[yamae] 美男と野獣 6/?
Author: myself ( hyuuga_princess / mugendainomousou on tumblr)
Pairing: Yamada Yuuki x Maeyama Takahisa
Genre: AU? O: /romance
Rating: safe
Words: 4,854
Summary: A different spin of the classic.
Notes: Aaaaaaaaaaaand, this is the big chapter OTL Good thing there's typing. This chapter is a little messy but more intriguing, and there's a little more action, finally! We're reaching the climax soon, yaaaaaaay~ :D/
- - - - - - - - -
“Jun! Wait up! Why are you avoiding me now?”
Ryousuke was still chasing after Jun. The younger boy had gone out of the passage and was now quickly making his way through the snow with his long legs. Ryousuke realized with a startle that he’d probably grown taller again. “Jun!” he called out once more, now with the cold hand of fear gripping his heart as suddenly the other kid disappeared from view. “What the…”
There was no cliff’s edge anywhere near them on that side so he needn’t worry about Jun having fallen down like that, yet he walked cautiously towards the spot where he’d dropped and looked down.
Jun was laying face first into the snow, his back facing him, his shanks into the air. A steady tree root was right in front of the lower part of Ryousuke’s legs now and he guessed that could be partially blamed for Jun’s fall. If the situation hadn’t looked as grave as it did the whole scene would have been very funny. He’d made no effort to lift himself off the downhill-heading ground and he was even sobbing hardly into the thick snow now.
”Ikeoka Ryousuke, you’re a bloody thickhead.” he thought to himself as he descended the hill and knelt beside the blond boy. It was obvious that he’d been crying already and yet he hadn’t noticed! He leaned over him, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him over; Jun stayed still as a corpse, not even attempting to block him or clear his face.
“That’s a nice mask~” the older boy tried to joke, but it only echoed back at him empty. He couldn’t bear to see him like that; he shook him from the shoulders and when Jun only squeezed his eyes tighter shut with his hot tears melting the snow that had stayed on his face and his full lips screwing in an effort to drown a stronger sob, Ryousuke lost it. He sat back next to the crying boy and hugged his knees to his chest.
“You wanna make me cry too?” he asked as a dim ray of light brighter than what came down to them filtered by the branches fell onto his golden hair. “He didn’t mean it specifically for you, you know.”
“I’m not angry at him.” Jun finally spoke, his usually pitched voice hoarse with tears that hadn’t had the chance to escape.
“Really.” Ryousuke’s relief turned into sarcasm.
“Not anymore.” Jun said in a provoking tone. “I’m mostly angry at myself for letting those words sink in. And tripping and falling down like that.” He admitted.
“You don’t really need to make excuses to me.” the older boy caught a fistful of snow in his hands and sprinkled it onto his face. “Speak. What was it?”
“They don’t trust me.”
Ryousuke sat up straight and turned to look at him. Jun wasn’t sobbing anymore and all the snow had melted away from his face that was now really pink with heat, but he wore one peculiar expression.
“What are you talking about?” he asked with his heart pace quickened, because he was almost certain he knew where Jun would take it.
“You heard them. He’ll think you’re pranking him. No unnecessary prologues and awkward wording…” he quoted, sitting up as well. “I’m still the lying, thieving orphan he prince picked off the street and nothing’s changed.” He laughed bitterly.
It was Ryousuke’s turn to get angry now; he elbowed Jun hard in he ribs and stood up, arms crossed.
“OUCH! Hey, what was that for?!”
“Nothing’s changed?” the older boy’s voice was vibrant with emotion. “Nothing’s changed?” he asked again, kicking snow up into Jun’s face. “You’re an ungrateful brat now while at least you were honest back then, that’s what’s changed for sure!”
“Are you mad?” Jun stood up and stepped back, rubbing his eyes, irritated again. “What did I do wrong?”
“You-chan never meant to hurt you! He only meant that Tohru-niisan is more experienced; his wording wasn’t the best but that was his mistake! Wrong choice of words, that was all! While you? Caught up in your own bitter thoughts, falsely thinking that you were wronged and that everyone is looking down on you; did you forget how warmly they all accepted us? What Kenki-san and Mitsuya-san have done for us? How Jinnai-san tried his best to joke all the time so we wouldn’t feel overwhelmed and intimidated? And every time you got sick, Tohru-niisan and You-chan were the ones who looked after you, taking care of you and your meals… It’s another thing to think like everyone is belittling you on your own, even falsely, and another to actually take it out on those people who, in the end, haven’t even harmed you! Biting the hand that feeds you is worse, way worse than picking the wrong words to use and insulting someone by mistake. Ungratefulness is… not nice.”
Jun turned his back to him.
“What you’re saying is conflicting and doesn’t make sense.” He said, crossing his arms too. “I thought you understood me.”
“And I thought that the Shison Jun I love was a decent human, no matter how immature and sneaky he usually is.” Ryousuke returned.
“I don’t know why it feels that way, okay?!” Jun yelled, turning to look at him. “For that moment I felt that everyone was against me, even you, Ikepi, and I know I’m wrong! You know it too! And yet you talk like that now and make it worse…” he shook his head as a fresh wave of tears rose from his throat to his eyes and bit his trembling bottom lip. “I only wanted Ikepi to hold me!” he shouted, his hands balling up into fists at his sides. “Tell me if I’m wrong but while holding me and gently, not accusing me like this! I didn’t kill a person; the tone you just used with me…” he wiped his face on his sleeve.
“This is so unlike you. Are you doing it on purpose?” Ryousuke felt his mouth drying up. He walked to the blond boy and put his hands on his shoulders. “Because it definitely looks like you do.”
An incomprehensible sound left Jun’s lips and before his Ikepi could react he’d put his arms around his waist and pulled him in, reaching out then to hold him close. Ryousuke returned the hug, one arm around Jun’s shoulders and the free hand threading into his hair.
“Stupid kid.” He muttered into his ear. “You’re growing taller than me.”
Jun let out a sob that was half a laugh; everything was alright again.
After lunch, the prince fell asleep for the first time while it was still day outside; Yuuki had been singing to him. It was nothing more than just a hum, and at first it had made him feel nostalgic somehow, but before he was able to try and unearth it in his memory, he was asleep. At nightfall, he made Yuuki sing for him again, and he was calm and gentle with the boys, calling them all one by one in his chamber, apologizing for his behavior all the while and thanking them for putting up with him. Because Yuuki was with him, and he sang to him, and he held his hand while he transformed and felt the skin turn to fur and back again; because Yuuki was there and read to him, and he pulled the covers over him when he fell asleep unconsciously, his pitiful heart, frozen by the malice of the witch and the hurt she’d caused him started to melt. His heart was still in pain, yet a new, different kind of it; now it was aching because he was in love with the boy who’d melted the icy walls around it, and desperate for him to return his feelings. And he grew more desperate with each passing day that brought them closer to his birthday.
In the meantime, since Yuuki had phenomenically disappeared from the face of the earth, the people in his town had been out in the wild, searching for him. It wasn’t like anyone knew that he had gone to the fair of the big town, but someone suspected it, and they went to the library, wanting to consult with the old lady they all knew he favored. There they heard from her that he had indeed attended the fair. What worried everyone was that the old librarian was the last person who had seen him, and even that was the day before the fair.
The small town was full of superstitious people, and they all knew the legend of the beastly prince. Therefore it was a surprise to none when, one after another, they started worrying about him having been attacked by thugs in the forest, abducted or killed by the beast. They told their thoughts to the mayor and the few elders of the city council and, as Yuuki was loved and treasured by all of them, it was decided that a search party should be formed; men wielding anything that could be used as a weapon in the dreadful wake of a situation gathered and were sent out to the woods to look for him.
The first place they looked was the big town. They asked people in town and at the inns, showing a drawing of Yuuki that one of the little girls had drawn, but no one could remember anything clear about him. Almost miraculously, just as they were starting on the way back and into the forest, the owner of the inn Yuuki had spent his night ran to them. In a few words he explained that Yuuki had heard the story of the enchanted prince and he’d impulsively decided to go and look for the tower, not listening to anyone who had tried to stop him.
“If he still hasn’t returned, I’m afraid the beast must have gotten its hands on him, one way or another…” he said in the end, head and shoulders hanging low.
Upon hearing those words, the men of the village decided that there was no other option anymore; they’d raid the forest and look for the beast’s hideout, the tower, determines to find Yuuki “even if the only thing remaining from him are his bones and clothes!”, as the mayor had gloomily stated.
Close enough that their talk could be heard, Shion and Shoutarou were listening, hidden between an enormous pyramid of potatoes piled on the ground.
“That’s our Yuuki-kun, isn’t it?” Shion asked with a frown.
“I bet it is… No wonder he’s so loved and card for. Look at how those villagers overreact about him.”
“They’ll turn the world upside down though… They’ll ruin everything!” Shion said, suddenly standing up.
“What are you talking about?!”
“Come ON, we have to get back, he have to tell them! Didn’t you hear them? They think Master caught Yuuki and killed him! If they find the tower, there’s no guaranteeing they won’t harm him, even if we tell them the real story; even if Master show himself in his human form!” the blond boy insisted, puling at Shoutarou’s hand as he spoke. “We’ve gotta warn them!”
Once the street was clear of people, a lone figure slipped from the shadowy alleys of the town into the late afternoon. It was definitely a woman, but she was wrapped in so many layers of muslin and taffeta that the only thing visible was her eyes. She looked frail and easily breakable… yet those eyes were powerful and brimmed with hatred. Anyone who took a look at her face quickly averted their gaze and went on their way with their head held low. She moved slowly towards the place the mob had gathered to talk with the inn’s owner and leaned against a stone fence, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at the direction Shion and Shoutarou had taken and disappeared into the woods.
“This is interesting.” She spoke to herself, drumming her unnaturally long and thin fingers on her lips over her cover. “If this Yuuki looks anything like the face in the drawing…”
She laughed a low, throaty laugh and moved towards the road heading to the small town, determined to learn more about him.
In a kingdom very near and yet far enough from the one of the current events, the land’s king was pacing endlessly in front of his throne and his queen, sitting on her own one at his left. He was a wise and kind man whom his people loved and were loyal to, but on those moments of desperate worry, he was questioning the most important choice of his life; a choice of nearly 24 years before. 24 years of worry and thoughtfulness that had left their mark on him, creases on his forehead and grey in his hair. The royal couple was alone with their head consultant, the queen’s older brother, in the courtroom where in the mornings hearings were held for their people.
“Dear, are you sure this will be the right decision?” the queen finally spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen after her husband had revealed his plans.
“I honestly think it’s going to be very dangerous.” The queen’s brother confessed. “Your Highness, should word of this get to that witch’s ear, the whole operation will be ruined… And if he looks anything like you two, she’ll recognize him with the first glance!”
“Then what am I supposed to do?!” The king stopped walking and crossed his arms, a pained expression shadowing his features. “Sit back here and wait for Death while my heir is wasted growing up like a peasant, away from his house? Away from us…” he sighed, beaten, and sat down at his throne rubbing his forehead.
“What if we send Babaa to find him?” the queen suggested, taking his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. “She’s been with us for so long and she was the first person to hold him; there’s no way she won’t recognize him, no matter what kind of face he’s grown up to have.”
“Dear lord!” he shook his head in horror. “Babaa is older than us, even; how can she travel and try to find him?”
“Oh you know perfectly well that she’s as sturdy as a bull and energetic like a child! The witch will be expecting a search party, soldiers, servants… But she doesn’t know about her; if not her, who else? No one’s better…”
“Still it is a risk for her; a woman of her age alone in the woods… I can’t say those plains and fields left me with the best impression when I last saw them…”
“Your Highness… my Brother, with all due respect, an old woman wandering in the woods alone stands out a lot less than a king. Either you choose to officially announce an expedition to find your lost heir or you decide to his your identity behind rugs and go in secret as a commoner, your royal composure and manners will give you out to her. Babaa was initially a peasant’s daughter and grew up that way; she’ll know how to conceal her current state and identity and how to act about herself… So please, listen to your Queen and take her advice into consideration.”
The king sighed and shook his head, still not convinced.
Back to our kingdom, when Shion ran into the kitchen yelling about invaders and intruders, dragging Shoutarou after him, shouting at the top of his lungs so that no one would miss his words, only Ryou, Shou and Youichirou were there. The prince, in a frenzy of goodwill and generosity had gifted everyone with a free day and all the other boys were absent. Only Tohru still remained home, doing his guarding shift, and Kenki, who was reading up about tulips in the library. Youichirou was feeding Shou spoonfuls of creamy soups he’d made, wanting him to taste them and tell him his opinion and Mitsuya was complaining about the kids not agreeing on them all going on a picnic like a family.
“There’s gonna be… There’s gonna be a raid!” Shion breathed for the last time before collapsing on the bench, heavily out of breath.
“What’s he talkin’ about?” Shou asked, his mouth full of soup, orange and dripping from the corner of his lips.
“I don’t know; we’d gone down to the town and helped a lady farmer pick her potatoes, piling them in her yard, and suddenly people came and talked with one of the innspeople, asking around with a drawing if anyone had seen “our Yuuki, this boy is our Yuuki” -that’s what they said. We didn’t get to see the picture but judging by their words, their Yuuki is our Yuuki too. They’re speculating that he was seized by the monster; and they’re coming to he woods to find the tower. They’re convinced of the vicious version of the legend, those dopey, superstitious folk!” Shoutarou explained. “I don’t know how long it’ll take them to find us, but even though it’s really just a handful f them, they’re still a mob determined to extinguish.” He said with an ominous look; Shion was still trying to catch his breath and Youichirou had just stopped feeding Shou.
“What… what he said.” Shion managed to let out after hungrily downing a whole glass of water. “We must be prepared; I don’t know, tell the prince, or Yuuki-kun. They might calm down if Yuuki-kun returns to the small town and shows them he’s unharmed… They seemed to believe he’s either dead or kept prisoner and tortured.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Youichirou screeched. “We should tell Yuuki, or else those savages are going to-“
“I think you should all calm down, for one.” Mitsuya finally spoke. “Let the other kids return from their trips and at dinnertime we’ll discuss this. Then we’ll tell Master and Yuuki-kun. No matter how determined they are to find us, even that energetic mob needs to go back home and rest for the night; those people are too afraid of the forest. There’s enough snow to confuse them anyway. And I think there’s going to be a blizzard tonight again, so we’ll be protected until tomorrow morning at least. We’ll tell Master and Yuuki-kun right after dinner.”
And so it happened; the prince and Yuuki listened carefully to what Jun and Shoutarou, who’d been chosen by everyone to do the talk had come to say, and Yuuki listened closely, but when they were done he slapped his face and moaned in discomfort.
“This is actually my fault.” He said with an apologetic look. If I’d gone back home even once… This is so shameful; treating the people who brought me up so coldly is unacceptable.” He shook his head. “I’ve only imposed on you and forgot to even think about home…” he lowered his head, putting his fingers in his hair. “I should go.”
“Yuuki, Yuuki, you can’t leave me!” the prince, unnaturally silent all the while and only listening until now put his hands on his shoulders and shook him. “You can’t leave me behind!”
“If I don’t go they’ll come and they’re determined to exterminate you, you heard them! I won’t be long, three days at most. Just give me three days; I’ll see everyone and explain about you, and then come back. I will, I promise. Just give me these three days, alright?”
The prince rolled on his bed, turning his back to them and pulling the covers above his head.
“Takahisa.” Yuuki tugged at the blankets, but the prince only tightened his grip on them.
“What should we do, Master?” Shoutarou asked, starting to feel a little uncomfortable; he could sense that even Jun was tense now.
Yuuki made an awkward face; if the prince had started sulking, he wouldn’t give a proper answer to anyone for a while.
“Go.”
They all turned to look at the lump under the blankets; it was really the prince’s voice, muffled but awfully pitched.
“W-what?”
“Go. You can go. Go and fix the misunderstanding. But you must be back by the sunset on the third day. If you’re not… I don’t know what will become of me.” Takahisa let out, fully aware that he was only barely keeping himself from crying out in howls. “Now go. Get out. Leave me alone.” He commanded right after, and the three boys walked out of the room all in deep thought.
“I think there’s something wrong with him.” Yuuki confessed. “The way he looks at me… maybe it was like that from the start and it’s just that I hadn’t noticed, but… There’s something…”
Shoutarou grabbed Jun’s hand as he was about to speak; it was obvious he was determined to let Yuuki in on the prince’s feelings. The two fought silently for a while as they all descended the stairs to tell everyone about Yuuki’s decision, and ten Jun finally spoke.
“Well it’s his birthday in four days and no one who really loves him that way has appeared. The curse will probably be permanent now so he wants at least you to be by his side, is my guess.” He said, emphasizing on all the right words, and Shoutarou slapped his forehead. After all, when Jun wanted to do something there was no way to stop him; he’d do it regardless of the prohibitions and the consequences, directly or not. As far as Shoutarou was concerned, though, he wasn’t against him having said what he did. He just wanted to be of as much help to the prince as possible and if the adults had decided that Jun wasn’t the right person to turn Yuuki’s head into the right direction, he’d just convinced himself that they must be right.
And so Yuuki bid his friends farewell, promised to bring a few of his personal belongings to show them when he returned, and ensured them that he’d do his best to change everyone’s minds about the prince and the legend. He left the tower when the first ray of light pierced through the metallic, icy white of the sky, accompanied by Tohru at Mitsuya’s command, who was in charge of guarding him until they got out of the woods and onto the cleared off snow road that led to the small town. At first Yuuki had declined but when he saw how thick the piled snow was he decided that he’d definitely need the help of someone who knew the forest like the back of his hand.
So they left the tower, carefully descending the small sloppy hillside that was filled to the brim with snow so high they stepped into it and it made their pants wet up to the thigh. For the most part they walked in silence, Tohru only breaking it to give Yuuki directions or curse under his breath if the tree branches above them released their handfuls of snow on their heads.
About an hour before they reached the main road leading in and out of the town, Tohru started talking to Yuuki like he never had until that moment. It was under Ryou’s and Kenki’s orders; the plan of having him inform Yuuki of the prince’s feelings towards him hadn’t been dropped. The two of them had gone to conspire with him while he was doing the evening shift late in the previous night, certain that the kids, especially Jun, wouldn’t be able to hear them since they were asleep. They’d talked for quite a long time, since both Tohru and Kenki kept insisting it was better to say it all out straight and clear, and Ryou had protested many times, saying that discretion and delicacy were the key points… In the end, right before the whole matter turned into a heated argument on whose opinion was the most appropriate, they’d decided to leave it to Tohru’s judgment of the atmosphere while the two made their way through the snow.
“So.” He started, kicking up a fallen branch that was in the way, “When you read books to Master, what sort of stories are they? Like… Fantasy and such?”
“Eh?” Yuuki turned to look at him. “Well, usually whatever he feels like hearing… He’s the one deciding. Why do you ask?”
“Shion says the prince’s favorite genre is romance. Along with fantasy, according to Negishi and Shiramata.” the older boy shrugged. “I just wondered if you’ve come across kisses that solve or break curses. I’ve tried reading stuff like that out loud, and it wasn’t easy.” He said, somehow alarmed now. Snow had started falling again, even though the blizzard’s clouds were way away now and something had changed in the deadly silence of the forest at dawn. He turned his head left and right but he couldn’t find he source of his worries.
“Well we do occasionally. We read Snow White and Sleeping Beauty… Princess and the Frog… I, uh, I’m not sure but there were others too. In foreign tales and stuff.”
“Do you think there’s truth in those stories? A first love’s kiss breaks the evil spell…”
“Even if I weren’t the romantic dreamer that I am, isn’t your Master’s situation true? It’s real.” Yuuki replied, staring at one of the trees on their right; it looked very… humane, if a tree could ever look like a real person.
“You know, he’s in love with you.” Tohru a hand on Yuuki’s shoulder and made him turn to look at him. “Like, head over heels. He writes in his diary about you, writes songs about you… You’re not exactly a first love to him, but…”
“Wait… What?” Yuuki’s eyes opened wide. “The prince… he’s in love with me?”
“Uh-huh.” Tohru nodded. “He’s also desperate. Both because time is closing in on him, and then because of his condition. It’s just a gloom for him. He thinks he doesn’t deserve you. He says you’re too good natured, too kind, gentle and warm-hearted for someone like him.”
“But that… That’s crazy -it can’t be! Why would he think that way?”
“Because he’s a monster half of the time.” Tohru shrugged again. “Normal people think like that and they have no problem at all; Master is actually… a shut-in, I guess would be the right word. Isolated and confined on his own, all because he was afraid of being ostracized by others. And I don’t blame him…”
Yuuki didn’t talk after that. The information was too sudden on him and he couldn’t digest it. It was true that he’d noticed the way the prince looked at him really did have some despair in it, but this was new.
“His birthday…” he let out unconsciously, looking up at Tohru again.
“Yup. Four days from now. You’ve got four… well, two full days and half one, to think about it… and act accordingly.” The older boy winked at him. “You’ve got everyone’s future in your hands… No pressure though.” He continued in a lighter, playful tone, and Yuuki smiled.
Then, they noticed that the trees had started thinning out and the road to Yuuki’s town was actually already visible. “Oh.”
“Yeah…”
“You know?” Yuuki started, trying to think up proper words to voice his confused emotions. “I think the magic at the tower isn’t only bad. I think it sort of affected even me; I’ve barely been gone a month and yet it feels like I’ve been away for years… It’s the town I grew up in, and it’s like I’m returning from a field-trip, even though I won’t stay long… It feels… like I’m leaving you guys and it’s a little heartbreaking.” He confessed, blood rushing to his face, making it redder than it already was from the cold.
“Good thinking; not good if you actually let it happen that way. Now go before I start acting out a teary goodbye.” Tohru patted the back of his arm. He meant it in dead earnest though, and Yuuki understood. He nodded and made his way, turning his back to the older boy with the lion mane hair and then lifted his arm, waving goodbye.
“Do it well, kid.” Tohru whispered; he stayed at the edge of the forest and watched until Yuuki went inside a house. Whether it was his or not he couldn’t tell, but he’d waited to make sure that he was safe before turning on his heel and starting to run back to the tower. Still with his senses alarmed, he tried to find something abnormal, something that would justify the feelings of worry that he’d gotten, but even the sense of danger had lifted entirely from the forest; only the light snowfall was left. Even though the sky was clear of clouds, snow was still falling. But that wasn’t something he could do much about.
“Gotta get home first. Maybe I’m just too tired.” He shook his head, and then a couple of twigs broke under the weight of snow and fell on his head again.
”Dammit!”
Pairing: Yamada Yuuki x Maeyama Takahisa
Genre: AU? O: /romance
Rating: safe
Words: 4,854
Summary: A different spin of the classic.
Notes: Aaaaaaaaaaaand, this is the big chapter OTL Good thing there's typing. This chapter is a little messy but more intriguing, and there's a little more action, finally! We're reaching the climax soon, yaaaaaaay~ :D/
- - - - - - - - -
“Jun! Wait up! Why are you avoiding me now?”
Ryousuke was still chasing after Jun. The younger boy had gone out of the passage and was now quickly making his way through the snow with his long legs. Ryousuke realized with a startle that he’d probably grown taller again. “Jun!” he called out once more, now with the cold hand of fear gripping his heart as suddenly the other kid disappeared from view. “What the…”
There was no cliff’s edge anywhere near them on that side so he needn’t worry about Jun having fallen down like that, yet he walked cautiously towards the spot where he’d dropped and looked down.
Jun was laying face first into the snow, his back facing him, his shanks into the air. A steady tree root was right in front of the lower part of Ryousuke’s legs now and he guessed that could be partially blamed for Jun’s fall. If the situation hadn’t looked as grave as it did the whole scene would have been very funny. He’d made no effort to lift himself off the downhill-heading ground and he was even sobbing hardly into the thick snow now.
”Ikeoka Ryousuke, you’re a bloody thickhead.” he thought to himself as he descended the hill and knelt beside the blond boy. It was obvious that he’d been crying already and yet he hadn’t noticed! He leaned over him, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him over; Jun stayed still as a corpse, not even attempting to block him or clear his face.
“That’s a nice mask~” the older boy tried to joke, but it only echoed back at him empty. He couldn’t bear to see him like that; he shook him from the shoulders and when Jun only squeezed his eyes tighter shut with his hot tears melting the snow that had stayed on his face and his full lips screwing in an effort to drown a stronger sob, Ryousuke lost it. He sat back next to the crying boy and hugged his knees to his chest.
“You wanna make me cry too?” he asked as a dim ray of light brighter than what came down to them filtered by the branches fell onto his golden hair. “He didn’t mean it specifically for you, you know.”
“I’m not angry at him.” Jun finally spoke, his usually pitched voice hoarse with tears that hadn’t had the chance to escape.
“Really.” Ryousuke’s relief turned into sarcasm.
“Not anymore.” Jun said in a provoking tone. “I’m mostly angry at myself for letting those words sink in. And tripping and falling down like that.” He admitted.
“You don’t really need to make excuses to me.” the older boy caught a fistful of snow in his hands and sprinkled it onto his face. “Speak. What was it?”
“They don’t trust me.”
Ryousuke sat up straight and turned to look at him. Jun wasn’t sobbing anymore and all the snow had melted away from his face that was now really pink with heat, but he wore one peculiar expression.
“What are you talking about?” he asked with his heart pace quickened, because he was almost certain he knew where Jun would take it.
“You heard them. He’ll think you’re pranking him. No unnecessary prologues and awkward wording…” he quoted, sitting up as well. “I’m still the lying, thieving orphan he prince picked off the street and nothing’s changed.” He laughed bitterly.
It was Ryousuke’s turn to get angry now; he elbowed Jun hard in he ribs and stood up, arms crossed.
“OUCH! Hey, what was that for?!”
“Nothing’s changed?” the older boy’s voice was vibrant with emotion. “Nothing’s changed?” he asked again, kicking snow up into Jun’s face. “You’re an ungrateful brat now while at least you were honest back then, that’s what’s changed for sure!”
“Are you mad?” Jun stood up and stepped back, rubbing his eyes, irritated again. “What did I do wrong?”
“You-chan never meant to hurt you! He only meant that Tohru-niisan is more experienced; his wording wasn’t the best but that was his mistake! Wrong choice of words, that was all! While you? Caught up in your own bitter thoughts, falsely thinking that you were wronged and that everyone is looking down on you; did you forget how warmly they all accepted us? What Kenki-san and Mitsuya-san have done for us? How Jinnai-san tried his best to joke all the time so we wouldn’t feel overwhelmed and intimidated? And every time you got sick, Tohru-niisan and You-chan were the ones who looked after you, taking care of you and your meals… It’s another thing to think like everyone is belittling you on your own, even falsely, and another to actually take it out on those people who, in the end, haven’t even harmed you! Biting the hand that feeds you is worse, way worse than picking the wrong words to use and insulting someone by mistake. Ungratefulness is… not nice.”
Jun turned his back to him.
“What you’re saying is conflicting and doesn’t make sense.” He said, crossing his arms too. “I thought you understood me.”
“And I thought that the Shison Jun I love was a decent human, no matter how immature and sneaky he usually is.” Ryousuke returned.
“I don’t know why it feels that way, okay?!” Jun yelled, turning to look at him. “For that moment I felt that everyone was against me, even you, Ikepi, and I know I’m wrong! You know it too! And yet you talk like that now and make it worse…” he shook his head as a fresh wave of tears rose from his throat to his eyes and bit his trembling bottom lip. “I only wanted Ikepi to hold me!” he shouted, his hands balling up into fists at his sides. “Tell me if I’m wrong but while holding me and gently, not accusing me like this! I didn’t kill a person; the tone you just used with me…” he wiped his face on his sleeve.
“This is so unlike you. Are you doing it on purpose?” Ryousuke felt his mouth drying up. He walked to the blond boy and put his hands on his shoulders. “Because it definitely looks like you do.”
An incomprehensible sound left Jun’s lips and before his Ikepi could react he’d put his arms around his waist and pulled him in, reaching out then to hold him close. Ryousuke returned the hug, one arm around Jun’s shoulders and the free hand threading into his hair.
“Stupid kid.” He muttered into his ear. “You’re growing taller than me.”
Jun let out a sob that was half a laugh; everything was alright again.
After lunch, the prince fell asleep for the first time while it was still day outside; Yuuki had been singing to him. It was nothing more than just a hum, and at first it had made him feel nostalgic somehow, but before he was able to try and unearth it in his memory, he was asleep. At nightfall, he made Yuuki sing for him again, and he was calm and gentle with the boys, calling them all one by one in his chamber, apologizing for his behavior all the while and thanking them for putting up with him. Because Yuuki was with him, and he sang to him, and he held his hand while he transformed and felt the skin turn to fur and back again; because Yuuki was there and read to him, and he pulled the covers over him when he fell asleep unconsciously, his pitiful heart, frozen by the malice of the witch and the hurt she’d caused him started to melt. His heart was still in pain, yet a new, different kind of it; now it was aching because he was in love with the boy who’d melted the icy walls around it, and desperate for him to return his feelings. And he grew more desperate with each passing day that brought them closer to his birthday.
In the meantime, since Yuuki had phenomenically disappeared from the face of the earth, the people in his town had been out in the wild, searching for him. It wasn’t like anyone knew that he had gone to the fair of the big town, but someone suspected it, and they went to the library, wanting to consult with the old lady they all knew he favored. There they heard from her that he had indeed attended the fair. What worried everyone was that the old librarian was the last person who had seen him, and even that was the day before the fair.
The small town was full of superstitious people, and they all knew the legend of the beastly prince. Therefore it was a surprise to none when, one after another, they started worrying about him having been attacked by thugs in the forest, abducted or killed by the beast. They told their thoughts to the mayor and the few elders of the city council and, as Yuuki was loved and treasured by all of them, it was decided that a search party should be formed; men wielding anything that could be used as a weapon in the dreadful wake of a situation gathered and were sent out to the woods to look for him.
The first place they looked was the big town. They asked people in town and at the inns, showing a drawing of Yuuki that one of the little girls had drawn, but no one could remember anything clear about him. Almost miraculously, just as they were starting on the way back and into the forest, the owner of the inn Yuuki had spent his night ran to them. In a few words he explained that Yuuki had heard the story of the enchanted prince and he’d impulsively decided to go and look for the tower, not listening to anyone who had tried to stop him.
“If he still hasn’t returned, I’m afraid the beast must have gotten its hands on him, one way or another…” he said in the end, head and shoulders hanging low.
Upon hearing those words, the men of the village decided that there was no other option anymore; they’d raid the forest and look for the beast’s hideout, the tower, determines to find Yuuki “even if the only thing remaining from him are his bones and clothes!”, as the mayor had gloomily stated.
Close enough that their talk could be heard, Shion and Shoutarou were listening, hidden between an enormous pyramid of potatoes piled on the ground.
“That’s our Yuuki-kun, isn’t it?” Shion asked with a frown.
“I bet it is… No wonder he’s so loved and card for. Look at how those villagers overreact about him.”
“They’ll turn the world upside down though… They’ll ruin everything!” Shion said, suddenly standing up.
“What are you talking about?!”
“Come ON, we have to get back, he have to tell them! Didn’t you hear them? They think Master caught Yuuki and killed him! If they find the tower, there’s no guaranteeing they won’t harm him, even if we tell them the real story; even if Master show himself in his human form!” the blond boy insisted, puling at Shoutarou’s hand as he spoke. “We’ve gotta warn them!”
Once the street was clear of people, a lone figure slipped from the shadowy alleys of the town into the late afternoon. It was definitely a woman, but she was wrapped in so many layers of muslin and taffeta that the only thing visible was her eyes. She looked frail and easily breakable… yet those eyes were powerful and brimmed with hatred. Anyone who took a look at her face quickly averted their gaze and went on their way with their head held low. She moved slowly towards the place the mob had gathered to talk with the inn’s owner and leaned against a stone fence, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at the direction Shion and Shoutarou had taken and disappeared into the woods.
“This is interesting.” She spoke to herself, drumming her unnaturally long and thin fingers on her lips over her cover. “If this Yuuki looks anything like the face in the drawing…”
She laughed a low, throaty laugh and moved towards the road heading to the small town, determined to learn more about him.
In a kingdom very near and yet far enough from the one of the current events, the land’s king was pacing endlessly in front of his throne and his queen, sitting on her own one at his left. He was a wise and kind man whom his people loved and were loyal to, but on those moments of desperate worry, he was questioning the most important choice of his life; a choice of nearly 24 years before. 24 years of worry and thoughtfulness that had left their mark on him, creases on his forehead and grey in his hair. The royal couple was alone with their head consultant, the queen’s older brother, in the courtroom where in the mornings hearings were held for their people.
“Dear, are you sure this will be the right decision?” the queen finally spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen after her husband had revealed his plans.
“I honestly think it’s going to be very dangerous.” The queen’s brother confessed. “Your Highness, should word of this get to that witch’s ear, the whole operation will be ruined… And if he looks anything like you two, she’ll recognize him with the first glance!”
“Then what am I supposed to do?!” The king stopped walking and crossed his arms, a pained expression shadowing his features. “Sit back here and wait for Death while my heir is wasted growing up like a peasant, away from his house? Away from us…” he sighed, beaten, and sat down at his throne rubbing his forehead.
“What if we send Babaa to find him?” the queen suggested, taking his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. “She’s been with us for so long and she was the first person to hold him; there’s no way she won’t recognize him, no matter what kind of face he’s grown up to have.”
“Dear lord!” he shook his head in horror. “Babaa is older than us, even; how can she travel and try to find him?”
“Oh you know perfectly well that she’s as sturdy as a bull and energetic like a child! The witch will be expecting a search party, soldiers, servants… But she doesn’t know about her; if not her, who else? No one’s better…”
“Still it is a risk for her; a woman of her age alone in the woods… I can’t say those plains and fields left me with the best impression when I last saw them…”
“Your Highness… my Brother, with all due respect, an old woman wandering in the woods alone stands out a lot less than a king. Either you choose to officially announce an expedition to find your lost heir or you decide to his your identity behind rugs and go in secret as a commoner, your royal composure and manners will give you out to her. Babaa was initially a peasant’s daughter and grew up that way; she’ll know how to conceal her current state and identity and how to act about herself… So please, listen to your Queen and take her advice into consideration.”
The king sighed and shook his head, still not convinced.
Back to our kingdom, when Shion ran into the kitchen yelling about invaders and intruders, dragging Shoutarou after him, shouting at the top of his lungs so that no one would miss his words, only Ryou, Shou and Youichirou were there. The prince, in a frenzy of goodwill and generosity had gifted everyone with a free day and all the other boys were absent. Only Tohru still remained home, doing his guarding shift, and Kenki, who was reading up about tulips in the library. Youichirou was feeding Shou spoonfuls of creamy soups he’d made, wanting him to taste them and tell him his opinion and Mitsuya was complaining about the kids not agreeing on them all going on a picnic like a family.
“There’s gonna be… There’s gonna be a raid!” Shion breathed for the last time before collapsing on the bench, heavily out of breath.
“What’s he talkin’ about?” Shou asked, his mouth full of soup, orange and dripping from the corner of his lips.
“I don’t know; we’d gone down to the town and helped a lady farmer pick her potatoes, piling them in her yard, and suddenly people came and talked with one of the innspeople, asking around with a drawing if anyone had seen “our Yuuki, this boy is our Yuuki” -that’s what they said. We didn’t get to see the picture but judging by their words, their Yuuki is our Yuuki too. They’re speculating that he was seized by the monster; and they’re coming to he woods to find the tower. They’re convinced of the vicious version of the legend, those dopey, superstitious folk!” Shoutarou explained. “I don’t know how long it’ll take them to find us, but even though it’s really just a handful f them, they’re still a mob determined to extinguish.” He said with an ominous look; Shion was still trying to catch his breath and Youichirou had just stopped feeding Shou.
“What… what he said.” Shion managed to let out after hungrily downing a whole glass of water. “We must be prepared; I don’t know, tell the prince, or Yuuki-kun. They might calm down if Yuuki-kun returns to the small town and shows them he’s unharmed… They seemed to believe he’s either dead or kept prisoner and tortured.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Youichirou screeched. “We should tell Yuuki, or else those savages are going to-“
“I think you should all calm down, for one.” Mitsuya finally spoke. “Let the other kids return from their trips and at dinnertime we’ll discuss this. Then we’ll tell Master and Yuuki-kun. No matter how determined they are to find us, even that energetic mob needs to go back home and rest for the night; those people are too afraid of the forest. There’s enough snow to confuse them anyway. And I think there’s going to be a blizzard tonight again, so we’ll be protected until tomorrow morning at least. We’ll tell Master and Yuuki-kun right after dinner.”
And so it happened; the prince and Yuuki listened carefully to what Jun and Shoutarou, who’d been chosen by everyone to do the talk had come to say, and Yuuki listened closely, but when they were done he slapped his face and moaned in discomfort.
“This is actually my fault.” He said with an apologetic look. If I’d gone back home even once… This is so shameful; treating the people who brought me up so coldly is unacceptable.” He shook his head. “I’ve only imposed on you and forgot to even think about home…” he lowered his head, putting his fingers in his hair. “I should go.”
“Yuuki, Yuuki, you can’t leave me!” the prince, unnaturally silent all the while and only listening until now put his hands on his shoulders and shook him. “You can’t leave me behind!”
“If I don’t go they’ll come and they’re determined to exterminate you, you heard them! I won’t be long, three days at most. Just give me three days; I’ll see everyone and explain about you, and then come back. I will, I promise. Just give me these three days, alright?”
The prince rolled on his bed, turning his back to them and pulling the covers above his head.
“Takahisa.” Yuuki tugged at the blankets, but the prince only tightened his grip on them.
“What should we do, Master?” Shoutarou asked, starting to feel a little uncomfortable; he could sense that even Jun was tense now.
Yuuki made an awkward face; if the prince had started sulking, he wouldn’t give a proper answer to anyone for a while.
“Go.”
They all turned to look at the lump under the blankets; it was really the prince’s voice, muffled but awfully pitched.
“W-what?”
“Go. You can go. Go and fix the misunderstanding. But you must be back by the sunset on the third day. If you’re not… I don’t know what will become of me.” Takahisa let out, fully aware that he was only barely keeping himself from crying out in howls. “Now go. Get out. Leave me alone.” He commanded right after, and the three boys walked out of the room all in deep thought.
“I think there’s something wrong with him.” Yuuki confessed. “The way he looks at me… maybe it was like that from the start and it’s just that I hadn’t noticed, but… There’s something…”
Shoutarou grabbed Jun’s hand as he was about to speak; it was obvious he was determined to let Yuuki in on the prince’s feelings. The two fought silently for a while as they all descended the stairs to tell everyone about Yuuki’s decision, and ten Jun finally spoke.
“Well it’s his birthday in four days and no one who really loves him that way has appeared. The curse will probably be permanent now so he wants at least you to be by his side, is my guess.” He said, emphasizing on all the right words, and Shoutarou slapped his forehead. After all, when Jun wanted to do something there was no way to stop him; he’d do it regardless of the prohibitions and the consequences, directly or not. As far as Shoutarou was concerned, though, he wasn’t against him having said what he did. He just wanted to be of as much help to the prince as possible and if the adults had decided that Jun wasn’t the right person to turn Yuuki’s head into the right direction, he’d just convinced himself that they must be right.
And so Yuuki bid his friends farewell, promised to bring a few of his personal belongings to show them when he returned, and ensured them that he’d do his best to change everyone’s minds about the prince and the legend. He left the tower when the first ray of light pierced through the metallic, icy white of the sky, accompanied by Tohru at Mitsuya’s command, who was in charge of guarding him until they got out of the woods and onto the cleared off snow road that led to the small town. At first Yuuki had declined but when he saw how thick the piled snow was he decided that he’d definitely need the help of someone who knew the forest like the back of his hand.
So they left the tower, carefully descending the small sloppy hillside that was filled to the brim with snow so high they stepped into it and it made their pants wet up to the thigh. For the most part they walked in silence, Tohru only breaking it to give Yuuki directions or curse under his breath if the tree branches above them released their handfuls of snow on their heads.
About an hour before they reached the main road leading in and out of the town, Tohru started talking to Yuuki like he never had until that moment. It was under Ryou’s and Kenki’s orders; the plan of having him inform Yuuki of the prince’s feelings towards him hadn’t been dropped. The two of them had gone to conspire with him while he was doing the evening shift late in the previous night, certain that the kids, especially Jun, wouldn’t be able to hear them since they were asleep. They’d talked for quite a long time, since both Tohru and Kenki kept insisting it was better to say it all out straight and clear, and Ryou had protested many times, saying that discretion and delicacy were the key points… In the end, right before the whole matter turned into a heated argument on whose opinion was the most appropriate, they’d decided to leave it to Tohru’s judgment of the atmosphere while the two made their way through the snow.
“So.” He started, kicking up a fallen branch that was in the way, “When you read books to Master, what sort of stories are they? Like… Fantasy and such?”
“Eh?” Yuuki turned to look at him. “Well, usually whatever he feels like hearing… He’s the one deciding. Why do you ask?”
“Shion says the prince’s favorite genre is romance. Along with fantasy, according to Negishi and Shiramata.” the older boy shrugged. “I just wondered if you’ve come across kisses that solve or break curses. I’ve tried reading stuff like that out loud, and it wasn’t easy.” He said, somehow alarmed now. Snow had started falling again, even though the blizzard’s clouds were way away now and something had changed in the deadly silence of the forest at dawn. He turned his head left and right but he couldn’t find he source of his worries.
“Well we do occasionally. We read Snow White and Sleeping Beauty… Princess and the Frog… I, uh, I’m not sure but there were others too. In foreign tales and stuff.”
“Do you think there’s truth in those stories? A first love’s kiss breaks the evil spell…”
“Even if I weren’t the romantic dreamer that I am, isn’t your Master’s situation true? It’s real.” Yuuki replied, staring at one of the trees on their right; it looked very… humane, if a tree could ever look like a real person.
“You know, he’s in love with you.” Tohru a hand on Yuuki’s shoulder and made him turn to look at him. “Like, head over heels. He writes in his diary about you, writes songs about you… You’re not exactly a first love to him, but…”
“Wait… What?” Yuuki’s eyes opened wide. “The prince… he’s in love with me?”
“Uh-huh.” Tohru nodded. “He’s also desperate. Both because time is closing in on him, and then because of his condition. It’s just a gloom for him. He thinks he doesn’t deserve you. He says you’re too good natured, too kind, gentle and warm-hearted for someone like him.”
“But that… That’s crazy -it can’t be! Why would he think that way?”
“Because he’s a monster half of the time.” Tohru shrugged again. “Normal people think like that and they have no problem at all; Master is actually… a shut-in, I guess would be the right word. Isolated and confined on his own, all because he was afraid of being ostracized by others. And I don’t blame him…”
Yuuki didn’t talk after that. The information was too sudden on him and he couldn’t digest it. It was true that he’d noticed the way the prince looked at him really did have some despair in it, but this was new.
“His birthday…” he let out unconsciously, looking up at Tohru again.
“Yup. Four days from now. You’ve got four… well, two full days and half one, to think about it… and act accordingly.” The older boy winked at him. “You’ve got everyone’s future in your hands… No pressure though.” He continued in a lighter, playful tone, and Yuuki smiled.
Then, they noticed that the trees had started thinning out and the road to Yuuki’s town was actually already visible. “Oh.”
“Yeah…”
“You know?” Yuuki started, trying to think up proper words to voice his confused emotions. “I think the magic at the tower isn’t only bad. I think it sort of affected even me; I’ve barely been gone a month and yet it feels like I’ve been away for years… It’s the town I grew up in, and it’s like I’m returning from a field-trip, even though I won’t stay long… It feels… like I’m leaving you guys and it’s a little heartbreaking.” He confessed, blood rushing to his face, making it redder than it already was from the cold.
“Good thinking; not good if you actually let it happen that way. Now go before I start acting out a teary goodbye.” Tohru patted the back of his arm. He meant it in dead earnest though, and Yuuki understood. He nodded and made his way, turning his back to the older boy with the lion mane hair and then lifted his arm, waving goodbye.
“Do it well, kid.” Tohru whispered; he stayed at the edge of the forest and watched until Yuuki went inside a house. Whether it was his or not he couldn’t tell, but he’d waited to make sure that he was safe before turning on his heel and starting to run back to the tower. Still with his senses alarmed, he tried to find something abnormal, something that would justify the feelings of worry that he’d gotten, but even the sense of danger had lifted entirely from the forest; only the light snowfall was left. Even though the sky was clear of clouds, snow was still falling. But that wasn’t something he could do much about.
“Gotta get home first. Maybe I’m just too tired.” He shook his head, and then a couple of twigs broke under the weight of snow and fell on his head again.
”Dammit!”