Of Regal Honor and Noble Misgivings - Three: Rain
Title: Of Regal Honor and Noble Misgivings
Pairing, characters: Tezuka/Fuji (duh! XD), Yuuta
Rating: G for now
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/Angst
Warnings: sort of regency AU, shounen ai
Disclaimer: Tezuka and Fuji aren't mine. They own each other, though. But the setting is all mine.
Summary: Tezuka is the Prince. Fuji is the Marquis. They'll be friends forever, Yumiko thinks.
Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
50episodes prompt: 19. rain
A/N: An update! (Hurrah for the slacker me! XD)
Chapter Three
----Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.----
Being the Royal Architect, Sato Hideki concluded from experience, was an arduous task. He had to closely monitor the castle and the courts every week to check for tiny cracks, and oversee the castle’s reconstruction should any problem arise. If so much as a brick fell, he would be punished; it was his responsibility to provide a safe dwelling for the monarchs as well as a secure venue for matters of state. But little did Sato expect that the biggest challenge in his career would be assigned one peaceful summer day by a five-year old.
As per the Queen’s orders, Sato had been summoned from the repair site of the West Tower toward the Prince’s bedchambers. Mild surprise overcame him for he had never been to visit the Prince before. Nonetheless, he met the Prince with much respect, bowing several times to the Prince who was known to be very accomplished, polite and adept at the age of five.
The Prince, his bespectacled eyes round and calculating, shut his book and nodded at the architect.
“Sato-san,” called another voice that was, Sato judged, more cheerful than the Prince’s. “Do you think you can repair the tree-house at the Fenestran Forest?”
Sato straightened himself and glanced at the other boy, the one kneeling on the cushion right before a small drawing table.
“Please?” asked the boy. His smile was widely charming and his slightly shut eyes were innocently pleading.
“Why, yes, my lord,” Sato replied as he recalled the Marquis of Chrysalium to be the Prince’s faithful companion. “That can be done easily.”
“Really?” asked the Marquis eagerly. He paused for a while and began sketching on the piece of parchment before him. Then, with bright blue eyes, he held out the paper and asked, “Could you please make it look like this?”
Sato eyed the drawing with appreciation. The Marquis, it seemed, had a hand for sketching. “Of course,” he said. “We could start cutting some of the tree branches now - “
“No, don’t cut anything,” the Marquis said quickly, grabbing the parchment from Sato. The Marquis began erasing bits of the sketch and started drawing again, wrinkling his forehead in childish wonder. He brought the paper up and said, “Perhaps, this will do? Please don’t cut anything. The tree might cry.”
If Sato completely lost his composure, he would have stared at the sketch. The tree house, as the Marquis wanted it, was taller to compensate for the fact that it couldn’t be any wider. It had several rooms at different levels and some crooked bits for it to fit in the tree. Sato decided that he had to break his brain pondering how not to cut anything from the tree. Otherwise, the Marquis and, in turn, the Prince would be very displeased.
oOo
Finally, after three weeks, the tree-house had been repaired in accordance to Fuji’s request. The glitter in Fuji’s cerulean eyes spoke volumes of his joy and his bright smile spoke volumes of his excitement. To by-passers - guards who patrolled the forest, noblemen who rode for a game or two - the tree-house most certainly looked odd. Even the Queen of Fenestrium could not hide the arch in her brows as she and the Duchess of Chrysalium were dragged by their sons to the new architectural creation.
“It looks a bit crooked, Syusuke,” noted the Duchess, smiling slightly. “Are you sure that it would be safe for you and Yuuta to be left here?”
“Of course!” said the Marquis decidedly. “I designed it myself,” he said, beaming proudly.
“It’s ugly, aniki,” said Yuuta, sticking his tongue out at his brother.
“It is?” asked the Marquis. His face and spirit fell. “But I thought - “
“Of course Yuuta was joking,” Yumiko said reassuringly, patting her brothers’ head.
Fuji’s eyes brightened again. “Can we climb up now?” He asked zealously. He tugged at Yuuta's arm and without even waiting for approval, led Yuuta toward the tree house.
The Prince, however, stayed for a while to watch the Fujis climb up the rope ladder.
“Are you sure it would be safe, dear?” asked the Queen thoughtfully.
The Prince studied his mother’s face. “Of course!” he said matter-of-factly.
“But it looks -“
“It looks like that because Syusuke doesn’t want the tree to cry,” explained the Prince briefly.
The Queen finally let go of the Prince’s hand. She chuckled in a most unqueen-like manner and turned to the Duchess. “My son trusts your son very much,” she said, inordinately amused. She waved her hand, beckoning the Duchess to a short walk with her. For sure, she could trust the Marquis as well.
oOo
Things accumulated in the tree house as the years passed and as the Marquis learned that he was supposed to call the Prince Your Highness instead of My Royal Highness - although, of course, he was particularly fond of calling the Prince Kunimitsu more than anything else. Fuji’s things were all over the tiny room at the second storey - Fuji’s wood puzzles (solved and unsolved), Fuji’s easel, Fuji’s papers, Fuji’s pens, Fuji’s books, and Fuji’s sketches. Things were also down at the lower level - Tezuka’s books, Tezuka’s toys, Fuji’s wooden puzzles of ships and castles, more of Fuji’s papers, Tezuka’s math problems, more of Fuji’s sketches, Tezuka’s homework and more of Fuji’s books.
One dreary day, when the sky was annoyingly gray and heavily clouded, the seven year old Yuuta - the only person allowed entry to the tree house apart from Fuji and Tezuka - asked why his aniki’s things were strewn all over the place. “It’s messy, aniki,” Yuuta complained.
Fuji lifted his head in thought and turned to Tezuka, “Is it that messy?”
The Prince looked up from his equestrian book and nodded.
The Marquis grinned up at his brother and said, “Well, then, it must be!” He pursed his lips, wondering. “I’ll clean up the day after tomorrow,” he decided.
The Prince tilted his head in inquiry. “You can clean up now or tomorrow,” he said pointedly.
“I can’t clean up just yet because we have to go home in a few minutes… and I can’t clean up tomorrow. There will be a festival tomorrow, remember? I want to buy something that I haven’t seen before and put it up here.” He nodded to himself convincingly. His eyes noticeably opened at the thought. “Neesan told me that they’ll have these strange potted plants. I wonder what they’d look like… Pssst, Kunimitsu.”
“Hn?”
“You’ll go too, right?” asked the Marquis. Anticipation was evident in his bright blue eyes.
“Good. I can consult you if I find something interesting and - “
“Aniki, it’s raining,” Yuuta pointed out.
Both Fuji and Tezuka paused to listen to the heavy spatter of rain against the roof and they exchanged anxious glances. Tree houses, their parents had told them, were not safe during heavy rains, especially during thunderstorms like this one. The lightning could hit them and -
“Yuuta,” called Fuji worriedly, “You can go down now. We’ll just shut the windows.”
Yuuta nodded dutifully and headed toward the rope ladder.
Tezuka immediately rose, abandoning his book and closed the window within his reach.
Snap.
Tezuka turned to feel heavy, blue eyes piercing against his skin. Fuji’s face turned pale and Fuji’s mouth hung open. “Yuuta,” Fuji whispered and he hurriedly climbed down through the trapdoor. He climbed down the rope, two steps at a time, and hopped off the rope to Yuuta's side.
The Prince followed suit, ignoring the rain and crouched to Fuji’s aid.
“Yuuta, Yuuta,” called the Marquis worriedly.
“Aniki, my ankle hurts,” said Yuuta, groaning in pain as he clutched his brother’s arm. He sat on the mud, his left leg paralyzed.
“You can’t walk?” asked Fuji, his voice was hoarse and shaking. “Can you wait right here? I’ll call someone and - “
Fuji stopped when he felt Tezuka’s fingers dig through his arm.
“I can carry Yuuta,” said the Prince calmly.
The Marquis blinked and bit his trembling lips. After a moment’s thought, he nodded.
Bearing Yuuta at his back, Tezuka glanced at the shivering Marquis beside him. For a second or two, he inclined his head in thought, realizing that his usually blithely friend had never been this terrified before.
oOo
A/N: ORHANM4’s prompt will be cactus. ;) Comments will be loved (for they will help me survive the next week)! ^^ And, now, off to more school work. T_T