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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
- 4
- 5
- 6
Authoress� Notes: Now that you�ve all forgotten what happened in the last chapter�
(Dryad: -_- Go read the last chapter to refresh
your memories. *whaps Kali*
Update faster!) Ow�
@_@ That�s yami abuse! Anyway,
this monster of a fic that came out of nowhere is
certainly going somewhere, isn�t it? And
now: yet ANOTHER plot twist! *sweatdrops*

Warnings: Yaoi, language, violence, lemons,
dramatic angst, etc.

Disclaimer: I don�t own Beyblade. Only this fic and its OCs (if any).

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

Chapter
21

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

�SAY WHAT?!�

A loud rumble of thunder shook the ground and rattled
the walls of the Palace to accompany the infuriated exclamation that Tala was
sure everyone within several miles had heard loud and clear. The redhead winced.

Kai ran one hand up and down Tyson�s arm in an effort
to clam. �Easy, Tyson. Don�t wreck the nice new walls.�

The dragon growled.

�I�m just repeating what the little pipsqueak out
there was saying.� Tala held up his
hands. �Don�t kill the messenger,
Kinomiya.�

�Do you know this kid, love?� Kai asked.

�Not well.
He�s a distant cousin on my mother�s side. Through marriage and not
blood relation, no less.�
Scowling darkly, Tyson began stalking toward the door. �How dare he claim
leadership of the Clans?! We�ll
just see about this��

Forced to follow the angry Kinomiya through the
halls, Kai and Tala rushed after him.
And both got a tad worried when Tyson stopped off at the chambers he
shared with the Prince to pick up his family�s Sword.

�Uh�what are you planning, Kinomiya?� Kai eyed him warily as the bluenette
unsheathed the sword and gripped it purposefully.

From across the room on the bench seat near the
windows, a questioning mewl sounded. Glancing over, they saw a coiled Dragoon in
his dragon form, blinking sleepily at them.
Kai raised an eyebrow at the Phoenix
(who he hadn�t even noticed had disappeared sometime earlier when they�d
reached the throne room). She was
perched on the window sill next to her mate.

{Takao? What�s going on?} Dragoon inquired.

{It seems the Clans have gathered.} Tyson informed him.,
turning the blade in his hands restlessly.
It caught the light and made the glossy blackness glint. {Under new leadership.}

Dragoon�s head shot up and a low growl rumbled
through the room. {Say what?!}

�I�m going to disabuse my people of the notion that that little brat could possibly be their
leader.� Tyson�s midnight blue eyes
gleamed.

Kai grabbed his bow and quiver, slipping on over his
back, and gave his lover a short nod.
�Let�s go.�

Dragoon wound his way over to his descendant and
curled around his upper body, resting his head on Tyson�s shoulder. Dranzer flew over to Kai to perch on his
shoulder. Together, they strode after
Tala outside to the walls of the Palace to take a look at the situation for
themselves.

Max and Rei were standing near the gate tower along
the battlements, watching the crowd below, when Kai, Tyson, and Tala arrived.

�Tyson! Isn�t this something?� the blonde gestured
at the crowd. �I don�t think I�ve ever
seen the Clans gathered together like this since�your brother�s naming ceremony
years and years ago.�

The bluenette nodded, his grip tightening on his
sword. �We don�t hold court
like other places do, nor do we go to war � excluding recent events � so
we haven�t very much reason to all get together unless it�s for a naming
ceremony, or lifemate ceremony, or something.�

�Well, then�� Tala�s gaze
roamed over the situation as he thought.
�You have an opportunity here.
You can reclaim your authority, introduce my
blushing cousin, here��

�I�m what?�
Kai glared at Tala. �Shut it,
you��

�Okay, cut it out.
This is no time for bickering, as entertaining as that is.� Tyson stepped between them and tapped the
blade of the sword against his leg, considering his options. �Tala�s right,
though. This is an opportunity.�

�What are you thinking?� Rei asked, seeing the scheme
forming behind Tyson�s eyes.

�I think Tala should be our spokesperson.� Tyson said slowly. Tala blinked at him in surprise. �Here�s what we do�� He outlined his plan
quickly, and once it was agreed on, Tyson and Kai went down to the main gates
in preparation for their part of the plan, stopping where they could still see
Rei, who would give them a signal when the time came.

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

Tala sent Ian off with orders to gather up the Royal
guards and have them ready and waiting.
When he got an all ready signal from Rei, the Captain signalled a
trumpeter who had been called out from the Palace garrison of the Guards to get
everyone�s attention below.

A few blasted, tempestuous fanfares later, the crowd
was quite and looking up at the gates expectantly. From the centre of the crowd, the one behind
the entire show yelled across the square to Tala, �Where is he? Or have you come out to escort me to your
Prince so that I can make my demands to him?�

�No. I have
not.� Even from that distance, Tala�s cold gaze made many of the crowd step
back. �I have come to remind you, Master
Daichi,
that you are in no position to be making demands.� Tala let out a sharp whistle and from all
around the square Royal Guards appeared from streets and buildings, surrounding
the whole crowd.

�What the�hey! What is this?!� Daichi shouted,
whipping his head around in alarm.
Panicked shouts and cries came from the crowd.

�Alright!� Tala snapped at the top of his voice,
gesturing tat the trumpeter to blow another blast of sound in warning. �Enough!
The soldiers aren�t here to harm anyone.
They�re just a precaution to keep all of you safe as well as the
citizens of Bay City
� whom, by the way, this mob is currently disturbing and disrupting the lives
of.�

�This is an insult!
We aren�t disturbing anyone!� The
young boy railed from his �podium� of the obelisk acting as a giant sundial in
the centre of the square. Tala ignored
him and gestured at Rei, who nodded and gave Kai the signal.

A regiment of Royal Guards formed up in two lines in
front of Kai and he sighed. Tyson
squeezed his hand and let go, moving off to the side. �Be careful, love�but don�t lose your temper
and kill him.� Tyson�s smile wasn�t a
happy one. �If anyone does that, it�ll
be me.�

Kai sweatdropped and gave
him a reassuring smile. �Don�t worry,
Tyson. I don�t think it�ll come down to
that.�

�Hmph. We�ll see.�

The huge gates slowly began to swung
open, and the Guards marched out quickly into the crowd, clearing a wide path
from the doors to the obelisk. Kai drew
himself up, Dranzer ruffled her feathers and hopped
down from his shoulder to his arm. The
phoenix prince strode out and through the path made toward Daichi.

With everyone�s attention on Kai, nobody noticed
Dragoon shift to his human form and, dressed as one of the Clansmen, slipped
out into the crowd to situate himself near the centre. And no one paid any attention to Tyson, who
slowly walked out after Kai and made his way toward them.

Kai stopped under the shadow the obelisk cast and
looked up at Daichi with a distinctly uninterested
expression on his face. Hovering near
the boy was a dragon, not unlike Dragoon in his dragon form, but was white with
yellow markings. Unsurprised, Kai
addressed the boy. �So you�re the one
causing a riot in my streets.� He
frowned and lifted Dranzer, giving her an extra boost as she launched herself
into the air, flying up to the top of the obelisk and perching at its
point. �Why are you and these people outside my gates, kid?�

�We are here to speak to you about our lands! Our futures!� Daichi glared down
at him. �Our leader and his entire
family were killed in the war, and I have taken up the leadership of the Clans
as the only surviving relative of the Kinomiya clan. On behalf of my people, I have come to ask
you what the Empire�s intentions are toward us.� A puzzled look crossed his face. �Who are you, anyway? Another one of those
arrogant Guards?� He gestured at
the Guards around them.

Kai blinked at him, not believing the kid didn�t know
who he was, especially after the �my streets� and �my gates� he�d just thrown
at him. Tala appeared at his side,
though a couple steps back, and bowed slightly from the waist to Kai.

�Your Highness. I see you decided to come out here, after
all.� The Captain of the Guards
observed. �Do you have any orders,
cousin?�

�Hn. Not yet.
It depends on the crowd.� Kai
folded his arms and glanced around, ignoring Daichi
as his jaw dropped open in shock. �I
want no accidents, Tala. No one is to be
harmed unless they have come here for a fight � which would be pointless � and
if they try something, I�ll have the lot of them imprisoned for disturbing the
peace. As for the kid,� Kai�s gaze
landed back on Daichi. �Since he�s claiming leadership over these
people, its his responsibility to keep them under
control. Anyone steps out of line and
not only will they be arrested, but I�ll have him arrested for disturbing the peace and inciting a riot.� Kai�s
crimson eyes narrowed and Daichi took a step back.

�Understood, Your
Highness.� Tala nodded and stood off to
the side, as if waiting for orders attentively (though his ice blue eyes were
ever watchful).

�Well�� Daichi pulled
himself together and planted his hands on his hips. �At least you�re finally taking me seriously,
coming out to meet, leader to leader.�

Kai snorted.
�Excuse me? The only leader of
the Clans is the Kinomiya. And you are not the Kinomiya.� Kai shook
his head, watching the boy turn red and a vein start popping from his temple as
his temper threatened to explode.

�There are no more Kinomiyas! The Empire killed them all!� Daichi shouted at
the Prince accusingly. �And since we
heard about Tyson�s cowardly act, he has been stripped of his honour and family
name, so he cannot be leader of the Clans any longer!�

� �Cowardly act?� � Kai repeated,
narrowing his eyes at the kid. He could
sense Tyson�s power rise up from behind him, and silently hoped the dragon
wouldn�t do anything rash.

�Rather than stay and fight, he ran away! He let the Kinomiya, his own grandfather, die
and then he ran off in shame to Gods know where! Tyson is a coward and unfit to lead us!� Diachi declared to
murmurs of agreement among the Clanspeople.

Kai didn�t look over his shoulder at his lover, but
there wasn�t really any point in doing so anyway, since he could feel the Kinomiya�s rage as if it was a tangible thing. He spoke quickly, to avoid and explosive
confrontation between the two hot-headed cousins.

�Well I see even here Boris has managed to screw
everything up.� The phoenix
drawled. �You�ve been misinformed, Daichi. The Clans
have been led to believe a lie.�

�Is that so?� Daichi scoffed and the dragon beside him undulated
restlessly. �And I suppose you�re going
to tell us the truth?�

�Actually, yes. Tyson is no coward. Far from it.� Kai proceeded to tell the story from the time
he walked into the throne room to see the Kinomiya dead on the floor, to the
escape from Bay City
and then from the Empire itself. �So you
see, none of us wanted to leave. However, it was necessary to make a retreat
and form some sort of strategy before returning and taking back our
birthrights.

There was silence among the Clanspeople
for a brief moment, and Daichi just stared at Kai
incredulously.

�You expect us to believe that? And why are you telling us this tale? If Tyson is so wonderful and such a great
protector of the Clans, he should be out here defending himself!� Daichi raised a
clenched fist and waved it in the air, not realizing how much bigger a hole he
was digging for himself with every word out of his mouth. �Yet another cowardly act only proves he is
no leader!�

And suddenly the skies clouded over, thunder rumbling
threateningly. It seemed to nearly
everyone in the crowded square that they only blinked and a furious,
blue-haired teen was standing in front of the �leader� of the Clans with a
gleaming, obsidian blade pressed to Daichi�s
throat. Lightning flashed, appearing to
be reflected in the stormy silver and midnight blue of the teen�s eyes.

Daichi, however, was a
little distracted by the Sword at this throat, and wasn�t paying much attention
to who was on the other end. The crowd
around them, though, was, and a shocked, angry buzz of voices filled the
air. Tala�s
hand went to his sword and he watched the crowd carefully. Kai sighed and ran a hand through his hair
before stepping up beside his dragon so that he could see Tyson�s face.

Tyson was ignoring everything around him, though he
was aware of it all, and kept his focus on his cousin in fury. Lightning continued to light up the skies and
thunder rocked the ground. Kai�s hand
came down on his shoulder and squeezed, but the bluenette ignored that, too.

�Don�t, Kinomiya.�
Kai said, not taking his hand from Tyson�s shoulder, but slowly moving
it down his arm, stroking in a soothing motion.
�He is young and foolish, but you can not blame him for believing such
lies. You know the source of those lies,
and you remember what you did for your people.
Your grandfather knows�and the Gods know��

That earned him Tyson�s gaze. Stormy, near black eyes met Kai�s crimson
ones.

�This brat has been groomed since birth to believe he should be leader of the Clans.� Tyson hissed, sword held steady at Daichi�s throat. The
flame-haired boy raised his eyes from the blade to its wielder, eyes going even
wider in sudden fear. �His father was my
mother�s sister�s husband, and there is no blood kinship to the Kinomiya Clan
in his family. Yet he thought having
married into the family was the same thing.
He taught his only son to believe that, too.� The dragon�s stare turned back on Daichi. �And now
he�s scheming to put himself far out of his place and his ability. You can call me a coward all you like, cousin,� Tyson snarled, tipping the
boy�s chin up with the tip of the blade as he addressed him. �But I did what I had to in order to protect
the Clans. You know nothing of
leadership, especially the kind that sometimes requires a retreat, to plan and
recover in order to fight another day.�

�T-T-Tyson! I�you�the Sword of the Kinomiya Clan! It was destroyed! How�?�
Daichi stammered, pressing his back to the
cold stone of the obelisk.

�This sword was given to me. By my grandfather.� Tyson stared down the blade at the boy. Kai was still stroking Tyson�s arm and it was
starting to affect the bluenette. A
calming heat gently poured over Tyson and seemed to burn away his rage. �Cut it out, Kai. I�m not going to kill him.� He tried shrugging the hand off irritably.

�That�s good.
But I�m not letting you get so worked up, Tyson. We don�t need accidents.� Kai responded, not taking away his hand. Instead, he slid it up to lay his palm to
Tyson�s cheek. �Put up the sword,
love.� He said quietly, in a voice only
Tyson and Daichi were close enough to hear. �You�ve made your point. Everyone has seen the Sword, now extend an
invitation to whomever you think will be willing to listen, and invite them in
to the Palace to hear the whole story.�

Tyson closed his eyes and let out a breath slowly,
rubbing his cheek against Kai�s hand in acknowledgement when he nodded. Daichi�s eyes were
flicking between the two, a myriad of emotions flickering across his face, but
he said nothing.

�You are coming with me, Daichi.
I�m not letting you out of my sight.�
The bluenette opened his eyes and lowered his sword, glancing at the
yellow and white dragon hovering nearby.
�He can come, too, on the condition he stays with you at all times. Got that?�

�Of course I do!
I�m not stupid.� Daichi stuck out his tongue and crossed his arms, trying to
appear insulted and unafraid.

�Shut up, kid.�
Tala advised, moving over to them and giving his cousin and the Kinomiya
a nod. �Go ahead. I�ll watch him.�

Tyson nodded in return and turned to look out over
the crowd. He spotted Dragoon almost
instantly, and felt a great deal of relief knowing his ancestor was there.

�I came out here so that all of you would see me, and
know that there are still Kinomiyas alive and well,
and ready to take my grandfather�s place.�
He began, addressing everyone in the square. Above, the storm started to dissipate, and
sunlight once again flooded the city in brilliance. �I was not expecting to be condemned as a
traitor or a coward. I�ll say it again:
I did what I had to. The Kinomiya, my grandfather,
is truly dead. But I am not, and neither
is Hilary. Even now she is returning to
us from the safety of Oceanus. His Highness was kind enough to send an
escort for her.�

Holding up the Sword for all to see, Tyson
continued. �Daichi
was correct on one point: the Sword had been destroyed. But it was returned to me � a miracle of a
sort � and it lives in my hand.� The
silver dragon etched on the blade lit up, flaring bright blue, and a breeze
began to blow, ruffling his hair and clothes.
�I think you all understand the meaning of that. Now, there is a great deal to discuss, and so
much I need to tell of all that has occurred.
TO that end, I invite all the Clan leaders and elders into the Palace
where we can all sit down and I can answer any questions.�

�Give him the benefit of the doubt, if not because
you believe us, then because you believed in the former Kinomiya.� Kai added, letting his hand rest on Tyson�s
shoulder in support. �While we are all
discussing the past, the present, and
the future, I ask that the rest of you disperse and return to your
families. You�ve made your point and
disturbed my city enough. You will not
be bothered on your way out of the city.
My oath.�
The phoenix looked down at Tala, who nodded and let out a sharp whistle.

The Royal Guards moved away from their positions and
began marching back through the gates.
Kai held out his forearm as Dranzer ghosted down from her perch, and
landed there. He led the way back to the
Palace, Tyson at his side. Tala prodded Daichi forward to follow them, and the boy sullenly did so,
his dragon companion moving along beside the two red-heads.

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

Tala immediately began shouting orders as soon as the
gates closed behind them. While the
Royal Guard� captain was busy, Tyson let out a deep sigh and looked down at Daichi with a deep scowl.

�What the hell, Daichi?!� He demanded, glaring for all he was
worth. �Stripping me of my honour? What was that all about?!�

The younger boy returned the glare in equal measure
and folded his arms smugly over his chest.
�What did you expect? You go
running off like a scared little bunny, instead of standing up to the Emperor,
and you expect the Clans to want you back?
To be the Kinomiya?� The kid snorted in disbelief. �I don�t see what you could possibly have to
say to us that could make the situation change in your favour.�

Kai stepped between the two before Tyson could
unleash his wrath in a purely physical way and simply smack his cousin
stupid. �Enough. You,� he gave Daichi
a frigid stare. �Shut up and keep quiet,
or I�ll hang you from the flag pole.� He
pointed upwards. �Your mouth is getting
on my nerves.� The prince turned back to
his lover. �And you,
calm down. You need to hold onto your
temper, Tyson. The Clans need to see a
calm, strong leader in you right now, not a hot-headed teenager.�

Tyson made a face.
�Well, guess what? I am a
hot-headed teenager. So sue me.� Kai rubbed his temple, fighting off a
headache. Before he could say anything,
though, Rei and Max came up to them.

�So what�s happening, guys? Should we head for the throne room?� Rei gave the two royals a curious
glance. �That�s probably the best place
to hold this meeting.�

Kai nodded, placing Dranzer on his shoulder. �Max, would you do us a
favour before you go get cleaned up?�

�Yeah! Sure, Kai.
What�cha need?� The blonde smiled brightly.

�Have that couch-thing we�ve been using as a throne
in the ballroom taken to the throne room and set up, and ask the scribes to
move all my legal work to the library and re-set up there.� Kai looked over at the side gates (smaller
and less imposing than the main gates) where the first Clan elders and leaders
were filing in. �I don�t think I�ll be
getting back to it for a little while, at least.�

�You got it!�
Max gave him a salute and hurried off.
Rei clasped his hands in front of himself and looked at Kai and Tyson
expectantly.

�What can I do?�
He asked.

Tyson grabbed Daichi, who
was trying to sneak off and escape, by the collar of his tunic and shoved him
at Rei. �Do me a favour and watch this brat
cousin of mine, Rei? I can�t deal with
him right now and think straight.�

The neko-jin nodded and eyed the nearby dragon
warily. �What about his dragon friend?�

Tyson shrugged.
�Dragons do what they want. But
he won�t bother you unless he thinks Daichi is in
danger.� The Kinomiya turned his gaze on
the dragon, whom he recognized and was undulating
restlessly next to them. {Isn�t that
right, Strata? I know you recognized me
and His Divineness out there.}

There was a faint flicker of surprise, which was all the acknowledgement Tyson needed, in Strata Dragoon�s
eyes.

{Indeed, Kinomiya Tyson. I did not know you were able to communicate
thus, however.}

{You�d be shocked about how much you don�t know about
me, Strata. I promise no harm will come
to Daichi. But
please keep him away from me. He�s
severely trying my patience.}

{As you wish, Kinomiya. I am most curious about this drama that has
brought the Divine One to walk among us again.}
Strata Dragoon acquiesced, moving over to Daichi
and curling firmly around the boy.

{Thank you.}
Tyson gave the dragon a brief nod and looked at Kai. �I�m going to go get my sword belt and
scabbard, Kai. I�ll meet you where when
I get them?�

�The antechamber behind the throne
room. Dranzer knows where it
is.� Kai glanced sideways at his ancestor. �Will you go with Tyson, Beautiful? Show him the way?�

Dranzer flapped her wings and made a trilling sound
of agreement, hopping down to Kai�s arm then flying off ahead of Tyson as the
bluenette followed her quickly.

Kai looked around until he spotted his cousin and
called, �Tala!� The red-head jogged
over.

�Yes, Your Highness?�

�Throne room. Put them all there and make sure we have
plenty of Guards in place � crowd control.�
Kai ordered. Tala nodded,
smirking slightly.

�I�m one step ahead of you, cousin. Spencer�s picking out the Guards and I sent
Ian to get the throne room prepared for visitors.� He informed Kai. �Anything else you can think of?�

The phoenix rolled his eyes. �No, that covers it. Come on, gentlemen. We�ll wait in the antechamber for Tyson. Then let�s get this show on the road.� Kai strode purposefully to the Palace, the
others following him closely.

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

Half an hour later, Kai sat in the antechamber
sipping a cup of tea with Rei, Tala, Max, and Daichi
standing or sitting nearby as they waited for Tyson.

Daichi was still scowling,
though he�d managed to keep quiet for the most part since Kai had threatened to
hang him off the flag pole. He kept
glancing at the others in the room speculatively,
however, curious as he was about the strange dynamics these people all seemed
to have with each other.

Max and Rei, he�d put together, were obviously lifemated to one another.
The rings on their fingers pointed that out quite clearly. And Tala often called Kai �cousin� so that
was a family relationship � on top of the Prince/Captain of the Guards one that
was as obvious as night and day.

But here the dynamics ceased to make sense to Daichi. Kai was the
Prince, and while Tala deferred to him (sort of), Max and Rei did not. In fact, they seemed more like friends who
were doing another friend a favour. Kai
never ordered or commanded them � and they probably wouldn�t have jumped if he
had ordered them to do anything. Daichi wasn�t sure who the neko-jin and the blonde were,
even. If they weren�t subjects of the
Empire, or Kai�s generals, or part of the nobility, and yet still appeared to
be deferred to by the servants and whatnot, then who were they?

And then there was Tyson. Daichi�s scowl
deepened and he slouched farther down into his seat. Back out in the square, there had been that
little interaction between the bluenette and the Prince. The Hiwatari had
been�rather affectionate with Tyson, what with the stroking and the close
contact.

Not to mention the implication behind that endearment
he�d given Tyson.

Love.

Daichi�s eyes went wide as
the possibilities ran through his mind.
He may have been young, but he knew enough to know one didn�t use an
endearment like that lightly � especially between two men. His eyes went wider when the antechamber door
opened from the corridor and Tyson strode in.
For one thing, the bluenette looked
like the Kinomiya, for he�d changed his clothes into the more traditional
attire of the Dragon Clans, but in the style of his family and with his family�s
colours: shades of blue, white, and glittering silver. And at his hip swung the Kinomiya�s Sword, sheathed in an elaborate scabbard that
gleamed black and silver steel.
The young redhead didn�t know why, but he had this definite urge to drop
to his knees in pure respect.

He�d never admit it aloud, but there was a distinct
probability that the Clans, and Daichi, had been
mistaken in believing Kinomiya Tyson was at all a coward.

His thoughts were interrupted as he spotted another
dragon following along behind Tyson, weaving through the air in a typically
dragon-like movement � lazily, without a care in the world. This dragon was the same, different shades of
blue as Tyson�s clothes and it was smaller than Strata Dragoon � though not by
much. Daichi
studied the pair quizzically, not able to discern why this unremarkable
appearing dragon was following his cousin.

The last being to come through the doors was Kai�s
phoenix. She glided smoothly over to the
Prince and took up a perch on the back of his chair, trilling quietly in
greeting.

Kai smiled a bit, letting his gaze slowly travel over
Tyson from head to foot. He made an
appreciative noise and gestured at the seat next to his own. �Have a seat, Tyson. Take a few minutes to relax.�

Tyson shook his head.
�Thanks, but I�m too wound up right now.� He began to pace, trying to gather his
thoughts before he had to go out and address the Clan leaders and elders. Dragoon hovered near him, purring soothingly
at his agitated descendant and Tyson gave him a grateful glance. �I�m alright.
Just�restless.�

Max poked his head out the door leading to the throne
room behind the dais there. �The room
looks fairly full, guys.� He
reported. �I think they�re ready for
you. Why don�t the rest of us go out now
and give you two a moment.� The blonde
clasped Rei�s hand in his own and tugged him toward
the door.

�Come on, Daichi. You and
your dragon friend will stick with us, for now.� Rei ushered the boy and dragon out ahead of
himself and Max.

Tala adjusted his gloves absently. �We�ll give you five minutes, cousin. I�ll wait just outside the door to announce
you both when you open the door.�

�Thank you, Tala.�
Kai nodded. When everyone had
gone, Kai had only a second to blink before Tyson was suddenly crawling into
his lap and burying his face in Kai�s neck, arms banding around the phoenix
tightly. �What�s wrong, love?� Kai asked, startled by this uncharacteristic
action. He curled his own arms around
the dragon in return and held him close.

A shudder passed through the bluenette before he
raised his head to answer. �I don�t know
if I can do this, Kai. I�ve never had
much contact with the elders or been part of any discussions my grandfather had
with them. I wasn�t brought up to be the
Kinomiya and I have no idea what I�m doing really.� Tyson�s blue eyes were molten silver and blue
with moisture as he admitted his fears in a soft voice. Kai raised a hand to flick the blue locks of
Tyson�s hair from those eyes, and rubbed his thumb over Tyson�s bottom lip.

�You don�t have to be �brought up� a certain way to
be a leader, my dragon. I�ve seen your
strength and your compassion and you have a great sense of justice and
fairness. And because you are who you
are, the one I fell in love with, I know you can do this � will do
this.� Kai responded just as softly,
crimson eyes intent on Tyson�s, full of his sincerity and his confidence in the
bluenette. Tears trickled out of the
dragon�s eyes and Kai smiled, gently kissing them away. �Okay, love?�

�Yeah. Sorry, Kai.
I guess I just freaked for a moment.�
Tyson apologized, flushing in embarrassment. He moved, as if to get off of Kai, but the
dual-haired prince wouldn�t let him. Kai
tugged Tyson back to �lan against his chest instead, and rubbed his cheek
against the top of Tyson�s head.

�No worries.�
Kai murmured, eyes half-closing in contentment
as a familiar rumbling purr filled the room.
Tyson snuggled into the warmth of his lover�s body with a small
sigh. �By the way, I really like your
outfit, Tyson.�

That earned him a grin. �Yeah? What do you like about it?� A playful nip to his collarbone made him
shiver.

Kai�s eyes smouldered and he ran a hand from Tyson�s
hip slowly down on leg. The dragon�s
purr increased in volume and he tilted his head back to meet Kai�s hot gaze
with a smoky one of his own. �They�re
very�authoritative.� Kai responded
silkily. �The material feels kind of
like leather, but at the same time it feels more like�your skin � as a dragon,
that is.�

Tyson licked his lips and smiled slowly. �Hmm...bingo. It�s dragon-skin, but it�s not mine. It�s Dragoon�s.� He let out a small gasp as Kai�s hand slid
back up his thigh and fingers brushed the sensitive inside of his leg. �Quit teasing me, Kai��

�Hn.� Kai chuckled as his dragon shivered and
pulled Kai�s hand away, grasping it and linking their fingers loosely. �Sorry.
It�s hard to resist.� The crimson-eyed
phoenix nudged Tyson off his lap and stood.
�We�d better get out there. You
ready?�

�As I�ll ever be, I suppose.� Tyson gripped Kai�s hand and they walked to
the door. He reached out to grasp the
door handle but was stopped by the phoenix, who turned
Tyson to face Kai, and bent down to kiss the bluenette soundly. It lasted long enough for Tyson to go
completely boneless and totally relaxed.
Then Kai broke away and smiled down at him, nudging his nose against the
younger teen�s affectionately.

�It�ll be fine.�
Kai said. �Now�� He pushed open
the door himself.

Tala was where he said he�d be, and after receiving a
nod from Tyson to go ahead, the red-haired captain walked out around the dais
to face the crowded room, giving the heralds a signal of his own. They raised their trumpets and let out a
solid volley to silence everyone and announce the Prince�s arrival.

�Announcing His Royal Highness, Kai Hiwatari, Crown Prince of the Empire, and�� Tala paused in
his announcement, frowning and glancing at Tyson over his shoulder.

{Kinomiya Takao, grandson of the Kinomiya, leader of
the Dragon Clans.} Tyson provided mentally, giving the warrior a start. Tala turned back to the Clans and repeated
that as Kai and Tyson walked up the dais steps, side by side, and seated themselves on their make-shift throne. There was an immediate rumble of voices and
low murmurs at the name Tyson had been announced as, since none of them knew
about Tyson�s naming.

Dragoon and Dranzer, who had followed their
descendants out, found themselves somewhere comfortable to sit by and watch
over the proceedings. They were noticed,
but were, for the most part, paid very little attention to.

Max and Rei sat on the dais steps on Tyson�s side,
with Daichi and Strata Dragoon sitting on the steps
in front of them, where they could keep their eyes on him. Tala took up a standing position just behind
the throne on Kai�s side, ice-blue eyes staring coldly out at the gathered Clanspeople in watchfulness for any threat or mischief.

�Thank you all for agreeing to come and hear me out.� Tyson began, raising his voice a bit to be
heard over the murmurs. By all outward
appearances and the tone of his voice, he didn�t seem to be nervous but inside
the bluenette was silently wishing he didn�t have to be there, doing any of
this. As if he sensed
Tyson�s anxiety (which he probably did), Dragoon curled himself around the
young dragon�s upper body and purred quietly.

�We are not here to listen to the wild tales of an
outcast!� One of the leaders stepped
forward and exclaimed. �We came to
demand answers and explanations! And you�ve
joined up with the very people who have destroyed our homes, burned our crops,
and killed scores of our people! We have
no reason to trust or believe you.�

�Yet here you all are, in my throne room, alive and
unharmed.� Kai pointed out calmly,
looking completely relaxed right where he was.
�I am not my grandfather, the former Emperor, Sir. And I had nothing to do with what has
happened to the Clans. You can not blame
me for events I had no control over �
nor can you blame Takao.� Kai�s eyes
narrowed as he spoke, and Tyson glanced at him.

�You don�t have to defend me to them, Kai, though I
appreciate the effort.� The bluenette
smiled faintly.

�Yes, actually, I do.
What happened was not your fault.
It was all Boris, and he�s been dealt with.� Kai held out his hand, palm up, to his dragon
and Tyson accepted it, laying his own hand in the phoenix�s and letting him
grip it firmly. Satisfied with that, Kai
proceeded to tell his side of the whole ordeal, every part of it, once again.

And then Tyson took up the tale, explaining what had
happened in that very throne room when his grandfather had died, the escape
from the city and then the Empire, and all the time spent in Oceanus regrouping and planning. When he finished speaking there was silence
for a moment, then a sudden cacophony of shouted questions, comments, and
disbelieving shouts.

Surprisingly, it was Daichi
who stood up and yelled quite loudly, �Shut
up! All of you be quiet! This is not how
the Clans deal with our disputes and problems, is it? Shouting and yelling at each other? No. It�s
not. Maybe I don�t like the situation
much, and maybe I�ve been a little hasty in my condemnation of my cousin and
his apparent actions,� the flame-haired youth admitted reluctantly. �But even I can recognize when someone is
telling the truth and when someone is lying.�

Tyson blinked and stared at Daichi. To say he was surprised was an
understatement. �Thank you, cousin.�

Daichi made a face and
shrugged. �I�m hot-headed, Tyson, not
stupid. There�s still a great deal you
haven�t told us yet, I�m sure. But from
what you�ve said and the evidence you�ve presented us with so far�its undeniable that you are meant to be the Kinomiya.� He pointed at the sword belted to the dragon�s
hip and hanging off the side of the throne.
�And then there�s Strata Dragoon�he wouldn�t be so reverent or respectful
toward you if you weren�t honourable.
Dragons have no patience for those who aren�t, after all.�

�You�re right.
I do have more to tell everyone.
I just wanted to get what really happened clear to all of you.� Tyson explained. He returned his attention to the crowd and
stood up, walking to the edge of the dais.
�I told you how I got my family�s Sword,� Tyson drew it and planted it
in front of himself, the tip resting on the
floor. �And I realize it may be a little
hard to believe, but it was the truth.
However, I�m afraid what else I have to say is probably going to sound
even more unbelievable.�

�And what might that be?� Someone in the crowd shouted.

Tyson balanced the Sword with one hand in front of
himself, and rested his other hand on one of Dragoon�s coils. �It�s about the Kinomiya Clan secret. You see, Dragoon did come to our aid when he
was asked, part of which is the Sword.
The other part was in finally revealing the secret known only to the
Dragon Gods about my family.�

�Bah.� Another
Clansman scoffed from near a side wall. �That�s
just a myth. Everyone knows it�s not
true.�

{Transform, Takao.}
Dragoon told him, unwinding himself lazily and floating back over to the
throne to curl up next to Kai on the seat.

{Transform?
Are you sure that�s a good idea?}

{They�d never believe you otherwise. Just do it.}

�Fine.� Tyson sighed and straightened, planting his
feet. Maybe Dragoon didn�t think they�d
believe him, but he had to try anyway. Gazing
out at the crowd, he revealed his clan�s secret. �The secret is that back when my family was
bestowed leadership of the Clans, the Dragon Gods also sealed away a part of us
that makes us demi-human. It is why Dragoon is our Clan�s Guardian and
why those of my bloodline have always held an affinity with the dragons of our
lands � because we are half-dragon
ourselves.�

Murmurs of astonishment and scornful disbelief rang
out. Daichi
was staring at Tyson in shock, and yet it wasn�t that hard to believe. It certainly did explain a few things about
the Kinomiyas, in truth.

�You�re not kidding, are you?� Daichi asked his
cousin quietly, an expression of resignation coming over him. Tyson shook his head.

�No. It�s also
why the Sword lives in my hand. You see,
the Gods had sealed the dragon side of us away because as humans, we weren�t capable
of dealing with being demi-human or with the power
that came with it.�

�But how?� Daichi demanded,
curious now. �How did the Kinomiyas become demi-human.

�You�re mad!�
A clan Elder declared, pounding the floor with his walking stick to
emphasize his point. �
�Power?� That
foolishness.�

Tyson smiled and held out his free hand, palm facing
upward. �Really, now? That�s odd, because I could have sworn that
being able to do something like this,�
he let out a bit of his abilities, sparks of blue lightning crackling around
his wrist and hand as a small ball of electric blue light gathered above his
palm. A small breezed kicked up around
the now softly glowing bluenette, ruffling his hair gently. ��Meant I was using power that normally we
mere humans couldn�t use � last I�d checked, at least.�

Kai rolled his eyes.
�Kinomiya, just transform and get it over with. You�re showing off, again.�

�I am not. I�m
making a point.� Tyson scowled over his
shoulder. �Butt out, beloved.�

The phoenix crossed his arms and returned his glare
evenly. �Well, excuse me.�

{Takao.} Came Dragoon�s voice
in exasperation.

�Alright, already!� Tyson re-sheathed his Sword and unbelted it,
handing it to Kai, hilt first. �Hold
that, please.�

Now he got shocked cries of outrage from the Clanspeople at turning over the Sword to anyone but a Kinomiya. Kai blinked, hand wrapped around the belt
loop.

Tyson growled under his breath and let off a small
thunderclap to shut them all up. �Enough!� He commanded, voice echoing like far away
thunder. A storm was brewing in his
midnight blue eyes. Startled silence met
him. �Gods! I can�t believe how dramatic you�re all
being. Get over it!�

�I can believe it.�
Kai muttered to Dranzer and Dragoon.
Dranzer chirped in agreement, and Dragoon�well, he just pouted. Then a small spark made Kai jerk his hand
away from the armrest he was leaning on.

�I heard that, Hiwatari.�

�Good.� Kai
smirked, laying the Sword across his knees.

Annoyed, Tyson simply gave in and shifted. There was no warning, nor any of the usual
accompanying disturbances (light shows, winds, etc.). It happened too quickly. For all those watching it seemed that one
second Tyson stood there and the next there was a large white dragon, shining iridescent
blue in the fading light of the sun filtering in from the windows.

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

Authoress� Notes: Bet you didn�t see Daichi coming, did you?
~_^ I
love being sneaky! So do you think Tyson�s
transformation will be enough to convince the Clans? Or will he need a little assistance�? Please
R/R!!!!
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