Akatsuki - Chapter Twenty-Four
Title: Akatsuki
Genre: AU/Fantasy
Rating : PG-13
Disclaimer: I made the poster from images I got from flickr, heavily influenced by an original, final fantasy/kingdom hearts/legend of Mana but the plot and characterization are my own hard work. The Idols are Johhnys but because they've engraved an irreplaceable position in my heart so I based my characters on them and yeah used their names...the end.
Summary: Two nations on the brink of war. A young King on a mission. Two brothers on a quest to preserve their ties. The bonds of friendship are pitted against the greed for power but the hidden strength lying dormant within the confines of a fragile heart has the ability to throw all asunder.
Chapter Twenty-Four - The Healer’s Secret
The room wasn’t lit but it wasn’t dark either. There was a subtle glow, akin to a low flame… gold with a bit of red. It felt warm, just like a flare and its presence was almost comforting. There was a slight breeze as well but he couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
He blinked his eyes at the darkness above him and around him and at the subtle light paving the way thru and it made him wonder.
Where was he now?
His body, he couldn’t tell where his body was since he couldn’t even move his face to look. He must be lying down. The surface below him felt hard but there was something soft underneath his head.
He gasped as he felt a tremble run through his entire being and his muscles tensed. It felt as if a strange heat was seeping out of him.
It hurt, as the heat left his body began to shiver and his eyes stung bad.
“It’s almost done; you were asleep through the harder part,”
His pupils flicked to the source of the voice and found the source of the light.
The boy’s face was hidden behind the glow of his pendent but his fingers were lined against each other in a diamond formation in front of the glowing jewel.
There was a sudden stiffness in his spine and it made him jerk, head thrown back against and a strangled yell escaped his throat as he felt something rising from his within his breathing tube. He coughed and gaged as he felt something akin to thick smoke pull itself out through his throat and almost collapsed from the lack of air when everything stopped.
~*~
Yuto stared at the drink in his hand. He could hear low chattering behind him but paid nobody any heed. It had been a while that they had taken Kouta into the back room and those long hours had felt like torture.
I’m so selfish…it’s all my fault…his pain is because of me…
“Yuto,”
He dropped the mug, spilling its contents onto the floor at the sound of the familiar voice, a voice he hadn’t heard in so long.
He got to his feet, eyes welling with tears as he turned to face his guardian.
“You know, I’ve been wanting to say this for a while now…something I noticed when I came to pick you up at the academy…,”
Yuto blinked. Kouta smiled sheepishly.
“We’re actually the same height now!”
Yuto shook his head and sniffed as Kouta ruffled his hair.
“I hope you’re feeling better?”
Yuto smiled as the Apothecary descended the stairs and Kouta nodded fervently.
“Where is your son? I have to thank him personally!” said the young King, eyes shining with delight.
“There’s no need for that,”
All eyes fell upon the lanky boy that had just walked out of the back room. There was a strange air about him and Yuto couldn’t help but feel…intimidated.
“You saved my life…thank you,” Kouta stated with a slight bow. Yuto frowned as the boy smirked.
“Yeah sure, just letting you know that though the curse is gone, it’s going to take a while for you to recover your full strength, so don’t push your luck,” he replied coolly.
“I apologize, he has never been one for manners,” spoke the Apothecary giving his son a glare.
“He’s quite a talent,” remarked Keito with a hint of wonder to his voice. The man nodded with a smile.
“Even we, his family are not fully accustomed to this ability, we reckoned he picked it up in our homeland,”
“If you don’t mind me asking…you’re from?” Keito asked. Hikaru raised an eyebrow at the brief flicker of tension on the elf King’s face.
“Valian,” Ryutaro answered, his voice laced with caution instead as the Apothecary hesitated. Yuto’s head snapped in his direction. The boys glared at each other for a couple of minutes until Yuri’s fingers snapped between them, breaking the tie.
“May I remind you that this is a peace zone, so no spitefully looks from either of you,”
“That was never my intention,” Ryutaro replied shortly before marching up the stairs and out of sight.
The Apothecary bowed.
“Please forgive me Your Excellency! He used to be an obedient child, but he changed incredibly after he received that pendant,”
“He’s become an arrogant blockhead,” Shintaro snapped from a corner.
“Where did he get that?” Yuri asked with a frown.
“It was rewarded to him by the King of Valian on his 7th birthday, we were very much surprised by the gift and the offer for such a young boy to join the royal council, it frightened us you see and that is one of the reasons of why we left the country,”
The room fell into a strange silence. They were indebted to him, he had saved Kouta’s life after all but Yuto couldn’t help but feel cautious.
He could sense something about this boy, and this something seemed very much like a threat.
~*~
Ryutaro slumped onto the floor, completely out of breath.
“Wasn’t expecting it to be such a complicated curse,” he spoke shakily, pushing himself to sit up against the wall. He held the pendant in his palm and stared at the soft golden glow.
“If he used them on that man, he must have been desperate,”
He got to his feet and approached the window, staring out at the clear sky with a thoughtful sigh.
“Hmph, I guess it can’t be helped, I best get back.”
~*~
A/N: I know it's probably an unforgivable delay, but I'm still recovering and ain't processing things as quickly as I normally can. Here's the latest chapter, will get back into the flow with this.