[yamae] 美男と野獣 7/?
Author: myself ( hyuuga_princess / mugendainomousou on tumblr)
Pairing: Yamada Yuuki x Maeyama Takahisa
Genre: AU? O: /romance
Rating: safe
Words: 4,048
Summary: A different spin of the classic.
Notes: Another big chapter where I didn't expect it. A couple of things will be revealed in this and the next chapter!
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That very night, another visitor came to the tower.
A very old-looking, skinny but merry granny appeared in front of Tohru while he was on his shift; upon returning in the morning the others had let him sleep all day so that he’d be able to be on time with it. She’d asked him if there was anyone she could consult with in the tower; she’d said she was the messenger of a nearby kingdom, sent by the royal couple and that, if possible, she wanted to talk to the master of the house. Thus Tohru had called Ryou and he’d taken her in, accompanying her to the kitchen where Youichirou was serving everyone’s dinner. They’d let her finish her food before starting to ask questions, but she gave dodgy answers; it was clear that she was determined to only speak honestly to the Master of the house, as she kept telling them.
“Yes but, you see, there’s… Our Master isn’t at his best today; he might even be asleep already.” Yukito tried to reason with her but she shook her head dismissively.
“I have my orders as well, lad… It’s not like my life depends on this mission I’m on, but-“
“Yeah, but ours sorta do.” Jun interrupted. He was still fuming about the fact that the adults had tricked him and had had Tohru talk to Yuuki instead of him. “See our Mater gets violent when we disturb him.”
“Why are you lot still with him then? I bet you’re all tied by a red thread, your Master included too, so no one will be harmed, trust me.” The old lady said, shaking her head knowingly. “I doubt he’s more important than a lost royal heir.”
“A what?!” Shintarou stopped the dish washng at once, turning to look at her. “A lost royal heir?!”
“Are you looking for someone?” Kenki asked kindly, trying not to sound rude or impatient.
“My king’s son. He’s been long lost, though, many years ago.” She shook her head. “All because of that wretched witch…”
“A witch…” a low murmur went around the room and everyone shuddered. Suddenly the flames in the fireplace flickered and the atmosphere felt hotter and thicker.
“What witch?”
Takahisa made his appearance, covered from head to toe with a heavy mantle and a hood.
“Master!” everyone cried, nearly all of them instantly standing up and holding their breath.
“You’re up… are you feeling better?” Shion asked, walking towards him and trying to peek from underneath the hood.
“So-so. I am hungry… at least I was until I heard this talk about a witch.” His voice was suddenly rougher. “Who are you, old woman? What is it that you were speaking of to my servants?”
“So you’re the master of this tower? It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, dear sir. Let me compliment you on your excellent staff choices. These kids are very interesting.”
“Yes.” The prince nodded; heading to the table, he sat at the opposite end and crossed his arms over his chest, fisting his hands so that his claws wouldn’t be visible. “To the point though.”
“I am a messenger, your Highness, from the king ruling the land beyond the hillside. As to why I’m here and whom I’m searching… This is going to take some time to explain, so with your permission…?”
“Go ahead.” Takahisa commanded.
“Over 20 years ago, my queen had fallen sick with despair; she had wanted a child for a long time, yet she couldn’t have one. The king was sad and close to going mad too; his wife was ill, the council pressured for an heir, there was no one to inherit the throne… Soon after, a witch who’d heard of their situation presented herself at the court and told the king she had the solution to all his problems. She healed the queen and offered them her help to finally have a son… but in return, she wanted to be wed to the prince when he would grow up. Desperate as they both were, they made a pledge with her; that when the prince would turn 16, they would announce their engagement. The witch gave my queen a flask with a potion and disappeared right after, telling my master that she’d be monitoring them from far, and when the time would come, she would come as well…”
“Sure enough, the queen got her wish and our prince was born. But then, when the time came and the prince first said ‘dad and ‘mom’… They didn’t want to let go anymore -who could blame them? Parents are like that. They talked and talked and worried and I spent most of my time with the prince instead of them… In the end, they decided to hide him.”
The old woman stopped to take a breath; the room was now dead silent. In contrast with her, everyone was even holding their breath, waiting for her to continue with her story.
“No matter how heartbreaking that decision was to them they deemed it right to separate, if it was for him to be safe from the witch. The king, wearing peasant clothes chose the fastest horse and fled at night, marching through the plains and the valley and the hills, trying to find a safe place far from the kingdom, but not too far that they wouldn’t be able to find it again… I had been ordered to wrap the prince in warm rugs, leaving no trace of his royalty behind -my queen had suggested that he’d be safer if even he himself didn’t know he’d been born a prince. Ignorance was the best shelter and they agreed on that… So the king took his son and left him… somewhere around here, if his descriptions were right.” She concluded, and Arai let out a loud squeak, making everyone jump up startled.
“Baachan.” Yukito asked, his voice trembling with tension. “The prince… did he have a name?”
“Of course he had a name! But the king left nothing behind to indicate what it was.”
“Sometimes, fate plays mysterious tricks. The things we lose have a way of coming back to us somehow.” Shou let out, crossing his fingers in front of his face. “Tell us his name.”
“Yuuki. They had decided to name him Yuuki, in the hopes that it… that if he ever heard his name it would maybe indicate to him that he is of royal descent.” The old woman replied, and then the prince stood up so abruptly his chair clattered to the floor.
“Master…” Ryou looked up at him as everyone in the room made the same thought; there were too many coincidences to avoid.
“Go. Go to him. Someone go find him, as fast as you can; GO!” Takahisa shouted, bringing his hands to his face, uncaring of his claws showing now. “Go and bring him back.” He whispered and then ran out of the room.
“What happened to him? What’s going on?” the old lady stared at the direction the prince had disappeared. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Everything that could.” Youichirou sighed, picking up the remaining plates and dropping them into the sink. “It’s not that Master is sensitive, even though he is, but he has too much going on already, and now this…”
“Well, he’s desperate. What if Yuuki-kun really is this lost prince and goes away for real? Master must be devastated…” Jun said, crossing legs and arms and glancing at their visitor, as if it was her fault.
“Junjun!” Mitsuya scowled at him.
“There is a Yuuki in this tower?” the old lady asked, agitated now. “Where is he? What does he look like? Can I see him?”
“Well there is one… But he’s not here right now.” Shoutarou walked over to her and sat at Shou’s empty seat next to her. As soon as the prince had given his order, he’d taken Kenki and they’d left to inform Tohru and instantly decided who would go look for Yuuki.
“What do you mean? Do tell me quickly and clearly young man, this isn’t a personal matter!”
Shoutarou nodded, opening his hands apologetically.
“If you let me speak… I have the most peculiar story to tell you.”
And so, while everyone else attended their business or gossiped in whispers, he told her everything. About their prince and the witch and her curse; about how he’d turn into a beast every evening, and how only lately it had started to wane and he stayed mostly human… But that was because of someone else’s influence; because of Yuuki-kun, who’d suddenly showed up one night and turned their lives upside down… And then he told her Yuuki’s story… That he was an orphan, found abandoned in the rice fields, so the people of his town named him Yamada. How he’d even been brought up by all of them together and he was now a wise and gentle person. He told her everything, leaving out only the prince’s feelings towards Yuuki; if nothing worked out in the end, there was no need for one more person to know.
And the old lady had listened carefully, appropriate expressions of horror or happiness appearing on her face on all the right moments. And when he’d reached the part where Yuuki decided on to go back his own and confront the townspeople to save the prince of the tower and his servants, tears of joy streamed down her face and she clasped her hands together in delight.
“Oh dear, dear boy! It must really be him! He sounds the same as his mother, my queen! Tell me more, lad, now, what does he look like? Is he healthy or sickly like a winter’s twig?”
Behind the old lady’s back, Mitsuya thumbed up at him and nodded; he should definitely go on.
“Well he’s not incredibly tall, but he’s big. He’s sturdy enough; he told us he built his own house with everyone’s help. He’s got enough strength but he prefers reading. He’s always reading, either on his own or to our Master. You can tell he’s the happiest then, his face shines. He’s got big eyes and long black hair that curls like a mermai-a merman’s when it’s wet.” Shoutarou scratched his head. “I… think that’s all? Ah, he also sings very nicely; sometimes when Master can’t sleep he sings to him, and not only lullabies.”
“Splendid.” The old woman wiped her eyes. “Almost everything sounds like he takes after his mother, but there are definitely his father’s traits as well.” She shook her head knowingly. “I really hope that, no matter what upbringing he had, he is a decent person.”
“He really is, I can assure you of that.” Mitsuya appeared suddenly with a plate of sliced apples. “He’s been with us for a really short time but he’s been excellent. He’s disciplined, discreet and kind, listens to other people without interrupting, he’s not afraid to speak his mind and has an instinct when it comes to justice; he’ll always do what’s truly right to do, seeing through tedious laws and tepid morals.” He concluded, putting some properly folded napkins into a drawer. “Besides, we have no profit honouring him; if he really is your lost heir, he will have to go and that’s inconvenient to us. Master will be devastated.”
“It’s the first time he’s been constantly in a good mood for longer than just a couple of hours. At best, he’d be… not angry, for about an hour, and then he’d fall into despair again.” Shoutarou explained. “I don’t know what he did that we couldn’t. but Yuuki-kun didn’t judge, he didn’t draw back after seeing Master’s beastly form and he kept him company even at unreasonable hours; tasks that we were usually dragged out of bed to do.”
“I see. Well if they’re such good friends and your prince is the ruler of this land, and we’re just after the mountains, those two should unite and make one kingdom where they’ll both reign.”
“That would be nice… Only, our prince isn’t capable of taking up this task just yet. Even though he fought that witch to save his people from her, they don’t trust him now that he’s like this. He was ostracized and even though it’s only because of the curse, legends have formed about a beast in the woods; people believe he’s a killing fiend despite nothing of it being true.
“That’s horrible.”
“Well… Yes. And he -I guess it’s difficult to tell, since he didn’t show you his face, but he’s constantly hurt by those beliefs. He tries to hide it even from us but really… Being with him as long as we have, he can’t really.”
The old lady finally smiled.
“You’re all such kind, kind kids… He must be grateful the closest of his subjects are so devoted to him.”
There was no more talk after that. Mitsuya led their guest to one of the empty rooms, right above the floor where their own ones were and then ran down to the kitchen to scold the younger ones into bed; a bubble and soap-throwing party had started in the kitchen after Yukito’s indication. Instead of helping Shintarou wash the dishes, he’d started stealing his sponges and throwing foam and soap all around, and soon the other kids had followed along managing to drag even Youichirou in the game. After a lot of yelling and protesting, he managed to get them all in bed though, and then he climbed the stairs to the top floor, determined to talk to the prince.
He took a deep breath, smacked his cheeks twice and knocked on the door.
“Master?” he let out in a clear voice, free of hesitation. He got no reply, so he knocked again and spoke in a more daring tone.
“Master? If you’re not asleep I’d like to talk to you.”
“It’s way past hearing hours!” the growl that came from inside surprised him a little; it was more hoarse and less humane than ever. He didn’t let that affect him though; in a craze of bravery unheard of for his standards, he pushed the grand doors open and walked into the prince’s chambers with spirit.
“I want to talk to you. Not as a servant to his master or as a subject to his liege; as a human being to another.” If he ever told anyone that on that certain moment he wasn’t even the slightest bit afraid, it’d be a lie. Yet even a wimp like himself tried to maintain his composure despite the fact that the situation didn’t help him at all.
The prince, crouched on his bed, half under the covers looked more like a beast than ever. His claws and fangs were bigger than before, his hair longer and wilder, his ears had changed and, Mitsuya guessed, the part of his body that was hidden underneath the blankets was too.
He cleared his throat again.
“I meant what I said about human beings.” He repeated, determined to get a word out of the prince.
“Have I ever been more like a monster?!” Takahisa snarled, getting out of bed and onto the floor. “Have I, Ryou? HAVE I? Look at me!”
“I am.” A drop of sweat appeared on his temple. It was true that the prince’s transformation was worse than any previous time but there was no chance Ryou would let it scare him away.
“And you still want to talk about being human? Human! Like this?!!”
“I don’t care. And Yuuki-kun didn’t and doesn’t either, and he won’t ever.”
The prince winced in pain once Yuuki’s name was mentioned. “He’s gone though.” He whispered, barely audible, looking away.
“He didn’t leave deliberately, Master, you know that! And he never said he won’t be coming back! He asked you to grand him three days; if they go and he’s not back yet you can freely fall into despair, I won’t say a word. But not before then. Not before your birthday.”
“DO NOT REMIND ME!” Takahisa roared, throwing an already wrecked chair to the one mirror that had no cracks yet on the opposite wall, right behind Ryou. The chair sped about his cheek, made his hair shake to its direction but didn’t touch him and he didn’t do a single move to dodge; it wasn’t the first time this happened.
“I made Tsuru-chan talk to him.” He spoke again, crossing his hands low at his waist. “Someone had to open his eyes, don’t you think?”
“What… What are you talking about?”
“That you love him, Master.” Mitsuya’s tone was dead serious as he said that. “Shion told us, although it wasn’t really necessary. It was already obvious.”
Takahisa fell down on the floor, all the wild power driving him suddenly drained from him. “He… you all had noticed… And he hadn’t?” he asked weakly, bringing his paws at his face. “Not that I had any hopes for that in the first place…”
“He only noticed that… He said the way you looked at him was pained and desperate. But he didn’t look uncomfortable or anything. I can assure you that while he was here and spent all that time with you he never, never showed disgust or repulse or anything you might think he feels towards you.”
“He’s just so… gentle, and so beautiful.” The prince whispered again, as if trying to apologize. “I… Even though it’s bad, even though I’m like this, I couldn’t help it…”
“There’s no helping it in these things, Master, you did nothing wrong! You didn’t even tell him how you feel; think about the people who force their emotions on the ones they love, caging them instead! You never did anything to Yuuki-kun; he’s got absolutely no reason to hate you!”
Ryou could see that his words just wouldn’t go through; the prince was convinced that everything was against him. “Would you mind if I became bold?” he said in a different tone now. “You are being miserable like this on you own. This… your prejudice that everyone finds you detestable and only stays by your side by obligation is really hurtful. It is not this way! Ask the boys; the kids who weren’t with you from the start like the rest of us and didn’t know you from before -we all love you! Look at the way Shii-chan, Negi, the two Atsushis tend to you at your every command! And then even if you don’t say, they do things to please you on their own! None of us is here with you out of obligation or fear of revenge if we left you; neither did Yuuki-kun. Why would he come back if he did? Why would we all wish so strongly for your happiness if we did?”
Takahisa shook his head. “I just wish I could talk to him somehow.” He muttered under his breath, putting his fingers into his hair.
“Magic mirrors don’t work if he doesn’t have the other half.”
“Water. Ice. You do with what you have. Call Jun for me.”
“Now?! But they’re sleeping! I only just managed to put them all to bed! Besides it’s so late even Yuuki-kun will probably be sleeping.” Mitsuya protested.
“…I’m sorry.” The prince turned his face away and climbed into his bed again, this time closing the curtains as well before crawling underneath the blankets again. “Let it be the first thing he does when he wakes up. Bring him here. Tell him what I want. He must be ready… Now go. You should rest too.”
Ryou lowered his head. He didn’t know if he’d succeeded in making the prince think more positively and he still worried about that, but there wasn’t anything more he could do now as he was dismissed already. He nodded, greeted and left, a heavy stone weighting down on his heart.
“Spare us all already…” he murmured.
As he descended the stairs, he saw Youichirou and Shou sitting at the edge of the small platform ring surrounding the tower on the outside of the wall, their legs swinging back and forth, holding hands and talking in low voices; quickly he walked past them, not wanting to be seen and thought that he was eavesdropping. But then, once he reached the room and as always first walked over to watch the kids a little, he saw Ryousuke’s bed was empty, and worried for a moment. Turning his head, he immediately spotted him in Jun’s bed, holding him, both sleeping soundly. He took a closer look and noticed that Jun had been crying; there were tear streaks on his cheeks and his eyes were red and puffy. He was holding tightly onto Ryousuke’s shirt, almost as much as it’d take for his knuckles to turn white, yet they hadn’t; he had wrinkled it instead.
Ryou smiled a bitter smile and pulled the blanket closer to their faces, covering them gently, trying to hold back the urge to sing a lullaby. When he turned to the opposite side he saw that even Shintarou and Yukito were sleeping holding hands; their pinkies were twined, arms hanging in the space between their beds and with their heads as close to the edge as was possible. And it wasn’t only the younger ones, because right under the window where the beds of the two Atsushis were, they had fallen asleep leaning sideways onto each other, a pile of books at their feet and one of them open in Shiramata’s lap.
”There’s so much love here… There’s no way Master, who deserves it more than anyone won’t find happiness.” Ryou thought as he tiptoed over to his bed. And there, he found that Kenki had been waiting for him, sitting on his bed with his grand pillow on his legs. He’d fallen asleep leaning from side to side as though he was sleeping in a speeding vehicle. Moved to tears by now, Mitsuya wiped his face to the back of his sleeve and walked over, pulled the covers and got into bed right as he was, not changing his clothes or doing any move to wake Kenki. And right on the moment he pulled the covers up, putting a blanket over Kenki too so that he wouldn’t get cold, outside, Youichirou had finally managed to make Shou give in and now they were kissing, snow falling around them heavy and monotonous like rain; a blizzard was on the way.
And with the snow also came yet a different kind of magic, sitting layered upon the tower and securing everything in its embrace. It made Kenki shift in his sleep and slide closer to Mitsuya and Shintarou sleep-crawl into Yukito’s bed; it even made Shou decide that for that one night, Youichirou was far more important than guarding the tower and they spent the night cuddling at the inner part of the stone ring they were seated at, closer to the doors leading back inside. It made Arai fall into Shiramata’s lap in his sleep and hold onto his hand tightly, and it made the prince finally fall asleep after crying for many long hours. Its power was so grand that reached even Yuuki and gave him dreams of the prince based on the memories he had of them together and even things he had no knowledge of. It reached so far away that the kinds of two neighbouring kingdoms with two lost heirs finally had a good night’s sleep, falling deep and dreamlessly into it, the piled exhaustion of years working on them better than any sleeping drink.
It was good magic that worked to slowly overturn the bad one that had been conqueror and ruler all the previous years. It was the work of a fairy who had heard of the misfortune of those lands and had decided she’d be the one who’d help things move forward and leave the evil and the curse behind. A place couldn’t only have a wicked witch lurking around; there had to be balance, and that meant that a good witch or a fairy like herself had to be present as well. Her name was Maii, and she was everything good that Oshin couldn’t stand in her malice.
Pairing: Yamada Yuuki x Maeyama Takahisa
Genre: AU? O: /romance
Rating: safe
Words: 4,048
Summary: A different spin of the classic.
Notes: Another big chapter where I didn't expect it. A couple of things will be revealed in this and the next chapter!
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That very night, another visitor came to the tower.
A very old-looking, skinny but merry granny appeared in front of Tohru while he was on his shift; upon returning in the morning the others had let him sleep all day so that he’d be able to be on time with it. She’d asked him if there was anyone she could consult with in the tower; she’d said she was the messenger of a nearby kingdom, sent by the royal couple and that, if possible, she wanted to talk to the master of the house. Thus Tohru had called Ryou and he’d taken her in, accompanying her to the kitchen where Youichirou was serving everyone’s dinner. They’d let her finish her food before starting to ask questions, but she gave dodgy answers; it was clear that she was determined to only speak honestly to the Master of the house, as she kept telling them.
“Yes but, you see, there’s… Our Master isn’t at his best today; he might even be asleep already.” Yukito tried to reason with her but she shook her head dismissively.
“I have my orders as well, lad… It’s not like my life depends on this mission I’m on, but-“
“Yeah, but ours sorta do.” Jun interrupted. He was still fuming about the fact that the adults had tricked him and had had Tohru talk to Yuuki instead of him. “See our Mater gets violent when we disturb him.”
“Why are you lot still with him then? I bet you’re all tied by a red thread, your Master included too, so no one will be harmed, trust me.” The old lady said, shaking her head knowingly. “I doubt he’s more important than a lost royal heir.”
“A what?!” Shintarou stopped the dish washng at once, turning to look at her. “A lost royal heir?!”
“Are you looking for someone?” Kenki asked kindly, trying not to sound rude or impatient.
“My king’s son. He’s been long lost, though, many years ago.” She shook her head. “All because of that wretched witch…”
“A witch…” a low murmur went around the room and everyone shuddered. Suddenly the flames in the fireplace flickered and the atmosphere felt hotter and thicker.
“What witch?”
Takahisa made his appearance, covered from head to toe with a heavy mantle and a hood.
“Master!” everyone cried, nearly all of them instantly standing up and holding their breath.
“You’re up… are you feeling better?” Shion asked, walking towards him and trying to peek from underneath the hood.
“So-so. I am hungry… at least I was until I heard this talk about a witch.” His voice was suddenly rougher. “Who are you, old woman? What is it that you were speaking of to my servants?”
“So you’re the master of this tower? It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, dear sir. Let me compliment you on your excellent staff choices. These kids are very interesting.”
“Yes.” The prince nodded; heading to the table, he sat at the opposite end and crossed his arms over his chest, fisting his hands so that his claws wouldn’t be visible. “To the point though.”
“I am a messenger, your Highness, from the king ruling the land beyond the hillside. As to why I’m here and whom I’m searching… This is going to take some time to explain, so with your permission…?”
“Go ahead.” Takahisa commanded.
“Over 20 years ago, my queen had fallen sick with despair; she had wanted a child for a long time, yet she couldn’t have one. The king was sad and close to going mad too; his wife was ill, the council pressured for an heir, there was no one to inherit the throne… Soon after, a witch who’d heard of their situation presented herself at the court and told the king she had the solution to all his problems. She healed the queen and offered them her help to finally have a son… but in return, she wanted to be wed to the prince when he would grow up. Desperate as they both were, they made a pledge with her; that when the prince would turn 16, they would announce their engagement. The witch gave my queen a flask with a potion and disappeared right after, telling my master that she’d be monitoring them from far, and when the time would come, she would come as well…”
“Sure enough, the queen got her wish and our prince was born. But then, when the time came and the prince first said ‘dad and ‘mom’… They didn’t want to let go anymore -who could blame them? Parents are like that. They talked and talked and worried and I spent most of my time with the prince instead of them… In the end, they decided to hide him.”
The old woman stopped to take a breath; the room was now dead silent. In contrast with her, everyone was even holding their breath, waiting for her to continue with her story.
“No matter how heartbreaking that decision was to them they deemed it right to separate, if it was for him to be safe from the witch. The king, wearing peasant clothes chose the fastest horse and fled at night, marching through the plains and the valley and the hills, trying to find a safe place far from the kingdom, but not too far that they wouldn’t be able to find it again… I had been ordered to wrap the prince in warm rugs, leaving no trace of his royalty behind -my queen had suggested that he’d be safer if even he himself didn’t know he’d been born a prince. Ignorance was the best shelter and they agreed on that… So the king took his son and left him… somewhere around here, if his descriptions were right.” She concluded, and Arai let out a loud squeak, making everyone jump up startled.
“Baachan.” Yukito asked, his voice trembling with tension. “The prince… did he have a name?”
“Of course he had a name! But the king left nothing behind to indicate what it was.”
“Sometimes, fate plays mysterious tricks. The things we lose have a way of coming back to us somehow.” Shou let out, crossing his fingers in front of his face. “Tell us his name.”
“Yuuki. They had decided to name him Yuuki, in the hopes that it… that if he ever heard his name it would maybe indicate to him that he is of royal descent.” The old woman replied, and then the prince stood up so abruptly his chair clattered to the floor.
“Master…” Ryou looked up at him as everyone in the room made the same thought; there were too many coincidences to avoid.
“Go. Go to him. Someone go find him, as fast as you can; GO!” Takahisa shouted, bringing his hands to his face, uncaring of his claws showing now. “Go and bring him back.” He whispered and then ran out of the room.
“What happened to him? What’s going on?” the old lady stared at the direction the prince had disappeared. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Everything that could.” Youichirou sighed, picking up the remaining plates and dropping them into the sink. “It’s not that Master is sensitive, even though he is, but he has too much going on already, and now this…”
“Well, he’s desperate. What if Yuuki-kun really is this lost prince and goes away for real? Master must be devastated…” Jun said, crossing legs and arms and glancing at their visitor, as if it was her fault.
“Junjun!” Mitsuya scowled at him.
“There is a Yuuki in this tower?” the old lady asked, agitated now. “Where is he? What does he look like? Can I see him?”
“Well there is one… But he’s not here right now.” Shoutarou walked over to her and sat at Shou’s empty seat next to her. As soon as the prince had given his order, he’d taken Kenki and they’d left to inform Tohru and instantly decided who would go look for Yuuki.
“What do you mean? Do tell me quickly and clearly young man, this isn’t a personal matter!”
Shoutarou nodded, opening his hands apologetically.
“If you let me speak… I have the most peculiar story to tell you.”
And so, while everyone else attended their business or gossiped in whispers, he told her everything. About their prince and the witch and her curse; about how he’d turn into a beast every evening, and how only lately it had started to wane and he stayed mostly human… But that was because of someone else’s influence; because of Yuuki-kun, who’d suddenly showed up one night and turned their lives upside down… And then he told her Yuuki’s story… That he was an orphan, found abandoned in the rice fields, so the people of his town named him Yamada. How he’d even been brought up by all of them together and he was now a wise and gentle person. He told her everything, leaving out only the prince’s feelings towards Yuuki; if nothing worked out in the end, there was no need for one more person to know.
And the old lady had listened carefully, appropriate expressions of horror or happiness appearing on her face on all the right moments. And when he’d reached the part where Yuuki decided on to go back his own and confront the townspeople to save the prince of the tower and his servants, tears of joy streamed down her face and she clasped her hands together in delight.
“Oh dear, dear boy! It must really be him! He sounds the same as his mother, my queen! Tell me more, lad, now, what does he look like? Is he healthy or sickly like a winter’s twig?”
Behind the old lady’s back, Mitsuya thumbed up at him and nodded; he should definitely go on.
“Well he’s not incredibly tall, but he’s big. He’s sturdy enough; he told us he built his own house with everyone’s help. He’s got enough strength but he prefers reading. He’s always reading, either on his own or to our Master. You can tell he’s the happiest then, his face shines. He’s got big eyes and long black hair that curls like a mermai-a merman’s when it’s wet.” Shoutarou scratched his head. “I… think that’s all? Ah, he also sings very nicely; sometimes when Master can’t sleep he sings to him, and not only lullabies.”
“Splendid.” The old woman wiped her eyes. “Almost everything sounds like he takes after his mother, but there are definitely his father’s traits as well.” She shook her head knowingly. “I really hope that, no matter what upbringing he had, he is a decent person.”
“He really is, I can assure you of that.” Mitsuya appeared suddenly with a plate of sliced apples. “He’s been with us for a really short time but he’s been excellent. He’s disciplined, discreet and kind, listens to other people without interrupting, he’s not afraid to speak his mind and has an instinct when it comes to justice; he’ll always do what’s truly right to do, seeing through tedious laws and tepid morals.” He concluded, putting some properly folded napkins into a drawer. “Besides, we have no profit honouring him; if he really is your lost heir, he will have to go and that’s inconvenient to us. Master will be devastated.”
“It’s the first time he’s been constantly in a good mood for longer than just a couple of hours. At best, he’d be… not angry, for about an hour, and then he’d fall into despair again.” Shoutarou explained. “I don’t know what he did that we couldn’t. but Yuuki-kun didn’t judge, he didn’t draw back after seeing Master’s beastly form and he kept him company even at unreasonable hours; tasks that we were usually dragged out of bed to do.”
“I see. Well if they’re such good friends and your prince is the ruler of this land, and we’re just after the mountains, those two should unite and make one kingdom where they’ll both reign.”
“That would be nice… Only, our prince isn’t capable of taking up this task just yet. Even though he fought that witch to save his people from her, they don’t trust him now that he’s like this. He was ostracized and even though it’s only because of the curse, legends have formed about a beast in the woods; people believe he’s a killing fiend despite nothing of it being true.
“That’s horrible.”
“Well… Yes. And he -I guess it’s difficult to tell, since he didn’t show you his face, but he’s constantly hurt by those beliefs. He tries to hide it even from us but really… Being with him as long as we have, he can’t really.”
The old lady finally smiled.
“You’re all such kind, kind kids… He must be grateful the closest of his subjects are so devoted to him.”
There was no more talk after that. Mitsuya led their guest to one of the empty rooms, right above the floor where their own ones were and then ran down to the kitchen to scold the younger ones into bed; a bubble and soap-throwing party had started in the kitchen after Yukito’s indication. Instead of helping Shintarou wash the dishes, he’d started stealing his sponges and throwing foam and soap all around, and soon the other kids had followed along managing to drag even Youichirou in the game. After a lot of yelling and protesting, he managed to get them all in bed though, and then he climbed the stairs to the top floor, determined to talk to the prince.
He took a deep breath, smacked his cheeks twice and knocked on the door.
“Master?” he let out in a clear voice, free of hesitation. He got no reply, so he knocked again and spoke in a more daring tone.
“Master? If you’re not asleep I’d like to talk to you.”
“It’s way past hearing hours!” the growl that came from inside surprised him a little; it was more hoarse and less humane than ever. He didn’t let that affect him though; in a craze of bravery unheard of for his standards, he pushed the grand doors open and walked into the prince’s chambers with spirit.
“I want to talk to you. Not as a servant to his master or as a subject to his liege; as a human being to another.” If he ever told anyone that on that certain moment he wasn’t even the slightest bit afraid, it’d be a lie. Yet even a wimp like himself tried to maintain his composure despite the fact that the situation didn’t help him at all.
The prince, crouched on his bed, half under the covers looked more like a beast than ever. His claws and fangs were bigger than before, his hair longer and wilder, his ears had changed and, Mitsuya guessed, the part of his body that was hidden underneath the blankets was too.
He cleared his throat again.
“I meant what I said about human beings.” He repeated, determined to get a word out of the prince.
“Have I ever been more like a monster?!” Takahisa snarled, getting out of bed and onto the floor. “Have I, Ryou? HAVE I? Look at me!”
“I am.” A drop of sweat appeared on his temple. It was true that the prince’s transformation was worse than any previous time but there was no chance Ryou would let it scare him away.
“And you still want to talk about being human? Human! Like this?!!”
“I don’t care. And Yuuki-kun didn’t and doesn’t either, and he won’t ever.”
The prince winced in pain once Yuuki’s name was mentioned. “He’s gone though.” He whispered, barely audible, looking away.
“He didn’t leave deliberately, Master, you know that! And he never said he won’t be coming back! He asked you to grand him three days; if they go and he’s not back yet you can freely fall into despair, I won’t say a word. But not before then. Not before your birthday.”
“DO NOT REMIND ME!” Takahisa roared, throwing an already wrecked chair to the one mirror that had no cracks yet on the opposite wall, right behind Ryou. The chair sped about his cheek, made his hair shake to its direction but didn’t touch him and he didn’t do a single move to dodge; it wasn’t the first time this happened.
“I made Tsuru-chan talk to him.” He spoke again, crossing his hands low at his waist. “Someone had to open his eyes, don’t you think?”
“What… What are you talking about?”
“That you love him, Master.” Mitsuya’s tone was dead serious as he said that. “Shion told us, although it wasn’t really necessary. It was already obvious.”
Takahisa fell down on the floor, all the wild power driving him suddenly drained from him. “He… you all had noticed… And he hadn’t?” he asked weakly, bringing his paws at his face. “Not that I had any hopes for that in the first place…”
“He only noticed that… He said the way you looked at him was pained and desperate. But he didn’t look uncomfortable or anything. I can assure you that while he was here and spent all that time with you he never, never showed disgust or repulse or anything you might think he feels towards you.”
“He’s just so… gentle, and so beautiful.” The prince whispered again, as if trying to apologize. “I… Even though it’s bad, even though I’m like this, I couldn’t help it…”
“There’s no helping it in these things, Master, you did nothing wrong! You didn’t even tell him how you feel; think about the people who force their emotions on the ones they love, caging them instead! You never did anything to Yuuki-kun; he’s got absolutely no reason to hate you!”
Ryou could see that his words just wouldn’t go through; the prince was convinced that everything was against him. “Would you mind if I became bold?” he said in a different tone now. “You are being miserable like this on you own. This… your prejudice that everyone finds you detestable and only stays by your side by obligation is really hurtful. It is not this way! Ask the boys; the kids who weren’t with you from the start like the rest of us and didn’t know you from before -we all love you! Look at the way Shii-chan, Negi, the two Atsushis tend to you at your every command! And then even if you don’t say, they do things to please you on their own! None of us is here with you out of obligation or fear of revenge if we left you; neither did Yuuki-kun. Why would he come back if he did? Why would we all wish so strongly for your happiness if we did?”
Takahisa shook his head. “I just wish I could talk to him somehow.” He muttered under his breath, putting his fingers into his hair.
“Magic mirrors don’t work if he doesn’t have the other half.”
“Water. Ice. You do with what you have. Call Jun for me.”
“Now?! But they’re sleeping! I only just managed to put them all to bed! Besides it’s so late even Yuuki-kun will probably be sleeping.” Mitsuya protested.
“…I’m sorry.” The prince turned his face away and climbed into his bed again, this time closing the curtains as well before crawling underneath the blankets again. “Let it be the first thing he does when he wakes up. Bring him here. Tell him what I want. He must be ready… Now go. You should rest too.”
Ryou lowered his head. He didn’t know if he’d succeeded in making the prince think more positively and he still worried about that, but there wasn’t anything more he could do now as he was dismissed already. He nodded, greeted and left, a heavy stone weighting down on his heart.
“Spare us all already…” he murmured.
As he descended the stairs, he saw Youichirou and Shou sitting at the edge of the small platform ring surrounding the tower on the outside of the wall, their legs swinging back and forth, holding hands and talking in low voices; quickly he walked past them, not wanting to be seen and thought that he was eavesdropping. But then, once he reached the room and as always first walked over to watch the kids a little, he saw Ryousuke’s bed was empty, and worried for a moment. Turning his head, he immediately spotted him in Jun’s bed, holding him, both sleeping soundly. He took a closer look and noticed that Jun had been crying; there were tear streaks on his cheeks and his eyes were red and puffy. He was holding tightly onto Ryousuke’s shirt, almost as much as it’d take for his knuckles to turn white, yet they hadn’t; he had wrinkled it instead.
Ryou smiled a bitter smile and pulled the blanket closer to their faces, covering them gently, trying to hold back the urge to sing a lullaby. When he turned to the opposite side he saw that even Shintarou and Yukito were sleeping holding hands; their pinkies were twined, arms hanging in the space between their beds and with their heads as close to the edge as was possible. And it wasn’t only the younger ones, because right under the window where the beds of the two Atsushis were, they had fallen asleep leaning sideways onto each other, a pile of books at their feet and one of them open in Shiramata’s lap.
”There’s so much love here… There’s no way Master, who deserves it more than anyone won’t find happiness.” Ryou thought as he tiptoed over to his bed. And there, he found that Kenki had been waiting for him, sitting on his bed with his grand pillow on his legs. He’d fallen asleep leaning from side to side as though he was sleeping in a speeding vehicle. Moved to tears by now, Mitsuya wiped his face to the back of his sleeve and walked over, pulled the covers and got into bed right as he was, not changing his clothes or doing any move to wake Kenki. And right on the moment he pulled the covers up, putting a blanket over Kenki too so that he wouldn’t get cold, outside, Youichirou had finally managed to make Shou give in and now they were kissing, snow falling around them heavy and monotonous like rain; a blizzard was on the way.
And with the snow also came yet a different kind of magic, sitting layered upon the tower and securing everything in its embrace. It made Kenki shift in his sleep and slide closer to Mitsuya and Shintarou sleep-crawl into Yukito’s bed; it even made Shou decide that for that one night, Youichirou was far more important than guarding the tower and they spent the night cuddling at the inner part of the stone ring they were seated at, closer to the doors leading back inside. It made Arai fall into Shiramata’s lap in his sleep and hold onto his hand tightly, and it made the prince finally fall asleep after crying for many long hours. Its power was so grand that reached even Yuuki and gave him dreams of the prince based on the memories he had of them together and even things he had no knowledge of. It reached so far away that the kinds of two neighbouring kingdoms with two lost heirs finally had a good night’s sleep, falling deep and dreamlessly into it, the piled exhaustion of years working on them better than any sleeping drink.
It was good magic that worked to slowly overturn the bad one that had been conqueror and ruler all the previous years. It was the work of a fairy who had heard of the misfortune of those lands and had decided she’d be the one who’d help things move forward and leave the evil and the curse behind. A place couldn’t only have a wicked witch lurking around; there had to be balance, and that meant that a good witch or a fairy like herself had to be present as well. Her name was Maii, and she was everything good that Oshin couldn’t stand in her malice.