The King's Prophecy (3/17)
Title: The King's Prophecy
Author: thanku4urlove
Pairing: Takaki/Inoo, onesided Daiki/Yamada
Rating: PG-13
Warnings:Uh... I don't know. Interdimensional travel I guess?
Genre: Romance, AU (Royalty/Fantasy)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: When Takaki stepped off the train in Tokyo, he thought he was going to get his hair touched up at the salon. Instead he meets a crossdressing vigilante in a life-or-death situation, and that's just the beginning.
A/N: A new character comes in this chapter!!!!! Also, the biggest possible happy birthday to our favorite rockstar kid, Okamoto Keito! <3
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2
Dinner wrapped up quickly after that, and Takaki thanked them for the food; a genuine home cooked meal was not something he'd had in a while.
"Now, Inoo, it's your turn to wash the dishes, but--" Yabu held his hand up, stopping Inoo's already forming protest "--since you almost died today, I'll do it and you and Takaki can figure out where he'll be sleeping."
Inoo blew Yabu a kiss, gesturing for Takaki to follow him as he stood up. They came to a stop in the hallway, in front of the four doors. Inoo cleared his throat.
"This is my bedroom." He said, placing his right hand on the wood of the door. "The one next to it, there, is the bathroom, and Daiki's room is across the hall. Yabu's room is this one next to Daiki's, and it's always best to knock."
"...why?" Takaki asked, apprehensive.
"You'll find out if you don't knock." Inoo warned, opening his door and stepping in. The room wasn't dirty, per se, but the bed unmade, a few pieces of clothing on the floor. Inoo straightened it up quickly as he walked through, dumping the clothes in a wicker basket behind the head of the bed.
"I think you'll probably be sleeping in here, if that's okay. I would suggest the couch in the living room, but that doesn't give you much privacy."
"No, here is fine."
"Of course it is, it's my room." Inoo sat down on the bed, expression turning serious. "You do not get my bed all to yourself, though. Either we share it, or you're sleeping on the floor."
"That's not a very nice way to treat your rescuer." Takaki said, crossing his arms. He was joking, of course--he didn't want to take Inoo's bed from him, intending to sleep on the floor from the beginning--but Inoo seemed to feel so strongly about it that he couldn't resist teasing him at least a little.
"You'd have to do something much more impressive than save my life to get me to give up my bed."
That made Takaki laugh, Inoo giving him a critical once-over.
"We're going to have to get you some normal clothes, and I'm not sure what we can do about your hair except for cutting it o--"
"No." Takaki didn't let Inoo say "off". "The hair stays."
Inoo didn't comment, simply giving him an amused glance.
"Alright. For now, you can wear a few of my things. We're close enough to the same height."
Takaki ended up in some of Inoo's sleep clothes, the fabric surprisingly thin and soft. They laid out blankets and cushions on the floor, Inoo muttering to himself the whole time about other things they would need. Once the lights were out and the room was silent, Takaki left laying in the dark, in a state of disbelief. This couldn't be real life, there was no way--but at the same time, it was the reality he was being dealt. With no way to make a change, it was something he simply had to go along with. He had done pretty well of that so far.
Maybe I could contact a magician, he mused, unable not to laugh at how honestly ridiculous the notion seemed.
Takaki woke to someone shaking him and he sat up fast, panicked. All he could think was that somehow, someone had gotten into his apartment. A few seconds of looking around him scared him a little more, the surroundings completely unfamiliar. Then he saw the familiar face of Inoo Kei, looking at him strangely, and he began to calm down.
"...are you okay?" Inoo asked.
"I..." There was thin, pale light coming in through the window, his back aching slightly. He was on the floor, in Inoo's bedroom. "Yeah."
"It's morning, and I figured you would probably want breakfast."
"Breakfast..." Takaki tried harder to wake up. "What time is it?"
Inoo shrugged. "Dawn, roughly." He said, as though that was an acceptable answer. Takaki suppressed a groan, getting to his feet.
"You can go back to sleep." Inoo told him, but Takaki shook his head. He was awake now. They walked into the kitchen together, a stranger bounding up to Inoo as soon as they walked in.
"Inoo! I heard you got away!"
"Yes, I'm alive, it's a miracle." Inoo's slight sarcastic tone was softened by the smile on his face, the newcomer pulling Inoo into a hug. He was extremely thin and tall and, in Takaki's opinion, much too energetic for how ridiculously early in the morning it was bound to be.
"Yuto and I were planning on heading to work together this morning." Daiki said from in front of the stove. "Yuto's giving a royal announcement today in the square, so he's meeting with the King for what exactly he's supposed to say. He was asked to poke into your case a little, so I told him to stop in and ask you himself."
"I'm getting His Highness's royal attention, huh?" Inoo sounded amused, but Takaki was worried. Wasn't attention from someone in so much power--especially if it was for something negative--a bad thing?
"Well, Yuto," Inoo turned to face the newcomer, putting an arm around Takaki's shoulders. "I want you to let the King know that me and my rescuer here ran across the Western border, are probably on ships by now, and not worth any of his time or energy."
"Your rescuer?" Yuto asked, gaze flicking to Takaki. "Him?"
"Me." Takaki said with a nod. If that was going to be his title, he was fine with it. "I'm Takaki Yuya."
"I'm Nakajima Yuto!" Yuto supplied, beaming at him. "I'm a friend of Inoo, and Daiki, and Yabu, wherever he is."
"Sleeping." Daiki supplied. "He should be up soon."
"I’m supposed to only be the King's messenger--which is much more dangerous than it sounds--but since our King is so paranoid I'm also supposed to report public opinion and important matters back to him. Anything you think I should tell him about what happened?"
Takaki shook his head, figuring that the less this King knew about him the better, and Inoo gave Yuto a little smile.
"He likes to think of himself as some double agent or something." He told Takaki. Yuto adopted an indignant expression.
"I am!" He insisted. Then he turned to Takaki. "What do you do?"
"I... Well, I just got here yesterday." Takaki answered, unsure of what to say. All he'd done so far is stop an execution, meet people, and feel confused. "I'm from out of town."
"I'm here." Yabu stumbled into the kitchen, definitely more than half asleep. "I'm here, I'm up, I'm awake. I'm..."
"You're going to be late." Daiki laughed, sliding a bowl of something that looked like oatmeal over to the knight, Inoo walking over behind his chair and trying to smooth the flyaway strands of hair with his fingers. "What happened?"
"I was just up late talking to Hikaru." Yabu said. Daiki raised an eyebrow.
"That's where my big bowl went. Make sure you wash that and put it back."
"All I did was put water in it." Yabu protested, though his tone of voice already indicated his consent to Daiki's request.
"Yeah, sure, but now it's tainted by you two's disgustingly cheesy love." Inoo said, causing Daiki to pull a face.
"Don't say it like that." He told Inoo, Yuto bursting into laughter. All Takaki had was questions, but he didn't want to ask them in front of everyone for fear of getting laughed at, or regarded strangely. He waited until everyone had headed to the castle and it was only he and Inoo left, sitting at the table with a bowl each of Daiki's breakfast, which did turn out being oatmeal after all.
"Who's Hikaru?"
Inoo looked surprised that he was asking.
"He's Yabu's lover boy. He works in the castle, next to the King, so they don't get much private time together. He stops by sometimes though. He's funny; I like him fine. They've been together since... Definitely since before I met Yabu, probably longer. Yabu became a knight just so he could be stationed inside the castle, I think."
Takaki nodded. He'd suspected something along those lines--not all the details, of course--but the main thing he was wondering hadn't been touched on.
"How did the talk with just a bowl of water?"
"Oh, right. Hikaru's a high-level magician, and there’s some kind of spell where they can see each other in the water, or something." Inoo waved a hand, as though what he was saying almost was boring him. "Do you really not have stuff like that where you come from?"
"I..." Takaki didn't know if he wanted to try explaining video chatting, or Skype. "We do. We don't use water though."
Inoo simply nodded, Takaki moving to the next thing he was wondering about.
"About that thing Yuto said; why is the King paranoid?"
"It's a bit of a story." Inoo said, setting his spoon down. "This all happened when I was a few years old, but I work with a bunch of old people, so I've heard the story a few times. The King at the time--a different man--traveled across the sea to meet with a leader of another that had requested his audience, and ended up catching a deadly illness. The King's Hand also fell ill, dying quickly after--"
"The King's hand?" Takaki asked, confused.
"His second in command. The one in line for his throne." Inoo explained quickly. "Anyway, the Hand willed the throne to our current King, Chinen Takashi. That was a strange move, because while Chinen Takashi had been on the Counsel, the two hadn't been friends." Inoo shrugged. "None of the King’s Hand’s friends were highborn, or in power, so I guess it was anybody’s game."
Takaki didn't really see how any of this would make the King paranoid, but then Inoo continued.
"The thing that made it truly questionable was that the will was written by Chinen Takashi himself--upon the Hand's command, apparently--and despite it being ratified by the High Priest, there are still whispers that he's not out true King."
"People think he wrote the will for himself?" Takaki asked. Inoo nodded.
"I mean, there was no say as to who would take over the Kingdom anyway, since the the Hand didn't have an heir."
"Do you think he's the true King?"
"Honestly? I don't care." Inoo said. "Nobody really does. They're just blaming him, because ever since he came into the power, the crops have slowly been dying. But His Majesty isn't doing anything to help the people, so I wouldn't mind if he was thrown out." He held out his hand for Takaki's empty bowl, Takaki handing it over. "The situation isn't dire yet, but if he isn't going to keep us from starving, then it's time to get a king that will."
Takaki nodded solemnly as Inoo put the bowls in the sink, turning back to him with an incredibly bright smile.
"Anyway, I don't have work today since I'm supposed to be dead, so... Do you want to go out or something?"
The phrasing of the question was amusing, Takaki smiling as he nodded.
"Sure."
"We can buy you some clothes, and stuff. Pillows and blankets to make the floor more comfortable."
Going out into town revealed just how popular throughout the town Inoo actually was. His earlier interaction with the produce vendor had given Takaki a bit of a clue, but really it was just the tip of the iceberg. He was greeted by nearly everyone, being called his full name, his first name, and even a few strange nicknames that Takaki wouldn't have guessed belonged to Inoo if his companion hadn't responded to them.
They bought an entire wardrobe of clothes, Takaki being introduced to an incredible amount of people as they went. Most everyone was kind though, coming away from their adventure with not only the clothing, but a good amount of free food as well. They stopped by the castle gates on their way back home, Takaki surprised as the knight on the left waved at them.
"We brought you a snack!" Inoo called as they approached, and the removal of the Knight’s metal helmet revealed Yabu, the man understandably sweaty underneath.
"You're the best." Yabu responded gratefully as Inoo handed him a few apples. "Give one or two of those to Hashimoto, would you?"
He pointed to the guard on the right end of the gate, Takaki complying. The suit of armor did not move as Takaki approached, causing him to ask awkwardly when he came to a stop "...do you want an apple?"
The knight removed his helmet then, his hair falling gloriously around his face as he beamed Takaki in the face with a gracious smile.
"Thank you so much."
Takaki blinked, smiling a little as he handed the fruit over, walking back to Inoo and Yabu as quickly as he could.
"He got you!" Inoo exclaimed with a laugh, noticing Takaki's expression. Yabu patted him on the shoulder sympathetically.
"Don't worry, it happens to the best of us."
"What?" Takaki asked, feeling both confused and defensive.
"Hashimoto Ryosuke. He's a complete charmer." Inoo explained. "He has this huge, white horse that he rides around the streets and in tourneys, and no matter he is there are always flowers somewhere."
Inoo gestured and sure enough, Hashimoto's post was in the middle of a batch of daisies. Inoo was describing such a stereotypical, fairy tale knight that Takaki almost laughed.
"The best part is, he doesn't even know he's doing it. He's too sincere." Yabu finished. Hashimoto must have noticed them looking at him, giving them a bright smile and a wave. He was cute, Takaki had to admit.
Takaki spent his next few days trying to figure his new surroundings out. Some things he worked through his own, usually the hard way, and others he had to get help about from his new housemates. It was embarrassing to ask so he usually left it as a last resort, despite how understanding they were. Inoo helped him get hot water for his first bath, then stared at him, grinning and waiting, until Takaki shouted and kicked him out of the bathroom.
"Are you going somewhere?" Takaki asked. It was midday, just after lunch, and Inoo was putting on a pair of shoes. "Did you get a job?"
"Yes, and no." Inoo answered. "My lovely ex-husband still has a good amount of my stuff in his house, and I want it back."
"You're going to his house?" Takaki asked, slightly incredulous. "Are you... Is that a good idea?"
"He isn't home." Inoo said. "...hopefully. Besides, you'll just save me again, right?"
Before Takaki could protest further Inoo smiled at him, slipping out the door. Shaking his head, Takaki brought his lunch plate to the sink, washing the lunch and breakfast dishes and wondering what would be the best way to get the news that Inoo was in trouble again, if the other man truly did end up needing his help.
He was feeling quite alone and unsure of what to do, thinking he should eventually get some kind of a job, when the door opened. A complete stranger strode in, Yabu right behind him.
"Is that him?" The newcomer asked, pointing straight at Takaki's face. He had on a heavy cloak, the fabric cream colored at the neck and shoulders and darkening gradually into a deep purple around his ankles. Gold thread stitched astral patterns into the fabric, and when Yabu answered his question affirmatively, Takaki shot him a desperately questioning look. It was doubtless that this man was from the castle; had Yabu turned him in?
"I'm sorry, but... What's going on?" Takaki asked hesitantly. The man was looking him over, nodding to himself.
"Please sit." He told Takaki, who did, pulling out a chair at the other end of the table from the two of them. The man sat across from him, Yabu taking the chair between them. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"You are not from here, correct?"
Takaki nodded, and the man took a breath before speaking.
"My name is Yaotome Hikaru, and I'm the man who summoned you."