh of his own. The bluenette gently
stroked his cheek with a finger. After
a moment of silence broken only by the sound of Kai�s hitched breathing as he
calmed, the dual-haired teen spoke up in a hoarse voice.

�I�m
sorry, Tyson.�

�What
for, beloved? You haven�t done
anything.�

�For
breaking down and becoming a pathetic mess.
I�m being such a child��

Tyson
pulled away and brought his hands up to cup Kai�s face in his palms, forcing
Kai to look him in the eye. �Now you
stop that and listen to me, Kai. It�s
not wrong to grieve. It isn�t wrong to feel. Maybe there are times when you can�t show
others that you really are human but when you�re around me you
never have to hide your emotions, beloved.�

�But
I�m�that�s not what I was taught! I
can�t�� Kai protested, feeling confused, humiliated, and exhausted. He couldn�t think very well right now,
either.

�Hey! I realize you�ve been taught
differently. But I know you pretty
well, by now, and I think somewhere in here,� Tyson patted Kai on the head then
lay his hand over Kai�s heart. �And in
here, you know that what you were taught wasn�t exactly�human. You don�t honestly believe all that anymore,
do you?�

�No�yes�no! I don�t know�� Kai sagged against his lover,
worn out. �I just don�t know anything
anymore, Tyson.�

�I
guess I can�t blame you for that. Will
you at least promise me something?�

Kai
looked up at him and nodded slightly.

�Promise
me that you�ll let me be the one person who you can be yourself around? That you won�t hold back your emotions from
me or pretend everything�s fine when it isn�t?�

�Okay.� The Imperial heir promised softly. He let Tyson hug him tightly and wipe away
his tears.

�One
more thing, beloved�� Tyson smiled, tilting his head a bit as he studied the
other teen.

�What?�

�You
are far from being a child, Kai.� The
bluenette leaned down and brushed his mouth across Kai�s briefly, whispering
against his lips seductively, �I couldn�t feel for a child what I do for you,
and no child could make me feel the things that you do.�

Kai
felt Tyson�s hand slide up his arm, over his shoulder, down across his back and
over his sides until he reached his hip, where that hand slowed and smoothed
down his thigh, gripping and rubbing suggestively. The crimson-eyed teen shivered and released a ragged moan that
was swallowed by his lover�s mouth covering his once more. Their tongues twined, tasting one another in
a slow, passionately primal duel. Kai
reached up and his fingers tunnelled through blue-black locks, tangling as
Tyson�s hand on the side of his upper leg began to rub up and down it�s length
restlessly.

In
his mind, Kai distantly acknowledged Tyson�s point, even agreed with it. The sensations and emotions he felt right
now did not belong to a child.
He tossed his head back, gasping Tyson�s name on a sigh of pleasure and
revelled in it as Tyson kissed his way over the exposed column of that pale
throat.

After
a final, reverent kiss placed on the pulse there, Tyson simply held onto Kai,
his face pressed to the hollow curve of his lover�s neck and shoulder,
breathing in his slightly spicy scent deeply.
Kai wrapped his arms around Tyson�s neck and hung on, trying to calm his
heartbeat and his rapid breathing.

�You
feel a bit better now, beloved?� Tyson
inquired, nuzzling with his nose.

�A
little.� Kai answered on a deep, weary
sigh. �I don�t even know why I�m taking
it so badly. I�ve never really liked my
grandfather and the Gods know we never really got along that well, either.�

�True. But he was your grandfather, all the
same. He may not have been the greatest
� partially not his fault � but he did what he thought best for you. He was family.�

Kai
listened and considered it. �I suppose
so.�

�Come,
beloved.� Tyson untangled himself from
Kai and stood, holding out his hands to offer the prince help getting to his
feet, too. �Let�s get you up off the
floor. I don�t want you to catch a
cold.�

Kai
allowed him to give him assistance then walked to the settee and dropped down
onto it with a huff, giving his lover a raised eyebrow. �Kinomiya, we sleep on the floor every
night. If I haven�t gotten sick yet,
chances are pretty slim that I will after spending only a few minutes on one.�

The
bluenette gave him a mock pout. �Just
looking out for your health, beloved.�

Dranzer
came bustling back in with a tray of cookies followed by Kenny, who carried
another tray with a teapot and several cups.
The two set everything down on the coffee table and Kenny began pouring
the tea for everyone.

�Are
you alright, chibi ichi?� Dranzer asked
in concern, brushing her fingers through his hair in a motherly gesture. Kai winced at the endearment but assured her
he was fine.

�I
am, Dranzer, but could you please not call me that? I�m too old for childish names.�

Tyson
hid a smile behind his teacup. There�s
my Kai.

�Humph.� Dranzer sat back in her chair and rearranged
her skirts. �I think I have a
considerable amount of years on you, little one, and I think I can call
you whatever I wish.�

�Is
that so? Well, then, great-grandmother,�
Kai smiled at her mischievously � and with not a little satisfaction when she
cringed and gave him a hot glare. �Call
me that if you wish.�

�I
am not a wrinkly old woman.� She
declared, temper flaring (along with the fire in the fireplace).

�Did
I say that?� Kai drawled amusedly,
eyeing her. �Well, if it bothers you so
much, I�ll make you a deal. I will
refrain from addressing you as �great-grandmother� if you will stop calling me
those child�s endearments.�

�Fine.� Dranzer agreed, sipping her tea. �I agree to that.�

�Deal.� Kai accepted his tea from Kenny and nabbed a
cookie. �Thank you, Kenny.�

�So
did Tala say anything else?� Tyson
asked gently, watching Kai�s expression go hard and angry. �Oh�not good news.�

�Boris
has assumed the throne.� Kai growled,
accidentally breaking his cookie into pieces.
�Tala said he and Bryan had been ordered beaten and dumped over the
border into exile for betraying the Emperor and that they�ve been declared
traitors to the Empire.�

Tyson
frowned. �I guess we should have
expected that much. But at least they survived. Tala will be fine, and�should we go and
search for Bryan?�

Kai
shook his head. �I�m sure he�ll find us
soon. Bryan�s pretty good at tracking
and hunting so��

�Yes,
he is. But he was badly injured just as
Tala is.� Dranzer reminded him. �And Bryan doesn�t have a pet wolf to help
him out. We needn�t worry about Bryan,
however. He�s made it safely to
Marchantria and has had enough sense to seek out medical attention.�

The
three teens stared at her.

�You
just know these things?� Tyson blinked
at her in awe. �Wow. Sometimes I forget you and Dragoon are
deities.�

�Why,
thank you, Takao.� She thanked him for
the compliment as she picked up her knitting again, giving him a fond smile.

�Should
we go get Bryan and bring him here?�
Tyson asked Kai, who nodded.

�If
he�s getting treatment for his injuries, then let�s give him a couple of days
of rest first, though.� Kai
snickered. �Since I just know when he
gets here he�ll immediately start fussing over Tala like a mother hen and won�t
rest himself.�

Kenny
smiled and said plainly, �I can�t blame him.
He was Tala�s squire and body-servant for a long time. It�s one of the reasons he�s so fiercely
loyal to his Lordship.�

�I
know. Old habits die hard, I suppose,
even if he is a Knight now in his own right.� Kai shrugged. �I just get
a kick out of seeing my cousin get flustered and annoyed by it all.� He glanced at Tyson with a slightly wicked
grin, explaining. �Tala hates being
coddled.�

�Ah.� Tyson smiled back, pleased to see his lover
was finding some sunshine in the shadow of Voltaire�s death.

Hilary
came in, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
�Oh! Hello, everyone! I wasn�t expecting to see everyone this
afternoon.� She tilted her head at her
cousin curiously. �I thought you were
helping Max in the workshop today, Takao.�

�I
was.� Tyson shrugged. �I�m going back out in a few minutes.�

�Okay.� She looked at Kenny. �Did Tala wake up again?�

The
brunette gestured at Kai. �Yes. Kai was with him.�

�Oh
good. He�s been really anxious to talk
to you, Kai.�

Kai
nodded and looked down at his hands, clasped tightly in front of himself as he
leaned forward, resting his elbows over his knees. He felt Tyson lay a hand on his lower back and rub circles in
silent support.

Hilary
gave Tyson a questioning look and Tyson sighed. �Tala told Kai what�s been happening back in the Empire,
cousin. It wasn�t good news. The Emperor has died and Boris has assumed
the throne for himself.�

She
gasped, raising a hand to her mouth in horror.
�Oh, that�s horrible! I mean�I�m
so sorry, Kai, for your loss!�

�Thank
you, Hilary.� Kai managed to say. He blinked suddenly at Kenny, who came over
and dropped to both knees before him and bent his head. �Kenny?
What are you doing?�

�Pledging
my continued loyalty and allegiance to my Emperor, Your Majesty. Please allow me to be the first to do
so?� The small teen requested without
looking up. Kai winced at the form of
address.

�I
really wish you wouldn�t, Kenny. I
already know you�re loyal to me � not to mention the fact that I haven�t been
coroneted yet, remember?�

�You
are the Imperial heir and if His Majesty, Emperor Voltaire, has really
died, then you are the Emperor now. The
rest is mere formality.� Kenny argued
quietly, still not looking up.

�Kenny��
Kai closed his eyes and sighed, holding out his hand. �Fine. If it means so
much to you��

Now
Kenny looked up, taking Kai�s hand and pressing his forehead to the
knuckles. �Thank you.�

Kai
waved it off. �Yes, Kenny. Now get up, would you please?� The brunette did so and Kai stood, feeling
restless for some reason. �I�m going
for a walk. I need�I can�t sit here any
more.� He headed for the front door.

�Do
you want me to come along?� Tyson
asked, following behind and watching with worry.

�I�m
fine, Kinomiya. Go back and help Max
out, alright?� Kai paused at the door,
slipping on his boots.

�Okay�but
Kai, just one thing?� Tyson laid a hand
on the older teen�s shoulder, gently but insistently turning him to face him.

�What?� Kai looked down at him and the dragon leaned
up a bit to plant a solid kiss to his mouth.
The prince helplessly responded, kissing back for a moment before
pulling back with a ragged sigh of Tyson�s name. �Tyson��

�Shh��
the bluenette placed a finger of his lips.
�Don�t say anything. Just
remember what I told you before, okay?�

�I�m
not likely to forget, my dragon.� Kai
grasped the back of Tyson�s head with one hand and dragged him in for another
hard, passionate kiss � which made him absolutely melt. This time they broke apart more slowly, with
a few smaller nips exchanged, before Kai let Tyson go and smiled at the younger
teen�s goofy, slightly dazed expression.
�I�m not going far and I promise I�ll be back by supper.�

�Uh
huh�� Tyson hummed, watching him walk away with his hands shoved in his pockets
at a leisurely pace. When he was out of
sight, Tyson sagged against the doorframe with a little shudder of pleasure,
pressing his fingertips to his lips.

�I
hope you figure things out soon, my love.�
He whispered to the air.
�Because I don�t know how much longer I can hold back�everything.�

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

Several
days later, Kai took Wolborg into Marchantria and went to get Bryan, bringing
him back to Max and Rei�s.

�You
look better than I expected, Bryan.�
Kai commented as they rode toward the group of building sin the
distance.

�No
doubt, Your Highness. I had a good
healer and I had enough time to heal some.�
Bryan sighed. �And I�m afraid my
injuries weren�t as severe as Tala�s.�

Kai
remained silent, wincing slightly.

�Have
you spoken with His Lordship, Your Highness?�

�Briefly. Tala�s been sleeping a lot and Hilary has
been watching over him like a hawk, I swear.
The girl hasn�t let anyone but Wolborg and Kenny into the room since he
first woke up and I last spoke to him � and Kenny only because he�s been her
helper, of sorts.�

Bryan
glanced at him with a raised eyebrow and Kai saw a flash of jealousy in his
face before he hid it carefully.
�That�s good that he�s resting.�
Was all he said, voice neutral.

When
they arrived, Hilary was waiting for them.
Kenny took their horses to the stables, and Wolborg followed the other
three humans inside.

�You
have good timing, guys. Tala woke up a
few minutes ago and he�s complaining about being bedridden.� She smiled, rolling her eyes. �Men are such children when they�re sick or
injured! No patience, I�m telling you!�

�Will
you let us up to see him?� Kai
wondered, folding his arms over his chest.

�I
suppose. Just don�t stay long,
please. It wouldn�t do to wear him
out. He needs his energy to heal.�

Bryan
huffed indignantly and Kai merely nodded.
�Sure, Hilary. We understand
that.� The prince steered Bryan toward
the stairs. �Where is everyone else?�

�Tyson
and Max are in the workshop, Rei�s outside in the garden with Tabi, and�I have
no idea where the ah�Guardians are.� Se
corrected herself when she had been about to name Dragoon ad Dranzer as
deities. Kai didn�t notice and
shrugged.

�They�ll
show up eventually.�

�Probably. Go on.
I�ll be up in half-an-hour with some clean bed linens.� Hilary waved them off.

Kai
led Bryan up the stairs and to the room where Tala was resting, opening the
door and poking his head in to see if the redhead was still awake. He was, and sitting up staring out the
window in dejection, absently scratching Wolborg�s white head (since the wolf
was lying next to him on the bed, wagging his tail slightly at the attention he
was receiving).

�Bored,
cousin?� Kai inquired, strolling into
the room, Bryan following silently behind.
Tala looked over and pouted, not noticing the lavender haired teen yet.

�Gods,
yes! All I�ve done is sleep, eat,
sleep, eat�for what now? Two weeks?!� Tala complained. Kai sighed as his cousin continued. �I hate being stuck in a bed like this, Kai! Even if I could just sit outside in the sun
for a while I�d feel better, but no!
That hellion that calls herself Hilary insists I�m not well enough for that
yet!�

�Oh
please, Tala.� The prince scoffed,
grinning wickedly. �You love being
fussed over by a woman � especially one as pretty as Hilary is � and you know
it. Besides�� Kai said softly, voice
becoming more serious. �She�s saved
your life. If it hadn�t been for her
constant care, you might have died not only from your injuries but from fever.�

�I
know.� Tala looked away, staring out
the window again. �I know.�

�Hn. Well, now you�ll have someone else to fuss
over you, cousin.� Kai let it rest and
changed the subject to lighten things up some.
He motioned Bryan forward. �Look
who I found!�

Tala
turned his head and blinked in shock.
�Bry!? That you?�

�Hello,
Tala.� Bryan went over to the bed and
sat on the edge beside Wolborg, studying the other teen critically. �I am so glad you�re alright, my Lord.�

�As
well as can be expected, I suppose.�
Tala nodded, looking his friend over.
�You seem to have healed up some, too.�

Bryan
nodded with a small smile. �I found a
good healer and got some rest in Marchantria.
I should never have left you at the border, Tala.� There was a wealth of guilt in his
voice. �If I�d stayed and made you get
help immediately for all your wounds, perhaps you wouldn�t be stuck in this
bed, now.�

�Oh,
nonsense. I ordered you to go, and you
obeyed. We had to find His Highness,
here.� Tala jerked a thumb at Kai.

Bryan
just looked at his hands in his lap.

�It
doesn�t matter any more. You found me,
told me what you needed to, and we�re all relatively safe for the time
being.� Kai stated firmly. �You two can use the time we have to heal
up, while I try to figure out how I�m going to go about kicking that bastard
off my throne.�

Bryan
smiled, but Tala�s grin was vicious. �I
do hope you�re going to let me help.�
He said, shifting a bit uncomfortably.
Bryan promptly fluffed his pillows for him, so that he could sit up
easier.

�Of
course, cousin.� Kai acknowledged.

�And
not without us, either.� A new voice
added. Kai just smiled without looking
over his shoulder at Tyson as the bluenette stepped into the room. �Hi, Tala!
Glad to see you�re better.�

�Hello,
Kinomiya.� The redhead returned the
greeting. He was staring wide-eyed at
the teen. �Is that a dragon
curled around you? And since when does
Dranzer let anyone but Kai near her?�

Now
Kai turned to look at his lover, extending his own arm to let the firebird hop
off Tyson�s arm to his. �Where were you
two, Beautiful?� He asked, stroking her
feathers. She cooed at him and he placed
her on his shoulder.

�We
were all hanging out at the workshop, watching Max be busy.� Tyson replied, yawning. �I got bored and heard you were back from
Kenny, so we came to say hello.�

�Ah.� Kai eyed his dragon. �More like you wanted to snoop.�

�Hey!� Tyson protested, scowling cutely. A lock of his hair flopped into his
eyes. �I�m not nosy!�

�Oh,
relax.� Kai rolled his eyes.

�So�uh�what�s
with the dragon and the bird, cousin?�
Tala inquired again.

Kai
and Tyson exchanged twin looks of �should we tell them?�

{Dragoon? Do we tell them the whole tale?} The bluenette asked his companion.

{Go
ahead. They�d figure it out � most of
it � on their own, anyway.}

{I
guess.}

�Well�it�s
a very long story.� Kai finally said,
running a hand through his hair. �It
began when��

Hilary
appeared then, cutting him off before he could even begin, carrying an armload
of bedclothes. �Takao! Take these, would you? I need to change Tala�s sheets.�

Tyson
took the pile from her helpfully. She
looked at the bed and sighed.

�Wolborg! How many times have I told you to keep off
the bed, pup?� She scolded. Tala frowned at her and the white wolf
raised his head and wagged his tail at Hilary in greeting.

�He�s
used to sleeping with me on my bed at home, Lady. Besides, he won�t listen to anyone but me.� Tala declared smugly, patting his
furred-friend on the head. �Right
Wolborg?�

Hilary
looked at him impassively, then snapped her fingers once, pointing at the floor
in front of her. �Wolborg! Off!�
She commanded.

To
Tala�s shock and annoyance, the wolf immediately rose and jumped off the bed,
padding over to Hilary to sit at her feet obediently. �Hey! Oh, that�s just
great. First you won�t let me out of
bed, now you�ve usurped my wolf!�

�Good
boy.� Hilary scratched the white wolf�s
ears fondly. Kai couldn�t help
snickering and Tyson grinned over the pile of linens. Bryan looked like he was torn between laughing and being angry on
Tala�s behalf. �Get over it, my
Lord. Now, if you gentlemen will give
me a hand and lift my patient gently out of bed, I�ll change everything
quickly and be out of your way.�

�Now�wait
just a minute!� Tala began to protest,
blushing madly. �I�m not�dressed. I��

The
brunette made an exasperated sound and planted her hands on her hips. �For Heaven�s sake, Tala! Who do you think dressed and undressed you
while you were unconscious? When I had
to dunk you in that ice bath to break your fever?�

�Urk!� Tala sunk down under his covers in extreme
embarrassment.

�Argh! Fine.�
She turned toward the door. �I�m
not looking. Move him, please, and I�ll
be as fast as I can.�

Bryan,
who was reluctantly beginning to like the girl despite his previous jealousy,
pulled the covers off his friend and gently scooped him up. Even so, the redhead made a noise of pain and
Bryan could feel him tense up.

The
stocky, lavender haired man held Tala in his arms and stood off to the side,
while Tyson helped Hilary strip off the old bedclothes and put on the new
ones. Finished, Hilary took the pile of
dirty linens and stalked off, muttering under her breath about misplaced
modesty.

�Men.� She grumbled on her way out the door.

After
getting Tala settled once more, Kai and Tyson took a seat and Bryan sat on the
end of the bed at Tala�s feet to listen as Kai restarted his tale.

�As
I was saying, it all began a long time ago��

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

Chapter
12

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

Kai
finished talking and there was silence as he received twin looks of disbelief
and pure shock from Bryan and Tala.

�I
don�t think they believe me, Tyson.�
Kai murmured to the bluenette.

�Well,
can you blame them?�

�What
do we do?�

�Uh�I�m
not sure. I think a sudden noise will
give them heart attacks.�

�That
would be bad.�

�Just
a little. Hilary would kill us for
shocking Tala to death after all the work she did to keep him alive.�

�That�s
worse.�

At
that point, Tala shook himself out of his daze and glowered at the two. �Do you mind? Seriously, Kai, you�re making all that up, aren�t you?�

�Tala�have
you ever known me to be the type to make up stories? Especially something as fantastic as this?�

�No�but
possibly you�re lost your mind or something.�

Kai
groaned and buried his face in his hands.
Tyson rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully.

�He�s
not crazy, Tala. I�m not crazy
either.� He looked up at the ceiling
for a moment. {Dragoon, you and Dranzer
may as well just show them because I don�t think they�ll believe us otherwise.}

{Why
don�t you transform, Takao?} The dragon
God replied sleepily, raising his head from Tyson�s shoulder and blinking
owlishly.

{Because
that just proves I�m a demi-human and nothing more.} Tyson explained, folding his arms over his chest as best he could
over Dragoon�s coils. {Quit being so
lazy, Dragoon.}

Dranzer
ruffled her feathers and hopped off Kai�s shoulders to the floor. In a bright flash of red light, she took her
human form and stared impatiently at Dragoon.

�The
young dragon has a valid point, Dragoon.
You�re just being your typical, lazy self. Now come on!�

The
dragon didn�t even bother uncoiling himself from Tyson. There was a quick flash of blue light and he
suddenly stood toe to toe with his lifemate.

�I
am not lazy.�

�And
they call us children.� Kai
sighed and Tyson just nodded in agreement.

Tala
and Bryan stared, wide-eyed, at them all.

�Now
do you believe us?� Tyson hoped, giving
them a pleading glance.

�Oh
my�� Bryan slapped a hand over Tala�s mouth before he could finish.

�Alright,
already!� Kai got up and ushered the two
deities out the door. �Come on,
Tyson. Let�s get going before Hilary
comes back and kicks us out anyway, and let Tala rest. Don�t be too long, Bryan.�

�Right
behind you, Kai!� Tyson hurried after
him, not feeling like dealing with his cousin in her �nurse� mode.

After
they�d gone, Bryan shook his head and looked at his friend in wonder.

�Who
knew?� He managed to say.

�Unbelievable. But I guess a lot of things make sense
now.� Tala yawned widely. �Sorry, Bry. I�m starting to get sleepy again.�

�Not
at all. You need your rest, Tala. I just�wanted to see for myself that you
were okay. That�s all�� the lavender
haired teen plucked at the sheets absently.

Tala
yawned again, his eyelids drooping.
�I�m fine. Quit worrying. That Hilary may be a terror�but I�ll admit
she�s taken good care of me.� He gave
the other warrior a slight grin. �It
helps that she�s cute, too.�

Bryan
rolled his eyes. �One of these days
you�re going to bite off more than you can chew if you persist in trying to
screw everything with two legs that�s human.�

Pouting,
Tala adjusted his covers. �I do
not. Just because I managed to corner you
one time��

�And
promptly turned around and chased after that new chambermaid, remember? Besides, we were a little wasted.� Bryan snorted and frowned down at him. �I am so surprised she didn�t end up
pregnant � that none of them have.�

�Hey! I�m always careful! I don�t want or need kids at this stage of
my life. Especially now.�

�Yeah,
yeah.�

The
redhead eyed Bryan critically. �We so
have to find you a girl � or a guy.
Whatever you prefer, my friend.�

�Me? As if.
It�s you who needs someone to settle down with and put an end to your
philandering ways, Tala.�

While
they continued to bicker good naturedly, Hilary stood outside in the hall
beside the open door, shamelessly eavesdropping and trying really hard to
contain the fit of giggles she wanted to burst into. They sounded an awful lot like Max and Tyson the way they argued.

Eventually,
though, she decided she had better break it up and make Tala rest again. As Hilary pushed away from the wall,
however, she froze upon hearing Bryan�s sudden, softly asked question.

�You
really like that Hilary girl, don�t you?�

Said
girl listened intently, holding her breath and waiting for the answer. There was a moment of heavy silence, then�

�I��
A pause and a reluctant sigh. �There�s
no point in trying to lie to you about it, is there?�

�None
whatsoever. I know you too well, Tala.�

�Yes,
you do.� Hilary could hear the annoyed
scowl in his voice. �Fine. I do like her. I�m not entirely sure what that means or even in what sort of
context, but it�s there.�

�So
what makes this one so much different than all the others who have come and
gone in your life � excluding me, of course.�
She heard Tala laugh at that self-assured tone in Bryan�s voice.

�Of
course. You are one of a kind,
Bry.� A short pause. �I�ve met very few women like her. She�s�real.
I don�t really know how else to put it.�

�Try.�

�Well�looks
aside, she�s intelligent � the girl has a brain and she�s not afraid to use
it. She�s kind, witty, stubborn, well
spoken, and honest. She doesn�t hide
things from anyone, and she doesn�t sugar coat the truth. I respect that. I�ve seen her courage, I�ve experienced her firm yet gentle
commands � what with being laid up like this for so long now��

�In
other words, she�s not one of those flirty, vapid servant girls you�re used
to.� Bryan surmised. �She�s a Lady.�

�Yeah.� Tala agreed softly. Hilary wished she could see their
expressions.

�Well��
Bryan said after a moment. �She must be
pretty strong to put up with your whining and bitching, Tala.�

�Hey!�

�Oh
please. You whine like a two-year old
when you stub your toe. I can only
imagine what a pain-in-the-ass you are like this.� Hilary heard a deep chuckle and Tala cursing at him fluently in
response.

�You
are so lucky I can�t move, you ass.�
The redhead grumbled.

�I
know.�

Deciding
to move in now, Hilary fought back the blush that she could still feel staining
her cheeks rosily from Tala�s rather high praise of her. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly,
and moved into the room.

�I
hate to break up your reunion, boys, but Tala needs his rest. You can visit again later, Bryan, if you
like.�

�Okay.� Bryan patted Tala�s knee through the bed
sheets and got up. �I�ll see you later,
Tala.�

�Whatever.�

Bryan
just smiled and shook his head at the put out tone of the redhead�s voice as he
walked out.

�Quit
scowling and take your medicine, my Lord.�
Hilary commanded briskly, holding out a glass of strange looking purple
liquid. �That�s for the pain and to
fight off infection for some of your deeper, more serious wounds.�

Tala
took the glass, sniffed its contents, and sipped cautiously when he found it
smelled like grape juice. �Blech.� He screwed up his nose at it. �Doesn�t taste as good as it smells.�

�If
it tasted good, it wouldn�t work as well.
Didn�t you know that?� She
teased. �Finish it off and you�ll get
desert with your supper tonight.�

Tala
drank the rest with a shudder and gave her back the glass. �That�s called a bribe.�

�So? It works.�
Hilary proceeded to tuck him in again.
�There. Get some rest, okay? You�re healing quite well and we don�t want
to slow the process, do we?�

�No.� Tala mumbled, already slipping under. He let out a soft sigh when he felt her hand
on his forehead, checking his temperature.
Then she gently brushed locks of his red hair out of his face and
stroked his cheek lightly, until he�d gone under completely, sleeping
peacefully.

Even
then, as drawn to him as she was, Hilary remained at his bedside, watching over
him in his slumber.

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

With
Bryan�s arrival, everything seemed a little more crowded. Since there wasn�t any more room in the
house to sleep, Tyson and Kenny joined forces to move around some of the
furniture in the stable apartment, and then worked with Max to help create two
sets of bunk beds � one for Kai and Tyson, and the other for Bryan and Kenny
(who had been sleeping on the settee in the sitting room downstairs since
giving up his bed to Tala).

Kai
hadn�t been particularly thrilled with the new sleeping arrangements, having
gotten quite used to sleeping in his dragon�s arms every night. However, he didn�t say anything about it,
since it was necessary.

Tyson
wasn�t really happy about the situation either, but put up with it without
complaint. He, too, had gotten used to
having Kai with him all night, every night by this time � and it worried him
just a little. Because for Tyson, it
meant a bond was already formed, and with the future so uncertain, that would
just not be a good thing.

A
few days more passed, and the Kinomiya began to notice some changes in himself that
he attributed to his demi-human biology.
For one thing, all his senses were sharper and clearer � more intense �
than before. His sense of sight, for
example, had gotten so acute that he could read in very low lighting quite
clearly, and even see smaller objects perfectly from great distances (like
birds flying high in the sky). His
sense of smell, which had always been quite sharp, had changed enough that he
found he could smell Rei�s cooking from across the yard and inside the
stable apartment � even apart from the usual stable smells.

But
the most dramatic change was his sense of hearing. Tyson found he could, quite literally, hear a pin drop from a
long way away � and it sounded a great deal like someone ringing a small bell
next to his ear. This new change he
found particularly amusing, because no matter how quietly Kai tried, Tyson
discovered he could no longer sneak up on him � as the dual-haired prince was
prone to do from time to time.

Tyson
mentioned the changes to Rei, seeing as how he was the only other demi-human
around, and asked about them.

�It
sounds pretty normal to me, Tyson.� Rei
shrugged, glancing up from changing Tabitha on the table in the nursery. �Demi-humans have stronger senses than most
humans do.� Rei looked back down at his
daughter, who had a teething ring stuffed in her mouth and was gnawing happily
on it. �You say you�ve noticed the
biggest change with your hearing?�

�Yeah. It�s really incredible!� Tyson exclaimed, turning to go downstairs.

�Hmm�well,
you were bound to discover at least one of your senses became more pronounced �
even more than all the others. I think
it�ll just take a bit of getting used to, that�s all.� Rei picked up Tabitha and walked after
Tyson, joining him in the sitting room as he spoke.

�I
guess so.� Tyson sighed. �It�s all so new to me, Rei. I just don�t know what I�m supposed
to feel anymore.�

The
neko-jin gave him a sympathetic look.
�I know. But then, you�re not
the only one who is new to it.�

�What
do you mean?�

�Have
there ever been or are there any other dragon demi-humans out there?� Rei asked, nodding when Tyson frowned and
shook his head. �Exactly. No one else knows what to expect out of you
either. You are the first of your
kind. Even the rest of us other demi-humans
can only speculate on you and what you can do as a dragon based on dragons
themselves and on what our own races are like.�

Tyson
slouched in his seat. �When you put it
like that I feel really lonely all of a sudden.�

�I�m
sorry, my friend. I didn�t mean to do
that to you.� Rei apologized. �But I want you to know, Tyson, that despite
not having a clue, I�ll always be here to listen and help you through what I
can if you should ever need it.�

The
bluenette smiled. �I know. Thanks, Rei.�

�Sure. That�s what friends are for.�

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

Nearly
three weeks after Tala had shown up battered and broken, there came a day that
Tyson had not expected at all.

It
began when Kai had awoken earlier than usual, and had gotten up, leaving Tyson
alone in the stable apartment to continue sleeping. The prince went for a long walk that morning, thinking about
everything.

The
future isn�t looking so bright. I don�t
know what I�m going to do about Boris, and I have no idea what Dranzer is expecting
me to do about her sister. And what can
I do anyway? I�m a mere human and
Drisana is�not. Even with Tyson�s help
I don�t see how we can accomplish anything.

Kai
stopped walking, taking in the scenery with a tiny smile. It was an idyllic setting. He stood on top of a large hill, partially
covered with trees and bushes. At the
base of the hill was a small, sparkling stream, and in the distance Kai could
see the mountains sitting majestically along the horizon. The sun blazed overhead and fluffy white
clouds floated lazily along with the slight summer breeze.

Pretty. There aren�t many places back home that are
like this. He thought sadly. I�m sure there were many in Tyson�s
lands, though. Until the Empire swept
through like a plague. I hope we can
rebuild much of what was lost if I succeed in taking back my throne and
country. There�s so much that
needs rebuilding.

Kai
found a huge oak tree and deftly climbed up into the branches, finding a nice,
thick, sturdy one to sit on, one knee bent and foot flat on it for balance and
allowing him to let his other leg dangle in the air lazily as he leaned back
against the trunk of the tree. For a
long while, he simply sat quietly, enjoying the natural serenity around him.

But
as his thoughts often did, they turned back on the Kinomiya. He cared for Tyson deeply, wanted nothing
more than to be at his side for the rest of their lives, and to be able to
truly call Tyson his. However,
things rarely happen or go the way one wishes them to, and Kai felt a painful
pang deep in his chest at the blankness he could see at the future.

Maybe�maybe
it would be best to halt things between us now, before it gets too
serious. It�would spare us both some
pain if anything should happen to either one of us when we return to put things
right again. And it�s not like we
couldn�t still be friends and allies.
Kai felt another, deeper pang and rubbed at his chest over his heart but
otherwise ignored it. Yes. That�s what I�ll do. I�ll just go back and tell him it�s better
this way, for now, and that maybe if everything turns out okay later, we can
work something else out.

Having
made his decision (and still trying to ignore the nagging ache in his chest
that came with it), the dual-haired teen dropped agilely to the ground and made
his way back to Max and Rei�s to look for Tyson.

He
found the bluenette in the house, chatting with Tala, Bryan, Dranzer, and
Dragoon in the sitting room. Tala�s
presence downstairs was a bit of a surprise, since Hilary had still been insisting
he wasn�t ready to be out of bed yet.

�Tyson
and Bryan snuck me down here while the hellion is out with Kenny, Rei, and his
kitten.� Tala explained, looking rather
smug about it. �I feel so much
better just getting out of that room, let me tell you, cousin.�

�Uh
huh. That�s great, Tala.� Kai said in a distracted voice. �Tyson, can I speak with you for a moment?�

�Sure.� The bluenette got up and followed him into
the kitchen. �Is there something wrong,
beloved? You seem out of sorts. And where were you all morning, anyway?�

�I
was restless so I went for a walk.� Kai
responded. �Um�listen, I thought about
a few things, and�well�I think maybe we should just�� He stopped, taking a deep
breath. He didn�t know why but he was finding
it very difficult to just say the words.

�We
should do what, Kai?� Tyson angled his
head at his lover, a bit confused and a little scared.

�I
think we should�not have this relationship any longer.� Kai blurted, his heart clenching painfully
even as the words left his mouth. �I
mean, we can still be friends and allies, but it would be best if we just��

He
stopped speaking abruptly, watching Tyson�s expression go from surprise, to
shock, and then to anger and hurt � deep, anguished hurt. Kai wanted to wince, having known Tyson
wouldn�t react so well at first, but he kept a careful, expressionless mask on
his face to hide his emotions.

�You�that�s
it? Just like that, it�s over?� Tyson demanded in a low, pain-filled
voice. His heart was shattering into
tiny little shards at his feet. �I
thought�� He stopped, closing his eyes and swallowing thickly for a moment
before continuing. �Whatever. I guess it doesn�t matter what I
thought.� He opened his eyes again and
Kai saw the furious blaze of anger, pain, and betrayal in those stormy blue
gems. �Fine. You don�t want me anymore?
Then I�ll try to stay away from you and out of your way, Your
Highness.� Tyson turned away,
feeling tears begin to prick at his eyes and, with his spine ramrod straight,
he walked quickly and stiffly from the kitchen.

Kai
stood there, trembling with emotion, feeling as if a part of him had just died
and knowing that it was entirely his fault.
Didn�t Tyson understand?
Couldn�t he see that things would be better, easier, if they remained
friends? Just friends?

Even
as Kai wondered why the dragon couldn�t see it, a voice in his head was mocking
him.

If
I�m so sure about that, then why do I feel like my heart has been ripped in
two, and why do I feel so empty now?
Kai felt a single tear slip down his cheek and he hastily brushed it
away, his feet moving him in the direction Tyson had gone before he even
realized it.

As
soon as he stepped into the sitting room, he was glared at by an angry,
worried, confused Dragoon, and received a chastising gaze from Dranzer.

�What
did you say to him, Hiwatari?� Dragoon
demanded furiously. �Takao just ran out
of here in tears and I want to know why!�

�I�I
only suggested that maybe he and I shouldn�t continue as we have been and wait
for�everything to straighten out.� Kai
flinched as Dragoon�s eyes, so very much like Tyson�s, turned to crystal shards
of slivery blue in pure fury. Then,
quite suddenly, he just disappeared.

�Oh
dear�� Dranzer closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them again, she got up and strode up to Kai,
raising one hand to gently lay her palm against his cheek. �Tell me you didn�t really say that
to Takao, Kai.�

The
prince just looked at her helplessly.
She sighed and took her hand away�only to raise it again and smack Kai
quite forcefully upside the head.

�Ow!�

�Kai
no baka!� She scolded, hands on
hips. �Are you really so scared of your
own emotions that you would come up with such a lame excuse as that too
push away someone who could make everything in your life so much
better? Are you such a coward that
you�re afraid of what you can�t see tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after
that and beyond?�

Kai
rubbed the back of his head with a wince.
�I�m not afraid!� He protested
weakly. His thoughts were going
wild. Could I have made a mistake,
here? Is what Dranzer saying true? Maybe I have come up with excuses
because maybe�I am scared of what I feel for Tyson.

Tala
and Bryan exchanged looks and raised eyebrows.
Neither was used to seeing their cold, impassive prince flounder or look
like he was on the verge of tears � not to mention seeing him get scolded like
a child by a woman that was half his size�even if she was a deity.

�Uh�forgive
me, cousin, but is there something you might have forgotten to mention?� Tala asked, studying Kai with questioning
ice blue eyes. Kai, to his surprise and
Bryan�s, hung his head and shuffled his feet sheepishly.

But
not before they saw the blush spread across his face.

�Chibi,
you sometimes amaze me. You�re really
quite intelligent but sometimes you�re not very bright.� Dranzer tipped his chin up with a finger and
her expression softened. �I know this
is all really new for you, and overwhelming, maybe even scary. But that�s normal! It�s a part of being in love with someone, and everyone goes
through moments of doubt in any relationship.
But most persevere and come through it stronger and more sure about it
than anything else in their life.�

�What
do I do?� Kai asked huskily, voice full
of uncertainty and confusion. �He�s so
mad at me now, probably, and�why would he accept an apology from me?� He met Dranzer�s fiery red gaze with his
own, darker crimson one. �I�I hurt him,
didn�t I?�

�Yes. You have done that, chibi ichi. But I don�t think you�re giving the young
dragon enough credit. He loves you,
Kai.� She stated, and he felt a little
dizzy, even though deep down he�d always known that. �And you love him. It�s
true you�ve goofed up today, but I think you�re strong enough to go after him
and make it up to him.�

Kai
nodded, turning to go to the front door and run after Tyson.

�Wait
a minute!� Dranzer called after him,
frowning. �Let me get Dragoon out of
the way before you go. I really don�t
think you want to try to go though him to get to Takao.�

�Is
he with Tyson?� The crimson-eyed prince
paled considerably at the thought.

�Indeed.� The little female deity stamped her
foot. �Oh, fudge! He�s not talking to me either!� She grabbed Kai�s arm and dragged him out
the door in annoyance. �Come along,
Kai. Let�s go find those two and I�ll
run interference for you with Dragoon.�

�Yes,
ma�am.� Unable to argue or defend
himself, the prince followed her docilely, leaving two wide-eyed teens behind.

The
front door slammed shut behind them and Tala stared at it.

�Hey,
Bry?�

�Yeah?�

�Remind
me to pester Hilary for the story behind this drama later, okay?�

�No
kidding.�

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

Chapter
13

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

Tyson
leaned against the trunk of the giant oak tree, tears still streaming down his
cheeks. Sucking in a sharp breath when
his sobbing made him forget to breathe, he gave an angry, frustrated screech of
pain, venting his chaotic emotions.

�Argh!� He cried, pulling back his fist and punching
the unoffending tree trunk. �What is it
with�him? I can�t even get away
from him out here! His scent�it clings
to me, and�Gods! Even to this
tree!� An anguished sob escaped and,
suddenly unable to stand up anymore, Tyson slid to the ground, curling up
against the tree and burying his face in his arms.

It
wasn�t long before a familiar presence surrounded him and Dragoon was there, in
a flood of concern and undisguised fury that was directed at the one who had
caused Tyson�s pain. In his dragon
form, the Guardian of the Kinomiya clan curled around his descendent in an
effort to comfort and protect. The
bluenette clung to a coil and wept.

{There
now, little dragon. You need to stop
crying before you make yourself ill.}

{He
doesn�t want me! After everything�he
doesn�t want me!} Tyson cried. {Why Dragoon? What did I do?}

{Nothing,
Takao. You did nothing to cause
this.} Dragoon tried to reassure him,
though he got the feeling it wasn�t working that well. He ignored the insistent voice of his mate,
too, demanding his attention. Or at
least, he did until she began threatening to make him sleep outside in the
garden. {Do you mind?! I�m trying to comfort my broken-hearted
descendent here!}

{Well
if you�d just listen to me for a minute you might find we can fix this!} She snapped back.

Dragoon
scowled at her mentally. {And why would
I want to inflict more torment on Takao by trying to get him to accept
that�that�} The furious deity couldn�t
think of a suitable name for Kai, he was so angry.

{Just
for a minute.} Dranzer proceeded to
explain things to her mate.

{He
just broke Takao�s heart because he was scared?! And you want me to�}

{We
can�t interfere, Dragoon.} Dranzer
reminded him calmly. {What we can do is
leave them alone to work things out for themselves.}

Dragoon
looked up and glared at Kai as he came over the top of the hill towards the
tree. Dranzer stopped in the distance
and gently pushed him forward.

�Go
on, chibi. Dragoon! Come.�
The fiery little Goddess commanded imperiously.

{But�}

�The
gardens�� she threatened.

Pouting,
Dragoon uncoiled from around Tyson, who looked up blindly and in confusion as
the dragon changed form and stalked off to ward Dranzer, grumbling.

�Dragoon? What�oh.�
Tyson stared up at Kai for a moment then looked away in shame and
anguish. The bluenette sniffed noisily
and rubbed at his tear-stained cheeks angrily, embarrassed beyond belief to
have been caught crying over Kai by the prince himself.

Not
sure where to start, Kai sat down next to him on the mossy, grassy ground and
hugged his legs, staring out over the landscape.

There
was silence for a time, until it got too unbearable for Tyson and he finally
rasped, �Why?�

Kai
felt the sting of tears in his eyes at the desolation in Tyson�s voice and
guilt flooded through him, knowing he was the cause of it. �I�I got scared.� He admitted in a choked whisper.
�I sat up there, in this tree, this morning�thinking about�everything. And�I got so scared that I was becoming too
attached to you, too dependent. I
don�t�didn�t want to know what it would be like if�if something happened to you
when we go back and�what if I lost you?
I�Gods, Tyson! I don�t have
anybody left!�

Tyson
stared at him in shock. �That�s not
true! You have Dranzer! And what about Tala, and Bryan�and what
about Kenny?�

�It�s
not the same!� Kai shouted, tears
spilling over. �It�s not the same! I don�t love them like I love you!� The crimson-eyed prince gasped as he
realized what he�d just said and began to tremble, unable to stop the flood of
tears that came with it.

�Kai��
Tyson was on him in a flash, throwing himself into Kai�s arms and clutching his
shoulders in a relieved, ecstatic hug. He felt Kai�s arms automatically encircle him and hold him to
Kai�s chest tightly. �Baka! I thought you didn�t want me! Damn it!
Don�t ever do that to me again!�
He scolded tearfully, voice muffled by Kai�s clothes as he pressed his
face into the crook of Kai�s neck and inhaled deeply, Kai�s scent soothing
everything away with a liquid heat that filled him.

�I�m
sorry, Ty, I�m so sorry!� Kai murmured
hoarsely in his ear. �I do want you, my
dragon. So much it hurts sometimes. These past couple of weeks have been so hard
without you��

�I
know�beloved, I know.� Tyson dropped
frantic little kisses against Kai�s neck, moving up to nibble on his ear
lobe. �Me too. But we�re alone here�� A wicked smile
crossed his face as he felt Kai�s hands move to his waist and begin tugging his
shirt out of his pants in response.
�Ahhh�kiss me, Kai!�

Kai
claimed Tyson�s mouth in a heated, desperate kiss. Tyson�s lips parted eagerly and accepted Kai�s insistent tongue,
groaning and duelling back with his own.
The dual-haired prince roughly pulled the shirt off his lover and tossed
it over his shoulder, not noticing that it caught on a tree branch and hung
there like a flag. He couldn�t hold
still, it seemed, needing to have his hands running over all that exposed
creamy, tanned skin.

Every
nerve ending burned and tingled under Kai�s touch and Tyson purred throatily at
the heat flowing in his veins with sensation.
With a low growl, he worked quickly to undo the ties of Kai�s leather
vest and push it off him, then tugged and pulled hurriedly to get his shirt
off, never breaking their passionate kiss until he had to yank it over Kai�s
head � and then he was immediately latched back onto his lover�s mouth, sucking
and nibbling on the crimson-eyed teen�s bottom lip greedily. Tyson swore he was addicted to everything
about Kai � his touch, his taste, his scent, all those wonderful little sounds
of pleasure he made and even just the smoky quality of his voice.

�Can�t�mmm�get
enough.� The bluenette gasped, needing
a taste of the ivory, sweat-slicked skin under his hands and pressed against
him so wonderfully. He lowered his
head, drawing his mouth down Kai�s neck and finding a good spot just below his
collarbone where he licked a wet patch, sucking on the spot and lightly grazing
the area with his teeth. Kai�s head
dropped back lethargically and he let out a moan of approval, his larger hands
hastily pulling out the tie in Tyson�s hair and pushing his fingers into the
blue-black locks. Satisfied with that
mark of possession, Tyson licked his way farther down Kai�s chest as he shoved
the older teen to back to lie on the ground.
He covered one hard little nipple with his mouth and sucked hard, almost
painfully so. Kai arched into the
pleasure-pain with a grunt and his fingers tightened in Tyson�s hair.

Not
resisting the glorious shocks of pleasure spiking through him at the Kinomiya�s
deftly executed ministrations, Kai suddenly let out a laugh of near joy and
giddy, heady ecstasy. Tyson shuddered
at the sound and paused, sitting up so he could look down into the
passion-filled fires in the prince�s now ruby red eyes. Kai�s hands left his hair, draped around his
face and brushing his shoulders in a thick mass of midnight blue silk, to
cruise over naked skin and trace circular patterns with one fingertip around
each of Tyson�s pointed nipples lazily.
The dragon bit his bottom lip and rocked his hips into Kai�s, grinding
against him. They both let out harsh
cries at the friction and both got really impatient, letting go of each other
completely to hurriedly get out of their pants and the rest of their clothes.

Naked,
they stared at one another, really seeing each other for the first time in the
light, where there were no shadows to hide in.
Tyson let his eyes slowly devour Kai�s form, licking his lips
unknowingly with an insatiable hunger that made his eyes turn nearly black with
want. �Damn, but you�re gorgeous.� He rasped darkly, moving to lie back down
with Kai under him, covering his body with his own and moaning loudly at the
full, skin-on-skin contact. �Never
enough�� Came the equally needy mutter just before his mouth captured Kai�s
once more, his tongue delving deeply and stroking Kai�s enticingly,
suggestively, giving his lover a preview of what was yet to happen.

When
Tyson left his mouth in favour of moving downwards again, Kai took in gasping
breaths of air, panting, �Love, please!
Uhn�need you so badly!� The
prince made a whimpering sound as Tyson�s slim but strong fingers wrapped
around his aching erection and jerked violently at the feel of the bluenette�s
tongue touching his glistening tip and tasting the pearly drops of pre-cum he
found there. With a pleased smirk,
Tyson drove Kai wild by only paying attention to his tip, his hand not moving
but simply holding him firmly while he did so.
That agile tongue circled the head a few times, then flicked back and
forth across the tip, alternately pressing against the slit and happily licking
up the expelled liquid when it appeared.
Trembling and struggling not to scream in frustration, Kai slid the
fingers of one hand into Tyson�s hair and fisted a handful, massaging his
lover�s scalp as he moaned for more, pleaded for release.

His
answer was a bit unexpected though.
Rather than have mercy on the dual-haired teen, his lover simply swung
around, presenting Kai with his own erection and pert backside. Taking the hint without a word, Kai reached
up and grasped Tyson firmly in one large hand, squeezing and slowly pumping
while his other hand rose to grasp a hip and hold him steady. He heard a mewling cry from Tyson and then
the bluenette�s hands stroking the soft insides of his legs, coaxing them
farther apart. It felt so deliciously
wicked to be spread brazenly open to Tyson�s eyes, mouth, and questing fingers,
and equally delightful to have his beloved dragon just as opened to him.

Kai
drew Tyson down and took his leaking erection into his mouth, sucking lightly
and earning a startled squeak from his lover � before he found himself engulfed
in hot, wet suction and a hand cupping and plying with his balls. The hand on Tyson�s hip moved on its own to
mimic the actions of the bluenette�s hand until Kai had an idea for something
better than that. He took Tyson�s
length from his mouth, feeling the barely leashed load and the heavy, frantic
beat of Tyson�s pulse in his hand.
Tyson left off the absolutely pleasurable sucking long enough to growl
his name in question.

�Kai?�

In
answer, Kai sucked his own fingers on one hand into his mouth, getting them as
wet and slick as he could before taking them out and gently rubbing at the
rosy, puckered entrance of Tyson�s ass and carefully sliding a finger in. He shivered, watching with heavy-lidded eyes
as his finger was swallowed by the tight ring of muscle easily. He heard his lover make a yowling, gasping
noise and was suddenly once again sheathed in the liquid heat of Tyson�s
mouth. Continuing to slide his finger
in and out to stretch the bluenette out a bit more so he could add a second
finger, Kai used his other hand to direct Tyson�s tip back to his mouth again,
mercilessly teasing him as he added yet a third finger and felt tremors begin
to make Tyson�s body vibrate above him.
Kai could feel his own orgasm coming on fast as his lover�s mouth
continued to work him higher and higher.

And
then he felt Tyson�s finger plunge into him and he released Tyson from his
mouth to let out a cry of pure pleasure as his release crashed through him in
waves.

Tyson
felt Kai�s fingers brush something deep inside of him just as he felt a sudden
chill on his erection when it was exposed to the air rather than Kai�s hot
mouth and let go, diving into his own orgasm as he swallowed down his lover�s
thick, sort of salty-sweet cum hungrily.

Kai
removed his fingers and managed to take hold of Tyson once more just in time to
catch the last few spurts of cum with his mouth. The rest had gotten him in the face and chest.

Collapsing
breathlessly for a moment, Tyson buried his face against the inside of one of
Kai�s legs and grinned, breaking into an unrestrained purr. He heard a chuckle and levered himself up to
turn around and hover eye-to-eye with his soon to be mate, still grinning.

�Hmm��
Kai smirked up at him, licking his lips and wiping the white stickiness off his
face with one hand, slowly, deliberately licking it off his hand as Tyson
watched with hot eyes. �You taste
delicious lover.� Tyson raised an
eyebrow and with a wicked glint in his eyes, ducked his head to sweep his
tongue across the white drops on Kai�s chest in a few cleaning licks.

�So
I do.� He agreed huskily. �But I think you taste better, my
love.� Tyson rubbed his lips across
Kai�s and flicked his tongue over the bottom one playfully. �But I�m not nearly done with you yet.� He purred seductively in Kai�s ear, nibbling
at the lobe. Kai shivered under him and
stroked a hand up and down Tyson�s spine.

�What
do you want?� Kai asked huskily, the
fingers of one of his hands intertwining with the fingers of one of Tyson�s
hands next to his head as he stared up into shiny, midnight blue depths and
drowned there willingly.

�Tell
me again, my phoenix.� Tyson whispered,
rubbing his cheek against Kai�s affectionately then nudging his nose against
Kai�s, their lips brushing feather-light and feeling each other�s breaths on
their faces. �Say it once more for me
and I�ll tell you what I want.�

Their
eyes met and held, and Kai finally spoke the words Tyson had been longing to
hear for what seemed like forever.

�I
love you, Kinomiya Takao. With all
my heart, and spirit, I love you.�

Placing
a soft butterfly kiss at the corner of Kai�s mouth, Tyson trembled with emotion
as he was finally able to return the words.
�I love you, Kai Hiwatari.
Heart, mind, body, and spirit, too.
Gods, how I love you!� His mouth
sought Kai�s once more, entwined fingers tightening as he found it and their
eyes slid shut, sweet sensations of pleasure muted by relief and a shared love
so deep it was a wonder that it was contained by their bodies when it felt as
if they should explode with it.

Just
as their kiss turned back into burning passion and lust once more and one of
Kai�s legs wrapped around Tyson�s waist, an amused and relieved chuckle
interrupted them.

Tyson
tore his mouth away, breathing hard, and dropped his forehead to Kai�s shoulder
with a snarl, not caring that he was bare-assed naked � since what would be the
point, really? Kai sucked in air and
glared at the two highly amused deities standing over them.

�You
tow have really lousy timing, you know that?�

�We�re
sorry, Kai, but we figured you would rather not be discovered in this
condition, and making out like bunnies.�
Dranzer giggled.

Tyson�s
head shot up. �There�s someone
coming?� He scrambled away from Kai and
looked around for his clothes. Kai
grabbed his pants and tugged them on hastily, scowling unhappily. They had been so close�

�Now
where�s my shirt?!� The bluenette
looked around frantically, back in his pants and boots with his hair still
loosely draped around him. Kai shrugged
into his own shirt and picked up his vest, but didn�t bother doing up the ties,
getting up to help Tyson get his shirt down from the tree. �Oh!
Thanks�how�d it get up there, anyway?�

Kai
smiled a bit, but didn�t answer. Instead, he leaned against the tree and watched Tyson struggle to
put the shirt back on. �Need some help,
love? You look like you�re having
troubles.�

�Thank
you, but no.� Tyson managed to get
himself into it and went up to his lover with a fond smile. �I�ll never get tired of hearing you say
that, you know.�

Kai
lifted a hand and combed his fingers through Tyson�s hair. �Believe it or not, I�m finding it�s not so
hard to say any more. It�ll just take a
little getting used to, that�s all.�

�Heh.�
Tyson grinned, leaning in close, and
Kai�s hand in his air moved to clasp the back of his neck.

�About
before, Tyson�� Kai began. The dragon
shook his head and laid a finger over his lips to shush him.

�Let�s
just forget it, my love. Everyone gets
scared sometimes when faced with a new situation � especially the ones
involving love.� Tyson rubbed his
thumb-pad over Kai�s bottom lip. �I�ll
let you in on a secret � I was scared, too.
And I still am.�

Kai
stared at him with slightly wide eyes.
�Why?�

�Remember
how I had said once that I couldn�t see how we could possibly make this
work? How the future was just so
unfathomable right now? Well, that�s
why. I still don�t have a clue. And I�m afraid for many of the same reasons
you are, Kai.� The dragon looked into
his crimson eyes with all the love he felt shining in his own. �But I wasn�t raised to give up on something
just because I�m scared of the unknown.�

�Neither
was I.� Kai shook his head. �And that�s just what I did. I�m sorry, Tyson, for going back on that
promise I made to you.�

Tyson
waved that off. �Nah. You just stepped off the path for a small
detour, love. It doesn�t matter
anymore.�

�So
we�re okay then?� Kai asked hesitantly,
needing the confirmation.

�Better
than that.� Tyson assured him, closing
the distance between them to kiss Kai softly but thoroughly, stealing the
prince�s breath and pressing him back against the tree trunk as he lazily
explored Kai�s mouth with a happy little purr.

A
loud, deliberate coughing broke them apart before either could forget their
Guardians� warning and finish what they�d started earlier.

Tyson
looked at the interruption and his eyes narrowed on his best friend.

�Max! That�s the second time you�ve gone and
wrecked the moment. This better not
become a habit!�

Max
beamed at him. �It�s not intentional,
pal. I swear! I came looking for you at Hilary�s request, in fact.�

Tyson
sighed and leaned into his lover as Kai�s arms encircled his waist from behind
and pulled him back against the prince�s muscular chest. �What does she want now?�

�Well,
when she ordered me to come get you, she was yelling at Bryan and Tala for Tala
not being in bed upstairs, and Bryan had said you and he had only brought Tala
down for a few minutes but then you had an argument or something with Kai and
ran off��

Kai
held up a hand. �Okay, Max. We get it.
I guess we should head back, Tyson.�
He felt a shudder run through his lover.

�Must
we? Hilary�s scary when she�s yelling
at you.� Tyson screwed up his face and
Kai chuckled, hugging him tightly from behind.

�I�ll
protect you.� He teased.

�Gee. I feel so much better now.�

Max
just kept smiling as he walked home with them, wondering exactly what had
happened while the others had been gone and he�d been in his workshop. Tala and Bryan had been discussing all kinds
of possibilities about what was going on between Kai and Tyson when Max had
come home � apparently not long after Kai had been dragged off by Dranzer to
find Tyson. But from how he�d found them,
Max guessed they�d made up.

�Hey!� Tyson stopped walking suddenly, looking
around. �I just realized we�re missing
two deities. Where�d they go?�

�Don�t
worry about them, Kinomiya.� Kai took
his hand and pulled the bluenette along.
�They�re probably already back at the house.�

�I
guess.�

{We�re
fine, Takao.} Tyson heard in his
head. {We�ll be�around. Don�t wait up!}

{Oh,
geez. I didn�t need that idea planted
in my brain!} Tyson groaned and rolled
his eyes. Kai glanced at him in
question. �It�s nothing, beloved.� He reassured the prince, figuring Kai really
wouldn�t want to know anyway.

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

Crisis
averted, the remainder of the summer breezed by at a lazy pace. Tala healed almost completely by the time
Kai began to get impatient and started making plans to return to Bay City and
get the whole thing over with before the snows fell.

And
Tyson and Kai still hadn�t gotten to finish what they�d started under
that tree, much to both their frustration and longing.

Once evening,
as the sun disappeared earlier than it usually did, indicating the change of
season rapidly approaching, Tyson sat on the kitchen floor with Tabitha,
rolling a ball to her and catching it when she pushed it back to her. Kai was sitting at the kitchen table with a
map of the world spread out in front of him, Tala across from him, as both
studied it carefully. Max had gone with
Rei to the bathhouse and Kenny was cleaning up the supper dishes. Over at the other end of the table, Hilary
and Bryan had begun a game of chess.

�I
don�t know, Tala. I think it would be
easier if se went into the city by the same way we left.� Kai mused, frowning at the map.

�That
would be great, cousin, except for one little problem. No doubt Boris has had that secret door
sealed by now.� The redhead pointed
out, dryly.

�Please. You think that�s the only door like
that?� Kai returned, smugly.

�I
guess I should have known better.�

�Hn.�

�Well,
fine. So we go in another door. Still, what do you intend to do when you�re
back inside the city? You can�t just
walk up to the Palace doors and knock.�

�No. That would be a death-wish, even if some of
the army and the Royal Guards are still loyal to the Hiwatari family.� Kai agreed.

�You
think there might still be some who are?�
Tala wondered, looking thoughtful.

�Yes�maybe
not that many, but a few. What are you
scheming, Tala?�

�Just
a thought, but if we could convince most of the Royal Guards, at least, that
Boris is evil, you�re no traitor, and that Boris is occupying your
throne without any true claim, then perhaps it wouldn�t matter about the rest
of the army.�

�Go
on.� Kai leaned forward in interest,
and even Bryan and Hilary had paused their game to listen in.

�The
Palace itself used to be a fortress, back in the day, before the rest of the
city sprung up all around it, right?�

�Yes.�

�Then
all we need is the Royal Guards.
The rest of the Empire�s army is stationed at different garrisons around
the city, but not in the Palace. We
Royal Guards are the Palace garrison, in truth.� Bryan put in, picking up on Tala�s idea quickly. �I see where you�re going with this, Tala.�

Tala
gave him a side-glance. �You really do
know me too well, Bry.�

�It�s
not that hard to see where your train of thought leads to, you know.�

�You
think that once we�re inside, and we gain the support of the Guards, that we�d
be able to just�what? Shut the gates
and keep everyone else out � as well as keep everyone inside the Palace in?� Kai blinked, thinking that over. �Okay.
That has merit.�

�Of
course it does.� Tala crossed his arms
indignantly. �It won�t be easy,
though. And no doubt there will be a
fight or two to get to Boris and kick his ass.� He glanced at Hilary.
�Pardon my language.�

The
brunette waved a hand dismissively, getting up to give Kenny a hand with the
dishes. �Believe me, I�ve heard worse
out of Takao, my Lord.�

Kai
turned in his seat and looked down at his lover and the giggling chibi. �What do you think, Kinomiya? Do you have any suggestions for all this?�

Tyson
passed the ball to Tabitha and got to his feet, bending down to pick her up
before she crawled off somewhere on him.
Now that she�d begun to crawl, it was harder to keep an eye on her. The bluenette took a seat next to Kai, hip
to hip and legs pressed together, settling Tabitha on his opposite knee with an
arm around her to keep her seated safely.

�It
sounded fine to me, Kai. I�m not
worried so much about getting into the Palace.
It�s what we�re going to do once we get there that bothers me.� Tyson looked down at the map, his eyes sadly
tracing the line that indicated where the border between the Empire and the
lands of the Dragon Clans had once been.

The
crimson-eyed prince slid an arm around his lower back in a slight hug. �Trust me.�

Max
and Rei came back in then, hair still damp and dripping, and made their way to
the stairs.

�We�ll
be back in a minute, guys.� Max told
them. �We just need to change clothes
since we forgot to bring clean ones with us before.�

�How�s
Tabi?� Rei asked. �Is she getting fussy yet?�

�Nah. She�s an angel.� Tyson grinned and looked down at her. The chibi, however, was staring at Kai with her big, feline eyes. Suddenly, as babies sometimes do, she leaned
to the side abruptly with her arms outstretched toward the dual-haired prince,
her chubby fists clenching and unclenching as if to grab onto something. And then�

�Kai!� Tabitha demanded, her tail waving behind
her, startling everyone out of their wits.

�Oh
my God! Rei! Did she just�?� Max cried
in shock.

�I
think she did!� Rei grinned, watching
in amusement as Tabitha struggled to free herself from Tyson and crawl to Kai,
who stared down at her with a variety of emotions mixing on his face, giving
him a comical look of disbelief.

�Kai!!� The chibi declared again, a bit more
imperiously this time. Max sniffled and
beamed, proud as could be.

�Her
first word!� He sighed. �Aww��

Tala
was trying really hard not to burst out laughing at his reluctant cousin as
Tyson gave in and presented Tabitha to Kai, the baby wriggling for all she was
worth insistently.

�Ah�Tyson��
Kai made a noise of consternation as he gingerly held her in front of him. �Why do you people keep giving her to me? I�m not very good with babies!�

�She
likes you, beloved.� Tyson chuckled,
his eyes going soft as the chibi squealed in delight and began to purr
unabashedly. Her tail curled around
Kai�s wrist, winning a small smile from the dual-haired teen. �If you just cuddle her, Kai, she�ll
probably fall right to sleep.�

A
pained look crossed the prince�s face.
� �Cuddle?��

Tala
snickered and Bryan elbowed him in the side.

�Sure! Come on, Kai�it�s good practice.� Tyson helped him settle the chibi onto Kai�s
shoulder, her head resting there and her small hands fisted in his shirt.

�What
for?! Tyson��

Dranzer
suddenly appeared, Dragoon beside her.
�Kai, just hold her. She won�t
bite you, for heaven�s sake.�

�Takao
is right. It is good practice.� Dragoon added.

�Practice
for what?! I can�t have children�Tyson
can�t either!� Kai went pale at the
very thought. �Can we?�

Dranzer
clucked soothingly. �Honestly? I don�t know. But Kai�don�t you want to have children of your own someday?�

�Not
personally!� The idea of giving birth
himself absolutely horrified him.

�Calm
down, beloved.� Tyson hushed him. �You�re freaking out over something that may
or may not happen � and hasn�t yet.�
The bluenette sweatdropped.

Kai
flushed and stared hard at the tabletop.
He glanced down awkwardly at the child curled against him and,
unwillingly, felt himself relax.
Purring quietly now, satisfied she had what she wanted, Tabitha let out
a soft sigh before sticking a thumb in her mouth and closing her eyes to promptly
fall asleep.

Amazed,
Rei padded over and pried her away from Kai.
�I�ll take her up now. Whatever
it is about you she likes so much, I don�t know. But I wish I could bottle it and keep it for the times she won�t
cooperate and sleep when she�s supposed to.�

�Believe
me, Rei, I don�t have a clue why she�s so attached to me.� Kai responded.

Tala
yawned and stretched. �Are we done for
tonight then, cousin?� He asked as Rei
and Max went upstairs with Tabitha.

�I
guess. It�s getting late, anyway.�

Tyson
stood and took his lover�s hand, puling him to his feet. �Let�s go take advantage of the bathhouse,
Kai.�

�Hn.� The prince let him drag him to the door.

�In
case we don�t see anyone before morning again, good night!� Tyson waved over his shoulder.

Bryan
helped Hilary clean up the chessboard and put it away, then followed Kenny out
to the stable apartment for bed.

Tala
quietly followed Hilary upstairs and stopped her just before she went into her
room.

�I
don�t think I ever thanked you for all you�ve done for me, Lady Hilary.�

She
stared up into ice-blue eyes in mild surprise.
�It�s not necessary, my Lord.
You needed help, and I gave it.
It�s what we healers do.�

�Perhaps. But you really have gone above and beyond
your duty.� He took her hand and held
it between his. �You saved my life,
treated all my wounds, and made sure I didn�t get ill from them. You sat at my bedside day and night, keeping
watch over me when I couldn�t move on my own and when I was unconscious. Even after I was better, you didn�t abandon
me to myself and kept me company while I continued to heal, though I�m sure you
had better things to do then sit around and listen to me complain.� Raising her hand, he placed a soft kiss to
the back of it, lingering there a little longer than a simple �thank you� and
making her blush beautifully. But she
didn�t pull her hand away.

�Well�I��
She stammered, lowering her gaze and feeling her heart thump in her chest. �You�re welcome, my Lord.�

�The
name is Tala. Just Tala, please.�

Looking
up at him and bestowing that smile he�d become so very enamoured of, she
replied, �Then you must call me Hilary, Tala.�

�It
would be my absolute pleasure, Hilary.�
Tala bent and brushed a quick kiss over her cheek before letting go of
her hand and turning to go to his own room.
�Good night.�

�Good
night��

A
moment later, in each of their rooms behind closed doors, two teens let out
sighs of giddy excitement and grinned to themselves.

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

Chapter
14

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

Four
months after Tabitha�s birth, Rei�s cycle of shifting kicked in once more. And, as he always did, he took a spare
change of clothes and some food, packed it up, and went off into the
wilderness. This time, however, Max
went with him, reasoning that if Rei returned and went into heat again there
would be no privacy at all for them.
Although Rei wasn�t particularly worried about it, having lived among
his fellow neko-jins for most of his life and gotten quite used to such things,
Max wasn�t nearly so calm about it.

So
the couple left their daughter in Hilary�s capable care and went off on their
own, saying they�d be back in a week � maybe less.

Kai
decided that when the two returned, it would be time for the rest of them to
pack up themselves and head back to face the future. To that end, Kai, Tyson, Tala, and Bryan quietly began preparing
to leave.

The
night the full moon was at its peak triggered Tyson�s change as well. This time, though, he was expecting it, and
sat outside in the cool evening air, in his nightclothes, among the gardens
that Hilary and Kenny had taken such good care of over the summer, waiting for
it.

Dranzer
and Dragoon sat together nearby, staring up at the night sky and the vast
expanse of stars in perfect silence.
Glancing at them, Tyson felt a wave of sympathy.

They
must miss their families terribly.
He thought, looking away and drawing his knees up to his chest to ward
off the chill. Just like I miss
Gramps, and Dad, and Hitoshi�everyone.
Tyson heard the front door of the house open behind him and immediately
felt a wave of warmth wash over him, knowing who it was without even
looking. I have Kai, now,
though. And we need each other more
than we�ve ever needed anyone or anything else.

�You�re
going to catch a cold out here like this, Tyson.� Kai admonished as he draped a throw blanket around his dragon�s
shoulders and sat next to him, settling an arm around Tyson�s waist
comfortably.

�I
didn�t want to get one dirty, dragging it out here for a short time. I won�t need it when I shift, after
all.� Tyson cuddled himself up to Kai�s
side wit ha soft, rumbling purr.
�Besides, you�re more than enough to keep me warm on the coldest of
nights, my love.�

Kai
smiled to himself and ran a hand through Tyson�s hair, pushing it back from his
face.

�Where
are the others?� Tyson inquired,
resting his head against Kai�s shoulder.

�Kenny�s
gone to bed and Hilary was just putting Tabitha to bed when I came out
here.� Kai sighed and rolled his
eyes. �I�m afraid you�re going to have
an audience tonight, love. Tala and
Bryan are both letting their curiosity get the better of them and they�re coming
out to see you shift.�

Tyson
let out an exasperated sigh. �I suppose
one can�t blame them. Still, I don�t
want that to happen every single time I have to shift. I�m not something on display for the
public�s amusement.�

�Of
course not, Kinomiya.� Kai agreed
firmly. �I�ll make very sure that it
will never happen and you�ll never have to feel that way.�

�Thanks,
love.�

Hilary,
Tala, and Bryan came out of the house then, joining Tyson and Kai in the
gardens. Just in time, too, because
Tyson began to feel that mysterious tingling sensation all over his body once
more that he recognized from the last time he�d changed.

�Did
we miss anything?� Tala asked,
cheekily. Hilary shook her head at him
in amusement. Wolborg trotted out and
sat at attention at Hilary�s feet.
�See? Even Wolborg is curious.�

�No,
you haven�t missed anything, Tala.�
Tyson said, moving away from Kai and shrugging off the blanket. Then he stood up and walked a little way
away. He heard several hastily drawn
breaths and turned to face them again.

Kai,
even though he�d seen it before, watched in wonderment as an intense blue light
surrounded his lover and as Tyson�s eyes were lost to the light, glowing
blue-white like the stars above them.

Tala
and Bryan stared, their eyes going wide as they, too, watched Tyson. Hilary just observed quietly, slipping her
hand into Tala�s and squeezing.

The
moon overhead disappeared behind an enormous black storm cloud as the wind
suddenly picked up, swirling around Tyson and flapping his clothes and hair
with its strength. Tyson felt the pull
of the moon and cried out, dropping to one knee and shuddering as he felt the
change begin. He heard Dragoon in his mind,
a soothing purr of a voice, say, {Don�t fight it, Takao. Let it happen.} Tyson�s form disappeared as he forced himself to relax into
blinding, blue-white light from the others� sight and he experienced that
amorphous state once again before he solidified into his dragon form and opened
his eyes as the light faded away.

�Oh
my God!� Tala breathed, awe-struck,
despite himself. �That�s totally
unreal.�

�That
is certainly something one doesn�t see every day.� Bryan agreed.

Hilary
curtsied to her cousin and Tyson made a sound halfway between a purr and a
mewl, winding over to her sinuously. He
used the tip of his tail under her chin to draw her back up to her feet and
shook his head.

�I�m
just paying my respects, Kinomiya-sama.�
She said. Though she couldn�t
see it, Tyson winced mentally in embarrassment, not really liking the formal
address even though it was appropriate.

Tala
glanced at her, then at him. �I think
I�m missing something here.�

Kai
got up and came over leisurely, taking in the sight of his lover�s other form
appreciatively. �Tyson still hasn�t
accepted that he�s the Kinomiya, that�s all.
Hilary keeps forcing it on him in the hopes he�ll get over it and start
taking it seriously.�

�I
see.� His cousin stared at Tyson.

{I
take it seriously!} The dragon
protested in Kai�s head rather loudly, making him wince. {I�m just not used to it yet! I wasn�t supposed to be the
Kinomiya. My father was! And Hitoshi after him�}

�I
know, Kinomiya! I know.� Kai laid a hand on a loop of Tyson�s coils
and stroked soothingly. The blue-white
dragon couldn�t stop the immediate rumbling purr that escaped at the gesture
and moved away from Hilary to wind himself around Kai loosely, rubbing up
against his lover lethargically and with an almost feline pleasure.

{Hmm�do
that again, Kai. It felt really, really
good.}

�Urk!
Tyson no hentai!� The prince chastised, crossing his arms
stubbornly in refusal. He felt a swath
of heat spread across his face.

{I
didn�t mean it like that!}

�Uh
huh. Right.� Kai scowled and with the blush Tyson thought he was adorable.

�I
don�t even want to know.� Bryan shook
his head. Tala nodded in agreement,
though he wouldn�t have minded knowing what was going on just for the chance to
tease Kai about whatever it was.

Hilary
just sweatdropped.

�Is
it over now?� Kai asked Tyson. The dragon tilted his head at him curiously.

{Why? Don�t you like seeing me this way,
love?} Kai heard the slight pout in
Tyson�s voice. Kai rolled his eyes.

�You�re
gorgeous and you know it, Kinomiya.�
Kai sighed, conscious of the fact that the others were only getting his
side of the conversation. He was trying
not to blush harder. �I just want to
know because I�m tired and because it�s getting really cool out here.�

Tyson
beamed mentally. {I�m gorgeous? Why thank you, beloved!}

�Hn.�

�Kai
has a point. It�s kind of cold
out.� Hilary pulled her shawl on
tighter around herself and Tala slipped an arm around her, drawing her close to
his side. She gave him a shy smile of
gratitude. Tyson noticed this and, in a
protective manner, gave Tala a warning growl.

{Hands
off my cousin, Tala.} Lightning lit up
the sky as he spoke directly into Tala�s mind, echoing the warning.

Blinking,
Tala slowly removed his arm. �What did
I do?! Come on, Kinomiya, she was
cold.�

Hilary
stamped her foot and planted her hands on her hips. �Now you stop that, Takao!
He�s just being considerate.�

Kai
sighed and stood out of the way as another flash of light surrounded his lover
and the dragon reappeared as his human self.
Tyson scowled at Tala for a moment then looked at Hilary, crossing his
arms over his chest.

�You
want me to be the Kinomiya, cousin?
Fine. Here�s my first decree
then: since you are not yet eighteen years of age, and therefore still a
maiden, you cannot accept any overtures or courtship from anyone without
my approval � just like anyone else, Hilary.
You want Tala to court you? Then
he can do it formally and ask my permission sometime. Until then, you are not to be alone with him, understood?�

Hilary,
torn between fuming and being pleased with her cousin, settled for simply
curtsying again in acceptance.

Tyson
glanced at Bryan, who was shaking his head and trying not to laugh at an
insulted Tala. �You�re not having
aspirations on my cousin, too, are you Bryan?�

�Hell
no. Even if I liked girls that much, it
would be too much trouble.� Bryan held
up his hands. �I�d have to fight Tala
and I don�t want to do that. He
fights dirty.�

�Is
everyone against me?!� Tala
complained. Kai smirked at him,
enjoying the torment of his cousin.

�Good. Since you�re not, I�m appointing you
as their chaperone. Keep them out of
trouble, Bryan, or you�ll deal with me.� Tyson�s eyes were hard and told everyone that he wouldn�t accept
any excuses or arguments.

Hilary
sighed and Tala groaned, giving Kai a pleading look for help.

�He
can�t do that, can he? I mean, Bryan�s
not one of his people��

Kai
considered that for a second. �True
enough�for right now, anyway.� After
casting a sideways glance at his lover, he continued quickly to avoid the glare
Tyson was giving him, saying, �However, you�re both still subject to me
and I say�whatever Tyson says goes.�

�Thank
you.� Tyson sniffed and nodded.

�Hn.� Kai shrugged. �They might as well get used to taking orders from you,
Tyson. Now, can we please go
inside, at least? I�m freezing.� He turned and strode toward the house, a
dejected Tala following behind with Hilary and Wolborg next to him.

�I
really don�t think it�s necessary, Kinomiya.�
Bryan expressed his opinion quietly.
�Tala can be honourable when he wants to be, and I think that he thinks
highly enough of Lady Hilary to want to be.�

�I
have to agree with Bryan on that, Takao.�
Dragoon put his two-cents in, joining them with Dranzer at his
side. �A chaperone?�

�Maybe,
maybe not.� Tyson frowned
stubbornly. �She�s my only living
relative, and she�s underage yet. It
would make me feel better to know there�s someone keeping an eye on her
whenever I can�t.�

Bryan
nodded and gave him a short bow. �Then
I will do my best to keep your mind at ease, my Lord, as His Highness has
declared.�

�Thanks,
Bryan.� Tyson gestured to the
house. �Now let�s go in, shall we?�

Once
inside, they settled into comfortable seats around the fire in the fireplace to
warm up before going off to bed.

�I
just have one question about all this.�
Tala spoke up suddenly. Everyone
looked at him curiously. �If the
Kinomiya is a demi-human, then what does that make my cousin, here?� The redhead gestured at Kai. �I mean, since they�re both descended from
the Gods in nearly the exact same way�why has only Tyson transformed and not
Kai?�

Tyson
and Kai exchanged startled looks, since they hadn�t even thought about that
before.

�Well�my
family did pretty much the same thing Dragoon�s did and sealed away that part
of my line � and to be honest, I don�t know what would happen if I took away
that seal now.� Dranzer had a
thoughtful expression on her face.
�Perhaps nothing would happen and perhaps he would be demi-human enough
to become a Phoenix. You�ve really
given me something to ponder, Tala. Let
me think about it some more and then�we�ll see.�

�All
right.�

Kai
wasn�t so sure he liked the sound of that, but figured he couldn�t really do
much about it, so why bother worrying?
Besides, he was having a difficult time staying awake by this time and
that didn�t help his thought processes much.

Giving
Tyson a nudge and covering his mouth to stifle a yawn, the crimson-eyed prince
got up and tugged his lover to the door.
Tyson, beginning to feel the after-effects of shifting twice within a
short period of time, stumbled wearily after him, giving the others a sleepy
wave over his shoulder.

Dragoon
shooed Bryan after them. �Go on,
Bryan. Dranzer and I will look after
these two for you.� He gestured at Tala
and Hilary, who gave the deity twin scowls, and Bryan nodded in acceptance,
getting up and walking to the door.

Halfway
across the yard, Tyson lost the fight to stay awake and managed to get out a
�Kai�� before slipping into unconsciousness and collapsing.

Kai
turned and caught him awkwardly before he hit the ground with a grunt. �Ooph.
Okay�I forgot about that.� He
sighed and tossed the bluenette over his shoulder. �Sorry, love. Maybe it�s
not the most dignified way of carrying you but it�s only for a moment.�

Bryan
hurried over as he came out of the house and saw Kai catch Tyson. �Need a hand, Your Highness?�

�No. I�ve got him, thanks.� Kai slowly climbed up the stairs behind
Bryan to the apartment. The lavender
haired teen held open the door for him and Kai hauled his lover inside, taking
him over to their bunks and carefully lowering him to the bottom one to lay him
down.

�Is
he okay?� Kenny sat up, rubbing his
eyes sleepily. He�d been woken up by
the opening door, being a very light sleeper.

�He�s
fine. Just knocked out by the
shifting. Go back to sleep, Kenny.�

�Okay.� The brunette curled up again and fell back
asleep.

Kai
tucked his dragon under the covers and brushed the hair from Tyson�s face
fondly, smiling a little at the tiny sigh that escaped him. Then he climbed up to the top bunk and slid
under his own covers, yawning and burrowing into the warm blankets.

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

The
next day dawned dark and rainy. Tyson
woke up slowly, shivering a bit. Prying
an eye open, he realized he�d kicked off most of his blankets during the night.

He
sat up and swung his legs out of bed, stretching lazily and looked up at an
awkward angle to see if Kai was still in bed, too. He could feel the prince�s presence, but he wasn�t in the room as
far as Tyson could see.

Then
he saw the open door to the hayloft in the stables and smiled, getting to his
feet and padding over.

�Kai?�

�Here,
Tyson.� The prince�s deep voice
replied. Tyson found him lounging on a
hay bale, staring out the open loft doors at the rain and chewing absently on a
piece of straw. �Awake?�

�Hmm��
the bluenette went over and sat in front of him, shifting about until he found
a comfortable, warm position lying mostly on top of Kai with his ear pressed to
Kai�s chest. Tyson purred in
contentment and felt himself being lulled back to sleep by Kai�s warmth and
steady heartbeat. �Much better.� He mumbled into the crimson-eyed teen�s
chest.

�Were
you cold? You should have taken the
covers off my bed.� Kai told him, his
fingers automatically combing through Tyson�s hair lethargically.

�Wanted
you.� Tyson rubbed his cheek against
the soft leather of Kai�s vest.
�Better.�

For
some reason, Kai was ridiculously pleased about that, and snuggled his dozing
lover closer.

�Where�s
everyone else?� The bluenette wondered
aloud. Kai�s shoulders shifted slightly
in a small shrug.

�Around. Indoors, I�d imagine. The weather doesn�t really make one want to
be outside that much.�

�Oh.� Beginning to wake up more fully now, Tyson
lifted his head and regarded his lover with sleepy blue eyes. �Does that mean I get you all to myself for
a while?�

Kai
smiled and traced his dragon�s features with a fingertip. �I suppose you do. But I would have thought you�d be starved by now, my love. You slept right through breakfast and
lunch.�

�I
can eat later, love. I don�t get much
private time with you around here, after all.�
Tyson pointed out, dropping a soft, affectionate kiss on the exposed
patch of skin at Kai�s throat above his shirt.
Pushing himself up a bit more, he nuzzled his face into Kai�s neck,
still purring lightly, and breathed deeply, taking in his scent.

�That�s
putting it mildly.� Kai agreed dryly,
his eyelids drooping closed with slow, muted pleasure at Tyson�s continued
attention to the sensitive spots on his neck.
�Mmm�and what better way to spend a rainy day like this than here with
my sexily mussed and rumpled lover making love with little chance of
interruption.�

�None
better that I can think of.� Tyson
grinned, flicking his tongue across Kai�s pulse and sucking lightly. The prince groaned and slipped a hand under
the hem of the bluenette�s sleep shirt to find the soft, smooth skin of his
back, letting his hand roam over Tyson�s back in appreciative caresses. He felt a shiver run through him at Kai�s
touch and Tyson nipped playfully at his dual-haired lover�s earlobe. �Only one problem, gorgeous.�

�Ah�mmm�what�s
that?� Kai inquired, struggling to stay
coherent under his dragon�s pleasurable assault on his senses.

�You�re
wearing way too many clothes, lover.�
The bluenette complained, sitting up a bit to begin untying the ties of
Kai�s vest quickly. �Wear less.�

Kai
smiled, watching Tyson work as he simply lay back in total relaxation and let his
lover attempt to undress him, only moving to help take off the vest and drop it
on a bale negligently. His shirt didn�t
last very long after that either and it was followed swiftly by Tyson�s own
shirt, joining the increasing pile of clothing. �But it�s so much fun watching you strip me, my dragon.�

Tyson
rolled his eyes, giving a short laugh and laying his palms flat against Kai�s
chest. He leisurely rubbed his hands up
and down the older teen�s front, feeling Kai�s heartbeat strong and even in his
chest and the silent strength contained in his muscular torso and abdomen. Tyson felt those muscles ripple with
contractions under his touch and smiled, looking down into Kai�s darkening
crimson eyes with a lusty, stormy gaze of his own for a few moments.

Staring
up into the pair of deep, sapphire blue and silver eyes that he�d gotten lost
in from nearly the first time he�d seen them, Kai caught one of Tyson�s roaming
hands, linked their fingers together and held their joined fists over his
heart.

�I
love you.� He said lowly, squeezing the
dragon�s fingers tightly. He watched
Tyson�s eyes go incredibly soft at his words and the open emotion behind them.

The
passionate fires burning through Tyson�s system a few minutes earlier were
tempered and banked by the sudden need to simply wrap himself around this
complex young man he�d fallen so deeply in love with and just be with Kai,
holding him, immersing himself in that hidden warmth. The bluenette made a low sound and replied in a raspy voice, �I
love you.� Then he leaned down once
more and place his mouth against Kai�s, raising their joined hands and pressing
Kai�s against the pile of straw his back was resting on next to their heads. The prince gave a small whimper and returned
the pressure of Tyson�s lips on his, immensely pleased that Tyson was finally
kissing him.

Kai
felt his lover�s other hand in his hair and shifted restlessly, bringing his
free arm up and curling it around Tyson�s back to grasp at his shoulder as they
continued the uncomplicated kiss with slow, savouring movements of their lips
and the occasional flick of their tongues.
The kiss lasted seemingly forever and neither felt any urgency to
separate, even to breathe.

Eventually,
Tyson left off kissing Kai in favour of lying against him and snuggling in, his
face buried into the curve of Kai�s neck and shoulder. The bluenette was perfectly happy to remain
where he was and enjoy their closeness.
Kai rubbed his cheek against Tyson�s forehead and closed his eyes
contentedly.

Tyson
smiled against his neck and purred quietly, a soft, calm rumbling of sound that
Kai could feel as if he was the one purring � the vibrations were that
strong. The Imperial heir thought about
all this time he�d been away from home, with Tyson, and among strangers that he
had reluctantly and warily begun to consider � dare he say it � friends. It wasn�t something he�d ever expected to
happen in his life � nor did he ever think he would meet people as honest as,
not only Tyson, but Hilary, Max, and Rei, too.
How ironic? He thought
wryly.

Tyson,
on the other hand, was enjoying every minute of his private time with his
would-be lifemate. He realized he
hadn�t really gotten to see and know Kai as a prince, though he had
gotten significant glimpses of that part of him. He had only ever seen Kai�s human side � the side that he knew
Kai hid from the world deliberately � even defensively. In his mind, Tyson knew that the future
Emperor would be very different from this Kai he�d gotten to know. But in his heart and maybe even his spirit,
Tyson knew it was just another facet, another piece of the enigma that was Kai
Hiwatari.

And
it only made him love him more, if that was possible.

After
a long period of comfortable silence, Kai suddenly broke it.

�I�ve
been thinking��

Tyson
raised his head at that, giving him a wary look. �Last time I heard that, you suggested breaking up.�

Kai
sighed and rubbed a thumb across Tyson�s bottom lip, feeling a pang of guilt
even though he knew his dragon hadn�t meant to cause it. �Well, that�s not going to happen
again. I swear.� He buried his face in the mass of midnight
blue hair on his lover�s head. �I
couldn�t leave you now, my dragon. And
nothing could make me.�

�I
know. Good.� Tyson kissed his neck lightly, raising a hand to play with a lock
of Kai�s hair. �So what were you
thinking about?�

�Well�it
all depends on everything working out when we get back and face Boris, of
course�but I had an idea about what happens after � to us and to our
countries.�

�And
that would be�?�

Kai
tipped Tyson�s face up so they could look directly into one another�s eyes with
a finger under his chin. �From one
ruler to another, Kinomiya, I�m swearing to return all the lands my grandfather
took from the Dragon Clans to them and to relinquish all ruler-ship of those
lands to their rightful leader � you.
I�ll give you back your sovereignty, love.�

Tyson
stared at him, eyes glistening. �Kai��
He sniffled and broke out into a watery smile.
�Thank you, Your Highness.� He
said softly in gratitude.

Kai
smiled back and kissed the tears that slipped down Tyson�s cheeks away
gently. �Not one blade of grass nor
pebble will remain in the Emperor�s control.�

�I
wasn�t really worried about that so much.� Tyson chuckled, blinking away his tears. �I knew we�d work out something��

�Yes. But I like this idea better.� Kai gave him a quick peck on the lips. �Tyson��

�What
is it, beloved?� Tyson asked, taking
not of the uncertain quality of Kai�s tone as he said his name.

�I
want to suggest something to you, and I would like you to think about it for a
while. I don�t want an answer from you
until we know for sure that we�re going to come through this dark tunnel we�re
in and back into the light.�

�Okay.� The dragon�s brow furrowed.

�Um�before
I tell you that, though, can I ask you something?�

�Of
course.�

�Where
would you rule from? I mean�would you
rebuild the Kinomiya castle and return to it or would you move someplace else
and start over from scratch?�

Tyson
tapped his fingers against Kai�s chest thoughtfully. �I hadn�t really thought that far ahead, yet, to tell you the
truth. I would, of course, rebuild my
family�s home�but I can keep my eye on my lands from pretty much anywhere, I
suppose.� He glanced up at his
lover. �Why?�

�Well�I�ve
been trying to think of hose you and I can be together � lifemated and
everything � and still be together even though you need to be with your people
and ruling there�but then there�s the problem of all the duties being lifemated
to the Emperor would add�� Kai trailed off, extremely hesitant about the whole
thing.

Tyson
listened, nodding on occasion.
�Yeah�you have a point. Because
once we�re lifemated, Kai, you have to understand that for my people � let
alone me as a demi-human � when we form that bond with someone, it�s for
life. And I don�t just mean their
life-span, either. We of the Clans
literally will not survive without our lifemates once that bond is formed
because it�s as if a piece of each person�s spirit has fused with a piece of
the other�s.�

Kai�s
eyes widened and his arms tightened around Tyson�s shoulders. �Gods�I didn�t know that lifemating was so
strong a bond for your people, love. No
wonder you�ve been so worried about it.�

�Yes.� Tyson whispered, eyes downcast. �Now you see why it�s so hard for me to see
a future with us together.� He felt
tears sting his eyes and buried his face in Kai�s chest, clinging. �I don�t know what to do! The bond is already mostly formed as it
is�Gods! I love you so much, Kai, and
I��

�Shh�Tyson.� Kai quieted the dragon gently, his own heart
aching at the entire situation. �You
know I love you, my dragon. And I made you
that promise that I would do whatever I could to see that we at least got a
chance to make it work, remember?
Listen�if you can lead the Clans from pretty much anywhere, then you
don�t need to be actually among the Clans every day, week, or month, right?�

�No. The Dragon folk are a very self-reliant
people, really, so I suppose not.�

�Okay,
then here�s my idea that I want you to think about: whether you accept or not I
intend to help you and your people rebuild what you�ve lost, but in our case, I
would be so very honoured, Kinomiya Takao, Lord of the Dragon Clans, if you
would be my lifemate�and if you would be co-Emperor and rule with me, side by
side.� Kai proposed in complete
seriousness, lifting Tyson�s hand and liking their fingers together
firmly. �We could divide the year up
and spend half of it in Bay City � in the Empire � and then spend the rest in
the lands of your people, at your home.
Or we can figure that part out however it will suit us best later but
however it�s arranged, you and I would be together, equals in it all. Of course I would defer to you in all
matters pertaining to the Clans and your lands and whatnot, and you�d have the
final say in those times � just as I would on matters of the Empire�s
concern. And we�d work together just
the same��

Tyson
sat up, staring at his lover in shock.
�You�you want me to be a co-ruler?
To�to rule the Empire with you?�
He was perfectly stunned. The
idea had never even occurred to him before.
Yet, as Tyson mulled over the whole idea in his mind, he had to
admit�there was a great deal of merit to Kai�s plan. �Could it work? Would�would
we really be able to make it work like that?�

Kai
squeezed his hand and looked at him with an anxious expression. �I can�t tell you that it will or won�t work
for certain, love. There will probably
be a few bumps and stumbles along the way, but I�m sure you and I would be able
to overcome any obstacles. As selfish
as it is of me, I want you, love you, need you too much to give you
up.� The prince, a fury of passionate
emotion burning in his smouldering crimson eyes, let go of Tyson�s hand and
reached up with both of his own to cup his dragon�s face between his
palms. �You are the best thing in my
life � to have ever happened to me.
I was barely existing before you came along and now�these last few
months I�ve spent with you, just being me and learning so much about not only
you and these people here who were your friends first and whom I would dare to
call my friends, too, but about myself as well. I wouldn�t trade it for anything and I�m so grateful��

Tyson
made a low sound and a silvery trail of tears slipped down his cheeks. Kai rubbed them away with his thumbs and
sucked in a quick breath just before the bluenette bent and kissed him hard, a
firm pressure of lips upon lips and the silent conveyance of emotion that went
with it.

When
the dragon pulled back, panting slightly, he said in a raspy, tender voice,
�Yes.�

Kai
opened his eyes dazedly, blinking at him, not quite sure he had heard
correctly. �Huh?�

�I
don�t need to think about it. My answer
is yes to it all.� Tyson gazed into the
prince�s eyes, love shining in his own azure orbs. �I accept, Kai Hiwatari, Emperor and Majesty, my only love.�

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

Chapter
15

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

The
next few days were not wasted while everyone waited for Rei and Max to
return. Dragoon took Tyson aside every day
and together the two worked to determine just what, exactly, the bluenette was
capable of in his dragon form. They
discovered, for example, that the more often Tyson shifted back and forth, the
easier and quicker it happened � and most of all that he was able to do so
without using the same amount of energy as the first few times he shifted. Therefore his energy drain had decreased
almost to the point where it required little effort at all. Tyson could shift back and forth several
times within the space of a few minutes and he would no longer collapse in
exhaustion as he used to.

Among
other things, like his heightened senses, Tyson and Dragoon carefully worked to
hone his abilities to control the wind and call forth lightning, something he really
had to practice. At first the bluenette
could only do so as a dragon � he was a storm dragon, after all � but
when Dragoon decided he�d gained enough control of things in that form, he
proceeded to help Tyson learn to call on his talents in his human form as well,
though not quite to the extent or power as in his dragon form.

Kai
and Dranzer tagged along to watch most times the two dragons went off to
�train�, though they stayed out of the way for safety�s sake. Kai had no wish to be accidentally struck by
a random bolt of lightning.

One
day they were sitting in the warm sunshine on the hill near that great oak
tree, watching Tyson throw lightning bolts at rocks at a fair distance away for
target practice down near the stream with Dragoon looking on. Kai lay on his stomach, his chin resting on
his folded hands in front of him, and Dranzer sat beside him, flaming skirts
spread around her while she busily continued her knitting project.

�I�ve
been thinking about that question Tala asked, Kai.� She brought up the subject seemingly out of nowhere, breaking the
silence between them after several loud detonations of rocks by Tyson.

�I
see. And what did you discover?� He asked, turning his head to look at her
sideways.

�Well,
after careful consideration, I can honestly say that I see no reason to leave
the seal alone, and it wouldn�t require very much for me to remove it. However, it should be up to you if you wish
it to be removed or not. And I�m afraid
I still don�t know if you even could shift into a phoenix if it was
gone.� Dranzer gave him a slight smile
of apology. �There�s always the
possibility that your human self would be more dominant than your phoenix self
and that you wouldn�t be able to shift at all � or possibly even only
partially.�

�Partially?�

�You
might sprout wings but otherwise remain human, for instance.� She said in example. �One thing I am certain of, like the young
dragon, your senses would increase dramatically, and no doubt you�d discover
certain other abilities as well.�

Kai
looked back down the hill at his lover, who was setting up more rocks to
explode at Dragoon�s directions. �I
guess the only way to know would be to try it and find out, right?� He mused quietly. Dranzer nodded slowly.

�Do
you wish me to remove the seal, then?
Be warned! If I do, I can�t put
it back. This sort of thing requires
more than one of us, more power than I alone have, to create.�

Kai
thought about it for a moment. Was he
willing to live with whatever might happen to him? He watched another rock explode with a CRACK of sound and Tyson�s
whoop of excitement.

�Do
it, please, Dranzer. If Tyson can learn
to live with his new-found self and talents, then so can I.�

�Very
well. I promise to help you however I
can, Kai.�

�I
know.�

Dranzer
set aside her knitting and told him to sit up in front of her. He did so, getting comfortable and then
waiting for her to do whatever it was she had to do. The little deity closed her eyes and began to say something under
her breath that Kai couldn�t understand, slowly raising her hand, which had
begun to glow wit ha mysterious light.

Tyson,
who had just detonated another rock at the farthest distance away yet, turned
and looked up the hill to where his lover was with the intention of calling out
to him to see if Kai had seen his latest accomplishment. However, he stopped when he saw Dranzer
raise her glowing hand and suddenly press her palm to Kai�s forehead. Blinking, Tyson inquired of Dragoon, �What�s
she doing?�

The
Dragon God smiled slightly and dropped a hand on his descendant�s
shoulder. �It appears that Kai has
chosen to have the seal removed from him.
Dranzer is using her power to do that.�

The
bluenette sucked in a breath, taking a step forward, intending to go to Kai�s
side. But Dragoon held him back,
shaking his head to warn Tyson to stay back out of the way and trust Dranzer
and Kai. All he could do was stand
there and watch.

Kai
closed his eyes as he felt Dranzer�s small palm press against his forehead and
he suddenly felt hot � overwhelmingly, broiling hot. He gasped and his eyes flew open, blindly staring into a pair of
red eyes that were so much like his own.

And
in those eyes he found fire � swirling, burning, flaming infernos. In her eyes he could see every spark of
flame, every campfire, hearth-fire, and lamp-lit flame in the world that had
ever existed and existed at that moment.
Wherever there was even a tiny ember, Kai realized his ancestor knew
them, felt them, was them � just as they were part of her. And then he saw those sparks reach out and
he could see every single living being on the planet � more, he could feel
them himself.

{Ah�so
now you understand, in some small part.}
Dranzer�s voice echoed in his mind.
{I apologize, my young phoenix.
I didn�t mean to give you such a view of Our reality. It�s a little overwhelming.}

{Wha�What
is all this?} Kai found his voice, not
realizing he wasn�t speaking aloud.

{Life,
Kai. There�s a spark of flame in
everything that lives and that spark is the flame that burns in each
spirit. It�s passion, heat, light�it�s
life.} He saw her shrug. {I know you�re curious, little one, but how
about you let me worry about that and we just continue what we were
doing here, okay?}

{Ah�sure. It�s making my head hurt anyway.} Kai winced.

{Oh! Dear me�} Whatever she did, suddenly it was
all gone and all he could see was fire.
Kai let out a sigh of relief as his headache disappeared. {Sorry about that. Now, let me see here�} Dranzer trailed off and Kai could feel her
poking around in his head gently.
{Oh! There it is!}

The
prince blinked. He felt�different, but
it wasn�t what he expected.

Dranzer
dusted her hands and moved back to sit away from him. �All done!� She declared
cheerfully. �Goodness! And look at your aura�very nice! Do you feel any better now?�

Tyson
had watched with wide eyes as Kai seemed to be surrounded by flames, yet there
was nothing burning and Kai seemed to be perfectly fine among the fires.

It
didn�t stop him from worrying though.

As
soon as the flames disappeared, however, and Dranzer moved away from Kai,
Tyson�s feet began to move toward his lover before Tyson could even think about
it. He dropped down to the ground next
to the prince and ran his fingers through dual-shaded hair. �Kai?�

Kai
looked up into his dragon�s darkened blue eyes, seeing the concern there. �I�m alright, love. Honest.
I mean, I feel kind of strange but�it�s almost as if I�m complete
now. Like�there was part of me missing
before and I didn�t know it.�

Tyson
nodded. Now that Kai mentioned it, it
had sort of felt like that the night he�d first transformed, come to think of
it. �You�re sure you feel okay,
though?�

�Yeah. I think so.
But�I don�t think I�m going to change like you can.� Kai looked down at his hands. �Could you tell?�

�Looking
back on it, yes. But at the time I had
no idea what was going on.� Tyson
tilted his head at him curiously.
�So�do you notice anything with your senses, beloved? Any change?�

Dranzer
smoothed out her skirts as Dragoon plopped down next to her and stretched out
lazily.

�It
may be too soon to tell, Takao.� She
pointed out.

�And
he may not know what he can do yet, either.�
Dragoon added sagely.

�No��
Kai said slowly, looking around at the landscape. �It seems like everything appears�brighter, clearer, and sharper
somehow. And�the sun certainly feels a
lot warmer than it did a few moments ago.�

The
two deities exchanged glances.

�That
was fast.� Dragoon noted, surprised.

�Phoenixes
are very sensitive to heat and light. I
suppose it makes sense he�d notice an immediate difference now.� Dranzer mused thoughtfully.

While
they tried to figure everything out, Kai was staring at his palm intently,
Tyson watching him closely.

�What
is it, beloved?�

�It�s
strange. I can feel something inside me
trying to free itself and burst out of my hand, yet it can�t do anything on its
own. No, wait�it�s more like it doesn�t
want to do anything without my permission.� Kai explained, flexing his fingers.

Tyson
smiled. This he understood. �I think I can help there. See?�
He held up his own hand, palm up, and with a small bit of concentration
he called up a bit of static electricity, little blue-white bolts crackling and
dancing around his hand. Kai stared at
it in surprise but smiled after a moment.

�Wicked. How�d you do that?�

And
so, since their ancestors were busy arguing biology and genetics, it was Tyson
who began training Kai as Dragoon had trained him. They spent the rest of the day working together and Tyson had to
admit that either Kai was a quick study or Tyson was a fantastic teacher. By the time they decided to head back to the
house, Kai had nearly caught up to Tyson�s skill, much to the bluenette�s self-disgust.

�Quit
berating yourself, love.� Kai slipped
an arm around Tyson�s waist, hugging him to his side briefly.

�Hmph.� Tyson grunted, scowling darkly at the ground
as he walked.

�Everyone
learns at a different speed. It doesn�t
mean, necessarily, that you�re less intelligent or that I�m better than you��
Kai paused for a moment then threw Tyson a side-glance, a slight smirk on his
face. �Although I am��

�Say
what?!� Tyson turned to him, vaguely
outraged.

�Relax,
Kinomiya. I�m teasing.�

�Not
funny.�

�You�re
mad at me now, aren�t you?�

�Yes.�

Tyson
kept walking toward the house, arms folded over his chest, leaving Kai to run
after him. When he caught up, he had to
keep a brisk pace to match the dragon�s.

�I
didn�t mean it, Tyson�� The prince frowned and moved in front of him, forcing
him to stop walking. The bluenette just
stared solidly at him, midnight blue eyes unflinching. �Ty�wait a second.�

�What?� He responded flatly.

They�d
come to a stop just next to the stable as they moved toward the house. �I don�t really believe that I�m any better
than you, okay? The truth is that I�ve
never met anyone like you, my equal, in every way I can think of. I was only teasing earlier.�

Tyson
looked into sincere crimson eyes and leaned against the wall of the stable,
fighting off a sigh. He could feel the
insult and his mad drain away at those eyes.

Willing
to press his luck, Kai moved in closer until he was only a few inches away from
him. He leaned in, softly brushing his
lips against Tyson�s, and felt shivers run through them both. �Forgive me?� He whispered, cupping his lover�s face between his palms.

�Are
you trying to distract me?� Tyson
murmured back, feeling heat wash through him.

�Is
it working?�

�Hmm��
Tyson hummed lowly and reached up, driving his fingers through Kai�s hair and
with a swift movement, catching Kai off guard, whirled them around and shoved
the prince back against the wall. Kai�s
startled noise was captured by Tyson�s demanding mouth on his, kissing him
blind, deaf, and dumb to anything but the feel, scent, and taste of the
bluenette. He opened his mouth
willingly to his lover, letting him in, and happily allowed the dragon to
stroke his tongue with his own, duelling Kai and demanding no resistance. Perfectly compliant, Kai curled his arms
around Tyson�s shoulders and gave a breathless moan, squirming as Tyson ran his
hands down along Kai�s sides and gripped his hips hard, grinding against the
older teen suggestively. The friction
was intense and two similar cries rang out.

Using
the pause in the lusty kiss to suck in a lungful of air, Kai raised a leg and
hooked it around Tyson�s waist, whimpering when Tyson dragged his mouth over
the line of Kai�s jaw. Kai�s eyes
squeezed closed and his head lolled to the side, allowing better access to his
neck for Tyson, who didn�t hesitate to take advantage. He heard Tyson whisper darkly against his
ear, �I�m still annoyed with you, you know.�
The bluenette nipped somewhat roughly at Kai�s ear and the dual-haired
teen let out a small mewl and clutched tighter at his lover�s shoulders. �But I�ll get over it.� Pressing himself up against Kai and nuzzling
with his nose, cheek, and lips, Tyson sighed deeply, purring without restraint.

Kai
sighed too, in relief. He�d begun to
realize that whenever Tyson nuzzled like this, it meant he was in a good mood �
happy. In this case, it meant he�d
forgiven Kai.

�I
am sorry, you know.� Kai murmured,
resting his cheek against the top of the dragon�s head. �Do you get the feeling we�ll be competitive
with each other for the rest of our lives, or is it just me?�

Tyson
chuckled. �Maybe. But you know that no matter what, no matter
how angry or annoyed I might get with you�I�ll still lover you.� He gave Kai a sheepish, wry smile. �You know my temper.�

�Yeah.� Kai pressed his lips to Tyson�s
briefly. �You know the same goes for
me, right?�

�Of
course.� Tyson kissed him back lightly
with a grin, releasing his hold on the prince and grasping his hand. �Besides�it�s my job as your lifemate to
keep that ego of yours in check.�

They
continued walking to the house, slowly, hand in hand.

�Ego? I don�t have an ego.�

�Right.�

�I
don�t!�

�Yeah,
love, you do.�

�Do
not.�

�Do
too.�

�Do
not.�

�Do
too.�

�Do
not.�

�Do
too.�

Kai
pouted as he followed Tyson into the kitchen through the back door of the
house.

�I
do not.�

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

Not
three days later, Rei and Max returned from�wherever it was they�d been that
week. During their remaining absence,
Tyson and Kai continued to train with each other out on the hill near the tree
they�d dubbed as their own.

Tyson
ducked and rolled to the side, avoiding Kai�s fireball blast agilely and fought
back with a hastily aimed lightning strike.

Kai
whirled and dashed to the side, firing another fireball. It was met, however, by Tyson�s
lightning. The resulting explosion lit
up the sky and made both teens wince at the loud concussion of sound that went
with it.

�Whoa. That was a good one.� Tyson held out his hand and looked up as
tiny sparkles of energy drifted down from above. Kai stood next to him and looked up, too.

�We�d
better be careful. Judging by the
explosions, the power we keep putting out is increasing in strength.� He said.

�Yeah.�

�Kai! Tyson!�

The
pair turned at the sound of familiar voices calling to them.

�Hey! So you�re back, huh?� Tyson broke out into a grin and waved at Max
and Rei as they hurried toward them.
�How you doin� Rei?�

�We�re
both fine, but are you alright? What
was that explosion?� The neko-jin
asked, looking around cautiously.

�Uh�sorry
about that. It was us.� Tyson scratched his head sheepishly. �We were training and on occasion we cause a
few explosions.�

Max
stared at his best friend. �I don�t
understand. How?�

Kai
folded his arms over his chest and looked away, a splash of red painting the
bridge of his nose. �It�s nothing. We were nearly done for the day anyway.�

Tyson
blinked at his lover. �Oh,
honestly.� He gave Max and Rei an
apologetic smile. �He�s not used to our
abilities yet and gets a bit embarrassed.�
He said in a stage whisper.

�
�Our abilities?�� Max repeated, still
confused.

Kai
turned and began to walk up the hill to pick up his bow and quiver of arrows
he�d left there. �Don�t worry about it,
Max.�

Rolling
his eyes, Tyson frowned at Kai�s back and slowly raised his hand, sparks flying
around his fist. Max and Rei gaped at
him, since they�d never seen that before.
The bluenette waited until he thought the prince was occupied, slipping
the shoulder strap of his quiver over his head and settling it into place,
before pulling back his fist then pushing it forward, letting loose the energy
in his grip at Kai.

Before
Max or Rei could shout a warning or demand what Tyson thought he was doing, Kai
� having sensed Tyson�s power as soon as he called it � spun and held up one
palm, loosing his own power right back at the bluenette.

BOOM!

Max
ducked and Rei hit the ground, both covering their heads and ears at the
noise. As the smoke cleared, they
slowly raised their heads to see the two demi-humans standing at some distance
apart � Tyson near the base of the hill and Kai a little apart from the oak
tree near the top of the hill � each with their very distinctive auras flaring
brightly around them, their own power rustling their clothes and hair as if by
a slight wind. The two stared solidly
at one another, no fear, no flinching, and with no intention of backing down. Kai�s eyes blazed flaming crimson and gold
just as Tyson�s gleamed sparkling blue-white and silver.

�All
right, children. That�s enough.�

Dranzer
and Dragoon appeared directly between their descendants and made their way over
to each.

�I
think you�ve both trained enough for today, Takao.� Dragoon stopped in front of the bluenette. �Besides, you�re scaring off the wildlife in
the area, not to mention any of Max and Rei�s neighbours.�

Max
swore all he did was blink and Tyson suddenly appeared to be perfectly normal �
albeit a little worn out and mildly annoyed-looking. It seemed to be the same with the dual-haired prince, who now
leaned casually against the trunk of the tree, absently playing with his bow as
the fiery female deity gave him a piece of her mind.

�And
another thing�!� She exclaimed, stamping her foot indignantly.

�Now,
now, sweetheart.� Dragoon purred,
wrapping both arms around her from behind.
�They haven�t done any damage and, really, there�s no use getting worked
up over their�lapse of caution. Our
young ones, here, have exhibited near-perfect control already and that�s enough
for me to trust them to take care of themselves.�

�Hmph.� Dranzer huffed and said nothing.

�And
what, may I ask, was that for, Kinomiya?�
Kai inquired, narrowing his eyes at his lover. Tyson just shrugged and gave him a mischievous smile.

�A
little demonstration for our returned friends and because I was trying to help
you get over your embarrassment � although I don�t see why you�re so
worked up about your new self, love.�
The Kinomiya responded.

�I�m
not embarrassed. Just�reluctant
to use my talents for the lone purpose of showing off.� Kai shook his head in denial. �You shouldn�t use such things just for
that. There should always be a purpose
to the use of your power.�

�Yes,
I agree. I�m saying there was a
purpose, Kai: demonstrating to Max and Rei what we�ve been doing since they�ve
been away and letting them see what made those explosions they got all excited
about.� Tyson stuck out his tongue at
the older teen. �Nyah!�

�Don�t
do that unless you�re planning on using it, lover.� Kai smirked at his dragon�s instant blush and hastily retracted
tongue.

�Kai
no hentai!�

�Uh�sorry
to interrupt.� Rei sweatdropped. �But could someone please fill us in on
what�s happened? Obviously Max and I
have missed a few things.�

�And
how�s Tabitha?� Max asked with paternal
concern and interest.

�She�s
fine, Max.� Tyson reassured him,
slipping his hand automatically into Kai�s and leading the way back to the
house. Along the way, he filled his
friends in on the events of the last few days they�d been gone.

�Wow! So Kai is a demi-human, too?� Max�s eyes widened. �Neat!�

Kai
sighed.

�Does
that mean he transforms into a phoenix now, like Tyson does a dragon?� Rei wanted to know.

Dranzer
shook her head. �No. I�m afraid that is one ability my line has
not been allowed to retain. I inspected
the seal my family used a little more closely and it seems that they�ve once
again done the opposite of Dragoon�s family.
You see, with Tyson, the Dragon Gods� seal was only to suppress and
conceal the Kinomiya Clan�s dragon side until it was needed. I guess my family wanted to
disassociate themselves completely from humans so their seal also has the
purpose of simply wearing away those abilities that would mark one of my line
into non-existence over time.
Shape-shifting is definitely one of those.� She shook her head sadly.
�We can only be grateful that the seal hadn�t gotten around to draining
away his control of heat and light, otherwise Kai would not be able to use fire
as he has so skilfully demonstrated.�

�I
see.�

�It
doesn�t bother me, Dranzer.� Kai told
her softly. �I think having one of us
shape-shift every so many months and whatnot is enough for now. And I wouldn�t be able to learn all the
other things I�d have to before we go back home�little things like how to
fly. There�s just no time.�

Tyson
laughed. �Oh Gods! That would be fun to watch, if you could!�

�Baka.� Kai scowled, though he said it
half-heartedly.

Rei
yawned and stretched with feline movements.
�Ah�it�s nice to be home.�

Max
smiled, taking his hand. �Yeah. Actually, I�m looking forward to a nice hot
bath more than anything�right after I see Tabi.�

�Come
on, Maxie! Let�s go see our
daughter!� Rei took off running,
pulling the blonde along behind him.

Kai
and Tyson watched them go, following at a much slower pace.

�Speaking
of baths�� Tyson looked down at himself.
�I�m all dusty and dirty from rolling around and sweating.�

�So
am I. But can we eat first, love? I think if I don�t soon then I�m going to
pass out.� Kai rubbed his stomach.

�Okay. Let�s go bug Hilary for supper then, shall
we?�

�Right
behind you, Kinomiya.�

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

Hilary
and Kenny had been busy making a veritable feast that afternoon so when the
pair showed up the two brunettes were happy to feed them � and everybody else,
too. When Tyson asked what the occasion
was, Hilary said Dragoon had let her know that Rei and Max were on their way
back and she�d decided to have a welcome back meal.

So
while they ate, Max and Rei went and had their baths, and when they came back
to eat and spend time with their daughter, Tyson and Kai took advantage of the
bathhouse themselves.

Tyson
patted the bench in front of himself.
�Sit here, beloved and I�ll scrub your back for you.� He offered.

Kai,
naked just as Tyson was except for the fluffy white towel around each of their
waists, padded over and sank down to sit.
�Only if you let me return the favour.�

�Sure. Then we can soak. The water should be heated up by then, too.� Tyson soaped up a cloth and began rubbing it
over Kai�s shoulders and upper back.

�Works
for me�uhn.� The crimson-eyed prince
groaned as his lover scrubbed him down firmly and quickly with the cloth. �Oh Gods that feels good��

�Love,
you�re all tense.� The bluenette
finished scrubbing and tossed the cloth into a basin of warm water and put his
hands back on the muscular body in front of him, using the soap to help his
fingers slide over Kai�s skin easily as he began massaging the tension out of
him. �Are you sore, too? You�ve been working yourself too hard
training.�

�Hn.� Kai wasn�t really listening. His eyes were closed and he was off in his
own little world as he thoroughly enjoyed his impromptu massage. Tyson was pressing deep, and although his
muscles were sore and it was a bit painful, Kai simply ignored the hurt in
favour of feeling his lover�s hands on him.
The pleasure from that was certainly outweighing the ache of his
muscles.

After
a few more minutes, when Tyson noticed Kai was nearly falling asleep, he
stopped and nudged his lover gently.
�Kai�if you�ll lose the towel I�ll rinse the soap off you.�

Kai
blinked and looked around in momentary confusion. �Huh? Oh�� he rubbed his
hands over his face and got up, pulling the towel off and carelessly dropping
it on the floor.

Tyson
blew a stray lock of his hair out of his eyes and unconsciously licked his lips
at the sight of the long, lean, muscular line of Kai�s naked form that he was
suddenly presented with. Snapping
himself out of his instant fantasy, Tyson forced himself to look away and
picked up the basin of water, standing too, and slowly poured it over Kai�s
shoulders, rinsing the soapsuds away.

�Ah! Cold water!� The dual-haired teen yelped, shivering a bit.

�Oops. Sorry!�
Tyson apologized and handed Kai the basin when he turned around.

�No�I
just wasn�t expecting it. Turn and sit,
Kinomiya.� Kai gestured at the
bench. �And take out your hair tie
before you get your hair too wet and make it hard to get off.� He filled the basin with hot, clean water
and picked up another cloth then went back to sit behind Tyson and begin
scrubbing his back in return. The
dragon purred quietly in contentment the entire time, leaning into Kai�s strong
hands as they moved over him. It made
the prince smile to himself.

That
done, Tyson turned and gave Kai a slow, appreciative kiss, taking the basin
from him. �Thanks, love. I�ll finish washing myself up. You go soak, or wash your hair, or whatever
and I�ll join you in a bit.�

Kai
nodded and quickly washed his hair before sliding into the large pool of heated
water to soak. He sat on a bench in the
water, the relaxing liquid heat coming just up to his chest and armpits, and
leaned against the side with a sigh, closing his eyes. He cracked one open to watch his dragon
slide in with him, silken, midnight blue hair draped around his face and
shoulders. Opening his other eye and
watching Tyson through lowered eyelids as he had the sudden itch to run his
fingers through those lustrous strands, Kai sank lower in the water.

Tyson
smiled to himself, knowing perfectly well the effect he was having on his
lover. He could practically feel
the desire emanating from Kai and he mentally laughed as his own body responded
to it.

�Kinomiya��
Kai spoke his name with a husky voice.
�You�re entirely too sexy for your own good, you know that?�

Tyson
smirked and glided toward him. �What�s
the matter, beloved? Can�t handle the
heat?� Eyes darkening, he tipped Kai�s
chin up with a finger and rubbed his nose against Kai�s, their breaths
mingling. �Odd for a phoenix, hmm?�

�It�s
not the heat�and I can handle anything you�ve got, dragon.� Kai replied. �But can you handle me?� He challenged, suddenly reaching out and pulling Tyson down onto
his lap and crushing their mouths together.
Without any prelude, their tongues met and warred for position. Tyson made a noise in his throat and wound
both arms around Kai�s neck, feeling those large calloused hands under the
water find his thighs and slowly slide up and down seductively as the kissing
continued.

Needing
to breathe, Tyson broke away, panting a little. �Gods, I love your hands.�
He purred breathlessly. �I
especially love your hands on me�touch me, Kai!�

�Mmm�my
pleasure.� Kai let his hands roam up
from Tyson�s legs on either side of his hips to his shoulders, smoothing them
over sun-bronzed skin and slicking water off him. Then he lightly ran his fingertips in a trail down the dragon�s
chest until he found the hardening buds of his nipples, teasing them with
circular patterns and light touches.
Tyson arched his back into the sensations and moaned, silently begging
for more. Kai watched his hands as he
moved them farther down, tracing the lines of Tyson�s washboard stomach. He let one hand drop to Tyson�s upper thigh
under the water, massaging, while his other drifted over his navel, circling it
with his fingertips. The dragon�s hands
clutched at Kai�s shoulders and he shifted restlessly, trying not to squirm.

�Kai�Gods,
that�s so good.� Tyson moaned as
the prince wrapped his hand around his growing erection and lightly stroked,
making the bluenette�s hips rock involuntarily. Shuddering, Tyson pulled away from his lover reluctantly. �Uhn�okay.
I can�t take more of that, love.�

�Aww�I
guess you can�t handle me.� Kai smirked
smugly as Tyson was climbing out of the pool.
The dragon growled and turned around, sitting on the edge and gazing
hotly at him. �What? You�re the one running away�� He grinned and
moved over to Tyson, stepping up on the bench seat under the water and stopping
in front of him with one of Tyson�s legs on either side of him. Tyson looked up at him with stormy blue
eyes.

�You
wish, Hiwatari.� He replied with a
husky voice. �I just figured we ought
to quit while we�re ahead before we get interrupted again, that�s all.�

Kai
raised a challenging eyebrow and leaned in close. �Excuses, excuses�I had a short chat with my benevolent ancestor
before we came out here and she promised to keep everyone away long enough for
us to have some private time.� The crimson-eyed teen informed him with a low,
gravelly voice. �And I�d suggest we use
the opportunity because we may not get another for a long while, my
sexy�little�dragon.� His last words
were punctuated with quick, teasing kisses to Tyson�s lips.

�Oh. Well, in that case�bring it on.� Tyson flashed a grin and reached up to
tunnel his fingers through Kai�s hair, pulling him in for a full, deep,
thorough exploration of each others� mouths as they fell over together to lie
on the floor of the bathhouse with their feet still dangling in the water.

Picking
up where he�d left off, Kai slid downwards back into the water to kneel on the
bench seat between Tyson�s legs, kissing and licking away the droplets of water
that still clung to his lover�s skin as he went. Tyson cried out in ecstasy as his throbbing length was suddenly
sheathed in the wet heat of Kai�s mouth.
The bluenette let his legs splay apart wider to give Kai more room to
settle in and because he simply had no inhibitions any longer around his lover,
totally comfortable with Kai seeing how wanton he really was with the prince
after even their short relationship thus far.

Not
that Kai noticed. He was too busy
enjoying the taste of his dragon, the feel of him, and the rising scent of his
need. Kai was immersed in his task of
giving as much pleasure as he could to the bluenette, his now heightened senses
making everything seem like a new experience all over again.

It
felt like forever to Tyson but in reality it didn�t take long before his body
shuddered violently and he came with a high, keening moan. Kai swallowed repeatedly, barely managing to
keep up, then released Tyson and clambered up again to curl against his lover�s
chest. Panting, Tyson drew him into a
long, passionate kiss of appreciation and a silent promise to return the
favour.

Tyson
rolled them over so that he hovered over his lover, staring down into those
burning crimson eyes filled with love and want. He gave Kai a soft smile and trailed a fingertip over his face,
lightly tracing Kai�s features. When he
reached Kai�s mouth he rubbed his thumb over Kai�s full bottom lip, slightly
swollen from their kisses.

Kai
made a questioning noise and Tyson shook his head. �It�s nothing.� He
murmured. �Just thinking how beautiful
you are and how grateful I am to have you like this�to be the one who can do
this to you and see you like this.�

The
phoenix brought a hand up to hold Tyson�s hand against his cheek, rubbing it
against his palm affectionately. �I�ve
never felt like this before, Tyson. I
had nearly begun to believe I would never find someone that I could care for
even half of what I do for you. But the
second I saw you I was drawn, and I fell so hard for you, even though I didn�t
realize it at first.� Kai brought the
back of Tyson�s hand to his mouth, kissing it gently. �I still don�t fully understand it all, or know what to expect,
but I�m not afraid of how much I love you any more.�

�I�m
glad.� Tyson smiled. �I don�t think we�ll ever know what to
expect, love. Emotions are rarely that
predictable. But I�m not worried! Whatever happens, we can handle it �
together.� He dipped his head and
captured Kai�s lips in a slow, passionate kiss once more and felt his lover
move restlessly under him, a tell-tale hardness nudging him in the hip. Breaking the kiss reluctantly, Tyson began
licking, kissing, and nipping a path down Kai�s body, leaving a wet trail of
tingling, sensitized nerves in his wake.
Moaning his name desperately, Kai shoved his fingers through the drying,
loose locks of the bluenette�s hair, encouraging him to go farther down where
he really wanted to feel Tyson�s touch � anything really.

But
Tyson wasn�t about to let up on the blatant teasing, even though he knew he�d
have to eventually. Kai let out a
mewling groan of frustration as his lover continued kissing past Kai�s aching
length down his pelvis and across the inside of his legs. Tyson�s hands busily ran slickly up and down
Kai�s legs, stomach, and sides, succeeding in making the prince gasp, moan, and
squirm.

�T-Tyson!� He bit out, his hands fisting and releasing
in Tyson�s hair rhythmically. �Uh�I
need�please!�

Tyson
looked up through his bangs and watched Kai�s expression as his hands continued
the pleasurable torture. �This?� He inquired, wrapping the fingers of one
hand loosely around his phoenix�s erection and stroking. Kai arched his back, hips thrusting into the
movement of Tyson�s hand, and sucked in a harsh breath.

�Oh
Gods�more! Please, love�stop
teasing.� The phoenix panted, prying
open his eyes to stared down at Tyson.
Their eyes met and held firm, and Tyson smiled slowly, his hand gripping
more firmly and pumping a bit harder and faster. Kai cried out, his vision wavering. Just as his senses had been very sensitive before when he�d been
the one giving pleasure to Tyson, now they were going into overdrive and even
the lightest of touches from his dragon sent sparks of sensation dance over his
every nerve ending.

Then
Tyson flicked his tongue across his weeping tip and Kai couldn�t hold back a
strangled yowl this time. Kai began to
tremble, feeling his release coming on fast as the dragon finally took pity and
engulfed him, sucking hard and using his tongue to further entice reaction from
the writhing teen in his grasp.

When
Kai finally had to let go and flew high in ecstasy, he came very close to
screaming his pleasure to the world.
Tyson drank him down hungrily and let go of his lover, licking his lips
clean of spills and moved up to drape himself across Kai�s chest, staring down
into dazed crimson eyes with satisfaction.

�Feel
good, lover?� He purred, smiling when
Kai�s hand came to arrest on his backside and smacked him lightly. �That was fun.�

�Very.� The phoenix agreed with a small yawn. �Should we finish getting cleaned up and go
get some rest?�

�Yeah.� Tyson sighed, sitting up reluctantly. �We�ve got a long journey ahead of us
starting tomorrow.�

�I
know. Try not to think about it
tonight, okay? Let�s just enjoy the
time we have left.�

�Uh
huh.� Tyson gave Kai a hand up and they
finished cleaning up before heading back to the house to visit a bit more with
their friends before going to bed.

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Majesty